Born Wild

A runaway

How could she possibly pull this off? She would have no home, no food, no one, but she decided that would be better than the emotional pain she suffered for so long. She wanted to be herself and be loved. She didn't want to deal with a father who was drunk almost every night.

 She realized that her idea was crazy, unknown, and unpredictable. What if she hated her life more after her plans were unraveled? She was scared to leave, but her desire to be free was overpowering. The spark that had dwindled in her heart had finally caught ablaze, sending her off from this place of despair.

She threw on her wolf necklace and clothes with layers. It was still warm here but she figured Washington would be chilly. She pulled out her black book bag she had used at school. She packed her small pocket knife, wallet, license, bandaids, matches, clothes, everything she needed that would fit in her bag.

She pulled up a map to the bus station on her phone and drew the map of the route on a piece of paper. She then placed her phone on her desk with a goodbye note to her father. As she sat back in her desk chair, she looked outside into the trees and smiled. She couldn't wait to finally get out and never come back.

She called her workplace and told them she was quitting. It was the day after she got her last paycheck and the money was already in her account. Then she sat on her bed, listening quietly until she heard him grab his keys and slam the door. She peeked through her bathroom curtain and waited until he was down the street before she stormed into the kitchen. 

She quickly tossed a few snack items into her bag like single serving chip bags, candy bars, trail mix, beef jerky, and a couple of water bottles. She grabbed her coat and headed out the door for the last time. She needed to hurry if she was going to make it to the bank and the bus station. 

She walked toward the bank to withdraw all of her money and walked toward the bus station to buy a ticket to Nashville. Once to Nashville, she got a ticket for a bus that was heading toward the west coast. It was about $200 dollars and used most of her money, but the bus route went all the way to Washington. Thankfully she got there to the bus station before it left. There was only one bus a day that headed west, and it left in 15 minutes. She was glad she didn't have to sleep in the city somewhere.

She hopped onto the bus, passing by the fabric seats with odd colorful shapes on them, and sat all the way in the back. She dropped her backpack on the ground under her seat and put her head against the headrest. The bus passed the tall buildings and exit signs as it headed West. She watched the bus pass for miles deeper into nature and farther from society.

 She felt content for once. She realized she had ultimate freedom. She could finally be herself and do whatever she wanted without worrying about upsetting her father. She didn't have to deal with pain, or anger, or her past. She was finally leaving everything behind and starting over.

She was excited to go back to the coast of Washington. She relaxed back in the seat and listened to the soft rumble of the bus tires. She breathed into the window, watching the fog cover the glass. She pressed her fingers to the cold glass, making a handprint in the fog she made.

From Nashville all the way to Elkford Washington, it would a long enduring 35 hours. She hopped from bus to bus every several hours. She spent her time on the bus sleeping, reading, or drawing. When the buses stopped she would get off to buy food from a gas station or restaurant and get right back on. She was exhausted and just wanted the trip to be over. She had been on the bus for way too long. She sat for 33 hours watching the beautiful mountains and countryside pass by. Finally, she got on the last bus to Washington. She gained more hope and contentment as they drove closer to the misty coast where the sky was rainier and the trees taller.

They were almost there. It was dark. She was barely awake but heard the bus driver start to speak. "First stop is Seattle, then Elkford, then Everett and up to Vancouver." She was exhausted and ready to get off the bus but had no clue of where to go next. She couldn't afford to stay in a hotel.

The bus passed by the Elkford town sign and came to a stop at an empty gas station with a blinking open sign. There was an open grocery store nearby. She hopped off the bus and looked around at the town. It was quiet and there were barely any cars. She smelled the wet pavement and evergreen trees. She headed into the store with bright fluorescent lights and went to the outdoor section. She bought a small tent, a small outdoor food stove, and some canned soup. She left the store, looked toward the forest, and started walking towards the strong fresh scent of pine trees and moss. Once she had walked quite a ways she looked back into town and saw nothing but the few glowing streetlamps, and the quiet gas station.

She saw backpackers all of the time in Tennessee that were walking the Appalachian trail. If they could sleep outside she could too. She hoped it wasn't illegal to sleep out here in the forest. She didn't want to be camping for long, however. She wanted to get a job and rent a nice place soon.Once she out of view, she set her backpack down and pulled the tent out of its bag. She cleared away small branches and made sure the ground was flat and relatively dry. She placed the base of the tent, extended the poles, and finished setting it up. She battled the constant breeze that tried to blow the tent away. She crawled in, took off her boots, and laid her backpack down inside. She pulled out her blanket, folded a sweater up to use as a pillow, and fell onto the floor with exhaustion. 

Her eyes grew heavier and heavier as she listened to the soft drizzle on the tent.

Back in Tennessee, before Tala had gotten very far on the bus, her father arrived home from the store. He hung his coat and stopped in the kitchen for a minute to think. He really wanted to turn his ways around and be a better father. He wanted to give up alcohol for good today. He walked to Tala's room. He knocked on the door softly and sighed. 

"Girly, We should talk about last night." There was no reply. "I am sorry I yelled at you. Can I make it up to you?.... Tala?" 

He opened her door, saw the shards of glass on the floor, and read the note on her desk. He stood still for a minute staring blankly at the room in shock.

He walked into the kitchen, rested his elbows on the kitchen counter and held his head. He then jumped up, grabbing his bottles of whiskey off the counter. He swung open the doors to the backyard, carried them all out to the fire pit and poured each one on the logs, drenching them. 

He grabbed a match out of the kitchen and tossed it on the soaked wood. He stood there and watched it burn. He had absolutely nothing in his life anymore because of that vile drink. He would deal with it no more.