RUNNER

On the afternoon Autumn had run away from home, it had been the worst day of her life!

It was late in the day, just before dinner. Autumn and her parents were in the living room talking about a band that she loved and cared for called ‘Why Don't We, which consisted of five young men.  

As Autumn was explaining to her parents why she loved the band, she remembered that she had a letter addressed to her parents which explains that Autumn had been suspended from school. It started after getting into a fight at school, in which she had hit another girl who was bullying her friend. The Principal had not wanted to hear any explanation and took the word of the school bully.

Autumn had jumped up starling her parents and quickly grabbed the letter out of her bag and handed it to her mother. Her mother read the letter first, in silence, she handed it to Autumn’s father. Autumn mother had such a disappointed look on her face which had left Autumn feeling really bad and she looked to her father nervously.

Her father looked at the letter and read it slowly before looking at Autumn with an angry look on his face, she could tell he was furious. He suddenly erupted in anger making her flinch, as he demanded an explanation of why she had been suspended..

Autumn had tried to explain to her father and mother what had happened at school. How there was a bully picking on a friend and how it led to being called to the principal's office.
 
Her father was angry and disappointed with Autumn for fighting, he shook his head in disbelief as he walked off into the kitchen to let his anger out with a loud sound of a chair breaking against a wall. Autumn’s mother runs after him to stop him from breaking down the kitchen. 

Autumn started to cry, she could hear everything her father was doing in the kitchen. Father wasn't normally violent and it had really scared Autumn. Knowing she had disappointed her parents and had angered her father, had Autumn in tears. Father had been mad before however never had Autumn seen this side of him before. Autumn knew she had to talk to them yet seeing her father like that really scared her.  

She tried to calm herself down however, hearing the sounds from the kitchen only continued to upset her more and more.  

The house seemed to quieten down after a few moments, Autumn decided to talk to her parents, she hoped  they had calmed down. She walked closer to the kitchen, Autumn could hear her parents arguing about her being expelled and what they will have to do about it.  They were discussing having to send her to a very expensive Catholic Boarding School to hopefully learn discipline and respect. Autumn was shocked about what she heard, she started to believe that her parents didn’t love her anymore.

"That's it!  I can't live here anymore, they hate me. I’m not what they wanted as their daughter. I guess they would have preferred if I wasn't here since they are going to send me away.  It would be better if I left, to go as far away from here that I can." Autumn decided that it would be better if she just ranway. 
 
Autumn ran upstairs to her room,  grabs her favourite band Why Don't We  drawstring bag, she throws in some clothes and important things before heading downstairs.  She walks out of her front gate and doesn’t look back as she runs from her big blue house surrounded by a beautiful garden. She ran down the road passing  the white terrace houses that had little to no gardens. Autumn headed through her hometown passed the silent, at times ghostly, empty buildings.

She soon found herself running into the local forest, dodging large tree roots and branches.  It wasn’t long before Autumn felt out of breath she needed to slow down. Eventually she finds herself outside an old abandoned mansion covered with long green vine,s that could have once been a beautiful house. Autumn walked up to the mansion to look through the windows to see if anyone was still living here, however she sees nothing there was only darkness.
Autumn walked up to the front door finding it unlocked,she entered  the now beautifully lit mansion.
 
Light permeated through the entire mansion, highlighting  the beautiful natural colours of the mansion.. Autumn looked around the large mansion,in  every room she felt calm and cosy. She soon finds herself entering a corridor that lead up to tall brown doors that were slightly open.  Autumn found herself walking closer to the doors, she heard gentle sounds of music playing as well as a lovely smell of perfume blowing around the room.

Walking through the doors, Autumn sees gorgeous women, all very different from each other dancing in a grand hall, wearing wonderful ball gowns. She also sees handsome men dressed in tuxedos. The gentlemen bow to their ladies  start waltzing around the grand hall. Everyone in that hall looked happy. It seemed real!

Autumn hesitated not sure if she should enter the hall as she doesn't want to ruin their happiness.  She couldn’t tell if any of this was real. They all looked like they were from years ago, Autumn pinced herself hoping it’s all a dream,  the pain she felt in her arm made her believe that this wasn’t a dream.

For a while Autumn stood there confused until she heard footsteps walking up behind her.  Turning around she sees a young man standing in front of her. He was average size, about her height, with short brown fluffy hair and big brown eyes. This young man was also wearing a black tuxedo.

He looked as confused as she felt, maybe because Autumn was wearing blue jeans ,black hoodie with Why Don't We written all over it not a ballgown.. He soon notices the writing on Autumn’s hoodie realising he had seen this before. 

 “That’s my merch...Why Don't We is my band… well  was my band… before our tour bus ran off the road killing all of us” he thought to himself.

A loud 'BANG' ranged the room causing the boy to lose his line of thought. The room soon became silent , a couple of minutes later, the music starts up again everyone goes back to dancing and having a good time.

Autumn looks at the man standing in front of her debating whether to talk to him or just simply walk away. She thought what will she do as the man holds his hand out ready for a handshake.

"Hello ma'am, my name's Zach Herron  and what would your name be?" Zach asked.
 
Autumn looks at Zach's hand,she shakes it with a firm grip as she introduced herself.
 
"Hi Zach, I'm Autumn, it's very nice to meet you" she says as she slightly smiles.
 
"Nice to meet you too Autumn, you have a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. Don't mind me asking this, why are you in jeans and wearing my merch. You're at a ball, you should be wearing a beautiful ball gown' Zach asked as he smiles at Autumn.

"Well long story about that. Umm Zach this is gonna sound strange however, this can't be real even though you're sweet,, you died seven years ago. How are you here, looking alive seven years after your death?" Autumn asked as she gives Zach a confused look.