My Little Secret

Run. I have to keep running. After three years, I've finally escaped the mental facility. I do not like the term hospital. It makes me seem sick, which I'm not. I have no clue where I am. I haven't been outdoors in the three years, as I was in that jail like place. My choice. Not a good one though. I can't seem to remember where I am or the address of the house I lived in before I arrived in the facility. All I know is that I need to find my brother, Todd and Mom, Jane. I have some things I need to tell them, and some problems we need to fix as a family.

I have to run away though. I need to get out of this place and start over. I cannot risk having the people at the facility find me around here then drag me back there. I'm fine. Honest. I can fix myself on my own. Which I will do.

"Ooof!" I yelped as I fell to the floor. I look up and see a boy about my age, give or take a few years with curly brown hair and the most captivating green eyes I've ever seen.

"Oh my gosh?! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" He asks in a British accent. Weird. We're in America. I open my mouth to answer him as he helps me up, but he covers my mouth with his hand. This alarmed me a great deal, so I bite him. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"What was covering my mouth for?" I shot back. He blushes. "S-s-so-sorry. Just don't scream. I don't want paps or anyone seeing me." He tells me.

"Why would anyone be curious about you?" I ask, quickly adding, "Not to be rude or anything." The strange boy looks confused though he quickly regains himself." "Nothing." He mumbles.

"Why are you out here in the cold with barely anything on? And no shoes!" Curly asks. Yeah. That's what I'll call him.

I didn't even notice it was so cold out. Nor did I notice I wasn't wearing any shoes. I guess that when I escaped, I didn't bother to put much on. I mean I wouldn't have had the chance again so... "U-um no reason." I stutter.

"Yes...because I am going to believe that. Look at you! You're shivering! Come back to my hotel with me, I can help you." No way. NO way. I just escaped and now I'm going to get kidnapped. Don't think so.

"No. I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me I think I will just be on my way."

"You aren't going anywhere. It's getting dark and it isn't good for a girl like you to be alone on the streets in the freezing cold, alone. Let me at least drive you home."

"I don't exactly have a home." I murmur.

"What's that?" Curly asks. I shake my head. He wraps his jacket around me. I quickly fling it off and attempt to hand it back to him, but the wind catches it and then it's gone. I scrunch up my face and look at him.

"Oh great! Now we're both going to be cold!" He huffs. "Who said I was cold?" I sass. He just rolls his eyes at me because it's obvious I'm freezing. "Anyway, you can still get warm. It is right over there." I tell him as I point a few feet away. He goes to fetch the coat and I take this as a chance to run. I start to run but he's too fast. With just a few steps he has his hand around my skinny wrist.

"You aren't going anywhere. Now just let me help you!"

"Um, no thanks. Look I really need to go." I say and start jogging off. Curly grabs my arm, again, preventing me from going anywhere."No. You are freezing. You will get sick. I promise I won't do anything. Please. I won't be able to sleep knowing you're out here in the cold." He doesn't even know me. Why would he care?

Just as I was going to protest and try to leave again, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. "Shoot. Shoot. No, no, no!" I start to get frantic. I see some of the workers from the mental facility coming around the corner calling my name. I just stare for a moment trying to figure out what to do. "Hello? Anybody home?" Curly waves his hand in front of my face. I snap out of my daze. "You know what? I think I will take you up on that offer." He smiles, satisfied he won. I rush towards his car and hop in. Immediately, I am met with the aroma of peppermint and vanilla. It's a weird combination, but I oddly like it.

I look him dead in the eye as he get's in. "I swear curly, if you kidnap me, you won't know what hit you." He chuckled, whist my emotion hasn't changed. He nods and starts to drive.

"I never caught your name by the way." Curly says. "Though I think you've caught mine." He laughs.

"What? Curly? Yea. It just suits you."

"I wonder why." He laughs again, ruffling his head of curls.

"And I never caught your name." I reply.

"I asked first."

"I asked second."

Sighing in defeat to my sass, he says, "My name is Harry."

"Cara." I reply. "That's a pretty name." He tells me. Since I haven't been around boys besides my brother and a few at the mental facility, and the ones there don't talk much all I think to say is, "Okay."

"So Cara..." He starts. "So Curly...."

"I said my name was Harry."

"Just because you told me your name doesn't mean I'm going to use it." He laughs.

"Well aright. But Cara, why were you out there in the cold all alone dressed like it was summer." I stay silent and stare ahead. I can't tell him. He will take me back and I can't risk that. "It's a long story."

"I have time."

"Look, I don't want to talk about it right now." "Okay, but I'm here if you want to talk." Him saying that almost made me laugh out loud. I barely tell my mother and brother whom I've known my entire life anything. Like I will tell some boy I just met jack.

We pull up to his hotel. My jaw drop to the car floor. Curly parks and gets out, while I am still sitting in the car dumbfounded. The hotel is so huge and nice, I mean you must have to have big bucks to stay in such a nice place. "Close your mouth you'll catch flies." Curly sasses opening my door. I get out. As we start to walk towards the entrance, my girl kicks in and I become very aware of what I am wearing. "Curly I can't go in there."

"Why not?"

"Do you see what I'm wearing?!"

"It isn't that bad. I bet there aren't even that many people in the lobby."

"No seriously Harry. No. Not happening." Harry puts his jacket on me. "Now your top is covered and you are just in shorts. It won't take that long to get up to my room. I sigh and nod and he guides me into the hotel.

I receive a few glares, but we make it to his room with out much of a fuss. As we enter the room I sit down on the couch and now the cold really sinks in. Harry had been taking off his shoes and set them by the door, which I would have done as well, if I had remembered to put shoes on. I am so stupid. Really. But I couldn't even feel my feet. I wonder how I managed to walk. Harry notices and rushes to my side.

"Oh my gosh! Look at you! You're freezing! Your lips are turning blue! I'll start a bath." He rushes off. Too numb, cold, and tired to protest, I just sit there shaking. I hear water running and he comes back in and picks me up bridal style and carries me to the bathroom and sets me on the toilet seat.

"Th-thank you Harry. I can handle it from here."

"Of course. Are you sure though?" He is really concerned. I nod. He exits. I struggle to stand up, but I do. I take off my shirt and shorts leaving me in my undergarments. I get into the bath hissing and cursing under my breath because it hurts from the temperature change, and I feel as if I'm stepping into a pit of lava.

After about five minutes of feeling like I could burn to ashes at any moment, I'm okay and the water feels nice and soothing. I then start to go over what has happened today.

I escaped the mental facility, and now will have people after me. I bumped into a boy who took me in, for only God knows what reason, and he is helping me. I don't know why though. After all the things I've done in my life, I don't deserve love, compassion or anything for that matter. I am surprised my brother and mom kept coming to see me. But they haven't for the past month or so. I don't blame them though. They probably hate me. But that's okay, because I hate me too.

EDITED: November 19th, 2015