On the Run

Chapter Two: Breaking News

        I splashed cold water onto my face, washing the dirt and grime from my skin. I looked into the mirror. My brown choppy hair was a complete mess. My grey eyes were bloodshot and had giant bags under them. It was okay with me, though. I just ran my fingers through my hair a few times and rubbed my eyes; I could care less about that. I leaned against the stained and cracked sink that floated on a grimy concrete bathroom wall. A single lightbulb flickered once, then twice.

        "You okay in there, Rae?" Ty shouted from outside the bathroom. I wiped my face on my sleeve and walked out. We were staying in an old motel for the night. We would be leaving for our aunt's house in California in the morning. We would be all over the news, just like every time we caused a ruckus. I couldn't wait to see what "eye-witnesses" said about it. They would say something about teenagers turning into animals, but as usual, no one would believe it. It made a great laugh watching them sputter out things with stunned faces while others stand and laugh.

        I was proved right as I saw the old, boxy television blare out a news report reading "Breaking News: Trouble-Making Teens on the Run Again". I laughed as I plopped down on the creaky mattress. "You know we have to be more careful, right?" Ty said from his bed. His older-brotherly tone showed through as he spoke. I rolled my eyes playfully. "I'm serious, Rae. If we're not careful with what we do, we could actually get caught."

        "Okay, okay," I said in defeat. "It's just that I think we can't really be caught with our shapeshifting abiilities and everything."

        "Just don't go around causing unnecessary trouble all the time. I'd just like to not be a complete fugitive...." Ty said. I nodded and crawled under the covers of the bed. I really needed to catch up on sleep. Ty rubbed his eyes and clicked off the TV.

        "Good night," I mumbled, already half-asleep.

        "G' night," Ty said.

        In the middle of the night, I was shaken awake by Ty. "Get up!" he said in a hushed, hurried tone. I sat up and heard voices from the hallway outside our room. I immediately knew. I pushed myself off the bed and stuffed my few belongings into my rugged canvas backpack. Ty grabbed his things and peeked out the peephole. I slung the backpack over my shoulder and kneeled next to the door, pressing my ear against it.

        "We're doing a full search of this place," a voice said. They sounded a few feet down from our room. "An eye-witness said they saw two suspicious-looking teens here last night that fit the descriptions of the ones we're looking for. Do you recall these two checking in?"

        "No," another voice said. "We barely get any visitors here. I think I would remember them if they checked in."

        Ty and I had broke into our room last night. We knew our faces would be all over the news, so we couldn't show our faces or go anywhere too populous. Ty looked down to me and whispered, "On three." I nodded. "One... two... three!" We barged out of the room, me spreading my arms and turning into my bald eagle-self. The police and motel man looked at us-- which was quite a strange pairing. An 18-year-old boy on a giant eagle's back.

        "Hey..." one of the policemen said, realizing something. "You're the guy we're looking for! Hold it right there! And the eagle... is that really?" The two policemen held up their guns at Ty, with the motel guy looking confused as a penguin in the Sahara.

        "I'd rather not," Ty said, leaning into my back feathers and gripping on tight. I flapped my wings twice, blowing all three men back on their butts, before taking off.

        Bullets whizzed past us, most of them very far off. Man, those guys have really bad aim, I thought.

        Ty held on tight as I flew low through the sky. I was still really tired, and Ty's weight on my back definitely wasn't helping. I tried concentrating ahead on the cool clouds we wre flying into. Ty seemed to notice how low I was starting to fly, and said, "Let's stop for the night. Down there." He pointed at a used car dealership. Cars of all shapes and sizes littered the old, cracked parking lot. I circled above it and landed on the hood of an old pickup. It creaked as my weight settled ontop. Ty slipped his shoelace through the slit of the door with a loop in it. He put it over the lock of the door and pulled the two ends of the lace. Then he lifted it up, unlocking the door. He smiled proudly at his achievement and opened up the door.

        "Since when did you become an expert car-jacker?" I smirked. "I know a thing or two," he said, explaining no further. I shrugged and we climbed inside and settled down. The old dusty smell of the leather seats made me crinkle my nose, but it was the best thing we would get for now. We would need to figure out how to get the keys to this in the morning, but in the meanwhile, all we wanted to do was sleep. We locked the doors and slept until dawn.