The Runaway |5sos au|

1; popcorn theif

"Hello! I was wondering if you had a job opening?" Her voice bold and ready.

"Sorry kid. We don't hire minors, let alone minors like... you." The man in his mid 50s said with a look of disgust, eyeing her dirty face and greasy hair. His thin, wiry mustache twitched. He probably assumed she was just another stupid runaway. Which, in a way, she was. Minus the stupid part.

"Okay, thank you anyways." Victoria mumbled, looking down to the grey pavement.

The man grunted in reply, and she walked off. Her shoulders hung in disappointment. She'd applied for almost every job she could think of- landscaper, cleanup crew in various places, secretary, clerk at Walmart, clerk at a gas station, dishwasher at a local restaurant ect. She had tried anything anywhere...minus prostitution. Although she knew know matter how hungry or cold she got, she was not going down that road. Thoughts of worry bombarded her brain. If she couldn't produce at least a little cash, she wouldn't be able to pay for a place to live, or even food or water. Her big plan that she had dreamed up about running away to Australia wasn't going as well as she had planned. The money she had saved up had ran out 2 days ago, and she has barely eaten since. Victoria continued to stumble along hopelessly until finally night came. Routinely, Victoria found a bench to sleep on. Weeks ago had she gotten used to sleeping on the uncomfortable surface, but still little comfort came from it. She fell asleep with only the night air and her own desperate thoughts to keep her company.

//

Victoria's eyes snapped open to find herself lying face down on the ground, feet from the bench she had originally settled on. She reasoned must have fallen off of it during the night. Victoria shivered at the chilly morning air. She glanced down at her filthy clothes and sighed. Even though her jeans were black, grime still showed prominently. Propping herself up, Victoria grabbed her backpack and began walking through downtown Perth, Australia. She noticed how silent the city was, it was now only beginning to wake up. After a an hour or so of walking and countless stairs from disapproving adults, she spotted a red and white flyer. Hope fluttered in her empty stomach.

COME SEE THE MAGNIFICENT AMBROSSIA BROTHERS TRAVELING CIRCUS!ACROBATS, ANIMALS AND CLOWNS... FUN FOR YOU AND THE WHOLE FAMILY UNDER AUSTRALIA'S LARGEST & MOST BEAUTIFUL BIG TOP

A toothy grin spread across Victoria's face. She could join the circus. Sure, she was no acrobat, but she was a ballet dancer, and she could pick up the moves quickly. Memories of spending hours alone in the studio after school practicing flashed through her mind. It was the only time she was truly happy. She could be happy again.With a newfound spring in step, Victoria headed to the big top. If she could just land herself a job, there would be no more sleepless nights on a park bench, no more famished days. She was going to find her new home.

Opon arriving at the tall gates, she realized you had to pay to get in. Not only that, but there were lines of up to 50 people waiting for entry. Having nothing but $10 dollars in emergency money, she opted for sneaking in. Walking around the circumference of the property, she spotted a weak point of the fence. Victoria tossed her backpack over and crawled under the fence, and, to her dismay dirtying herself further.

"Hey! You are not allowed to do that! Stop!" Called the voice of an angry woman called. The woman's cries were Victoria's que to run. Disappearing into the crowd of happy family's looking around dazed, she unzipped her backpack and put on a sweater, making it harder for her to spot. Victoria hoped the woman didn't see her face. After 5 more minutes of weaving through the masses, Victoria slowed to a walk. Her stomach growled in raw hunger. It gnawed away at her from the inside. The lovely smell of fried foods and popcorn wasn't doing her any good either. It felt like she hadn't eaten in years.

Suddenly, she spotted carny tossing stale popcorn from behind on of the tents into the trash. Licking her lips hungrily, she jogged over to him.

"Hey um, can I have a bag?" She asked him desperately, her voice horse.

"No. There are food stands all around. You need to pay for your food here." The unfriendly man said sharply.

"Please I-" Victoria began to plead.

"I said no."

Victoria nodded promptly before turning on her heels, walking sullenly away. Glancing behind her, she saw that he was walking away, his back to her. She hurrily sprinted over to the trash bag and took two popcorn bags before swiftly running away. But unfortunately, not fast enough.

"HEY! STOP! GET BACK HERE YOU DIRTY LITTLE MUT!" The man hollered in rage, his footsteps could be heard from behind her. Ouch. She increased her sprint, not looking back until she had successfully lost him in the crowd. Victoria had only been on the circus grounds for about an hour and had already pissed off a couple of carneys. This wasn't good for her job obtaining chances. Although, in her book, she did not actually steal anything. They were going to throw the bags away anyway.

Victoria wolfed the popcorn down in a matter of minutes. Going large amounts of time without food made anything taste delicious, even week old popcorn. After devouring the salty snack food as if were her last meal, she found her self unavoidably thirsty. Victoria licked her dry, cracked lips. She needed something to drink, and stat.

//

30 minutes later, Victoria had successfully stolen 3 waterbotels from a nearby food stand; 2 for now and 1 for later. After stowing away her extra water bottle, her eyes searched for the largest big top. She figured at least one of the brothers who started the circus would be inside the main building..or tent. After locating it, she navigated toward the large red and white tent, feeling hopeful.

Upon entering the big top, Victoria heard the roaring of the crowd. Scanning the arena, she saw hundreds of people's eyes fixed on a boy in the center of the stage, his lips held up to a microphone, a bright spotlight on him. His messy blond hair hung over his face, as he stared forward into the crowd. From such a far distance, Victoria couldn't make our very much of his features, accept that he was tall and blond. He clearly was perfectly comfortable in the bright spotlight. Victoria noticed he wasn't dressed like the other performers in ritzy suits, he simply wore jeans and a grey hoodie. She watched in aw as he finished his song, earning whoops and hollers from the crowd.

"Wow! What a fantastic opening from one of our very best, Luke Hemmings everyone! Give him a round of applause!" said the announcer through the mic.

Victoria clapped with the rest of the people as he took a bow before walking off the stage. She took a seat in the crowd, wedging herself between an old married couple and a family of four. If she was here, why not stay for the show?