She walks slowly down the isle, glancing nervously at the cashier and then at the camera poised above her on the ceiling. She bites her lip-she knows this is a bad idea, but she's so hungry. Her stomach growls angrily. The cashier is occupied-it's now or never.
Her fingers graze the package. She carefully puts it in the pocket of her jacket. She removes her hand and looks to the cashier. He didn't notice. She fails to suppress a grin. She did it! She actually-
"Hey!" an angry voice calls, causing her to jump. "You have to pay for that!"
For a moment, she just stares back at him, wide-eyed and speechless, like a deer caught in headlights. The whole store has gone silent, and everyone is watching her. And then she makes her decision.
She bolts.
She hears the cashier shouting behind her, and she's almost to the door, when out of nowhere her path is blocked and she slams into someone tall and hard.
"Whoaaa slow down!" the boy grins, gripping her shoulders. He is at least a foot taller than her, with blue eyes and sandy blond hair. She tries to get around him, but he holds fast.
The cashier reaches them and grabs her arm. "I"m calling the police." he growls, getting out his cell phone.
"Don't waste your time." the boy says, pulling a couple of bills from his pocket and holding them out to the cashier. "It's on me."
The cashier hesitates, still glaring at her, and snatches the money from the boy's hand. "Get out." he orders.
The boy nods a thank you and she follows him through the door, her brain still trying to process what had just happened.
"Hey..uhm..thanks..." she manages, avoiding eye contact. She digs out her prize and starts to walk away.
He raises his eyebrows. "All that for a Twinkie?"
She frowns. "I was hungry..."
He smiles. He has a nice smile, she realizes. "If you wanna come home with me, I think I've got some extra food I could spare."
She considers his offer. She doesn't know this guy, but he did cover for her. Plus, he didn't look dangerous, but she could probably take him if she needed too. And the Twinkie would probably only hold her off for a few hours...
She nods. "Ok."
"Great." He turns and points down the sidewalk. "This way."
They walk in silence for what seems like a long time, until he finally breaks the silence.
"You got a name?" he asks without turning back to look at her.
She hesitates before answering. "Thalia."
He turns and walks backwards so he can see her. "Well hello Thalia. I'm Luke." he smiles, holding out his hand.
She reaches out and shakes it, forcing a smile. "Hi."
"We turn here." he says stepping off of the sidewalk and into the grass. Towards...a forest?
Thalia stops, suddenly confused. "You sure?"
"Positively." he calls, stepping into the foliage.
Thalia doesn't move, suddenly considering his sanity. She tries again, "Your house is in the woods?"
"Yes, Thalia." he says. It feels weird, she thinks, him just using her name like that as if he's known her his whole life. Her stomach rumbles again. She sighs and follows him.
She skeptically follows behind him, squinting through the trees to try and get a glimpse of this 'house' he speaks of. After struggling through a half hour of thorn bushes, poison ivy, and tree branches, she finally sees it.
It's more like a hut than a house. It is carefully crafted from rows of thick sticks placed deep in the earth for stability. Tying it together is what looks like rolls and rolls of electrical tape, and the roof is made up of more sticks placed horizontally and topped off with a layer of foliage.
Thalia had never seen anything more awesome.
"You live here?!" she marvels, running a hand along the wall.
Luke stands back and nods, looking up proudly at his creation. "Home sweet home." Then he ducks under the doorway, beckoning her to follow.
The inside is even more impressing. There's a sleeping bag on the floor, complete with a fluffy pillow and a grinning teddy bear. In one corner is a pile of unfolded clothes; Thalia wonders how he can tell the dirty ones from the clean ones. A dusty lamp hangs from the ceiling, flickering slightly. He even managed to obtain a fold out chair, and on it sat a colorful boardgame labeled 'Sorry!'. Her eyes widen when she sees the portable DVD player next to it and a stack of DVDs on top. But the best part is the old wooden table standing in the corner, piled high with snacks. She forces her gaping mouth closed to keep from drooling.
Luke hastily kicks the teddy bear under the sleeping bag, his cheeks reddening. "So, uh, you hungry?"
She nods.
"Ok, I've got Cheetos, a couple apples, some cans of chicken noodle soup..." he lists, sorting through his stash.
Thalia wrinkles her nose. "You eat the soup right out of the can?"
He rolls his eyes and pulls a box of matches from his pocket. "Actually, there's this thing called 'fire'. Ever heard of it?"
Her cheeks grow hot. "Soup sounds good." she says quickly.
"Soup it is."
He grabs a pot off the table and she follows him outside to a small fire pit she hadn't seen before. She watches as he positions the logs, lights a match, and tosses it in. She crouches on her knees next to it; the sun was going down, and the warmth of the fire felt great against her cool skin.
Just minutes later, the pair is sipping warm soup from oversized bowls-Luke didn't have any spoons. Maybe it's just because she's starving, but she swears it's the best chicken noodle soup she has ever had.
"So Thalia," Luke says between sips, "You got a last name?"
She falters. Technically, Luke is still a stranger. "Just Thalia." she says.
"Alright, 'Just Thalia'. How old are you?"
"Sixteen." she says as confidently as she can.
He laughs. "You're not sixteen."
"Fine." she surrenders. "I'm twelve."
He smiles. "Fourteen."
She smiles weakly and continues sipping her soup. Once she sucks down the last drop, she puts down her bowl and stands.
"Thanks again," she says, "For the soup and the uh...drug store mishap..." she clears her throat and continues, "Well, I should probably be getting home now, so..." She waves awkwardly and begins to walk away.
"Home huh?" he questions, and she knows he can see right through her lies.
She keeps it up anyways. "Yeah...my mom, you know...she's probably worried."
For a moment he just stares at her, and she swears he is suppressing a smile. "I've got an extra sleeping bag if you wanna crash here." he offers.
Thalia chews on her lip. Part of her thinks he's done her far too many favors already, and she doesn't like to be in anyone's debt. But the other part of her cringes at the thought of spending another sleepless night in the cold darkness of a damp, smelly alley.
"We barely even know eachother." she reminds him.
He shrugs. "Sure we do. Your name is Thalia, you're twelve years old, you're a bad liar and a lousy thief. I'm Luke, I'm fourteen, and I'm incredibly handsome and generous."
She crosses her arms and tries hard not to smile, though it doesn't work. "Alright." she says. "But just for one night."
"Fine with me." He stands and ducks into the hut. She follows, and he tosses her a neon orange sleeping bag.
"Well," he grunts, struggling to get into his navy blue one. "Goodnight Thalia." He lays down facing away from her and then is silent. Thalia just stands there, clutching the sleeping bag. Her cheeks grow hot, because she is suddenly aware of the fact that she will be sleeping not only in the same room as, but right next to a boy.
Luke on the other hand, doesn't seem the least bit concerned.
"You mind turning the light off?" he asks.
She sighs, switches off the lamp and unfolds her sleeping bag, making sure to leave at least a four foot gap inbetween them.
Shivering, she burrows deeper into the sleeping bag, absorbing its warmth. She listens to Luke's gentle breathing across the room-he's already asleep. She doesn't realize how exhausted she is until she closes her eyes and feels herself falling almost immediately into unconciousness. And then she surrenders to sleep, her breathing slowing and falling in time with his.
*waves nervously* hey guys...ha...don't be mad...I know I do this constantly but uh...I started a new story! Well obviously but still. Yes yes I am aware that I haven't finished ANY of my other stories, but idk. Endings just aren't my thing. I know I'll have to do it sooner or later but for now I'm just gonna put it off. This one though. I already know how it ends. And unfortunatetly, you guys probably do too. *sniff* *sniff* Thalia no! :'(
Well enjoy this while it's not depressing.
Have an awesome day! May the Fates not be against you!
jk the Fates hate everyone