Noiselessly, Katie pulled off her dress and threw on a shirt and some shorts. She shoved her feet into a pair of worn-out boots and threw open the stall door. She remembered just in time to hold the door still before it could hit the wall with, she predicted, a loud bang. She slung her backpack onto her shoulder as she looked up to the mirror.
"This'll just get in the way," Katie sighed to herself, combing her fingers through her long hair. But where are my scissors…? She patted the shelves until her hand found what she was looking for. After staring back at her long-haired reflection in the mirror for the last time, she closed her eyes and made the cut. The faint snipping sounds echoed in the bathroom.
She set a large eyewear case onto the counter and opened them slowly. She carefully lifted the round glasses and set them upon her nose. Shutting the case, she slid it back into her backpack. Perfect disguise, Katie thought to herself. They fit me so well, you wouldn't believe they were Matt's. She turned off the lights soundlessly and exited the room.
She tiptoed quietly through the darkened hallways, glancing left and right as she made her way to the orphanage's staff lounge. She put a hand on the knob, turning it slowly. Thankfully, the door's hinges had been oiled last week, and the door opened effortlessly, without a sound.
She scuffled in, clutching her backpack tightly as she crouched to a safe on the wall. She tugged on the handle. Locked. She needed a PIN number. Hmm.
She pulled her laptop from her backpack, hooking some cables into the PIN reader. The soft glow of her computer illuminated her keyboard, and she typed away for a few seconds until she heard a small click. Quickly, she crawled over and yanked open the safe. She snatched some wads of money and shoved them all into her backpack. Zipping it tightly, she hurried out of the room, making sure everything was back in its proper place.
She headed towards the orphanage's main entrance and peered through the windows. Phew. The lazy "guard" dogs chained to the door post were sleeping. This makes things so much easier.
She pushed open the doors and crept forward to the front gate. But she felt something missing from her pocket.
Looking around, she noticed her photograph had fallen onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up when suddenly something grabbed it first. The neighborhood cat.
"Rover!" Katie hissed quietly. "Put that down!" She reached towards the photograph in the cat's mouth. The cat jumped back. "Come on, Rover!"
She lunged again, but Rover kept running back. Eventually, she caught up with the cat, cornering it to the fence.
"Rover, it's over. There's nowhere to go. Give it back now…" She stepped forward.
Snap.
Oh no. Her boot had just crushed a very large twig.
And with that, all hell broke loose.
The guard dogs woke up in a frenzy, growling and barking and howling in Katie's direction. The chains attached to their collars clanked against each other. One by one, Katie could see the lights in the large manor flicker on. Shit.
"Agh, Rover!" Katie scooped up the terrified cat in her arms and ran out the front gate. Just as she turned the corner, she could see the orphanage's head assistant, Iverson, swing open the door.
"Katie!" he called out to her.
Hmm, I guess my disguise wasn't perfect after all… Katie frowned, running faster.
"Get her!" Iverson barked out orders to the staff.
She twisted and turned throughout the streets, running in and out of alleyways and panting as she heard the footsteps behind her get softer and softer.
Suddenly she bumped into someone. Rover meowed and Katie fell backwards. "I'm sorry, are you alright?" the tall man asked her, reaching out his hand to help her up. She held Rover steady in one arm as she grabbed his hand. Was that… metal? Before she could ask, she heard a shout behind her.
"Did you find her? I think she went this way!" Iverson yelled to the rest of his staff.
Katie looked around desperately, but found nowhere else to run. "Please help me!" she whispered to the stranger she had bumped into. His eyes widened with confusion and concern, but he nodded anyway, carefully scooping Katie and Rover into a trashcan behind him.
Iverson and his staff turned the corner, snapping their heads left and right in search of Katie. Seeing the stranger as the only one on the street, Iverson rushed over to him, clearing his throat. "Excuse me, but have you seen a young girl around here?" Iverson growled.
The man tapped his chin. "I think I did, actually. She went that way," he pointed down the main road.
Iverson grunted. "Everyone, down that way!" he called out, leading everyone down the street.
A few seconds passed until Katie at last poked her head out of the trash bin. "Are they gone?" she whispered. The man smiled at her, nodding. "All gone." He swept a white tuft of hair from his face.
He reached out his hand again and pulled Katie and Rover out of the bin. Katie, catching her breath, snatched the photograph from the cat's persistent mouth and shoved it into her pocket. Rover jumped out of her arms and relaxed, licking his paw arrogantly. Katie patted down her disheveled hair, readjusted her glasses, and sat down against the building, exhausted. The man crouched down next to her.
"Now," he said. "I think you have some explaining to do. What's your name?"
No response. The cat meowed, almost mockingly.
"... Or would you prefer me taking you back to those people?" the man raised an eyebrow at her.
Sigh. "Katie," she reluctantly conceded. "And this is Rover." The cat purred.
"So, Katie and Rover, what are you two doing out here at night, getting chased by so many people?" He rested a hand on his knee, looking at them expectantly.
"Well… we were… running away from the orphanage, I guess…" Katie mumbled, scratching her head and looking down at the floor.
"Is there a reason for that?" the man asked softly.
Katie stared up at him. "I'm looking for my brother, Matt," she spoke confidently. "People at the orphanage think he ran away, but I know he didn't. I'm going to find him."
"Matt…?" the man whispered to himself. Could it be…?
"What did you say, sir?" Katie tilted her head in confusion.
"Nothing, nothing," the man hastened. "So, Katie, how do you know Matt didn't run away? Don't you trust the caregivers at the orphanage?"
"Trust them?" Katie scoffed. "I wouldn't trust those conceited, greedy scumbags with my life. They only care about their own reputation, and not the truth." She bit her lip angrily. "And besides, Matt would never leave without taking me along... Not willingly, at least."
"You have a lot of faith in your brother," the man smiled at her encouragingly. "I support your cause, Katie." He paused. "Though I have to say, if you're on the run, you might not want to give your name out so casually to strangers next time."
Her mouth gaped slightly open as she realized her mistake. "Fuck," she breathed. The man looked at her in disappointment. "I meant fudge. Or fidge!" she grumbled.
... Wait, no, why should I care? she shook her head exasperatedly.
"Oh, I got it!" she brightened. "Then call me Pidge." The man looked back at her, somewhat amused.
She pouted, annoyed. "Well, now I get to ask you a question!" she pointed to his arm. "Not to be rude or anything, but is your arm made of metal?"
The man laughed. "Yeah, it is. Do you want to touch it?"
Pidge's eyes sparkled. "Of course!" she leaned forward, twisting and turning around to get a better look at his arm. Fascinating… how did they make this thing? It's so complex… is it really programmable…?
She jumped, surprised, as the man cleared his throat. He smiled at her. "Do you want it? Maybe I can pull it off."
She shook her head frantically, embarrassed, and stood up nervously. "Now if you'll excuse me, sir, thanks for your help, but I'll be going now."
The man swung out his arm to grab onto her backpack. "Not so fast, young lady," the man held on tightly, pulling her back. "I'm coming with you."
"You? Why?" Pidge frowned suspiciously as Rover hissed.
He gave her a small smile. "I owe your brother a lot." He turned and started ahead.
"Hey, wait up!" she yelled, running to catch up with his long strides. Rover, for all his bravado, anxiously followed behind her.
"Wait, what's your name?" she panted between quick breaths. "I can't keep calling you sir forever."
"Call me Shiro," he laughed, ruffling her hair as she adjusted her glasses. "Come on, Pidge. Let's go find your brother."