Runaway Children
On a quiet, peaceful night, the Hisakawa's home was filled with solitude, as the children were hidden away in their room. They were afraid of their parent's constant screaming, considering they were upset with their children's grades.
They were very upset over their eldest daughter, named Kazashi Hisakawa, who possessed brown hair, which was so long it met her waist. A crown of braids rested at the back of her head with bangs that fell softly on her face. Her eyes glistened like diamonds under the fluorescent lights of her room. They were green like emeralds that you'd see on the stone of a king's crown. They were shaped like almonds and she gave off an aura with the guidance of a fine-tuned woman, which you wouldn't know by the clothes she wore.
Her ensemble had a green, camouflaged jacket with fluffy fur and gave off the persona of grit and determination. She seemed to hold a spunk or moxie to her personality, as well. There was a sky blue t-shirt underneath her jacket that clung to her body and you could see that she had the softness of a woman, even though she was tough on the outside.
The pendant of a rose that hung around her neck; made her green eyes glisten even more, as the blue in her clothes made her seem hypnotizing to the eye. The tiny hoops of her ears made her look kind of pirate-like, even though you knew she was a woman from the way she walked.
Her black jeans adhered to body like a dancer's leotard. All that you could see on her brown, suede boots were a shiny buckle that glistened from the sunlight of her window.
She was tired of all the background noise and all she wanted to do was run into her own mind where she had the dreams of a princess warrior. She imagined them both in a land where there is only peace and solitude. She couldn't bring herself to run away, because she knew the world was big and she'd lose her way.
Kazashi was only sixteen years old and lived with a fear of the world outside of her home. She fled to her brother's room before the madness of the house consumed her; "Ha-Jun, I do not wish to stay with our parents, anymore and it would be better for the both of us, okay?"
Her brother perked up and asked her a simple question; "...but where would we go?"
Kazashi replied with a determined look in her eyes; "Anywhere, but here, Ha-Jun! I don't want to be fought over like a trophy anymore!"
She flopped onto his bed in sadness and looked over the bed in exasperation. A sigh escaped her lips and she was so tired of her parent's constant fighting; it wasn't worth it anymore through her eyes. Her brother only responded with a confused tone -he just couldn't wrap his head around the current situation; "...but..." He pursed his lips and continued; "how will we get out? What will we do if we escape this rotten place?"
Kazashi thought for a moment and came up with the perfect plan; "After they go to bed, we'll wait ten minutes, then we will make our way to the front door!" Her brother listened to her intently, as she continued her plan, "After that, we'll sneak out and never look back!"
Her brother agreed with her and she patted him on the back and said; "Pack and get ready. It'll be a long night, alright?"
That being said, she peeked into her parents room to make sure they were asleep. They were, and Kazashi did not want the plan to fail. All she wanted was to be alone with her brother. They were such a good pair and she sincerely hoped he was preparing for the journey.
Kazashi ran to her room to pack and get ready with a hopeful smile on her face. She knew It would be a long journey and she wanted to make sure that she had all of her necessities. A thought crossed her mind and she remembered she had a dark blue duffel bag that she used for sleepovers, vacations or anything that required packing her belongings for a long trip. It had wheels and rolled across the floor -it made her recall the vacations of the past years.
As she put a few of her clothes into the bag, she shook her head and frowned. It doesn't matter! We will be fine... we don't need to stay here with those parents of ours. I only need my brother and we do not need to stay here! I hate it! She thought, as she walked over to her bookshelf.
Kazashi grabbed a few books, as well and smiled at the titles. She read them all and they were her favorite books. Memories of school whirred through her mind and she recalled her teachers teaching her of all the literature and English lessons. She frowned and went off to find more things.
More tears came to her eyes, as she smiled at a picture frame she didn't seem to notice on her dresser. It was a picture of her family when they were younger and happier. She wiped away a tear with a smile and studied their faces. A finger ran down the side of her mother's face, as she remembered how happy they used to be before her parents started fighting. More memories rushed through her mind and she flipped the picture over -she remembered the task at hand and was determined to carry through with it.
"Wait..."
She soon remembered that she didn't pack her tooth brush or products of personal hygiene. Her legs carried her over to her dresser where a golden hairbrush lay. It was made from the finest bristles of horse-hair and it made her hair glow and shimmer down her back, everyday. A smile crossed her face, as she remembered how her mother used to brush her hair at five years old by the fire place. It was always so cold in their home and she missed when she was young. It was so easy, but now her parent's put so much pressure on her -she couldn't handle it, anymore!
Kazashi closed her eyes tightly and threw the hairbrush into the bag. The torturous memories of her past were too much for her and she ran to the bathroom. She collapsed by the bathtub and sobbed lightly; "Can I really leave all this behind?" Her hands covered her eyes and she felt her eyes redden and puff up. She imagined her face red and her eyes puffy. It wasn't a lovely sight to see and she remembered when her mother would ask her if she looked presentable. She always hated how her mother was so judgmental on her appearance!
Her teeth ground together and she grabbed her toothbrush in a flash. That memory of her mother with the hairbrush -ripping at her hair and rushing. Kazashi was never late for school, but her mother was always in a hurry, anyways. It sickened her and she wished she could have brushed her own hair at the time. If her mother was so judgmental on her physical appearance; maybe she could have worked hard to make herself beautiful -it was always her mother who made her look beautiful. It was never herself and all she wanted was to be alone.
The young girl took one last glance at her parent's room and walked quietly back to her bedroom. Her sleeve rubbed at the back of her eyes and she shook her head again. She was going to leave with her brother -that much was true. Kazashi knew, that if she wanted this plan to be carried through; she had to make an effort to continue.
Her hand chucked her toothbrush into the suitcase -she knew that if she could get a job, then she could sustain herself and her brother's life. They could both live out in the world if that was possible. Kazashi knew that stealing was wrong and her mother taught her what the consequences would be if that were to occur.
Jail was not an option and she didn't want to revisit home, by a police call. If that were to happen -her eyes closed tighttly- she wouldn't be able to run away again. Her parents would never let her leave the house. Kazashi frowned at that -her parent's were so protective of her. It only sickened her more; I can take care of myself -my brother and I can take care of eachother! We are fine.
Kazashi took a deep breath -she didn't know how she felt exactly, but she knew that her brother would be with her. They would be long gone and she knew they would be safe -away from her parents, away from the pain. All she wanted was to be alone -away from her parents and away from their constant fighting! She didn't want to be apart of this little charade they put on. Kazashi didn't want to be their perfect little trophy daughter anymore -she wasn't perfect and she never will be!
Half of her wanted to stay, considering she would miss her parents and she would be leaving everything behind. Her conscience was nagging at her, her memories were torturing her and she couldn't take it anymore! She couldn't take the memories -the pain of her inner demons and the fact that she knew it was wrong!
She had a conscience -she knew this wasn't right, but the other half of her knew it would be for the best. The girl almost felt relieved that she would be leaving. It is for the best. It's all for the best, isn't it? Yeah. She thought, as she picked up her suitcase and made her way back to her brother's room.
All she wanted was a happy family -a sustainable life and her parents were not doing any of that for them! They both worked very long shifts at their jobs and were rarely ever home. They only came home at night where they would scream at each other -it would make her want to scream and pull her hair out. They never hugged and were always disagreeing with each other. It sickened her brother and it sickened herself -all she wanted to do was leave.
Sure, they brought home food and they were a very rich family, but it was nothing she could work with. She didn't want to deal with this place, anymore. Her legs carried her to her brothers room, gingerly. A shy, insecure atmosphere surrounded her and she peeked into her brother's room.
He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and looked over at her. "Oh, Kazashi! How are you making out with packing?"
A smile crossed her face and she pulled her duffel bag into the room; "Very well." She was glad she still had her brother and he was the only one who supported her; "I'm finished packing -thanks for asking."
Ha-jun walked over to her and hugged her -he knew she could be sensitive when she wanted to be and right now it looked like she was going to crack. "It'll be okay -don't worry."
Tears struck down her face and she hugged him tightly, "I'm sorry... -I just want all of this to be over."
"I know, I know." He rubbed her back and they grabbed their stuff.
They were a very good pair and she knew that he was smart enough to take care of them. Both of them were smart as a whip and they could read each other very well. It only took one glance to know what the other was thinking. Kazashi pulled her duffel bag down the stairs and Ha-jun smiled at her.
He was glad that she was smiling again and walked over to the door with his bag. They both knew that Kazashi possessed a motorcycle, where they would travel far away from their parent's home. It had a side-car that they would soon use to carry their bags in. It would be a long journey and they did not want their arms to get tired.
Kazashi soon remembered that she wanted to wait until later to go and pulled on her brother's sleeve; "If I hide my duffel bag in the corner of my bedroom; do you think we can still leave?"
He scanned the living room and then his gaze found the stairs. Ha-jun didn't have a clock and most certainly wasn't going to bring his cell-phone -for if he did; their parents would only call them to make sure they were okay. It just wasn't plausible -whatever time it was; they might wake up soon. He figured that, they didn't plan this very well and should have done this a night before if she wanted to wait, she just couldn't.
He simply grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her emerald green eyes; "There's no time, Kazashi! We have to go, now."
"Okay." She nodded, simply, at his reply.
After that, they walked outside to Kazashi's motorcycle.
Ha-Jun threw the bags into the sidecar and Kazashi freaked out; "Yo! Careful with that!"
"Why? What do you have in that thing?"
"My cellphone, my books, my diary, my-" She continued reading off a list of necessities that she simply didn't need.
He pulled on the zipper of the front pocket and threw it out. "You can't have this."
"...but, what about my friends!"
"I don't care." He watched it crack on the sidewalk and she wanted to scream. "If you take that along, then our parents will report them to the police. You can't have it with you."
She held onto her wrist -it stayed firm to her chest and she made her way to the motorcycle; "Okay." She felt so delicate and she figured that if she screamed; it would only wake the neighbors. "Let's go."
He nodded and got behind her, so she could drive away. Ha-Jun never rode on a motorcycle and he didn't quite like them. He wished they could have stolen their parent's luxury car, instead, but they didn't have a choice, anymore. He already boarded the vehicle and she was starting it up; "...just please, don't get in another accident."
He recalled one night where a car hit her motorcycle and her parents scolded her for it. She almost broke her leg and they had to go pick her up. The motorcycle was on top of her leg and the cops were around her -people were staring. It was so tragic, he thought she would die. Her parents wanted to call an ambulance, but she kept assuring everyone that she was fine and only wanted to go home. She's strong enough; I know it. He looked at her and she revved up the motorcycle some more.
"I got it! That won't happen, again!" She yelled back at him, as they sped off. "You don't need to tell me twice -how to do things! I can take care of myself, Ha-Jun."
He murmured into her back and looked off into the night -he felt helpless. It never seemed as if she wanted his help; "All right. I was only saying."
Kazashi didn't quite catch what he said and continued off into the night. The exhilaration of the motorcycle made her feel free from all of her troubles and she smiled, as a wave of happiness rushed through her body. Nothing mattered anymore and she felt the bumps of the road beneath her, as she carved a path to a small clearing in the forest. They decided to rest here and fell asleep beneath the trees.
Over summer break they used to go camping and they loved it. It was so fun to be out in the wilderness and they were both free-spirited. The wind rushed over them and Ha-jun took out a blanket from his bag; "To keep warm."
He walked over to his sister and laid next to her, as they fell asleep under the warm moonlight and stars. She smiled at the fact that he brought a blanket -it made her feel more at home and she imagined she was laying in her nice warm bed, content with how the night wore on. A thought soon crossed her mind; "Ha-Jun! I have a question; what are we going to do for shelter?"
"It's okay, I rented a small apartment in the city -we can stay there after we camp out here for the night. I saved up some money in my bank account and I wanted the both of us to be safe. Let's just rest and enjoy the fact that we're both free."
Kazashi held onto the blanket and bid her brother goodnight, though little did they know that they weren't alone. There was a shadowy figure behind a tree that smirked to themselves. The person knew why they were here and what their plans were, considering he followed them in secret in the woods. The only thing he didn't know was the fact that Kazashi valued her brother so much, she would take him along. It would ruin his plans to kidnap the girl while she was sleeping under the moonlight.
He soon decided, he should go with Plan B of his plan and would find another place for her brother. He didn't know how that would work, considering he was so intelligent. It would be hard to corner him and get him to listen to him -he seemed headstrong and that would prove to be complicated, as well. The man did not like bull-headed, ungrateful children and he ran his hands over his face to think about it.
A headache was even brewing in the man's head and he figured he should take a nap to think about it in the morning. He wondered why she brought her brother -he thought she would be lonely enough to come alone. It was too much for him and he soon wondered if this girl was even worth the struggle of kidnapping, due to her party member. Her ally was too strong and bull-headed, would it be easy to carry out his plan? He decided to sit on it for the night and fell back into the darkness of the forest.
