Shane hit the ground hard. Above her she could see the dim light shining out from her bedroom window. The trickles of light fighting for their freedom as they battled their way under the drawn curtains. The darkness surrounding the house seemed to encapsulate everything of her childhood. The house cut a lonely figure in the shadows, merging into the encroaching night. With one last look back at her old life she grabbed her backpack and began to run, paced at first but then wildly flinging her legs forwards as she pushed every fiber of her being into forward drive.

Shane stopped at the bus garage down near the west side of town. Her heart was pounding and it felt ready to explode though her chest. She looked around quickly, there were a few hooded teenagers huddled in a corner while an old tramp dozed peacefully on a bench. Shane was tall for her age but she was still apprehensive about purchasing her ticket. Smoothing back her long ponytail and pulling herself up straight she marched over to the ticket booth. Twenty eight dollars later she sat on the back seat of the bus in a dream, destination: Santa Monica Boulevard.

What am I doing? Shane thought to herself as she watched the trees and gas stations flash past her window. She only had two dollars left of the little cash she had snatched from her bedroom and that certainly wasn't enough to feed a hungry teenager. She rustled in her backpack. She had packed so hurriedly that she had not really planned what she would take. Under the black sweatshirt and some miscellanious clothes was a sandwich wrapped in paper of an indeterminate age. Then something caught her eye, she was watching the two men a few rows ahead of her. They had sat in separate seats originally but now where sitting next to each other, heads bent low in intense conversation. Their voices were low and hushed, for Shane her curiosity got the better of her as she sat watching intently. Then the tall, dark haired guy who had initiated the conversation stood up suddenly. He made his way over to the small cubicle toilet at the back of the coach but Shane noticed….he didn't lock the door. Looking forwards again she caught a glimpse of the fair haired man. He waited a moment, cool and calm before standing suddenly and then casually disappearing into the cubicle also.

Shane was astonished, she looked quickly around the coach but no-one else seemed to have noticed. There was an old woman at the back of the bus snoozing lightly, a rough woollen hat pulled down over her head. The other passengers were occupied in books and some were attempting to sleep. Inside her head Shane knew what she had just witnessed, but still she could not believe it.Something inside her was fascinated by the smoothness of the transaction.

"Tickets please,"

A tall, dark haired man with a list was walking down the coach. He stopped at Shane. Shane, pulled her hood further down her face. The last thing she wanted was to be questioned about her age or destination. However she needn't have been afraid as the representative of the coach firm seemed to be preoccupied with other matters.

"Ticket please," he repeated, wiping a sleeve across his sweating face.

"Urrh, yeah sure here." Shane passed over the ticket glancing back over her shoulder at the toilet cubicle. The door was vibrating slightly. The man after examining the ticket, glanced over to the toilet and snorted.

"Can't even hang on for five hours," he muttered under his breath. Before shuffling back towards the head of the coach.

Shane sat back in her seat, feet kicked up onto the back of the seat in front of her. It was so easy. Whatever that guy had said it had some kind of magic spell attached to it. Their conversation had lasted only a few seconds at most. Turning her head she could see the door of the cubicle slowly open and the blonde haired man emerged. Tucking his shirt back into his pants he sat down in a different seat at the rear of the bus. The dark haired guy then also emerged, but he bent to the floor picking something up. Shane couldn't stifle her gasp; it was a roll of twenty dollar bills. The dark haired guy ran his thumb through them and then quickly stuffed them into his pocket. He made no eye contact with the blonde haired man but returned to his original seat and began to read a newspaper. Shane watched him for a few more minutes, but the adventures of the evening had left her exhausted and soon she could not fight the weight of her eyelids any longer.

She didn't know how long she slept, but awoke in darkness. The bus had stopped and pulled up at the garage. Peering out into the darkness Shane sat awe struck as the lights flashed across the night sky. It was a fresh start and time for a new beginning as she grabbed her rucksack and scrambled out into the street and followed the lights down the road.