My legs ached like hell and my lungs burnt as if I had downed a full bottle of vodka, I had ran for over two miles. I stopped just as I reached to boarder of the little city. "Well, here goes nothing." I mumble softly to myself before taking an almost hesitant step past the 'Good bye' sign. I let out a soft sigh of relief as I looked behind me for the first time since I had ran from the screaming Kirsty. I was officially out of the dump that I had been trapped in for five years, ever since I was 12 years old. I continued on walking at a relatively fast pace until I reached a bus stop and boarded the bus that had just stopped there. "Where you headed for Miss?" The bus driver asks me and I shrug my shoulders "The end of the line I guess." I say before handing him the money and taking a seat. The bus started off with a thud that almost scared me before I relaxed in my seat and leaned my head against the window, everything familiar to me fading away in a blur.
"Excuse me Miss! This is the end of the line! I'm gonna need you to get off now.." My eyes gently flutter open as I wake up from drifting off, the sun was still up but only just, I must've been on here for three hours at least.
"Uhhh thank you." I say quickly as I walk tiredly to the door and then get off. Even though I had been asleep my feet and legs still aches from my run and my stomach groaned for food and nutrients.
Walking along the unfamiliar dirt road I sighed softly, I had been walking for over two hours now, there were no bus stops or trains anywhere. I looked up at the night sky and started to think about turning back before I shook my head and continued on, looking over my shoulder every once and a while. My eyes light up as I see a small light behind me, a car. I stretched out my arm and put my thumb up before the car came to a screeching halt.
"Where are you heading sweetie?" The voice of an elderly lady asks before I hear "Miriam! What in God's name do you think you're doing?! She could be a murderer fall all we know!" The gruff and angry voice of an Elderly man shouts. "Oh Silas! Stop your moaning! Look at the poor girl I bet she could barely raise a knife with how thin she's looking!" Miriam scolds and I couldn't help but smile as she turns to me and winks. "Ummmm well, I don't have a place yet...just as far as you'll take me...that's IF you'll take me." I say and she smiles kindly "Awww what a polite young girl! Of course I'll take you! Wouldn't want any strange men picking you up would I? That'd be terrible! Get in the back." She says, the smile still plastered on her lips.
"So, what's your name then? Where are you from?" Miriam asks me and I Panic on the inside before responding quickly
"Oh, I'm penny Jones and I came from a few towns back." I mentally hit myself in the face at how stupid that sounded. "Penny! What a lovely name!" Miriam responds with a smile before she looks at what I'm wearing through the mirror "Although it's lovely, it's not your real name is it?" She asks with a raised eyebrow and I begin to panic. "Oh don't worry honey! I ain't gonna tell a soul you were in this car!" She says, a genuine smile on her face.
"Well, you figured out where you wanna go yet?" She asks and I shake my head before Silas speaks up for the first time since I got in the car. "You're probably gonna end up in Santa Carla at some point." He drawls and I frown softly "Santa Carla?" I ask, sounding as if I'm testing the name to see how it felt on my lips. He nods his head and looks back at me "Yep, that's where all of the run'ways end up...place probably looks like damn Neverland with all those kids runnin' around...We May as-well take you there, we're going past there anyways. Good ol' Santa Carla." He says almost dreamily.
A few hours and two hot meals later I am standing in the parking lot of some cheap supermarket, Miriam standing by me as she writes her number down. "If you need anything or need any help or even someone to talk to, just call this number okay?" She says before getting in the car. I turn around to walk away before she calls after me "I never did get your real name." I turn around and smile "It's Katherine, Katherine Santiago."
I walked for about ten minutes, taking in the fresh air before I hear the sounds of delighted screams and loud music and see little glowing lights in the near distance, must be a carnival. I walk towards the sounds and the lights before I come across a big sign that said "Welcome to the Boardwalk!" In cursive letters. I climbed up the steps, taking in the scent of buttered popcorn, candy floss, hot dogs and all the type of stuff to give you diabetes. I got to the top of the stairs and was greeted by bright lights, loud music and boards of people. I took it all in, watching all of the people flooding past me, all so different, unusual in their own brilliant ways. I walked further in and started to see that there were groups of people, punks, goths, school kids, stoners and guys who looked like there were way too in to surfing. I looked around some more, my head reeling with all of the sights, sounds and smells. I was completely lost for words at how beautiful this place was, until I managed to think of one word to describe it.
"Neverland."
