Chapter Twenty-Four
A Week Later




The town where her Aunt and Uncle lived was a lot smaller than the town where she lived, Annabel thought as she thanked the person who had given her a ride. Annabel stretched her muscles and took a deep breath, taking in the sights. Not that there was much to take in.
All the shops were pressed beside each other, cars lined the sidewalks but people mostly walked to get around the town. It was like any other small town, not much to see and Annabel didn't have time for sightseeing.
Annabel shouldered her page -which held her clean clothes as well as the outfit she had worn the night she had run away; she had only had time to change once and that was in the bathroom of a bus depot in Missouri. She had attempted to change again in Indiana but then she realized she didn't have enough money for another bus ticket and she suddenly had bigger worries that changing clothes.
She had, however, managed to get to Long Island intact and a week later but still worried and confused and nervous as she had been in Pasadena. She had even more questions to ask Clear; she had almost gotten killed or at least hurt twice on her way to Long Island by some sort of freak accident.
Now she was more worried about finding Clear then asking her the questions; she had no idea where the hospital was the girl was. She also had no idea where she was going to stay; she couldn't stay with her aunt and uncle because they would call her parents and then they would make her aunt and uncle send her back. These were things she hadn't thought of in Pasadena.
Annabel sighed and decided she looked stupid and out of place standing on the sidewalk, so she crossed the street and walked along the sidewalk. Maybe she could ask someone where the Harris Hospital was, it was worth a try.
Annabel asked everyone she met on the sidewalk but no one seemed too interested in helping Annabel find the hospital. Annabel sighed and decided to give up, it was worthless; she slumped down on a wooden bench outside of a coffee shop and decided she'd better plan what she was going to do next.
Annabel bowed her head and racked her brain for any ideas that might help her get back to Pasadena. She had just decided to go to her aunt and uncle's house when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
Annabel looked up to see who tapped on her shoulder; the guy looked about twenty or so, maybe a little younger but not older. He had blackish-brown hair that was slicked back and he wore a white shirt, black jeans and an old faded letterman's jacket that was a little too small for him. Across the left shelve of the jacket was the word "Lincoln" in white letters on a red patch, across the right shelve was the name "Carter" in the same white letters and on the same red patch. Annabel guessed the guy's name was Carter, since she guessed the jacket belonged to him.
"Yeah?" Annabel asked, wondering why "Carter" had tapped her.
"Are you alright? I mean, you look a little down." The guy said and took a seat on the bench beside Annabel. The guy -to Annabel- was slightly arrogant, or he seemed that way.
"I'm fine; just thinking." Annabel said, studying the guy. There wasn't much to see other then his good looks -which weren't that great- and his biceps, which proved he was active in some sort of sport.
"I haven't seen you around before, you visiting?" He asked.
He was friendly and talkative, Annabel thought, most guys -or girls for that matter- wouldn't just strike up a conversation with a complete stranger.
"Exactly, I'm looking for someone. Somewhere, exactly. Um, Harris Hospital, do you know where that is? If you could just give me directions, that would be great." Annabel asked, hopeful that the guy would give her directions or at least point her in the right direction.
"I could show you where it is, if you want. I don't really have any where to be, I can show you." He said.
"That'd be great." Annabel said, flashing him a fake smile. Even though this guy was going to show her where the hospital, she just wanted to be rid of him.
"My name is Carter, if you were wondering." He said and extended his hand. When Annabel didn't take it he withdraw it and tried to act casual about it.
"Yeah, I saw on your jacket. My name's Annabel." Annabel said, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Oh yeah." Carter said and stood up as well. "So, are you visiting or what? I mean, I noticed the bag." Carter asked as he begun to walk down the sidewalk with Annabel in tow.
"I'm sort of visiting; I came to visit someone, I just got into town." Annabel said. "So, your jacket, did you used to play…" Annabel said, letting the last word hang.
"Football, for my high school. I used to play but I don't any more." Carter said, as they crossed another street.
"So, I'm guessing you're out of high school then. So, if you finished high school and used to play football why are you still hanging around here? I small town like this; I mean, you could have gotten a football scholarship right?" Annabel asked.
Carter didn't answer for a while. Annabel figured she had touched on a sore subject so she decided to leave the question unanswered.
The street they were walking down now was scare of people, it was dirtier then the other streets and most of the shops were closed and wrecked.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Annabel asked, looking around and biting her lip.
"Yeah, the hospital is in the 'bad part of town'. Which is really only half a block away from the good part of town. We don't have much town here, as you've noticed." Carter said.
"Oh." Annabel muttered and looked around her.
"The hospital isn't much further from here, past here and past the woods; there's not much woods either." Carter said and motioned in front of them.
The 'bad part of town' ended abruptly and gave way to woods. The woods were thin but still had plenty of woodsy trees. There was a vague path cut through the woods which Annabel guessed lead up to the hospital.
She and Carter left the sidewalk and entered the woods. It wasn't a long walk until the hospital came in view.