" We all thought you were dead." Elizabeth breathed out, staring ino the plae face of her old friend as if she was just a figment of her imagination. Torn let out a small laugh.
" Nah, alive as any utter," she smiled, flattening her black skirt out with her hand.
" Where ya been? Have you gotten away from the kidnappers?" Elizabeth questioned, her eyes growing wide. Torn laughed again, slightly louder than before.
" What on earth are you talking about?"Ttorn asked.
" Your mother told everyone that you hd been kidnapped," Elizabeth stated, trying to understand why Torn didn't know what she was taking about.
" Kidnapped? Well I guess dear 'ol mum has gotten creative, has she?" Torn laughed again, shaking her head and staring down at her lucky brown boots. Elizabeth just stared at her, trying to make sense out of it all. " I was kidnapped, kid, I ran away," Torn explained, realizing that Elizabeth had bought her mother's attempt in trying to avoid the fact that her daughter would ever run away.
" Why would you go and do something stupid like that?" Elizabeth asked, her mouth agape.
" Because I wanted to be free," Torn stated flatly, extending her amrs out to the side as as far as they would go and spinning only on her heals a few degrees.
" Free?" Elizabeth questioned. "What are you talking about? You had everything, even more than I--"
" Can't you see, that's not the point! I coud care less about those things. Sure, they were nice, but did they give me more freedom? I mean, I was given a new dress, but was I allowed to go and show it off around the city?"
" Why would you want to wear a new dress out in the streets to get it dirty, when all you have to do is go to the parties and who it off?" Elizabeth asked, moving her journal higher up her chest.
" What? Don't you get it? Did you ever want to do something on your own, and couldn't because of the high expectiations that our family has. Haven't you ever dreamt of going to the market or the street fights just to see what they're like?"
" Or to go to the local theaters instead of the big fancy ones that always play the same old thing?" Elizabeth asked, slowly understanding where Torn was coming from.
" Exactly," torn smiled at her, "that's why I ran away. I'm free to do as I please. Sure I miss the money and the streets can get a little rough, but it's better than being cooped up all day in a stuffy house waiting until the family decided who they want you to marry." Suddenly Torn saw the __expression on Elizabeth's face and began to look around.
" Where is your family, Elizabeth?" Torn questioned, not seeing any of her family members around.
" I lost them at the train station." Elizabeth looked down. "I'm trying...I'm trying to find my way back home."
" Well, I don't think you want to go back to an empty house. Why don't you join me? I was about to go to Medda's for rehearsal." Torn smiled.
" Where?"
"Oh, Iriving Hall. Medda owns the joint. Come on, she's real nice. Maybe you can get yourself a job." Elizabeth didn't know what to do, she didn't feel like going, but after looking around at the creepy guys that were walking around the city, she figured it would be better to stick with someone she knew other than walking alone. She shrugged and turned on her heal and followed Torn wards Irving Hall, listening to Torn's stories of the streets.