Life's Long Road Home
Disclaimer: I do not own Holes or any of its contents.
Chapter One: Running Away
Author's Note: I don't have much to say. Please review! Thank you to Chelsea, for all the inspiration. Sorry for the hold up. anyone who was waiting.
~*~*~
"Is the coast clear?" Cherry asked her best friend, Star, who was helping her out of her bedroom window.
"Yeah. Time to escape. Throw me your bag!" Star instructed. Cherry tossed her backpack toward Star, and she caught it. Cherry jumped out of her window.
"Okay. My mom didn't hear me at all." Cherry told Star.
"Where are we going to go?" Star ignored her comment about her mother.
"I don't know, but we can't stand in my backyard, let's go!" Cherry pulled Star's arm and they ran down the beach, in flip-flops and shorts. Their windbreakers rustled behind them, but they didn't pay much attention. Cherry and Star had been waiting to run away forever, but they never knew it could happen.
"Now what? We didn't plan this very well." Star panted, as they stopped, but managed to slip a few words out.
Cherry just held her index finger up, indicating 'one minute' and crouched over, out of breath. "I'm not sure. At least we got away. Away from it all." Cherry ran away because her mom and her were having problems. Her dad had just walked out, and Cherry blamed her mother. Her mother blamed her. Everything was mixed up, and Cherry wanted to get out.
"Yeah." Star was under the care of her twenty-year-old brother, and didn't think he'd notice she was gone. He was always gone. Star basically took care of herself anyway, so she didn't see the difference in her not being there at all.
~*~*~
Riiinnnggg, Riiinnnggg! The phone at Star's house went off a mile from the beach where the girls were staying.
"Hello?" A groggy sounding male's voice picked up the phone.
"She's gone! Is Cherry at your house?" A worried older woman yelled into the phone, on the verge of tears.
"No. Star went out. She's probably with her. Don't worry. They'll be home." Star's brother told Cherry's mother.
"Went out?! It's five in the morning!" Cherry's mom added.
"Oh. Sorry. Well, if I know Star, she'll be home in no time." Star's brother, Kenneth, hung up the phone, not worried at all. Then again, he was still half-asleep.
"But." the worried mother was cut off by the hanging up of the receiver. She grunted and hung up her own phone.
~*~*~
"Do you think they'll miss us when they realize we've gone?" Cherry asked Star, looking at her.
"Yeah, right." Star said sarcastically, "Then why do they keep us so miserable all the time?"
"You're right." Cherry yawned, and laid out a beach towel. "Let's sleep, now." Star nodded in agreement, laying out her own towel. They fell asleep quickly.
~*~*~
In the morning, Star and Cherry set off. They didn't talk much, because they had nothing to say. They didn't know where they were going, but they had walked farther then they had thought. Living near the bottom of California, the girls were near deserts. The deserts were only a little East of their domain, and they were moving east without realizing it. What would come of them in the desert?
Cherry breathed in the new, fresher air that surrounded her. "Star?"
"Yeah, Cher?" Star used Cherry's nickname.
"I'm breathing funny. I think something's changed around here." Cherry panted and looked at Star.
"How can you tell for sure?" Star questioned.
"Well, this is sand, only it's not wet like the beach!" Cherry said loudly.
"Oh my god, you're right. But don't be so loud!" Star told her, and Cherry gave a pretty sensible comeback...
"Why? We're in the desert, there are NO houses!" Cherry emphasized that there were absolutely none.
"Oh my god, you're right again!" Star repeated herself.
"Yeah. Well, let's keep walking!" Cherry straggled ahead in the dry sand. It was harder to walk in, and she could feel its grains grinding between her toes.
"How much longer?" Star moaned.
~*~*~
"That's it!" Cherry's mother screamed to herself. "I am calling the police! My baby's. out there. alone, or with. oh, she's all alone!" she was too worried to think.
She dialed the police station's number and waited 2 rings.
"Hello?" A man answered.
"Hello. This is Strawberry Loudent." Cherry's mother and Cherry shared the same fruit-like names.
"What can we do you for, Mrs. Loudent?" the police officer asked her.
"My child. She's. she's gone." She didn't know what to say.
"Gone? When?"
"Well, since yesterday. I thought she'd come home, I didn't call. Her friend is missing, too. They are together, I bet. Look, sir, we've been having problems at home and she's just run away." Mrs. Loudent didn't want to make a bigger deal out of this than it already was, so she swallowed her tears and talked calmly.
"Can you come down to the station, ma'am?" the man asked her.
"I'll come right now. I'm bringing pictures of my baby girl." Mrs. Loudent told the officer, hung up, and drove to the police station.
The man was waiting for her for about 10 minutes, and then she showed up. She took along pictures of Cherry, like she said she would.
~*~*~
"How much longer?" Star whined again, tired from the desert heat.
"I don't know. Oh my gosh! Look!" Cherry pointed.
"What? I can't see anything!" Star tried wiping her eyes because there was sand in them from wind.
"Water!" Cherry yelled and ran to it.
"Water? Water?" Star ran faster than Cherry and they both got there within 30 seconds. They were so excited to see the water that they fought about it.
"I give up. Get yours first." Cherry told her. Star gladly accepted and dipped her canteen into the water.
"My turn." Cherry slowly put her own canteen into the water and drank the first pack full and got more. Star did the same, and they were on their ways again.
*1 mile later*
"I see a building!" Star pointed to what she saw this time. Cherry's eyes opened wider.
"I see it now! It's only like a mile away, let's go!" Cherry started walking faster.
"Coming!" Star caught up and kept pace.
~*~*~
*At the station*
"Hello?" Mrs. Loudent walked into the police station to find the desk empty.
"Hi, Can I help you?" A woman asked her, as she walked behind the desk.
"Yes. I talked to a man on the phone about my missing child." She pretended calm again.
"Oh. Well, he is off duty. I can help you, however." The woman seemed very attentive and Mrs. Loudent appreciated it.
"Okay. Well, her name is Cherry. Cherry Halsey Loudent. She and I have been in some arguments lately. About her father. I divorced him about three months ago." She told the officer.
"Well, that helps a lot. But a description would help even more. By the way, I'm Officer Cheryl Callie." The officer smiled sweetly, and shook Mrs. Loudent's hand.
"Yes. I am Strawberry Halsey Loudent." Strawberry told her.
"Okay. Now, what color hair?" Cheryl continued the conversation, and Strawberry gave her all the information she could about Cherry.
About a week later, the city was filled with posters and fliers, titled 'Have you seen her?'. It was dull, but it worked. No calls were coming in, and Strawberry worried more. She thought that she ran away, but thoughts of killers and kidnappers came to mind soon enough.
~*~*~
When they reached the building, Cherry thought she was the most tired person in the world. Star was struggling, but not as tired as Cherry.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A tall and dirty man looked Cherry and Star square in the eye.
"Don't talk." Star nudged Cherry and suggested.
"I'm not." Cherry gritted her teeth.
"Well? What do we have here, I say. BOYS!" the man yelled, and two boys came running.
"What's this?" a taller boy with brown wispy hair and a toothpick asked.
"We aren't telling you hicks anything." Cherry snubbed them out loud and Star giggled.
"Hicks?" another boy, a little shorter, with lighter hair asked.
"You heard me. Now, leave us alone." Cherry demanded, but everyone continued to stare at her, even Star.
"Tell us who you are and we'll let you stay." The man told her.
"Well, Star?" Cherry looked at her friend, as if asking for agreement.
"Okay. My name is Star. And this," she pointed to Cherry, "is my best friend Cherry. No more questions, please, I am hungry and tired."
"Well, you missed dinner." The tall boy told her.
"You're still chewing." Cherry grabbed the toothpick, spat on it, and threw it on the ground.
"Hey!" the boy yelled at her, obviously angered.
"Where's the beds, anyway?" Star asked, more anxious than ever.
"Don't you want to know our names?" the shorter boy asked her.
"I guess." Star pouted, bored by the people.
"Well, everyone else has left camp. This is Camp Green Lake." The man said.
"Okay. You said names." Star, sleepily, pointed out.
"Fine. They call me Mr. Sir. I am law around here." The man told them.
"What? There's only three freaking people!" Star looked angry.
"Anyway." the tall boy started, "I'm Squid. Well, Alan."
"And call me Caveman. Okay, I'm Stanley really." The shorter boy said.
"BEDTIME!" Star yelled. They pointed to a tent. "There." Squid opened the door. There were six beds and three people.
"Mr. Sir sleeps there." Caveman pointed to a cabin.
"Oh." Cherry flopped down on a bed.
"Yeah. Oh." Star imitated and flopped down across from her.
~*~*~
"I'll get something soon. I'll get something soon." Strawberry stalked and moaned around the house all day, waiting for Cherry to walk in, arms wide open for a hug.
It didn't happen that day, or the next day. Mrs. Loudent was usually pretty positive, but she was beginning to think Cherry was gone forever. Either dead, or kidnapped. Little did she know, she was right across state.
~*~*~
In the morning, at camp, Cherry woke up startled. Something was tickling her cheek. She sat up and looked to her side where she had felt something touch her. Squid, apparently, had been breathing loud, therefore causing the problem. She laughed to herself and then woke Star up.
"Star!" she hissed at her friend, who was breathing loudly with her mouth open.
"Huh?" Star woke up a little confused by her surroundings. It took her a minute, but she realized where she was and why.
"Did you sleep well?" Cherry was asking her, because her own back was so sore from her first night on a dirt ground.
"Yeah. No sand around here. Oww." Star moved too suddenly and her back hurt.
"You said it." Cherry smiled, and got out of her covers. She reached into her duffel bag for her hairbrush, just as Squid woke up.
"Said what?" Squid yawned.
"Oh. That there's no sand here." Cherry looked at him strangely. She wasn't used to a lot of boys from where she came from, since her dad left. Star and herself went to an all girls school, and Ken, Star's brother, was the only guy they ever really saw.
"Sand?" Squid questioned, used to the dirt where he slept every night.
"Yeah. We come from the other side of California. Near the beach." Cherry informed him.
"Was it fun there? I've never been to a beach before." Caveman joined in, obviously awakened.
"It was okay," Star said, "nothing special. Maybe that's because we're used to it. I learned to swim in the ocean. On my fifth birthday I was stung by a jellyfish." Star rolled up her pajama pants a little bit to show a scar right above her ankle.
"Oww." Caveman looked at her scar as if it hurt him, too.
Star rolled her pants back down and pulled her flip-flops onto her feet. She figured that they had a big day ahead of them.
"Breakfast is soon." Squid told them, and they, tiredly, nodded silently.
"It's usually waffles." Caveman let them know.
Cherry rubbed her stomach, "I am pretty hungry."
"Me, too." Star's stomach grumbled in agreement.
~*~*~
Strawberry called the police station to get a status report. One person had called and hadn't left their name. They had left their number, however, so Strawberry recorded it and called them right away.
It was around noon on Saturday, so she figured that they would be home.
Someone picked up the phone at the other end. "Hello?" an older voice answered.
"Hi. This is about my daughter, Cherry." Strawberry spoke softly into the phone, a little excited.
"Yes." The man answered. "I was up early that morning, and I saw two girls with duffel bags. I was just watering my lawn, and it was nothing unusual to me. I was in my backyard, and they were a little farther down. Near the beach."
"That sounds like my daughter and her friend. Can you tell me which way they were headed?" she was so happy to have found something, but it still wasn't guaranteeing anything at all.
"They were moving toward the dessert, actually. I don't know how far those girls can walk, but when I was young I could travel mighty far." The older man was a little more helpful than she thought he would be.
"Thank you so much. I have to tell the police about your findings now, so I will let you go. Thanks again! You don't know how." Strawberry started, but was interrupted.
"It's fine, really. Thanks for calling. Bye now!" The man hung up the phone, and Mrs. Loudent hung up also.
~*~*~
"Breakfast!" Mr. Sir yelled to the four kids in the tent.
"Yes!" Squid, always hungriest, yelled and ran out of the tent.
"I thought you'd be first before the rest or them ol' youngins!" Mr. Sir chuckled to himself.
"Yeah, right." Squid looked at Mr. Sir oddly, a little scared. Mr. Sir never failed to amaze people.
"Well, go get it!" Mr. Sir slapped Squid on the butt and Squid jumped forward about 3 feet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Sir. That's going to have to end right there." Squid ran to breakfast.
The rest of the group laughed as they grabbed their plates. It was waffles and bacon, as Caveman had told them.
"Mmm. I haven't had food in like, 10 hours." Squid shoved food into his mouth.
"Uhh. he always eats like this." Caveman told the girls, because they were looking at Squid very oddly.
"Ok. I'll just, eat. over here." Cherry slid her plate down farther on the table and sat at the opposite end of Squid. She secretly liked him a lot, but. on a date he might be a little rowdy.
"Done!" Squid slapped his fork down on the table, and everyone stared at him. "What? I am done." Squid rolled his eyes.
~*~*~
Strawberry had already sent the police on a search for Cherry and Star. She didn't want to seem selfish, but all she really cared about was Cherry. If Star made it out okay, she'd be happy, but probably wouldn't care as much as if Cherry did or not. She was hoping that she did. Cherry and Star were always getting themselves into things, so she wasn't really worried at first. Now that it had been an entire night, and she didn't even know when they really left in the first place, she was overly worried. There were a lot of bad people in the world, and she never knew what to expect. She always watched the local news station, attentively waiting. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to see Cherry on there. Maybe even into trouble, as long as she knew she was alive.
~*~*~
In the late afternoon, Squid was outside digging holes.
"What are you doing?" Cherry looked at him, curiously. "Trying to find a way out of here?"
Squid laughed at her. "No. This is a boot camp. We have to dig. We are looking for old artifacts."
"Do you like to dig?" Cherry looked at him suspiciously.
Cherry seemed like a girl to get Squid into a lot of trouble, but he couldn't resist a little fun. He figured that he'd just flat out answer, the truth. "No. I hate it."
"Then why do you stay?" Cherry asked.
Squid thought about that for a minute. He didn't really know the answer. "I'm not sure, to tell ya the truth. I just. figured I'd have to stay."
"Have to stay?! We're in the middle of nowhere! You and Cave could come with me and Star. We don't know where we're headed. but isn't someone always running away from something out there?"
"Yeah. I guess that makes sense. But, let me talk this whole idea over with Caveman. He's pretty smart, so it'll be his call." Squid didn't think Cherry was that smart at first, but everyone did pretty much want to run away from one thing. Most were just afraid they'd leave the good behind to. But the more Squid thought about it, there was no good in Camp Green Lake at all.
"You do that. Now hand me that shovel. You're doing it wrong." Cherry snatched the shovel away and threw it about 5 feet away from them.
"Hey!"
"Thought you didn't like to dig." Cherry smiled at him and he smiled back.
"You're right. Caveman!" Squid turned his attention to Caveman, who was digging a hole about 20 feet away.
"Coming!" Caveman and Star both ran over to Squid and Cherry.
"What's going on?" Star looked from Squid to Cherry and then back to Squid.
"Caveman, how would you like to leave this shit? We can get out pretty easily. Cherry offered for us to come along." Squid cussed, Cherry noticed.
"I'm in. I've been waiting to get out of here, I just never saw it possible." Caveman smiled at Star. They were obviously beginning to like each other.
"Okay. Let's leave tonight, when Mr. Sir is sleeping." Star suggested.
"Good idea." Cherry looked at the boys, and they both nodded in agreement.
~*~*~
Strawberry was watching the 11 o'clock news, when she saw her daughter's face appear on television. Her eyes got wider, and her ears perked up, almost like a dog would usually do if he heard his name.
"Cherry Loudent, a local child, has turned up missing. If anyone finds a lead on this case, then please call news hotline 1-800-CherryL. That's 1-800-2437795. Operators are standing by." Anchor woman Michele Wanitzki announced.
"The police set up a hotline? But. what about Star?" Strawberry muttered to herself. She didn't think she was so worried about Star. but, what if Cherry was found and Star wasn't? Cherry would be so sad and angry that she couldn't live with it.
~*~*~
Around midnight, everyone was still awake and packed. "I'm going to check if he's gone now. Okay guys?" Cherry looked around and everyone waved his or her hands toward the tent opening, agreeing for her to check.
"The coast is clear. Come on!" Cherry was so excited. Star tossed Cherry her duffel bag. "Thanks."
"No prob. Now, let's go." Star pushed Cherry out of the tent and they giggled. Cherry was really nice about jokes played on her, so she usually laughed at herself.
The four kids ran across the camp to the back, where the 'Diner' was located. They ran straight past it, and soon weren't even in eyesight of Camp Green Lake.
"I never thought we'd make it." Caveman shook his head and laughed.
"Me either." Cherry beamed.
"But we did." Star panted, tired from running and laughing so much.
"I'm hungry, guys." Squid said, not surprisingly. Cherry slapped her head. Star jokingly fainted, and Caveman just groaned.
"When are you not?" Caveman looked at him angrily, and Squid just smiled sheepishly.
"Here. I took some extra lunch and dinner today. Well, yesterday." Star handed him a PB and J sandwich.
"Thanks." Squid ate the sandwich in about 3 bites and so the group continued walking.
~*~*~
There was a party going on at the house where Star used to live. Kenneth, Star's brother, had missed Star. He didn't want to admit it, but he kept dialing Cherry's number and hanging up before it could ring. He knew that his now dead parents were watching over from heaven, ashamed at him. He didn't talk very good care of her. But, he continued to pretend not to care.
"Anyone want a beer?!" he yelled over the crowd. A few people ran up and grabbed some bottles.
"Thanks, bro!" Kenneth's best friend, Jack, called out.
"No. problem." Kenneth replied, dozing off from all the booze. Kenneth fell over onto the ground, and his girlfriend, Cindy ran over to him. She was scared for him.
The truth was, Cindy wasn't much of a partier at all. She just came for Kenneth. They had been dating since the 8th grade, and they were currently in college, so she wasn't about to let go. She had seen his sweet and sensitive side before. The days when he cared about Star. The days that he held her close to his side. She had seen the best of him. "Someone call 911!" Cindy screamed, and Jack threw her the phone. "Jack! Get these people out of here!" Jack started filing people out of the house.
"Everyone's gone!" Jack yelled at Cindy, since he was outside and the music was still going. Cindy walked to the stereo and turned the music off. Then, hand shaking and lip quivering, dialed 911.
"Hello?" a dispatcher answered.
"Hi. My name is Cindy and my boyfriend has been drinking. He's not conscience right now. Please send someone." Cindy cried into the phone, sobbing.
"Calm down, ma'am. An ambulance is on the way." The dispatcher hung up just as Cindy said goodbye.
"Someone's coming, Jack. Help me clean up." Cindy got a trash bag from the kitchen and started throwing away beer cans. Jack helped, and he got out the vacuum cleaner also. Cindy picked up bowls of spilt popcorn and dished them into the bags.
The house looked nice after about 5 minutes. At least the living room. Cindy decided that her and Jack should give Ken a little surprise clean up.
An E.M.S. opened the door, spotted Ken and took him onto a stretcher. Other E.M.S.'s came to help him take Kenneth out into the vehicle.
~*~*~
Author's Note: Done! That was pretty good for the first chapter, I think. The next chapter hopefully won't take so long, but you never know.
Signed: BrOkEnHeArTeDo7 a.k.a. Kayla Marie*
Disclaimer: I do not own Holes or any of its contents.
Chapter One: Running Away
Author's Note: I don't have much to say. Please review! Thank you to Chelsea, for all the inspiration. Sorry for the hold up. anyone who was waiting.
~*~*~
"Is the coast clear?" Cherry asked her best friend, Star, who was helping her out of her bedroom window.
"Yeah. Time to escape. Throw me your bag!" Star instructed. Cherry tossed her backpack toward Star, and she caught it. Cherry jumped out of her window.
"Okay. My mom didn't hear me at all." Cherry told Star.
"Where are we going to go?" Star ignored her comment about her mother.
"I don't know, but we can't stand in my backyard, let's go!" Cherry pulled Star's arm and they ran down the beach, in flip-flops and shorts. Their windbreakers rustled behind them, but they didn't pay much attention. Cherry and Star had been waiting to run away forever, but they never knew it could happen.
"Now what? We didn't plan this very well." Star panted, as they stopped, but managed to slip a few words out.
Cherry just held her index finger up, indicating 'one minute' and crouched over, out of breath. "I'm not sure. At least we got away. Away from it all." Cherry ran away because her mom and her were having problems. Her dad had just walked out, and Cherry blamed her mother. Her mother blamed her. Everything was mixed up, and Cherry wanted to get out.
"Yeah." Star was under the care of her twenty-year-old brother, and didn't think he'd notice she was gone. He was always gone. Star basically took care of herself anyway, so she didn't see the difference in her not being there at all.
~*~*~
Riiinnnggg, Riiinnnggg! The phone at Star's house went off a mile from the beach where the girls were staying.
"Hello?" A groggy sounding male's voice picked up the phone.
"She's gone! Is Cherry at your house?" A worried older woman yelled into the phone, on the verge of tears.
"No. Star went out. She's probably with her. Don't worry. They'll be home." Star's brother told Cherry's mother.
"Went out?! It's five in the morning!" Cherry's mom added.
"Oh. Sorry. Well, if I know Star, she'll be home in no time." Star's brother, Kenneth, hung up the phone, not worried at all. Then again, he was still half-asleep.
"But." the worried mother was cut off by the hanging up of the receiver. She grunted and hung up her own phone.
~*~*~
"Do you think they'll miss us when they realize we've gone?" Cherry asked Star, looking at her.
"Yeah, right." Star said sarcastically, "Then why do they keep us so miserable all the time?"
"You're right." Cherry yawned, and laid out a beach towel. "Let's sleep, now." Star nodded in agreement, laying out her own towel. They fell asleep quickly.
~*~*~
In the morning, Star and Cherry set off. They didn't talk much, because they had nothing to say. They didn't know where they were going, but they had walked farther then they had thought. Living near the bottom of California, the girls were near deserts. The deserts were only a little East of their domain, and they were moving east without realizing it. What would come of them in the desert?
Cherry breathed in the new, fresher air that surrounded her. "Star?"
"Yeah, Cher?" Star used Cherry's nickname.
"I'm breathing funny. I think something's changed around here." Cherry panted and looked at Star.
"How can you tell for sure?" Star questioned.
"Well, this is sand, only it's not wet like the beach!" Cherry said loudly.
"Oh my god, you're right. But don't be so loud!" Star told her, and Cherry gave a pretty sensible comeback...
"Why? We're in the desert, there are NO houses!" Cherry emphasized that there were absolutely none.
"Oh my god, you're right again!" Star repeated herself.
"Yeah. Well, let's keep walking!" Cherry straggled ahead in the dry sand. It was harder to walk in, and she could feel its grains grinding between her toes.
"How much longer?" Star moaned.
~*~*~
"That's it!" Cherry's mother screamed to herself. "I am calling the police! My baby's. out there. alone, or with. oh, she's all alone!" she was too worried to think.
She dialed the police station's number and waited 2 rings.
"Hello?" A man answered.
"Hello. This is Strawberry Loudent." Cherry's mother and Cherry shared the same fruit-like names.
"What can we do you for, Mrs. Loudent?" the police officer asked her.
"My child. She's. she's gone." She didn't know what to say.
"Gone? When?"
"Well, since yesterday. I thought she'd come home, I didn't call. Her friend is missing, too. They are together, I bet. Look, sir, we've been having problems at home and she's just run away." Mrs. Loudent didn't want to make a bigger deal out of this than it already was, so she swallowed her tears and talked calmly.
"Can you come down to the station, ma'am?" the man asked her.
"I'll come right now. I'm bringing pictures of my baby girl." Mrs. Loudent told the officer, hung up, and drove to the police station.
The man was waiting for her for about 10 minutes, and then she showed up. She took along pictures of Cherry, like she said she would.
~*~*~
"How much longer?" Star whined again, tired from the desert heat.
"I don't know. Oh my gosh! Look!" Cherry pointed.
"What? I can't see anything!" Star tried wiping her eyes because there was sand in them from wind.
"Water!" Cherry yelled and ran to it.
"Water? Water?" Star ran faster than Cherry and they both got there within 30 seconds. They were so excited to see the water that they fought about it.
"I give up. Get yours first." Cherry told her. Star gladly accepted and dipped her canteen into the water.
"My turn." Cherry slowly put her own canteen into the water and drank the first pack full and got more. Star did the same, and they were on their ways again.
*1 mile later*
"I see a building!" Star pointed to what she saw this time. Cherry's eyes opened wider.
"I see it now! It's only like a mile away, let's go!" Cherry started walking faster.
"Coming!" Star caught up and kept pace.
~*~*~
*At the station*
"Hello?" Mrs. Loudent walked into the police station to find the desk empty.
"Hi, Can I help you?" A woman asked her, as she walked behind the desk.
"Yes. I talked to a man on the phone about my missing child." She pretended calm again.
"Oh. Well, he is off duty. I can help you, however." The woman seemed very attentive and Mrs. Loudent appreciated it.
"Okay. Well, her name is Cherry. Cherry Halsey Loudent. She and I have been in some arguments lately. About her father. I divorced him about three months ago." She told the officer.
"Well, that helps a lot. But a description would help even more. By the way, I'm Officer Cheryl Callie." The officer smiled sweetly, and shook Mrs. Loudent's hand.
"Yes. I am Strawberry Halsey Loudent." Strawberry told her.
"Okay. Now, what color hair?" Cheryl continued the conversation, and Strawberry gave her all the information she could about Cherry.
About a week later, the city was filled with posters and fliers, titled 'Have you seen her?'. It was dull, but it worked. No calls were coming in, and Strawberry worried more. She thought that she ran away, but thoughts of killers and kidnappers came to mind soon enough.
~*~*~
When they reached the building, Cherry thought she was the most tired person in the world. Star was struggling, but not as tired as Cherry.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A tall and dirty man looked Cherry and Star square in the eye.
"Don't talk." Star nudged Cherry and suggested.
"I'm not." Cherry gritted her teeth.
"Well? What do we have here, I say. BOYS!" the man yelled, and two boys came running.
"What's this?" a taller boy with brown wispy hair and a toothpick asked.
"We aren't telling you hicks anything." Cherry snubbed them out loud and Star giggled.
"Hicks?" another boy, a little shorter, with lighter hair asked.
"You heard me. Now, leave us alone." Cherry demanded, but everyone continued to stare at her, even Star.
"Tell us who you are and we'll let you stay." The man told her.
"Well, Star?" Cherry looked at her friend, as if asking for agreement.
"Okay. My name is Star. And this," she pointed to Cherry, "is my best friend Cherry. No more questions, please, I am hungry and tired."
"Well, you missed dinner." The tall boy told her.
"You're still chewing." Cherry grabbed the toothpick, spat on it, and threw it on the ground.
"Hey!" the boy yelled at her, obviously angered.
"Where's the beds, anyway?" Star asked, more anxious than ever.
"Don't you want to know our names?" the shorter boy asked her.
"I guess." Star pouted, bored by the people.
"Well, everyone else has left camp. This is Camp Green Lake." The man said.
"Okay. You said names." Star, sleepily, pointed out.
"Fine. They call me Mr. Sir. I am law around here." The man told them.
"What? There's only three freaking people!" Star looked angry.
"Anyway." the tall boy started, "I'm Squid. Well, Alan."
"And call me Caveman. Okay, I'm Stanley really." The shorter boy said.
"BEDTIME!" Star yelled. They pointed to a tent. "There." Squid opened the door. There were six beds and three people.
"Mr. Sir sleeps there." Caveman pointed to a cabin.
"Oh." Cherry flopped down on a bed.
"Yeah. Oh." Star imitated and flopped down across from her.
~*~*~
"I'll get something soon. I'll get something soon." Strawberry stalked and moaned around the house all day, waiting for Cherry to walk in, arms wide open for a hug.
It didn't happen that day, or the next day. Mrs. Loudent was usually pretty positive, but she was beginning to think Cherry was gone forever. Either dead, or kidnapped. Little did she know, she was right across state.
~*~*~
In the morning, at camp, Cherry woke up startled. Something was tickling her cheek. She sat up and looked to her side where she had felt something touch her. Squid, apparently, had been breathing loud, therefore causing the problem. She laughed to herself and then woke Star up.
"Star!" she hissed at her friend, who was breathing loudly with her mouth open.
"Huh?" Star woke up a little confused by her surroundings. It took her a minute, but she realized where she was and why.
"Did you sleep well?" Cherry was asking her, because her own back was so sore from her first night on a dirt ground.
"Yeah. No sand around here. Oww." Star moved too suddenly and her back hurt.
"You said it." Cherry smiled, and got out of her covers. She reached into her duffel bag for her hairbrush, just as Squid woke up.
"Said what?" Squid yawned.
"Oh. That there's no sand here." Cherry looked at him strangely. She wasn't used to a lot of boys from where she came from, since her dad left. Star and herself went to an all girls school, and Ken, Star's brother, was the only guy they ever really saw.
"Sand?" Squid questioned, used to the dirt where he slept every night.
"Yeah. We come from the other side of California. Near the beach." Cherry informed him.
"Was it fun there? I've never been to a beach before." Caveman joined in, obviously awakened.
"It was okay," Star said, "nothing special. Maybe that's because we're used to it. I learned to swim in the ocean. On my fifth birthday I was stung by a jellyfish." Star rolled up her pajama pants a little bit to show a scar right above her ankle.
"Oww." Caveman looked at her scar as if it hurt him, too.
Star rolled her pants back down and pulled her flip-flops onto her feet. She figured that they had a big day ahead of them.
"Breakfast is soon." Squid told them, and they, tiredly, nodded silently.
"It's usually waffles." Caveman let them know.
Cherry rubbed her stomach, "I am pretty hungry."
"Me, too." Star's stomach grumbled in agreement.
~*~*~
Strawberry called the police station to get a status report. One person had called and hadn't left their name. They had left their number, however, so Strawberry recorded it and called them right away.
It was around noon on Saturday, so she figured that they would be home.
Someone picked up the phone at the other end. "Hello?" an older voice answered.
"Hi. This is about my daughter, Cherry." Strawberry spoke softly into the phone, a little excited.
"Yes." The man answered. "I was up early that morning, and I saw two girls with duffel bags. I was just watering my lawn, and it was nothing unusual to me. I was in my backyard, and they were a little farther down. Near the beach."
"That sounds like my daughter and her friend. Can you tell me which way they were headed?" she was so happy to have found something, but it still wasn't guaranteeing anything at all.
"They were moving toward the dessert, actually. I don't know how far those girls can walk, but when I was young I could travel mighty far." The older man was a little more helpful than she thought he would be.
"Thank you so much. I have to tell the police about your findings now, so I will let you go. Thanks again! You don't know how." Strawberry started, but was interrupted.
"It's fine, really. Thanks for calling. Bye now!" The man hung up the phone, and Mrs. Loudent hung up also.
~*~*~
"Breakfast!" Mr. Sir yelled to the four kids in the tent.
"Yes!" Squid, always hungriest, yelled and ran out of the tent.
"I thought you'd be first before the rest or them ol' youngins!" Mr. Sir chuckled to himself.
"Yeah, right." Squid looked at Mr. Sir oddly, a little scared. Mr. Sir never failed to amaze people.
"Well, go get it!" Mr. Sir slapped Squid on the butt and Squid jumped forward about 3 feet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Sir. That's going to have to end right there." Squid ran to breakfast.
The rest of the group laughed as they grabbed their plates. It was waffles and bacon, as Caveman had told them.
"Mmm. I haven't had food in like, 10 hours." Squid shoved food into his mouth.
"Uhh. he always eats like this." Caveman told the girls, because they were looking at Squid very oddly.
"Ok. I'll just, eat. over here." Cherry slid her plate down farther on the table and sat at the opposite end of Squid. She secretly liked him a lot, but. on a date he might be a little rowdy.
"Done!" Squid slapped his fork down on the table, and everyone stared at him. "What? I am done." Squid rolled his eyes.
~*~*~
Strawberry had already sent the police on a search for Cherry and Star. She didn't want to seem selfish, but all she really cared about was Cherry. If Star made it out okay, she'd be happy, but probably wouldn't care as much as if Cherry did or not. She was hoping that she did. Cherry and Star were always getting themselves into things, so she wasn't really worried at first. Now that it had been an entire night, and she didn't even know when they really left in the first place, she was overly worried. There were a lot of bad people in the world, and she never knew what to expect. She always watched the local news station, attentively waiting. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to see Cherry on there. Maybe even into trouble, as long as she knew she was alive.
~*~*~
In the late afternoon, Squid was outside digging holes.
"What are you doing?" Cherry looked at him, curiously. "Trying to find a way out of here?"
Squid laughed at her. "No. This is a boot camp. We have to dig. We are looking for old artifacts."
"Do you like to dig?" Cherry looked at him suspiciously.
Cherry seemed like a girl to get Squid into a lot of trouble, but he couldn't resist a little fun. He figured that he'd just flat out answer, the truth. "No. I hate it."
"Then why do you stay?" Cherry asked.
Squid thought about that for a minute. He didn't really know the answer. "I'm not sure, to tell ya the truth. I just. figured I'd have to stay."
"Have to stay?! We're in the middle of nowhere! You and Cave could come with me and Star. We don't know where we're headed. but isn't someone always running away from something out there?"
"Yeah. I guess that makes sense. But, let me talk this whole idea over with Caveman. He's pretty smart, so it'll be his call." Squid didn't think Cherry was that smart at first, but everyone did pretty much want to run away from one thing. Most were just afraid they'd leave the good behind to. But the more Squid thought about it, there was no good in Camp Green Lake at all.
"You do that. Now hand me that shovel. You're doing it wrong." Cherry snatched the shovel away and threw it about 5 feet away from them.
"Hey!"
"Thought you didn't like to dig." Cherry smiled at him and he smiled back.
"You're right. Caveman!" Squid turned his attention to Caveman, who was digging a hole about 20 feet away.
"Coming!" Caveman and Star both ran over to Squid and Cherry.
"What's going on?" Star looked from Squid to Cherry and then back to Squid.
"Caveman, how would you like to leave this shit? We can get out pretty easily. Cherry offered for us to come along." Squid cussed, Cherry noticed.
"I'm in. I've been waiting to get out of here, I just never saw it possible." Caveman smiled at Star. They were obviously beginning to like each other.
"Okay. Let's leave tonight, when Mr. Sir is sleeping." Star suggested.
"Good idea." Cherry looked at the boys, and they both nodded in agreement.
~*~*~
Strawberry was watching the 11 o'clock news, when she saw her daughter's face appear on television. Her eyes got wider, and her ears perked up, almost like a dog would usually do if he heard his name.
"Cherry Loudent, a local child, has turned up missing. If anyone finds a lead on this case, then please call news hotline 1-800-CherryL. That's 1-800-2437795. Operators are standing by." Anchor woman Michele Wanitzki announced.
"The police set up a hotline? But. what about Star?" Strawberry muttered to herself. She didn't think she was so worried about Star. but, what if Cherry was found and Star wasn't? Cherry would be so sad and angry that she couldn't live with it.
~*~*~
Around midnight, everyone was still awake and packed. "I'm going to check if he's gone now. Okay guys?" Cherry looked around and everyone waved his or her hands toward the tent opening, agreeing for her to check.
"The coast is clear. Come on!" Cherry was so excited. Star tossed Cherry her duffel bag. "Thanks."
"No prob. Now, let's go." Star pushed Cherry out of the tent and they giggled. Cherry was really nice about jokes played on her, so she usually laughed at herself.
The four kids ran across the camp to the back, where the 'Diner' was located. They ran straight past it, and soon weren't even in eyesight of Camp Green Lake.
"I never thought we'd make it." Caveman shook his head and laughed.
"Me either." Cherry beamed.
"But we did." Star panted, tired from running and laughing so much.
"I'm hungry, guys." Squid said, not surprisingly. Cherry slapped her head. Star jokingly fainted, and Caveman just groaned.
"When are you not?" Caveman looked at him angrily, and Squid just smiled sheepishly.
"Here. I took some extra lunch and dinner today. Well, yesterday." Star handed him a PB and J sandwich.
"Thanks." Squid ate the sandwich in about 3 bites and so the group continued walking.
~*~*~
There was a party going on at the house where Star used to live. Kenneth, Star's brother, had missed Star. He didn't want to admit it, but he kept dialing Cherry's number and hanging up before it could ring. He knew that his now dead parents were watching over from heaven, ashamed at him. He didn't talk very good care of her. But, he continued to pretend not to care.
"Anyone want a beer?!" he yelled over the crowd. A few people ran up and grabbed some bottles.
"Thanks, bro!" Kenneth's best friend, Jack, called out.
"No. problem." Kenneth replied, dozing off from all the booze. Kenneth fell over onto the ground, and his girlfriend, Cindy ran over to him. She was scared for him.
The truth was, Cindy wasn't much of a partier at all. She just came for Kenneth. They had been dating since the 8th grade, and they were currently in college, so she wasn't about to let go. She had seen his sweet and sensitive side before. The days when he cared about Star. The days that he held her close to his side. She had seen the best of him. "Someone call 911!" Cindy screamed, and Jack threw her the phone. "Jack! Get these people out of here!" Jack started filing people out of the house.
"Everyone's gone!" Jack yelled at Cindy, since he was outside and the music was still going. Cindy walked to the stereo and turned the music off. Then, hand shaking and lip quivering, dialed 911.
"Hello?" a dispatcher answered.
"Hi. My name is Cindy and my boyfriend has been drinking. He's not conscience right now. Please send someone." Cindy cried into the phone, sobbing.
"Calm down, ma'am. An ambulance is on the way." The dispatcher hung up just as Cindy said goodbye.
"Someone's coming, Jack. Help me clean up." Cindy got a trash bag from the kitchen and started throwing away beer cans. Jack helped, and he got out the vacuum cleaner also. Cindy picked up bowls of spilt popcorn and dished them into the bags.
The house looked nice after about 5 minutes. At least the living room. Cindy decided that her and Jack should give Ken a little surprise clean up.
An E.M.S. opened the door, spotted Ken and took him onto a stretcher. Other E.M.S.'s came to help him take Kenneth out into the vehicle.
~*~*~
Author's Note: Done! That was pretty good for the first chapter, I think. The next chapter hopefully won't take so long, but you never know.
Signed: BrOkEnHeArTeDo7 a.k.a. Kayla Marie*