Chapter 4-
Cody had just made it past the gates with no problem. As she darted down the street she only looked back once and could see Mr. Furlong waving goodbye to her. She smiled to herself with the feeling that something good was going to come out of this.
You're doing great, Cody.
Keep moving those feet of yours.
Almost there, Cody.
Run, Cody, Run!
She felt free, like a bird flying out of its cage for the first time. It was going to work this time. No police could catch her now, she was going home. No more centres for her, just home.
After a good 10 minute run, she got to the village and spotted the red van in front of the pub "Le Vieux Port". Cody looked at the license plate, W1V 9O2, sounded like the number Mr. Furlong had said. This was it. Her ticket to home. As she got closer to the vehicle she saw a young man leaning against it. He looked about 16, her age, and he resembled Mr. Furlong immensely.
"Hi, I'm, uh, Cody Myers. Mr. Furlong sent me here." She stuttered as she tried not to stare at him. He had the bluest blue eyes she had ever seen and shiny blonde hair.
"Really? I imagined you a little more, well I guess, desperate looking." He managed to chuckle as he looked at the short redhead in front of him. She was cute, he decided, a little on the anorexic side but that could be changed.
"Well, Superman, are you going to save me or not?" She sighed pulling jacket tighter around her.
"Yeah, yeah, just hope into the passenger's seat side. Door's open." He smirked as he climbed into his seat at the wheel. He waited for Cody to get settled before he turned on the engine and drove off into the night.
Cody automatically regretted her decision once they were on the road. What if this was all some set up to bring her to the Extension? Or if she got caught by the police? Or if this kid wasn't even the one who was supposed to be driving? Where was the little girl Mr. Furlong had talked about?
"So… What's up, Cody?" He asked once the van had reached a red light. He immediately felt dorky for asking the question. She'd spent the last two months in a cell, what could possibly be 'up'?
"Huh? Well, uh, I just ran away from a centre because put all my trust in Mr. Furlong, the owner of the place. And more recently I went into a van with a guy who I have no idea who is." She shrugged as she tried to recline her seat, and he noted the detectable sound of sarcasm in voice.
"Mr. Furlong?" He burst out laughing and Cody glared at him (the first of many).
"What's so funny about that?"
"Nothing I just never heard anyone call him that."
"Well that's what everyone calls him back at the centre." Cody scoffed
"He's my older brother, just in case you were wondering."
"Well I wasn't." She lied.
"Okay, sorry." He mumbled, this was going to be a very, very, long drive.
"Out of curiosity where are we going?"
"Cascadia."
"Cascadia? Sounds like some planet." She muttered to herself hoping he hadn't heard her, but he had and he laughed once again.
"It's a tennis academy, Cluckwad. Although most of the time it does kind of seem like a different planet."
"Cluckwad? What are you four? The name's Cody." She snapped, folding her arms over her chest.
"Oops, my mistake, sorry." Wow, he thought to himself, he had just apologized to this girl twice in the last 5 minutes. That couldn't be a good sign.
"Why am I being sent to a tennis academy? I don't even like sports let alone tennis."
"You don't like sports?" He gasped, and for a second Cody thought he was trying to mock her but when she realized he was actually honestly surprised she rolled her eyes (first of many to come). "I don't know the details exactly. All I know is that I was supposed to pick up a Cody Myers and bring her to Cascadia. My brother was going to organize the rest."
"Okay…" There was a pause and Cody heard her stomach rumble, her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.
"You're really skinny, you do know that, Cody? I've seen twigs thicker than you-"
"Does this have a point?" Cody cut him off, not at all in the mood to listen to criticism.
"Yup, I was getting to it. Anyways as I was saying, you must be hungry. I saw a sign that said there was a McDonald's at the next exit. Want some?" He offered, already heading into the exit lane.
"Yes, please." She grinned like the deprived girl that she was.
"McDonald's it is."
"Why do you gobble your food like that, it usually helps if you chew." Cody sighed as she munched on a fry.
"Because it's good and I haven't had fast food in years." He heaved and picked a fry from Cody's plate.
"Should we really be out in the open? I mean what if a cop sees us?"
"Calm down, Myers. We're not doing anything illegal, unless you've got drugs in your pocket."
"We're not?" Cody blinked in disbelief
"Nope, Bro got it all sorted out with the courts."
"I thought you said you didn't know any details."
"Didn't know that was considered a detail."
"I still don't get why I'm going to a tennis academy."
"Gaid somedang 'bat gou zoing to zo wive with zour zad." He tried to say with his mouth full of fries, Cody's fries.
"What?"
"Said something about you going to go live with your dad."
"My dad?" Cody shouted a little to quickly causing her to chock on a fry. Her mother had told her she didn't have a father. Of course 7th grade biology had taught her that it took two to tango.
Your dad?
Had enough with men.
Need to run.
The door's open.
Run, Cody, Run!
She pushed her chair out from under her; her obsession of running away was getting to her. But he grabbed her by the arm before she could get far.
Run, Cody, Run!
"What do you say we hit the road?" He suggested cocking his head in her direction. And she nodded.
Gotta trust someone.
Gotta be free.
Almost there, Cody
Almost there.
A/N: Hah, still didn't say who the guy was, although I'm pretty sure you guessed it.
