Chapter 18

Henry shudders as he tries to be comfortable in the bus shelter. He may have a roof over his head to prevent any rain or snow, but the glass walls provide little protection from the bitterly cold wind. He tries to use one of his extra sweaters as a blanket and curling up into a ball to preserve heat, but nothing seems to work. He jumps at every little sound he hears and that includes a car going by or the wind rattling the branches of a nearby tree.

His heart continues to pound against his chest, the first reason by trying to keep his body warm and the second, he was afraid. Every sound was magnified out here in the cold. Everything seemed so much scarier and unnerving out here. He had no way of protecting himself and the cold hard bench was nothing like his bed at home.

At home, he had blankets and lights, warm clothing, doors with locks, running water, hot chocolate, and a mother who was always there to protect him.

The teenager feels a tear go down his cheek at the thought of his mother. She was probably still asleep with Killian and wouldn't notice he was gone until morning at least. He tries not to imagine how she might react to him running off…would the stress cause her to miscarry? Would she call the cops? Would she have search parties sent out? Would she even care that he was gone?

His body begins to shiver increasingly with the cold wind. His teeth chatter as it tries to conserve the last little bit of heat he had. He keeps his hands under his head to keep them warm. Part of wishes he'd grabbed warmer gloves at home...

No, it wasn't his home now, he had no home. He was going to find someplace else to live since his mother wanted to move and his father wouldn't let him stay at his place either. He felt completely alone. He had some money, he could find a place to rent maybe or find a hotel… just until he found a job and could pay for everything.

Henry's mind continues to race. He hadn't realized what he'd have to pay for anything if he was by himself. Rent, food, electricity, the internet, his phone bill, clothes… he may have some cash, but certainly not enough to take care of himself. He thinks about school; how could he attend now that he was on his own, should he try to register at a new school. What about Violet?

His heart sank at the thought of Violet Roberts. He'd be leaving her behind and after they'd just started dating. Would she miss him? Would she hate him for doing this? She could probably find someone better than him…

The shivering teen's mind goes back to his mother again. He remembers what it was like to be separated from her, for the four months that she was missing. The nightmares he had of receiving a phone call that they'd found her body. Those days spent putting up posters and when he'd just stare off into space, wondering if she'd ever come home. He could hear her voice over and over in his head, especially after the phone call, her pleas for help and that she loved him. He remembers when he could embrace her again, her warmth and her laughter at being reunited with her. To hear the joy in her voice and how happy he was to hear her call him "Bug" again. How safe he felt when she tucked him in that night. He had been happy, excited even, for her when she found out the baby was a girl and it wasn't her kidnapper's, and he did like Killian. The guy was cool and was his friend not his father…

It still didn't feel right. If felt too fast and the thought of moving away turns these memories into sad ones. He rolls over on the bench and pushes the thoughts from his mind.

He continues to lay his head back on the duffle bag, but his fairytale book makes it hard to feel comfortable. The lack of sleep, the memories of his family, the cold wind, the lack of control in his life and the anxiety he felt over running away made him frustrated and even angry.

Eventually, he removes the book with such frustrated force he could have ripped his zipper. Then he has a sudden urge to throw it away. Something suddenly catches his eye and makes him stop. Something was sticking out from the pages of his book. He'd never noticed it before now since the book had been buried in his closet once he outgrew fairy tales.

He pulls the thing out from the folds of the book. It's a photo. A photo of him on his fifth birthday. He still had the chubby cheeks of youth, small freckles on his face and wore a small party hat with a dinosaur on it. His face is lit up in front of the candles and it is squished between his mom and dad's heads. They too are smiling and laughing, staring at the five lit candles on the cake. Henry swallows hard, it seems like the photo suddenly comes alive and he watches as the five-year-old boy makes a wish and blows out the candles. His parents would then kiss his cheeks and cut him a big slice of cake. He can't remember what he wished for that year, maybe a bike or a new toy, but this was the year that he received this very book. He was sure that his mother gave it to him, but he couldn't be certain. Maybe it was Mary Margret, or had they not met them yet? He remembers vowing to read every story in there and made his parents do so every night, even when they were tired. And once they'd finished the book, he'd pick his favourites to read again. He remembers cuddling between his parents on their bed as they read each magical tale to him; his imagination growing and his dreams becoming lively and exciting. They'd point to the pictures and explain what was happening. They never got angry if he asked questions about it or wanted to read it again. Eventually, it got to the point where Henry had memorized all the stories and read them to his parents instead. He'd re-enact the best moments from each tale with friends and his parents, he'd build pillow forts as his castles and even went trick-or-treating as some of his beloved characters. He was Captain Hook one year, a Dragon the next, and he thinks a king another.

Sadly, as time went on, the boy's interests changed and the alienation from classmates told him to move on from the "silly" world of fairy tales. He cannot remember the last time he'd read the book, but somehow, it ended up in his closet, along with other forgotten childhood memories. He wanted to forget about the phase in his life and move on.

Obviously, his mom wanted to preserve a few moments of this phase by hiding the pictures in here. He turns the photo over and notices some writing on it.

It reads,

Henry's Fifth Birthday, my big boy growing up.

Unbeknownst to him, tears had found their way to edge of his eyes.

He found three more photos tucked into the pages. He examines all of them.

The first photograph is of him reading from his book aloud, to whom he didn't know but on the back, it said:

Our Little Storyteller.

The second one was of him dressed up as Captain Hook, his favourite villain of all, a huge smile on his face and he's waving his hook and candy bag at the camera. He had the entire outfit, including the feather hat and black boots, it was a great costume and he wasn't sure if his mom kept it or gave it away. On the back of this photo it says:

A Pirate's Life for Me

The last one was from when he was born. He's wrapped in a little blue blanket and a small white hat. His tiny eyes seem to be squinting at the flash of the camera and one of his chubby fists is raised in the air.

On the back of this one it reads:

Henry, my little miracle forever.

The teen wipes away his tears and slips the photos back into the book and the book back into his bag. He swallows the sadness and stands up. He steps out of the bus shelter for a few moments, pondering what he'd just seen and what he was going to do next.

…

Ruby rushes to work, having to open the diner early, at six o'clock in the morning. It was her punishment from her grandmother for skipping work to go clubbing with Dorothy. The two were still going strong, texting and meeting whenever they could. The red-haired woman had fallen hard for the country girl, very hard. She hadn't felt like this before, it was much deeper than her flings with the opposite sex. Ruby had always questioned which she liked more, but by now, the answer was clear.

The waitress's head was filled with worried thoughts for Emma. Henry had run off and everyone was searching the streets for him. She, unfortunately, could not get out of work, despite begging her grandmother to let her do so. Granny would take her searching shift for the missing teen, while she ran the business, at least for a few hours.

She fumbles with her keys and then she notices the lights are on. Confused, she unlocks the door and she smells fresh chocolate. She sees the hot chocolate machine is on. She scans the restaurant, thinking there might be an intruder or there was a break in, but the door was locked and what thief would make hot chocolate for themselves. The cash machine was untouched too.

She catches a glimpse of a clump of brown hair in one of the booths. She recognizes the coat colour as she gets closer and closer to the figure.

The dyed haired woman nearly faints when she sees who's there.

"H-Henry?!" she screeches.

"Hi, Ruby." He says, he sits with his duffle bag next to him and a large mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon on top in front of him.

"How…what… where… your mom is worried sick about you!" She has tears in her eyes and her heart is hitting overdrive with excitement and confusion.

"Really?"

"F*** Yeah! She has the entire police department and half the city out looking for you. Why the hell did you run away? How did you get in here?"

"You forgot to lock the back door," he points to back room. He'd walked to Granny's and had assumed that if Ruby was careless as she always was, she'd forget to do something. He decided to find someplace to warm up before heading back home. He knew how to make a cup of hot chocolate and was sitting down to rest.

"Damn it," she hisses to herself before pulling out her phone.

"Just don't tell my mom to be too mad at me," the teen winces as the red-haired waitress dials her best friend's number.

"I doubt she'll be mad right now,"

"Hello?" a tired and worried voice answers.

"Emma, it's Ruby, you'll never guess who I found."