I hope you guys enjoyed Independence Day!
A quick thanks to emmalock93 for the kind Review and to everyone who Read, Faved and Followed this story. I did go back and edit the first chapter and I added a few things.
Here's the next chapter, enjoy:3

Chapter 2:
"We all flee in hope of finding some ground of security."
―M.T. Anderson, The Kingdom on the Waves

"Marci, can you hear me? Open your eyes, babe."

I heard a garbled voice calling me and it kept talking to me, trying to get me to respond to it, but all I saw was black. I heard 'babe' a few more times and all I could think about was Zane. He's always called me that and something was telling me he came back. Maybe he forgot something, had to turn around, saw Gage and beat the shit out of him.

I started to regain my vision and it was a hazy mess, but someone came into my sight. I saw those light eyes and I reached out for them without a second thought. I heard more obscure words coming from him, but I felt his arms around me and his warm body pressed against mine. I was clutching on to him for dear life as the aftermath of an attack started to ease away. Once my sight was clear, I started hyperventilating a bit and I took in my surroundings. We were in the living room and I was laying on the couch. My arms were wrapped around Zane's neck and he was on his knees in front of the couch.

"What happened? Did you..." I panted and he shushed me, stroking my hair.

"Seems like you're always falling into my arms, Marci." He chuckled and I started to smile, but I actually started to hear his voice.

Zane had a clear and firm, slightly accented, voice that was warm and welcoming towards me, but hard as steel to others. This voice was deeper and rougher from...hard alcohol and cigarettes. I shoved the body away from me and Gage fell back on his hands.

It's been a while since I last saw him, but there weren't that many changes. He definitely had some years on Zane and was probably in his late 20s or early 30s already. He still had those pale-jade eyes, thick eyebrows and full salmon lips. His hair was the only thing that was different. Before, he had a wild mess of jet-black locks on his head. Now, he was sporting a disconnected undercut and there was a coat of hair starting to grow back along with the few-day-old stubble coating his jaw. Gage was always an attractive guy, I'll admit that, but he was the last person I wanted to be alone with.

"Long time no see, babe. Damn, you look good. Miss me much?" Gage grinned and that tightness in my chest started coiling again, making me fight for breath. "Oh, shit. Marci, c'mon, just settle down. I'm not-"

"Get...out..." I wheezed and that was a horrible idea because all the air I tried to get just ran out of my lungs and I started getting dizzy again, my heart hammering in my head.

I looked down at my trembling hands and I could feel the hyperventilation creeping up on me again. Gage was cursing up a storm as he dug through the pockets of his leather vest. I think the proper term was kutte, but I didn't care because I was trying to keep my consciousness. Gage pulled out a long, yellow prescription bottle, popped the cap off and shook the bottle until a pill fell into his palm. One side was black and the other was a dark sea-green. He reached behind the couch and grabbed a bottle before sliding me into his lap.

"It'll help you calm down." He put the pill in my mouth with a bit of water and put his hand over my mouth until I swallowed. "Listen to my voice, Marci. Just relax. Breathe, in and out. It's okay."

As the minutes ticked by, Gage kept chanting that little mantra to get me to settle down and he was rocking me in his arms. I didn't believe that whatever he gave me would help me relax because I've never seen a black pill before, but all those horrible feelings started to melt away. The fear was evaporating, my shaking hands were stilling, my heartbeat was stating to calmly thump and as much as I hated to admit it, Gage's voice was calming too. I hated the fact that I found something relaxing about him because he was part of the reason I was like this in the first place.

I was still taking deep, trembling breaths now, but I felt normal and Gage was still rocking us. With a final intake of breath to settle me, I went to detach from his hold, but he didn't let me. His arms coiled around me enough to keep me pressed into his chest, but he looked down at me to scan my face for any signs of alarm or distress.

"That was 10mg of Librium. Pretty nice, right?" He explained and gave me the the canister. "Doctors prescribe it to patients who suffer from Anxiety attacks and I didn't want you freaking out when I came home. I thought it'd be easier to take those once a day instead of having to smoke every morning. I was about to get you some Oxy or Xanax, but that shit's real easy to get hooked on and you're way too pretty to be a tweaker."

"Thank you." I said sweetly, looking up at him like I was truly grateful. Gage smiled down at me, but he was forced backwards again when I slapped him in the face, getting on my feet.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Marci." He chuckled, groaning a bit as he rubbed his jaw. He was propped up on one elbow and smirking at me again. "Who's been teaching you to fight?"

"Get the fuck out!"

"C'mon, babe. I just spent the last 3 years in lockup." He used the arm of the couch to pull himself up and he was still holding his jaw. My hand was stinging from the impact, so I knew he was hurting. "I come home and my girl's attacking me with her fists instead of with her lovely kisses. I missed you, Marci."

"I'm not your fucking girlfriend and this isn't your home! Get out!"

"You're right, I'm sorry. You're my soon-to-be wife and this is our home." He winked at me, but ducked down to dodge the bronze butterfly sculpture from the coffee table.

I kept telling Gage to get out of my house and throwing anything I could get my hands on at him. He managed to avoid practically everything and the living room was a mess now. Shattered glass or ceramic pieces were all over the floor, pictures were knocked off the wall with cracked frames and a few armchairs were overturned in my frenzy to impale or strike him. I was seriously taking advantage of the power of that pill because I wasn't parallelized by fear anymore, but I think my enhanced anger was a negative side-effect.

We ventured out of the messy living room and were headed down the hallway. Gage went upstairs into the bedroom and I shoved the door open. It's been forever since I came in here, but I got rid of Rose's junk, spruced it up and made it into a guest room. I didn't see Gage at first, but he came from behind the door and grabbed me from behind, walking us to the bed. He laid me on it and straddled me, trying to pin down my flailing arms that were trying to throw punches.

"Will you calm down?" He asked while I was trying to claw his goddamn face off. He finally managed to pin my arms down and I was panting again, but in boiling fury this time. "That's better. Can I get a kiss now?"

"Fuck you." I growled.

"Why don't you love me anymore, Marci?" He pouted and laid on me, keeping me stationary under his weight. "Before Rose died, you adored me. We had our whole future planned out. I was gonna transfer to Pagosa Springs with Scrap, we'd ride up to Colorado, find a cozy little house and I was gonna teach you how to fish. Remember that little dream? What happened?"

"What happened?!" I shrieked in mock ignorance. "You killed her, that's what happened, you fucking psychopath! You're a murderer!"

"You wanted me to." He said in a deadpan tone, his expression void of any emotion.

"Why would I want you to murder my mother?!"

"Some mother she was. She never loved you, she didn't take care of you, she didn't give a shit about you and you hated her. I couldn't bare to see keep seeing you suffer every day. You make me sound like some goddamn monster, but let's not forget who you always came running to when she'd beat you to a bloody fucking mess, Marceline." Gage spat and that shut me up. I turned my head from him then, but he made me look at him again. The seriousness in his eyes was chilling. "Who did you cry to when she was high or drunk or both and trying to fucking kill you? Who always came running to your rescue when she went to far, huh? When she pushed you down the fucking stairs? Who took you to the hospital when she broke your arm and who found you bleeding the fuck out when you slit your goddamn wrists? I did because you needed me then and you still need me now."

Gage was damn near glaring at me now, but his eyes flicked up to where his hands were, around my wrists tight enough to leave bruises. I saw how confused he looked when he felt the puffy skin under his thumbs. When he took me to the hospital, I kept them wrapped with gauze for weeks and I usually kept my wrists covered with shamballa or rope bracelets now, but they must've gotten flung off when I was throwing things at him. I had a billion more in my room. Those bracelets hid the raised skin that would forever mark my body and the only time I took them off was when I was in the shower.

Mine and Gage's history was something I wish I could forget, but he was the only reason I was still alive. Rosemary lost the title of 'Mommy' when she started drinking or shooting up because after her fix wore off, she'd come charging for me. She'd slap me, punch me, kick me when I was curled in a ball and suffering through a violent Attack and do anything else she could think of that would hurt me. She was the reason I had this disorder. She wasn't always like that though, the Devil's goddamn mother. Before her downwards spiral, she used to be a nice woman and I think she loved me. She's always been distant, but I didn't think anything of it because Dad was still around and I'll be damned if that man didn't treat me like the greatest treasure the world's ever seen.

My father was an amazing man and I was always hanging on to him, literally. If I wasn't catching a ride on his foot, I'd be sitting on his shoulder or handing on his back like the little monkey I used to be. Dad rarely let me out of his sight though. He'd walk me to school every morning and he'd be there minutes before dismissal. He'd help me build an outfit for the next day and we'd make my lunch together. He'd always read me a bedtime story and usually fell asleep in my bed with me laying on him. On the weekends, we'd have breakfast together and he'd color with me, then we'd watch TV for an hour before he took me to my favorite playground. My huge Dad would manage to get on the kid-sized playing field and he'd chase me around or go down the slide with me in his lap.

I loved my father more than anything and Rose did too. It was the day he left that things took a turn for the worse.

I was 9 when Dad started walking out on us. He started staying out late and he wouldn't come home for days sometimes. He'd be exhausted in the mornings, so I wouldn't bother him while he was sleeping. He started drinking a bit more and he'd stumble home only to get into an argument with Rose until he left again or they'd get sick of fighting and just drop it. Day by day, he started getting more distant and he wouldn't come home for weeks at a time. When he did, it'd be to drop off money or get some clothes. Then, he never came back.

Rose started drinking and doing drugs to an addictive level. She'd scream at me and I pieced together why she hated me so much. She was jealous of the love Dad gave me and not her. After a few bottles were thrown at me, missing me by a hair's length, and I was hit a few times, I learned to stay away from her when she'd start her self-destruction. That's when I started hiding in the attic and it got to the point where I was up there so much, I made it into my room.

I was 15 when Gage found me. I had to get out of the house and I unknowingly wandered near a motorcycle club hangout. Thanks to Rose, I was still bloody from tumbling down the stairs and Gage pulled up next to me. He took me to the hospital and I found out my right arm got broken. He asked me what happened and I told him about my broken home. Since then, I always called him when Rose got out of control and he'd take me away from her. He let me stay at his place for however long I needed and that ranged from a few hours to a few weeks. Rose never noticed when I was gone and she didn't care when I came back.

Gage and I got really close. He obviously grew very fond of me and I did too. I loved him, but not in a romantic way. We did say that we were going to run off together, but I thought he was trying to get me away from Rose, not running off to get hitched. He started getting more possessive over me then, obsessed even, and that started scaring me. Gage hated that I was being abused and after he had to take me to the hospital again, for a failed suicide attempt, he promised he was going to make it stop.

The day Rose died, I just came home from school and saw her lying lifeless in a pool of her own blood on the kitchen floor. Gage was with her and he told me to call the police, but I couldn't take my eyes off his blood-stained hands. He fed me some bullshit story about there being a break in gone wrong and he trashed the house to make it believable. I didn't think it wasn't going to work...but the cops believed it.

I was happy when Rose died because I felt like a prisoner that just got pardoned after being detained in Alcatraz for a few years. I was free of her and her cruelty and her pain, it was over. But without her, the only family I had left, I was alone and on my own. I had to grow up and learn how to survive in this unforgiving world without guidance or help.

I tried to distance myself from Gage after Rose's murder, but he didn't make that easy and that's when he started kicking the goddamn doors down, forcing his way in here because he 'wanted to be with me'. That's how the goddamn attacks started getting triggered again, by him breaking into my house and scaring the life out of me. His untamed temper almost turned me into a skittish little mouse that was afraid of her own shadow, but there must be something in my genes that refused to let me, despite the overwhelming disquietude.

Gage went to jail a few months after Rose's burial and Zane came into my life. When I told him about Gage, he promised that he'd protect me from him because he already knew of the Spartans and their rap sheet.

The main reason I was scared of Gage was because he was a killer. He murdered Rose and I knew there had to be others before her because he knew what to do afterwards. Something always told me that he wouldn't hesitate to off me either. All he needed was motivation or the right amount of provoking.

Gage released his grip around my wrists and when he looked at me again, I saw the pain take over when he saw my tear-filled eyes. He looked heartbroken. Men were never good when it came to a girl crying and he must be internally panicking right now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you upset." He sighed, but the distress was evident on his face when I couldn't hold some of the tears back and a pair slid down my cheeks. "Please don't cry. Marci, please."

"Get off..." I mumbled and he did, rolling on the bed. I sat up and pulled my shirt over my knees. I pulled them to my chest to cover my face as I tried to stop crying. Gage hated when I did and I hated looking so weak because I wasn't a crybaby. Someone would have to dunk me in a vat of acid to get a tear from me, but him talking about Rose, about us, it always broke the dam. "You're not staying here."

"Who's gonna take care of you if I'm not here, babe?" Gage said and I felt the bed dip as he got closer to me. When I felt him behind me, I shoved him back and stood up, fists balled at my sides. He was comfortably lounging in bed. "You're 19 now, Marci. We can get married."

"I will never marry you."

"C'mon, sweetheart. You know I love you. I wanna make you mine. Our Honeymoon's gonna be super romantic too, I promise. I've got everything planned out." He perked up and had a loving smile on his face. I could tell he put a lot of thought into this pipe dream of us happily being together, but it just wasn't going to happen. "Dutch has a cabin in Felton and it's close to this beautiful lake. We can go swimming at midnight and have a nice dinner while we're warming up by the fireplace. When we go to bed, the whole room's gonna be covered in carnations 'cause roses are so overrated. I'm gonna be super gentle though, so don't worry. I know you're still a-"

"Get out of my goddamn house." I cut him off because I knew I'd start blushing if he said that stupid word. I don't know why I let him tell me that because it did sound like a amorous thing to do and it sounded sweet. That was the Gage I knew and wanted to run off with, the sweet, kind, softhearted guy who just wanted me to be okay.

Gage sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He stared at me for a minute with the utmost softness in his eyes, maybe even adoration. He stood up and came over to me, backing me into the wall and plating his hands on either sides of my head to act as barricades.

"I'm not going anywhere." His voice was dark and dominating, his eyes starting to make me nervous, but I'll be damned if I was going to back down. "You're mine and we're gonna make this work like we planned. When I was in lockup, I got better for you, for us. We've been through too much shit and I love you too damn much for us not to be together."

"Stay away from me, Asher." I warned, trying to keep the growl out of my threatening voice. I was the only one who got off calling the Spartan President by his first name, but it always kinda backfired because he got turned on by it. "I don't wanna be with you and I never will. Just leave me alone."

"I've invested too much time in you, Marceline." He sighed with a tired voice, scrubbing his hand over his face. "I'm not just gonna let you walk out of my life and nobody's gonna take you away from me, especially not that little chink you've been hanging with."

"You better not do a goddamn thing to him!" I snapped back, getting confidence when Zane was brought into the mix.

I could only guess he knew Zane's been around me was through the members of his MC. They were probably stalking us or they've seen us around town together. Gage didn't say a name, so he probably didn't have anything personal on Zane was and that was a huge weight lifted. If anything happened to him, it'd be my fault and I couldn't live with myself if Zane got hurt.

"Fuck him!" Gage barked in pure rage and cocked his arm back, a loaded fist waiting to hit something. I flinched when it sunk into the wall mere meters from my ear. He grabbed my shoulders and hoisted me up, being a little too rough when he slammed me into the wall. Instinctively, my hands went to his shoulders to keep him at some distance. "You're not his fucking girlfriend, you're my wife! He doesn't mean shit to you, he doesn't love you! I love you with everything I got, more than I give a shit about myself, Marci! I'm all you need! Fuck everyone else!"

Gage kept screaming about everything, about him 'loving me' so much that he'd go crazy without me, that we were going to get married and be happy and have a lovely life growing old together. The thing that started to make me cry again was what he said about me and Zane. "You'd better not leave me for that asshole! I swear to God, Marceline, I'll fucking kill both of you! You don't get to have anyone else, it's just you and me, nobody else!"

This went on for another 20 minutes or so, but Gage didn't seem to be fazed by me bawling until he calmed down. That's another thing that made me terrified of him, his temper was so quick to change. Angry Gage was like some fire-breathing demon that was best friends with Lucifer and all he saw was red. Rage was the only emotion he knew and he'd start breaking things like they were made of Styrofoam. He reminded me of Rose when he was like this and I was trying to prepare myself for when he'd actually hit me.

Once Gage simmered down, he let me go and I slumped against the wall while he sat on the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose. I was back to a trembling mess and I flinched when he looked at me. His eyes went soft again and he looked concerned at the frightened mess I was.

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry I got like that." He cooed and I was starting to think he was manic-depressive from how quickly he went from raging bull to cuddly panda. Gage slid off the bed and I winced when he crawled over to me, sliding me in his lap. He didn't seem to mind that I was quivering because his hand was rubbing my arm and the other one was running through my hair. "We've just been separated for so long and I missed you so much. I knew you'd wait for me though and I understand why you were with that other guy. You were just lonely without me. I'm gonna change that, Marci. We're gonna get married and I'm gonna give you the perfect life. Whatever you want, it's yours. You just...you gotta stay with me. Don't ever leave me, Marci...I need you."

I stayed silent as Gage continued to whisper sweet nothings into my hair, his grip tenderly tightening around me. I figured if I let him express all this cuddly crap, he'd keep his good mood and he'd be reasonable. I'd do anything to keep the calm Gage here for as long as possible.

After a few minutes, Gage was back to his placid side and he told me that was throwing a little homecoming party for himself tonight...here. He was chattering about me properly meeting all the members of his MC, referring to them as his brothers, and how much I was going to love them, that I should get used to my new family. On the handful of times he took me to his MC's clubhouse, I got to see all the members and we were introduced, but that was it. I've never talked to any of them or spent more than a minute alone with any of those men. If they were anything like their President, I highly doubted I'd have anything in common with them.

Gage went outside to get a few cases of liquor from his car and he stayed downstairs to set everything up. Barely 10 minutes later, I started hearing motorcycles roaring down the usually quiet streets and the giggles of the women the riders brought with them. From what Gage told me when I came into his life, his MC cruised around on Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fatboys with mini ape-hangers and his was red with black flames; a spartan in an attacking stance on the tank.

Feet started piling into the house and I could hear the mobs of chattering spreading throughout the living room. When the classic rock started blaring from the stereo system in the living room, I couldn't hear the rowdy party-people anymore. The smell of cigarettes was starting to make its way up here and I sat on the staircase to watch what was going on downstairs. I saw some leather matching Gage's on the backs of a few men scattered around the living room, which was already starting to look like the aftermath of a party, and a few unknown women were pinning up balloons or streamers. I saw someone roll a keg in from the kitchen and it looked like a few people were already passed out on the floor or against a wall, but the thing that caught my eye was Gage. He was basically the center of the party and everyone's attention. He had a red cup in his hand and he looked like he was buzzed already. He had a brunette sitting on his lap, a Doxy is what he called the whores of his club, and he'd nuzzle his face in her chest, then make out with her.

There wasn't a speck of jealousy in me when I saw him sucking face with that slut. All I felt was relief and a pang of sorrow for that woman. I hoped he'd get fixated on her and forget about me, but I didn't want someone else going through that madness with him.

I heard a different noise and I turned to see Melinoë at my side. She was sitting next to me and her ears were flat back. I could see her narrowed eyes and her tail was curved at the tip, periodically flicking left to right. She made that noise again and it sounded like a growl mixed with a meow, but she barely opened her mouth to let it out. She didn't like loud environments with lots of people. She preferred to live in a quiet, peaceful setting where she could cuddle up to her owner or lounge in a sunny window.

"I don't like this either, Melinoë." I sighed and she turned her head to me, looking very annoyed at the sudden loudness in our usually hushed home. "It's only gonna get worse and I know he's not gonna leave...and I'm afraid he's gonna do something to Zane. I can't just sit around and wait for him to go back to jail...we gotta get outta here, away from him and all this."

Melinoë made a humming sound this time and nuzzled her head into my arm before walking away. I noticed she was heading up to my room and she stopped at the landing of the staircase, waiting for me. I followed her up there and the noise was muffled after I closed the latch. I sat in front of my bed and pulled out the 3rd drawer, this one full of old pictures. I managed to save all my baby pictures, but Rose destroyed or pawned everything else from my childhood. Thankfully, she wasn't in any of the photos, it was just me and Dad.

My heart started aching as I flipped through them and memories started to resurface. God, I missed him so much. I wanted to know why he left us and why he didn't take me with him or come back for me. I knew I meant everything to that man and for him to leave without me didn't sound logical. Dad was a really sensible man. He planned things out to the last step and thought of all the repercussions for each move. He wasn't a reckless man. In lamest terms, he always had his shit together.

The next picture I had made me smile. Dad didn't upgrade to a digital camera yet, so he snapped this one on a Polaroid. The shot was him with a 4-year-old me on his arm and both of us smiling like we had everything we could ever dream of. From the angel, I could see Rose smoking in the kitchen and that triggered something...a memory.

Dad came home late again and they were arguing so loud that it woke me up. I wasn't supposed to, but I was watching my parents bicker in the kitchen, the wall shielding me from their livid eyes. Plates were starting to get thrown or Dad would bang his fist on the table to prevent hitting Rose's pea-brained ass. She just slapped him and she tried to do it again, but he had her in a bear hug to immobilize her, screaming about something I couldn't clearly hear. When Dad was seriously pissed off, his brogue was thickened and it made it hard to understand what he was saying.

"Go to hell, you never loved me!" Rose screeched, trying to free her arms. "You run off to your whores every night and stumble back here piss drunk, smelling like cheap perfume! Why would you get me pregnant if you weren't gonna be a good father?!"

"Hey, I love my little girl!" Dad snapped back and pinned her to the fridge. "You're right, Rose, I never fuckin' loved ya', but Marceline means everythin' to me! I got you pregnant 'cause I wanted to forget what was taken from me, my first family, and it was a damn good mistake! I'm gettin' a new one in Charming and far the fuck away from you! You drove me away, Rosemary!"

"That gang of yours is gonna take everything you've got left away from you! You're gonna get yourself killed or thrown in prison until you die! You're not taking my daughter near that, Filip!"

"She's my daughter, I take care of her! You're not a good Mother! When's the last time you talked to her, Rose, huh!? When'd ya' take her out to the playground, walk her to school, hug her, buy her some goddamn clothes?! She's my daughter, you just pushed her out!"

"I hate you!"

"I fuckin' hate you too!"

Rose started squirming again, trying to reach for one of the cereal boxes atop the fridge to hit Dad with. His back was to me now and it was covered in leather. In the middle was the Grim Reaper holding a crystal ball with the anarchist 'A' and some kid of gun-scythe in the other. Sons of Anarchy was curved over top of it and I realized that it was a kutte.

Gage's was the same, but his had a spartan helmet with a crossed pair of spartan kopis swords under it and Μολών Λαβέ on a scroll at the bottom. Dad was in an MC too...

Something made of glass got broken downstairs and I heard it all the way up here, bringing me from my moment of reminiscence. Great, my house was being destroyed.

I went to my laptop and typed in 'Charming'. After getting the definition of the word, I saw a picture of a town's welcome sign. It looked like a cut tree trunk, but it said 'Welcome to Charming! Our name says it all! Population: 14,679' The small town was almost 3 hours away, but I was staring at the directions on the map. Dad's been 2 measly hours away from me this whole time. I was thinking he had to be on the other side of the state in Atlanta or back to Scotland by now, but roughly, 142 miles were separating us. That wasn't even an overnight trip.

I was moving faster than my mind could process. I already had some jeans, a hoodie and sneakers on. A backpack stuffed with clothes was on my back and I was filling my black "Things have changed, I no longer give a fuck" tote with all my photos and artistic gear. I grabbed my pistol from under my pillow and tucked it in the waistband of my jeans like Zane taught me. When I thought of him, I looked to my nightstand and at least 2 grand was on top of my phone. Since I graduated, I had a job as a on-call housemaid and my check was enough to pay the bills, but Zane always gave me some of his winning money.

I stuffed the cash and phone in my pocket, grabbed my Driver's License, got Melinoë to gently put her in my backpack and left the zipper open enough for her to poke her head out. I opened the latch to the attic and went down the stairs. The party was still raging on, but some of the people migrated up here and were slumped against the wall or making out against it. Others looked like they were roofied or sick and hanging on to the arms of their friends, some were face-down on the floor. None of the Spartans were up here though. I figured the best way out was the backdoor and over the short fence. I already had the directions to Charming synced to my phone, so all I had to do was get outside without anyone noticing.

I pulled my hood on before I merged with the crowd of drunken and grinding bodies, keeping my head down. Gage must've gone to another part of the house because I didn't see him anywhere yet. Nobody was paying me any mind as I maneuvered to the kitchen and when I got in there, it was just as trashed as the living room. I made my way to the back door and it was already opened, the warm night air blowing in. A few people were out here too, the flames from their lighters signalling that they were smoking all kinds of things. Most of the smoke was seeping out of the gazebo. I did see the silhouette of a pair in the daybed and judging from the way it was swinging, they were having sex. Gross.

I was going to the left side of the backyard and felt a pound of relief with every step I took. I was going to get away from Gage and reunite with my Dad. Everything was going to be okay, I was going to be okay, and I'd never have to be scared again.

"Hey! Pump the brakes, man!" A man's voice called and he whistled, stopping me in my tracks, my heart starting to race. I knew he was calling me because I could hear his footsteps on the dry grass getting closer, but the fence was just a few feet away. Christ, I couldn't even escape right. I tried to keep my breathing calm when I saw the guy at my side, my heartbeat drumming in my ears. "Damn, you look like you just came straight outta Dragsville. Perk up, it's a party! Hit some Northern Lights, bro. Get some good vibes in your system."

I sighed when I heard the guy snickering and slightly turned to him, still hiding my face. I took the sweetly spicy smelling joint from his extended hand and stopped a flinch when he pat me on the shoulder. When he was heading back to the gazebo, his little group of stoners holding the flaps open for him, the guy laughed when he tripped over his own feet. Before he ducked inside the dark tent, I just barely caught the Spartan insignia on his back and noticed the dyed hue of his hair. Shit, that was Beast Boy.

Quickly, I hopped the iron fence with ease and I went through a few backyards, but I was dashing through the night, desperately trying to put as much distance from that house as I could. Once I was on a block I didn't recognize, I sat on the curb to catch my breath and look around. I ran pretty close to the neighborhood strip of stores and that meant I was close to the center of town.

Atomic Liquors was the only local bar in the area and since it was around 11pm, people were starting to pile in. Another lifesaving trick I learned from Zane was getting into cars and starting them. Since it was a sensitive art, I set the blaring alarm off twice and I almost got arrested before finally getting the hang of things. I started walking over to the parking lot to see which car would be easier to get into when I saw a silver Honda Civic crookedly park. A trio of college guys stumbled out of and they looked like they were wasted already, but they were probably newly 21-year-olds exploring all the wonderful things about intoxication.

I checked to see if anyone was watching before I tried the door and praised Christ when it unlocked. I got in and felt around for the keys. They fell out of the sun visor and I put them in the ignition, getting greeted by a horrible country tune when the car came to life. I turned the radio off and mounted my phone on the dashboard as I started driving, listening to the vocal directions.

As I drove, I couldn't stop myself from glancing in the side and rear mirrors to see if I was being followed. I was a good hour and a half in, but I could never be too sure about having a tail. The long roads were pretty clear and I was effortlessly dashing down them. I made a pit stop in a city called Los Banos and pulled into the yellow gas station. I had a half tank left, which would more than likely get me to Charming, but I was going to fill up just in case. I was getting tired too and it was way past midnight.

I decided to leave my gun in the car because the last thing I need was for the cashier to see it and call the cops. I got out and went into the connecting mini-mart. Even with my hood on, the lights were way too bright and I was squinting for a minute. There was a cinnamon-brunette flipping through a magazine behind the counter and she glanced at me, but went back to reading. I stocked up on chips, candy, soda, an energy drink and a few cans of cat food for Melinoë, piling them all on the counter. The cashier took her time in ringing me up and I payed for the pump at my station before leaving. I kept glancing over my shoulder as I gassed up the stolen car, but everything was clear so far.

After drinking half a green can of Rockstar Revolt, I was wide awake and I couldn't sit still, so I turned on the radio. I was singing along to the songs I knew and making up words of my own to the ones I didn't, steadily tapping on the steering wheel. That caffeine boost was short-lived and my eyes were drooping an hour later. I wasn't sure where I was because my phone screen was a blurry white-blue fuzz and the sky was still pitch black. So much for driving safely.

You have arrived at your destination.

The computerized voice announced and I perked up at that. I looked out the window and saw that I already passed the town's welcome sign. After a few minutes, I was driving into another strip of stores, probably the main shopping center, and there weren't any people wandering the quiet streets. I parked in front of a closed bridal shop and took the keys out, sighing with fatigue. I adjusted the seat until it was flat to make sleeping more comfortable. I heard the zipper of my backpack unfasten and Melinoë was curling up on my stomach not a second later. Once she got comfy, I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep.

It was a shot in the dark, but my Dad could be living in the small town and that was enough to make me hopeful. He had to be here...he was all I had left. I wasn't sure how I was going to go about finding him because knocking on every door in town seemed like a bust. I'd figure it out tomorrow.

Maybe Charming was the place where all my worries would fade away, my new start. Nothing bad ever happened in small towns like this.