Chapter Two
~Rain~
Rain. The drops falling everywhere, coating everything in a thin sheen of water. Its light pounding made the only sound as the entire town shut down, children going to bed and parents settling on the couch to watch the news.
Only one remained on the street, and her clothes and feathers were already getting soaked through her sweatshirt.
The runaway adjusted her hood, walking quietly down the town's sidewalk. Her eyes examined every building and house that she passed, looking out for a safe place to settle down and escape the rain.
She came across a small, bar-like restaurant, the neon lights glowing dimly, and briefly considered going in.
Shelter, food, a place to sit until the rain stopped.
The girl checked the road before running across and approaching the door, opening it slowly as she peeked her head in.
A wave of smells collided with her nose, and she grimaced at the smell of beer and greasy food. The girl opened the door wider, trying not to attract attention to herself as she made her way to a booth by the exit door, further away from the crowd.
A waitress sauntered over after a minute and pulled out a notepad, scowling down at the teen as she rung out her hair.
"By yourself kid?" The waitress asked, raising an eyebrow at the empty seats.
"Yeah."
"Well what can I get ya to drink then?" The women removed the pen from behind her ear and wrote down the order, looking up warily every now and then.
When she left to put in the order, the girl gathered sense of her surroundings, noting the people and the ones that seemed suspicious. A TV in the corner was showing the news, and a picture of her flashed, the headline reading, "Missing child, disappeared two days ago."
A shiver ripped through her, partially due to the cold and to the immense fear of being discovered. She flipped the hood back over her head, averting her eyes as her mother was being interviewed on screen.
A few minutes later her coke came, followed by her hefty order of chicken parmesan and soup. The scrawny breakfast this morning seemed like it was ages ago, and the food was inhaled within a matter of minutes, steaming chicken and all.
The girl quickly counted out the money she owed as she finished the soup, placing it on the table and thanking the waitress on her way out. To her dismay the rain hadn't let up, but another moment in there and she would have panicked. Several people got a good look at her face; anyone could be calling the police at that moment to report the missing girl.
A splash behind her caught the runaway's attention, and she froze, counting her heartbeats as she waited.
Nothing.
Wait, a hushed whisper.
She continued down the road, her breath making small clouds as her hearing became acute to the noise behind her.
As sneaky as they thought they were being, she could hear them clearly.
More than one.
Maybe three?
Sounded like work boots. Boys then.
The fugitive continued, leading the followers further away from the public eye as she took a back road. They were getting closer, and finally she stopped and confronted them when safely away from the restaurant, shrouded by trees alongside the deserted street.
As she thought, there were three boys, all older and taller, maybe football players by the size of their arms. All had short hair, and the one to the left had an ear piercing.
"Hey, you're that girl from the news." The one in the middle said, stepping towards her.
"No I'm not." The girl stated calmly, her wings twitching in anticipation against her back. These losers had to go, and she had to run before word got out.
"Yeah? Take down your hood." The one with the piercing growled, folding his arms.
The girl complied, pulling off the soaked hood to reveal her tangled blonde hair, wet from the rain.
The guy who spoke first nodded his head, whispering quietly to the other two before they made their way towards her again.
"Listen girl, you're coming with us to the station. We saw your picture on the news in there, so don't even bother playing stupid."
"What makes you think I'm gonna listen?" The teen challenged, looking forward to scare the pants off these guys.
"You're not seriously trying to pick a fight are you? Come on." The one with the ear piercing lunged for her arm, barely managing to hold on as she jerked away. A fierce grin spread across her face as the new flow of adrenaline coursed through her blood.
Finally, real action!
"Stay still, quit squirming- hey! Quit it! Stay still damnit." The other boy muttered, trying to grab hold of her other arm. Soon they both had her, and the third opened his cell and walked off a little ways, talking to the police.
The girl went limp between them, calming herself down enough to concentrate. The boy's hands wrapped entirely around her upper arms, both of them listening to the others one sided conversation.
"Hey, you gonna be alright? What the hell is a girl like you doing out here anyway?" One of her captors asked suddenly, turning his attention back to her.
She didn't reply, still focusing hard.
"Forget it dude, this chic's not gonna talk."
"Yeah but-"
"Just let her be, the police will take care of her."
The boy with the cell phone walked back over, tucking his phone into his pocket.
"They'll be here soon. Hey kid, hey-" He lifted her chin so they were looking at each other, hazel eyes into light blue.
The skin around the boy's hands on her arms started to heat up.
"Tough one aren't you?" He murmured, smirking at the runaways glare. She closed her eyes for a moment and bent her head, thinking about the sun, about heat and fire.
"What the hell's she doin' now?"
"You think I know? Maybe she's sick."
"You sick kid? I dunno man; she's not even listening."
"I think she's burning up. Anyone know how to check for a fever?"
"Who do I look like, my mom?
The faint whine of police sirens woke the girl from her concentration, and she could tell by the heat in her veins that it was time.
"Sorry boys." The teenager murmured, a small smile forming on her lips, "But when those cops get here all you're gonna have to show is a pile of ash."
All three looked down at her, and the boys gripping her arms jumped away suddenly as her skin took on a red tint.
"You're crazy," The one with the cell shouted, the confusion in his voice not escaping her attention.
"Thanks, take that as a compliment. Now back off." The girl waved her hand through the air, a cord of fire following. The boys eyes widened as they backed up and the sound of sirens got closer.
With another flick of the hand, the flame fell to the ground, before shooting up into a fiery wall that reached up to her shoulders, encircling her completely.
It must have looked like Satan himself had been born in her eyes.
"What the hell is this?"
"I'm getting outta here man!" One of the guys turned and ran, leaving the other two stunned into silence. The girl bent down and picked up a twig lying on the street, holding it tightly in her fist as a separate flame engulfed it.
"Later boys." She opened her palm as the smaller flame fused with the inferno around her. With a smirk she lowered the ring enough to blow the ashes right into the boys pale faces, making them scream and bolt, following the same route as their friend.
She laughed, enjoying this way more than she should, and spread her wings wide to fly up into the branches as the fire disappeared.
The police cruiser pulled up, and the officer stepped out warily, flashlight in hand as he looked for the callers and reported girl.
The girl bit her tongue to keep from giggling at his puzzled expression. The man walked a ways, his light flashing back and forth until he caught sight of the scorch marks on the pavement.
Oops.
She balanced herself on the branch, pushing off into the sky as the beam of light illuminated the tree she had just been in.
"I just wanna scream and lose control
Throw my hands up and let it go
Forget about everything and runaway yeah
I just want to fall and lose myself
Laughing so hard it hurts like hell
Forget about everything and runaway yeah,"
The teenager flew among the midnight clouds, her voice echoing into the silence of the night. She laughed, bursting into the next verse with her excitement and adrenaline threading each line.
"So so is how I'm doing if you're wondering
I'm in a fight with the world but I'm winning
Stay there come closer it's at your own risk
Yeah you know how it is life can be a bitch
But I feel so alive
I can't help myself, don't you realize
I just wanna scream and lose control
Throw my hands up and let it go
Forget about everything and runaway yeah
I just want to fall and lose myself
Laughing so hard it hurts like hell
Forget about everything and runaway yeah
Runaway Runaway"
The flyer paused, trying to catch her breath in between gasps of laughter. Her raven wings pumped powerfully by her sides, pushing her through the air as if she were no more than a boat on water.
Her gaze fell down onto the town below her, and she wondered where those boys had run off to. Probably the police station, or maybe just back home.
The girl grinned at the thought of the mental help those three were going to need after that incident. She knew she overdid it, and that none of it was necessary, but it was fun all the same.
Cruel but true.
The kid coasted on a warm thermal, enjoying the feeling of her wings relaxing on the current. Nothing beat this feeling, the feeling of flying through the air, as free as a bird.
Yet, among all the happiness and recklessness, a new emotion was digging itself out from the depths of her brain.
She was sad.
This realization hit her hard, almost making her falter. She was sad. Missed her family. Missed her friends.
She was lonely.
The girl tried to shrug off the feeling, thinking hard about the positives of life on the run. She could go anywhere she wanted; do anything she cared to do. Nothing applied to her.
The photos in her pocket seemed to burn a hole through her damp jeans.
Come on, be strong. This was for your own good, she thought desperately.
"Help!"
Maybe two more tops after this one. Maybe five just cause I have OCD and four isn't enough, =P
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