Thank you all for your reviews and alerts. I really appreciate them all. I apologise for taking so long with this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you to Gibbs Fan for allowing me to pick her brain once more and a special thanks to JlBrew26, who helped me to break the block I was having with this chapter :)
Chapter 17
"Did you miss me?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah squirt I told you I did." Mattie said with a grin. "Last time I talked to you...Mac told me your grandmother took your phone."
"Uhhuh." Chloe said. "I don't know what I'm gonna have to do before they give up and call Mac."
"Hmm...smoking?" Mattie said helpfully.
"Tried it. Wasn't allowed to ride my horse for two weeks."
"Ditching?"
"That's why they took my phone."
"There must be something..." Mattie said.
"You know what?" Chloe said. "A couple of years ago I fell while I was out riding...Mac came then..."
"That's it!" Mattie said.
"They might think it's a stunt."
"Well technically it IS a stunt." Mattie said. "Just make it different this time so they can't draw too many comparisons."
"I have detention tomorrow...they won't be expecting me right away...if I don't go... it'd give me a head start."
"Uhhuh. Where would you go?"
"Not sure...I'll think of something." Chloe said.
"Gotta go." Mattie said. "Let me know when you figure it out."
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
Mac hung up the phone and frowned.
"Problem?" Harm asked.
"Hmm. Chloe's been misbehaving." she said. Harm looked up.
"Oh really." he said. "What's she been up to?"
"Well that's just it. It's just not one thing, it's been one thing after another. Her attitude has been off as well...to the point of being downright rude at times. It's like she's challenging her grandparents." Harm frowned.
"Time she paid us a visit." he said. "I made her a promise.I wasn't kidding."
"Do you think that's it? You think she's trying to get our attention?" Mac asked.
"Well if she is...she better be careful what she wishes for." Mac smiled.
"She's a handful...but she's cute and funny..." she said. "I wish she could come live with us full time."
"I know...I do too...but like we're trying to teach the kids..you can't always have what you want."
"You don't get if you don't ask either."
"And you don't ask for what isn't yours."
"She could be..."
"She isn't Mac."
"But she sounds like she's getting too much for them."
"And if they approached us...and they said it was all too much...I would be happy to take her in a heartbeat."
"If they ask?"
"Uhhuh." Harm said. "And that doesn't mean you asking them to ask either."
"I know." Mac said with a smile. She hugged Harm and kissed him. "You never know what might happen."
"No you don't...but in the meantime...it might be time Chloe came for a visit so we can have a chat about behaving and respect."
"Yeah...you know it'd be better for Mattie to have some company..."
"I get it Mac." Harm said.
"Just sayin..."
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
By the time they'd organised dinner and such it was too late to ring and ask Chloe's grandparents if she could visit the coming weekend so they decided to wait for the next night. Little did they know Chloe was hatching a plan to get what she wanted herself. Her cry for attention had been ignored and it was time to go big or go home...or both.
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
The next day, Chloe behaved better at school than she had for a while. She couldn't risk another call to her grandparents. If they showed up at school for some sort of meeting, it would totally squash her plans.
Not that she had a planned out plan as such. She had the outline of a plan and exactly twenty nine dollars and forty five cents. It'd pay for a bus ride into the city and then she'd have to wing it from there. No problem, she thought. Kill two birds with one stone. She'd find somewhere to hide and then let Mattie know where she was. When enough time had elapsed that everyone was good and worried enough to ask her what SHE wanted...Mattie could tell them where to find her.
She did feel a little guilty about her grandparents but hey...when she went to live with Harm and Mac they'd have time to rest and recover properly. They'd never admit it but it was a lot to have a teenager to raise at their age. They'd forgive her...she hoped.
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
"No...Chloe...are you crazy?" Mattie was totally against this but she jotted down the name of the park and where Chloe had gotten off the bus.
"Mattie please...I'm ok." Chloe said. She hadn't been scared when she'd gotten off the bus in the city. It had been broad daylight. There'd been plenty of people bustling about, getting on with their business. No one paid her the slightest bit of attention. She'd gotten herself a burger and a drink and then sat in the park to call Mattie.
"You're ok NOW!" Mattie said. "It's gonna get dark and you're alone in the city."
"Can't put anything over on you..." Chloe said.
"You know what I meant." Mattie said. "Honestly Chloe...this is...it's dangerous. I thought you were gonna hide behind the barn or something." Chloe almost choked on her burger.
"Really? The Barn?...How long would it take them to find me behind the barn? My grandparents are a little old but there not blind."
"I didn't mean literally the barn...but Chloe the city on your own...I came home late once and Harm just about had a cow...you have no idea how dead you are if you live through this so called adventure. I think I'm gonna have to tell them."
"No...Mattie please...you promised. One night just one. You can tell them tomorrow where I am..." The phone was silent for a long minute.
"One night...and you stay where there's some kind of light."
"Oh...there's a red light over a …."
"NO! Move away from there..."
"I was joking!" Chloe said with a giggle. "I'm not stupid."
"Debatable...Just be careful."
"Yes MOM...I will...I promise."
"Call me if your scared, even just a little bit. Or go to a station...you could stay near one."
"Oh yeah...cos runaways always sleep in front of a cop station. Look I have to go or my phone will die and I won't be able to call anyone."
Mattie flopped onto her bed. This had seemed like such fun but now seemed like a nightmare.
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
"Mac?" Mac's face drained of colour when she heard the panicked voice on the other end of the phone. By the time she hung up she thought she was going to be sick.
"What's wrong?" Harm said helping her into a chair. "We have to go. We have to get there and help look." Harm's face was blank, his mind trying to wrap itself around what Mac had said.
"Look?" he asked.
"It's Chloe. She had detention...she didn't show and she didn't go home. She's been missing since school ended." Harm wrapped his arms around Mac in an effort to try and comfort her.
"It's gonna be ok...we'll go and we'll look and we'll find her. That's if she hasn't already turned up by then." he said trying to lighten a tense situation. "You go tell Mattie and pack a few things. I'll try and get us on a flight and let the admiral know what we're going to do."
"Ok." Mac said with a brief nod.
When Mac told Mattie where they were going with such a worried face and teary eyes, she nearly caved. Thing was she was bound...bound by the code. You just don't snitch, especially when you'd made a promise. That didn't stop her from feeling so guilty that she thought she might actually hurl. The wan look on her face was misread by Mac who pulled her into her arms.
"She's going to be ok." she said. "We'll find her, I promise."
"I know." Mattie said truthfully.
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
Chloe wandered over to a bench and flopped down. She sat the bag with the remains of her burger and fries down next to her. She was hunting around in her back pack for a book to read when she felt the worn planks of the bench give a little.
"You gonna eat that?" A boy a little older than her asked. Chloe wrinkled her nose.
"It's not exactly appetising...It's gone cold." she said.
"Don't matter to me."he said with a mouth full of stiff cold fries.
"That is so gross." Chloe said. "Doesn't your mother feed you?"
"That would be difficult." the boy said. "She's dead." Chloe felt stupid for making a joke.
"Sorry."she said. "I know how you feel...mine too...what about you Dad?"
"Dead."
"Mine too. I live with my grandparents."
"Lucky you." the kid said.
"Ya think? I guess. They're nice." she said. "But it's not really where I want to be."
"They feed ya?"
"Yeah of course."
"They want you there?"
"I guess."
"Then you're lucky." Chloe didn't say anything until the kid spoke.
"What's your name?" he asked. Chloe looked around quickly for inspiration. She didn't know this kid and she wasn't going to give him her real name. She looked up and then smiled.
"Skye." she said.
"What? Skye Blue?" he asked with a chuckle and burp. It was unusual for him but he was actually full. She'd hardly touched the burger and he'd had one of the most decent meals he's had for a while. "Original."
"No!" Chloe said with mock hurt in her voice. It was pretty lame she had to admit.
"Then what's ya real name? Do I look like a threat to you?" Chloe looked at him. He wasn't large for his age. He was actually quite skinny.
"No...you don't." Chloe said seriously. "Chloe...what's yours?"
"Josh." he said.
"So who do you live with?"
"A few people." he said, he didn't really want to tell her he lived with a few other homeless kids under a bridge or in a doorway or anywhere else they weren't likely to be caught. Like lots of kids that were running to escape the system, they didn't stay in the one place for too long. "Why you here? Shouldn't you be getting home?"
"No." she said. "Not tonight."
"Oh? Running are we?" asked.
"Maybe."
"Why?"
"Look. I don't have to tell you why." She started to gather her stuff.
"Hey. Ok." Josh said. "But you can't go wandering around here on your own. It'll be dark soon. It's not safe."
"I'm not a baby." Chloe said. "I can look after myself."
"Clearly." he said. "Where's your phone?"
"In my pocket." she said digging around to find it. Josh held it up to her.
"See? Gullible."
"Give that back!" she said. She was embarrassed that this smart ass kid had been able to swipe that right out of her pocket without her even noticing. He handed it right to her.
"Just showin you you're not a street smart as you seem to think you are...come on, you can stay with me but I warn ya...it's rough."
"I can do rough." she said stubbornly.
" Well good then..."
As she followed him to places unknown, Chloe watched this boy. Funny, he looked like a boy but he spoke like someone much older...she didn't know why but she trusted him.
TBC