Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize.
A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for such a long wait...I was extremely busy this week. Enjoy the new chapter!
Two days later, Lizzy was healthy again; she had color in her face, her eyes carried their usual vibrancy, and she was full of energy. She was glad to be feeling better--lying in bed all day, although it was relaxing, became extremely boring after awhile. She wanted to be up and around, spending time with her family while her time here in New York lasted. Lizzy figured that she would have to contact the Harrisons sooner or later, and that would mean returning to Florida. She did miss a few things, like the beach and Mr. Henderson's art class, but she would miss staying in the city more. However, she could go on ignoring her life there. The Harrisons were most likely flipping out, and organizing a full-blown investigation into her sudden "disappearance". Lizzy thought it was best to give them a call today--and get it over with quick.
Lizzy ambled out of her room and started for the kitchen. Paul was still asleep on the couch, considering it was only 9:30 in the morning. Lucy had gone out with Prudence and Rita, and Jude was busy dropping off more artwork to the editor of the magazine down the road. The apartment was absolutely quiet for now. Lizzy took the phone off the receiver that was tacked up onto the wall and dialed a long distance call to the Harrisons' house in Florida. She didn't want to be responsible for causing a huge phone bill, so she was going to make it as short as she could. Unfortunately, no one picked up after several rings, and the answering machine clicked on. Lizzy proceeded to leave a message, trying to explain everything that needed to be explained quickly.
"Hey, Mo--Maggie and Charlie," she said. She stumbled a bit, hesitantly, finding it weird to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad' anymore. "It's me, Lizzy." She continued, while wrapping the phone cord around her finger nervously. She was silently bracing herself for someone to pick up and go off on her. "I…I know I should've called sooner, but things were really hectic. I just wanted to tell you that I'm in New York City, and I'm staying with Lucy and Jude Feeny--my parents. I'm safe and in one piece, so don't worry, 'cause I have a feeling that you're freaking out…umm…see you soon. Bye." Lizzy hung up, hoping that they would get the message.
She moved over to the cupboards and grabbed a box of Cap'n Crunch and a bowl. After setting them on the kitchen table, she pulled a spoon from one of the drawers, and went to go get milk from the fridge. She was just sitting down at the table when Paul sauntered into the kitchen, still sort of asleep. His shaggy, dirty blond hair was disheveled, sticking up in some spots, and he was slowly getting his green eyes to fully open.
"Hey," Paul muttered, plopping down in a chair at the table. "I see you're feeling better." He observed, watching as she made herself breakfast. He grabbed the box of cereal and grabbed a handful of it, which he began eating. Lizzy threw him an amused smirk and set a bowl and a spoon in front of him.
"I called the Harrisons," she stated once she sat down. "No one picked up, so I left a lengthy message with a quick explanation."
"That's good," Paul replied. "They probably shit their pants once they realized you were gone--with Charlie's car, no less. What are you going to do about the car, anyway?"
Lizzy shrugged indifferently. "I haven't really thought about a plan yet," she admitted. "I still have the keys, but I doubt the car is where we left it."
"Charlie is going to kill you."
"Most likely."
"And…you don't care?"
"No, not really," Lizzy smirked. "I did what I had to do. Just be prepared--I'll probably be grounded for awhile when we get back to Florida."
Just then, the front door to the apartment opened and Jude walked in, throwing his coat over the back of a chair. He heard the two teens talking in the kitchen and entered.
"Good morning," he greeted. "Feelin' better, Lizzy?"
"Very much, yes."
"So what're the two of you up to today?"
He received a simultaneous shrug from both of them. Then, Lizzy spoke. "Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask you if I could borrow some paint."
"Yeah, of course," Jude said. "Use whatever you want--you don't have to ask."
"Just being polite," Lizzy smiled. "I know some artists get very…territorial over their creative spaces."
"Sometimes I do," he answered. "But, fortunately, you caught me on a good day." Jude started to walk out of the kitchen when he turned around and addressed Lizzy again. "I'll be in the studio…just come in and take what ya need."
"Okay, thanks."
Once Jude left, Paul shot Lizzy a puzzled look. "What do you need paint for?"
"You'll see."
--------------------------------
Paul watched as Lizzy spread out a few large garbage bags on the floor near the wall across from the foot of the bed in her room. There was an array of paint and different sized brushes sitting there as well. Lizzy had thrown on one of Jude's old shirts (one already covered with paint) to protect her clothes, and had tossed her hair up in a messy ponytail. She was intent on painting a mural on the wall; she hoped to paint something on each of the walls, eventually. She couldn't stand having it white--it was plain and boring. It just wasn't her. It needed some color, some excitement besides the beautiful cerulean sheets on the bed. Lizzy didn't want to live in a boring room--that is, if her parents and the Harrisons worked something out where she could live in New York. It all depended on whether they actually wanted Lizzy to live with them, and if the Harrisons agreed to give her up. Judging from her surprise visit, things looked optimistic.
"Mind if I watch?" Paul asked while Lizzy stood a few feet from the wall, hands on her hips, staring at the large "canvas" in front of her. "I don't want to be responsible for screwing up your--" Paul searched for a phrase, and when he found the correct terminology, he said it while doing air quotations with his fingers. "…creative flow."
Lizzy laughed. "You're fine," she said. "Take a seat on the bed." Paul did so, and continued to observe the young artist.
"Have any idea what you're going to paint?"
"Mmm…kind of." Lizzy stepped onto the spread out garbage bags and knelt down, taking up a brush. She dipped it in a container of blue paint, and began working. Paul studied her, intrigued. She worked slowly, carefully. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand; everything around her faded away, and in her mind she was alone with a blank wall and paint. With each stroke of the bush, every line was meticulously drawn.
As time passed, Paul started to recognize what she was trying to capture. It was the beach--the one they frequently visited back in Florida. Lizzy was almost finished with the water; a mix of blues and some specks of white, to give the illusion that the waves were crashing into the shore. She could picture it clearly in her mind, and all the memories that accompanied that beach. Splashing through the water, making sand castles (something the two of them did primarily when they were younger), skipping stones, going for walks, swimming with their clothes still on. Currently, she was working on the sand; the warm, soft sand that she loved to dig her toes into.
Lizzy took a break and sat back, propping herself up with her hands. "Looks awesome." Paul commented. She tilted her head to the side and looked at it.
"Think so?" she asked uncertainly. One thing Paul always noticed about Lizzy was that she was her toughest critic.
"Yeah. Definitely."
There was a sudden knock on the door that caused both of the teens to jump. Their attention turned to where the unexpected noise had come from; they saw Lucy standing there. She had opened the door up and was standing just inside the room. There was an odd look on her face.
"Hey, Mom," Lizzy greeted, smiling. "I hope you don't mind what I did to the wall--I just thought the room needed some color."
"It's fine with me." Lucy said, and threw a cautious glance down the hallway.
"When did you get home?"
"A little while ago," she stated. "Your father told me you were working, and I didn't want to interrupt."
Lizzy noticed the slightly worried look on her mother's face. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Umm, Lizzy," Lucy said slowly, "Maggie and Charlie Harrison are here."
Lizzy immediately froze. She couldn't process that information right away, but when she finally did, she shared a panicked glance with Paul. Lizzy knew she was in a lot of trouble. She was going to get the lecture of a lifetime, and probably a severe grounding that would last until she was at least thirty. To add onto her concerns (about getting in trouble for fleeing to New York and borrowing Mr. Harrison's car), she hadn't explained to Lucy and Jude that she ran away to see them. As far as they knew, she had come to New York with the Harrisons' consent. So, to sum it all up, Lizzy was in a shitload of trouble.
The two teenagers followed Lucy to the living room, with Paul standing immediately beside his best friend, for whatever emotional support she would need. He had a strong feeling that this wouldn't end well. He knew how short-tempered and angry Mr. Harrison could be in these types of situations--more so than Mrs. Harrison, who was a bit more compassionate.
The Harrisons were in the living room with Jude and Max, who had apparently stopped over for a visit during the time that Lizzy and Paul had been in the other room. No one was really talking, and Max felt uneasy standing somewhere in between his friends and the two people who'd taken his niece from them. Mrs. Harrison burst into fresh tears--happy tears--when she laid eyes on Lizzy. She approached the young girl rather quickly, and wrapped her arms around her, holding her close. The same couldn't be said for Lizzy, who was still in such a state of shock and fear that she didn't return the embrace.
"Oh, Lizzy," she cried, "We're so glad you're safe. You had us worried sick!"
"How…How did you find me?" Lizzy asked.
"We noticed the car was gone when we got home from work," Mr. Harrison stated, his voice carrying a hint of anger, "And then I saw that my address book in my office wasn't put back properly. So, we figured it was you."
"We…went to see Paul's mother, because we knew that's where you might've gone after you stormed out of the house," Mrs. Harrison explained. Lizzy threw Paul a surprised glance; she never thought she'd see the day where her adoptive parents visited Paul's mother. They always talked about them as if they were lower than dirt because of their lack of money. "We asked her if she knew where you were, and that's when she told us you'd taken Paul with you to New York City. We would've been here sooner, but we couldn't book a flight with the holiday and the snow storms."
"But the address in the book…it was old…they had moved. How did you find the apartment?" Lizzy questioned, puzzled.
"Lucy and Jude sent us their new address a little while after they moved. Charlie didn't get around to putting it into the address book." Mrs. Harrison clarified. Lizzy resisted the sudden urge to smack herself in the forehead. They had had the correct address this whole time…that would've been useful to know beforehand. It would've spared her an emotional breakdown.
Lucy had been listening to the three of them talking, confused. "Wait," she said suddenly to Charlie and Maggie, "You didn't know Lizzy was coming to New York?"
Lizzy bit her lip and jumped in to explain, looking at Jude and Lucy. "I meant to tell you that I kinda left that part out of the story…"
"She must've neglected to tell you about how she stole my car, too." Mr. Harrison declared, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Whoa, squirt…you stole a car? I didn't know you'd turned into such a badass." Max added, smirking. Mr. Harrison gave Max a weird look.
"Where is the car, Elizabeth?"
Lizzy swallowed hard. "It…broke down somewhere in Pennsylvania."
"Sweetheart, if you would've told us that you wanted to go to New York, we would've tried to get you on a flight. We were worried about you driving all the way here and traveling through this city…" Mrs. Harrison was saying. Lizzy was too busy fighting with Charlie Harrison over his sports car to notice her.
Mr. Harrison and Lizzy were about ready to get into an intense argument when Jude entered the conversation, still a little perplexed by the whole situation. "I don't understand. Why did you run away to Paul's? Why didn't you tell Mr. and Mrs. Harrison you were going to see us?" He asked Lizzy.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because I was still pissed about the fact that they'd kept this whole thing a huge secret from me for practically my entire life." she answered sarcastically, casting a narrow-eyed glare in the Harrisons' direction.
"You didn't tell her she was adopted?" Lucy exclaimed. She and Jude looked slightly livid. Max, although he was angry to hear such news, thought it was best to scoot out of the apartment quietly. He didn't want to be around when the yelling match began; he had a good feeling there was a hell of an argument coming.