Running away was easy; not knowing what to do next was the hard part. – Glenda Millard

Carlos' P.O.V

It was exhilarating. My heart was racing, my blood was pumping, my body was in full flight or fight mode. It felt like I had been running forever, but even with all the adrenaline rushing in me I still had to eventually stop and catch my breath. And I guess stopping was a good idea cause it gave me enough time to realize something..."Where the hell am I going?"

It hadn't occurred to me that I didn't really plan this all out very well. It wasn't something I usually did, but I guess I got caught in the moment. I tugged my backpack closer to myself and looked around aimlessly. It was visibly morning now and I had left the large houses on the outskirts of the city and was making my way into the heart of Auradon. I liked Auradon city with its rows of boutiques, café's that added the scent of coffee to the usual city smells, and its stone beauties that stood amidst the city like castles. I've driven down every inch of it in my mom's beloved vehicle the Panther deVil (she always said the car was far more deserving of the family name than me) from the quaint neighborhoods lined with trees to the towering buildings that lit up with life. Unlike the quiet streets I bolted from, Auradon city was already bustling with people and cars hurrying to start their day. That was my favorite thing about being in the city. You were constantly surrounded by people and none of them ever paid any attention to you. It was isolation in society, being alone without the fear that you were literally all alone. It was weird but it comforted me sometimes, and I preferred it to the dark lonely spaces of home. Though the de Vil mansion wasn't really home, and I guess it's not even my house anymore.

I came out of my daze to realize that I was once again walking without a destination. I could feel the panic set in and I tried hard to conceal it. I was out in the world by myself and I had my freedom. Though I didn't feel free anymore, I just felt worried. What was I going to do today? What was I going to do every day after that?

I saw Snow Park in the distance and hurried toward it passing by the statue of the founder, a woman with short curly hair and a bird perched on her finger. The park was peaceful and all I needed was a moment to think and I could figure all of this out.

I took a seat on one of the benches near the pond and let out a well-deserved sigh throwing my head back to look at the sky. Okay first things first, it should probably be acknowledged that I'm totally fucked. Now that that's out of the way maybe I'll last longer out here if I answer each question one by one. I felt my breathing steady. I just have to look at this like a math equation: I have a complicated problem that I need to solve, so I just need to simplify. I wouldn't need to worry about health or food for awhile, and the money I brought would also cover any desperate expenses. I could easily take safety precautions by using my knife, not loitering in alleyways, not jumping into white vans, etc. The city was relatively safe, the people were still all assholes but something in the air made them try to hide it more. I gave myself a small smile, "Yeah, I can totally do this!"

What was I going to do today? I could just roam around the city and then sneak back into the park for the night. Sleeping outside was to be expected. Every day after that? I would survive. I would just have to because I couldn't go back home. That bridge was burned and frankly I wouldn't want to cross it again.

"Hey Carlos!"

I startled at the mention of my name and quickly turned around half expecting for the caller to be talking to another Carlos. Instead I saw Jane who gave me a timid wave, and apparently took my small wave back as a signal to come over. "Great," I mumbled as she made her way over. Yikes this being homeless stuff was making me bitchy. Jane wasn't so bad, she also went to Auradon Prep and was one of the few students there that was nice to me. My slight smile turned into a full frown when I noticed she was walking with Audrey who rolled her eyes as Jane pulled her along towards me. Jane failed to notice my change in attitude and sauntered up to my bench with a huge smile on her face.

"What are you doing out here?" Jane asked.

I obviously couldn't say that I ran away and was contemplating the struggles of living on the streets, so after staring in silence for a few seconds too many I settled for a defensive "I could ask you guys the same thing."

Audrey mumbled something under her breath, but Jane's cheery demeanor didn't falter. "We just decided to grab some lattes before heading to school," she replied waving her coffee cup in the air. Jane raised an eyebrow prodding me to answer her question.

"Umm…me too."

"I don't see any coffee in your hand," Audrey negated glaring at me.

"I just mean that I'm also headed to school," I stammered. I was lucky enough to have my backpack with me so I put it on and stood up trying to act a bit more convincing.

"Still doesn't explain what the creep is doing here?" Audrey loudly whispered to Jane. I decided to ignore the comment and for the most part so did Jane, who just nervously chuckled.

"Would you like to walk with us?" Jane asked after a few more seconds of awkward silence. Audrey let out this disgusted gasp that I desperately tried not to laugh at.

"Actually, Doug texted me that our first period is cancelled, so instead of just loitering around school I think I'll come in late," I lied.

"Suit yourself," Audrey chirped with an overly nice smile and walked off obviously fed up with being forced to talk to me.

"Oh, well see you at school," Jane said quickly rushing to catch up with Audrey.

I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding in. I hadn't expected anyone to ask what I was doing. I hadn't planned for anyone to ask me anything. I suddenly felt out of place, like I was the Waldo in the crowd and everyone was searching for me. I became aware of my striking black and white hair and my even less subtle bright red and black leather jacket. I didn't exactly blend. My eyes nervously darted at all the people around me. It felt like they all knew what I had done and were ready to send me back. My breathing sped up and I could feel the panic attack coming on. I retreated out of the park forcing myself not to just take off running, and hurried into the first store I saw.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I rushed out. The cashier gave me a concerned look and pointed towards a door in the back. I rushed inside and quickly locked the door behind me. I closed my eyes and tried taking some deep breaths.

It wouldn't be long before Jane realized I was lying. The school would have to alert someone of my absence after a couple of days. More worrisome though was that even if Cruella woke up with me gone and assumed I had left for school, she would be freaking out when I never came home. I was 101% sure that she would report me missing, and because of the missing backpack, trashed room, and helpful witness reports, the police would guess runaway way before kidnapping. She would practically fall to the floor bawling that she needed her "baby" to come home when all she really wanted was to have her slave back. And if anybody I know saw me they could turn me in. Not to mention that if the police recognize me or pick me up for any reason at all it was a one-way ticket back to Cruella.

I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of any of this sooner. I opened my eyes staring at my reflection in the mirror across from the door. I could feel all my thoughts starting to blur, but one thing remained very clear: I couldn't stay here because just leaving home wasn't far enough.

"Hey, are you okay in there?"

I jumped remembering that I was still in a store bathroom, and had been in there for an unnatural amount of time. I opened the door to reveal a young woman wearing a blue shirt with a glass slipper logo on it. The employee stared at me probably debating on whether she needed to call the police or the ambulance. "I'm fine, thank you," I mumbled brushing past her.

Exiting the store my thoughts were still swarming. I needed a place where no one would recognize me, there weren't so many cops, and looking like a vagabond wouldn't raise many red flags. As I turned the corner I saw a middle-aged man yelling on the phone while staring up at the wall. I looked up to see what he was screeching about when I saw it. Someone had gratified the wall with a silhouette of a woman with horns surrounded by green fire. "Evil Lives," I whispered reading the words spray-painted over the picture. I finally realized the place I needed to go. It wasn't too far away but it was just far enough.