"Is she in some sort of trouble?" The manager of the store asked in concern when Stef went in to get any information on Callie that she could.
"Yes, maybe." Stef answered the man. "Not with us." She clarified, not wanting them to get the wrong idea. "But she may need our help in some way." She explained. "So whatever you can tell me will be helpful."
The manager pulled out an employee file and set it on the table in front of Stef. "She's only a part-timer so we don't have a lot of information; just the basics." He said apologetically.
Stef opened the folder and pulled out the one sheet that was in there. She glanced over the only information on it - Callie's name, age and a phone number. Under previous experience she'd written none and available working hours she's written only between ten and three.
Stef quickly pulled out her cellphone and dialed the number on the form and after speaking with someone for a few moments she realized that Callie had given a fake number - one to a mechanic down in Spring Valley.
"This is all you have?" Stef confirmed, somewhat disappointedly. She'd hoped to get an address along with some proof of where she lived. Now she was beginning to wonder if Callie was even the girl's real name.
"I'm sorry." The manager apologized. "We don't worry too much about the part-timers because they usually only stay a month or so - summer jobs or after school. Callie's an exception. No other part-timer had worked for so long before.
"But you didn't ask her why she could work during school hours? Why she wasn't in school?." Stef asked, already knowing that it wasn't the manager's job to enforce education.
"She's sixteen." The manager reminded Stef. "We are allowed to give her a job at that age, we don't have to question her about it." He answered, wondering if there was something more he could have done for the girl. "Look, she's a good kid, comes every day, she's never late, doesn't cause any trouble and she's polite and the customers like her. We had no reason to get any more information."
"Okay, what else can you tell me? Any personal information?" Stef asked, now glancing towards a few of Callie's other coworkers as well.
"We don't like hang out outside of work or anything." The girl who'd teased Callie about waiting for Stef answered. "She has a brother Jude who comes with her on Saturdays sometimes but that's all I know."
"She just bags the groceries after I ring them up." The checkout guy at Callie's line answered. "We don't talk much - just small talk. "She's polite to customers, asks about my wife and kids and she'll say she's fine whenever I ask. That's about it."
Stef then turned to the teenager with the red hair, hoping that he would have some more information.
"I had nothing to do with her till you asked me to give her that box that day." The boy answered with a shrug. "She basically keeps to herself."
"She's nice and we all make small talk but we're pretty private and no one here pries." The manager added, having always been thankful that his employees kept to themselves instead of creating a bunch of drama and politics.
"Okay." Stef nodded, taking note of whatever she had been told. She remembered Callie mentioning her father but she didn't have a name or an address or place of work. "Thank you for your help." Stef said with a defeated smile. She pulled out a handful of cards from her pocket and handed them to the manager to hand out to his people. "If you can think of anything else or if she comes back please call me." She instructed earnestly before turning and walking away.
Callie paced the sidewalk across from the school for over an hour now. She had wandered around the city trying to calm herself down and form a plan. She knew she had to change her life again - she had to run. Stef knew too much about her - she knew she was selling herself which would have been okay if that was all but now she also knew her name and that she worked at the grocery store. She wasn't sure if she knew about Jude or that Jude had been to her house a couple of times already but it was a link and Stef could easily connect it. Each time she'd asked, Jude had told her that there was only Lena and the kids. Luckily Stef hadn't been at the house either time so maybe, if she was really lucky, Stef wouldn't make the connection.
Once Callie had made up her mind that they would have to run she headed towards the school, hoping to grab Jude the moment he walked out of the building. She couldn't risk Stef getting to him first if she found out that they were related. She would take Jude and they would take the long way home, climb in the back of the abandoned building and only have to walk three buildings over to their apartment. If they were careful, and kept their heads down, they could do it unnoticed for Callie wasn't sure how far Stef would go to find her.
Once there, they would pack whatever they needed, leaving behind all unnecessary stuff, and then run - find a new city or maybe even a new state; a new home; a new school and job and start a new life. They had done it before and made it work and they could do it again, Callie was sure of it. Only this time, she would not make the same mistake again; this time she would not let anyone close.