Chapter 2

Dash finds herself alone at night, still reeling from her argument with her Dad.

Chapter 2

 

            Jumping out of a second story window probably wasn’t my smartest move ever. I landed on the pavement in front of my building with a crashing thump, feeling my ankle twist underneath me. White hot pain shot up my leg, making me gasp, but adrenaline propelled me back up in seconds. Dad’s shocked voice drifted through the open window, but I was off, running through the rain with my emergency pack on my shoulder. I guess when I’d been thinking earlier about taking a leap of faith, I was being more literal than I’d imagined.

            My head was spinning, tears mixing with sweat and rain as I pounded along the dark sidewalk. To be honest, the running helped a lot. Although La’a was an awfully stupid given name, my nickname, Dash, actually fit pretty well. Running was something I’d always done, but Mom’s death had changed something. I used to run to win and have fun with friends. After, I ran for the pain. It never felt easy or even good, but I kept going, some kind of perverse need to hurt myself physically. Come to think of it, maybe that was because I could fix the physical pain, unlike the other stuff.

            The other stuff. I still couldn’t think. Even running wasn’t helping as much as usual. I didn’t know what had come over me, why I’d finally snapped. Not that it was totally out of the blue, but still. I was already regretting what I’d said, had been since the words had come out. I knew all I had to do was turn around, run along home. Dad would be angry, but he’d forgive me. Everything could all go back to the way it had been for three years.  I just couldn’t do it anymore. I kept running, ignoring the pain.

            I had no idea how long it had been when I finally slowed. The pain in my ankle had spiked to an almost unbearable level, forcing me marvel at the power of adrenaline, without it I could barely walk. I looked around, utterly lost and cursing my stupidity. For the first time, I took stock of the situation, the pain clearing my head. I was alone and lost in the middle of the night in an undetermined neighborhood of New York City. Crap. That was really smart. Ok. Ok. No panicking, I forced myself to take another look around. There. About a block away I could dimly make out a sign for the subway. Perfect. Hopefully there’d be enough people that I wouldn’t get abducted. I made my way down the street, painfully, slowly, a dejected figure slumping through the rain. Come to think of it, that would make a great painting.

As soon as I was within the shelter of the station, I opened my bag. Inside was everything I’d prepared all those months ago when I’d first entertained the thought of starting something new. It was childish, honestly, to have an emergency pack like that. No one over the age of eight seriously thinks they could survive in the world with nothing but a backpack. Still, I’d provisioned it well. Inside were all the necessities: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, lock pick, towel, protein bars, subway pass, a hundred dollars in cash, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The last thing weighed more than the rest put together, but I just never felt right without it. I pulled out the subway pass, wishing I’d thought to bring Tylenol.

Five minutes later, I was slumping on one of those dirty Subway benches with all sorts of unidentified stains. There was literally no one else there. I knew it was late, definitely past midnight. But still, this was New York City; people were a constant. And if no one came, why was there a train running? Was there a train running? Oh god, what if I sat here forever and the train never came? No, that was stupid. What if…

The train came. It even had a couple of passengers. I thought I might stick out, a gimpy sixteen year-old with a backpack in the middle of the night, but like I said, this was New York. No one even looked my way, everyone too lost in their own swirling, all consuming lives to even notice my parallel narrative. To be fair, I hardly noticed them either. Once I was sure no one was going to try to arrest me for some reason, I dug out a protein bar, suddenly realizing that I hadn’t eaten since lunch. Funny how emotional events make me forget to eat. You’d think my body would have its priorities a little straighter.

I chewed absently, feeling my whole body start to relax. My ankle would be one hell of a swollen mess the next day. It didn’t bother me that much. The more pressing issue was that I still had nowhere to go. There’s a good reason people don’t run away from their dads in the middle of the night with a sprained ankle and a hundred bucks. The inevitable “what next?” It sort of felt like that scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where Harry leaves the Dursleys’ after blowing up Aunt Marge. What I needed, I decided, was the Knight Bus. Sucks. I had a random subway taking me nowhere I wanted to go. Least the ride was smooth. Very smooth, in fact. The slight rocking on the tracks taking me back to happier times. Funny, how no matter who or when, whatever the situation the subway rocks them all just the same. Even lost little girls looking for a happy ending…

                            

 

 

I woke with a start. Disoriented, yawning, the first thing I noticed was that the train had stopped and I was alone. How long had I been asleep? Was this the end of the line? Where was here? Could I get out?

Deciding to tackle the last question first, I stood up. My ankle tried to buckle in protest, forcing me to grab a pole. Harry Potter flopped off my lap.  Gingerly, I made my way to the doors, unnerved by the complete and utter silence surrounding me. Testing the doors, I found to my surprise that they opened. I pulled hard, steeling myself for the disappointment of a blank wall. The sight that greeted me, however, was much worse.

I screamed.

Author's Note

This is sort of a transition chapter. Soon, things are gonna get weird. Also, it's really short. Please review!

Reviews

[Midi]

"No one even looked my way, everyone too lost in their own swirling, all consuming lives to even notice my parallel narrative."

I really liked that line. I connected to the idea that we all have a different emotional reality while doing the same things in life, yet unless we stop and think about it, we generally assume we're all in the same place.