The Road Ahead

~Chapter One ~

Panting like a dog, Sage was running as if her life depended on it. It most definitely did; if she were to be caught, she'd be grounded for the rest of her life. Her hair hit her in the face as she ran. She didn't even know where she was going. She couldn't think or focus on a thought. She had thoughts racing through her head. But she wasn't about to stop to think. She was just running straight; she had been since her foot had touched the dead grass outside of her window. She left her bag in her room; she didn't shut her window. All she had was the clothes on her back, her shoes, and her phone. She didn't even know why she took it; there's no service, so all she can do is call and text. She had been running for 24 minutes. The dead leaves crunched underneath her worn-out boots. A tear sliped out of her eye barley there for a second, due to how fast she was running. She didn't know where she was; she didn't even want to leave. She was just mad. Her dad was always yelling at her for things that didn't even make sense. Her mom didn't let her do anything. And today, she got grounded for no reason, so she thought. Her foot caught the curb. She face-planted into the curbside grass. A few leaves had left cuts on her face. Which only made her cry harder, not because it hurt. But because she was alone. She got up; all she was thinking now was how she hoped no one asked her if she was lost. She's scared that if someone asks her that, that all she will do is cry. Because she is. She continues moving but not running now, shes walking. She's out of breath and starving. She skipped breakfast. All she had was a crinkled 5-dollar bill. She saw a convenience store in the distance. About 5 minutes later, she made it there. She walked in. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned since it was made. It had a thick smell; she wasn't sure how to explain it. She grabbed a honey bun. The cashier looked like HE hadn't gotten cleaned since the store was made. Sage couldn't help but think that; she knew it was rude. The cashier scanned it. 4.98$. She was lucky. She handed over the bill and walked out. She walked to a nearby bench and sat down. It was really pretty outside. Peak autumn. You could tell. The trees weren't dead yet; they were bursting with bright colors of orange and warm colors of red. It smelled like fall; she couldn't name what fall smelled like, but for her, it had a distinct smell. She took a bite of the honey bun, definitely satisfying her craving since September she's had. She finishes the sweet bun and looks at the wrapper. She walks over to the trash can and throws the wrapper away. She sits back on the bench because somehow she is still out of breath. She's still hungry, just not as much. She grabs her phone. 69%, good enough. She opens the Facebook app. She barely gets to read the first post on her feed before her mom calls her. She ignores it. She reads a couple more posts. All stuff about cats or school. Her dad calls. She ignores it again. Her mom texts her, "Where are you?" She ignores it. She doesn't open up the messenger. Her phone buzzes again. She just puts it in her pocket. It buzzes again. She grabs it, its her dad: "Please answer". That's weird, she thinks. Her dad never says please. He's always demanding things. She's never heard him say please, not to her mom, not to her, and not to his friends. Her phone buzzed again. "Please come home."Sage stared at the message. For a second, she thought about replying. Just one text. Just letting her mom know she was okay. But then she remembered the yelling. The rules. Being grounded. She locked her phone and shoved it back into her pocket. The sun was lower now. The bright orange leaves glowed in the afternoon light, and the chill in the air was growing stronger. Sage looked down the road ahead of her. She had no money. No food. No plan. And nowhere to go. Still, she stood up.