" Keep Running "

Prologue

A man once said, "You can run from the past but it will eventually catch up with you."
I never believed in his words until my past started catching up with me.
No matter where I went my past came with me. It didn't matter how many times I changed my hair, my name, or my overall look, people would always find me.
I haven't seen my family in years. The last they heard of me, I was dead. Which wasn't all a lie. It's better off for their safety that I remain that way. The girl who I once was , she was long dead. Buried with the rest of my childhood.

I was raised in Brooklyn, I had everything I couldn't ever asked for. A family who loved me and a boy who adored me, or so I thought.
It was the summer of 97', me and some friends went down to a motel for a night. I got my first stick and poke from him. Little did I know the truth of what happened that summer.

That boy was a liar who broke my heart in two. So I left once more and set off for a new adventure.
There was a school called Badlands prep. It was one of the most elite academy's in the country. Only the best and brightest attended. They only had a few rules. Stay in line, do as your told, and know your place. Everything was going smooth until I saw him. He was a beauty, but he was out of my reach. He had a son who was in love with me. I told him I loved him as well, but that was a lie. I'd only end up leaving him.

I had a collection of photos of my lover, I took them with me when we I went. Then came the day that his son found out. He was appalled, he called me crazy and told me I needed help. They didn't understand us. Nobody did. I was an outcast once more and so I left again.

Months later I found out badlands prep had closed due to rebelling students. Within a year, the entire city had been turned to rubble.
But that was years ago, these days I wonder around cities, living off the tips I get from gigs down in clubs. I tend to avoid contact with others, it's better that they don't know about me and my baggage.
Most recently I had checked in for a weekend to a shabby 2 star motel that had only one vacant room. Room 93.
The wallpaper was peeking sand there were bugs crawling around in the sink, but j wasn't complaining. It was better than another night in the streets searching for a warm spot to hide.
The bed was barley long enough for me and felt as hard as rock. There was thin sheet that covered my waist leaving my shoulders to freeze in the frigid air. You could hear he couple in the next took over going at it like jackrabbits as their bed banged into the wall resulting in an entire hour of sleep lost.
I watched the digital alarm clock sitting on the bedside table turn to 3, I turned my body back up to face the ceiling fan and let out a sigh. For a while I just laid there and watched the fan turn in a constant circle. It must be tiring to do the same thing forever, to repeat the same process over and over and over again. My life seemed to resemble the fan. If fall asleep in one city and wake up in another, always clueless to hoe I got there. My life has been like that for 3 years, a mix of alcohol, sex and constantly changing my identity. To some I was known as a friend while others I was an enemy. Some called me Ashley while others called me Heather or maybe a Grace. my background changed with every new face.
A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. "Ashley, this is the police. Please open up we know you're in there," I froze. They found me. 'But how? That's impossible...I got rid of every trace of me' I'd have to run again, find a new town and due my hair a new colour. I'd change my name to Tracy and claim I was from Minnesota.
My thoughts were intertwined and I felt as if time was slowly running out, which it was. I could already hear the sounds of the men outside trying to pick the lock of the door .Without another second to waste, I threw the bare necessities into a duffel bag and headed for a window. The hatch broke as I scrambled out, my feet barely scraping the ledge. The fall down wasn't that bad, the only damage was a few bruises here and there. I sprinted off for the car sitting across the lot. Throwing the door open, I tossed the duffel bag  into the backseat and it landed with a loud snack.
"Please work, please work," I desperately mumbled whilst trying to start the engine. A wave of relief washed over me when the car finally did start up. I pressed my foot down on the pedal and sped off. Unsure of a destination but certain I was never going back. At least not for now, it wasn't safe. The atmosphere around me started to change from a city of gleaming lights and smoke to a vast desert of endless possibilities. Reaching into the glove compartment, I pulled out the brochure I had found in the lobby. The title read Roman Holiday Inn; Your vacation away from it all! Book your stay today!
It was 25 miles west of here and had a 3.5 star rating. A review read, "comfortable beds and affordable prices but not so much of a getaway if the people next door are going at it all night."
"Well Roman Holiday, let's see what you've got."