The Runaways

The Runaways: Chapter 11: Cathlina

We finally finish our delivery, and we can eat our own food. Just as I am about to leave the cafeteria to enter my dorm, Caleb asks me something.

“Can you eat with us, Cathlina? It's probably boring in your dorm room anyways,” he says.

This catches me by surprise. “Sure. I can eat with you. Where?”

Violet and Caleb exchange glances. Caleb nods his head toward Violet.

“Um, my room. I just got a table and chairs in there,” she suggests. She seems unsure about her own suggestion.

I nod. “That's fine.”

The way she is acting makes me suspect something is up. I'm going to keep my eye on her.

***

Dinner is okay. Violet won't stop giving me guilty glances. Why would she be giving me those looks? Did I do something?

Caleb seems a lot more relaxed than Violet. He smiles at me and talks to me. He acts like Violet isn't there, giving me dirty looks. Caleb isn't like most of the boys who have run away. He is so full of life and kindness and courage. Most boys are sullen with sadness and loss. They hardly ever smile, and when they do, it's a terribly small one.

Violet hardly touches her sandwich. She eats her apple, but that's it. She's too busy looking me over, deciding whether I'm an enemy of friend.

I know this because I've gotten that look before. A few years ago, a girl came by the name of Makayla. She seemed kinda lonely, so I decided to become her friend. I tried to help her out in training and other things. She was fine at first, but as she and I knew each other longer, she began to act weird. She gave me that suspicious look, and I couldn't trust her anymore. She went crazy and tried to kill me, but I managed to survive. I couldn't believe Makayla did that to me, to betray me and try to end my life.

But, I've let that go. It was a different part of my strange life, and I'm going to keep the thought of Violet betraying me like Makayla did out of my head.

“Cathlina, do you think we should help you with your position? It looks like a job for multiple people,” Caleb says, breaking through my thoughts.

“I think I can handle it, but when I need some help, I'll ask. I will definitely need to ask. It'll be difficult the first few days, but I will get the hang of it,” I tell Caleb.

“I will be ready to jump in at announcements and meetings whenever you need me,” Caleb continues.

Violet looks uncomfortably from Caleb to me. “I could help if you really need me to. But only if you really need it.”

I hesitate before I continue. “Thanks for the helpful contribution,” I say sarcastically. I seriously thought Violet was going to be really nice.

“Well, you can always count on me. Violet is probably just tired. She had a really scary first day as a runaway. We should let her get some sleep,” Caleb tells me.

Violet doesn't move. Her brown eyes are fixed on the water bottle sitting in front of her. “They are out to get me. I'm not safe here,” she mumbles.

What does that mean? Of course she's safe here. It's the only place for misfits like us. If she wasn't here, she would've been caught. Caleb had found her running from police, terrified of being sent back to her home. She should be thankful Caleb was doing his daily watch when she ran by. Caleb found her and used his stealth to distract the police and get her to safety. I have no idea how he does it, but every time I hear of his rescues, it blows my mind.