Run

Abscond • 3

        A deep sentiment bubbled inside of Kiera. She swept away the hair from her eyes and wiped the sweat from her brow. She had to do something. If not for her, it should be for her mom.

        Kiera paused again, but this time she halted her panicking deliberation too. Organization and a clear head would get her through this. In no time, she assured her herself, all will be okay. Kiera doubted the meaning of 'okay'. Okay was going home on time. Okay was being with her mother. Okay was solitude.

        But that didn't matter because it gave her hope by some measure.

        Running home wasn't an option. Running to the police station wasn't an option either. Detective Knowles would probably be there at such an hour and she couldn't stand the sight of him. The only assistance he could provide is cleaning up the mess and then proceeding to take Kiera into custody.

        Then she remembered Aiden. They were supposed to meet up at the diner two mornings from now as per the ritual they had been doing for the past year. Panic settled in her stomach when she realized that she might never talk to him again. Aiden was the guy who gently took the spider outside rather than kill it. He went to church every Sunday and started a puppy shelter in his hometown. Her throat tightened when she thought to their possibly last, civil conversation.

       "So, the shelter just got a golden doodle," Aiden mumbled, peering up from the coffee cup that he brought up to sip from.

       "You're kidding," Kiera said in disbelief. She dropped her fork and her scrambled eggs went flying off the plate. The clang was drowned out by the sounds of pouring coffee and indistinct conversing. She felt as if the muscles of her eyes were going to cramp as soon as she met his mischievous eyes.

     "I'm not," he laughed. Kiera almost forgot how to breathe when he smiled at her. Dimples indented the corners of his grin and wrinkles around his eyes embellished his skin. It was difficult to remind herself to exhale. "I'm actually planning on adopting him."

       When he said that, the girl just couldn't sustain her sobriety. "I've been dying to get that breed my whole life. As soon as you get him–oh my gosh what are you going to name him–I'll be practically living in your flat. I'll be his walker and feeder and caretaker because I know how flexible you are at work when it comes to hours. He's going to be so beautiful and pure and I don't think my heart can take it and–"

       "Kiera," he gave her that same smile and let her name roll off his tongue like a melody. She couldn't tell if her heart wanted to leap out of her chest because of the dog or him. "The dog's not for me."

       "Oh," was all she could say.

       "He's for you."

       "Oh," she sighed in defeat, his words not yet processing. She cast her eyes down to the plaid tablecloth sitting in her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed his soft gaze settling over her facial features. She almost forgot what he said until it hit her like remembering an errand after it was supposed to be done. "Wait, what?"

       Aiden didn't get time to respond when his phone began ringing. His shoulders slumped and his lips twitched downwards. Kiera already knew it was Knowles before he told her.

       "It's fine, Aiden. We'll talk later," she tried not to let disappointment lace her words. He offered a thin lipped smile and pressed the answer button. He slid out of the booth, but stayed in front of her, looking at their half finished breakfast and nodding firmly to the orders being put out at the other end. The forensic scientist hummed in affirmation before sliding his phone back in his pocket.

       "I'm sorry, Kiera. It's that Taedyn kid again."

       "You mean the one who always seems to have a nasty tendency of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Didn't he set fire to his friend's car last week?" She mused, remembering her classmate from high school who was absent more often than he was present.

       "He managed to get it in working condition a day later, though," Aiden replied, more in appreciation than in defense. The boy was probably in awe by Taedyn's mechanical skills, not his delinquent habits.

       "Okay, but what about the time he almost beat his sister's boyfriend to death?" Kiera cocked her head to the side and rested her elbow against the table, leaning forward as if challenging him.

       "No confirmation that he did it, but everyone at the station knows. There's just no evidence 'cause he's too damn good," his lower lip pouted out to blow on his sloppy bangs in indignance.

       "What a bad boy," Kiera rolled her eyes and sunk back into her seat's cushion. She needed to keep more space between them if she wanted to control how fast her heart raced.

       "Well, I'm off to deal with his ass again. I'll be sure to tell you all about it next Saturday," he drawled out the 'all'.

        Aiden walked away from her without another word because neither of them knew how to properly say goodbye to each other as two people who were just friends. But Kiera's skin grew warm when he gave her one last glance before heading out the door.

         He would never give her that same gaze if he found out she killed someone. She wasn't a Taedyn Burnett. She was lost and guilty.

       Kiera froze and backtracked. Her brain was blaring alarms for either a brilliant or insane prospect. She wasted enough time thinking. It was time to act, no matter how stupid. Nothing could be more stupid than what she had already done.

         She ran, and this time, she ran to Taedyn Burnett's house.