The Runaway

Chapter 31

The sun met her eyes the moment she opened them. Usually the weather was cold but winter was almost over soon. Violet never really kept track of the date but she guessed it was somewhere in early February. Several days had passed and they still hadn't reached Oregon, though now they were much closer. The reason why everything was taking so long was because the buses didn't get them very far and even when they tried to hitchhike every now and then, the drivers were always lunatics. Everyday it was the same routine:  Aiden left to hunt, he came back and brought her food, they would try to get on another bus, Aiden hunted again and they spend another the night at a motel. Aiden always slept on the floor, which she felt bad about but he never complained.

"Morning sunshine."

Violet yelped at the voice behind her. She turned to see who it was and sighed. "I almost had a heart attack."

Aiden laughed and nodded his head towards the tacos on the mini table to his left. "Eat fast. I think we'll be in Oregon by the end of today and there's no time to waste."

"Alright just give me a sec." She groaned and forced herself to get out of bed. Staying at motels all the time had become normal at this point since she already adapted to the conditions. It was almost like a second home to her despite going to a different one each time.

Colton and the others have been waiting in Oregon for awhile now. They returned to the abandoned building and wandered endlessly, trying to brainstorm a plan. Aiden wasn't picking up his cell and there were no signs that he was even alive. Worried sick, they tried to contact Phoebe but she hadn't responded.

Em plopped down on one of the couches in their meeting room while everyone did the same. She stared at the others with concern. "I know he can be a prick, but I'm actually worried for the guy."

"Yeah me too," Delsin said as his head was planted on Colette's shoulder.

Em added, "I wonder how Violet's doing especially since she's with Aiden."

"Probably not the best combo." Riley chuckled lightly. "After everything he's done, she's probably terrified."

"As long as she's safe," Colton mumbled. "That's all that matters."

Colette twirled her finger around Delsin's curls and then yanked on them.

"Ow!" he hollered.

She smiled and patted his head. "Sorry, I'm just a little stressed."

He sighed at her. "Who wouldn't be?"

"I think we should wait a few more days and if they don't show up, we should just move on without them," Riley said. "Sitting around just makes me anxious."

Colton nodded slowly. "I think that's for the best." Saying those words killed him. He didn't want to have to leave them behind, but time was limited. Now that The Silvers knew about them, they had to come up with a plan as soon as possible. Interrupting his thoughts, his phone vibrated violently with messages. He quickly pulled it out only to reveal some texts from Phoebe. He gulped as he read the words on the screen. "Phoebe's on her way here. She's mad."

Em widened her eyes. "She's going to kill us."

"Okay well, I guess that's my queue to go take a nice bath before she comes and starts a shit storm." Riley proceeded to stand up and leave but then paused at the door. "We'll get through this." She smiled for a split second.

After she left, Delsin shot up from his seat. "Alright, am I hearing things or did Riley actually just say that?"

Everyone laughed. The part of Riley that Colton liked best still existed. "It's rare that she shows it, but I know she cares."