All the Best People Are | ✓

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Alice: How long is forever?
The White Rabbit: Sometimes, just one second.

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Listen to The Lonely by Christina Perri for this chapter.
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I. Couldn't. Breathe.

The anger, the anguish, the terror, the freedom- it was truly exhilarating. But beneath all that, the only thing my heart wasn't able to cope with.... was the guilt.

I'd left Ty behind with that monster. I'd ran away from the only family I still had. I was a coward.

I walked through the bustling city streets, looking around me. Young couples walking around with hundreds of shopping bags, children being pushed in their strollers, businessmen driving back home to their families.... Everyone had a purpose.

The greys were shifting to jet black above me, and I knew that sooner or later it would be too dark for me to roam the streets alone. It wasn't like I was afraid of the city at nighttime, no, it was the fear of not finding a place to rest in for the night and having to end up sleeping in a dark, isolated alley instead.

I continued staring out at the taxis that whirred past me, and the pedestrians moving about their ways, not bothering to acknowledge the lost-looking girl on the sidewalk.

I considered asking for help, but found myself at a loss for words. Who would I ask? What would I ask for? And supposing they did help me, what next?

A pit of fear dug into my mind at the thought. I had no money, no food, no extra clothes- It wasn't much of an escape plan at all. I probably should have thought this through....

I felt a cool breeze blow over me and couldn't help but shiver. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited. For what? I had no clue. A miracle, perhaps. Yes, a miracle on a cold night in September for a homeless girl. That sounded like a story I could win hearts over with. If I survived to tell the tale, that was.

I waited and waited for what seemed like days, watching the cars drive past me. One blue, one red, one black, and another red. The minutes dragged on until finally, I felt someone tap my shoulder.

I turned to face a tall boy with pale skin not lighter than mine, and dark, shaggy jet-black hair that almost fell in his eyes. "Here, take this," He said, and slung a thick coat over my shoulders. "You seemed cold."

I threw him a quizzical smile and took the coat off and handed it back to him. "Thank you, but I'm alright," I said, turning to look back at the cars. I was not in the mood to be swooned over by a creep on the street.

Moreover, I was just surprised he noticed me. I wasn't very used to attention, not even if it was just one stranger.

"Don't be stubborn,"he playfully scolded,"I know you're cold." He handed the coat back. I pushed it back into his hands, flustered. I didn't know how to tell him to go away without seeming too rude.

I guffawed. "Excuse me? I didn't ask for your sympathy." I turned to walk away from him. I took one step, two, then three- "Skott?" He called after me.

I froze. I didn't turn back out of fear that my face would betray the confusion inside of me. How could I not know who he was? It wasn't like I recognized him when I first saw him. Before I knew it, he rushed to catch up with me.