The Dark Route Home

CHAPTER 1 The New Dilema

On A Dark summers day, The Sun retreat as the jealous clouds decide to dominate the darkening skyline.
A girl walking back home from college turns the key to her front door, She is greeted by a amplified Argument, her Mother and Step Father are arguing, she wonders what is all the comotion about as the atmosphere is even more tense than usual.

She decides to confront them " what is it!? What is it today?"

"Your not going to University after the Summer,not this year anyway Honey, I am so sorry" Her mom says

Her Step Father looks on from a distance " Yeah, not this Summer ..not ever, forget about University and Journalism or whatever it is you want to do" he blurts out

"What, Why?"

"The money's gone, all of it is gone, he used it"says her mother

"What No, NOO, I can't stay here , Her eyes begin to get tearful "That was my money, I saved for years, What did you do with my money!" She shouts

Before she can get a answer she finds herself face down on the shiny wooden floor, she is confused and disorientated, she doesn't know what just happened, but her left cheek hurts..she gets on her knees puts her hand on a nearby table rubbing her cheek, she lifts herself up to get balanceshe gets back on her fleet flustered, she realises she was hit.

"You talk your parents like that again you be out on the streets, University is out, over, leaving this town not gonna happen over, being a journalist..over!" He shouts. "Forget about it, and don't worry about where the money has gone, If want you want to live here ...show some respect or you can leave, you know whete the door is, nobody's stopping you" Shouts her step dad as he swigs on a beer

"You want me to go?" she asks "Then I will go"

"No your dad didnt say that" Her mothers says

"You shut your mouth" he says to his wife

"I left like seventy pounds in your account for a rainy day, and oh look outside it is quite literally a rainy day" he says sarcastically pointing at the lounge window. "Thats enough for a train ticket and a place to stay for a few nights"

"He don't mean that he's just in a bad mood thats all, but he paid off the debt everything is going to be ok now, just go to your room everything will be better in the morning" says her mother quitely

"No it won't, it will never be ok" she shouts back "Everything is over"

Her step looks on "You listen.. you tell anyone I used your money you made from the supermarket, you be in big trouble you hear, The family comes first ...right?"

"What about me?" She asks

"ME , ME , ME, ME ,Thats all you ever think about, I'm tired of you anyways, If you decide to go, go, Leave your keys behind " He shouts

She turns and looks at her mom

"Well I guess, I know all I need to know I will go pack and just so you know once I leave I ain't ever coming back, not ever, I didn't do nothing wrong, but you..your in the wrong yet I am treated like I did something wrong and your angry at me for your own mistakes"

"No, no mistakes were made here, I did what I had to do, and don't be so dramatic" the dad states "If you want to go, go get the fuck out of here, nobodys stopping you, Go on leave"

"Oh Im going" she quips back

"Good, then go, GET OUT OF HERE " he shouts

She walks out of the room,heads to her bedroom, packs her things, her mom looks down, as heads out the door she hopes somebody will ask her to stay

"Sophie" She turns to her stepdad with a hopeful look, He says "Don't forget to leave the house keys behind"

She looks to the floor, tears well up in her eyes she puts her hands in her pocket she reaches for her keys and shouts "take your damn keys!" and throws them at him

Her Step Father quickly rises to his feet and leaps towards her to strike her, but he is too heavy set, she bolts out the door he chases her but she runs too fast he will never catch her, she begins to laugh as she slows down looking behind her, he is so far behind with his white vest out of breath as the rain falls on him, he takes a breath " DON'T FORGET TO WRITE HONEY" he says with a sarcastic tone "HOPE YOU ENJOY THE WEATHER,"

As she slows her pace, to a walking pace it dawns on her she has nowhere to go, where would she sleep, she had no friends , no other family to help her, she had no family she all of a sudden she felt vunerable and scared,alone and out of options home was problematic yet a safe haven for her but the streets, she knows ... they are unforgiving.

As she walks along the darkened road sadness surrounds her, She sees a local late night cafe in the distance, she walks towards it, she pulls out all her funds from the ATM, she walks into the half empty diner style cafe, she orders her food, looks out at the wind blowing on the trees as rainfall subsides, she hopes her mom will come and find her, as she is too proud to go back home and knows she may not be wanted back home.

As she finishes her meal the waitress asks if she would like a coffee, she politely accepts and asks to pay the bill, as the waitress picks up the money for the bill,she notices a tip, leaving the money in the tray, she looks up at her

"Can I ask you a question? .

"Sure" Sophie replies

Are you a runaway? Or running from someone or something, taking the last train out? Asks the Waitress

"How did you know?" The young girl replies

"When you been working here long enough,you read people...like a book, you get to who is what,.but if I can see it, so will others, and not to scare you but people with bad intentions will see it too, people who exploit the vunerable" She warns

Her eyes widen, she is even more fearful now

She sits down near the girl and continues to offer advice "l seen girls like you leave from the three surrouding towns come here before they head to the the station no idea where they are going, they just get a ticket and go, some I see come back a few years later and they are never the same, whoever had a use for them before ..don't no more and they return more broke than before with a drug addiction, and thats the lucky ones, the less lucky ones.. they never come back, they end up as Jane doe's, Go home girl ..whatever the trouble, you will only make it double by getting on thst train"

"Thank you ..really, but I can't go back"

"Well ok just have your wits about you, be careful and call home, here take that money back, I will cover it for you, you need it more than we do" she gives her back the money

"Thank you, And i Hope I will be back here one day...with not a sad story but a fairytale story" She smiles at the waitress

"I Will pray for you, and have a good trip" she responds with a concerned look on her face