Chapter 2
The Runaway

Theresa woke up at two o’clock and got dressed. She put on a pair of faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt that had a picture of a cowboy on it with the words "Looking For A Fight?" at the bottom. She got it at a carnival she went to the previous summer. She went downstairs to get something to eat. She poured some Cheerios into a bowl and added milk. It felt awfully lonely eating by herself, while the rest of the household slept, so she made it a point to eat quickly.

After she was finished, Theresa grabbed a couple of apples, bananas, the half-bag of chips that were left in the cabinet, and a bottle of water for her journey. She then hurried back upstairs. Theresa left the box of stamps next to Brenda’s bed. She carried her suitcase out into the hall and set it down. She left Barbara’s unicorn outside of her door. Then, she picked her suitcase back up, walked downstairs, grabbed her denim jacket, and left.

It was still dark, as she headed down the street. No one was outside. It was like a strange and unusual world that Theresa had never known before. She hoped Donna and Beth had decided to go with her. She really didn’t want to go out into the world alone. Theresa passed many houses and stores. It looked incredibly deserted, except of course for the weirdoes that Theresa knew were lurking in the shadows and behind the trees.

Walking quickly, Theresa made it to the movie theater in no time. She waited for Beth and Donna and prayed that they would show up. She was already feeling scared and lonely, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to go on alone.

After waiting awhile, she looked at her watch. It was five minutes until three, and Theresa was starting to get worried.

"Five minutes left. They’ll be here. I know they will," Theresa said to herself. She sat down on the warm cement and waited.

Three o’clock came, and her friends still were not there. She decided she would call them. Theresa stood up and went over to a pay phone. She got a quarter out of her pocket but hesitated before picking up the receiver. She couldn’t decide whether to call or not, but then again, they might’ve possibly fallen asleep by accident. She was just about to put the coin in the slot, when she saw her friends in the distance. She felt so relieved and so happy that she couldn’t help running to her friends.

"Hey, Theresa," Donna said.

"Where were you guys?" Theresa asked.

"We both fell asleep. We’re not that late," Donna replied, defensively.

"I know. I just thought you guys weren’t coming. I’m so glad you showed up."

"We wouldn’t leave you hanging," Beth said, smiling.

Theresa half-smiled.

The three girls started on their way. They decided to follow the old railroad tracks that went between a wooded area. They were pretty sure that no trains used them anymore, since new tracks were built a couple blocks down.

"I sure hope my mom won’t get mad at me, even though I did leave a note," Beth said, feeling guilty.

Theresa and Donna looked at Beth.

"You left a note?! Are you crazy?!" Theresa exclaimed.


"I just didn’t want my mom to worry. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I mean, I’m all she has left," Beth replied, beginning to feel even more guilty.

Theresa sighed and said, "I guess it doesn’t matter. They’d look for us eventually anyway. I suppose I just don’t understand a good mother-daughter relationship."

They walked on in silence. They had no idea where they were going or where the tracks would take them.
Anywhere away from where they came was fine with them...or at least with Theresa.

She was the only one who had a reason for running away. The other two were pretty content, and Theresa knew that. She had already decided that if Beth or Donna ever wanted to go home, they could. They were faithful friends, so Theresa owed them that decision, and she wouldn’t hold a grudge about it either.

"Is anybody else scared besides me?" Beth asked breaking the silence.

"I have to admit that I’m kind of scared. But I’m also kind of curious to see where we’ll end up," Theresa said.

"I don’t know if I’m scared of our journey," Donna said. "I think I’m more worried that my dad will think that I’ve been kidnapped. He’s always saying weird stuff like that. I guess because we’re kind of rich, he worries about it more. I think he just gets overly paranoid, though."

The three girls continued to walk for about an hour until they came to a fork in the tracks. Theresa looked back and forth between the two tracks. They looked very similar, so she couldn’t make up her mind.

"What do you guys think? Which way should we go?" Theresa asked, uncertain.

"Well, left was the first direction that came to mind," Beth said.

"That sounds good to me. Donna?"

Donna nodded. "Like reading a book."

They were just about to continue on, when a man jumped out from behind a tree and grabbed Donna’s arm. The girls screamed, startled by the stranger.

"Let go of her!" Theresa screamed, kicking the man in his right shin.

He immediately let go of Donna’s arm, and gave out a growling "Ow!"

Theresa looked closer to see that the man was wearing a badge. She looked at the man’s face and said, "You’re a cop."

"Yes," replied the man, rubbing his shin. "I’m Officer Greene. I’m sure your parents are looking for you. I need you all to come with me, so we can go down to the station."

The girls looked at each other as if to say, "Is this guy crazy?"

Theresa got a mischievous grin on her face and said, in an obviously feigned obedient tone, "Well, let’s go, girls. We wouldn’t want to keep the officer waiting."

Officer Greene didn’t seem to notice Theresa’s insincerity, so he simply smiled. "Very good. The police car is right over here." He started to usher the girls into the woods.

The girls let out a low laugh at the officer’s idiocy, which he didn’t seem to hear. They climbed into the backseat of the police car, which was parked on a dirt road. Officer Greene got into the driver’s seat, put on his seat belt, and started the car. He drove down a dirt road in the middle of the woods, until he got back to the main street. Then, they were on their way to the police station.

Theresa leaned over and whispered to her friends, "Don’t answer any of his questions. Let me handle it."

They nodded.

Almost on cue, Officer Greene began to ask questions, as Theresa had expected he would do.

"So, why would three sweet little girls like you be running away, hmm?"

They ignored him.

"Cat got your tongue? Come on, you can trust me. I ain’t gonna tell nobody," he said, in a very unconvincing tone.

"Something tells me that you’re not the one who drags the truth out of criminals. Am I right?" Theresa asked, being a smart-aleck.

"Am I that transparent?"

"’Fraid so."

"I’ll have to work on that. Thanks for telling me." He paused then said, "Well, since we all are friends now, why don’t you tell me why you ran away?"

"Work on it," Theresa advised, and the rest of the way they sat in silence.

When they got to the police station, the three girls jumped out the car. Officer Greene led them inside and into his office.

They sat down in three chairs in front of the officer’s desk, and he stood in front of them, looking serious.

"I’m going to go call your parents. I’m sure they’re very worried. You girls just sit still, and don’t move," he said, leaving his office.

"Sit still and don’t move?" Theresa asked, confused. "Isn’t that a little redundant?"

Beth giggled.

Donna grabbed a framed photo off the officer’s desk. It was a picture a woman. She studied it and then showed it to Theresa.

"She looks a little bit like your mom, huh?" Donna asked.

"No, she doesn’t look mean enough," Theresa replied, standing up.

Beth and Donna looked at each other, Donna rolling her eyes. Beth just got a sympathetic look on her face for Theresa.

Theresa walked over to the window and tried to open it. Surprisingly, it opened right up.

"Come on you guys. This is our chance," she said, starting to climb out.

Donna ran to the window right away. Beth, on the other hand, felt uneasy about sneaking out.

"Beth, come on," Theresa urged. "We don’t want to leave you here alone."

Beth sighed, and although she still did not want to leave, she joined her friends anyway. They climbed out the window and landed on the ground below them. They started running quickly, wanting to get away from the police station as fast as they could. They rested when they entered the woods.

Catching her breath, Beth asked, "So, what’s the plan? Are we just going to wander through the woods?"

"Sounds good to me," Donna replied, catching her breath as well.

"The woods will get us somewhere. That’s all I care about. Nobody will find us in here. Just stay close together," Theresa said, seeing fear in Beth’s eyes.

"I hope you know what we’re getting into," Beth said, softly.

They walked through the woods, avoiding strange plants for fear it might be poison ivy, and staying close together. They hoped that no wild beasts lurked in the trees’ shadows. They decided to pass the time in the dreary woods by talking.

"What happens if the police come again? I mean we’re fugitives!" Beth blurted out.

"We’re not fugitives, Beth. We’re just kids," Theresa reassured her friend. "Besides, the cops won’t find us anyway. And even if they do, we’ll just run. They won’t be able to catch us. They can’t arrest us, so we don’t have to worry about that. But they won’t find us. I’ll guarantee that."

Beth nodded. "I’m still scared though."

"We all are, Beth," Donna said, comforting her.

The girls walked in silence. Theresa knew that Beth and Donna regretted coming with her. She knew that her friends truly didn’t understand that Theresa wanted to run and never get caught. So, she was about to offer that her friends could go back home, when they came to a somewhat small stream.

"How are we going to cross this stream?" Donna asked, staring at the body of water in front of her.

Theresa, forgetting her offer, suggested, "I guess we could swim. It’s not too wide."

"I really don’t want to swim," Beth said, always having a slight fear of water.

Donna looked down the bank to see a tree that had fallen into the stream. It stretched over just enough to get to the other side. Donna smiled at the fact that she had been the one to find a solution to their problem.

"Hey, guys, look down there," Donna said, pointing. Her friends looked. "We could walk across that tree I bet!"
The girls walked down to the fallen tree. They studied the situation for a moment, and then Beth said, "Are you sure it’s safe?"

"It’s our only choice, unless you two wanna walk around the stream," Donna said, making no attempt to hide her disliking of that idea.

"Donna’s right. I’ll walk first and hold Donna’s hand, and she will hold your hand, Beth. That way, if one of us falls, we all fall," Theresa decided, and Beth and Donna nodded in agreement.

The girls threw their suitcases across the stream, which landed safely on the other side. Then, Theresa stepped on to the tree, taking Donna’s hand. Donna took Beth’s hand and the three girls walked in a line across the tree. They took small, careful steps so they would not fall.

When they made it across, they were incredibly relieved. They gave each other a big hug, and laughed to relieve their fear. Theresa and Donna grabbed their bags and began to walk on. Beth, on the other hand, took a moment to pray.

"Beth, we’ve got to get going," Theresa said, impatiently.

Beth got up off her knees and went to grab her bag. She tripped on a rock lying nearby and fell into the stream. Her foot got tangled in a large tree root in the stream, keeping her from bringing her head above the water.

Theresa and Donna got a look of panic on their faces as they ran to the stream. Theresa reached under the water, Beth grabbed her hand and squeezed hard.

"Bethany!" Theresa yelled, scared and unable to move.

Suddenly, someone jumped into the stream, whom Theresa assumed was Donna...but it wasn’t.
Beth let go of Theresa’s hand, and Theresa fell backwards away from the stream. She looked up to see two boys with sandy blond hair, standing next to her and Donna. The boys stood there staring at the stream calmly, as if nothing was happening.

Suddenly, a brown-haired boy came above water with Beth. He dragged her out of the stream and then moved away from her. Beth was coughing and shivering, but she had managed to hold her breath well, so no water got into her lungs. Theresa and Donna went over to Beth and gave their friend another hug of relief. Beth held her friends’ hands tightly, still shaking out of fear and from being cold.

"Are you okay?" Donna asked, concerned.

Beth nodded, still trying to catch her breath. She looked up at the wet, brown-haired boy, and said, "Thank you."

"No big deal," he said, simply, expressionless.

"Who are you guys?" Theresa asked, standing up.

The shorter of the two blond-haired boys, said, "I’m David. This is Wil..." He tilted his head towards the brown-haired boy. "...and this is Paul." He then tilted his head towards the tall blond-haired boy.

Theresa looked at them a moment and then said, "I’m Theresa. This is Beth and Donna." She pointed accordingly. "What are you guys doing in the woods...besides saving lives that is?" She half-smiled.

"We live in the cave over there," David said, pointing.

"What do you mean you live there?" Theresa asked, confused.

"I mean we live there. For three years now. We don’t go to school, and we don’t see our family," David replied, developing an attitude.

"What do you eat?" Theresa asked, intrigued by the idea of living in the woods.

"There’s a little diner at the end of the woods. The woman who owns the place gives us some food scraps. She’s cool," David explained, looking over Theresa subtly.

"Well, good for you," Theresa said insincerely, "but we really need to get going. We need to get somewhere before anyone finds us."

"Where?" David asked.

"Anywhere."

"Hmph. Well, do you want us to help you out of the woods? We know ‘em better than anyone," David offered.
Theresa began to shake her head, when Beth blurted out, "We’d love your help!" Theresa glanced at Beth, who just smiled at her.

The six of them walked through the rest of the woods, and Theresa explained to David why they ran away and about the police station. David listened intently, obviously enjoying the story. Beth walked along side Wil, and Donna walked along side Paul. Beth and Wil talked about how she was afraid of water, and Wil told her how he took swimming lessons a few years back. Donna did most of the talking with Paul. She talked about how her father was a doctor and her mother was a lawyer. Then she went on to say that she wanted to be an actress or a model, although her mother wanted her to be a lawyer.

Talking made the hike seem shorter for the girls. They had finally made it through the woods. It was creepy on this side of the woods. There were four shops, and the little diner sat at the end of the row of stores. A dirt road was in between more tall trees. It looked like a whole new world to Theresa, Beth, and Donna.

"I guess we should go back to the cave," David said, glancing at Wil and Paul.

"That’s it?" Theresa asked disappointed. "You don’t even want to get something to eat at the diner?"

"It would throw us off if we ate now. Thanks anyway. You guys have a safe journey," David said, putting his hands into his jeans pockets.

"Nice meeting you," Theresa said, sincerely.

"You too. We’ll come see you guys sometime."

"How will you know where we live?" Theresa asked.

"We don’t. We see you guys around though-"

"Well, you won’t anymore," Theresa interrupted. "We’re leaving Ohio for good. Don’t know if we’ll ever be back."

David chuckled. "Oh, well, that’s a shame. Maybe we’ll look for you guys someday."

"Perhaps," Theresa replied, feeling a little sad, without knowing why.

The boys started to walk away, but Beth just stared at them. Wil sensed her looking, turned, and waved. Beth waved back, sadly. "Do you think we will see them again?"

Theresa looked at her. "It depends. If we leave town, then probably not."

"You never told us that we were leaving Moonridge," Beth stated, sounding a little upset.

"Do you guys wanna go home?" Theresa asked. "If so, then go."

"I didn’t say that, Theresa," Beth said, hearing resentment in her friend’s voice. "I just..." She looked up at the gray sky. "...I can’t leave my mom yet. I don’t know how much farther I’m going. I thought this was just to get away for a day or two. Not forever."

"Beth, my problems won’t go away in a day or two-"

"Theresa, your problems won’t go away unless you face them," Donna said, sternly.

Theresa just stared at her friends. She shook her head and turned around. "You guys will never understand."

"That’s because you just can’t accept things. We know what you go through everyday. Half the time, we’re there. You just have to be strong, think positively, and fight you’re way through," Beth said, comfortingly.

Theresa turned quickly. "Don’t give advice on something you know nothing about!" she yelled, angrily, and turned back around.

"Geez, like mother, like daughter," Donna said, smugly.

Theresa nodded, biting her lower lip, then turned around again, and wrestled Donna to the ground. "I am nothing like my mother!" Theresa roared. "And I never will be!"

Beth became frightened and said, "Come on, Theresa, get off of her."

Theresa stood up and walked away quickly.

"Theresa, wait," Donna said, she and Beth catching up. "I’m sorry I said that."

"You guys don’t know," Theresa said, sounding hurt. "You can’t possibly understand."

"We try, Theresa, but you never want to tell us how you’re truly feeling," Beth said, feeling bad for her friend.

"It wouldn’t matter if I did."

"You’re probably right," Donna said, honestly. "Our lives are very different."

The three girls said nothing more and walked into a small music shop. They glanced at the creepy old man working there, who stared at their every move, and then went to look at the records. The store had a strange smell, like something old and dead, so they decided to leave without buying anything.

They felt hungry, so they decided to stop in the diner. Again, everyone stared at them as they walked in and sat in a booth. A few large, burly men sitting at the counter kept staring at them. One had a strange grin on his face.

"Um, maybe we should leave," Donna whispered, right before the waitress approached with menus.

"Hi, darlings!" the waitress said, in a thick southern accent. She had a wide, toothy smile on her face and looked nice enough. Her mussed red hair and thin figure reminded Theresa of Miss Hannigan from Annie. "What can I get for you?"

"Why are those guys looking at us?" Beth asked, nervously.

The waitress let out an understanding laugh, and said, "They always stare at new customers. They’re harmless, I assure you."

The girls smiled but still felt uncomfortable.

"So, what will it be?" the waitress urged.

"We’ll just have burgers," Theresa said.

The waitress started writing in a small notebook, and said, "And what to drink?"

"Um, nothing, thanks," Theresa said. "We don’t have much cash."

"Don’t be silly," the waitress said, kindly. "It’s on the house."

"Oh, okay then. We’ll have Cokes."

"Alrighty," the waitress said, and picked up the menus. "By the way, I’m Carla. I’ll be back in a jiff."

Beth smiled politely as Carla walked away.

"What time is it?" Theresa asked, drumming her fingertips on the table.

"You’re the one wearing a watch, Theresa," Beth said, laughing.

Theresa smirked. "Oh, that’s right." She looked at her watch. "It’s seven."

"I’ve never had lunch this early," Donna remarked.

They all sort of laughed quietly. They didn’t have a clue where they were or where they were going. They hadn’t a clue what was in store for them. They all had the fear inside them, but only Theresa had the determination and desperation to push them further.

"What are we going to do after this?" Beth asked.

"I guess we’ll keep going on like we’ve been doing," Theresa replied, looking out the window, thoughtfully.
Donna and Beth looked at each other, which Theresa saw out of the corner of her eye.

"Well," Beth said, "I’m going to go change my clothes. I won’t be long." She got up and headed to the bathroom with her bag.

She returned just as the burgers had arrived. She sat down next to Donna, and the girls began eating. As Theresa ate her burger, she looked out the window again. She swallowed and set down her burger. A car had just driven up to the diner, but not just any car--it was her parents’ car. And closely following it, was Beth and Donna’s cars.

"Our parents are here," Theresa said, slouching down in her seat.

Donna and Beth looked out the window to see their parents heading for the diner. The girls looked panicky.
Richard (Donna’s father) and John entered the diner through the only door in the place. The girls were trapped.
"Theresa, it’s over," Donna stated, sounding defeated.

Theresa didn’t like that at all. She didn’t want the adventure to be over, and she certainly didn’t want to go back home. So, she slid out of the booth and darted for the door, while Donna and Beth watched in surprise.
John grabbed her, before she had a chance to escape.

"Dad, let me go," Theresa begged, struggling, holding back her tears.

"Honey, we were so worried about you," John said, sounding concerned.

Theresa continued to struggle, even once everyone was outside.

"Dad, please," Theresa said, desperately, afraid of what her mother would do to her.

"Theresa, this isn’t like you at all," John said, trying to get a handle on her.

Theresa got the familiar sick feeling in her stomach when she saw her mother get out of their car. Theresa prayed she wouldn’t hit her. Beth’s mother, Carol, ran up to Beth and gave her a great big hug. She could not have been more relieved or happy to see her daughter. Suzanne and Richard, Donna’s parents, hugged their daughter as well. Suzanne commented a bit on Donna’s outward appearance, but she still had that tone of relief in her voice.

John finally let go of Theresa, but it was too late to run. Theresa stood in front of John, staring at her mother, who simply stared at her. She had no intention of hugging Theresa, but to be fair, Theresa had no intention of hugging her either. Instead, Joanne got a smug, angry look on her face, and with most of her might, she slapped Theresa across the face. Theresa fell to the ground and held her hand to her cheek. She sobbed quietly on her knees, wondering how her mother could be so cruel. Besides John, everyone else looked stunned that Joanne hit Theresa so hard.

John shook his head. "Joanne, that wasn’t right."

"Oh, please, John," Joanne replied, disgustedly. "She deserved to be hit ten times harder than that."

Theresa slowly got up and looked at Beth and Donna for a moment, feeling embarrassed. Beth and Donna looked sorry that they hadn’t kept running, if only for Theresa’s sake. But it was too late now.