Nobody could know. "In, um, other places. I'll stay with someone till I get on my feet."
"Call me, okay? From a payphone, like in the movies, so I know you're okay." She tipped her wallet upside down and shook it, finally handing over a crumpled ten dollar bill and about a million quarters.
Charlotte smiled at the look on my face. “For the coke machine. It’s a problem. Anyways, that's all I have. Is that okay? Do you have clothes or anything? Here." She emptied the books from her backpack. "I always carry a few extra things with me. You never know."
"Thank you." With shaking hands, I took the bag.
Loki was probably good enough to track me. I needed to leave now, but I felt paralyzed.
Charlotte frowned. "You can't run away on fourteen dollars. Look, there's a credit card in the pocket of the knapsack. Just...don't buy a car or anything. In a few weeks, I'll tell my parents I lost it."
"I can't take your credit card."
"Yes. You can.” She directed a stern look at me, which was a bit odd coming from her. “You can pay me back later. I will see you later, when this is over."
The tears prickling my eyes threatened to spill over, and I leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug. "You're a lifesaver. I promise I'll call you."
We broke apart, and I gave her a watery smile, shoving the plastic bag into her backpack before slinging it over my shoulder.
"And I'll see you again....once this all blows over," I said.
If this all blew over.
The schoolyard was empty, and I climbed back into the taxi, asking the driver to take me to the bus depot. I sighed, leaning my face against the window. Inwardly, I cursed Loki. And my English teacher, and the fierce-looking blond man who’d stood in my yard just staring. All of them could go straight to hell.
They had to be looking for me still, all of them. Maybe California was a terrible idea. Wouldn't they expect me to go there? Maybe they knew who my friends were. And Loki knew my plans.
But California was a big place. All I had to do was find somewhere to hide until they stopped looking for me. I shut my eyes and let my mind wander, thoughts blending and drifting with the rumble of the engine.
Chapter Eleven
The palace library is full of the scent of leather-bound books. Shelves spiral up to the ceiling, enough to make you dizzy if you gaze upward for too long. After battle, I sit by the great stone fireplace. Books have so many words, but they do not speak. It is their silence I find comforting.
I walk to the table, holding a book I have yet to finish, the soft echo of my footsteps the only sound in the stillness. It’s a book of poetry I read each time I come to the library, a weighty tome that may very well outlast me. I find relief in the pictures the author paints, solace in the calm fields and seas of his imagination.
I become lost in the words, no longer seeing battle gore or smelling the stench of death. Even the words of the queen cannot calm me as these do.
~ * ~
The taxi jerked to a stop, knocking my forehead on the window.
I groaned, sitting upright, only to be greeted by a crick in my neck. I paid the driver with the crumpled ten dollar bill from Charlotte and crawled out, still fuzzy with sleep. Clearly my brain was still torturing me with the stories Loki told me. I didn’t want to dream about queens and battlefields and soldiers, I just wanted my life back.
The bus depot was crowded. People waited under the station shelters with their luggage, saying goodbye to their families. My stomach fluttered, and for a second, I wished I'd asked Charlotte to come with me. That would have been selfish though.
She wasn't in any danger, and there was no sense worrying her parents. I already felt bad enough about Uncle Dave. I was determined to get a note to him as soon as possible.
The schedule on the wall showed an hour wait for the bus I wanted. Irritated, I leaned against the wall behind one of the benches to people-watch. There were a
"Call me, okay? From a payphone, like in the movies, so I know you're okay." She tipped her wallet upside down and shook it, finally handing over a crumpled ten dollar bill and about a million quarters.
Charlotte smiled at the look on my face. “For the coke machine. It’s a problem. Anyways, that's all I have. Is that okay? Do you have clothes or anything? Here." She emptied the books from her backpack. "I always carry a few extra things with me. You never know."
"Thank you." With shaking hands, I took the bag.
Loki was probably good enough to track me. I needed to leave now, but I felt paralyzed.
Charlotte frowned. "You can't run away on fourteen dollars. Look, there's a credit card in the pocket of the knapsack. Just...don't buy a car or anything. In a few weeks, I'll tell my parents I lost it."
"I can't take your credit card."
"Yes. You can.” She directed a stern look at me, which was a bit odd coming from her. “You can pay me back later. I will see you later, when this is over."
The tears prickling my eyes threatened to spill over, and I leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug. "You're a lifesaver. I promise I'll call you."
We broke apart, and I gave her a watery smile, shoving the plastic bag into her backpack before slinging it over my shoulder.
"And I'll see you again....once this all blows over," I said.
If this all blew over.
The schoolyard was empty, and I climbed back into the taxi, asking the driver to take me to the bus depot. I sighed, leaning my face against the window. Inwardly, I cursed Loki. And my English teacher, and the fierce-looking blond man who’d stood in my yard just staring. All of them could go straight to hell.
They had to be looking for me still, all of them. Maybe California was a terrible idea. Wouldn't they expect me to go there? Maybe they knew who my friends were. And Loki knew my plans.
But California was a big place. All I had to do was find somewhere to hide until they stopped looking for me. I shut my eyes and let my mind wander, thoughts blending and drifting with the rumble of the engine.
Chapter Eleven
The palace library is full of the scent of leather-bound books. Shelves spiral up to the ceiling, enough to make you dizzy if you gaze upward for too long. After battle, I sit by the great stone fireplace. Books have so many words, but they do not speak. It is their silence I find comforting.
I walk to the table, holding a book I have yet to finish, the soft echo of my footsteps the only sound in the stillness. It’s a book of poetry I read each time I come to the library, a weighty tome that may very well outlast me. I find relief in the pictures the author paints, solace in the calm fields and seas of his imagination.
I become lost in the words, no longer seeing battle gore or smelling the stench of death. Even the words of the queen cannot calm me as these do.
~ * ~
The taxi jerked to a stop, knocking my forehead on the window.
I groaned, sitting upright, only to be greeted by a crick in my neck. I paid the driver with the crumpled ten dollar bill from Charlotte and crawled out, still fuzzy with sleep. Clearly my brain was still torturing me with the stories Loki told me. I didn’t want to dream about queens and battlefields and soldiers, I just wanted my life back.
The bus depot was crowded. People waited under the station shelters with their luggage, saying goodbye to their families. My stomach fluttered, and for a second, I wished I'd asked Charlotte to come with me. That would have been selfish though.
She wasn't in any danger, and there was no sense worrying her parents. I already felt bad enough about Uncle Dave. I was determined to get a note to him as soon as possible.
The schedule on the wall showed an hour wait for the bus I wanted. Irritated, I leaned against the wall behind one of the benches to people-watch. There were a
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