Ana Rodgers: The One You Least Expect Chapter 2

If you have not yet, read Chapter 1.

Chapter 2
After about five minutes of nonstop sprinting, I stopped, and ducked into an alleyway to catch my breath. I had taken a big risk running away. Was it even a good idea? Running from the law was never a good idea, but it seemed like the right thing to do. No doubt they were looking for me by now, and i'm sure James was probably searching like crazy so he could lock me up again. I went over the game plan in my head.

1) Find some place to hide

2) Get out of New York

3) Move to Fiji (nobody would ever look for me there).

Yep, sounded like a good plan to me.

Now the only problem was getting all the money. I could just get a job. I could not get one in New York, no, that would be dumb, but in another state besides New York. I guess I would have go on foot from here. Joy.

I got up and walked into the open. I don't know why I was so surprised by New York. I have been here for five years now. Except I have been in Juvy the whole time, and I only see the city when us delinquets get to go out to do community work. I was actually born in the countryside near St. Louis, Mississippi. I remembered running around my father's farm, tending the plants, driving the tractors. Those were the best days of my life until that one night where things went so terribly wrong, and my life took a turn.

I put those thoughts aside and walked around trying to keep a low profile, except it was actually kind of hard. When you have ratty jeans, a bright blue t-shirt on, and paint splattered all over the place, well, people tended to stare. Even an old hobo sitting on a park bench with a colorful braided beard that went all the way down to his knees, kitty ears on top of his bald head, and a shopping cart full of trash was looking at me weird. I lowered my head and kept walking.

After about an hour I was completely lost. I took a map from a stand that contained free maps of the city, but I still was having trouble reading it. My dyslexia was not wanting to cooperate. After awhile, I frustratingly shoved the map into my back pocket. I could ask somebody for directions I suppose, but then I quickly dismissed the idea, as I didn't even know where I was going. Besides, I have to keep a low profile.

That's when I heard the first police siren. I kept hiding in alleyways, ducking behind signs, and actually going into buildings where workers would kick me out of their store because, well I think you could guess why. I would probably kick some strange girl covered in paint out of my store if it was me too. I heard several more sirens. I seemed like an idiot every time I had a panick attack and completely spazed out whenever I heard one.

This kept going on for almost three hours. I finally went into a building where they did not kick me out the first time the workers laid eyes on me. It was a nice little 80's themed diner. The workers had on wigs with big hairdos, bell bottom jeans, way to much makeup, and roller skates. There was only one other customer in there which was an old lady who stared at me funny, then quickly shuffled out the door. I slid into a booth, and a waitress came up to me. She raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing.

"What would you like lady?"

"Um, I don't know yet."

She sighed and skated away. She went back into the kitchen and whispered to two other girls and pointed in my direction, giggling. The other girls took off their wigs and fixed their hair. They both came over to where I was sitting. One was a pretty asian girl with long wavy black hair and weird looking false eyelashes. The other one was equally as pretty with striaght blond hair and blueish-gray eyes.

"You do know that we're closing soon right?," said the asian girl.

I shifted around uncomfortably in my seat. "I did not realize how late is was getting. Could you tell me the time?"

She looked at her watch and said, "almost 9:30".

"Oh sorry, i'll leave then."

The asian girl walked away, but the blond one stood there staring at me so intently, it made me really uncomfortable.

"What is your name?"

I started to panick. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, "I was just curious. Are you um...homeless or something?"

I actually chuckled a little bit. "I guess you could put it that way."

She bit her lip. "This might seem really weird but you want to come over to my place and cleanup a bit? Those jeans are awful and there is paint all over your hair."

Now I know the whole stranger-danger thing, but this girl did not appear as a threat. She seemed nice and like she wanted to help me. Besides I did not really have much of a choice. It's either I went with her or I would run from cops for the night. I needed to get inside.

"Sure," I said.

She perked up and went to go grab her things. I stood by the door awkwardly and she came back out with the other girl yelling at her.

"You are inviting a weird stranger to our house! What's the matter with you?"

"She's nice. Dad said I should get out and help people within our community more."

"Then pick up some trash, wald some dogs! Don't invite weird people into our house!"

She ignored her and smiled at me. "Ready?"

I nodded uneasily. She ran back to the kitchen because she forgot something and left me and the other girl alone.

She turned to me and said, "If you do anything to hurt me or my sister....."

"Trust me, I am not a threat. Don't worry, I do not mean any harm to anybody, promise."

She studied me. "Swear on the River Styx?"

"What?"

"The River Styx." she said as if this was obvious.

"I suppose."

The blond girl came out and we all walked outside into the freezing cold air.