Runaway - A Short Story in Runaway - A Short Story

The purple haze of night consumes the room at the back of the house. Exhausted from her mind of racing thoughts and sinking hopes, seventeen-year-old Aryadne is lying wide awake. The replay of her day cues up in her thoughts - Peer Pressure, Rebellion, and Worry the commentators of the evening. And as racing thoughts slow to a crawl, the nightly routine begins…

You’re too weird.
You don’t fit in here.
Nobody wants you.
Many of them are jealous.
Forever alone here.
Those who understand you are elsewhere.
You’re meant for greatness!
But not here…

The ending of this chapter comes when slumber takes over, lulling Aryadne’s tired body to sleep. However, tonight’s chapter has an alternate ending…

“What would happen if I leave it all behind?”

Awake before the cackle of her alarm, Aryadne is out of bed in stealth mode, putting her newly hatched plans into action. Preparing for another day as a high school senior, she knows that today’s story will have an alternate ending.

At school, Aryadne is staying distant from her peers, daydreaming of her life to come in an attempt to pass the time. She cannot afford to let her plans slip out, so she is taking an oath of silence. Her friends sense a dis-ease but leave her be. Eventually, afternoon arrives, and the final bell rings throughout the halls. Aryadne slips through the crowd of rushing teenagers and out into the sun, taking the first step into her plot twist.

The sun beams down into the afternoon of mid-November, as Aryadne is traveling through the neighborhood streets of East Jacinto. Her feet are growing weary, on the verge of bailing on her plans before they even started. She is nowhere near the bus stop that would take her to Point #1.

After this defeating thought, a wild Samaritan appears, offering to give Aryadne a ride to get stop a few miles away. Full of paranoia - yet determination - she agrees to the gesture, accepting the ride in silence.

Minutes later, she bid the strangers farewell, slamming the car door in haste and rushing to the bus pulling up to its stop on the feeder road. Aryadne pays her fare and settles in for the express ride into Downtown. As the distance between her and home continues to grow, excitement is brewing in her spirit.

But as the light grows in one spirit, darkness blossoms in another…

At home, Aryadne’s mother, Ann, sits in the room at the back of the house, consumed in worry about where her daughter might be. She has discovered the cell phone her teenager is always glued to sitting on the dresser, all the missed calls on display. Ann calls her family and closest friends, hysterical and scared that something terrible has happened to her only child.

Word is spreading quickly in the community that Aryadne has gone missing, and the home once filled with teenage laughter and grace is now being consumed by East Jacinto police officers. They are tossing her room, looking for any clue as to where she has gone. Although she is now surrounded by other mothers from the school who have come for prayer and support, Ann is sitting in the living room, growing numb with every passing moment away from her sweet daughter…

Miles away, the wheels dance a tango with the concrete, as Aryadne settles into bus number two for the long journey west. Squirming in seat 8F to get comfortable enough for a nap, she is defeated by cold, hunger, and her constant paranoia. At the next rest stop, buying snacks and a green blanket puts her at ease, and she is soon asleep for the night ride to the state line.

Sunrise begins to creep underneath Aryadne’s eyes, as the morning sun highlights the mountains of West Texas. The beautiful backdrop stirs her excitement within, just as the crackle of the speakers is signaling another bus change.

Back home, the police are informing Ann that her daughter is classified as missing - the darkness descending viciously into her world hearing those words being spoken out loud. Wayne, Aryadne’s father, has come to Ann’s side, strong but scared for his baby girl. Just bring her home.

With the bus change complete, Aryadne’s journey west continues. The day is passing in a blur of rolling mountains and chalky countryside. Still brimming with excitement, Aryadne takes in the scenery, as the game of hopscotch continues over state lines. Soon, the sun is beginning to set on another day of adventure, as the final state line comes into view.

Welcome to California!

Hours later, in the darkness of midnight, the bus pulls into the station, signaling the end of the twenty-four concrete and rubber tango. Aryadne collects her backpack and steps off the bus, adjusting her eyes to the bright lights of the garage. Her new life stands before her, but she doesn’t know which way to go. She is looking to The City of Angels to guide her…

Out into the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, Aryadne is walking somewhat aimlessly - curiosity before her, paranoia floating alongside. She spots a midnight sleuth bumbling a few feet ahead, and trails him until he turns the corner and disappears. An hour of walking makes her mind weary and her body scream for reprieve. That’s when she spots the city bus stop. Minutes later, a bus approaches, and Aryadne boards. The bus driver is curious to know where this young lady is going, but keeps to himself.

A few stops later, the driver announces the end of the line. Aryadne steps off the bus and into the lively nightlife of West Hollywood. Captivated by the lights and fanfare, she ventures towards the action on Santa Monica Boulevard. In the midst of the laughter and music, merchant tables with trinkets and treasures line the veins of this trendy neighborhood. The aesthetic of one particular trinket table catches Aryadne’s eye - the fact that it was situated in front of a pizza dive may have been part of the allure.

After indulging in a pepperoni slice of pie, Aryadne finds the courage to approach the table. Its merchant, Johnny, greets her with a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Hello! and puts her at ease. She tells Johnny her adventures thus far and reveals that she needs a place to crash for the night. This doesn’t faze him in the slightest and hails a cab to take Aryadne to a motel nearby.

Alone in the motel room, she allows herself to wash off the last two days of traveling grime and gives her paranoia permission to breathe. It’s 3am, and Johnny will be here soon, so she leaves the comfort of the motel room, and spends the night at a bus stop nearby. Hours later, the dark is soon broken by the rising of the sun, and after a quick breakfast, Aryadne is back on the bus down Hollywood Boulevard, towards her final destination.

After about ten minutes of sightseeing on wheels, Aryadne takes off on her adventure in foot. From the bright colors of graffiti on the walls to the skaters & cruisers on their boards, she takes in the atmosphere. This is where she belongs!

Miles away, there are many people who say otherwise.

Another school day has started at East Jacinto High School, but there is one empty chair that lingers in some classrooms. The spirit of the student body is cloudy, worried about their missing classmate. The periods slur past, teachers doing their best to calm the rushing minds of their students. But all efforts fall on deaf ears.

Lunchtime begins, and Mrs. Davis’ senior Criminal Justice class sits in silence, staring at the empty chair. The room is dark, a documentary droning in the background when suddenly a student’s shriek cracks the silence. On the other side of startled lay the discovery of social media activity from the ghost in the chair…

Miles away in a dingy internet cafe sits a curious teenager, wondering how her friends are coping without her. She knows that logging on will give away her position. But it’s ok because no one could contact her, and she would not log on again.

Aryadne re-enters the city, the afternoon sun beginning to fall towards the opposite horizon. As the sun sets, the veil of her fantasy begins to slip away, leaving reality standing raw before her. At that moment, she admits defeat, and needs to call home.

She couldn’t bear to call her mother, anxiously aware of the impending anger and disappointment that would greet her on the other end of the line. Instead, she calls her father who is more understanding, and he guides her in the direction of Los Angeles International Airport.

An unexpected turn of events is leading Aryadne in a new direction, another adventure taking hold of her…

How the hell is Aryadne getting home?

With the validation from her father to come home, Aryadne decides that the way to LAX was by train and scurries off towards the underground station. By now, word has spread back home that she has been found, but Ann has yet to hear her daughter’s voice to believe the gospel.

As the sun sets below the horizon, its glow illuminates the metal statue of letters erect at the entrance of Los Angeles International Airport. Her father instructs that all Aryadne has to do is go inside and tell an official that she is a runaway, ready to go home.

It did not take long for her to realize that going home would not be that simple…

An hour of conferring among airport officials ends with the presence of police surrounding Aryadne, guiding her towards the cold, hard plastic that replaced the traditional back seat of a patrol vehicle. Sitting upright was impossible, so she lies curled for the 20-minute ride to a place of uncertainty.

The uncertain becomes clear when she steps out into the night, revealing a compound of iron gates and locked doors. Aryadne was led inside and soon placed in the Tank - the holding area for incoming detainees at Los Padrinos.

Feelings of betrayal and confusion fog her mind…she didn’t need to be detained, she needed to go home. But as the questions from the intake official continued, confusion quickly turned into defense, and Aryadne shut down.

This only prolonged the inevitable - in the end, she would trade in her freedom for confinement on this detoured journey home.

Minutes after midnight, Aryadne finds herself standing in the middle of a recreational area, consumed by the darkness of the concrete surrounding her. Aside from the drone coming from the box in the corner, she was alone as facility supervision would allow.

A tall, intimidating official enters the rec area, rattling Aryadne’s silence. A phone call awaits on the other end of a personal escort to the bank of phones that line the wall. Once instructed on how to operate the phones, she makes the long-awaited phone call to the person she misses the most.

Tears of love, joy, and relief are flowing long after the end of the call home, her mother’s voice of reassurance cradling her, as Aryadne is escorted back to what she is crowing “The Hole”. A lukewarm meal awaits her, as well as a new face that greets her with a…scowl?

Aryadne avoids eye contact as she sits at the table - she is in no mood for talking to strangers. The new face introduces herself as Ms. D, and as Aryadne picks at the mush of meat and potatoes, she becomes slightly annoyed.

Ms. D abruptly ends the meal, and escorts Aryadne to the community showers the next building over. The glares from the other detainees are paralyzing as she walks past. Once at the showers, Aryadne is given a bag with limited essentials to use, and the timed shower begins.

This is not like showering at home, she quickly concluded. The water matched the cold mood of the atmosphere, and Aryadne wanted out.

Out of the shower and into a nearby room is as far out as she goes tonight. Armed with only a wool blanket, she settles into the cement bench that serves as a bed. As the lights went dark and the heavy metal door slam shut, Aryadne tucks herself into the oversized clothes to keep herself warm from the cold, trapped in the cement block she laid on.

It was the first of six nights she spends in this routine.

Mornings rang with a loud rattle of the cage on the window and a banging on the door. The checkered view of the golf course accompanies a breakfast reminiscent of elementary school days - mini pancakes, cold sausage patties, and a juice box. With her stomach raging fierce night after night of anxious sleep, Aryadne forces herself to clear her tray.

The days are filled with numerous escorts between buildings and mundane chores - the beds that she tends to are empty and crawling with dust. Aryadne moves through them in silence, only forming a conversation when calling home to her mother and friends.

One of these days is different, however.

On this day, in the back of a caged white van, sits a young adult with some very high hopes. A bag of candy in hand, Aryadne is celebrating her eighteenth birthday with a ride to court, where a judge will decide her way home once and for all.

But a few hours later, she returns to the compound, holding the debris of her dashed hopes to her chest. Aryadne learns that she won’t be going home for another week and calls home in tears to break the news.

For Ann, this is unacceptable.

Another breakfast comes and goes, but by the time lunch ends, news traverses through the compound that Aryadne has a visitor. And not just any visitor…

The Mother from Texas.

While her daughter slept, Ann enlists the help of her close friend, Laura, on the mission to rescue Aryadne from the grips of California. Together, they are on the first flight west, and - because of the calls from Los Padrinos - have no trouble driving right up to the compound. Nobody was leaving until Ann has her baby girl.

Meanwhile, Aryadne is taking the walk on her final escort to the office where she was first admitted that midnight one week ago. She is refusing to believe that her mother is really here to rescue her - until the printer next to her begins to churn. A color copy of a Texas driver’s license spools into the tray, and when Aryadne recognizes the face, the tough facade cracks, and her tears flow.

Minutes seem like hours, as the discharge paperwork is finalized. The light at the end of this tunnel comes when a official brings Aryadne her belongings, tucked away in the clear plastic bag she had surrendered them in.

Walking towards the office door, she immediately spots the face of her mother, flossed with anxiety awaiting the release of her precious daughter. The crackle of the door catches Ann’s attention, and she turns to find her heart standing in the doorway. She may be rough around the edges, and a bit wounded in the wake of the past week…. but she belongs to her.

A tearful reunion between mother and daughter fills the dark entryway. Soon after, the confines of Los Padrinos are falling away from view, as Aryadne sits in the back seat of the rental rolling down the 101 towards the airport.

The sun is setting on this adventure as the drone of the airplane engine grows louder. In the last two seats at the back of the carrier, Ann takes Aryadne into her arms as she sleeps. The star-sprinkled night sky greets the passengers on their final descent into the bright lights of Texas.

Home.

Last updated July 12, 2018