Moving through Life

Pt 2 | Alone

Todd had never done anything like this in his life. It was a big step – moving out. It wasn't an easy decision, but ultimately it's what he needed. The early-twenties student had worked tirelessly on resumes, applications, and projects. Now, finally, it seemed to be paying off. Todd was accepted into his number one choice to a master's program at the school of engineering. He even earned a scholarship through an assistantship to pay for the venture. The only problem, if it could even be considered that, was it was far – really far. He would have to move out for the first time.

It wasn't as though he didn't think he could survive on his own, adulting and managing an apartment and everything that went along with it. It was just the chance and the plunge into the unknown that had him on edge. His mother had been more than supportive through the entire venture and his father expressed his concerns. Some of his siblings, the young twins, begged him not to go while the other, a younger sister, excitedly discussed what she was going to do with his room.

Through it all, he finally made the decision of moving out on his own.

So, after weeks of preparation, he was now on his way down the driveway and riding the highway. The family was tagging along for the ride but couldn't stay long. They also decided to make the trip all in one day, starting early in the morning and driving all the way to location.

The young adult listened to music to occupy the time while he drove. The hours passed and now, for the first time, he saw his new apartment. Time, on the road, seemed to inch by at a crawl through every road and every passed exit. Now that he was there, time ran through his fingers like sand. Before he could turn his eyes and blink, Todd and his family had unloaded his car, the truck, and were out the door again to retrieve some of the final furnishings for the apartment. He barely had a chance to open some of this boxes of personal things before they all rushed away to eat dinner together as a family for the last time in a while.

The end of the evening came and Todd's family took up residence in a local hotel down the road, leaving the young adult to sit and absorb the situation. Rather than go immediately to bed, Todd decided to decompress and unpack a few personal items and sketch. Something about sketching layouts and plans of the apartment seemed appealing to him.

~~~~~^*^*^*^~~~~~

Shay was encased in total darkness other than a sliver of muted light for hours on end. The box had reached an uncomfortable warmth because of her body heat and the entire circumstance had her sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure where she was. She definitely wasn't sure where she was going. More importantly, she was completely on her own. Everything left an odd mixture of bitter and acidic taste in the back of her throat.

The young teen's mind was sent in complete panic for a time. The unknown was terrifying, and she had to stifle her sniffling and tears out of sheer terror of being discovered. After a while, however, she remembered her brothers would tease her if she were caught crying and how her parents would scold her for giving up at the slightest challenge. She was a Borrower, and Borrowers never gave up. There was always a way; all she needed to do was find it.

There, in the dark, she began planning and going through, step by step, everything she would need to do in order to get back home.

There was an immense amount of jostling and, a few times, she felt the contents of the box shift and slide, collapsing her hiding place significantly. There were the sounds of many different people, some young and some older. Then quiet. The box suddenly flooded with light and the voice of the young man came flooding through.

"Yes, I just want to get a couple of these things unpacked before..." The very tips of his fingers reached into the box and grazed the top of the notebook concealing Shay's location.