A Distant Dream

~~~U-turn~~~

*pant*

*pant*

Miri gasped for air as she stopped beside a sign that said 'Welcome to Mer Clord'.

I made it.

But I didn't think it would be this easy. I must have done this a long time ago. Zeke would have lived.

Passing the sign, Miri dragged herself along the road with no sign of vehicles. It may be 7 or 8 judging by the gleam of the sun. The thing that bothered her was that a lot people saw her running away and even tried calling out to her. But she didn't respond to any of them. What if they informed her Mom?

I should get out of here. Fast.

Just then, an idea struck, there was a transport agency on the outskirts of the town. If she could sneak into one of the trucks, then she'll be out of here in no time. She ran towards the direction she thought that the transport agency is situated and came across a metal fence. Making up her mind, she climbed the fence with ease as she already trained for rock climbing while in the Exploration club.

Careful not to be spotted, Miri ran into one of the warehouses, she was lucky as there were less guards in that part of the area. The warehouse was full of paper supplies and cardboards.

She jumped into one of the trucks parked near the entrance, hid at the back of the truck behind lots of boxes, making sure she would be undetectable and hoping that it will take her out of town. She kept staring absent-minded at the wide spaced area above her, tears started rolling down her face, extreme fear overwhelmed her mind and a faint regret surfaced amidst her anxiety. Eventhough she had camped outside before numerous times, she had companions and lots of safety equipments, food and tents. But she's all alone now, with no one by her side.

"Well, I'm here."

Zeke rested his head on Miri's shoulder and intertwined his hand with hers.

Now I'm sure I'm going insane.

Though Miri knew she was hallucinating out of fear, it felt comforting that the person she trusted the most was beside her. She cried even harder, hoping the fear and pain would subside. Eventually she fell asleep.
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Miri suddenly woke up with a jerk when the truck drove past a speed breaker. Finally, she was out. Joy filled her heart, then came relief. She escaped. Free from her Parents, free from everything that bothered her. She leapt up to feel the beaming sun but soon ducked down when she saw where she was going. The truck wasn't heading out.

It was heading in...... into the town of Mer Clord.

Miri was terrified. If someone saw her, she can kiss her plans of eternal freedom goodbye. Since Mer Clord has a tight knit community, everyone knows everyone and it will be very difficult to escape uncaught. Also the 11 AM sunshine brightened every nook and cranny as contrast to the misty early hours.

It didn't take her long to realise that they were heading to her school.
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"Dear, I don't think letting Miri go is a good idea. Let's find her ASAP. I'll ask the neighbors which way she went," Mona had a slight discomfort knowing that she let go of her only leverage.

She lied to the Danders' that Miri was picked up by her father early in the morning and since the Danders' were not in their right mind to discuss further. Mona, after exiting the Danders' house, got in the car in which Mr. Rivers swayed to the tune of an old song.

"How can you be so calm?" Mona was irritated by his ignorance.

"It's all according to plan, Dear. You have to trust me. Our dear Daughter will come running into our arms very soon. She just needs to know what's out there," Mr. Rivers calm tone infuriated Mona.

"What if she dies in a ditch somewhere? we don't have any means to track her," Mona roared.

"Why do you have to be this negative? Okay. Let's give her three days, just for a headstart and then we'll start our search.

Is that fine with you ?"

Mona was silent but one could find that she was very much uncomfortable with the situation.

When they reached home, atleast a dozen neighbours crowded outside the Rivers mansion.

Mr. Greene motioned the Rivers to get out to which Mona readily opened her car door and stared at the puzzled look on their faces.

"What happened?" Mr. Rivers asked Mrs. Smears who looked like she was in a trance.

"We saw Miri running down the street. She wasn't in proper clothes. And I found it odd that she was running in the opposite direction from your house not towards. What's going on?

Did she run away? She seemed aghast." Mrs. Smears accounted what she saw.

Before Mona could reply, Mr. Rivers held her hand and looked into her eyes, signaling her to keep quiet.

"Oh it's nothing everyone. We just had a little fight. Happens in every family right? She stormed out in anger and said she was going to her Grandma's house in Gyllen. She even took Mona's purse to pay for the bus. This is the not the first time Miri acted this way. She will return in three days max.

There's nothing to worry. You know the mood swings of teenagers right? We just let her to vent out by doing this. Her grandma knows how to handle her tantrums better than us. So we just let her go."

Mr. Rivers' lengthy explanation seemed to convince almost everyone but Mrs. Smears. She had an inquisitive look on her face the whole time which was noticed by Mona.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Smears? You don't need to worry. She will be alright." Mona assured her with soothing words.

Mrs. Smears nodded lightly and prepared to leave with the others. After all, everyone trusted the Rivers, as they were one of the most prominent families residing in Mer Clord. They helped the community a lot with a lot of donations.

Mrs. Smears took one last glance at the Rivers mansion and the two figures standing still near the driveway. She could tell that Mona was hiding something despite her mysterious exterior.

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Miri peeked through the gaps between the boxes to find that the truck was parked near the library building. The man in the uniform whom she identified as the driver of the truck was talking to Ms. Lily, her English teacher.

Ms. Lily seemed angry and argued with the driver, holding the box of paper and pointed to the papers inside.

The only thought running in Miri's head was finding an opportunity to get out of the truck. If they took away all the boxes, there'll be no place to hide. Then game over.

But the truck was parked in an open space. There's no way she could get out without being seen by anyone or the surveillance cameras. She had to go out exactly how she came in and that's not upto her. She could not bear to realise that this is the end. She did not even technically leave the town. Her poor judgment got her here and if she got on a different truck, she might have never been in this situation.

Just then, she sensed a figure going past the parked truck. The man, who started it all, the man whom she once very much respected but now completely detest with all her heart.

The man who lied about everything at the disposal of her Mother.