A Rogue's Tale

Escape Clause: Part 6

Note: These next few scenes take place at the same time everything was going on with Rogue's kidnapping.

Caldecott, Mississippi...

Tara finally landed in the cemetery, her old haunt that she would always go to with Rogue and Bruno to blow off steam. Somehow, it seemed fitting that she would be here. As she landed, her wings folded into her back and she put her jacket on seeing that it was a little nippy. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could only stay here until morning and vcouldn't go back home, and it would be a matter of time before everyone in town knew about her. Caldecott was nothing more than a hamlet and word spread like wildfire around these parts.

She sat down by the tombstone of a girl with the same first name as hers. Tara Michelle Bringsworth: 1881 - 1897. She studied the dates and saw the girl was the same age she was now, 16. She in no way wanted to see the same fate as this Tara did. She had a few snacks in her bag and no more than one hundred dollars in cash. She had given most of what she had to Rogue. If she knew that this was going to happen, she would have taken off with her friend.

She sat there eating her Little Debbie snack cake when someone approached and could feel her wings taking on a mind of their own and again. "Not now," she whispered. She looked around and hoped it wasn't Mister Reilly, the caretaker. He didn't like teenage kids hanging around, but to her relief it was only Bruno, her boyfriend.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Sasha called me and said you took off," Bruno said, while taking her hands and helping her to her feet. "I figured that you would come here."

"You know me so well," she said and handed him a snack cake.

"Are you still upset about Rogue?" he asked.

"Yeah, but that's not why I took off," she said and turned her eye to her back. Should she tell him or not? Would he hate her and see her as a monster? She knew there was no way she could keep it from him for long. He would eventually find out, so now was a good a time as any. "Something happened tonight."

"What is it?" he asked. "Another fight with your mom?"

"Well, not really," she said and slowly took off her jacket. Her wings unfolded and spread out.

Bruno's eyes grew big, and he walked slowly around to examine them closer. "They're real," he said and lightly touched one. She flinched and realized that those wings really were part of her. She could feel the touch even though it was just a slight one. "Do they hurt?"

"No, but they did when they first came out..." Her words trailed off, and she was terrified what he was going to say. "Bruno, please don't freak." She was trying to smooth any worries he might have. "I'm the same girl," she said but saw that he was not running away or looking one bit scared.

"This is awesome," he said excitedly and embraced her. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you, but now it'll be easy."

"Tell me what?" she asked.

"Well, it'll be better if I show you," he said and placed his hands in front of him. He ran them in sync in a circular motion until a ball of water appeared. It swirled around until it formed a fairy, one that looked a lot like her.

"Bruno, you too?" she asked in amazement. She touched the water sculpture, and it seemed to stay in place. She took her hand away and he dissolved it by smashing it in his hands. "I can't believe it." She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. "You always said it was you and me against the world." She backed up a few inches and thought for a moment. So, what are we going to do?"

"Get out of Dodge before the lynch mob comes," he said and he looked over at his bike. "After the mess with Rogue, the people here are angry and scared. What do you think they would do to us if we stayed?"

"Nothing good, but I hate to leave my sister," she said.

"Hey, when we get settled somewhere, you can call her," he said and took her hand. "So, what do you say about a road trip?"

"I'm all for it, but what are we going to do for money?" She asked. "All I have is about $100."

"I got some... at least enough to get us up north. I got an aunt up there, and she's... different... like us. We can crash there for a while."

"Where about?" Tara asked.

"Phili," he said and took her hand. He took a few steps and realized that she wasn't following him. "Are you up for it?"

"Yeah, let's go," she said retracting her wings enough to put her jacket back on. Then she walked to his bike and got on." They were headed to Philadelphia, but after that life was uncertain. The only thing they knew was that they couldn't stay here. Bruno got on the bike first followed by Tara and they took off riding out of town with one backpack each and a destination about a thousand miles away, and as they rode off neither one of them looked back.

The next two scenes will also involve Tara and Bruno.