Hiding

Ch 4 {Flashbacks- Haruka and Serena}

Haruka woke up to another dull morning in the children's home. One of the younger kids was curled up in her bed next to her, and was still sound asleep, when a loud crash woke him up. "Hey, Hara! Theres a girl here for you! Is she your girlfriend?" the tall redheaded boy laughed. He was about 13 and at low odds of being adopted.

Haruka jumped out of bed as the younger boy fell back to sleep. He bolted over and around the tall redhead and headed down the rickedy stairs toward the front door, when he saw the owner of the childrens home speaking with a pair of adults that Haruka didn't recognise. They havent been here before. Haruka instantly hid behind corner, not realizing that one girl had the same idea. "Hey, find your own corner!" She whispers, and Haruka jumps.

"Sorry!" she says, and the girl steps from around the corner. She was a little chubby, but still pretty cute. She had short blond hair and solid brown eyes that eyed Haruka over. Then the adult turned and saw the pai rin the hall and took a step forward. "Remember the rules. No younger kids out before school!" She said sweetly, and the small girl took Haruka's hand.

"Follow me."

Hara and the girl ran through the halls of their home, swerving in between children and adults finally getting up and heading to school. The two zigged and zagged, and finally made it to the back of the house. But the girl wasn't stoping there. She pushed open the back door aand practically dragged Haruka off the back porch and into the field behind the home. They ran for a little while in the field until they came to a small hill right before where the forest started. "How far have we gone?" Hara asks, out of breath, but the smaller girl just laughs.

"About half a mile from your house."

Haruka looks up at her. "Half a mile?!"

The girl laughs again."Ueah. Havent you been here before?"

"No."

"Well, now you have." She says and holds her hand out to Haruka. "My name is Serena."

Haruka takes it gently and smiles. "I'm Haruka."

Serena laughs again. "That's a funny name."

"So is Serena." Haruka counters with a laugh and for a moment, buth kids sit on the hill in the field and laugh.

For the next eight hours, while the older kids are at school, Haruka and Serena play together in that field and forest and hill. They spoke of everything and nothing at the same time, and everything in between.

When it's finally time for the pair to go hime, they are good friends, walking back hand in hand.They walked through the door together, when an older boy stops them "Haruka, who is this? Your girlfriend?" He teased, and Haruka shyed back.

But Serena stood up. "Of corse I am!" She said to the boy, and her grip tightened on Haruka's hand. "Hara- Haruka- is going to be my groom when we get older!" The other kids laughed, thinking it was a joke, and the adults would smile, like it was too cute, but Serena was serious. "Hara, let's run away together!" Serena said that night, after Haruka snuck out to see her. "Then we could get married and no one would laugh at us anymore!" Haruka felt warm in her face, but smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Siri."

But the next day, Serena and her family moved away. No one else at the orphanage really knew the family that lived down the road, but everyone wished them a safe trip. Haruka and Serena hugged eachother for what they hoped wouldn't be the last time. "Siri, don't go." Haruka said through her tears. "We still have to get married..."

Serena started crying louder than ever. "Find me, Hara. Then we can get married like we want to."

And that was the last words that Serena and Haruka said to eachother. And the last they saw eachother was when Serena waived at Haruka through the rear window of the car, as it pulled out of the driveway of their new home...