The Runaways

Chapter 1

    "Noooo!" I shreiked as I ran across the orchard to where my brother, William, was pointing his gun at a small white hare. The hare darted off out of range. William tossed his gun to the ground in frustration and threw his hands in the air.
    "Kate! Why on earth would you do that?" He screamed at me, his face red. I assumed a calm but authoritative tone, "What is the purpose of killing a hare in an apple orchard?"
    "God dammit Kate, you let it get away!"
   "Why did you need to kill it?"
   "I was hunting."
   "Yes but, we have plenty of ready to eat apples right here, why not eat them instead?"
   "I wanted meat."
   "We buy our meat from the supermarket like everybody else." I shook head slightly at his ignorance.
   "You stole my fresh kill." He bared his teeth angrily.
    "You did not need that meat, we have food. Do not kill for sport. Killing is for necessity."
    "Kate," he pulled his hair back and his anger seemed to be dissapating." You're my little sister and I wouldn't expect you to understand...but boys hunt. It's what we do." I hated how he always talked down to me like I was inferior and niave. He did not need the meat, therefore he did not need the kill.
     "We have school tomorrow, we should go home."
     "I want to hunt."
    "If you stay out to hunt I will stay with you and make certain that you do not harm anything."
     "Fine I'm heading home." He stooped to retrieve his gun and then he walked home. I walked slowly behind him, so as not to spark a conversation. When we arrived at home, he bust in the door.
     "I'm back." He announced up the stairs by the front door.
     "Kill anything? " My dad shouted down.
     "Naw. Kate here thinks it's wrong."
     "Aww kate, they're just dumb animals. God will make more." I rolled my eyes and made my way into the kitchen.
     "Hey mom." I said as she was cooking something on the stove.
    "Your father is right. Let William be a boy."
    "He didn't need the meat."
    "It's the thrill and experience is what he's after." I decided not to argue. It was useless, I was always the odd one out.
    "So are you going to the girl's meeting at school?"
    "No."
    "Kate, it isn't so bad, I had fun at those meetings when I was a girl."
    "I don't really see the purpose in going."
    "Just go. Please don't argue with me." She instructed coldly and with a sigh. I turned the corner out of the kitchen and into the dining room, with the neat table and cheery lighting. The lights illuminated the room in a way that made the furniture seem bright and much more colorful than it actually wa . I went up the stairs and into my room. I practically collapsed on my bed and fell quickly into sleep.
    I woke to the smell of cooking bacon. I quickly got dressed and dashed downstairs.
    "Morning." My dad said from the dining room table with a cup of coffee in his hand. He wasn't a handsome man. He had short wispy blonde hair on his near bald head. He had dull brown eyes and he was rather short. He always spoke with a condescending tone and always made sure you knew that you are not as good as him. I sat down beside him at the table and my mother served all of us before taking a seat. I began gobbling down my food hungrily, not saying a thing to anyone at the table. My mother glares at me and soon I had the attention of my whole family.
   "What?" I asked, food spilling out the sides of my mouth. I looked at everyone else's plates...oh. I set my fork down neatly and gulped the food in my mouth down. Then I folded my hands neatly in my lap. My mother made a loud clearing the throat sound.
    My father then began our prayer.   "Thank you Lord for this food. Thank you for giving us safe and happy lives.Amen" then he motioned for us all to dig in. My mom glanced up at dad from her plate. They didn't really have a happy marriage, my mom rushed into it when she was young, and I could always tell that she regrets it. She seemed like she was trying to tell him something but he couldn't quite get it so she gave up and continued eating her food.
     When breakfast is over the school bus arrives to pick William and I up. We both jump on and ride to school. Everyone on the bus is yelling and shouting and laughing. The bus was mainly just the graduating 17 year olds. We were graduating soon and the excitement in the air was tangible. We would become adults ready for jobs and the real adult world. We drove by the dark and dismal houses, all exactly the same, all conforming to one way of life. It was a strange contrast, how inside the bus was so loud and joyous and outside the bus was so bland and uniform. No one else really seemed to notice this much.We arrived at school and the school day went by very quickly. I didn't pay attention to most of it, I caught myself daydreaming about what that hare William almost shot  was up to. Where it was going.
    After school I had to go to the girl's meeting  in the gym.  Right before, I instead tried to leave by the back door and wait until after the meeting was over. Then our teacher, Mrs.Hailey, grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.
     "Stay with us." She grinned and dragged me to the meeting. She had a sneer that could make someone who had just won the lottery hate her. At the meeting, which was supposed to be like a therapy session, we just talked amongst ourselves. There was really no structured activity. There was a boys club meeting too and the walls were thin. We could hear them yelling and playing some sort of game in the other room.
    "Complete fools." One girl said in regards to the boys.
     "I dunno, Lian, you seem pretty into Caleb." Another girl remarked. The group roared with laughter. I giggled along, but I didn't really know these people, I just assumed Caleb was her boyfriend. Most of us had boyfriends. My boyfriend was Chase. Everyone was very excited to be adults so that they can spend more time with their boyfriends. My boyfriend was good, he was a little serious but he was loyal, smart, and strong.
    On the bus ride home we passed by the forests, they were uninhabited and unexplored. I stared out the window as we rolled past them and I could have sworn I saw a white face with two dark eyes sticking out through a bush. But the image blurred by and I realized it was just the angle a white flower was at. My imagination always seemed to get the best of me.
    When I arrived home my mother was already preparing dinner, per the usual.
   "Kate, come in here, I could use a hand!" My mom yelled. I came to her aid.
   "Can you peel these potatoes please?" She held out a bowl of potatoes and a sharp knife. I picked up the bowl and carried it to the counter. I picked up a potato and began shaving the skin off with the knife.
    "So, are you excited?"
    "For what?"
    "Tomorrow you turn 18. You will finally be an adult and have some freedom. You can go to college, and get a job, a house,and get married. You'll finally get a choice!" She stated cheerily.
    "Of course I'm excited." I peeled the rest in silence. I was ready for a minor change of scenery.
    "Did you hear that they are tearing down the forests to make more houses? Finally, I hate looking at those ugly things."
     "They are? Well thats...nice...more room for more people." I didn't really think that, I always found peace in staring at the forests. It would be strange to roll by on the street and only see more houses. I didn't tell my mother that, she would just argue about it with me, or tell me I'm wrong. My mother glanced down at her watch, then suddenly looked very flustered.
    "Can you go get the mail for me dear?"
   "Sure." I dropped the potato I was peeling and stepped outside through the back door. When I went around the house to the front, I saw a crowd of people standing on the street near our house. I jogged a little faster to see what the commotion was all about. Then I saw Chase. He towered over me about a good 6 inches. He had broad shoulders and puffed out his chest all the time. He was very strong, he constantly worked out. He had brown eyes and a neat haircut of chocolate brown hair. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a black tie and a bouquet of roses.
   "Kate!" He exclaimed. I rushed towards him. My heart began beating faster and faster. What was this? Why was he here? Why did he have flowers? Then it all became clear. He bent down on one knee and produced a ring from his pocket.
   "Katelyn Brown, will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?" My heart was beating so fast and I was so suprised. I stared at everyone around me, they all looked back, eager and excited. Amongst the crowd I saw many people that I knew personally, friends and family mainly. I looked back at Chase, his face was smug, but a little worried, almost pleading. Considering all these people were here, and I truly do sort of like him I just decided I would tell him yes now, and then later decline his offer. I cared about him enough not to embarrass him in front of this crowd of people.
   "Yes!" Almost instantly, as if all his worries and cares had melted away, he rose and kissed me. When our lips met it felt wrong, but I kissed him back. Should I just stay with him? My parents rushed out of the house and came to give me a hug. Chase put the sparkling ring on my finger and everyone in the crowd cheered. I held my hand out and made my fingers out towards everyone and lightly fanned my hand so everyone could see the sparkling diamond on my hand. This made the crowd cheer even more. I smiled a fake, half smile. I was somewhat happy, but not totally.