Run Away

Ch-18. Epilogue

I was admitted to the hospital for a few days. I had been bruised almost all over my body. When I got discharged, I wasn't perfectly okay, but I felt stronger and...alive again.

After I'd got home, we had a small family party to celebrate my return. Normally, I would be really irritated to attend family parties, but I guess this was the best petty ever!

I apologised for everything stupid I'd done in the past two years. I even bought my grandpa a big box of raspberry chocolates. Dad finally told me where he got those chocolates from, so I bought an extra one for myself.

Grandma, as usual, put caramel in my ice cream by mistake. I just pulled a face at the ice cream.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. Let me....." grandma was saying, but I quickly ate up all the ice cream and licked the bowl clean. "It was delicious," I said which made her smile.

I actually did love the ice cream. Well, except for the caramel part. But I didn't say anything.

Mom and dad were also pretty sweet to me for the first two days. But after that, all the scolding and screaming had started again. But that only made me happier.

There was one thing that I was really upset about. There was a new rule in our house-- I was not allowed to lock my room. Mom and dad also entered my room several times each night to check on me. I guess they were scared of me running away again.
I rolled my eyes as I thought about it. I will never run away from home again. At least not after this runaway journey.

A few days later, Jeffrey, the police had visited our house for questioning. As we made ourselves comfortable in the living room, mom made some hot cocoa for both of us.

Jeffrey asked me several questions. I told him everything. What Harold and Garret did and how they kidnapped me. But I left the part about Jake and Suzie. Suddenly flashbacks came to my head, but I quickly shook out of it.

Then Jeffrey took out a phone from his pocket. I was shocked to see that it was the same phone that Harold had given me.

"I read the messages he sent you and the call that you recorded," he said.

"Well, I didn't know that I recorded the call. I might've pressed the record button by mistake." I answered.

"O-kay. But what did he mean by those texts and the call?"

"Nothing. He's just an idiot." I replied flatly.

Jeffrey looked a little suspicious, but I reassured him that I wasn't lying.

There was no way I was going to tell him about Jake and Suzie....and even Sam!

Finally, Jeffrey bought my acting and left the place.

*~*~*~*~*

A day after the questioning, Harold and Garret came in the newspaper. It said:

These two men, Harold and Garret have been arrested for kidnapping and murdering. They had murdered the Bernards, the owners of the THUMBPRINT COMPANY, two years ago and had left no trace behind. Then,two years later, they kidnapped Caroline Simpson, 12, who had run away from home.
'I found a phone at the edge of the road in Brookhaven street which belonged to Caroline. They had sent her several messages and a call was recorded in which Caroline and one of the men seemed to be arguing. We tracked the number. My team and I reached just in time to save the girl.' said Mr Jeffrey, police head.
The police stated that even a boy and a young girl were involved in all this. The people who'd seen Caroline said that she was always seen roaming around with a boy, probably her age, a young girl and a dog. But since there is no trace of the boy and the girl and no proper evidence, they are not being searched for. Caroline said, 'I just met a girl and a boy in Brookhaven for a few minutes. We just hung around for sometime before parting ways.'

I was more than relieved to know that everyone had believed my story. And I was glad that Harold and Garret were finally put behind bars. I just hoped that Jake would also know about this. He would surely, and he would be more than just happy.

*~*~*~*~*

It was a hot afternoon. Everyone in the house was asleep. I was folding my clothes and keeping them in my closet. That's when I saw the pink dress. The same dress that I kind of stole from the shop. I stared at it for a while as the memories flooded back in my head.

I sighed and hung it on a hanger and kept it inside my closet.

There was nothing else to do so I went through the pictures I had clicked a few weeks ago. As I went through them, I suddenly stopped at one picture. That was the first time the camera had been used in my runaway journey.

I had totally forgotten! I had all their pictures. I pressed the button and the next picture appeared on the screen.
The time when Jake was blushing in the girls' washroom.

I giggled.

Next was his constipated face. Well, he actually looked cuter than constipated.
The rest of the pictures were our selfies in the mall.

I went through the pictures again and again and kept smiling to myself. Suddenly, it seemed that I'd seen Jake just yesterday. I sighed.

Jake Bernard. Why did he ever come into my life? Now I was missing him terribly!
He might be somewhere. Probably still in Brookhaven....of maybe in that marketplace....or maybe elsewhere. We might come across again, or we might never.

I know I would never see Jake again, but I wished that we both could see each other at least once again. But what if he's already forgotten me? No. He possibly couldn't. He loved me.

I wish I could tell my parents and the cops about Jake and Suzie, so they could help them, so I could see them. But I had promised I wouldn't.

A tear rolled down my cheek.

Huh. Jake. He was the best thing that ever happened to me.

He saved me, he loved me and he helped me. I owed it all to him. It is because of him that I still have a smile on my face. Obviously, we did have our ups and downs and everything, but I love Sam, the smartest and the most loyal dog I've ever met. Suzie, the most adorable girl in the world. And Jake.

He knew me only for a few days. But he changed me, completely.....

THE END