H a l o s and F e a t h e r s

Lesson 11

"Daniel!" Leanne cried, despite the fact that the boy had been content ignoring her for the last fifteen minutes as he hurried down the streets, bag thrown over his shoulders. His jaw was clenched, eyes straight forward and it was clear to Leanne that his resolve was strong. He wasn't about to let her sway him in running away.

She wasn't sure however if Daniel wasn't speaking because of the people around them or because he didn't want to talk at all. She could only assume it might have to do with both. She grasp his shoulder, trying to force him to a stop. He merely kept going, causing her to stumble into the boy. In turn he nearly tripped and a growl left his throat at this.

"Daniel, you have to stop! This isn't safe!"

No response.

"Daniel, don't you think people are going to miss you!"

His expression morphed into a brief grimace at that before the stony resolve replaced it again.

This only strengthened Leanne's determination to get him to listen to her.

"Don't you think it'd be better to try harder and put yourself out there instead of running away?"

Daniel stopped only due to a traffic light allowing traffic to block the street he wanted to cross. A few others waited around him for the slew of vehicles to be stopped for safe passage as well, oblivious to the young man's plight. One or two of them spared him a curious look but did nothing else.

Leanne continued to say anything she could think of that might make Daniel change his mind and return home. Panic was beginning to well in her chest at his refusal. She had died out on the streets, violently and by someone she didn't even know. If that had happened to her what's to say it wouldn't happen to Daniel?

She couldn't let that happen.

No matter how hard she tried Daniel refused to listen to Leanne however. In fact, Daniel lost his patience after the sixth or seventh try and bolted across the street in the throes of a silent tantrum. Screams sounded out and a vehicle's horn blared into the air seemingly echoing in Leanne's ears. Shocked she could only watch in horror as vehicles stopped entirely at the scene of the boy getting mowed down by an oncoming truck.

Nearby one of the women who spared Daniel a curious glance was on her cell phone speaking frantically to the person on the other side. If Leanne had been paying attention she'd know the woman was calling 9-1-1.