Callous

12

            My mind whirled as I thought about how to go unnoticed. I needed to stay under the radar, Alexi couldn't find us, not when we had been so careful thus far.

I wiggled my toes under the sand, the heat from the day was leaving as the cool wind was beginning to make an appearance. After the trio had come through, I closed up shop. Unwilling to continue on with my day as usual.

Instead, Soren and I joined Trevor down at the beach. I wasn't feeling up to surfing, so I stayed on the sand. Watching with a small smile as Soren ran back and forth between Trevor and I.

"What's up with you?" Trevor dropped to my side, sand coating his body as he laid back in the sun.

"How am I supposed to stay hidden?" My shoulders slumped as my long hair dropped over my shoulder. "The older he gets the more I'm going to have to start putting us out there. The more chances that he will find us."

When Soren started school in the next few years, I would need to put down both of our names to enroll him in the school. Databases that can easily be hacked into. Something I had no doubt Alexi would do if it meant finding me.

Killing me for leaving.

Poisoning my son.

My precious boy who was running toward me with a bright smile on his lips.

"How come you've never changed your looks?" I looked over to him as Soren dropped a shell in my hands before dashing off to the water. He waited until Soren ran away to continue talking. "If you're on the run, don't people usually change the way they look."

I wanted to tell him that it wouldn't have mattered, that one whiff of my scent would have told Alexi exactly where I was. But the human perspective was refreshing. Online, Alexi wouldn't be able to get my scent.

If I changed my looks the way I had already changed my last name, then he wouldn't be able to find me if I looked completely different.

"Maybe you're right," I mumbled looking as Soren splashed happily in the shallow waves.

"Oh, Hell yes!" Trevor grinned, brushing off his body as he stood up. He called out to Soren who ran over on his stubby legs. "I've been waiting to do this forever."

I shook my head, knowing how often that Trevor had wanted me to do something different with my mom looks for a long time now, but I hadn't let him touch it.

"Where we goin' Mama?" I hoisted his sopping wet form up as Trevor got his surfboard as the sun was falling.

"Back home baby," I brushed the blonde curls from his face as we started walking up the beach to our home as Soren hung over my shoulder.

"Bye beach!" He squealed as he waved over my shoulder. "Thank you." He dug his face into my shoulder, hugging me tightly as we moved to our home.

Trevor propped his board against the house as we went inside. I handed him a few bills and instructed him to get whatever he would need from the store. He looked like a kid in a candy store as he was walking away, calling back that he would be back in a bit.

I make Soren spaghetti for dinner and read him a story as I waited for Trevor to get back. "Momma, where did T go?"

"To the store baby. He's gonna change Mommas hair."

He sat up, his eyes wide as he looked at my hair. "Why?"

I smiled as I brushed Soren's hair away from his face, the soft strands freshly washed. His soul was too good for him, he was always wanting to help anyone he could. "I just want a change baby."

He settled back down, giving me a shy smile as I kissed his forehead and rubbed his back.

Soon, he was snoring softly on his bed.

I met Trent in the kitchen where he was sorting through the bags, I had heard him come in while Soren was beginning to fall asleep.

"Sit down girlfriend." He nodded his head to the chair as he put the gloves onto his hands.

I stayed still, my eyes shut as Trent worked his magic. "How did you learn to do this kind of stuff?"

Trent stayed quiet as he continued working the dye through my hair. "My younger sisters always had me helping them when they wanted to dye or cut it."

"That was nice of you to help them."

He didn't reply as he stayed quiet.

He didn't finish my hair until the early hours of the morning.

It was weird, my head felt light as he had started cutting my hair and just finished not long ago.

Opening my eyes, I could see the ends of the fringe that Trent had cut and was laying across my forehead. "Well, how does it look?"

My eyes met Trent's as he smiled. "You look really different."

I left the kitchen and went to the bathroom; my eyes took in my new appearance and I froze. I looked more than different. I looked like a completely different person.

My hair was no longer long and red like it was when I woke up this morning. Trent had dyed it a light brown, and then cut it to my collar bones. The shorter hair cut allowed my curls to make a greater appearance as the bangs rested over my forehead.

My eyes looked darker due to my darker hair. It looked odd due to how dark my eyes had already looked.

My eyes welled up with tears, the dark iris looking just a tad bit lighter. I had to change everything all over again, because of Alexi.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I sobbed, Trent worriedly walked into the bathroom and found me crying on the ground.

He wrapped his arms around me, allowing me to cry into him as I sobbed.

I didn't want to change everything all over again. Not because of Alexi.

But here I was again.

Changing everything.