Run Away Teen

Chapter Eight: Sea Witch

  I sleep in longer than I have in days, and find myself wanting to see if I’m in the newspaper again. Call me vain, but you’d want to know as well! I go onto the newspaper’s website, and laugh when I see my picture… but the laughter fades when I see that the whole article is like a question and answer with my family. Whoopee. I click play on the video of the interview.

  “So, what did you do when you found that your daughter was… gone?”

  “I called the police of course, then I got Primavera to check the room.” mum replies to the question smugly.

  “Were you and Ever-Lee close?” the interview directs this question at Primavera.

 “They have always been close, two peas in a pod,” mum butts in before Prima can answer.

 I laugh as the lady rolls her eyes, looking slightly disgruntled.

 “Did you and Ever-Lee get along okay, Bonson?” the lady asks my brother.

  “They were always doing one thing or another together, they were even closer than Prima and Ever! Best Buds!” mum butts in yet again.

 First of all, his name is Benson, not Bonson. Second of all, my brother and I exchange grunts and, on the occasion, mere “hi”s every once in a while, and that’s it. We have never, and I repeat NEVER, been ‘Best Buds’.

  It carries on like this for the entire interview, and by the end everyone’s given up answering the questions. Prima’s dragged out her iPhone, and Ben has left the scene altogether. ‘The Man” is entertaining ‘The Child,’ and mum is lying like crazy.

  I check my emails, as per usual, and get a shock. I’ve not only had a new reply from fishouttawater,but I also have a new comment from bears_hibernate. Woohoo. Go Ever. I check the reply from fishouttawater first, and close my eyes and hope and pray that it’s a nice reply, not one telling me she was only joking.

  @run_away_teen take my advice, and STAY HIDDEN! Going back home, or getting found, is no fun AT ALL. I have therapy 5 days a week, and my parents are constantly flapping around me. My friends think I’m seriously dead in the head and avoid me. Looking forward to todays post -Courtney xxx (a.k.a @fishouttawater)

 I then check out bears_hibernate’s message.

 Hey @run_away_teen! I saw the newspaper article, and the interview, and decided to research… and found your blog! I can see why you ran away, your mum is seriously dodgy! Stay strong -Pamela (a.k.a bears_hibernate)

  I laugh at the comment bears_hibernate left, and start typing up a new post.

  Hey guys! Thanks @fishouttawater and @bears_hibernate for the support! I’ve decide to give you people actually reading this a little background info. I grew up living with my horrid, spotlight-hogging, selfish mum, and my stepdad, who I call ‘The Man’. (Behind his back of course... I don't want detention! Yeah, ‘The Man’ is kinda my P.E teacher.) I also have an awesome 16 year old sister, Primavera Gabbard (of whom you may know from Sweet Wishes), an 18 year old brother, Benson, (of whom you may know from Rugby (the t.v show he hosts, about… Rugby! Creative name, Ben!)) and my 3 year old step sister, Leilani, who Prima and I call ‘The Child’. (Again, behind everyone’s backs.)

  Anyway, so one day we came home from ‘The Child’s’ gymnastics competition, and Prima’s expensive, beloved makeup was all mushed together, and a horrid message, supposedly left by me, was sprawled across her desk. She got angry at me, told me she never wanted to see my face again, yada yada yada. That next day at school, my ‘best friend’ Alise screamed at me in the cafeteria, and made me talk about my dad in front of the whole high school. As you may have guessed already, dad’s kinda outta the picture. I get kind of worked up and emotional when I have to talk about him. So I got home, mum told me to go straight to my room, no one wanted to see my face coz everyone was angry at me, etc etc etc. So I did, and ran away for good measure. Found free wi-fi, started up a blog. And I have no idea where on Earth I am.

  Hope that joined some dots for you, -Ever xxx (a.k.a @run_away_teen)

  Reads: 8          Comments: 3

  My eyes widen in surprise as I look at the reads and comments counter. Less than a minute after I’ve posted, and 8 people have read it, and 3 commented? Unreal.

  Wow. I feel you with the best friend thing, my so called BFF made me admit that I lived in a crummy house with my gran in front of EVERYONE. Needless to say, we haven’t been the same again. My dad’s outta the picture as well… and so is my mum. Stay strong.:P -Pamelaxxx (a.k.a @bears_hibernate)

 This is really useful info! It’s nice to know I’m not alone with some things. I ran away because I thought no one wanted me, and I think that’s the same for you. Remember, keep your head down! -Courtney xxx (a.k.a @fishouttawater)

 I just found your blog, and wow! It’s really fascinating! Can’t wait to find out more about your life on the run! I wish I could run away, but I’m not brave enough! -Maia xxx (a.k.a @princess_maia)

  I know it sounds really soppy, but I feel tears burning in my eyes as I read these kind-hearted comments. It breaks my heart to know that I’m not the only one in this world whose life isn’t all green grass, sunshine, and rainbows. I go for a quick swim (and wash) in the warm midday water, before digging out a plain shirt I’m yet to wear on my expedition and wetting it in the sea. I move all my possessions to one side of the room, and I start washing the walls. This is way worse than cleaning the floors. And that’s saying something. I clean until my arms aches, and the walls in the cottage are all clean.

  “I need a name for you,” I tell the shed, “so I don’t have to keep calling you ‘the cottage’ or ‘the shed’ or anything like that.”

  I decide on a quick walk, for inspiration. I shiver in my bikini, and go to fiddle with my long plait to find that, alas, it’s not there. I’m walking by a family with two young kids, a boy and a girl, when I find the perfect name.

  “I’m gonna be the Sea King,” the boy says, sticking his scrawny arm into the air.

  “I’ll be the… Sea Queen!” the girl says, but the boy, obviously slightly older, gives her a look.

  “Don’t be silly, Cecilia. That  means we have to get married, and I’m not marrying you, you’re my sister!”

  “Good point… I’ll be the Sea Witch, then!” the girl thinks up, and they start playing a pretend game.

 Sea Witch.. that’s just the perfect name for a mysterious cottage on the edge of the sand, the brink of the sea!  I think to myself.

 “I found a name for you,” I yawn to the house as I’m falling asleep that night, after a nutritious dinner of cookies and trail mix. “You’re Sea Witch,” I tell the not so run down shed, and laugh. “Now do me a favour, cast a spell and make my life better!”