Once Upon A Time

Chapter 4

Nasha watched and waited until Elkis's car was completely gone. After that she left the school building while making sure that she was unnoticed by any of the adults there and then she started to make her way to the nearest bus station. She wasn't going to attend school today, instead she was going to memorize the bus schedule here and then figure out how much a bus ticket cost. She had some money saved up from doing chores for some of the kind and sympathetic neighbors of her previous foster homes and it may not have been much but she was sure it would be enough to buy a bus ticket. Her plan was to leave town. She believed that she was old enough to take care of herself and she didn't want to deal with another rejection from a foster care system.

She pulled a pencil and a small note pad from her backpack which she used to make a list of things she would probably have to buy for her runaway trip. She was walking as she did this and not paying attention to where she was going so she didn't realize that she was walking into the street and right in front of a moving car. Just before she could be hit she felt a strong pair of arms grab her waist and pull her out of the way.

"Watch where you're going you stupid kid?!" The driver in the car shouted. 

For a moment Nasha was in shock due to almost getting run over but when she snapped out of it she realized that her rescuer was a man. A rough looking young man with spikey hair and bits of car oil and grease on his cheek, arms, and fingers. Obviously a mechanic. 

"Are you alright?" He asked putting her down on the side walk.

"Yes." She answered when she could finally speak again.

"A word of advice don't write and walk at the same time." He said. "Lucky I saw you otherwise you would have been a goner."

"Thanks for the advice and the rescue. I'll probably heed it."

He noticed that she had dropped her notepad. He picked it up and took a look at what she had written.

"Let's see flashlight, water bottle, pocket knife?"

"Give me that!" She snatching the notepad from him. "Don't you know it's rude to read other people's notes without their permission?"

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little nosy." He chuckled. "So if you don't mind me asking, what do you need this stuff for? A camping trip?"

"No offense but that's none of your business."

He took notice of her annoyed and yet apprehensive expression. Call it a sixth sense but he could tell that she was planning something and she didn't want anyone to know about it.

"Oh....I get it now. You're planning to run away aren't you?" He said.

"How did you know?" She asked surprised that he figured it out so fast.

"A lucky guess and maybe before you do this you should think how it will make your parents feel. No doubt they would be heartbroken."

"I don't have any parents. I'm an orphan."

His face softened a little with sympathy. She was getting real sick of sympathy. 

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said. "So if you don't have any parents where are you staying?"

"I'm supposed to be staying at the Scarlet Shelter but I don't really need another foster home. So I'm going to find out what the bus schedule is, buy a ticket with my saved money, pack up my things, and get on the first bus out of here."

"Not bad except for the fact that we don't have a bus system here."

"What?! But a bus brought me here."