Runaway

I went for a run. I ran for about two hours. My dream was rolling through my head. The day before was coursing through my veins. I couldn’t get Alex out of my head. It wasn’t even the sex. That had been great, it was just him. Things he said too – they stayed with me.

I was doubting myself. Could I bend fire? Or Earth? what about water and air? And even though I knew better I felt a kinship to it all. Like this life was not strange. Nothing shattered my illusions of humanity. Nothing was making any sense either.

When I finally made it back to my apartment I was exhausted and sweaty even though the weather was cooling down dramatically. The leaves were off the trees and it could snow any day now. But this close to the water the air was still warm. And the sun was out. It was a nice day.

I jumped down the small flight of stairs to my apartment and stopped dead in my tracks as a small figure huddled in the corner of my apartment doorway. “Hunter?”

He looked up. His face broke into a beaming smile and I frowned, “What are you doing here?”

He stood up. “I got lost.”

“Lost? and you came here?”

His gaze dropped to the ground, “I might have ran away.”

“Why did you run away?” I asked. My key slid into the slot with ease and I turned it kicking the bottom of the door to get it open. It stuck a little. I waved for Hunter to come inside.

“Isabel wouldn’t let me come see you.”

“I wasn’t in the park today.” I said.

“I know.” He smiled and followed me up stairs. “But I know where you live.”

“How?” I asked.

He puffed out his chest and smiled, “I found it on Da’s phone.”

“He has my address listed?”

“And your number.” Hunter added with pride.

“Why did you want to see me?” I asked. “Do you want some milk?”

He nodded. “Please.”

I headed up stairs to the fridge and poured a glass of milk for Hunter and grabbed a bottle of water for myself. Hunter took a long gulp of his milk – drinking half the glass in one swallow.

With a milk mustache he grinned at me, “I wanted to give you something.” I didn’t have to ask what as Hunter was setting his glass down and pulling out a cardboard tube that looked suspiciously like a paper towel tube. “It’s inside.”

I looked inside the open end and found there was paper rolled up inside. He was using it like an art tube. Ingenious!

I pulled the papers out and rolled them flat on the table. There were drawings. Three of them to be exact. “The last one is mine. That one is Drake’s.”

“The one with the orange eyes.”

Hunter grinned and nodded emphatically. “He said it’s a picture of his dragon.”

“Drake has a dragon?” I asked dumbfounded. “Dragon’s are real.” As soon as I said it I knew the answer – Drake was a dragon. “That explains his eyes and his hair.”

Hunter giggled, “Drake says that’s the dragon he’ll turn into when he grows up.”

I nodded with understanding now. I set the picture off to the side and looked at the next one. It was a crude drawing of a room. “Cass says that’s her bedroom. I don’t see it. Other than all the purple.”

“Her favorite color is purple?”

Hunter giggled, “Yeah, and she likes unicorns even though she knows they aren’t real.”

The last picture wasn’t perfectly drawn but I could tell it was me. And there was Alex and Rider, and almost everyone in Alex’s family standing there. But so was I. “I drew my family.”

“I’m not part of your family.”

He smiled, “You are and you aren’t. I don’t know how to explain it. But you are and you aren’t.”

“Some sort of prophecy?”

Hunter shook his head. “No, not prophecy – reality. It’s colliding worlds.” Hunter shoved his hands through his hair and bit his bottom lip at the same time. He was clearly frustrated with explaining the complexity of his visions to me. “I …”

I laughed, “It’s okay Hunter, you don’t have to explain it’s a lot.”

He nodded and picked up his milk and finished it off.

“I need to call your parents.”

Hunter shook his head, “No, just take me home. They won’t even notice I’m missing.”

“Sure. I’m sure that’s how it’s happening.”

“I’m going to take a shower then, and you can sit here and read a magazine okay?”

Hunter nodded and hopped on over to the couch and grabbed a magazine and pretended to read. 

I took my phone with me. There was a message from an unknown number.

You missed the fight club – another tonight ~Dom

Fuck! I frowned. The day had been so busy I had completely forgotten that. But I had other things to worry about at the moment but I sent him a quick reply.

I’ll try to make it to night – promise.

And with a resigned sigh I sent a text to Alex.

Hunter found his way to my place. I’ll bring him home after my shower. 

There was an immediate reply

Thank the fuck he’s okay. Iz has been worried sick when she couldn’t find him.

Alex sent another right after that.

I can pick him up if you want.

I sent him a reply after I turned on the hot water.

No. I told him I’d take him home. He doesn’t think he’ll be missed.

There was another quick reply.

Of course he does. Why would he think we’d miss him. :rolling eyes:

My final response was sent and then I jumped into the shower.

Grabbing a shower and then I’ll bring him home.

My phone went off one more time but it would have to wait till I got out of the shower.