Dream on

Red

"Hm. Anything but that, huh?"

Oh. Well at least she was being specific in what she wanted to be called, right?

"How about..."

Dang. There was a lot to choose from.

"Uh...I, I got nothin'."

Well. Surely there was something. I had no knowledge of Russian beyond the basic stuff everyone is taught. Shucks. Oh well.

"Is there any other moniker you go by? I'm not so good at coming up with names..."

Ksenia
I tried to come up with a name, but my mind was numb and I gave up.
"Ksenia. That's-that's my real name."
Great, now he knows your name. I bit even harder on my lip and couldn't help but to picture myself all beaten up and locked in a little room.
"Just please don't use it around other people too much," I said awkwardly while giving him a quick look.
Now you probably made him suspicious too. Way to go, Ksenia!

Red

Okay, so I know her name, but I can't use it. Interesting.

"Well okay, Ksenia. What should I call you around other people? Any particular favored nickname?"

She was still sorta quiet. I spoke softly now.

"I don't use my real name either. My actual name is, uh..."

I leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"Michael."

I leaned back and looked at her.

"Pretty awful, huh? I personally can't stand it. 'S that why you don't go by Ksenia?"

I dug my hands in my pockets and kicked my legs along. This socializing thing was going better than expected!

Ksenia
Michael. I decided I liked that name and smiled at him for not giving up on talking with me.
"Pretty awful, huh? I personally can't stand it. 'S that why you don't go by Ksenia?"
I thought about going along with that, but it didn't feel right to lie to a guy who had been so friendly to me.
"It's not awful, I like your name. And no, it's because..," I sighed deeply and looked around me to make sure no one else was listening to our conversation. "It's because some people are looking for me."

Red

Hey! A smile! I was making progress, which was cool. The group had gotten a bit ahead of us as we talked.

"It's not awful, I like your name. And no, it's because...It's because some people are looking for me."

Ex KGB agents? Spetsnatz? Putin himself? I had to know yet, simultaneously, couldn't bring myself to ask. It was kinda sudden, this info bomb she'd dropped on me.

"Oh. That's, uh...that's...well, it's awful, honestly."

I wasn't sure whether to like, pat her on the back or what. So I went with that. A soft, (hopefully) reassuring pat on the back. I suck at being reassuring.

"This is America. There are so many places to just...disappear into. Nobody'll find you."

I felt bad. Running away because I was just expected to be perfect and couldn't handle it paled in comparison to being chased around by somebody.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry."

Alan Wright

I found myself walking by Ty, having subconciously drifted towards him. I cleared my throat, and took a deep breath.

“Well, I know your name. I guess I never really told you mine. It’s Alan-” I caught the flash of surprise on his face, “I was raised by two guys. No, wait, I mean. Not like that. It was my brother and my dad,” I half-choked on the word ‘dad’. Why was I even telling him all of this? “Nevermind.”

“What happened?” Normal question to ask. A question, regardless, that should have bugged me. Anyone else asking it… Why was he different?

“My mom, well, she died when I was little. And my dad sort of raised me.” And that’s all he needed to know. I would save his innocent mind from some of the pictures that were swarming through mine.

I looked over at him, for a second wanting another flash of his colgate smile, then realizing how ridiculous I was, said the first thing that came to mind, “What, I mean, well, why are you.. What happened with you?"

Ksenia
He patted me softly on my back and tried to comfort me with his words. It seemed like he didn't really know what to say.
"It'll be fine. Don't worry."
I gave him another shy smile and felt less stupid for telling him something about myself. Trusting people isn't that bad, see Ksenia?
I felt a little better and looked at him.
"If you don't mind me asking, where were you going?"

Red

She didn't say anything for a bit before smiling and piping up.

"If you don't mind me asking, where were you going?"

She knew my name. what if she got abducted by whoever and told them to go after me for some reason? Did I tell her? What should I-

"Spain."

OH GOD WAT. I just blurted it out. That was, well...that was, oh, who cared.

"That's the goal, anyhow. I dunno if I'll actually make it, but I'm gonna at least try. Where are you planning on going?"

Ksenia
"Spain."
Wow..that's quite far.
"That's the goal, anyhow. I dunno if I'll actually make it, but I'm gonna at least try. Where are you planning on going?"
It looked like he regretted telling me that for a second, but if he did he hid that pretty good a minute later.
"Spain..That's quite far." I wondered whether he'd also run away, but didn't dare to ask. That's none of your business, Ksenia.
"I don't know. I guess I'll just keep moving around until they find me or until I die."
I smiled bitterly and knew I had a crappy sense of humor. Great, you're scaring him off now. Why can't you do anything the right way?!
"I'm sorry. That really didn't make any sense." I said awkwardly while looking away again.

Red

"Spain..That's quite far."

I could just tell she was about to ask if I was a runaway. I winced in anticipation. She'd ask me why I left and my reason would seem like so much BS compared to hers. I needed to change the subject.

"Where are you planning on going?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll just keep moving around until they find me or until I die...I'm sorry. That really didn't make any sense."

That was weird. I always hated it when people talk about death.

"Don't...don't talk like that. About dying, I mean. It's...just, don't. Weirds me out, y'know?"

We strolled along in silence for a moment.

"I don't think they'll get you anyhow."

That was it. It was too much. I couldn't take it.

"Okay, I'm sorry if it is too personal, but...why are these people after you? If you don't want to tell me it's cool. But I just, I had to ask."

(( ok so I guess in the day I wasn't on you guys wrote 2 pages im not really sure what's going on though... Would someone mind breaking it down real quick for me? Also, I broke my thumb today pretty badly, I might not be on as much as I hope...I'll do my best, I'm thanking god for spell check right now, it hard to type quickly with one hand. Thanks))

((Aight, here is what is up. Bus crashed. We are all headed into town to avoid running into the popo. We're gonna grab supplies and whatnot.

Also, why not try typing with the classic peck method with you index fingers?))

Hey, okay, so ive tried a couple times but it hasn't worked. Can someone bring my charries in? And please none of that crap where you mention their name and go back to whatever. That stuff annoys me sososo much.

Red

Ksenia hesitated to answer my question. I glanced up ahead and saw the sun beginning to redden and sink below the clouds. I'd let her think about how she wanted to answer my question. She was looking at the ground as we trudged along. I tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Hold that thought. I will be right back, I promise."

I quickened my pace and tried to catch up to the scarred guy who we had all decided to follow. I eventually managed to catch up with him. He was still just walking, not caring about us behind him, just staring forward, determined to get to wherever he was going. I extended my hand, doing my best not to focus on the scars that adorned him.

"Hi there. Call me Red."

He glanced at my hand for a moment before returning his gaze forward. Awkward. I returned my hand to the pocket of my hoodie.

"Listen, erm...sir. It's getting late. I really think we should find a grocery store or a KOA or something. By the time we hit town, it is going to be dark. There'll be curfews. We are a bunch of kids wandering around town. The police will swoop down and take us to the station and send us all back home."

I whipped out my phone and pulled up a map of the town we were heading to.

"Okay. We have a grocery store at the edge of town. I"m willing to bet that we could go inside and hide out till it coses and spend the night there. It's not much of an idea, but it could work. Whaddya think?"

Haha...the popo...oh that one made me giggle

Ty-

Alan. I didn't so much hear the rest of the words that came tumbling out because I was too enthralled with the way her face kept changing as she tripped over her sentence. Something about her brother and dad then a look of regret. When I asked her what happened she gave a short answer about being raised by her dad after her mother died.

Then she asked me.

"What happened with you?" I mulled the words over in my mind, not blurting anything out like I had when she asked my name. I didn't have an answer for this question either, not just for other people-but for myself as well. What had happened with me? What the hell was I doing? It's not me to just pick up and leave. It's not me to leave my parents to take care of themselves. I'm the responsible one; dependable Ty. Who would clean up after the parties? Who would make sure my mom kept taking her depression medication? Who would make sure everything was okay, or at least pretend that it was? I wondered what my parents were doing, how upset they must be. Despite the way they acted I know they love me, they only wanted what's best.

I stopped, hands still shoved in my pockets, and looked back down the road. I couldn't see the bus anymore but if I left now I might make it back to LA by tomorrow.

"Hello?" Alan said, sounding a little annoyed.

Maybe my parents didn't KNOW what was best. As guilty as I felt, maybe it was time for them to grow up.

I smiled and turned back to her, "Just another sad story I guess," I didn't want to lie to her but the truth was risking too much, "I've never really had parents, I've always taken care of myself. So now I'm going to New York, just for the hell of it really."