The Box

The third chapter to Fly's Freedom. A strange box makes Fly break down... You'll have to read it to find out more.

“Let’s get going,” Fly insisted half-heartedly. She didn’t want to end this moment, even if they never saw each other again, she’d never forget him. It wasn’t like she loved him, like that, but she still care for him in a sisterly way.

They silently did their jobs, knowing what was coming next. The had to move, out into the open. That meant cops, people, security cameras,and missing children reports.

Fly pulled out the remaining tent stakes as Michael expertly packed their things. Fly wondered how Michael had learned to pack so well if his parents were gone so early. She pushed the thought aside, Michael wouldn’t have lied to her, not when they were this close.

“Ready?” Fly asked.

“Yeah,” Michael said with a nervous exhail.

He offered his hand as they began to descend the hill. Fly took it.

“Hey, look over there!” Michael pointed to the left at a glint in the sunlight. Strange, Fly though, What could be giving off a blinding glare like that?

Michael dragged her toward it, they got closer and realised that it was a wooden box. But it was the shiny plaque that had caught their attention. Fly knelt down and brushed the dust away from it and read it… She nearly passed out in shock. Instead, she crumpled into a ball and began crying hysterically, she was shaking so hard. Her vision blurred until everything was just a shaking, watery mass of browns and greens.

“Fly! Oh my God! What is it!” Michael yelled, obviously distraught by Fly’s sudden meltdown.

“The-the plaque,” Fly managed. Michael looked at the box as his face turned ashen, but his arm remained around Fly.

“Fly, I-I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

After a few tense minutes Fly replied weakly, “ Neither did I.” A few more tears rolled down her cheek.

“How could this have even gotten here?” Michael asked tenderly, “I mean we are like 80 miles from you hometown. How would it even get here?”

“Umm-Umm. It was where they met, we uh, camped here every year. I mean, had I known, I never would have suggested we come here, but my brain didn’t register where we were. I guess-I guess I just pushed the memories away, they were, um, just too painful.” Fly replied with the faintest hint of bitterness in the last few words.

“Annalise Jane Chase. I never knew her middle name until now,” Fly shifted to read the box again, “I never knew what happened to her ashes after Daddy had her cremated. All he told me was that he put the she's in a special place. I suppose he was going to tell me when I was older,” Fly said and started to cry again.

“Hey! Are you two lost? I heard you crying and thought I’d come check it out,” said a man who emerged out of the trees and brush. Fly and Michael just stared at him. One minute passed, then another, finally a woman broke the silence.

“Jonathan! I was looking all over for you! Don’t run off like that ever again, what one earth a-. Oh, I see, kids.”

“Yes, Jessica, it’s okay I just wanted to make sure they were okay. Speaking of wich, you two haven’t answered me yet. Are you lost, hurt?”

“Umm, well, not exactly,” Michael replied.

“What do you mean young man?”

“Well, umm... umm,” Michael couldn’t quite get the words out so Fly intervened, despite her own emotional state.

“We ran away,” Fly confessed simply, “But we had good reason, our umm… the people who had custody of us were abusive. I don’t know if you’ve seen the news reports but, I’m Charlotte Chase and this,” Fly gestured towards Michael, “is Michael DeBlay.”

“Oh yeah! Jonathan, I was telling you the aunt and uncle looked like they were lying,” they woman, Jessica, affirmed.

“What what did they say?” Michael demanded.

“Oh that’s not important right now, let’s just get you to the police station,” Jessica said, dismissing Michael’s question.

“But-” Michael began to insist but stopped with a hand squeeze from Fly and a look that said “later.” So he promised himself that he’d find out everything later.

“So… what were you guys doing up here. And if you ran away then why were you crying, uhh Charlotte. Right,” Jonathan inquired.

“Well, we camped in one of the sections that weren’t in use this season. We were right up there,” Fly pointed up the hill towards where they had camped, “And, uhh, I was crying because, well, we stumbled upon-upon,” Fly put her head down, she couldn’t finish.

“Her mother's urn,” finished Michael delicately.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Charlotte.” Jessica and Jonathan consoled together.

“It’s okay, I um, I’ve come to peace with it,” Fly answered. She felt a physical weight leave her. She had always said she was okay, as society required her to, but now she really meant it. She finally had closure and that was the missing piece to find peace.

“Come with us,” Jonathan said. Both Fly and Michael looked skeptical but followed the young couple anyway. Along the way a conversation began,

“So are you guys together?” Fly asked Jessica and Jonathan, in hopes to break the silence.

“Uh yeah, yeah we are. Been together a happy year yesterday. That’s actually why we were camping out here, a little celebration for being together for a year,” Jessica replied.

“Jessica, I noticed your ring, when did he propose?” Fly asked when she noticed the shiny diamond on Jessica’s finger.

“I proposed yesterday, actually. She said yes, ummm, obviously,” Jonathan answered for Jessica, a bit embarrassed last part.

“Well congratulations!” Fly and Michael exclaimed.

“How did you two wind up together anyway, I know you ran away like a week and half apart so how did you end up running away together?” Jonathan asked.

“Well, it was the first actual day after I ran away and I’d woken up. He wandered into the alley I was sleeping in and basically he passed out. He woke up and all he said was “Hi”  we were friends from then on. I guess it was an unspoken rule that runaways stick together,” Fly replies, kind of dreamy as she remembered. Jessica smirked at her, obviously suggesting that maybe her and Michael had feelings deeper than they’d like to admit.

Fly looked away so that Jessica wouldn't see her blush. She looked at Michael, in the short while they’d known each other she could read him so well. The way he was talking with Jonathan told her that she hadn’t seen Jessica’s look. Fly was relieved, that was not a conversation she wanted to have with Michael.

“My car is just over the next hill here, not too far,” Jonathan said as he took Jessica’s hand. They seemed to suffer every time they weren’t together, even if it was only a few yards away. Fly hoped to find love like that someday.

They went the last few minutes in silence. They reached the parking lot, there were only two cars there a pink cadillac and a black mid size. Fly didn’t think pink was Jonathan’s color so she headed toward the mid size.

“You guys can hop in the back, it’s open,” Jonathan said from halfway up the hill. Fly and Michael couldn’t resist running down the hill. Fly wasn’t comfortable getting in Jonathan’s car without him being there so she just waited for a couple minutes.  She closed her eyes and used her others senses to take in her surroundings. Her father had taught her this. When she wasn’t seeing through her eyes she could see things that were much farther away. She heard a hawk screech and hit the ground only to take off again. She envisioned the majestic animal diving and catching a mouse then taking off again. She heard it’s wing beat a few times then land in a nest and heard a hungry chick squeaking for food. She was jerked out of her trance by Michael touching her arm and saying, “They’re here, it’s time to get in the car.”

She shook her head and climbed in without really thinking about it. She thought she should be happy, someone finally knowing the truth that could do something about and Aunt Daisy getting what she deserved, but she wondered if her and Michael would get separated.

She thought about what she would say to the police, what she’d say to Daisy. The engine turned over and she put her seatbelt in a settled into the seat as they started down the road.

Five minutes later they were going down a backroad at 50 miles an hour, Jonathan and Jessica were holding hands again. Once more, Fly wondered what is was like to be in love. All of a sudden a deer darted across the road. Fly felt the car stop and she heard a scream then all she saw was black.

Author's Note

Ignore grammar and spelling problems, I only want reviews on plot, charaters, etc.