hi... everyone

A Chapter by makayla

I walk out of my room. To see '"Cody"' playing with the little boy who gave me the clothes. I now realize I never got his name. As I stand in the door way Cody looks away from the little boy and up at me. He smiles, his smile seemed to make me all warm inside. Then he moves his hand and in a motion to tell me to come here.

"What is your name?" he said still smiling.

"It's Marisa.... Um..." I pause trying to think of something to say besides my last name "Yeah just Marisa" I finally managed to say.

"Well just Marisa... I'm Cody, The crazy boy you see running around me, his name is Isaiah, her over there" he pointed to a 13 year old blonde haired, blue eyed girl sitting on the floor. "Her name is Scarlet, you'll meet the others at breakfast some already left, there not very good at waiting". God he smiled a lot.

We left and went a restaurant called 'Martha's Cafe'. We sat at a long red table. When we got to there a plump 12 year old red head boy named Charles and a beautiful 17 year old girl named Carissa were there to great us. We all sat at that long table and talked and laughed and ate. It was like we were all family and I was like the new in-law everyone wanted to learn about.

They asked me so many questions most of which I darted around. I didn't want to tell these people things about me. I didn't know them.But most of all I didn't want to be known. I didn't want to have them feel sorry for me or on the other hand tell me that my reason for running away was stupid. So I continued to try to change the subject.

"So Isiah, how old are you?" I asked

"I'm 8" he replyed shrugging.

"Oh okay, well that's cool". I said trying to keep my worry for this little boy out of my voice. I mean he was 8 and he had run away. What could cause an 8 year old boy to even think about running away? I sat there in silence. Staring at the ground for a while. Just thinking about that little boy.

When I looked up I noticed Cody putting several $20 bills in the waiters hand, whispering something in her ear,then everyone started to get up and leave. They all went in different directions. As Cody was walking away he turned back, to see me still sitting there. With probably a very stupid look on my face. He walked back and grabbed my hand and began to walk me some place.

This was now the second time he had done this. It should have been strange. The fact that some guy I barley knew could just take me by the hand and take me some where and for some reason I didn't have a care in the world. We walked down the broken street till. It turned in to something new. The city went from something old and beat up. To a rich and fancy naborhood.

There were adults that were walking on the streets wore fancy work out clothes. They all wave at Cody. Everyone here seemed to know Cody and they all greeted him with a smile. We stopped at a flower shop to get some beautiful pink tulips.

"These were my mothers favorite" Cody said in a depressing tone. I didn't say anything... I didn't know what to say. So we left the shop and continued walking.

He made me wait at the gate of a cemitary. I watched him walk over to a gave. That didn't look like the person hed been barried very long. The dirt was still visible and no grass had grown yet. He picked up the pair of pink tulips that were already laying there. They didn't look like they were anymore then a day or two old. After throwing them away and setting down the new pair. He sat at the grave. Just sat and staired.

I didn't know what to do. Mainly because I had no idea where I was. So it wasnt like I could just walk around and not be that creepy girl staring at him as he sat at his mothers grave. But finaly he got up, turned around,looked at me with his teary eyes, and smiled.

On the way back to 'The Runaway Hotel'. It was almost completely silent nether me nor him said a single word. At least up until Isaiah came running up to Cody.

"How's your mother doing Cody" he asked.

"Today, she's happy. I brought her, her favorite flowers agian". He replyed with a strange tone to his voice. Almost as if he was trying to cover up his sadness for Isaiah. His voice kept shaking.

The little boy ran back to the hotel which was now only about 20 feet ahead of us.

"Does he not know she's dead?" I asked trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Oh, he knows... somewhere deep inside him he knows" he paused "Isaiah handels death in his own way. All though some times it's strange it's what keeps him okay so we all go along with it". I'm sure I had that stupid confused look on my face agian.

"I'm gonna be gone for a cupple of day's. Ya' know Christmas is coming soon. I know your just getting to know every one and everything. So I'm sorry for leaving so soon. I'll be back in 4 day's while I'm gone. Carissa is in charge. See you when I get back. Good bye marissa".

He left me in frount of the hotel with that. He just walked away. I don't know these people! I walked throught the doors cursing at the ground just mad he could leave the 2nd day I got here.

"Marissa, If you want to talk I'm here" Scarlet said peaking out from her room. As I walk in I see Carissa and Scarlet sitting on the floor. They both look up at me.

"Come sit down here" Scarlet said patting the ground diagnal from her and Carissa.

"Is this like group thrapye cause I already went through that and it doesn't work" I rudely said. I was still a little pissed. I was expecting a smart alc reply back. But instead they just stared at me.

"So today I called my mom" Scarlet said in a dissapointed tone. "She said she doesn't care to ever see me agian, and she already told the police to stop searching" she began to cry. Carissa patted Scarlet's back. I didn't know what to do.

I stood up and began to walk around the room. She has magazine cut outs of beautiful place. Above them was a piece of paper that read "Beautiful things grow old die but beautiful places just get prettier". It was kinda morbid but I didn't say anything. Carissa stood up and walked over by me.

"Yeah Scarlet has a strange view of the world" she said.

"I... I need to go" I said stumbling on my words. I ran out because I saw a news paper on the carpet and I didn't want to have to sit there and stair at it and wonder if I was on the missing person's list. I wanted to know but at the same time, I didn't care.

So what if my moms looking for me. So what if shes crying. I wonder what she told to cops the reason I left was.

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