Chapter 3
As I gathered kindle and fallen branches to use to start a fire, Lauren told me more about why she had run away from home. This satisfied my interest, but it made the air seem fuzzy, like I couldn't concentrate because it was just too overwhelming.
It was cold outside, and it was going to get colder and soon.
I could already see my breath.
With a profound kick, I broke a long, skinny branch in half.
"My mom doesn't understand me. It's not that I don't like her. I mean, she can be annoying sometimes, but I like her for the most part.
She just got a new job," she explained.
I figured listening was the only way to really get to know her so I lit a match and got the fire going while she talked.
"Her new job requires her to travel throughout the country. She'll never be home anymore."
"Does that make you mad?" I inquired.
"No, it makes me sad. I don't have a father. So I would have to choose between going along with her, or staying with my grandparents."
"What happened to your dad?" instantaneously, I knew that I shouldn't have asked that.
She just stared at the now blazing fire.
I sat down beside her.
Sometimes I wonder about parents. They can be ridiculous. They raise a child, or several children, perhaps, to be just like them. But the truth is, we're not like them. I'm sure their parents did things that they didn't like, and they probably swore up and down that they'd never make their kids feel like their parents made them feel. And I wonder if any parents ever held up to that promise. I wondered if I would be just like that. So naive.
"I'm sorry," I told Lauren.
"Where do you think my mom is right now?" she asked.
A voice behind us grasped onto every hair folicle on our neck with a sudden shout. "Wanna find out?"
We looked at each other, looked backwards, and then looked at each other again. The voice came from a beaten figure. Trampled, with his life halfway exhumed from his spirit. I could tell he was desperate for help and meant no harm. It was Kris.
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