Chapter 1.1
DEATH DOLL - V1
Chapter 1.1: Runaway Girl [PART ONE]
“You look a little young to be riding a greyhound by yourself, miss.”
An annoyed look overtook the previously absentminded teenager’s face. To a stranger, she looked out of place in the small farming town. With her dyed hair that was styled in a bob and matching piercings, the conservative populace would have a heart attack. Back in California, her appearance would be seen as nothing out of the ordinary. But in Everwood, Delaware she was an entity they had never encountered before. Her attitude didn’t help with the strange looks she was getting either.
With a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest. Her bracelets jangled loudly, disturbing the other passengers who already weren’t watching the exchange. “I’m in high school.”
The silence she got in response was deafening. The teenager was used to it, the judgment radiated off of their faces. They were middle-aged to elderly people on their way to work. She screamed delinquent with a criminal record waiting to be expunged. Her mouth sat in a firm line as she stared blankly—no point in getting upset. Ignorance was the blissful escape these people got. She stood with a blank face as the bus driver looked her up and down. She wasn’t sure if he believed her story.
An eye roll followed as he looked away. “I’m gonna need a school ID.” He snorted and rubbed at his nose making her cringe.
Her eyebrow raised and she huffed. “Are you serious? Did you ask anyone else for their ID?” She knew it was no point in protesting but her day was too shitty for this.
It had started with her mother yelling at her to clean her room. It was a pigsty, she would admit that. But she had already started cleaning when her mom came home and turned red. It didn’t help that her sister jumped in, calling her all sorts of names. The argument was so bad she broke down in tears and locked herself in her room to calm down. Outside she could hear her mother’s frustration at the situation. That pushed her to pack, grab her documents and make a run for it.
It took an hour or two to set up a greyhound ticket for herself. She planned to go from Wilmington to Baltimore and then catch a plane. This meant she had to take multiple bus rides to the city, Everwood was too far from it. The entire time her mother texted her. At first, her answers were angry about how she skipped school. They soon turned to worry as the morning melted into late afternoon. Her father called four times before her sister left a voice-mail. They wanted her to come back home and threatened to call the cops.
‘I’m not going back to that hell.’ She stared down at the bus driver. She wanted him to just accept that she was going to take the ride.
“Miss, just give me your ID or get off.” The driver sounded ticked off as she gaped at him.
“Seriously,” She sighed and looked at her phone. There would be another greyhound in an hour she could take. “Fuck off.
Almost immediately the doors to the bus slammed open and the bus driver stood. His face was swollen red as he pointed for her to leave. His breath smelled awful as he got in her face, making her stumble backward. She could hear some of the passengers chattering in the background. The situation was getting tense.
“Get the hell off!” He gestured rather aggressively for her to get out.
She narrowed her eyes and growled. “My pleasure, asshole.” She hurried off into the open platform, the sky darkening.
It was closer to midnight than it was to noon. She shivered and rubbed at her arms. Behind her, she could hear the bus pull off. There wasn’t any left at the station but the door was unlocked. She walked in and took a seat in an empty booth. Inside a few people were waiting for their train or just chatting with the staff. Her body continued to shiver as she unzipped her backpack. Inside was a coat she took out and threw on. Thankfully, when she had packed she remembered it would be dark by the time she arrived.
Her phone buzzed in her hand and she sighed. She thought about turning it off but she needed it. It was the only way she could communicate with her friends. They knew of her family situation and kept her under a male name. That way if their parents snooped they wouldn’t see anything. Still, it hurt to see the onslaught of frantic messages her family sent. She had been on the run for ten hours now. Her mother had contacted her relatives outta state who begged her to go back home. Everyone swore they’d come down that weekend to hear her side.
“Bullshit.” She didn’t even bother looking at her phone and put it away.
Her bank account had enough to last her a month. There were five hundred in cash from her summer job with her. The ticket didn’t cost much so she lucked out. The teenager knew that money would be scarce once she arrived. Her friends had bills to pay and already were risking it all by harboring a runaway. It didn’t feel right to ask for more than a couch to sleep on.
She looked around, feeling exhausted. There was a hotel a block away. The best to it was a rest stop that would be sold out. She didn’t want to stay in this place any longer. But God, she felt like she was drifting off. Her head nodded a bit and she bundled up in her coat. There was a look or two sent her way but nobody bothered to say anything. She wondered if they thought she was a kid lost with her attire.
It didn’t take long for the hour to pass. The building became emptier as buses came and went. She managed to stay awake the entire time, ignoring her phone. She chose to watch a soap opera that was playing across the room. It kept her mind off of things. Even if it was just for a little while. The sky was pitch black when a staff member announced her bus was there. She wasn’t the only customer left but she still felt anxious walking outside. The teen didn’t know why. She had traveled alone many times as a kid to visit friends or family.
But this time she just felt weird. Every second she swore someone was watching her. Her stomach twisted into a knot as she handed the driver, a short woman, her ticket. The woman looked it over before nodding for her to sit.
“Next!” She yelled as the teenager felt her shoulders sag in relief.
