Runaway: The Story of a Girl On Her Own

Running. Running.
Sweat pours down my face. I don’t even know why I am. But I must run.
Running. Running.
I hear shouts behind me. He knows. Oh god, he knows.
Run. Run.
I can’t let him catch me. The consequences…. I wasn’t sure, but they would be bad.
Don’t stop.
The shouts fade away. He must have gone back, probably to get help.
But I must keep running.
And I can’t stop.

*Note: This is based off Luceria's adventure in a roleplay, so there will be some Etrian Odyssey refrences.

Chapter 1: On My Own

Running. Running.
I mustn't stop.
Running. Running.
I will not stop.
Shouting.
He's after me. Oh god, he's after me!
Running. running.
Running. Running.
Running. Running.
Silence.
I've fallen. I haven't even felt the sting my palms must be feeling, but I have to get back up.
Silence.
He's stopped following.
Probably to get reinforcements.
Good.
I get back up.
And I keep running.
~~~~~~~~
I wake up to the sound of birds.
Did I pass out?
I sit up. I'm on the ground directly in front of a tree. I must have run into it.
Idiot.
I stand up. I might have gotten away, but no doubt he would come back. I needed to get as far away as possible.
But what if I need things back at Tharis?
I won't. I'll find food and water in the forest. I could sleep in a tree. That's why I picked this forest to run to, after all. It had resources. I had everything I needed.
Just them my stomach rumbled. I hadn't realized how hungry I was. Probably from all that running. My feet were still sore.
I scanned the clearing. No food.
Looks like I'll be doing a bit of running.
I take off into the forest.

*Warning* This has very slight reference to alcohol, swearing and violence. If you don't want to read it (Although it isn't very bad) Then skip the 12-year-old flashback.
*Edit* The swearing was purposefully edited, for those who want to know.

Chapter 2: Finding Shelter
I've been jogging for a while, but there is still no sign of food. I stop at a stream for some water. After I satisfy my thirst, I rummage in my bag for my canteen. I filled it up with water. Who knows when I'd find another water source?
The sound of thunder made me jump. I only just realized how thick the air was. A storm would be here soon. I needed shelter.
A drop of water landed on my nose.
Scratch that. A storm was here NOW, and I needed shelter IMMEDIATELY.
I studied the trees around me. Too high to climb. I took off, scanning the trees as I ran.
Thunder clapped. Lightning flashed. Rain poured.
And I ran.
Is the rest of my life going to be made up of running? It would seem so.
I finally came across a group of maples. Not perfect, but they would have to do.
Finding the lowest branch, I scaled the tree until I was comfortably up high. Upon finding a somewhat straight branch that would support my weight, I settled down and hung my pack on a branch close enough for me to quickly grab it if I needed to leave quickly.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I had only been awake for a few hours, but I was exhausted. I guess that's what happens when you run three hours straight on an empty stomach.
I didn't mean to, but I fell asleep.
I was ten again, hiding in my room. Mother and Father were fighting again. I pushed my head into my teddy bear and squeezed it. I could hear Father swearing, even though my parents had told me to never cuss at someone. I promised to myself I would never swear at my future husband.
The scene melted away. Now I was twelve. The fights had gotten worse, and Father always came home drunk. He barley noticed me, and if he did, he sabotaged my room and told me to clean it up.
This was the one night I had defied him. I watch him come out of my room. "Go clean it up," he growls at me.
"No."
He turns around. "Excuse me?" His breath smells of alcohol.
"I said no."
He takes a menacing step towards me. "Listen, brat," he says. He always called me brat, or, if he is very angry or drunk, he called me a b****."If I tell you to clean your room, you clean your room, unless you don't want food for a week. Understand?"
"Why should I clean your mess? Why should I clean up after you wreck my room?"
He's very angry now. "BECAUSE I TOLD YOU TO, B****!" I watch his fist come towards me. Just as he is about to hit me, I hear thunder.
And I wake up.

Chapter 3: The First Hunt

I sit up. I must have fallen asleep. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My heart is still racing with adrenaline. I open my eyes. The rain has ceased, and the storm moving off. I grab my pack and climb down the tree. My stomach growls louder than I thought possible. I frown and put my hand on my stomach. I needed to find food soon.
Then I hear the growl again. And this time I'm sure it's not my stomach.
I turn around. Behind me was a brown bear. And it didn't look happy.
It growled again. I wasn't sure if it was warning me, or if it was about to attack.
I did not want to find out.
I turned and sprinted away.
The bear followed.
Run. Run.
Faster. Faster.
Faster!
I tripped and fell. My knife pushed painfully against my leg. I had probably cut myself.
Wait.
I looked back at the bear, which was getting closer. Then back at my knife. I realized this bear was a blessing.
I stood up, blood trickling down my leg. I took my knife and readied myself.
The bear didn't stand a chance.
It ran up to me, roaring. Just as it reared up to strike, I dived beneath it and stabbed my knife in it's gut. It roared in pain. I managed to scramble out before it clawed me.
I sprinted in circles around the bear, confusing it. The I jumped on it's back, holding on as tight as I could. It thrashed around, trying to get me off. I managed to climb up to it's neck and deliver the final blow.
I enjoyed a good dinner that night.
After eating my fill, I cut off pieces and stuffed them in my bag for later. I used water from my canteen to clean up. I pulled dead branches over the carcass so I didn't have to look at it, and climbed back up the tree I had stayed in during the storm. The evening breeze ruffled my hair. I fell asleep counting the stars.

Chapter 4: Deep in Memories

"Lucy! Time to get up!
I sit up and rub my eyes. The sunlight filters through the window, making a square of warmth on my small bed. I see someone standing over me, and I smile.
My mother is stooping over me. Her mousy brown hair is pulled back, except a small part that hangs over her face. Her green eyes sparkled.
"Lucy, Mother and Father have a surprise for you."
I grin. "What is it?"
Mother laughed. "If I tell you, then it wouldn't be a surprise!"
She takes my hand and leads me out of my bedroom. Father has a basket in his hand. He smiles.
I frown, not understanding at first. Then my eyes grow wide. "We're going on a picnic?" I ask excitedly.
Mother picks me up. "No. Something even better."
My eyes widen even more. "Something better than a picnic?
"Even better than a picnic," Mother says.
"Then what is it?!"
Father grins. "We're going on a trip through the city!" he says. "And you get to pick where we go."
My mouth opens in a happy smile. "I can go where I want?"
"We get to go wherever you want."
I jump up and down with glee. "We're going to the city! We're going to the city!
~~~~~~~~~~~
We spent the entire day exploring the city.
First I demanded we go to the city park. I ran around most of the morning, with my parents strolling behind.
Then I plopped down, out of breath. Father suggested that we stop for lunch. We had sandwiches, with watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, and chocolate milk.
Next I wanted to Candy City: the best sweets shop in Tharis. I stood, frozen, drooling over the sweets. Finally, Mother was tired of standing around and bought me chocolate so I would willing to leave.
The rest of the day was spent wandering the city, admiring everything from statues to store fronts until my feet were too sore to walk. At the end of the day, Father carried me as we walked home together.
As I sat on the porch watching the sunset, I felt happy, contented, and exhausted. For the first time ever, I asked Mother if I could go to bed.
"Okay, but we need to do something first."
I frowned, not sure what she meant. Then, as we sat on the porch together, Father brought out a cupcake with five candles lit.
When Mother and Father had finished singing, I had already fallen asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I open my eyes. I brush a tear away from my cheek. Father might have been kind then. Mother might have been alive. But now, both of my parents were gone, and I was no longer the little girl I once was.

Author’s note: The ~~~s are memory transitions, and the ***s are time jumps.

Chapter 5: A Permanent Home

I brushed tears from my eyes. All that was in the past. No use crying over it.
I grabbed my bag and climbed down. I needed to find a permanent source of food and water, as well as a lasting shelter. I tried to remember the survival skills my father had taught me. I ignored the pang of sadness as I flipped through the memories of that day.
~~~~~~~~~~
I remember Father had taken me to the forest. We sat down in a glade.
“So, if you are lost in the forest, without anything at all, what would you do first?” I remember him asking me.
“Water,” I said right away. “You can only live three days without it.”
“Good. Do you know how to find it?”
I shook my head.
“You have to be quiet. Hold your breath if you have to.” I held my breath.
We sat for a few moments silently. Father glanced at me. “Do you hear that?”
I listened intently. Faintly, I heard the sound of running water. I nodded.
“When you need water, listen for it and go in the general direction.” I nod and follow him as we walked towards the water.
~~~~~~~~~~
I held my breath, as I had done that day years ago. The leaves rustled. The chipmunks chattered. The birds sang.
And so did the river.
I let myself breathe again, and ran in the direction of the running water.
~~~~~~~~~~
When we reached the river, Father stopped. I ran up next to him. Father turned to me.
“So what are your options, now that you’re at the river?”
I pondered. “Well, we can collect some water and drink.” I peered downriver. “If we follow the river, it could lead into a valley, and possibly a town.” I looked back up at father. “From there we can contact family and tell them where we are.”
Father nodded. “Good. But there are…. I believe two other options you could take.”
I watched the water flow over the rocks and stones. “You could go upriver,” I said. “Or go back.”
~~~~~~~~~~
I burst into a clearing. In front of me was a river. I glanced upstream and downstream as I considered my options.
“Get water, go downstream, go upstream, or go back,” I mused. I already had water, but I was thirsty. I crouched down and cupped water in my hands. “Downstream, upstream, or back.” I took a sip. “I shouldn't go downstream. That might lead back to Tharis.” I stood up. “And going back won’t help me. Upstream it is.”
***********
Many hours later, I hiked up the last mound. When I looked up, I grinned at what I saw.
Before me was a small clearing that lead into a wild apple orchard. I wasn't sure how it had come into existence, but it didn't matter.
Finally.
I entered the orchard. The air smelled sweet for some reason. Apples lay on the ground, either knocked down by squirrels or too rotten to hang on any longer. It seemed like a place you would enjoy hanging out in, except it was a much too long hike from Tharis or any neighboring town.
It was perfect.
I took my time picking a tree. This was going to be my home for a while after all, if not for the rest of my life.
I finally found the perfect tree. I climbed up as high as I dared. Lovely view.
I climbed down a bit and found a good sleeping branch. I hung my pack on the end and closed my eyes.

Chapter 6: Unexpected Company

I crouched down on the ground, my hand brushing away leaves and rotten apples. I frown. Don’t these trees ever drop their dead branches?
I was looking for a stick. I needed to dig a canal from the river to my tree. I was hoping to build a water system. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but I needed a water source closer than the river. The problem was, I didn’t know how to make a canal, or how to keep it hidden from view.
I guess I just have to go with my instincts. But first, stick.
I stood up. Maybe I could find a good branch downstream.
I made my way to the river. I wasn’t completely knowledgeable of the forest’s twists and turns, but I knew the general direction of the river. I hiked downriver, looking for the maple forest I had been a days ago. If I could find a branch anywhere, it was there.
Soon I had reached the edge of the maple forest. It was noon now, judging from the sun’s point in the sky. I put my hand in my pack, hoping that I still had some meat left. I pulled out a small strip of bear. I sighed. I needed a hunt soon.
I glanced nervously into the forest. Suddenly it seemed dark and ominous. I shivered. I had been lucky with the bear, but I had no hunting skills, or even fighting skills. How would I get food?
I chewed on the last bit of meat. It would have to be good enough until I got back. I ventured into the woods, hoping to find a sturdy stick.
*********
A few hours later, I crept out of the woods. The bright sunlight blinded me for a moment. I held my hand up so my eyes could adjust. As I waited for my eyes to work again, I accidentally glanced downstream. My eyes widened. I hurriedly scrambled into the underbrush. I peaked out from the leaves of a bush. The reason of my distress moved it’s way upstream.
I couldn’t believe it.
How had this happened?
WHY IN THE WORLD WAS ANOTHER HUMAN HERE????!!!!!
I couldn’t let them see me. It was a miracle they hadn’t seen me before.
I observed the person suspiciously. He was a boy around my age, maybe a year or two older. He had a backpack slung on his shoulder, like he was on a long trip.
Maybe he was. Maybe he was like me.
I scolded myself. That was just wishful thinking. I hadn’t realized how lonely I felt. It didn’t make much sense, because I had only been out here a few days.
The boy started to whistle a tune I didn’t recognize. It was sort of catchy. Soon he began to sing.
Little little robin, tweet tweet tweet.
Won’t you please guide my feet?
I’ve a long way to walk, and I don’t know the way,
Could you please sing me a song today?
Oh, twitter twitter tweet,
Cheery Cheery-up!
Twitter twitter tweet,
Cheery-up, up up!
Soon I found myself quietly humming along. It was cheerful and catchy. I closed my eyes and listened. I didn’t realized he had come near until I heard him speak.
“Hey.”
My eyes flew open. He was right in front of me! I scrambled up and pulled out my knife. “Don’t come any nearer!” I said, eyes wide.
The boy put his hands up. His expression seemed to be a mixture of surprise and amusement. “Easy, tiger,” he said. I glared at him.
I did not like being called tiger. “What do you want?” I asked, my knife ready to strike.
To my surprise and utter annoyance, he grinned. “Food, shelter and supplies,” he said.
My glare faltered. Was this kid serious? “Why would you want that?” I said.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m on the run,” he said, one eyebrow up as if to say, duh. “My uncle refused to take care of me and dropped me off at the orphanage. Thing is, they were already full, so they kicked me out.”
I studied him, pondering if I could trust him or not. Finally, my curiosity won over. I lowered my knife. “You can come to my orchard to rest. But for tonight only.” I turned away and began to hike back to my tree.

Chapter 7: Stuck In a Cave

I walk towards my tree, the orphan boy behind me. I’m silently scolding myself. Are you crazy? You’re showing him where you live. He could go tell others!
I mumble angrily to myself as I climb up my tree. The boy tries to climb up after me.
“Uh-uh,” I say, holding my index finger in his face. “You go find your own tree.”
He frowned, making a pout face. “You said I could stay with you!” he complains.
I shake my finger. “I said you could come to my orchard. Not my tree. And I never said you could stay,” I add.
He makes the pout face again, but he climbs down. I stretch out on my branch, ready for a good night’s sleep.
He turns back towards me. “You said you had food,” he said, his tone saying, but you’re not feeding me.
I roll my eyes. “This is an apple orchard. Just pick an apple.”
He grumbles, but he leaves. I sigh in relief. I close my eyes, wondering if I had made the right choice. My internal voices nag at me.
You are such a fool! One says. You’re trusting a total stranger! He could betray you at any moment!
You couldn’t have said no, another comforts me. He needed help. Supporting him shows him how kind you are.
I’ll say, says the first voice. Then he’ll use you and betray you when you need him most.
He’s hot, a third voice says. I blushed. The other voices go silent, probably staring at the third one in shock or disgust.
I shake my head. Such thoughts wouldn’t help me. What was done was done. He’ll be stay- for tonight only.
I let myself drift off to sleep.
************
“Hey, um girl? GIRL!”
I bolt upright, my knife in hand. I look down and realize in annoyance it’s the orphan boy.
“What do you want?” I ask grumpily. “It had better be important.”
He fidgets uneasily. “Well, um, I was out by the river and…”
“SPIT IT OUT!!!” I yell, unhappy that he had woken me up for his river trip.
“There’s someone coming. I saw them hiking upriver.” He says this quickly and shuts his mouth.
I sit in silence for a moment.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY THIS FIRST????!!!! WE NEED TO GO!”
I grab my pack and jump out of my tree. My feet hurt, but that didn’t matter right now. I needed to leave!
The boy grabs my sleeve. “Wait!”
I turn around angrily. “Let go! I need to get moving if I’m going to get out of here unseen!”
“But where are we going to go?”
“Anywhere that isn’t here!” I take off, not caring that he still had a hold on my sleeve.
I drag him along with me. Apparently he didn’t want to let go.
We dash out of the apple orchard into an area I hadn’t explored yet. I run, ignoring the branches whipping at my face.
Run. Run. Run!
Don’t stop. Never stop!
Get out of here!
I run.
And run.
And keep on running.
“Wait! Stop! STOP!!”
I grind to a halt. “WHAT???”
He bends over, panting. He looks up at me with those handsome green eyes. I glare at him to keep myself from blushing.
“I think we’re good. There’s a cave we could hide in over there.” He points.
I glance in the direction. Sue enough, there is a cave disguised in flora. I don’t see it at first.
I walk over to it. It’s dark inside, but it would be excellent cover.
“Come on, then,” I say, walking inside.
Orphan boy follows me into the cave. I sit down in a corner of the cave that looks like I would be hard to see in.
Apparently, I was correct. “Where are you?” I hear him ask. He stumbles over me. “There you are.”
“Idiot,” I mumble.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
He sits down next to me. He feels uncomfortably close.
“Well, that was an adventure, wasn’t it?” He said. I roll my eyes.
“We might be stuck here for a while. I don’t suppose you brought any food?”
“We kind of left in a hurry.”
I sigh. “Then we’ll have to hunt. But not until it’s clear.”
“You know how to hunt?”
“For the most part.”
“Then can you get me some food when we get back?”
“Do shut up.”

Chapter 8: What Is Your Name?

For the next few hours, we sat in the dark. Orphan Boy, as I had begun to think of him, sat a little too close for comfort. I tried to push aside the images popping into my head. That was NOT going to happen.
In the first few minutes, we sat in an awkward silence. I fidgeted, playing with my hair until I realized how prissy that was. I let go of a lock of hair.
“So…….” Orphan Boy said. I guess he was trying to break the silence, but I didn’t feel like talking. I stayed silent.
“I guess you are wondering what my name is?”
No answer.
“Okay.”
We stayed quiet for what seemed to be a few more minutes, but it was hard to tell. Finally Orphan Boy began to speak anyway.
“My name is Allen. Can you tell me your name?”
I looked up at him in surprise, although he probably couldn’t see it. I stayed mute.
“Alice? Kendal? Stephanie?” He rambled off names that were nowhere near mine.
“Luceria?”
I stiffened. How did he know my name??!!
He felt my muscles stiffen. “Aha! Luceria is your name then?”
Oh no! No no no no no!
Reluctantly, I nodded.
“Aha! I knew it! You are the girl that ran from Tharis, aren’t you?” I didn’t need to see his face to know Allen was grinning.
“Shut up!”
I punched him in the gut. Hard.
I felt him bend over. When he found his breath again, he wheezed, “What was that for?!”
“I don’t like talking about it. And how do you know about that?”
He wheezed again. “The whole town launched a search for you. You were never found,” he said. “They didn’t think you would be crazy enough to run into the forest.”
“And why did they think that?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“There have been disappearances when people go into the forest,” he said. “They think the animals are mutating.”
“Then why did you come here?”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Because I’m crazy.”
I rolled my eyes, but he couldn’t see it. I glanced at the mouth of the cave. ‘It should be safe to come out,” I said, walking towards the entrance.
The sunlight blinded me. I took a step back, only to bump into Allen. I turned around and glared at him.
“What?”
I shook my head and walked towards the forest. “We should get some water and food,” I called.
“Then wait for me!”
We hiked through the forest. I kept an eye out for food and listened for the sound of running water. I took my canteen out of my bad and took a sip.
Allen frowned. “Why are we looking for water if you already have some?” he asked.
“Because I’m running out. And we still need food.”
Soon enough we found water. We each took a sip and I filled my canteen. I had been scanning the banks in hopes of finding a food source when I saw a flash of pink.
Fish
I turned to Allen. “Do you know how to fish?”
*********
Turns out Allen’s uncle had been a fisherman. We had caught some salmon and were now cooking it over a small campfire. Allen sat back and stretched his legs.
“So, Lucy-”
“Luceria.”
“But Lucy is short-”
“Luceria.”
He shrugged. “Okay, Luceria. Why are you out here in the wild?”
I pulled the cooked salmon off the stick. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“But I told you why I’m out here! The least you could do is-”
“NO.” I stuffed a chunk of salmon in my mouth.
Allen sighed. “Fine. But you WILL tell me eventually.”
I stuck another bite of salmon in my mouth.
When we had finished eating, I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes. I felt. A hand crept around me.
My eyes flew open. I smacked it away. Hard.
“Ow!” I heard Allen exclaim. “What was that for?”
“Don’t touch me! Not like that, not at all!”
“But we have no blankets! And you’re warm!”
“I am NOT your personal blanket! Just let me sleep in peace!”
I heard him scooting away. I closed my eyes again an slipped into slumber.