After running barefoot for three miles, she stops at a huge oak tree for rest. She pants and sits at the base of the tree despite the grass being wet. She covers her face with her wet hands and starts to sob. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nuzlRIILr
“What's wrong?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXaH7rzLIU
She gasps and looks around. A figure steps from behind the tree. Zeniqua squints, “Contrelle?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNZCPGqY2D
He shudders, “Please, call me Phoenix. Why are you crying?”
Her lips part but nothing comes out. He smiles a devious smile, “do you want to talk about it?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3TqLcIiN9
She nods. He helps her up. “What are you doing out here?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlgxQNlT6X
“Ah,” they begin walking, “we are supposed to be talking about you and your crying.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiydNuEA3pa
She blinks, “yes, but what are you doing out here at night?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKRPUHkTDc
“The night time has always been soothing to me. The stars and the moon, twinkle so bright.” he looks up at the sky causing Zeniqua to look up at the sky. She'd never thought of it that way. “It's like everything is so still and it's quite serene.” He then looks at her and she eyes him. “Your turn.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjHXoSMdVr
She sighs, “My father. He had found me. I was trying to escape the life he wanted me to live by coming all the way here. But, I'm not sure how he found me. I was so careful.” She hangs her head and shakes it. She looks up at the stars in the sky, twinkling without a care in the world.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJS0tqCldU
“That sounds awful. Is he at your aunt's house still?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBw70M3huEU
“I don't know. I don't want to go back there tonight. I can’t.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZ9mEmgivb
“I can talk to my mom and see if she will let you stay in the guest room for tonight.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6W18fahs8
“I can’t let you do that.” Her eyes widen. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Cw77CIeYv
He stops and folds his arms, “Why not? You need a place to stay for the night. And trust me, just because this is a nice neighborhood doesn’t mean there aren’t crazies out here.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteMONsFFkS
She nods understanding what he is saying, “Alright.” They continue walking. “But what if she says ‘no’ then what am I going to do?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgKhyf2cSDK
“She doesn’t really say no unless she doesn’t like the person. We are known as the family that takes people in need in.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmAEamBvmr
“O-okay.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2RqbPNmUs
They end up at a two-story brick house and Trell opens the door. “Mama, I am home.” Zeniqua stands in the doorway until Trell gently pulls Zeniqua in the house and closes the door. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQlW7V3yAQ
“Great. I started to get worried.” A middle aged lady comes around the corner and stops when she sees Zeniqua. “Who is this?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEaaAa2wEe
“This is Zeniqua. She is a friend of mine. Well, she is Gracine’s cousin.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15qY0GtSwh
“Oh,” she perks up a little bit. “I am Mrs. Townsend. So, what’s this about son?”
“She needs a place to stay for the night. She is going through something and...she can’t go back to her house tonight.”
Mrs. Townsend looks over at Zeniqua, “Are you hungry?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZa149EVep
“No...a little bit.”
Mrs. Townsend looks at her son, “she can stay for the night. Go get the guest room ready while I fix you two something to eat.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IqlCbDJkR
“Thank you, mama.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmebCVOSwE
She nods. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFuDkdSYiu
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You can help me in the kitchen.” She nods to Zeniqua. Zeniqua follows her into the kitchen. Trell goes upstairs.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjX6p8SDQ1v
“Can you cook?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAc0aYBRhN
“Yes. But, what are you making?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcelHMJynp8
“Wonton soup and peking duck.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWtppydjq1
“I can do that.” She nods confidently. But, she wasn’t so sure if she could do that. They both sound so foreign to her. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42I0PGwqVC
They begin cooking even though Mrs. Townsend already had majority of the cooking done, Zeniqua still pitches in. “So, when did you move here?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDmSA0nP6A
“A few days ago. I needed a change of scenery.” Zeniqua shrugs her shoulders as she cuts the carrots up and places them in the roast beef stew pot. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOcYmvhHzW
“Oh. Where are you from?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEi9L81BYb
“Illinois.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkZz01cHsB
“And you came here by yourself?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0PJnhvzl7
“Alright, mama. That’s enough.” Trell says coming up behind them. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqeuYtJ34K
“What? I was just asking her some questions. I have to make sure she isn’t some kind of killer.” Mrs. Townsend assures. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeOEiqXAye
“It’s okay. I know my mom would have done the same thing.” Zeniqua says.
Mrs. Townsend puts the duck in the oven. “Sorry, if I seemed like I was pestering you.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8oWIkgIGVy
“No, it’s okay.” Zeniqua yawns and sits at the kitchen table. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OLwZAlnpY
“The room is ready when you are ready to lay down.” Trell says to Zeniqua. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONinenFfWt
She nods, “I don’t think I will be able to eat.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7lBd5F3ZM
“Oh, Trell make her a snack or something. This won’t be ready for a while.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K2r4Yq3fu
Trell makes a sandwich for her and pours sweet tea in a small cup. Zeniqua eats the sandwich and drinks the sweet tea.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQYJrej4cy
“Thank you.” She stands up, yawns, and stretches. She then follows Trell to the guest room, once there she gets in the bed and snuggles down. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwBxoPYWO4
Trell sits on the edge of the bed, “There. He won’t find you here and if he does then mama has something for him.” He winks. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOQITgqlwG
Zeniqua chuckles tiredly, her eyes hood, “I hope I can go to school or something. That way I won’t be home as much.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklPlZSCULU
“Yeah, maybe. But, for now, get some sleep.” He puts the sheets up to her neck and her eyes close. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfvoTZLA4C
“What’s wrong?” Trell asks her.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGMBPBl9En
She rubs her face and turn on her side to look out the window. She gets out of bed and goes to the window and looks at the stars. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDErANg3yw
Twinkling without a care in the world. No stress or disappointments. Just being their brightest. Zeniqua thinks to herself. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gxoH4uoYp
She sighs, “Would it be a good idea to go back to my Aunt’s house at all knowing that my father now knows where I am?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hsO5FSOp1
He scratches his cheek, “Where else would you go?” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35JXRE2xbh
“I don’t know. I know that I have some family members in California, but I don't know where. They are all spread out unlike my father’s family who are in one state.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGybGYXYPfB
“Illinois.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFgtHF2jGl
“Right.” She sits on the window seat and draws her knees to her chest. “I want to be with my mom’s side because I know my father doesn’t know where they all live. But, neither do I.” She begins to nibble on her finger nails. 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvRYcF7nmxC
He pats her hand for her to stop, she does. “I can help you find them.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlF0fsyxsDm
“How? You don’t know me or them.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5aP4J3GDt
“You’re right. But, I am sure Gracine knows where some of them are.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFGuWtmnNw
Zeniqua perks up a little, “You think so?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkWteQTxxz
“Yeah, she mentions a few cousins and where they live.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGkRbL1ZQJ
Zeniqua hugs Trell, “That would be so great.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCg0IBVMppl
Trell hugs her back, “Yeah, but if you have to run, I will run with you.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZpuHXPvNB
She lets go, “Wh..what?”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkRguD9P1L
“You are unlike any girl I have ever met and I don't want to lose this.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36hcbMOypd
“Trell, you hardly know me. I mean we met like a day ago or so.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6au9P18dxD
He shrugs his shoulders, “I know that. But, you are a smart girl who wants better for herself. I have no reason to turn you into your father or to rat you out. If you have to run, then I will go with you.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZSLn9sDv5
This boy is completely out of his mind. “I don’t know, Trell. I don’t want you to be in danger as well.”475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BYCdYctkd
“Look, just sleep on it. We can talk more about this in the morning.” He stands up and stretches with a yawn.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEMavO3t4g
“Okay. Good night, Trell.” 475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTTUL50Z6o
“Night.” He leaves the room closing the door behind him.475Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPfJ77T3nq
