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I thought I knew her when I saw her. She had the same sad eyes, the same curved nose, the same high cheekbones. I pretended not to see her just incase it was, even when she greeted me. I didn’t want to talk. But images of her went racing through my mind, flashing behind my eyes as I turned my back and walked the opposite direction. I turned on my poker face and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my sweater to hide the trembling, and tilted my chin up to add fake confidence to my stride.

What was she doing here? Was it even her?

It couldn’t have been.

I glanced behind me to see if she was still there. She wasn’t.

Good.

I turn and bump right into her, almost knocking her over.

Before I can apologize she says, “So you’re avoiding me now?”

Her eyes are just as gentle as before, like doe eyes: black and innocent with long, curled lashes framing them, blinking back at me in an expectant glare.

I don’t know what to say, so I say nothing, and wait for her to begin her speech.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were leaving?” she asks sharply, resting a hand on an exposed hip.

I sigh, “I don’t know. It was hard I guess.”

“Nneka really missed you! She really looked up to you. You broke her heart when you left and didn’t even say bye.”

Still, I can’t find any words to say. We stand there looking at each other, waiting for my thoughts to translate into a human language as the unforgiving sun beats down on the land around us, creating illusions of water down every walkway.

After some time she tilts her head and asks, “Well?” rushing me. Trying to get some type of verbal response out of me.

But what can I say? There are a million things I could’ve done instead. I could have announced it. I could’ve left a note. I could’ve broke them out and brought them with me. I could have stayed. At the very least I could’ve said bye, but I didn’t. And I don’t even have a real reason why. I just got up early one morning when the sky was still black, gathered all my money, stole some food out of Dianna’s cupboard, and started walking, just walking and watching the sky turn pink then finally blue. I walked for days, always towards the rising sun. I guess a part of me just wanted to be away from that place, even if that meant having nowhere to go.

“I got the impulse to go town hopping,” I finally say. Before she can respond I continue, “And what are you doing way out here? You’re a long way from Dianne’s.”

A wicked smirk spread across her lips, “We left that place months ago.”

“Yea?” I ask, genuinely surprised, “How did you manage that?”

Kina covered a sly grin with her hand, as if holding back laughter, spun on her heels and walked away. I find myself following without thinking.

“Uh- Where are you going?” she asks, meeting my eyes from over her shoulder.

“That’s what I was about to ask you.”

“Really? About two minutes ago you were trying to run away from me, remember that?”

I smile against my own will.

“I do, but, in my defense... I have no defense. Just answer my questions please.”

Questions? Questions plural?”

“Yea, I need to know how you got away from Dianne’s and how in the hell did you end up in front of me when I damn near jogged away from you.”

She stops to let me catch up.

“Answer to the first question: I’m fast. Answer to the second question: I’m fast. Is that good enough for you?”

“Not at all.”

“It’s gonna have to be, ‘cause you’re not welcome where I’m going,” she states, her smile fading.

“Well, can we talk about it somewhere else?”

“You should be more concerned about talking to Nneka. And you better hope you see her before she sees you-”

“Or what?” I scoff, remembering the frail, white-skinned girl, who sloppily covered her teal spots with powder to hide her skin condition. What could she do to me?

Kina suddenly became eerily somber.

“You’ve been gone way to long, Amnon. She is not the sweet little girl she was when you left and she’s grown up to be quite the animal.”

I gulp without realizing. If Kina of all people is warning me, it might behoove me to get out of town.

I turn to leave, the room I rented is near by.

 

“You shouldn’t have promised to free her!” Kina yells at my back as I damn near jog to the boarding house to gather my things.






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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.