Chapter One: Runaway.

 

The park at Little Falls Nook was off-the-road and not that popular.  One would think that the site with its campfire pit, handy lake and privacy ensuring tree cover would be a magnet for local teens looking to hang out and/or cause trouble.   However, fate dictated that other spots served the needs of unruly high school students just as well and so Little Falls was overlooked -for the most part.

Lindsay, who had previously learned to pitch a tent during a brief stint as a girl guide (courtesy of an earlier foster family of course), looked around and then set up in a secluded spot on the old campgrounds.  She was glad to have taken the tent when she considered the chill fall weather all around.  Inspecting her work, she was pleased with the results.  The small dome could readily pass as part of the natural surroundings and was really only out of place if you knew its occupant wasn't truly supposed to be there.  As a bonus the old toilet block was mostly functional and even included an outdoor shower.  At least Lindsay wouldn't be squatting in any bushes if nature called in the middle of the night.  This would do while Lindsay planned her next steps.

Lindsay pulled her mathematics book out of her backpack, brushed some leaves off the bench with one hand and sat at the picnic table.  She thought about doing some homework but instead spent some time seriously considering the costs and benefits of going back to school.  Rodney never collected her from school, that was one reason Lindsay owned the bicycle.  She doubted that he would even bother to track her down, what with all the complaints about how much she cost to keep and how "useless" she was around the house.  Therefore, she was probably fine until the next round of in-person, home inspections and those were becoming further and further apart the older Lindsay got.  No; Rodney would just keep collecting his payments and keep his mouth shut.  So, all Lindsay had to do was keep the teachers and her classmates from suspecting she was living alone and homeless.  As long as she laundered her clothes regularly and made judicious use of the locker room shower block in the gym...

Besides, if Lindsay did get caught out then she would tell the whole tale and just take her chances with the system, again.  Meanwhile, school was obviously the way to keep her life as on track as it could be.   She was definitely not the kind of girl who wanted to miss out on an education and the opportunities it was supposed to provide.   Lindsay sighed and then began doing some geometry as a way to take her mind somewhere else for a while.

When it began to rain, Lindsay rode to the library.   Ahh, shelter and internet access she thought happily as she entered through the heavy front doors.   A short while later she was parked in front of a computer screen both doing research for a biology project and checking her email.   Damn!  Her babysitting gig for tonight had been called off.  She was going to need that money if she was going to survive.  Well, what's done is done and what will be will be.  Still, Lindsay was angry about the last-minute jerk around.  Her wallet currently held about $22.

Hitting the books again, Lindsay was greeted by a couple of her classmates.   Noah Harjo and Savannah Price. GAG!  Sidney gave Lindsay a hard time about her lack of family and lack of money.  She was the type who boosted herself up by bringing others down.  Lindsay thought Noah was okay, sort of.   Except he was practically head of the Savannah Price fan club.  No accounting for taste.  They both sat at Lindsay's table and began not-too-subtlety to pick Lindsay's brain about their homework assignments.  Lindsay politely put up with it for about an hour.  At least she'd finished her own work and the rain had let up some.  Then Lindsay left the library.

By the time she got across town again the sky was beginning to darken with night and not just clouds.  The pier was not too distant from Little Falls.   Lindsay's stomach was growling from her missed lunch.  Stopping at a stall, Lindsay haggled a little with one of the vendors.   Passing over $7 in exchange for a carnival quality (i.e. very cheap) lobster roll, she tried not to think too hard about where her meals would be coming from moving forward.  With a sigh, Lindsay sat on a nearby bench and ate the lukewarm sandwich quickly.

Starvation averted for a day; Lindsay peddled across the boardwalk, across the road and towards Little Falls Nook.  Securing her bike in some bushes and ensuring all her meager belongings were safely inside the tent, Lindsay stripped off her boots followed by her pants.  Then she huddled down and braced herself for that first cold, lonely night.  Actually, she was asleep soon after her head hit the jacket she was using as a makeshift pillow.