154 Chapter 154
Seraphina’s POV 1
The morning air was crisp and cold against my face as I stood on the Morrison’s front porch, my small duffel bag at my feet like a faithful dog waiting to follow me into the unknown.
I’d barely slept. How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Adrian’s face at the school. Felt that moment of recognition when he’d sensed me nearby. The memory made my chest tight with panic and longing in equal measure.
“You sure about this, honey?” Margaret appeared in the doorway, her weathered hands wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee. Her eyes were red-rimmed, like she’d been crying, and the sight made my throat close up.
“I’m sure,” I lied, epting the coffee gratefully. The warmth seeped through the ceramic and into my cold fingers.
“It’s not toote to change your mind,” she said softly. “You could stay. We could figure something else out.”
I shook my head, not trusting my voice. If I spoke, if I let even one crack show in my resolve, I’d crumblepletely. I’d throw my arms around this woman who’d be the mother I’d never really had and beg her to let me stay forever.
The screen door creaked open, and Robert emerged with his own coffee, his silver hair still messed up from sleep. He looked older this morning, more tired, like my leaving was aging him in real time.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Sleep at all?”
“A little.”
He nodded. “Caleb’s getting the truck warmed up,” Robert said, gesturing toward the driveway where I could hear the engine rumbling. “He’ll get you to the bus station safe.”
“Thank you.” The words felt inadequate. How do you thank people who saved your life?
Margaret set down her coffee and pulled me into one of her bone-crushing hugs. She smelled like flour and vani and home, and I had
to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from sobbing.
“You call us,” she whispered fiercely against my hair. “The minute you
settled somewhere, you call. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“And if you need anything-money, a ce to stay, someone to talk to-you call. Day or night. You understand me?”
My voice cracked. “I understand.”
She pulled back, cupping my face in her soft hands. “You’re going to be okay, baby girl. You’re stronger than you know.”
*No, I’m not,* I wanted to tell her. *I’m the weakest person in the world. Strong people don’t abandon their children.*
But I just nodded and tried to smile.
Robert stepped forward, pulling me into his own gentler embrace. “Take care of yourself out there,” he murmured. “The world can be a
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hard ce for someone on their own.”
“I will,” I whispered.
“And remember,” he pulled back, his pale eyes serious, “you’ll always have a home here.”
The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over. “Thank you. Both of you. For everything”
“Don’t thank us,” Margaret said, wiping at her own eyes. “You’re family. That’s what family does.
The truck horn honked gently, and I knew it was time. No more dys. No more excuses.
I picked up my bag and headed down the porch steps, my legs feeling like lead. Every step took me further from safety and closer to the
vast.
Caleb was waiting by the passenger door, his blonde hair catching the morning sunlight. He looked tired too, like none of us had slept
much.
“Ready?” he asked, though his tone suggested he hoped the answer was no.
“Ready.”
I climbed into the warm cab of the truck, breathing in the familiar scents of motor oil and coffee. Through the windshield, I could see
Margaret and Robert on the porch, watching us with worried faces.
Caleb got in beside me and put the truck in drive, but he didn’t move. Not yet.
“Last chance,” he said quietly. “We can turn around right now. Pretend this whole conversation never happened.”
I looked at him-this man who’d given me shelter and friendship and asked for nothing in return. This man who’d kept my secrets and
protected me from the world.
I whispered. “You know I can’t.”
He sighed, long and heavy. “I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
We drove in silence for the first few minutes, the familiarndscape rolling past the windows. Fields and farms and the asional house,
all of it looking peaceful in the golden morning light.
“So,” Caleb said finally, his voice carefully casual, “you thought about where you want to go?”
“West, I think.” I’d been thinking about this all night, trying to pick a destination that felt far enough away. “Somewhere with lots of
people. Easy to disappear.”
The bus station appeared ahead of us, a small concrete building with a faded sign and a few people waiting on benches outside.
Caleb parked near the entrance and killed the engine. For a moment, we just sat there in the sudden silence.
“The 9:30 bus goes to Pornd,” he said quietly. “From there you can catch connections to wherever you want to go.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
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“And Sera?” He turned to face me fully. “When you get where you’re going, when you find a ce to live-call me.”
“Okay.” The word came out as barely a whisper,
“I mean it. I want to know you’re safe. Mom will worry herself sick if she doesn’t hear from you.”
“I’ll call,” I promised. “I’ll visit too, when I can. When it’s safe.”
His smile was sad but genuine. “I’d like that.”
I grabbed my bag and got out of the truck before I could change my mind. The morning air bit at my cheeks as I walked toward the bus
station, each step feeling final and irrevocable.
Behind me, I heard the truck door m and Caleb’s footsteps on the asphalt.
“Sera, wait!”
I turned, and he was there, holding out a folded piece of paper.
“My number,” he exined. “In case you lose it or your phone dies or whatever. And Mom’s famous chocte chip cookie recipe. She
insisted.”
I took the paper, holding it like it was made of gold. “Tell her I’ll make them and think of her.”
“I will.” He pulled me into a quick, fierce hug. “Be safe. Be happy.”
Then he was walking back to his truck, and I was standing alone outside the bus station with my pathetic little bag and a folded piece of paper that felt like a lifeline.
I bought my ticket from the sleepy-eyed clerk behind the counter and found a seat near the back of the bus. Through the tinted window, I could see Caleb still sitting in his truck, waiting to make sure I got on safely.
The bus pulled away from the station with a diesel roar and a cloud of exhaust, carrying me away from the only ce I’d felt safe in months. I watched the Morrison house territory disappear behind us, watched Caleb’s truck get smaller and smaller until it was just a
dot, then nothing at all.
*
*This is it, I thought. *I’m
this.*
My bag was wedged between my feet, and as the bus swayed around a curve, I felt something shift inside it. Something that hadn’t been there when I’d packed.
I unzipped the mainpartment and reached inside, my fingers finding a thick envelope tucked between my clothes.
My heart stopped.
Written on the envelope in Margaret’s careful handwriting: “For our Sarah. For whateveres next. With all our love.”
Inside was cash. Hundreds of dors in twenties and fifties and hundreds, all neatly folded together.
A note was tucked in with the money: “Every girl needs a little security when she’s starting over. Don’t you dare try to pay us back. This is a gift, not a loan. Use it to build something beautiful. Mom and Dad Morrison” 1
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*Mom and Dad Morrison.*
I pressed my hand over my mouth, but the sob came anyway. Then another. And another.
The woman across the aisle gave me a concerned look. “You okay, honey?”
I nodded, unable to speak, tears streaming down my face.