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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPewmZlOtEO
“What's wrong?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWgEyIyrpf
She gasps and looks around. A figure steps from behind the tree. Zeniqua squints, “Contrelle?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBQ1KnX6Ht
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?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrzxjGDZgP
She nods. He helps her up. “What are you doing out here?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGqzPzigUL
“Ah,” they begin walking, “we are supposed to be talking about you and your crying.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm97qeySwK
She blinks, “yes, but what are you doing out here at night?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfxR9pa23D
“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.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOonJQdYpNR
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.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRW10bfJOKw
“That sounds awful. Is he at your aunt's house still?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhLZoSEooM
“I don't know. I don't want to go back there tonight. I can’t.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4jNV6V8jF
“I can talk to my mom and see if she will let you stay in the guest room for tonight.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXUJWc8rLn
“I can’t let you do that.” Her eyes widen. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtWkm3yfcx
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.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLT10CKgwv
She nods understanding what he is saying, “Alright.” They continue walking. “But what if she says ‘no’ then what am I going to do?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGP9Msp4R22
“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.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpK50d859d2
“O-okay.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUsaQL3ceL
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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDUBNx6zhY
“Great. I started to get worried.” A middle aged lady comes around the corner and stops when she sees Zeniqua. “Who is this?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nRz4ML658
“This is Zeniqua. She is a friend of mine. Well, she is Gracine’s cousin.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClhHEZcn7z
“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?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIrEqSAtKq
“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.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kulXynvAH
“Thank you, mama.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzxAhjmrvK
She nods. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡya4xrEhRWS
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You can help me in the kitchen.” She nods to Zeniqua. Zeniqua follows her into the kitchen. Trell goes upstairs.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrsRCs5Ycr
“Can you cook?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZed6xJGl8
“Yes. But, what are you making?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEripcgVOq
“Wonton soup and peking duck.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdR71DJJ3Ct
“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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTW9JzcHzC
They begin cooking even though Mrs. Townsend already had majority of the cooking done, Zeniqua still pitches in. “So, when did you move here?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtj9l0yZV8c
“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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwAYyiZDES
“Oh. Where are you from?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRf59JFnpP
“Illinois.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhLZunBd2e
“And you came here by yourself?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbWj0jnqZB
“Alright, mama. That’s enough.” Trell says coming up behind them. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhKeYPx44X
“What? I was just asking her some questions. I have to make sure she isn’t some kind of killer.” Mrs. Townsend assures. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPWAS2EZcV
“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.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDMiDZcwMG
“No, it’s okay.” Zeniqua yawns and sits at the kitchen table. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwo4JAkJ5g
“The room is ready when you are ready to lay down.” Trell says to Zeniqua. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGW2CQKChK
She nods, “I don’t think I will be able to eat.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxEzS4SG2U
“Oh, Trell make her a snack or something. This won’t be ready for a while.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIk6GwyyaB
Trell makes a sandwich for her and pours sweet tea in a small cup. Zeniqua eats the sandwich and drinks the sweet tea.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAt67cHVK6
“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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa53Wrttk45
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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlKwPFJyEJ
Zeniqua chuckles tiredly, her eyes hood, “I hope I can go to school or something. That way I won’t be home as much.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAT6lVsE1z
“Yeah, maybe. But, for now, get some sleep.” He puts the sheets up to her neck and her eyes close. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEzFGvAQLT
“What’s wrong?” Trell asks her.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XEMjlbPtA
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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6raKN6GIva
Twinkling without a care in the world. No stress or disappointments. Just being their brightest. Zeniqua thinks to herself. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRBOXOF60t
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?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuJSFAzb6l
He scratches his cheek, “Where else would you go?” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiodY8gpAah
“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.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Lf9roncAp
“Illinois.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IHHsqXZGE
“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. 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq4u6OUdqy
He pats her hand for her to stop, she does. “I can help you find them.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeta43U7WtN
“How? You don’t know me or them.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJWcpsj3AI
“You’re right. But, I am sure Gracine knows where some of them are.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFqVfav6kX
Zeniqua perks up a little, “You think so?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzReA2W556K
“Yeah, she mentions a few cousins and where they live.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TB83AoOVZ
Zeniqua hugs Trell, “That would be so great.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MhOIhTlkL
Trell hugs her back, “Yeah, but if you have to run, I will run with you.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPUUP54dEu
She lets go, “Wh..what?”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PYfreu6Vy
“You are unlike any girl I have ever met and I don't want to lose this.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDz7qb1prQ
“Trell, you hardly know me. I mean we met like a day ago or so.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvev4YOVLmN
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.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XsbBeAcqR
This boy is completely out of his mind. “I don’t know, Trell. I don’t want you to be in danger as well.”580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8qLuYD0qX
“Look, just sleep on it. We can talk more about this in the morning.” He stands up and stretches with a yawn.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD708clQhux
“Okay. Good night, Trell.” 580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78xRK4WDyI
“Night.” He leaves the room closing the door behind him.580Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY920jiYIyH
