10 year old Nevah months on the run

I let a warm puff of air out into my cupped hands. It was fall, and the weather was starting to drop. I overheard an elderly lady tell her friends that a cold front was coming tonight. Low forties.

The cold air was biting at my already rosy cheeks. The sun was setting and people were scrambling inside to warm themselves. I walked down the sidewalk of a small town. It appeared to be downtown.

My stomach growled as I neared a restaurant. The smell of tamales and Spanish rice was lingering in the air. I stopped in front of the window, peering inside. People were loudly chatting and eating warm food. My mouth watered when I saw a waiter bring some soup to a boy around my age.

Sighing, I shoved my hands into the jacket I had stolen back in Albuquerque, thankful that I had grabbed one lined with thick wool inside. I walked passed the restaurant. There was a couple of sorts in front of me laughing. The blonde hair woman playfully shoved the man.

"You asked for one, not half the bag!" The woman chuckled out. She was holding a bag of candy in her left hand, grabbing piece and popping it into her mouth.

"I couldn't help it." The man grinned.

Licking my lips, I quickly scanned my surroundings. No one else was outside besides these two. The two continued to laugh and pick on each other. Quietly picking up my pace, I walked besides the woman and swiftly grasped the bag of candy and shoved it inside my jacket. I walked passed them with a small grin.

"Stefan, give me my candy back." The woman demanded.

"I didn't take your candy." Stefan stated with confusion.

"Then who..." There was silence. "Was it her?"

"The little girl? Really, Lex?" Stefan scoffed out. "You think a little girl stole your candy?"

"Well no one else is out here, Stefan." Lex defended herself. I neared a corner as my palms started to sweat. "Let's ask her."

"She's a kid, Lexi." Stefan protested.

My stomach growled. I squeezed my eyes shut and picked up my pace, turning on the corner.

"And she's hungry." Lexi pointed out.

As soon as I was out of their vision, I broke out into a run. There was some shouts behind me, which I ignored, and kept running. I turned on another corner, before sliding into an alley behind a boutique.

I quickly walked to the other side of a trash bin and sat against the wall. Grabbing the candy out of my jacket, I reached into the bag and pulled out an M&M. A smile broke through my face before I quickly shoved the sweet into my mouth. A moan escaped me as I savored the chocolate candy. I haven't eaten at all today.

"If you're going to steal food, at least steal something nutritious." A voice spoke. Startled, I jumped to my feet and backed away from the two strangers.

"Woah, hey." Stefan held out his hands in front of him. "We aren't going to hurt you."

"What's you're name, kid?" Lexi asked. I stared blankly at her, grasping the bag of candy tighter.

"You're scaring her Lex." Stefan scolded the blonde. He eyed me quietly, taking in my appearance. "Where's your family?"

"Not here." I rasped out. I haven't used my voice in a while. Stefan and Lexi looked at one another.

"Do you have a place to stay tonight? It's going to be really cold." Lexi kneeled in front of me. I only stared her down. A chuckle broke through. "You're a tough one, huh? How about, we give you some warm food to put into your stomach and a warm place to stay tonight?"

"Okay..." I mumbled.

"C'mon, let's give you an actual meal to eat instead of candy and some warm clean clothes." Lexi stood up and wiggled her fingers.

"I'm not holding your hand." I lifted my chin in defiance.

"Alright," Stefan chuckled, "Can you tell us why you've been out on the streets?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I stated, walking passed him and Lexi.

"Kid, you look like you've been sleeping in the woods and haven't had a decent meal in weeks."

"It's none of your business." I crossed my arms.

"No, I guess not, but if we're going to help you out, why can't you at least tell us your name?" Stefan perked an eyebrow as the two walked alongside me.

"Nevah." I whispered, tucking a matted piece of hair behind my ear.

"I'm Lexi and that doofus over there is Stefan." Lexi giggled out as Stefan scoffed. We started to walk towards an old fashioned car. Stefan fished out his keys and walked to the drivers side.

"Okay, I'm going to drop off Lexi at a store so she can buy you some clean warm clothes and while she shops we'll pick something up for you to eat." Stefan stated as we entered his car. I closed the door and opened the bag of candy. "Does that sound good?"

"Yeah." I hummed, picking a blue M&M and tossing it into my mouth.

"Hey, buckle up missy." Lexi told me. I ignored her and continued to eat more candy. "Nevah, seat belts save lives. Stefan won't go anywhere until you put your seatbelt on."

"But they're annoying." I whined. "They choke me."

"It's either being uncomfortable or having a higher chance of dying." Stefan looked at me through the rearview mirror.

"Fine." I grumbled, fastening my seatbelt.

"Thank you." Stefan smiled at me. He started the car and turned the heater on, directing the vents towards me. A content sigh slipped passed my lips as I started to warm up. "What do you feel like having to eat?"

"Anything." I truthfully said. "Everything. I'm starving."

"There's a Sonic near Target." Lexi suggested. "Is that fine?"

"That's fine." I nodded, my stomach growling some more. "I haven't had Sonic in a long time."

"How long ago?" Stefan questioned. He stopped at a red light.

"A few months." I honestly said.

"You've been on the streets for months?" Lexi gasped, glanced at Stefan. The two seemed to be having a silent conversation.

"Yeah. Why?" I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes.

"Nothing, just that you're a pretty strong and brave kid." Stefan told me. He pressed the gas when the light turned green. "Where's your family?"

"Dead." I fiddled with my thumbs.

"You have no one?"

"No."

"You didn't go to Child Services or anything?" Lexi questioned as Stefan turned a corner.

"They were going to, but I ran away before they did." I turned my attention out of the car window. My breath fogged the glass, blurring the scene in front of me.

"Okay, Lex, call me or meet me over at Sonic, okay?" Stefan pulled up in front of Target.

"Alright. Should be done in about fifteen minutes." Lexi climbed out of the car. She gave me a smile and a wave before closing the door. Once she started to enter the store, Stefan drove away.

"Do you know what you want from Sonic?" Stefan turned to face me momentarily.

"Not a kids meal for sure." I sheepishly smiled. Stefan let out a chuckle.

"A burger sound good?" Stefan pulled into Sonic and parked in one of the lots with the speaker thing.

"With a large cup of water." I beamed.

Stefan ordered our food and patiently waited for Lexi to come back. There was an awkward silence in the air. I kept my gaze out the window waiting to spot the person who was going to bring our food. Stefan was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"So..." Stefan started. "Where you from?"

"Texas." I blurted out without thinking. I winced to myself for slipping it up. Not a smart move.

"How'd you make it to California?" Stefan straightened his posture and turned to look at me. I hesitantly looked towards him.

"Um, you know, transportation."

"How old are you?" Stefan narrowed his eyes.

"Old enough to not be considered a kid." Turned my attention towards the window again.

"That's still not a reason to be roaming the country. For one, it's not healthy for your body, and two-"

"Oh look!" I grinned at the sight of an employee walking out of the fast food restaurant with a red tray filled with food. The lady walked the other way to a black car. I grumbled and crossed my arms over my stomach as it roared. "Can't they bring it out any faster?"

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?"

"Uh..." I closed an eye as I thought it over. "Maybe Thursday?"

"You haven't ate a decent meal since Thursday?" Stefan looked at me in shock. "It's Sunday."

"Oh, uh, yeah." I brought my legs up onto the seat. I haven't eaten a decent sized meal since the last Thursday of last month....but I wasn't going to tell him that. "So...are you from here?"

"Actually, I'm from a small town in Virginia." Stefan answered giving me a look. "What town of Texas are you from?"

"Not gonna say." I hummed out with a cheeky smile. "You?"

"Not gonna say." He repeated with a soft chuckle. There was a knock on the window bringing our attention to the lady carrying our food. Stefan lowered the window, grabbed our food and paid. "Thank you."

"Have a nice day." The lady smiled and walked away.

"Here you go," Stefan passed me the bag that held my food and gave me my drink, "eat up."

"Thanks." I muttered, eagerly grabbing my meal. I quickly took out the burger and unwrapped it. It wasn't long until I took a big bite. A moan slipped out as the savory warm meal danced on my taste buds. A sheepish smile and a blush warmed my cheeks. "It's really good."

The passenger door swung open and Lexi climbed inside with three bags. Stefan pulled out of the parking lot after she closed the door. She placed them next to me before reaching for her food. As she grabbed a tater tot, she looked over at me.

"I got you a couple of clothes to last a week and a backpack." Lexi popped the tater tot into her mouth. "Hopefully you like them, tried not to get dressed and such. You seem like a girl who's athletic."

"Yeah," I took a sip of water, "I used to play soccer."

"Really?" Stefan asked. "What position?"

"Midfield and sometimes stopper. Did you guys play sports growing up?"

"Uh," Stefan and Lexi exchanges a glance, "we're more into hunting and going to concerts. But, if I were to tryout for a sport it would probably be football."

"That's boring." Lexi rolled her eyes. "I think I would probably either be in tennis or softball."

I gave a nod at their answers. Minutes passed as we are ate food in silence.it wasn't long until Stefan pulled up into an apartment complex. He parked the car and the three of us walked to wards their apartment. We entered the apartment, it being on the first floor. I glanced around, spotting two bedrooms.

"You can sleep in my room tonight. I'll crash out on the couch." Lexi handed me my bags.

"I can sleep on the couch, it's okay." I told her. "Or the floor. Either works for me. You can have you bed tonight."

"How about this, you take a shower and freshen up, we'll talk about it. There's even some toothpaste and a pack of toothbrushes in your bags somewhere." Lexi started to lead to towards their bathroom.

I grumbled under my my breath and did as she said. Lexi shot me a smile before closing the door behind her. Locking it, I dug through the Target bags. The first two bags were filled with jeans, shorts, tops, a jacket, and undergarments. The second had the backpack, toothpaste and toothbrushes. With a sigh, I ripped off the tags and started to place the clothes into the bag besides one outfit. Once that was done, I took a quick shower.

I quickly dried off and put on my clothes. Running my hair through my knotted hair, I looked around for a hairbrush. I winced as my fingers tugged at a knot. I searched the cabinets and couldn't find anything. Heaving a sigh, I opened the door and looked for Lexi.

"They should be coming soon." Lexi said. I froze and listened in. "It's right, right? What we're doing?"

"She's only a kid. She needs someone took take care of her and feed her. She needs an education." Stefan explained.

I slowly walked down the hallway and saw the two of them talking in the kitchen. They both had a glass of red wine.

"I know." Lexi sighed. "But I feel so guilty about it. I mean, we can do that for her. Neither of us can have kids anyway, we can take her in."

"But she needs an actual family...not us." Stefan frowned.

Lexi let out a groan and placed her head into her hands. Stefan patted her back before taking a sip from his glass. Walking backwards, I went back into the bathroom and grabbed the backpack. Knowing it would be suspicious if I walked out the front door, I went into one of the bedrooms.

Neither of the adults followed after me. The room was a navy blue. It was obviously Stefan's. Taking a deep breath in, I went to the closest window and opened it. I winced at the creaking sound. My heart beat quickened when I heard the scrape of chairs rubbing against the tile. I quickly hopped out and ran for it.

"Nevah!"

"Nevah wait!"

I ignored the two and headed down the street. The cold wind felt like slaps to my face, but I couldn't bare the thought of staying with the two and wait for Child Services to appear. I heard the pounding foot steps behind me. Picking up my pace, I felt an all too familiar tug. A smile grew on my face as I followed my instincts.

Going into the wooded area off the sidewalk, I could hear the stream up ahead. I ran into the water and went upstream. The small fish chirped greetings to me as they lead the way.

"Nevah! Hold on, you didn't hear all of the conversation." Lexi huffed our, grabbing my arm. I spun around and smacked her hand away. She blinked in surprise. "Nevah-"

"No!" I glared up at her. "You can't treat me like this, like-like some charity case. I'm better off without anyone helping me. This is why I avoided people. They'll just turn me into Child Services."

"Nevah, we called them to see if there was anyway we could find a family member or a friend to take you in." Stefan told me.

"I don't have any family or friends!" The water from the stream started to rise.

"Uh, what the hell is happening?" Lexi took a hesitant step towards me. I took one back, the water causing a small divider to be placed between us. "Are you doing this?"

"Ow!" Stefan gasped in shock. Looking over at him, I saw all the fish biting at his exposed ankles. A smiled tugged at my lips. "Fish bite?"

I used that as my distraction and started to walk away. Lexi and Stefan went back and forth on the topic of biting. Following the stream, I adjusted the straps of the backpack. Time to move on to a new city.

Hey guys! So, I'm currently studying for midterms so I haven't been able to update since I've been studying. So I came on here to well procrastinate and I saw that this was finished but not published so...here you go!😁