I love this freaken book!

~Maddy

_____________

"So why are you traveling?" Katie's mother asked.

Red looked at her, his mind drawing a blank. She was currently sitting in the row across from Red, while her daughter was coloring next to the window.

"I um. . . I'm starting my life." He said with a weak smile, telling half of the truth.

The mother hummed. "That's nice, were coming back from visiting family." Red nodded.

"Why don't they live in the same town as you?" Katie's mother smiled.

"They're. . ." She glanced at her daughter. "Addicted to the sugar." She said before giving Red a wink.

Red nodded sadly. "So we're my parents. . . Part of the reason I'm leaving." He added on.

"Oh, I'm sorry. . . Umm I don't think I ever got your name." Red looked back up at her.

"My name is. . . Michael." He said with a pause, not sure if she should give her his while name.

She smiled, "My name is Heather and this is Katie." Red smiled, trying to see what she was drawing, but not being able to. "Do you have anywhere to stay at?" She asked softly.

Red shook his head, slowly trusting this woman. She smiled, "Well, we live in this nice apartment area, with low rent, you could live in a nearby apartment if you want." Red smiled at the offer.

"I would love to. Thank you for the offer." Red said with a smile.

"Its not a problem, I love to help people." She said looking back at her daughter once more.

~~~○~~~

Squid slipped out of the old warehouse and made his way down the street. He figured that Red didn't have a lot of money, and that he couldn't cross over state borders because he took his gun. The reason he knew this is because he checked his room.

Squid made it to a nearby bus stop and checked the stops it made. He knew Red was escaping so he would want to go the farthest place possible, and that would be at least three cities away. He sighed and ran his hand through the long tendrils of deep blue hair.

He bit his lips, trying to decide if he should go with his gut or use his brain on this matter. The bus then pulled up and he quickly made his choice.

He hopped on the bus heading three cities away from the facility.

~~~○~~~

Soon the bus made it to the next city and pine trees covered the landscape. Red looked up towards the mountains and saw that large gray clouds were heading over the city.

He always loved the rain and loved to snuggle up in warm blankets. The thought of doing that made him smile and feel fuzzy on the inside.

"Ready to go Michael?" His real name caught him off guard until he saw Heather and Katie standing up. He smiled and nodded, following them off the bus.

Once off, he looked around the small little market area. It was a lot nicer and brighter than the other two towns. This one doesn't have the scary stalker feel.

"What is the boy like?!" Katie said, walking next to Red while her mother walked on her other side.

Reds face flushed a bright pink. "Umm... well...." He trailed off.

"Katie, it's not nice to ask those things." Her mother warned. Red looked up at her mother and finally took a nice look at her.She had soft brown hair and light brown hazel eyes. Her face was kind and her skin seemed soft. Her hair reach around her jawbone and she also had a slim figure.

"But mom-" Katie began.

"It's fine." Red cut her off as they turned a corner, leading down another street. "But if I answer this, I get to ask you a question." He said towards the girl.

She nodded excitedly and waited for Red to answer.

Red smiled before trying to find the words to say without giving away their secret. "Well, he's strong and a leader. He has a soft touch and always looks out for me. . ." Red paused, memories flooding his mind. He smiled before continuing. "He. . . He's gentle yet protective. He loves all the sides of me and makes sure to care for each one." He ended, a deep red blush on his cheeks and a small happy smile on his face.

He looked down at Katie and found her smiling up at Red, seeming to have stars in her eyes. "Now, I have a question for you." Katie nodded.

"Why do you like dinosaurs so much?"

~~~○~~~

"And here's the keys to the apartment." Red carefully took the ring from the lady at the front desk. "And I'll cut you slack for this month but rent is 100 dollars a month afterwards." Red looked up at her and smiled.

"Thank you." He said as he shifted his bag better on his shoulder. He gripped the key tightly as he left the front desk and headed toward the main buildings.

His space was small and even furnished. Red was happy about that. It was very small with a tiny kitchen, living room, a small full sized bathroom and a small bedroom.

Red closed the door and leaned against it. He swung his bag to his front and opened it, soon setting it down. "Apple?" His partner said, popping out of the bag.

"Hey Apple," Red said tiredly. "You can come out now." He smiled as he stumbled out of the bag and walk around the small space.

"Apple?" He looked around the space, kinda confused. Red smiled and picked up his bag from the ground and headed to the kitchen.

He took out his two Gatorade bottles and the donuts and crackers. There were very little crackers left, since Apple had eaten them in the bag.

He put the bottles in the small fridge and the crackers and donuts in the pantry. Red jumped when he hears a knock on his door. "Apple, go into the bedroom and stay in there please." Red said urgently.

Apple nodded and waddled to the bedroom quickly.

Red sighed and fixed his tail situation before going to answer the door. He opened it and saw Heather and Katie standing there. "Oh, hey guys. Wanna come in?" He said giving them a shy smile.

"Yeah!" Katie said as Red stood to the side. The two came in and Katie ran over to the small couch, pulling out her coloring book.

"Do you like it?" Heather asked Red as he closed the door.

"Yeah, it will work for a while." He said with a smile as he looked around the room.

"Michael! I made you a picture!" Katie yelled, standing on the couch, looking over at Red.

"Katie, get off the couch." Her mother scolded. The small girl then hopped of the couch and handed Red a piece of paper.

Red took it and a wide smile appeared on his face. It was a scribbled version of a red dinosaur and a smaller little baby blue dino next to it.

"I love it."