Runaways (16 page)

“That's the mask, Pollyanna. Now you're getting it. See, she's smarter than you all thought.”

Even I had to laugh at that. Crystal sat back sulking. Soon, Raven began telling her more and more about us. I saw how it made Crystal nervous, but I couldn't see why it mattered. What was Sunshine going to do to hurt us? She was truly an experienced runaway. We were only freshmen. She talked as if she had graduated from the college of hard knocks years ago.

As night began to fall, we thought about dinner and sleeping. Things were more complicated now that Sunshine was riding with us.

“Where did you guys sleep last night?” she asked and Raven told her what had happened.

“Well, we're in luck tonight too,” she declared and pulled a credit card out of her pocketbook. “We'll be able to get a motel room.”

“Whose card is that?” Crystal asked suspiciously.

“Mine,” she said.

“I don't believe it,” Crystal said.

Sunshine shrugged. She did have a hard shell. Nothing Crystal said could get to her.

“When it gets us the room, you'll believe it, Pollyanna.”

“We should just sleep in the car,” Crystal insisted.

“I don't know, Sunshine, we could get caught if you're using a stolen credit card,” Raven said, and I could tell she was already worried about the few times I used Gordon's gas card.

“Well, I'm getting a room. If you all want to sleep in the car, go ahead,” Sunshine said with a shrug. “You know, it's not exactly safe sleeping in a car,” she added, looking back at Butterfly. “Someone could come along and steal the car with you in it!”

Butterfly's eyes nearly popped.

“That's ridiculous,” Crystal said.

“So it's ridiculous. Learn the hard way if you want,” Sunshine replied.

We drove on in silence, the sky darkening as storm clouds continued to drift over us. Finally, a motel came into view.

“This is a good enough place, not too busy. They'll be happy to see us. Let's get a room and get some pizza delivered,” Sunshine said.

“I guess it will be okay,” Raven said reluctantly. She looked at me. I glanced at Crystal, who was fuming, her arms folded across her chest, her face turned to the window.

“This is a democracy,” I declared. “We'll vote. All in favor of stopping here for the night, say aye.” Everyone but Crystal did. “The aye's have it.”

“Since when does she vote for us?” Crystal asked.

“She gets a vote. She's paying,” Raven insisted.

“Do what you want,” Crystal moaned.

I pulled into the motel entrance driveway and Sunshine stepped out.

“This won't take long,” she said. We watched her go into the office.

“How can she have a credit card, Brooke? She has no permanent address. She stole it for sure and we're letting her use it,” Crystal pointed out.

“She's signing everything, not us,” Raven said.

“You're letting her take over. We're going to get into more and more trouble,” Crystal predicted.

“We're on the road. We have to survive. I don't want to go back, do you?” Raven challenged. “Do you, Brooke?”

“Of course not,” I said.

“Me neither,” Butterfly said.

“Let her do something for us in return for
picking her up,” Raven concluded. It was obvious that Raven didn't want us to jump to conclusions about Sunshine—she believed everyone deserved a chance to prove themselves.

We watched the office door. After another five minutes. Sunshine emerged, smiling, holding up a room key. She got into the car.

“Drive over to 32,” she said. “Straight ahead.”

“There wasn't any problem?” I asked.

“No. Why should there be?”

“You had identification?” Crystal asked skeptically.

“Sure. I have lots of identification,” Sunshine said with a laugh. She opened her bag and produced a few licenses, other credit cards and even a college I.D. The college I.D. had her picture on it.

“Where did you get all that?” Raven asked.

“I.D.'s R Us. Where do you think?” she replied with a laugh. “Some of this friends got me. Some I got myself. If you're all nice, I'll tell you how to do it. And guess what, the clerk said there's a great pizza delivery place nearby. I can't wait to take a hot shower. Oh, the manager is willing to bring over a foldout cot. I guess you guys are used to sleeping together, so I'll use the cot.”

No one objected. Just as Sunshine had told us, the manager, a young, balding man followed, rolling a cot into the room. He handed Sunshine the extra bed linen.

“Thank you,” she told him with a seductive smile. He smiled back. “See you later,” she added.

“What's happening later?” I asked when he left.

“Nothing. I just promised him I'd meet him after work to have a drink in a nearby bar. Maybe I will,” she said.

“But you said you promised,” Butterfly reminded her.

She laughed.

“It won't be the first promise I broke or the last. Let's order the pizza. I'm starving.”

We ordered two pies and some soft drinks. While we waited, we took turns showering. The pizza arrived and Crystal dug into our bank to pay. We had our feast, everyone talking at once, except Crystal, who was still upset. Afterward, we watched some television and then, just a little after eleven, Sunshine said she had decided to meet the manager as promised.

“I won't be long,” she said. “Can I borrow the car keys, Brooke? I want to get my suitcase and put on something else.”

Crystal looked at me with worry, so I followed Sunshine out and opened the car myself. She got the suitcase, brought it in and changed her skirt and tank top to a pair of jeans and a blue sweatshirt.

“I hope I'm not overdressed for this place,” she said with a laugh. “Sleep tight, guys. I won't wake you when I come back,” Sunshine promised and left.

“Good riddance,” Crystal mumbled.

“Will you just let it go, Crystal. So far she's only given us good advice and helped us,” Raven said.

The rain that had threatened to fall all day began, the drops tapping on the window and the roof, falling so hard it sounded more like hail.

“I hope she doesn't get caught in the storm,” Raven said.

“It serves her right,” Crystal answered.

“I'm exhausted,” I said before they could get into another argument. I glanced at Butterfly, who
was already asleep. “Don't wake Butterfly,” I whispered.

Crystal turned off the lights.

“I like Sunshine,” Raven whispered. “She's a little nuts, but she's fun, isn't she, Brooke?”

“Yes, but Crystal's right, too. We can't take her with us forever, Raven. I'm worried about how we're going to get rid of her down the road,” I said.

As it turned out, we didn't have to worry about finding a way to part company with her.

We all fell asleep soon after we closed our eyes. When we opened them again, the first light of morning revealed Sunshine had never used her cot. The linen was still folded beside it. Raven was the first to notice when she sat up in bed.

“Look,” she pointed, “Sunshine never came back last night!”

Crystal moaned and rose slowly. Butterfly sat up and I followed. Everyone stared at the unused cot for a moment.

“Wait a minute,” Crystal said. “Her suitcase . . . wasn't it right there by the door?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“She came and took it and left us?” Raven said. “Why?”

Crystal shook her head.

“I don't know, but I'm happy and . . .”

Something else caught her eye. She gasped.

“What?” I cried.

Crystal moved so slowly across the room, I felt I was still dreaming. She lifted her blouse from the floor beside the chair where she had placed it and her skirt. Her purse was gone.

“Our money!” she cried and turned to me. “Brooke, all our money is gone!”

“I
t's all your fault!” Crystal screamed at Raven. “I told you we shouldn't pick her up, but you insisted. Now look,” she shouted, pointing at the chair where her purse had been.

Raven's lips began to tremble and her eyes teared. She turned to me and then looked at Butterfly, who was sobbing hard, her arms wrapped around her body as if she were freezing. Her eyelids fluttered and then her sobbing stopped so suddenly I thought her vocal cords had snapped.

“Butterfly?” Raven said.

Butterfly fell back to the pillow, her eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling, her mouth open too. She looked so scary. Her face was turning whiter every moment.

“Crystal! Something's happening to her,” I cried and hopped off the bed.

“It's all right, Butterfly,” I said, taking her hand. It felt so cold. “Crystal.”

“Don't panic,” she said in a controlled, deep voice. “If she hears your panic, she'll get even worse.”

Raven stood behind us, waiting, her head down. Crystal turned to her.

“Get a cold washcloth,” she ordered and Raven went to the bathroom. When she brought it back, Crystal put it on Butterfly's forehead. She patted her hand. “Come on, Butterfly. Don't drift off now. We need each other.”

Raven bit down on her lower lip, embracing herself as if she were freezing too. We were all falling apart and fast. I moved quickly to put my arm around Butterfly and then carefully lifted her into a sitting position. Her eyes looked like they were rolling back in her head. Crystal came around the other side.

“What's wrong with her?” I asked Crystal.

“It's just another anxiety attack, a little more severe. Stay calm,” she coaxed. She was really going to make one great doctor, I thought. “Quickly,” she said to Raven who crawled up on the bed. She put her head down and met Crystal's and mine. We brought Butterfly closer until she touched gently and then Crystal started, “We're sisters. We'll always be sisters. What happens to one, happens to all.”

Raven chanted along with me and soon our voices melded into one voice, one hope, one prayer. I felt Butterfly's taut body soften. Her skin became warmer. Soon, we heard her voice along with ours.

“We'll always be sisters. When one is sad, we'll all be sad. When one is happy, we'll all be happy.”

The four of us separated and Butterfly blinked her eyes rapidly, looking from one face to another.

“What's going to happen to us?” she asked as if time had stopped, as if the attack had never happened.

“You scared us to death,” Raven said shakily.

“I did?”

“Forget about it, Raven,” Crystal advised, giving her those big eyes.

Raven, still smarting from Crystal's accusations, was quick to listen. Butterfly looked from one of us to the other, confused.

“What will we do, Brooke?” she asked me. I had no answers and neither did Raven nor Crystal. Then Crystal went to her clothes.

“We're going to have to go back,” she said.

“No!”
Raven cried. “I won't go back.”

“I don't want to go back either,” Butterfly said.

I didn't say anything. Crystal was probably right, I thought. We couldn't live off a gas credit card and soon, Gordon would get his bill and put a stop to that anyway.

“You think I want to go back? Remember what Gordon did to me,” Crystal said, “but I don't see as we have much choice now. At least with that money, we had something of a budget. Now, we have nothing.”

“I've got two dollars,” Raven said.

“I think I have a few dollars, too,” Butterfly said.

“We all have a few dollars. Pool it and what do you get, ten dollars? How far is that going to get us?” She sounded defeated.

“Crystal's right. All we have now is some clothing in pillowcases. It's ridiculous to think we could drive across the whole country with that.”

“We can't go back,” Raven pleaded.

No one spoke for a while. We all got dressed, used the bathroom and then left the room. Raven stood on the sidewalk, holding her pillowcase of clothing, looking miserable as the three of us got into the vehicle.

“Raven, don't be ridiculous,” I said. “We'll go back and we'll think of something else.”

“No, we won't. If we go back, Gordon will make our lives a living hell—that is, if the state doesn't separate us and make us live somewhere worse than the Lakewood House.” She started to sniffle. “It's all my fault. I thought Sunshine was just like us; that she deserved a chance.”

“She took our money, Raven. No one's blaming you. We all bear some responsibility. I let her in the car, too. Just get into the car, please.”

“Get in, Raven,” Butterfly begged. “We can't leave without you.”

“I'm sorry I yelled at you, Raven,” Crystal said. “I can't blame you for wanting to help someone out.”

Raven gazed at Crystal and then softened. She looked down the row of motel rooms and then back at us.