RUN

I find it funny, how we are always searching for a sense of normality; something stable, something regular amongst even the least normal situations. That’s probably why some guy is sitting on one of the plastic chairs a couple away from me, watching the washing machine spin in front of him and waiting. He’s brought his washing down to the laundromat, even as our country falls apart and nothing seems stable any more.

Once this was a unified country, under a government that no longer exists, and now all we have is a country torn apart by something that was meant to make it better. I look to the window and out onto the street, which is practically empty apart from the odd passer-by and an occasional soldier, trying to restore what little order is left. Rubble and litter illuminated under the dim street lights line the road and pavement, and no cars come down the street. Shop windows are smashed from earlier break-ins and a distant yell disrupts the silence. The only sounds here are my breathing and the rumble of the washing machine.

Suddenly a girl comes sprinting down the street and stops right in front of the window, looking over her shoulders desperately. Her brown eyes go to the laundromat sign, and she smiles and walks inside, the door slamming shut as she slides into the chair next to me. A soldier walks by, scanning the area with a scowl on his face as she pulls her hood over her head, slouching down in her seat.

He walks past and she laughs slightly, sitting up straight and taking off her hood, letting her dark curly hair fall down to her shoulders. She looks at me.

‘Hey, interesting place to hang out,’ she says, smiling in amusement.

‘Well, it’s better than walking those streets,’ I respond, raising my eyebrows.

She nods, looking to the guy and the washing machine, then swinging her head back to me.

‘You running from someone?’

‘Yeah, I guess I can assume the same about you. What did you do to get chased by that soldier?’ I ask and she laughs again.

She reaches into her bag and pulls out an expensive watch, the silver glinting under the fluorescent light as she smiles to herself. I nod in response, looking slightly to my scuffed sneakers before I ask, ‘I’m Paige. What’s your name?’

‘Natalia,’ she responds and I nod, reaching for my backpack next to me and slinging it onto my shoulders.

‘Well, Natalia, we better keep moving then,’ I say, and she follows me out of the laundromat, leaving the guy behind.

We walk the streets, trying to avoid both the soldiers and the rebels that move in groups, their cold faces searching for the enemy. It begins to drizzle slightly, so I look for another place to take shelter – when I see a red neon sign saying DINER. We walk through the empty car park and open the door, the bell ringing as we step inside and cautiously approach the red counter, where a waitress is wiping it down. I look to her name-tag, which says Sara.

‘Come and sit down loves,’ she says to us, and we slide onto the stools. She looks to our back packs, raising her eyebrows as she reaches for the coffee pot, dragging over two cups.

‘You girls on the run?’

We nod, and she pours the coffee into both cups, pushing them over to us in a silent gift. I smile in appreciation, bringing the cup to my mouth and feeling the caffeine go through my body, a sensation I haven’t felt in a while. We drink in silence until the cups are empty, then I look over my shoulder as I hear a loud chatter nearby. My heart drops as I realise they’re rebels, heading towards the door and I stand up, grabbing Natalia’s arm. Sara nods to the back exit and we make a run for it, sprinting through the kitchen and out into the alleyway, but Natalia is slightly behind as I reach the doorway.

‘Natalia?’ I whisper.

‘Calm down, I’m coming,’ she whispers back and she comes out, both of us gasping to catch our breath.

We continue for the next week, walking through the shadows, stealing food that we need, sleeping in whatever shelter we could find. Tonight, we found an old boutique and now sit in our sleeping bags and talk as we eat our canned food in the candle light.

‘So, how did you get to be on the run?’ she asks, digging her spoon into the can.

I sigh as memories come back to me, B’s cruel face looking at mine, her eyes as grey and as cold as the steel she held in her hands.

‘Do it Paige. Do it for the people, do it for our freedom.’

I take a breath, before I begin speaking.

‘I was part of the rebellion before this, because I was a teenager who thought I was changing the world, making life better for everyone. We were for a while, when we were freeing people from a cruel government. But the leader of the rebellion, B, became crueller and crueller as the power got to her head. It got to all our heads, including mine.’ I pause and look to Natalia, who is wide eyed and is watching intently.

‘I did some things I’m not proud of to get to a better position, and I got pretty high up in the group. But then, B asked me to do something I couldn’t do - to execute the family of a politician. That’s when I saw just how bad we’d become, so I ran, and I kept on running up until now.’

Natalia is still watching me, leant forward and shocked. She leans back, processing it all.

‘Wow, I had no idea,’ she mutters, shaking her head slightly.

I shrug, digging into my can and she looks to me again, looking like she’s considering whether she wants to say something to me.

‘You can say it, you know,’ I say, as she sits up decidedly, opening her back pack and rummaging around.

‘I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to tell you, but I think I can trust you with this. Remember the diner we went to a week ago?’ she asks and I nod.

‘Yeah, I remember.’

‘Well … I found this hanging out of a coat pocket when we were trying to escape those rebels,’ she explains, smirking as she pulls out a silver necklace, the diamond glittering in the dim light.

I slam down the can next to me, suddenly furious.

‘Are you KIDDING me? After all Sara did for us and this is how you repay her?’ I exclaim and she looks at me with a surprised expression.

‘Steal a silver watch for all I care, but don’t steal from someone who was kind to us.’

Her surprise turns to anger and suddenly she snaps.

‘DON’T PAINT ME TO BE THE BAD GUY! I WAS ONLY TRYING TO HELP US BOTH!’ she yells and I shake my head in disbelief.

At dawn, I pick up my things and leave her behind, not looking back.

Three weeks after I left Natalia, I’m walking the streets aimlessly, filled with regret. While it was morally wrong for Natalia to steal from Sara, she was only trying to survive in an unstable world. Aren’t we all trying to live another day? My thoughts are interrupted when I feel a drop of rain on my arm, which quickly turns to a heavy shower. I stop then, closing my eyes and feeling the rain wash over me as I realise I’m so sick of running. I just want to feel normal again, to not have to be paranoid every time I see a group walk down the street or hear footsteps behind me. I miss coming home to my family; I miss those days spent at school with my friends, sitting on the grass, eating lunch and talking; I miss feeling normal. I truly understand that guy in the laundromat now – we’re all searching for normality in a world that’s far from it.

When I open my eyes I see the red neon sign and I smile at the familiarity of it, walking through the empty car park and inside, the bell ringing. Sara is talking to a girl sitting at the counter, her hair dark and curly. A silver necklace hangs from Sara’s neck, and I smile as I walk over and sit down next to Natalia.

‘Miss me?’ I ask and she turns to look at me, covering her mouth in shock.

‘Paige? I’m so sorry about …’ she exclaims quickly, but I shake my head.

‘It’s ok, I understand now,’ I interrupt and she nods slowly, her usual smile spreading across her face. Sara passes us both a coffee and makes food as we talk and drink, sharing stories and laughing until our stomachs hurt.

The world isn’t normal right now, and maybe it’ll never be again. But for now, in this diner with Natalia and Sara, I don’t feel afraid.

Phoenix Ettelson

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