My brows furrowed as my eyes opened, but I immediately closed them again at the brightness that greeted me. There was chattering, the horns of cars, a calming breeze, and the sun—bright and relentless. Pouring in through the window, straight against my face.
I opened my eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light, while also taking in my surroundings. One thing was clear: we weren't driving anymore. Instead, we were parked in front of a mall.
It wasn't a dream.
"Darling, you're awake." Mum's smile greeted me like it always did. "You must be hungry. Here." She stretched her hands toward me. "It's still hot."
Michael, silent until now, scoffed. "You sleep so well for someone who's on the run."
Mum scowled at him, and he returned with a playful smile. "Don't you have something else to do, young man?"
"Oh, right." He chuckled.
I smiled at Michael, who was back to his usual self. Being on the run was one thing, but having everyone act differently made it rang a bell in our heads, even when we tried to forget.
"Where are you going?" I asked, just as he reached for the door.
"To pick up a few things we'll need," Mum replied for him, glancing toward the bustling mall entrance. "Your dad said to wake him at noon, and it's almost time."
"Then I'll go with Michael. I need to use the restroom and wash my face."
"Oh, right. Be back in fifteen minutes."
"Sure, Mum," I said, shutting the door—though not before glancing at Dad, slumped in his seat, exhausted from driving all night.
The soft hum of traffic and distant mall chatter filled the air. I stepped away from the car, stretching my legs, stiff from sitting too long. I gave them a quick shake, hoping to get the blood flowing again.
Michael noticed and laughed. "Are your legs still asleep?" he asked, walking over with a smirk, then threw his arm around my shoulders and tugged me forward, practically dragging me toward the mall.
As always, the mall was crowded, filled with people eagerly entering shops, buying whatever they needed—or didn't. I felt my heart sink as I watched them. Something my family could no longer afford was time. We needed every bit of it to escape whatever was chasing us.
"You should go to the restroom." Michael's voice cut through my thoughts. "Let's meet back here in ten minutes. If I'm not back by then, just wait here so we don't miss each other." He paused, then added, "And try to avoid the cameras. We don't know who Dad's running from."
I nodded at Michael's words before heading over to ask the security personnel for directions. Thankfully, it wasn't too far from the exit, and I quickly made my way there, keeping my head down to avoid the cameras.
The world goes on, with or without anyone. Today might be just another day for everyone else, but for my family and me, it wasn't. We were fugitives, on the run. The only thing that made us feel a little better was that our faces weren't plastered all over town or showing up on the news. I could only hope life would return to how it used to be—that this was all just a bad dream.
Once I was done in the restroom, I walked back to the spot where Michael had left me. Though I wanted to explore the mall with the little time I had left, I couldn't bring myself to move from where I stood. It was as if whatever we were running from would get me the moment I moved an inch.
I spotted Michael a short distance away, and when our eyes met, his steps quickened, and he ran halfway toward me.
"What—what?" My eyes subtly widened, noticing his troubled expression. I glanced behind him, scanning the area for anything suspicious before meeting his gaze again. This time, his face was masked by a smirk.
"I couldn't buy more tissues," he said, snickering under his breath. "They ran out."
"Ouch!" he winced when I smacked his head. I shot him a glare before turning toward the exit. "Aren't you going to help?" came his voice from behind
I walked away, pretending I didn't hear his complaints as I made my way toward our parked car. Though I'd been a little scared by Michael's foolish joke, I was relieved it was nothing more. Thankfully, we hadn't encountered anything out of the ordinary. Still, it felt strange how everything was going according to Dad's plan and not sideways. But, all we could do was hope it continued this way until we were safe. Who knew if it was all going well just to make our efforts crumble in seconds?
I opened the car door, about to get in when I heard my dumb brother, now back to his usual self, call out. "Hey, my hands are full! Are you just gonna leave me here?"
With a sigh, I stepped aside, letting him place everything he'd bought on the seats behind ours before getting in. I shoved his butt into the car when he took his sweet time to settle in, laughing at the result as I closed as the door. Two sets of laughter joined mine as they watched us. Dad, who was already awake, smiled genuinely—no hint of it being forced, at least not for our sake.
"And they're back to their usual selves," Mum remarked, her smile lingering from the laughter.
Dad looked over at us once more before starting the car. "I have good news," he said. Mum's smile widened at this, her excitement apparent. "Our passports are ready, and we can leave as soon as possible. We just have to pick them up, then wait for our flight that's booked for tomorrow. All this will be over soon."
"It would've been booked for today," Michael remarked, chewing down a pack of chips.
I smacked the back of his head."We still have to pick them up, dummy," I said, grabbing a handful of chips in the process.
"Mira's right," Dad chipped in. "They're ready, but we still need to get them. Larry, who has them, is just a short drive away. But I promise, all this will be over. Once we leave the country, we'll be safe, and everything will get back on track."
A slight smile tugged at my lips as Dad spoke. I glanced out the window, watching the world blur past us. Yes, we'd be safe, and things would get back to normal, but leaving the country meant leaving everything behind. Our lives would never be the same. I'd have to start all over—my school, my friends, my life—everything I knew would be left behind.
I let out a breath. No matter how hard this was, we had to stick with Dad. He wouldn't leave without us. Though it was hard to leave it all behind, it was a price we had to pay for our safety—and for the chance to keep living.