She had no one.
Her mom wasn't supposed to leave her.A mother wasn't supposed to pick drugs over her daughter.
If her mom really loved her, she wouldn't do drugs.If her mom really loved her, she would fight to keep Kallie in her life.
She sniffed.Even if she wasn't old enough to understand grown-up things, she knew that someday, if she ever had a daughter, she would never let her slip away.
A gust of wind stopped her.She shook the hair out of her face and looked behind her.She couldn't see anything but a wall of shadows.
A moment of panic hit her.How was she going to find her way back?What was happening?
A shiver crawled up her arms, raising goosebumps.The light dimmed for a heartbeat as if a cloud passed in front of the sun, even though the sky was clear.
Kallie froze.
Then it was gone.The wind ended as fast as it came.
She turned to go back, but the shadows grew bigger, pressing closer, pushing her forward.She swallowed her cry and ran away from the thickness, going toward the clearness.
The road curved and then opened into a town she'd never seen before.It was small and quiet, unlike the place where she lived.Buildings lined the street, and in the distance, she could see houses.A faded sign hung crookedly over the street, its letters too worn to read.
Men stood outside the storefronts.Big men.Even from a distance, they looked scary, with tattoos, beards, long hair, and torn jeans.They watched her with eyes that made her want to turn around.
One of the men stepped away from a motorcycle and crossed the street toward her.He moved as if he owned the ground beneath his boots.Maybe he was the...the...
She couldn't remember what people called the person who made the rules in cities.Not the president.She thought hard.The man had come to her school on Appreciation Day.
Oh, the mayor.
Maybe the man was the mayor.
"Where are you headed, kid?"His low voice kept her in the middle of the road.
He wasn't young, but he wasn't as old as Monica's dad, who came by the house every Saturday and glared at all the foster kids.His hair, scruffy beard, and mustache were dark brown.She lowered her gaze.Tattoos showed under the sleeve of his shirt, but she couldn't make out what the designs were.
Kallie swallowed."I don't know."
He walked around her, eyeing her all over.She crossed her arms and inched backward.
"You running from something?"he said.
She nodded.He scared her enough that she couldn't lie.
"Where are your parents?"he asked.
"My mom's...getting better."Her throat tightened, not wanting to say that her mom was in jail.No one liked bad people, even though her mom wasn't bad.She was sick."I have to stay with a foster family until she comes back."
"Does your foster family know you're here?"
She shook her head."I don't like it there."
He didn't ask why.He didn't tell her to go home.He didn't say she couldn't be here.
He jerked his chin toward the building behind him."There's food in the restaurant.Tell 'em Finn said you could have a plate.Once you're done eating, you need to get out of here."
"Finn?"she echoed.
"That's my name."
