Alexis didn’t look back. She grabbed Veronique’s arm and pulled her up the steps.
For the first hour, no one spoke. The bus was filled with the drone of the engine and the soft rustle of other runaways, other ghosts. Veronique leaned her head on Alexis’s shoulder and finally let out a shaky breath she’d been holding for two years. Alexis didn’t look back
Veronique knew. She’d been there a year longer than Alexis. That’s why she had the plan. Alexis didn’t look back
The runaway was over. The living was about to begin. Alexis didn’t look back
It was the love of girls who had no one, and so became everything for each other.
As they climbed the stairs, a high-pitched voice cut through the rain.