Jael lifted the lid of the wooden box. Inside were treasures she’d collected over her short life. A whistle her dad gave her when she was four, to blow if she was in trouble. She shook her head. He probably thought she was in trouble a lot. The movie stub from the night her parents took her to Finding Nemo. She was seven then and so excited she almost wet her pants before the movie was over because she didn’t want to miss a thing. All that water sloshing on the screen didn’t help either.
She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and slipped it out to look at the screen. A text from an unknown number. I’m here. Where r u? I have bad news. S
Shadow. He was waiting for her to show up and didn’t know they’d skipped town. She hesitated to respond, but decided she had to trust someone. Her finger tapped a return message. We already know & r getting out of Dodge.
A reply came within seconds. Good. Sending hunters down rabbit trail. B safe!
She smiled and typed. U too. Tell Bree… She stopped and stared at the words on the screen. Tell Bree what? Her best friend had no idea who she really was. Would she even see her again, or would that little hug she gave her after school be their last?
She deleted the message and started again. Thanks She pressed send and slipped the phone back in her pocket. Tomorrow the sun would come out again and she would have a clearer perspective.