expect me to be surprised, but Hunter saying anything I already You’d wasn’t didn’t know. I was already on the run from the foster system. Instead, I sighed. be a runaway two times “So I’d over.” “Correct.” I believe my life had gotten this low. I was sharing a mildewy, hollowed out log couldn’t with forest creatures and a guy I met off the streets and surviving off dumpster scraps and stolen goods. I never in a thousand years thought this was how my would be. If I would’ve “freedom” had known how exhausting this life was, I never left my group home in the first place. might’ve The only thing that made this life manageable was Hunter. He was a friend, a mentor, an ally. He was the one who calmed me down when things got too chaotic. I survive couldn’t without him. that man does know I I whispered softly, you leave “If stole things,” “would me?” Hunter finally turned his head to look at me. His eyebrows had unfurrowed, but he wasn’t smiling. His mouth was figured into a straight line. He looked more neutral, like he care didn’t what happened from this point on. He answer for a while, but his gaze remained on me. The silence between us was didn’t starting to scare me, but then he said, you remember what I said to you when I first found “Do you trying to break into that house?” I laughed. said, clips only work in the movies, sweetheart! If trying “You ‘Paper you’re to break in there, gonna need some deluxe lock picking kit from the Walmart up the you’re street’”
You’d expect me to be surprised, but Hunter wasn’t saying anything I didn’t already know. I was already on the run from the foster system. Instead, I sighed. “So I’d be a runaway two times over.” “Correct.” I couldn’t believe my life had gotten this low. I was sharing a mildewy, hollowed out log with forest creatures and a guy I met off the streets and surviving off dumpster scraps and stolen goods. I never in a thousand years would’ve thought this was how my “freedom” would be. If I had known how exhausting this life was, I might’ve never left my group home in the first place. The only thing that made this life manageable was Hunter. He was a friend, a mentor, an ally. He was the one who calmed me down when things got too chaotic. I couldn’t survive without him. “If that man does know I stole things,” I whispered softly, “would you leave me?” Hunter finally turned his head to look at me. His eyebrows had unfurrowed, but he wasn’t smiling. His mouth was figured into a straight line. He looked more neutral, like he didn’t care what happened from this point on. He didn’t answer for a while, but his gaze remained on me. The silence between us was starting to scare me, but then he said, “Do you remember what I said to you when I first found you trying to break into that house?” I laughed. “You said, ‘Paper clips only work in the movies, sweetheart! If you’re trying to break in there, you’re gonna need some deluxe lock picking kit from the Walmart up the street’”
FrontMatterandStoriesRevised.docx