Realistic or Modern ❀ Don’t stand so close to me ❀ [myah ‘n nicknacks]

[Zyrelle]

𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐒

❝𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩.❞

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𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑔: 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 - 𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒊.

✰✰✰​

It was a known fact that Beaches were a lot more beautiful and calming in the dark. Not only was it incredibly hard to see anybody but their shadowed silhouette, but there was also something about the sound of the waves crashing against each other, and the slight smell of salt floating through the air that was enough to make anybody nostalgic. Arabella had no idea why she was being so careless about being out in the open, but she was tired of running. It had been months. How was she supposed to know agreeing to a dare somebody fed her, would land her here?

Bella never turned down a dare, hence the reason why she was all too eager to pickpocket a man who had more drugs on him than a goddamn mobster. It was actually easier than she thought it would be. She was able to steal more than she was dared to, and gave whatever she picked up to her ex roommates boyfriend. Fuck was he happy, too. Not only a few days after that, she was on the run. Apparently, people don’t take too lightly to having their stash stolen by a teenage girl.

She refused to call her father and tell him, he was a busy man. At least that’s what he always told her, he was off somewhere being the presidents bitch. Likely mainly protecting him or something of the sort. It was ironic really, her father was off protecting someone who was under no threat at the very moment, whilst she was stuck running from the biggest threat she’d likely ever face. She knew it should’ve probably bothered her. Or maybe, she should care enough to be scared for her life right now - but at the same time, this was what she wanted. A reason to go on a big enough adventure. A reason to not be stuck in the same dead end city, with the same boring people doing the same fucking thing every damn day.

Besides, unlike most people on the run, she had money, her father always left her enough for her to get by without him, she might’ve been new to the whole running for your life thing, but even she knew not to use credit cards. If they knew enough information about her, they could very easily track her down using her card number. Which was why she had an amount of cash no nineteen year old should be making rolled up in the back of her jeans. And some spare cash stuffed into the back of her phone case. Thank god for crime tv shows.

Her gaze flickered from the crystal blue water, to the trailer that always seemed to be the only vehicle parked by the sand around this time. Obviously a trailer meant somebody slept in there - like a home sort of. But why were they always here? Why would they limit themselves to just one beach? There was a world of opportunities out there. A world of blue waters that sparkled under the stars, and sand as smooth and silky as lace.

Tearing her gaze away from the trailer, a blissful sigh left her lips as she lowered herself onto the sand. The breeze that blew through her hair was a lot cooler than she expected - but it still felt so good. She was sad that she’d have to move onto a different location in the morning, it was beautiful here. But she could never stay in one place for long - they were already catching up to her.

 

[NickNacks]

A sharp click sounded as Todd shut the screen door of the mobile home behind him, stepping out into the evening air. The sun must have already set while he was inside having a nap, because the sky was already a deep shade of blue when he stepped out, the shadows having lengthened and blended into each other like running watercolors. Today, the coast looked empty, devoid of the few teenagers or collage students who occasionally turned up to light bonfires or get baked or drink. He didn't resent them for doing so, but his parked trailer already looked suspicious enough on it's own, and the last thing he needed at the moment was a curious officer wanting him for trespassing.

Todd didn't bother locking his door as he stepped out and began the short walk to the surf. There wasn't really anything worth stealing in there. He had the ignition keys as well as all his cash in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, as well as his cigarettes. Unless someone was really craving microwavable dinners, there wasn't anything worth noting,. He hadn't been stupid enough to break into the old man's stash before he'd left. If he was just a runaway, he'd get the shit kicked out of him if he was found. If he'd taken drugs, he would've been shot on sight.

He paused a ways down the beach, where the sand turned from dry to muddy as the waves rushed up, then receded in a constant pattern. The young man watched with a permanently serious expression, as if he had the worries of a 50 year old rather than someone who wasn't even legal drinking age yet. Without taking his eyes off the ocean. Todd withdrew a cigarette from the carton, held a lighter up, ignited and took a long drag. He always breathed in the longest on the first inhale, the rest were just short puffs that usually didn't even make it to his lungs. His dad had used to get confusingly pissed about that, claiming it was a waste of perfectly good tobacco. Priorities. That was probably the best thing about running away-not having to hear his voice again. Rick had a low, grating voice that sounded to Todd, for some reason, to be completely stupid. It had to do with how Rick worded things, the way he talked like he was some kind of big man. Which, granted, he was-which only pissed Todd off more.

He shook offthe recollection as best he could, already having felt the cutting edge of annoyance begin to build up in his gut that always made him want to kick or throw something. It was easier to forget about stuff like that near the ocean. Probably the waves.

He exhaled another puff of smoke, watching it being carried away by the kelp-scented breeze, and his eyes feel inadvertently on a figure reclining on the sand not too far from where he was-though the visibility was low, he could tell by the long hair that it was a girl.

His stomach sank instantly as he was inadvertently brought back to the event from just a few days ago, the yelling, the rapid creaking, and then the eventually heavy thuds.

The silence afterwards had been the loudest thing Todd had ever heard.

It was this grimacing rush of panic that brought him to walk closer to the figure, probably just to check if she was okay. His hand shook only slightly when he brought the cigarette to his mouth again, and it was steady after he inhaled.

"Y'alright?" His voice was, ironically, as simple and to the point as the men he'd been raised around, a question that sounded more like a statement which hit the air like a sharp knock.

 

[Zyrelle]

Tough situations bring the worst out of people - everybody knew that. But still, it surprised her. Her friends were the ones who dared her to do something dumb in the first place knowing she wouldn’t say no. That wasn’t who she was, her motto was literally yes. Saying no to everything made you incredibly boring, she hated being boring. So she made it her mission to literally say yes to everything. It was dumb, but it made everything that much exciting.

Even though it was her friends idea, she was the one stuck running from the choices she made. None of them offered her somewhere to stay, none of them agreed to help her. It was literally every man for themselves. She should’ve known though, she didn’t exactly have the nicest of friends, which was kind of obvious the minute they dared her to steal drugs.

Given that she was on a beach, she didn’t have plans to sleep that night. She could easily get a hotel room anywhere else she decides to go, sleeping on a beach is a little too out in the open for her. It was a breathtaking place, but not exactly habitable - the sand would get everywhere, and there was always that possibility of being whisked away by the waves.

Her gaze flickered from the water, to the sky. A small smile curling onto her lips - she loved the stars, star gazing was one her favourite things to do. It was so peaceful, and relaxing. Something far different than what she’s used to. She might love adventures, and being wild. But she needed to breathe sometimes too, and the best place to do that was to stare at the star covered sky.

Bella jumped the second the voice overtook the quiet atmosphere, her gaze snapping towards the sound. The moment her eyes laid on the Male, she rose an eyebrow before discreetly edging away from him, she couldn’t exactly trust anybody right now - especially not a male. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She nodded her head, her eyes dropping as she barely caught sight of the cigarette dangling between his lips. “You got anymore of those?” She sent him a grin, she wasn’t a big smoker, but sometimes situations just called for it. And this was one of them.

 

[NickNacks]

The soft glow of the ember was scarcely enough light to really illuminate his features, so Todd hoped he didn't lookalike one of the frightening men from cartoons or anything like that. He hadn't missed the inch or two of distance the girl had put between herself and him, and it wasn't something he was irritated with-in fact, he was glad to see she was taking some kind of precaution. People didn't usually go out on the beach by themselves at night, least of all women.

Her grin wasn't returned, but Todd also didn't show any reluctance about digging out his carton and passing her a cancer stick. It wasn't the cleanest habit of all time. His clothes and trailer all smelled faintly of smoke, but Todd had become so accustomed to the scent that he no longer noticed it much anymore.

He went ahead and plopped himself down on the sand after passing the cigarette over, cautious to leave a pretty respectable gap between them They were two strangers, after all. Now that he was able to get a better look at her, though, he was somewhat more intrigued. She looked...Clean seemed like the proper adjective. Her hair was brushed out straight and black. There was no evidence of track marks on her inner arms or wrists, and she looked well fed and proper. Not a junkie, then-he'd have been able to tell if she was.

"So," Todd spoke abruptly, lifting his cigarette to take another quick puff, eyes fixed out into the ocean. "What's your deal, then? You look too clean to be hooked on anything."

That was a blunt way of putting it, but Todd had never been one for beating around the bush. When you had a question you wanted to ask or something you wanted to say, you might as well just say it. No point in pretending to be anybody or anything other than what you already were. And this girl was out here by herself at night on the coast. There had to be some kind of story there.

"Trouble with parents or boyfriends or what?"

 

[Zyrelle]

Surprisingly enough, she had managed to escape the few encounters with the men that had already come after her - still holding onto her innocence. She didn’t have to kill or hurt anyone like in the movies. She was more of a tactical person, she had either outran them, managed to hide long enough making them believe she had disappeared, or downright played them like fools.

Maybe that was the reason they were still coming after her. It had been months since she stole from them, normally people would’ve just called it quits by now and come to terms with their losses - but not with her. Men were still chasing her down, girls were still looking all too suspicious to her. She had never signed up to live a life on the run, but strangely enough, it thrilled her.

Taking the cigarette from him, she waited until he handed her the lighter - watching the flame flicker to life, she lit the other end before passing it back to him. Placing it between her lips she inhaled, taking a long drag, before exhaling. She rose an eyebrow at his words - clearly he was blunt. She wasn’t exactly sure if she should tell him, but she was going to be gone by tomorrow, anyways.

If he was in disguise working with whoever wanted her tracked down, by the time he’d come around to getting her - she’d be long gone, might as well humour him. Shrugging her shoulders, she took another drag, exhaling she watched the smoke hover in the air, before evaporating.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She scoffed, strangely insulted by his words. She could be hooked on something, she didn’t have to look the part to act it. Shaking her head, she blew out a breath. “Boyfriends? You implying that i have more than one?” Another grin tugged at the corner of her lips, clearly she was one to beat around the bush, she couldn’t be as blunt as he was. How did you even bring up something as complicated as telling somebody you were on the run?

She didn’t actually have a boyfriend, but she saw the opportunity to crack a joke, and she had never really been one to be serious. Even though her situation right now called for her to be serious, - and quite literally - only serious. “Actually, no, more like...trouble with a few bad guys.”

 

[NickNacks]

If he was direct and to the point, she clearly was one to dance around, but Todd didn't find himself too irritated by that. After all, this was likely his last night out on the coast, and he'd go on his merry way without ever seeing this particular woman again. There was something strangely freeing about that thought. He was used to growing up around the same circle of people since he was born.

And now, that circle of people stretched to cities he'd likely never been too. Ricky's influenced stretched deep, from big cities like L.A, to smaller towns-maybe even this quiet coast side one where Todd was staying. He hadn't spotted anything suspicious so far, but knew his time was running short. Staying in one place was not an option for him.

He tugged his knees up to his chest, resting his arms atop them as he turned his head in order to regard her. He merely shrugged in response to her question about multiple boyfriends-it wouldn't be the first time he'd heard of such a thing. He'd been a casualty of something similar, actually, back in high school whence'd gotten involved with a pretty blue-eyed girl named Alyah. He hadn't been aware he was number three in a long running list.

His expression didn't stray from seriousness, but he did give a quiet hum of understanding, as well as a small nod. Bad guys. That could mean any number of things, but he didn't even know what her name was. He wasn't entitled to her life story. He certainly wouldn't want to be getting into it, if he was the one being asked.

For a few moments, he was quiet, listening to the rushing of the surf as white foam gathered on the edge of the sand, before receding. In the darkness, the water looked almost black, and the soft green glow of bioluminescent algae was just faintly visible if you looked hard enough to see it. The air was getting a little colder, but his sweater was thick enough that it didn't bother him. Was he truly so ill-versed at talking with anyone that he was just going to sit her trying to figure out what to say?

Maybe he was-in fact, he probably was. He didn't have very many friends.

 

[Zyrelle]

Clearly he was not a big talker, which didn’t bother her as much. She could talk for hours about literally nothing. - in fact, normally she wouldn’t shut up. But some situations call for measures that go beyond what you’re used to, hence why she hadn’t spoken half as much the last few months - if at all - and she had especially not talked to another human being.

Unless you counted the receptionists at hotels, and the sales people in stores she bought discreet disguises from. She never did drastically change her look, or buy big colourful clown wigs, she occasionally switched up her outfit, and wore her hair in more styles than she even thought was possible - throw a pair of sunglasses on when it’s hot enough, and that’s disguise enough for the not-so smart people.

Flicking the end of the cigarette, she put it out against the sand. Making a mental note to throw it away when she got up to leave, the waters had enough shit in them, she didn’t need to be adding to it. Despite the fact that they weren’t talking, it didn’t feel like an uncomfortable silence to her. It actually felt kind of...nice. Which was strange, she didn’t know him. And he didn’t know her.

“Not much of a talker?” She hummed, cocking her head to the side in an attempt to get a better look at him. “What about you? What’s your deal?” Raising an eyebrow, she turned her body to the side slightly to get an even better look at him. She couldn’t see much, the moon shone down just enough so that she could see his shadowy silhouette, but that was about it.

“If you work with them, i’d appreciate a heads up.” She shrugged her shoulders, offering him a lopsided smile. “I don’t really feel like dying, and I’ve lasted this long. ‘Least you can do is give me enough time to run, ya know?” Even though she knew she was probably stretching, or taking this too lightly. It was fun to be able to joke around again, especially considering she hadn’t had anyone to joke around with in so long.

 

[NickNacks]

He wasn't used to the quiet, and it had been one of the things he enjoyed most about being out of the house-there was no obnoxious shouting or blasted music out here, just the repetitive crash of waves and wind. He was almost feeling a little sleepy, just sitting there, and that was a feat in itself. Normally, Todd was wired and alert.

But, of course, he knew the girl would speak eventually. Todd made no real response in regards to him not being much of a talker-he could run his mouth when he felt like it, but hadn't felt too much like it recently. The next question was making him regret asking her in the first place-after all, he sort of owed her an answer, even if he wasn't going to be telling the whole truth.

"Um," he replied, eloquent as could be expected. He withdrew the last fading embers of his cigarette, following suit and crushing it down agains the sand. It wasn't long, though, until she seemed to change the subject entirely, leaving Todd narrowing his eyes at her in quiet curiosity. "Work with who? I don't work." He said, and that much was true. Was she on the run from some kind of organization? His first thought was the police. She didn't look the juvie type, but you could never tell.

As for the other question, well...That was something else entirely. Todd looked away from her, brow creasing. "I just didn't want to be home anymore." There. Short and simple, and no need to elaborate on specifics. He averted his eyes upward. The stars were becoming visible, little pinpricks of light, relics from a different time and a different place.

He wished he could be up there, sometimes.

"Who wants you dead, anyway? You couldn't've fucked up that bad."

 

[Zyrelle]

As open as she was, she had her own secrets too and could easily tell when somebody didn’t want to talk about something, so she didn’t take much offence in his short and simple reply to her question. He was rather quick to brush it off too, which was a sure sign it wasn’t the kind of conversation he liked. She didn’t mind as much though, she was happy with changing the topic.

Not exactly to herself though, she didn’t care about telling him why she was on the run, and for doing what. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t wary, if this boy did work for them, it could be a test to see if she would blurt all their secrets out - not that she knew any, mind you. But around here, just saying you remember the person you stole a shit ton of different drugs from would land them in more trouble than they wished for.

But if he didn’t work for them, who knows what his background could be? He could be undercover, or his father could be working for somebody as important as the president. Were those really the kind of people she wanted to be blurting the truth out to? Granted it’d help her, she could land protection. But a part of her didn’t want it. She’d be sheltered, and forced to live a life she didn’t want.

The possibility that he could be on the run too briefly crossed her mind, but he didn’t seem like the type. He seemed too calm and collected - too serious and mature to land himself in the same kind of trouble she did. Maybe it was that thought that helped make her decision.

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “Oh you know..” she trailed off, raising her eyes to meet his. “Had to go and steal a shit load of god knows what kinda drugs, didn’t I?” A grin tugged at each end of her lips again, even in serious moments, she couldn’t be serious. “Never met the ringleader or whatever his bitches call him - but i guess i pissed him off enough for him to continuously send his puppets out to kill me.”

Turning away from him, she tilted her head back just fat enough so that she could catch sight of the stars. She’d kill to be up there, they were alluringly beautiful.

 

[NickNacks]

Did she ever stop smiling? Even when she admitted she had stolen dope, probably from somebody big if she was being hunted, a joking kind of grin was still tugging on her face, like it was a funny story. Todd, though, simply averted his gaze-while she looked up to the stars, he focused on the ground, on his dirty sneakers. A dawning sense of familiarity was spreading from his chest to his limbs. What was it Rick had said a few months ago or so, to one of the other frontmen?

*Bitch won't last long. Just handle it.*

He swallowed, forcing the thought deeper down. That would be too much of a fantastic coincidence, and even if it were, he was far beyond knowing what to do about it. "That's kinda stupid," he remarked, and his tone was not really judgmental, simply stating a fact. "My dad turns dope and stuff. They kill people over shit like that all the time. But you're a girl, so they'll do worse."

His tone was grim, serious, but oddly detached, as if he were describing a story he'd read on the news. He's not surprised by the casual way he thinks about the situation, but his thoughts turn again to the girl he'd seen with Rick, and his stomach turns. It's too easy to replace her face with the girl currently sitting beside them. Had they caught her, or caught her in the future, it would be the same story, and Todd himself...Well, Rick would have his own ways of straightening Todd out. He always had.

"You got a place you're going to?" He asked, rather suddenly, looking over at her again. "Family's place? Friends?"

A tiny, crooked little smile made the corner of his mouth twitch up, the closest he'd come to a smile so far. "One of those boyfriends?"

 

[Zyrelle]

Clearly she knew it was stupid, it’d seemed like harmless fun at the time, how was she supposed to know he was part of something much bigger than she was? Or that her friends would turn a blind eye - and their backs on her the moment she got that big red cross painted on her back? Part of her didn’t blame them for leaving her, after all she was a walking target now. But a much bigger part of her - hated them, thought they were nothing but selfish. She would never turn her back on somebody who needed her help.

“You’re tellin’ me.” She retorted. Fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Her gaze did however flicker towards him at the mention of his father. Did he just imply his father killed people? She was no expert, but that wasn’t exactly the kind of shit you went around telling people. Hell, she wasn’t even planning on mentioning what her father did and he didn’t even do anything illegal.

Maybe she never brought her father up because he was part of a company entitled secret service, his whole career is meant to be kept a secret. She knew the real reason though was because she hardly knew her father as it was, he always claimed he was protecting her, everything he did was for her. But how was him being in another country, protecting a strange man, supposed to be protecting her too? He made no sense. Clearly, she wasn’t his main priority and she was fine with that.

She had survived this long on her own - both literally and figuratively, the moment this was all over - the second she was free from being chased down by men who wanted her head on a platter at this point, she was gone. She was going to go somewhere far away. Hopefully a ranch, with horses and space to stare at the stars for as long as she wanted.

His words were enough to wipe the smile off of her face, it only briefly crossed her mind what the chances of something extremely bad happening was, all she figured they’d do was kill her. She never had any thoughts on them doing something much worse. Oh god. Another reason to leave the moment the sun rose, she couldn’t afford to stay here any longer.

It wasn’t long before the small smile was back tugging at the corner of her lips, she shook her head. “No specific place. I can go anywhere i want.” A blissful sigh left her lips, before she threw her head back and laughed quietly at his words. “Nah, boys are assholes.” She paused to glance over at him, raising an eyebrow. “No offence.”

 

[NickNacks]

They certainly seemed to be approaching this in two different ways. On one hand, there was Todd, crunching numbers as best he could in his stack of post-its to see how he was looking in terms of cash, glancing over his shoulder. Sure, being away from the shitshow that was his home was refreshing, but it took a lot to make him really loosen up and enjoy himself in any situation. On the other hand, there was this girl, who was striking him as the personification of wanderlust. She appeared free, at home even when away from home and hunted by men who didn't particularly consider her as a life worth respecting.

He was envious. The thought surprised him.

"Oh-Nah, you aren'y wrong," Todd replied with a shrug. Most of the boys in his town had gotten into the game as young as twelve or so, or had become hooked on shit themselves. There were a few who tried to get out, and some even managed too. But most lacked the funds, the know how or the privilege to do so. "I didn't really like my friends that much."

It seems strange, but also freeing, to admit that out loud. There had only been a few boys he'd stuck with in school. Archer was the oldest, and cussed every other word. Next was Dennis, a wiry kid with frizzed out hair, who'd first introduced Todd to armed robbery. Then, there had been Johnny. Todd hadn't liked Johnny. Something about the empty gleam in his eyes when he pinned some poor kid down in the school hallways and emptied his pockets of spare change freaked him out. Todd had even seen him kill a dog once.

"Anywhere you want, huh? Where you gonna go first?" He looked over at her, his hair already untidy from the salty wind, and genuine interest was obvious in his face, if it wasn't too dark for her to see it.

 

[Zyrelle]

They were at least on the same page about having a dislike towards their friends - except she only started to dislike them once they had betrayed her, he most likely hated them from the very start. Hate was a strong word. A word she rarely ever found herself using. Could she really hate her ex friends? This was - after all - what she wanted. If they had given her a room in their house, she wouldn’t be going on the adventure of a lifetime, same goes with if they had never dared her in the first place.

She couldn’t really keep complaining about this being their fault, she could’ve said no. She could’ve walked away, called them out on how stupid their dare was, and she wouldn’t be in this situation. But she didn’t, she was all too happy with the idea of walking over and stealing what very well could be the death of her. Nobody knew this would happen.

His question caught her off guard, blinking slowly she turned her head to get a better look at the water sloshing against the very edge of the sand. Admittedly, she didn’t know where she was going, let alone where she was going to go first. “I didn’t plan that far ahead.” She murmured, the world was at her fingertips, she could go anywhere she wanted, and do anything she wanted.

Hadn’t that always been her dream? To go somewhere far away and never look back? It was unfortunate that it took having a few bad guys after her for her to finally act on it - but she could act on it now. And yet, a small part of her felt lonely. She could’ve been doing all this with her friends, they always dreamed of getting away too.

Isla always promised her they’d take on the world together, she said Cora and Delilah would come too. Four best friends travelling the world - creating memories. But here she was, doing it all alone. All because they slammed the door in her face after realising the shit they’d helped her get into. It was ironic really, but she didn’t have time to care.

“Somewhere far away from here, preferably a countryside.” She hummed, finally deciding. It had always been her dream to own her own stables. Her father had gotten her horse riding lessons when she was younger - she had loved it ever since, but she was never presented the opportunity to buy her own horse. She definitely could now.

 

[NickNacks]

The countryside. Todd had never been anywhere but the grungy inner-city area, and the idea of being somewhere with more trees than buildings was difficult for him to imagine. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying the possibility. Somewhere quiet with lots of space to walk, maybe even to have a few animals. Todd hadn't had any pets, and wouldn't mind getting a dog or cat or something along those lines-maybe even a goat, if we was feeling original.

Somewhere far away. He could certainly agree with her about that. Somewhere far from police sirens and gunshots, far from shouting. Anywhere would be fine. "I've never been," he mused thoughtfully, settling his palm down on the soft sand. The grains yielded under his weight, a coolness taking over his hand as it sank in to the beach.

"I only left a little while ago. Been driving that thing around," Todd nodded his head further up the beach amid the seagrass, where his trailer was currently parked up. "Don't know where I'm gonna go. Just know it's not gonna be here." Truth be told, he'd never been on his own for this long before, and he was fairly proud of himself for it.

 

[Zyrelle]

Shaking her head, she pulled her knees to her chest. “I’ve never been, either.” She commented. Honestly, everybody had always thought she looked more like a city girl. Which, she would definitely be if she wasn’t so free spirited. Being in a city limited your options, you couldn’t do as much. Everybody was always in your way, shit was always going down. But in a countryside, everything was quiet. Peaceful even. You could do whatever.

She was definitely a country girl inside - that’d always been one of the things she called her father out on, why couldn’t she of grew up on a farm? Or lived somewhere out of the city? She would’ve at least been given the option, her father never seemed to care either way. In fact, even with her phone, she hadn’t had a call off of him once. Maybe if he knew his daughter was on the run, he’d finally call.

Raising an eyebrow, a grin toyed at her lips. “That thing is yours?” She has never pegged him as somebody who drove around in a trailer, but then again, she didn’t know him. She couldn’t judge him, or make an opinion so early in their meeting stage. But still, he didn’t look like somebody who would drive that around. “I think I’ve been out here a little more than five months now? Maybe six? I lost count.” She shrugged. “I like it though, it’s freeing.”

 

[NickNacks]

"Yeah." Defensivness was quick to lend a stiffness to his shoulders as Todd cut a glance over to her, as if silently daring her to comment. Besides, run down as the thing looked, at least he seemed to have a semi-permanent place to be, rather than wandering around barefoot like some hippy or something. Of course, that flash of indignation soon passed, and left him feeling silly and tired. He got worked up over the dumbest shit, sometimes.

His eyebrows did raise after her next comment. Six months? He'd barely been out a solid month, and already was falling behind on his shower regimen, which hadn't been too great in the first place. He gave a low, impressed whistle. "That's cool. I'm still getting used to it." Maybe his own sense of euphoria would show up eventually. It had been about ten years.

Good stood up, stretching his arms over his head for a moment, his spine releasing from walking around hunched over a majority of the time. "I have some beer back there. You want one?" No sooner had the question left his mouth that he realized be might easily be looked at as suspicious, inviting her up to his run-down trailer for a drink. "Or, I mean, I can bring it back to you. Whatever." He wouldn't blame her if she felt uncomfortable about walking with him. She didn't even know his name yet. Speaking of...

"I'm Todd, by the way."

 

[Zyrelle]

Contrary to his belief, she didn’t have anything against the trailer, and she wasn’t planning on making a comment about it. She was just surprised, and taken aback that it was him who lived there. She had been watching the trailer for the past few days, and she hadn’t been expecting somebody who looked relatively...clean to live there. Most people who owned trailers - from her perspective - looked rundown and to put it nicely...a mess. Either that, or they were old.

His question caught her off guard to say the least - could she trust him? If he wanted to do something, wouldn’t he of done it by now? If he came to kill her, he would’ve killed her by now too. And a beer sounded extremely tempting, she hadn’t drank in so long, she couldn’t even remember the date. His next words caused a smile to tug at her lips, clearly he meant no harm if he was willing to bring one back to her. But even she wasn’t that dumb.

“No it’s fine, i’ll come.” She breathed, standing to her feet. Yes, it was dangerous and he could very well have plans that she wanted no part of, but at the same time, if she wasn’t there to watch him hand her the beer, he could easily drug it too. The only safer option would be to go with him. Or you know, not accept the drink off of him at all. But that wasn’t any fun.

Nodding her head, she offered him a smile. “Todd, huh?” He didn’t look like a todd either, really gotta stop making assumptions. “I’m Arabella.”

 

[NickNacks]

Arabella. The name seemed too etheric for their situation. Arabella sounded like someone who should be sipping some exotic drink on a balcony somewhere foreign, somewhere elegant, not following him back to his RV for a couple of cheap beers. Still, he offered a small nod in regards to her introduction. He doesn't return her smile, but he doesn't appear hostile or even particularly mistrustful. Walking in the sand always seemed like ten times more work than it was worth, with grains always sneaking into his shoes and weighing down his feet, but the walk to the trailer wasn't at all a long one.

The orange lights of the RV became brighter as they approached, casting whips shadows in the surrounding tall grass. The tires had sunk down a little bit into the sand, but the ground was solid enough that Todd wasn't too worried about it. There was a white plastic sunshade still drawn out at the side of the trailer, with two chairs and a round table he'd found folded up on the floor of the vehicle. He'd have to start packing that up soon, but it was nice to have for watching the sunrise or sunset on the water.

"Sit down, if you want. What're your poison? We got, uhh..." Todd stepped into the trailer in order to open up the fridge. Too ay it was threadbare wasn't really doing it justice-there was half a loaf of bread, some chicken lunchmeat, mustard, and three cans of Budwiser. "Actually, this is all we got." he amended, making his way back out of the trailer.

"Catch." He tossed one can, underhand, in her direction, before taking a seat in the other chair. The can made a crisp cracking sound as he pulled back the tab, foaming a little as the pressure was released.

 

[Zyrelle]

Despite her fascination and somewhat love for adventure and being free. Arabella had understandably never actually been near a trailer. The most comparable thing she had been near or used before was a caravan, but they had a few noticeable differences. And at the time, she didn’t want to be near the caravan, so she didn’t enjoy it as much.

Her father had always claimed that her mother would be living in a trailer around now, apparently she was a mess of a woman. An unprepared mom, a woman who barely cared about herself let alone anybody else. She had never met her before though, so she definitely couldn’t judge her. It did hurt growing up without a mom though. With her father barely even around, she needed another girl in her life.

She was fine though, always was.

Clutching the can between her fingers, she eagerly popped it open and took a long swig, “This is fine with me.” She hummed, in response to his earlier question. She wouldn’t exactly call herself a lightweight - if she was, she probably shouldn’t be drinking at all, especially considering she was leaving in the morning - but she wouldn’t say she could easily hold her own either.

Bella had only actually drank at the most, twice in her life. She hated not being in control and didn’t really think getting drunk was worth potentially forgetting everything the next morning, but sometimes you just need it. And this was one of those times. “You got any plans?” She questioned with a slight cock of her head. “Where you goin?”

 

[NickNacks]

Maybe it was the whole situation that loosened his tongue a bit, or maybe the alcohol, but Todd gave a small sigh at the question, leaning back a bit on his chair. The light from the vehicle made the stars a little bit harder to see, but they stretched out further along the beach, growing steadily more vibrant the closer they got to the horizon, like a river way of space.

"Away from here," He replied after a moment. "I don't know for sure, but away from here. Away from how stuff was." He held his can in both hands, absently tapping his thumbs on the metal. And then, as though one sentence flooded into the next, Todd found himself opening his mouth and telling her more.

"My dad's a jackass. Just how it is. He's one of those types to get involved with major drugs, selling them and stuff. And that's not the kind of person I wanna be." His brow furrowed, eyes fixated on the drink in his hands, watching the light glint off the polished cold of the tab. His story seemed so oddly impersonal coming from his own mouth. It was strange to think that mere weeks ago, he'd been surrounded by that kind of life, those kind of people.

"So...Yeah. That's where we are."

 

[Zyrelle]

Even though their situations with their fathers was completely different, she found herself envious of him. He had his own reasons for hating him, and she wasn’t one to speak on that. But at least he knew where his father was. At least he had spoken to his father in the last few months, at least his father was still around. Granted hers was too, but not in the sense she’d like. Maybe that’s what compelled her to say what she said next, or maybe it was the alcohol.

Despite never having told anybody her father’s profession, she found herself about to spill it to him. She didn’t care anymore, she was angry. So fucking angry. Why should she keep her fathers job a secret, when that very job was the thing destroying her relationship with him? Crushing her dreams of ever having a connection with her father?

Maybe she was fine, maybe she’d always be fine without him. She was fine without a mom, she could very easily be fine without a father too. But she didn’t want that. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she couldn’t help the small laugh that left her lips. “My dad doesn’t care.” It was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, she was finally saying it out loud. Admitting what she hoped would never be true.

“He’s off somewhere, protecting a man who is probably not even in danger right now, with the knowledge that his only daughter is running from men who have already attempted to kill her.” Shrugging her shoulders, she brought the can to her lips taking another swig, before holding it out in a mock attempt of a cheers. “Cheers to shitty fathers, huh?”

 

[NickNacks]

At last, Todd fixed his gaze on Arabella directly, surprised by the sudden fierceness in her voice when she spoke next. She sounded so certain, so utterly convicted in her perception. Of course, Todd had no reason not to believe her, but part of him hoped she was wrong. It seemed now that all her talk of being free and unattached was covering up a distinct sense of loneliness that she might not have even realized she had. So, Todd quietly hoped she was wrong, that her father did care, and simply didn't know how to make it visible.

Of course, he said nothing of the sort aloud, merely took another sip of his drink and nodded. It sounded like her dad was a cop of something, which would have made him nervous and standoffish if the situation had been any different. As it was, it only seemed like a tidbit to be noted down.

Still, as she held her own can over, Todd offered a small half-smile, reaching his own out to tap hers with a dull clink. "Shitty dads," he agreed, taking a long swallow before setting his beer down. After a beat or two, his curiosity got the better of him again. "You think he's gonna come looking for you?"

Maybe she hoped he would. Maybe that was part of what this was all about. But, Todd knew better than to sit and try to play armchair therapist-he'd driven his own fair share of guidance counselors up the wall with his attitude. He was only interested in people, particularly the girl who was sat nearby him.

 

[Zyrelle]

As much as she wanted to say yes, she wanted to be the naive eight year old who believed her father would’ve dropped everything to come be with her again. But she grew up, she had enough experiences to know otherwise. He wouldn’t come, not if his life depended on it, and definitely not if hers did. She had spent a majority of her childhood craving to be a daddy’s girl, she grew up watching all her friends play and joke around with their fathers - That never changed the fact that a babysitter would always be there to pick her up after school.

Her father had missed so much, he had missed her first day of preschool. Her first performance, he wasn’t even there when she finally rode a horse for the first time. After all those events, all she would come home to was a sympathetic smile grating the babysitters face, and a half assed apology and congratulations from her father, who couldn’t even wait until she was home from school to call.

Hell, even the few times he did come home was never how she planned. He was almost always on his phone, talking business. Or talking to her about how his work was coming along. The funny thing is, he didn’t even see what he was doing was wrong. He couldn’t see that the loneliness she would find herself consumed in when he was gone, was actually affecting her. He couldn’t see how much she wished somebody else was her father.

So despite the fact that Todd claimed his father was a jackass, she couldn’t help but envy him. At least his father was there. At least his father cared enough to be a jackass. But even with that small envy bubbling within her, she still felt for the boy. She didn’t have any right to dictate their relationship. And she definitely didn’t have any right to comment on it.

Shrugging her shoulders, a sigh blew from her lips. “Honestly? At one point, maybe i would’ve, yeah.” Nodding her head, a small bitter smile curled onto her lips. “But i grew up. There’s nothing in this world that could possibly drag that man away from his work.” At one point, maybe his determination would’ve been admirable. But she was done feeling proud of her father. He was never proud of her.

 

[NickNacks]

There was a beat or two of silence after Todd asked in which Arabella seemed to be extinguishing some long-cherished belief, confronted with the cold, indesputable truth. He stared hard at her face, not searching, simply observing. That was one aspect of life he hadn't encountered. He did have some good memories with his father, but they were so few and far between that he rarely counted them. Still, his father had been there. Hers had. not. It was difficult for him to tell which was worse.

Todd kept his gaze level with her face, expression one of quiet thoughtfulness. It was a distinct moment before he spoke, simply watching her, before he said, "You oughta have somebody who'd look for you." At last, he averted his gaze upward to the night sky. A soft, kelp-scented breeze ruffled his hair as he looked out in the direction of the ocean.

"Everybody oughta have somebody who'd look for them."

 

[Zyrelle]

Arabella shrugged, a somewhat sad smile playing on her lips. “Not me.” She murmured, tilting her head back to get a glimpse of the stars. “Which is why I’m free to do whatever i want. A blessing and a curse i guess.” She didn’t mind not having anybody who’d pack their bags and come meet her in seconds, it made everything easier in a way.

She didn’t have to worry about upsetting anybody, letting anybody down. She didn’t have to go easy on her adventures, or come home early because somebody was waiting for her. And sometimes she loved that. And sometimes she didn’t. It was definitely a love hate relationship.

Shaking free from her thoughts, she glanced over in his direction, raising an eyebrow. “What about you? You got people who’d look for you?” Part of her hoped he didn’t, only because she didn’t want to be alone in this scenario. But he wouldn’t of said anything if he didn’t have people who’d drop everything for him.