It’s late; the moon is surprisingly clear tonight. No clouds in view to block the sight and the stars are shining clearly. The dim light just enough to light their way, a guardian amongst a sea of void.

The air outside is crisp and cold. It leaves her shaking and shivering. Every move she makes is jerky, akin to a marionette controlled by an ametuer. She doesn’t feel any better than she looks. Every step she takes ends a jolt down her entire body, she’s so tired.

She’s only in a purple sweater and jeans, she’s not prepared for the weather outside. She’s not prepared for anything at all, but then, who is? She should have put more thought into this, instead of taking off like a teenage runaway. But it’s hard to think when you can’t breathe over a sense of urgency. There was no time to think, just time to leave.

She isn’t crying yet, but it’s only a matter of time. As soon as she gets to wherever she’s going she’s going to break down. Her emotions feel like a violent storm, tearing her apart from the inside. They’re strangely muted right now, it makes her think that the fallout is going to be worse than anything she’s ever felt.

Her mind is strangely clear for someone making such an impulsive move. She’s in poor condition and shivering but inside she’s unaffected. It’s like looking through a window, impersonal. If her brother wasn’t by her side, she thinks she might have left her body completely, shut down her mind. She clearly isn’t thinking rationally. It’s only been an hour at most since they left.

She had woken up in the middle of the night, her dream taking over her thoughts. It wasn’t a bad dream, the opposite actually. It was a wonderful dream, it was so sweet. It left the impression of being loved, of being wrapped in warm arms, a reminder of times long past. So saccharine that it dripped honey, filling her lungs. It left her gasping for air when she woke from her daze. She sat shaking in her bed, grasping at the sheets to keep her grounded for what felt like hours. All sense of time was ruined completely, torn away from her like her ability to think and breathe.

And then she was filled with an overwhelming need to leave. To pack up and run. To take everything in her life and leave it behind. She can’t stay, not when it hurts so goddamn much. There’s nothing left for her to enjoy, nothing that hasn’t been ruined with traces of honey clinging to her throat, and she’s always considered herself a little bit of a hedonist, so why stay?

At that, she stood and grabbed her phone. She snagged her headphones and charger on the way out of her bedroom. She grabbed nothing else and didn’t hesitate for anything else. She walked into her brothers room and shook him awake.

God knows how he feels about this. Shaken awake in the middle of the night and being told that they’re leaving. He didn’t say anything about it, just grabbed his phone and charger and left. Silent, so unlike him yet completely expected. He didn’t look for anything else, and he understood everything she didn’t say. Something tells her that he was more prepared than her.

He has a jacket whereas she does not. He is mentally prepared and she is not. He has begun to be her stability lately. Unfazed by anything that would hurt her, he is better at acting in the moment.

She walked out the door with the intention of never coming back. He didn’t lock the door behind them. When the door swung shut, the sound rang in her ears.

She doesn’t even know where they’re going. They’re just wandering down the streets. He’s following her, undoubtedly keeping track of every turn and step they make.

The crunch of gravel is all she can hear when they wander far enough. They’re approaching the forest now, a bad idea. Walking into a forest at midnight is a popular theme in horror movies always ending with a gruesome murder. Neither of them dwell on it too much, if they die tonight it’s with each other.

It’s just them, and it’s always been just them. There’s no one to even notice that they aren’t home. Nobody would know that they ran with only their phones and the clothes on their backs. No attachments to make them feel guilty.

She was sure that Peter wasn’t being dragged along unwillingly. She knows that he cared too much and he got hurt. She knows that now he doesn’t care at all. She’s stayed in place for so long because she still cares. She still wants them back. She’s still attached and can’t just up and leave.

It might be time. Time to let her stop hurting, let go of everything that she’s been carrying around for so long. Leave everyone behind and swear that she owes no one anything, beholden to only herself. Stop treading treacherous water before she drowns.

With that in mind, she grabs her brother's hand. He holds on tighter and keeps pace when she runs. He stays beside her as she sets off towards the forest with no destination in mind.

They’re not coming back. It’s almost freeing in a way, to have their connections severed so harshly; to face the music without preparation. Wounds don’t heal if you keep poking them.

If they don’t look back, maybe they can heal, can let themselves be happy and unattached.