Runaways (Orphans 5)

"You think I was exaggerating about that? It was disgusting and terrifying the way his eyes drank me in. He brought his hand inches above my breasts. He was drooling. My insides were so twisted, I couldn't breathe. I'm sure my heart stopped for a moment. I was passing out and I kept telling myself, if I did, he would . . ."

"Oh Crystal, I'm sorry, you know I didn't mean it," Raven said.

"Let's just go. If we keep moving, we'll feel better," Crystal said as we left the restaurant.

The driving wasn't any more pleasant, except Raven tried extra hard to make the most of things. She played some games with Butterfly, sang silly songs, and got into a heated discussion with Crystal about feminism. For a while it felt like old times.

Just after we had crossed into Illinois, the station wagon began to overheat. I noticed the temperature gauge climbing and I slowed down and pulled to the side of the road as quickly as I could.

"What's going on?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure. The temperature gauge just shot up."

"We've got to get off this highway, Brooke," Crystal said. Cars were whizzing by us. "We'll attract too much attention and maybe the highway police."

I flipped open the hood and studied the engine. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I knew that the water gushing out of one of the hoses wasn't a good sign.

"Do you know what the problem is?" Crystal asked.

"I think it's this hose. Look at it gush."

"What does that mean?" Raven asked.

"It means we have to get a new one," I snapped. I may have known how to drive the car, but I wasn't a mechanic.

"What are we going to do?" Butterfly cried.

I looked down the road and saw an old sign advertising a garage a mile away. The sign was faded and the bottom corner was cracked away.

"I'll walk down and see if that place is still open," I said. "If it is, I'll get someone to come up and help us."

"We can't afford this," Crystal said. "it might take all our money."

"Let's wait and see. Maybe they'll let us use the credit card," I said. "I'll come right back if there's no garage and we'll think of what to do then."

Crystal checked her map

"There should be a small town around here. We'll figure out something."

"Okay." I got out. "Stay cool everyone," I added, fixing my eyes on Raven especially. "I'll be back as fast as I can."

I started away and then broke into a jog. There was only one house along the way, a small A-frame, but because of the overgrown lawn and the dark windows, I concluded no one lived in it now. I kept going and when I rounded a turn, I saw the garage ahead. From this distance it was difficult to know if it was still in business. I didn't see anyone or any cars at the pumps and it was an old building, the siding peeled and chip

ped.

As I drew closer, however, I heard the sound of power tools and sure enough, the door was open. I stopped and looked in, at first seeing no one and then a young man stood up. He had been squatting by a truck tire. He wore a pair of gray coveralls. I thought he was probably in his late teens, maybe twenty at most. He had thick, dark brown hair, and even from where I stood, I could see that his dark eyes were unusual, resembling two shiny black pearls. He had high cheekbones and a strong, nearly square jaw with a perfect mouth. He stared at me a moment as if I were an illusion.

"Where did you come from?" he asked. "I didn't hear you pull up."

"Our car broke down about a mile away, right before the exit," I explained.

He didn't move or show any interest at first. Then he put down his power wrench, wiped his hands on a rag, and came out of the garage. Despite his working indoors, he had a deep, even tan. He was at least six feet tall and had a firm, muscular build that refused to be disguised under the coveralls.

"I wasn't sure this garage was open," I said when he didn't speak. He just continued to stare at me, a small, tight smile on his lips.

"We just do some body work and some mechanical work now," he explained. "We gave up the gas pumps a little over a year ago. There's not much traffic going by these days. What kind of a car do you have?"

"It's a 1990 Buick station wagon."