I never wanted to leave Anna. I don�t know what I thought was going to happen. I don�t think I thought much though, stupid kid that I was. What did I think? That we�d just keep sneaking around for the rest of our lives?
I should have seen it coming. I�m not sure it would have helped. Gutsy I may have been, but not gutsy enough to disobey my parents. I only made that mistake once. . . or twice . . . Okay, okay, enough times to know better.
This time was different. I never had a hand laid on me, but it was the worst lecture I ever had. Up to that point, I thought I could handle them. While I won�t say meetings with my parents were pleasant, I at least know what to expect. Nothing they could do scared me anymore. Until they brought Anna into it. I cared what happened to her.
Oh, you may think you�re tough, but when someone you care about is threatened somehow . . . Well, that�s a different story, isn�t it? There are a hundred things they could have said or done that I would have just laughed at. Leave it to them to say all the things that really scared me. They were going to disgrace Anna and take me out of Wellington.
Looking back, I probably should have told them off and walked out. I could have gone straight to Anna and things might have turned out a lot different. If I had any brains, that�s what I would have done. Instead, I let them scare me. I believed every word. Let me tell you, a stupid, cocky, scared kid does not make good decisions. I figured I�d just leave and I�d be fine on my own. Anna would get over me in a heartbeat and fall for some Thaumatur guy and that would be that. If only.
I waited until that night before I snuck away. I threw some stuff in a bag, essential stuff, like clothes and weapons and a picture of Anna and I. Then I grabbed a nice wad of cash, courtesy of my parents. Revenge, you know. I had it planned perfectly and I almost escaped unnoticed. Almost.
I was grabbing food from the kitchen when I heard a footfall behind me. You would have thought it was a gunshot the way I jumped. I imagined I was about to get knocked ass over head. The reality was much more pleasant. When I spun around, I met a pair of curious gray green eyes. Lu stood in the doorway, watching me. I sent her a hostile look and she cringed and glanced down at my bag. I hesitated for a moment. Here was a girl who had been nicer to me than any of the rest of my family.
�Could you tell-� I started to say. I was cut off by the sound of my mother�s voice. I was caught and I knew it. For the first time in a long time, I was scared too.
Lu picked up my bag and shoved it into my chest, then turned away. �It�s just me, mama!� She only glanced back once, and I got out of the house as fast as I could.
I didn�t leave right away. I did intend to see Anna. Not an easy thing to do though. I came close, but I chickened out before I actually made it to her.
I wanted to make a stop at my room at Wellington, but having a roommate complicates things. It took a bit of thought to pull that one off. In fact, it was probably more trouble than it was worth for all I got out of there. I should have taken the chance to explain to Leoder at least, but what would I have said? �I�m a chicken shit, so I�m running. Tell Anna I�m sorry.� No amount of explaining would have helped.
After I left Salaise, I went straight to Alchaven. It seemed as good a place as any to start over. I hadn�t quite figured out what I was going to do, but it didn�t take me long. I mean, really, besides being cute, what was I good for? So I thought I�d become a mercenary. Piece of cake, I figured. I�ve said it before and I�ll say it again: I was a stupid kid, and I had a lot of lessons to learn.