I can't believe I'm doing this.

I've heard that desperate times calls for desperate measures, but this is too much. I'm a runaway slave lost in the middle of the woods, following a white boy, while being chased by white slave hunters.

My life is a joke. I don't even know where Nick and Rene are now. Long gone if they know what's good for them. I'm probably more than a mile off from where we were supposed to meet.

I study the boy walking front of me. He's blonde—I've never liked blondes. I don't trust them. He's a lot taller than me and his skin is kind of tanned instead of pale like he must spend a lot of time in the sun.

He walks quietly over the leaves for someone with such large feet, much better than I do.

He better know where he's going. I should have taken the chance and ran off on my own, but he seemed so certain of what he was saying I felt the urge to listen. My mind isn't functioning right, I keep thinking of Nick and Rene and wondering if they got away okay. I'd only known them for a couple of hours, but they did get me off the plantation, so I kind of owed them a little.

As if he can read my mind, the blonde boy looks over his shoulder at me as we walk. "I forgot to ask. Were you traveling with anyone?"

I won't tell him about Nick and Rene. "Why do you ask that?"

He shrugs. "Just wondered. I heard runaway slaves sometimes traveled in groups."

Did they? Well, I guess we had.

"Not me," I fire back. "I'm on my own."

I think he mutters, "I'll bet."

"What?"

"Uh, I asked what your name is."

"Why should I tell you?"

He lets out a sigh and shrugs again. "I don't know. So, I can have something to call you when we're talking instead of just saying 'hey you'."

Not that it matters, but this is most likely the first time a white person has ever asked for my name. I stay silent, though.

"I can make one up for you if you won't tell me," the boy babbles on. "How about Racheal? Or Dorothy? Hannah? You look like a Maddie--,"

"Lyric," I interrupt, making sure my tone is as cold as ice. "Now shut up. You keep rattling on and someone will hear and that's how we'll be caught. And I swear if you get me caught I'll--,"

"Shoot me in the head with your pistol," the boy grumbles. "Yeah, I got that."

If he knew that it was impossible for me to shoot him, he wouldn't sound so put off about it.

"Zeke."

"What?"

"My name. It's Zeke. You weren't going to ask, so I thought I'd go ahead and tell you."

He's so strange. "What does it matter if we know each other's names or not? We're never going to see one another again in a few minutes."

He scratches his head, causing blond strands to catch the sunlight. "If I die in the next few minutes or days I'd like for as many people as possible to remember me."

I was wrong, he isn't strange. He's crazy. I consider telling him that as soon as I get out of this maze of trees, I'll never think of him again, but I don't want to give him more opportunities to talk.

He gives me the luxury of silence for only a few minutes before he starts talking again. "I'd ask you where you're headed, but I have a funny feeling you'd tell me it's none of my business or something."

I sigh through my nose. "Give the man a prize."

"I'm going to Canada. I know you didn't ask, but I have the habit of spilling all my secrets when I'm nervous."

I'm not able to cover the surprise on my face before he sees it. "Really? You're going to Canada, too?"

I replace my blank mask. "So, what?"

He shrugs and shakes his head. "Nothing." Zeke glances back over his shoulder once more at me, then stops walking. He stares at my face.

His intense gaze suddenly makes me uncomfortable. "What?"

He extends his hand toward my left cheek. "Did I do that?"

My fingers reach up to ghost over the bruise his boot caused on my face. "I'll live."

"I'm sorry about that."

I shrug. I don't want him to know I'm a little thrown off by his apology. "I said, I'll live." I nod my head forward. "Aren't we supposed to be going somewhere?"

Hesitation flickers through his eyes just before he turns his back to me. "Uh, yeah. There's just one thing—,"

"What thing?" He better not be about to say what I think he is.

"I kinda think we passed by here before..."

"You're kidding me." I press the palm of my hand against my forehead. I deserved this for following a stranger in the woods. When am I going to learn to make escapes on my own? "You know what, forget it. I'll go off on my--,"

A noise to the left cuts me off and causes us both to freeze. I had been talking too loud. "Is someone there?" The new voice causes my throat to close. But to my relief, it's a white woman and her child, not men that emerge into view from behind the line of trees. Judging from their clothes, they're out on a walk to town.

She stares at me with large, watery eyes and an accusing expression, while her little girl just looks curious. "Are you the one they're looking for?"

Does she mean the hunters?

"We met some men a few minutes ago saying they were looking for a lone slave girl. That's you, isn't it?"

From where she's standing I don't think she can see Zeke. I don't dare take my eyes off her to look at him, but I can tell he's gone. Probably deciding only one of us needs to go down. I wish I could, but I don't blame him.

"I'm getting the authorities right now. You won't get away with--"

"Is there a problem here?" Zeke steps out into the line of sight of the woman. His presence takes the woman by surprise and she appears confused.

"Oh, I was just saying—I thought that... Is this slave girl with you?"

Zeke glances at me for a second. "Yes, she is."

"Oh, then she's not the girl they were looking for." A tinge of red colors her cheeks. "I'm sorry, sir. Excuse me." She turns and ushers her child away.

My chest deflates as air exhales through my nose. Thank God, she was gone. I hadn't known what to say. If Zeke hadn't stepped in I might have freaked out and tried to knock her unconscious right in front of her child.

I turn to Zeke to find him staring at me again, only this time with an excited smile on his face. "If you're waiting for me to say thank you, you were the one who got me into that mess."

He shakes his head. "No, not that. Did you see what just happened?"

"Yeah, that crazy hag almost called the hunters down on me."

"Yeah, but—that's not very nice—and what I meant was she thought you were the runaway slave girl until she saw you with me."

"I am the runaway slave girl. What's your point?"

He sighs like he's losing patience with my slow thought process. "Exactly, but she thought you weren't when she saw me. Why? Because she's looking for a lone slave girl. And I know if there's word on you then there's word out on me too. But she didn't even think about that because there's supposed to be a man out on his own."

His line of thought begins to dawn on me and I start to feel sick. "No. I know what you're thinking, no way."

"Lyric—it is Lyric, right? Look, let's stay together a little longer. Till we get out of Kansas. It makes perfect sense. It might even be our best chance. That 'crazy hag' just proved it."

"I don't give a hill's--" I start a little too loudly. Lowering my voice, I continue, "You're absolutely insane if you think I'm going to start long distance traveling with a white boy I just met in the woods." I can't believe he would be bold enough to suggest it.

"What does the color of my skin have to do with it? It's a good idea."

"You tackled me. Twice."

He has the decency to look slightly embarrassed. "Heat of the moment. But hey we're going to face a lot of moments like that out here. Especially on our own. It's only a matter of time before we're turned in if we're by ourselves."

I fold my arms against my chest. "But you think if we become traveling partners we won't be? How do I know you won't turn me in yourself?"

He throws his hands up in the air. "What part of 'I'm wanted' don't you understand? So, you ran away from some plantation. What do I care?" He takes a couple of steps forward, closing the distance between us. "All I care about is getting to Canada so I won't spend the rest of my life in jail or worse. And I get the feeling you really want to be free."

Yes, Lyric, great idea. Travel the state with a criminal. I'd turn and leave right now if what he's saying didn't make sense somehow. I mean, it's idiotic no doubt. I shouldn't be even thinking about it, but what's the difference between going with him than with Nick and Rene?

I already know the answer. He's white. And that means something. 

But I do want to be free. More than anything. I blow my breath out through my lips. "I'm an idiot."

~

A/N: Kinda on the fence about this chapter, but still thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote/comment!