On The Run {Open}

[Deleted]

Poppy looked around to see if anyone was watching her before turning down an empty alley. Quietly she ran all the way back to a deserted building that she had found a few days ago. Dandi was right behind her never leaving her side. It had been almost a month since she left Buffalo and made her way to New York City. There had been a time when she had thought she would never make it here but finally about a week ago she had gotten here. It had required allot of walking and some hitch hiking, but they had finally made it.

The inside of the building was in terrible shape the stairs creaked under there weight and most the windows where boarded up. Those that weren't let in some light to show all the painting on the walls. Poppy thought this place might have been used as some sort of a gang hideout at some point. When they reached the very top floor Dandi her German Shepherd laid down on a bunch of blankets they used as a bed that Poppy had either found thrown out or stolen from the laundry mats. It wasn't much but it kept them warm and made the hard floor at least a little softer.

Poppy grabbed a single water bottle from her back pack and filled a small metal bowl she had found for Dandi to use and poured half the water in it for him to drink. Dandi started lapping at it right away, Poppy herself took a sip from the bottle before putting it away and grabbing a sandwich. She gave half to Dandi and kept the other half for herself. Poppy couldn't remember the last time she had a full stomach it seamed like she was always hungry. She knew things weren't good she was skinny to begin with and now she could see her ribs. Her clothes hung off her and where filthy and dirty. Poppy hadn't had the time to pack when she left she had just grabbed some money she knew her parents had kept for emergency's and took off. 

The money was almost completely gone, when it was gone she didn't know what they would do for food and water. It had taken Poppy almost all her money to get them here. Taking a bite into the sandwich she sighed. 'Well Dandi if things don't change, and change soon I  don't know what where going to do."

Word Count: 414

[Bailey Daniels]

Bailey woke up with a migraine, and a bad one.  She rolled off an employee couch of the club she worked at, threw the blanket over the top, walked to the back door of the kitchen and into an alley.   The bright sun hurt her eyes and she struggled in her large purse for a pair of sunglasses.  Normally, she would have grabbed a piece of fruit from the fridge behind the bar of the club, but the thought of eating was enough to make Bailey's stomach turn.  

She kept her head down as she walked through the busy streets of New York.  What time is it? she wondered.  She had a long, and very late, previous night at work, and she was sure to have slept at least ten hours.  Bailey wanted nothing more than to be tucked in her bed at home, even if it meant living with her mother, but it turns out mama got arrested and the house was already up for sale... and Bailey was still a missing person.  At this point, she didn't want to be found.  Afraid she herself would get arrested or taken away somewhere, Bailey hung low, staying at the club most of the time to keep out of sight.  Her boss was the only one who knew her story, and he kept it secret just as well as she did.

Bailey made her way down the streets, taking back alleys and roads to avoid the eye of the general public. She found an old, run down building that was boarded up, and out of curiosity she entered.  It looked like it had been abandoned for years, but Bailey was hoping to find something worth taking with her.  She looked around for a while, not finding much and reluctantly climbing stairs to try and find something she might be able to use or sell for a decent amount of money.  Just as she was about to leave, she heard something.  Was it an animal?  A person?  Surely this kind of building would probably attract homeless people, but it also probably attracted rats too.  

Bailey took a pocket knife out of the pocket of her leather jacket and held it tight, just in case.  She rounded a corner and saw what appeared to be a young girl and a dog sitting amongst a bed of blankets.  Bailey loosened her grip on the pocket knife but didn't put it away just yet.  

"What're you doin' here, kid?" Bailey said, flinching slightly at the sound of her voice which probably seemed to be 100 times louder than it actually was.  Plus, she had no room to talk about the young girl being a kid.  Bailey was only seventeen herself, and this girl was probably not more than a few years younger than her.  

[Deleted]

It was around ten am and Poppy was exhausted she had been up all night and now she was ready for bed. Pulling one of the heavier blankets over her she was just about to lay down when she heard footsteps down below. Poppy cursed silently looks like they would need to find a new place to hide out in. She had just climbed out from under the blanket when a girl maybe around eighteen or nineteen appeared on the steps and and walked towards her. She slowly got to her feet and backed up. She had everything but her blankets and a few other things packed in her back pack already. She grabbed Dandi's collar and pulled him back. Her eyes darting around looking for an escape.

When the stranger finally spoke her voice was a bit on the loud side and the way she flinched Poppy wondered if she had been drinking. That or doing drugs which wasn't good. "What am I doing here what are you doing here? And I'm no kid not any more."] Not after everything she had to go through. She had to grow up fast to live out on these streets and the death of her family also made her grow up faster.

Dandi could tell Poppy was scared, she bared her teeth at the stranger and growled warning her to keep back. The dog's eyes darted from the knife to the older girl. If need be Poppy knew she could count on him to help her escape. Though she would rather not risk her best and only friend and family member that she had left in this world. "What do you want? Were not doing anyone any harm by living here."

Maybe she shouldn't of said that, maybe the girl would turn her into the police or something. Her eyes grew wide with fear and she was starting to panic. She had to get away before this girl ruined everything. Grabbing a sheet from her pocket she looked down the list of German Commands and what they meant. Her dad had been training Dandi in German. Dandi still took English commands but certain commands where German only. Finally she found the correct one. "Pass auf," which if her dad had written this down right for her meant watch out or alert.

Dandi stood up straighter and took an attack stance and never took his eyes off of this stranger which was now a possible threat to his human. Her ears tilted back waiting for the command to attack.

Words: 426
Notes: I don't plan on having the dog attack don't worry.

[Bailey Daniels]

Bailey eyed the dog hesitantly as he bared his teeth.  Bailey wasn't overly fond of dogs, especially ones that looked like they were ready to attack.  Bailey took one small step back, holding up her hands submissively and making sure the girl saw the now closed pocket knife in her hand.  The young girl started retorting back to Bailey, claiming she was no longer a kid.  Bailey raised her brows slightly.  "Okay, okay, sorry," Bailey said, tucking the knife into her pocket.  She hoped that she could get the girl to call her dog off, because Bailey certainly didn't want to fight her.  

"Look," Bailey said.  She wasn't really in the mood for this conversation, but when she saw the skinny girl and her backpack and blankets, Bailey saw herself no more than a couple of months ago.  "I don't know what happened to you or why you're living in this abandoned building, but I can help."  Bailey braved a step closer, but stopped when the girl spoke to the dog and it was on high alert.  She kept her hands raised.  

Bailey had run away too.  She had carried around blankets and stolen food for weeks; curling up next to dumpsters in hidden alleys to sleep.  She knew what it was like, being young girl and having to survive by any means.  It especially wasn't fun in New York City in the middle of winter.  This girl needed help and Bailey could give it to her... if only she would hear Bailey out.

"I ran away from home too," Bailey told the girl, assuming she had too.  Why else would a pretty little teenager be hiding out in an abandoned building looking like a hobo?  "And I've lived on the streets and fought to survive."  She looked at the dog to make sure he wasn't going to attack.  "But I found a place to stay... I'm sure he won't mind one more." Bailey wasn't sure if she would get through to this girl.  Normally she didn't care much about other people, but she would have wanted somebody to do the same for her.  Or maybe she was beginning to get a motherly instinct.  

"There's food," Bailey told the girl.  "I can take you there."  She hoped that maybe food would persuade the girl to come with her.  She knew it would have worked on herself. However at the moment, the thought of food repulsed her.  She felt like she might throw up anyway, and believe it or not, she hadn't been drinking last night.  Her boyfriend wouldn't let her anymore, at least not while he was around.

[Deleted]

Poppy watched the girl she let out a sigh of relief when she raised her hands the dagger or knife she had had was folded up but she still wasn't sure if she could trust her so she kept Dandi on alert until she was sure the girl wouldn't hurt them. While the dog held her off she began grabbing the blankets and stuffing them in her back pack. She was planning on making her way past the girl with Dandi once everything was packed. But as she packed the girl began to speak again.

She couldn't help but to give a snort of laughter when she offered to help. "Thanks but no thanks I don't need the kind of help that takes me straight to the police. Me and Dandi have been fine on our own for almost a month now and where doing fine." Who else did the girl mean? Adults always meant the cops when they mentioned helping. As she grabbed a stuffed dinosaur with three horns the girl mentioned running away as well making her drop it. Part of her really wanted to believe her but she was scared. What if they found out what she did to her family. No She just couldn't they would send her to juvi or worse prison.

When the girl mentioned food Poppy's stomach growled, making Poppy flinch. She couldn't remember the last time her stomach was full. Finally everything was in her bag. Poppy stood up and turned to look at her Dandi hadn't moved an inch. She took the slip of paper back out and scanned the commands on there. Finding the two words she was looking for she quickly called them out. "Hier, Legen," the first word meant come the second meant lie down.

Dandi relaxed and turned padded a couple feet to Poppy and laid down by her side. Even though she had been called off she still kept alert and ready just encase. "Ok we'll come but if this is a trick you'll be sorry. My dad trained her as an attack dog encase me or my sister where ever in danger. I'm still learning the commands but Dandi knows them."

Poppy swung her back pack on her back and clipped a leash onto Dandi. "Fuss," the large German Shepherd stood and walked beside his master. "So where is this place we are going to?"

[/b]

[Bailey Daniels]

Bailey scoffed when the girl implied that she would be taken to the police.  It was like dealing with  herself in a smaller, red-haired body.  "Trust me," Bailey said, rolling her eyes.  "If I went to the police they'd probably arrest me too."  Bailey thought about her statement.  She actually wasn't sure if she would be arrested.  The police might think she had something to do with the man her mother murdered and ran away to avoid the police.  Even if she wasn't charged for assisting a murder, she would still probably be arrested for under-aged drinking and hiding from the police.  That was all if they never found out about the other group of people she was working for...

The brunette relaxed when the young girl called back her dog.  She finally put her hands down and crossed her arms while she watched the girl pack her stuff.  Bailey thought she might have gotten through to the girl when she mentioned that she too was a runaway, but she couldn't be certain.  It was a definite breakthrough when the girl said she would go with her at the mention of food, but warned Bailey that her dog can and will attack her if provoked.  

"That's nice and all, but the dog won't need to bite my arm off, I'm just takin' you to get some food," she said to the girl.  She understood that the girl was cautious.  If it were Bailey in her situation, she would be too.  It was a good survival instinct, but so was accepting free food when it was offered to you.  "We're going to the club I work at.  It's just down the street," Bailey hoped the girl wouldn't be turned off by going to a club.  "Don't worry, it doesn't open until seven tonight, we'll be the only ones there.  The owner is a really cool guy, he offered me a job and to sleep in the employee lounge."  

Bailey glanced to the red-haired girl and the dog, making sure they didn't look like they were going to attack her.  She headed out the door of the room and down the stairs and to the outside.  She squinted her eyes as the bright sun reached her and she was reminded the her migraine.  Damn, she thought as she looked down to let her eyes adjust to the light.  She looked one more time to the girl, "My name's Bailey, by the way," she said.  "What's your name?"

[Deleted]

Poppy looked up surprised why would the cops arrest her? She shook her head softly what could she have done for the cops to want her. No it was none of her business she wouldn't want this girl butting her nose into her business and she wasn't about to do the same thing to her. She quickly began fallowing the girl down the stairs and eventually back outside. She couldn't help but laugh softly at the way the girl reacted to the sun. "Man you must have really gotten drunk last night to be this sensitive to light and sound."

"Dandi won't rip your arm off unless you give me and him a reason for you to. So far you haven't but that doesn't mean I trust you. I don't trust you as far as I could throw you right now." Considering she would even be able to pick the woman up was saying a bunch right there.

Poppy stopped where she was standing, a club where there was alcohol and drunks and nasty jerks was not the kind of place she wanted to be going to. But the food was to tempting so she continued to fallow her. "Ok but I want to be out of there long before anyone shows up. What time does the place ope...." right than Poppy let out a long yawn. She hadn't slept all night so she was getting tired. Maybe she could grab a quick nap in the warm club after she ate before taking off. One thing was for sure she doubted she would be going back to that building she had been living in. "What kind of food down he have?" Something hot like a cheeseburger or something sounded pretty good. And not one of those nasty greasy ones from MacDonald's but one like the ones her mom used to make.

Her mom always knew how to make her cheeseburger, medium well with all the toppings, lettuce, cheese, ketchup, mustered, relish and miracle whip with pickles and french fries piled on top of it. Poppy's mouth was beginning to water at just the thought of it. But first she would need to take care of Dandi. "Is there any dog food for Dandi? I've been giving him half of what ever I get. If not I'll just give him half of my food."

When the girl introduced herself as Bailey she figured she should give her, her name. "I'm Poppy and as you know this is Dandi. She's all I have left." Poppy rested her hand on Dandi's head and scratched one of his ears.

Words: 435

[Bailey Daniels]

Bailey shot a slightly aggressive glance at the girl when she accused her of being drunk, but it was only brief as the intense expression faded into a smirk.  "I'm not hungover," she said defensively.  "At least not today.  I worked until early this morning at the club... loud music, screaming people, flashing lights... it's all fun when you're not working and stressed out about things."  Bailey looked down briefly.  She didn't feel like going into the details with the girl about why she was feeling so sick this morning; she was already ashamed as it was.  Bailey quickly reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.  Perhaps one would make her feel a little better.  

"Ha!  I don't trust you either," Bailey said as she lit the cigarette.  "But you remind me of me so I thought I'd at least try to help.  I know I'd want it."  She flipped her hair and looked at the girl, putting the cigarette by her side on the opposite site of the young girl so she didn't have to smell the awful stench of smoke.  The girl began to ask when the club opened, but ended her question with a yawn.  Raising her brows, Bailey answered, "It doesn't open till eight tonight."  

The red head then asked about the food.  "Bar stuff... Wings, pizza, burgers, fries.. you know," she answered.  Bailey usually worked in the kitchen making food.  That, or she cleaned, but lately since the smell of food has made her ill, her boss has begun letting her bar tend.  Nobody had recognized her as the missing high schooler yet.  Why would they?  That was months ago.  Old news.  Bailey should be safe.  No one expected a seventeen year old bartender anyway, most guests just thought she had a young face.

Bailey shook her head 'no' and turned her head away before exhaling a line of smoke.  "No dog food, no," she started.  "But I might be able to cook something up for him."  Bailey looked at the dog.  She never had a dog, but always wanted one.  Finally, the girl introduced herself as "Poppy".  Bailey nodded when Poppy told her the dog was all she had left.  "Sorry," Bailey said.  

It wasn't long before the two girls were in the alley that led into the back of the club.  Bailey threw her cigarette on the pavement and opened the door.  She walked inside to the kitchen, holding the door open for Poppy and Dandi.  "So, what can I get you to eat?"  

[Deleted]

Poppy stepped back when Bailey glared at her. How was she supposed to know she wasn't drug she smelled of alcohol and she acted like she had been drinking. She herself had been up all night and the light wasn't bothering her nor was the noise coming from the cars on the main street or her voice. So she had just assumed she had been drinking. But what she said did make sense She doubted he could handle that kind of stress and noise either. "Sorry I didn't know." So that's why Bailey was helping her. She was wondering why she would help a complete stranger even if she was just a kid.

Hearing that it didn't open until eight pm filled her with relief. She wouldn't have to worry about having to deal with anyone else especially drunks and alcoholics. Poppy was quickly reminded of how hungry she was when Bailey listed off everything the bar had to eat. Oh man everything sounded s good she could probably eat at least one order of everything and still have room for more. She fallowed Bailey inside with barely any hesitation. "I'll start with a bacon cheese burger with miracle whip, ketchup, mustered, relish, lettuce and pickle piled on top and some french fries." Her mouth was watering as she told her what she would like. "Dandi could probably be ok with just a couple hamburger patties cooked to medium rare. My burger should be medium well with just a little red in the middle."

Dandi sneezed and shook his head not liking the smell of the bar but he fallowed his owner inside. Poppy petted Dandi and let out another yawn. They would usually be asleep by now. But they had lucked out today. This would be Dandi's first hot meal in almost a month. Her mom had made stuffed shells the night before her powers had killed them. That had been the last time she had, had a home cooked meal. How she missed the smell of food cooking and hearing her mom sing as she cooked pancakes in the morning. As remembered those days before her stupid powers awakened tears began to run down her face. Poppy gave her head a shake and swiped at the tears before Bailey noticed.

Forcing a smile on her face and a cheerful note to her voice, "So Bailey where are you from? If you ran away like you said surely you can't be from around here so where are you originally from?" Poppy didn't really care she was just trying to distract herself from her thoughts. She didn't want to appear week to a total stranger.

Words: 445

[Bailey Daniels]

She nodded to Poppy when the girl apologized.  Bailey probably shouldn't have snapped, but whatever.  She was acting a bit hungover.  She hated the migraine that followed a night of drinking, but this migraine was different.  

Bailey watched as Poppy and the dog followed her into the kitchen.  She thought about asking the girl to put her dog somewhere else- kinda gross having a shedding dog in a kitchen- but she decided it might be pushing it to ask her to move the dog.  Bailey looked back to Poppy.  The poor girl was obviously starving as she went on all about her burger and how she wanted it cooked and what she wanted on it.  Bailey sneered slightly at the thought of it, but she would have to suck it up in order to cook a meal for the girl.

"Okay, got ya, wait just a sec," Bailey flipped on one of the grills and a small fryer before heading into the walk-in cooler.  It wasn't a very big kitchen  compared to the size of the club, but it truthfully didn't sell much food compared to alcohol.  Patrons normally came to drink and dance.  She pulled out a few of the frozen hamburger patties.  Yes, they were frozen.  This was a club, not a high-class restaurant.

She kicked open the door of the cooler and stepped out.  Poppy looked a little bit upset, like she might cry, but she composed herself and looked normal again.  Bailey didn't say anything about it.  She picked up a bag of hamburger buns, threw Poppy one, handed her a plate, and opened the small cooler with all the burger toppings.  "Knock yourself out," she said.  Cooking the burgers was enough for Bailey this morning, she figured Poppy could make the toppings however she wanted.  Bailey threw a handful of frozen french fries into the fryer and slapped four burgers down onto the grill, suppressing the urge to gag.  This is why Bailey wasn't able to work in the kitchens for the last couple of weeks.  Hopefully this sickness and sensitivity to food and smells would go away in another month.

Poppy then asked where Bailey was from.  "Surprisingly enough, I'm from right here in New York City," she said, pushing her hair from her face, looking down at the sizzling meat.  "When I ran away I lurked for a little bit- hid out in some abandoned buildings like you.  Once the buzz of a missing teenager kind of died down I went here.  The owner kinda saw that something was wrong and I spoke to him and he told me that if I worked for him, he'd give me food and a place to stay, so that's what I did.  People wouldn't expect to see a missing seventeen year old working in a club anyway, would they?" Bailey smiled.  She was very fond of the owner of the club.  He was shockingly a very cool guy.  

Bailey took three of the burgers off of the grill and onto a paper plate and put it on the floor for her dog.  "How 'bout you?  Where ya from, if you don't mind me askin'."

[Deleted]

Poppy sat down at a table and ordered Dandi to lie down on the floor. Almost immediately the smell of the cooking food made her mouth begin to water like crazy, she licked her lips and swallowed a few times. When Bailey placed a bun and a thing of toppings and told Poppy to have at it she first grabbed the miracle whip and spread some on both sides. She than made a happy face with the ketchup on the bottom bun and a happy face with the mustered on the top bun. Don't ask her why it's just something her and her mom had always done. Next was the relish and pickles, and than the lettuce all she needed now was the burger and fries.


As Poppy did all of that she listened to Bailey, she was surprised to hear she was actually from around here. "You didn't run very far, when I ran away I ran as far as my feet and what little money I had could take me which was here. As for me I'm from about three hundred and seventy miles west of here." She wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her the name of her home town but she had trusted her with where she was from. The least Poppy could do was the same. "I'm from a city called Buffalo. It took me three weeks to get here I mostly walked or hitch hiked. But I did take a train at one point but it only brought me fifty miles closer."

Poppy watched Dandi scarf down the burgers that where set down on the floor next to him. He was just as hungry as she was. But Poppy has always made sure that when ever she had food she split it with Dandi even if it wasn't very much. "You where lucky in your case I guess, at least you found a place to stay."

Word: 323

[Bailey Daniels]

Bailey flipped the burger in front of her a few times before turning around and lifting the fryer basket up to drain.  The fries actually looked pretty good to Bailey, and that shocked even her.  The burger smell, however, was not helping her headache.  She glanced briefly at Poppy who was busy putting smiley faces on her bun and raised an eyebrow.  The last time Bailey saw someone draw a smiley face on a burger was when she was having lunch at her neighbor's home when she was about twelve years old.  Bailey smirked at the memory.  

"No, I didn't run very far," Bailey responded to the girl's statement.  "The last time I left New York City I was five.  The city is all I know.  It feels like I never left my whole life.  Guess I was afraid to leave on some level."  She thought back to the last time she left New York.  Her father took her to Myrtle Beach once, but the memory felt like a distant fantasy.  The city was the world to her, and she knew it by heart.  Bailey could tell you where anything and everything could be found in the city.  She loved it.

"Buffalo, huh?" Bailey said.  "I know Buffalo.  Over by Niagra Falls, right?  All I know is the people in this club are obsessed with their football team for some reason."  She shrugged, taking the plate from Poppy and placing the burger on the bottom bun.  She then turned around and dumped the fries onto the plate and gave them a generous shake of salt.  She handed the plate back.  "There ya go."  

Bailey turned off the fryer and grill, hoping the smell would subside soon.  She picked up a lone fry left in the basket and picked it up, staring at it curiously, trying to decide if she should give it a try or not. She nibbled off the end.  Maybe not a good idea.  With a slight frown, she tossed the fry into the garbage bin.  This was not fun.  Turning back to Poppy, Bailey asked,  "How is it?"  

[Deleted]

Poppy frowned what little happiness she had regained disappeared like mist in the sun. Bailey was lucky she wished she could of stayed in Buffalo. She knew that city like she knew the back of her hand. It was her home, it was where all her friends where and buy now where her family was buried. Some day she would go back maybe and beg her family's spirits for forgiveness. But not for many years when they will have stopped looking for her.

"Your lucky this city is big enough to get lost in, I was to well known in Buffalo I had friends all over the place. After all I was in the paper a couple times because of the sports I played. I never would of been able to stay no matter how much I wanted to."

When Bailey said she knew Buffalo alarm bells went off in her head but she kept her face calm and relaxed. "Ugh yea right next to Niagara Fall's I used to go there all the time with my family. You should see it during the Christmas season it's absolutely beautiful."

When at last her burger was done she licked her lips tossed a few fries on top of it than squashed the top bun down on it and tore into it. She let out a soft groan as the flavors burst in her mouth. She swallowed barely chewing than coughed a few times from nearly choking on it. "Do you have some root beer?" She mumbled as she bit into it a second time. When Bailey asked how it was she nodded her head and smiled and mumbled with her mouth full "Delicious, thank you."

[Bailey Daniels]

"Yeah, that's the thing about New York City," Bailey began.  "You see a missing kid on the television, think it's sad, then you don't think about it outside the house.  It's actually a great city to get lost in."  She remembered watching the news broadcast of her picture, watching the police and neighbors give interviews in front of her house where there was police tape strung about.  Sometimes she wished she didn't run.  Perhaps she wouldn't have ended up in an orphanage, but the more she thought about it, she realized she would have turned into an orphaned seventeen year old, and nobody wanted to adopt a  kid that old.  

"At least you're far enough away from the city that no one here will recognize you," Bailey said to the girl, trying to cheer her up.  "That was probably a good thing, if you don't want to be caught."  She wondered why the girl was running away in the first place, but Bailey knew it wasn't her business.  She smiled when Poppy mentioned Buffalo at Christmas.  "I bet it's nothing compared to New York at Christmas."  Bailey thought back to just a few months ago when the huge tree was set up and tourists from all over the country flocked North to see it.  It was always such a beauty.  

Bailey raised her eyebrow as she watched Poppy eat the burger.  She was so hungry she almost choked, and Bailey was a bit concerned, being that she didn't know the Heimlich Maneuver.  Thankfully, Poppy was okay and asked for some root beer.  "Yeah, up front.  What d'you say we get out of this stinking kitchen and go into the main room, huh?"  If they didn't leave the kitchen soon, Bailey was sure to get sick.  The smell was awful.  She led Poppy out of the kitchen and into a huge, open room.

On the left wall there was a huge, crescent-shaped bar with nearly a hundred bar stools lined up neatly in front.  To the right of the bar, there were some tables to dine at, along the back wall there were private party booths, and on the right there was one of the city's largest dance floors and DJ stage.  It was a really cool place to be at night and partying was your thing.  The club looked so different during the day, though, with all of the lights on and the daylight sun shining through the windows.  The empty tables and dance floor.  The quietness.  Bailey gestured for Poppy to take a seat at the bar while she herself stepped behind the bar.  

The smell here was significantly better than that of the greasy kitchen.  She dug in the mini-fridge below the bar and pulled out a bottle of rootbeer, using the built-in cap removed on the bar to open it and then slid it down the top to Poppy.  "There ya go... one root beer."  Bailey leaned against the bar and narrowed her eyes.  "Y'know, I could put some vanilla vodka in there and make it a root beer bomb if you wanted."  She smiled deviously, wondering if this child had ever had alcohol before.  Bailey dug into another small fridge and pulled out an orange, peeling it with her hands, hoping she could at least eat a piece of fruit.

[Deleted]

Poppy quickly scarfed the burger down as Bailey talked. She felt like she could eat like five more burgers. But she knew she had to take it easy she wasn't used to eating more than a half a sandwich a day or something else. This was her second sandwich and even though she was still hungry she took her time nibbling on the fries wanting them to last a little bit longer. "Yea it's the complete opposite in Buffalo all your friends and there friends and family are out searching every inch of the city for you. They go to all the places they know you like. And if my bff Rachel was helping them she would of found me in two days if not less." She missed Rachel almost as much as her mom dad and twin sister. If she was at home she would be at school by now talking about soccer or football or some other sport with Rachel. They both loved playing and watching sports.

"Yea but it's pretty lonely being on the run. At least I have Dandi with me. And no I don't want to get caught, but I would give anything to be back in Buffalo with my family again." As Bailey suggested going up front she nodded and jumped off the chair and fallowed her with Dandi right at her side having finished his burgers all ready. "I don't know what your smelling but I think it's one of the best thing's I've smelled in ages." When she hopped on the bar and set her plate of fries down.

She watched the bottle slide down thinking it would fall over but she caught it with out a drop being spilled. "Thanks allot for everything Bailey. You didn't have to help me and you did." She was about to say something else when Bailey offered to put some Vanilla Vodka in it and she wrinkled her nose. "Yuck you know I'm only fourteen right? I'm way to young to be drinking that doesn't even sound good." Poppy put her hand over the top of her pop to make sure she didn't put anything in it before grabbing another fry and popping it in her mouth.

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