Hidden Secrets

Why Won't You Come Home?

Drew's P.O.V

I breathed heavily as I regained my breath from crossing the road, glancing back at the busy highway from where I leaned against a tree, I closed my eyes, murmuring, "That was close . . ."

I looked around, before hoisting my bag back over my shoulder and continuing on.

~~~~

I stared at the city in its beauty.

I made it.

Detroit's night lights glittered in the vanishing sunset, vehicles crowding the road, horns blaring somewhere around downtown.

I smiled and stumbled into a convenient store. The cashier was a young male, around my age, with black hair. He wore jeans and a short sleeved, blue shirt.

He looked over at me, smiling a costumer welcome smile, which fell when he saw me and the mess I dragged into his store.

His green eyes bulged out of his head. "Oh God, were you robbed?"

I smiled halfheartedly, releasing a breathy chuckle. "Nah, just scuffed up." I looked around. "Got any water here that I can have?"

He came out from behind the counter. "Yes, what store doesn't have water?"

"Licker store?"

The boy laughed at my weak attempt at humor. "How do you know that? You never been in a licker store before, you're underage."

"Rumors, TV. . .where's that water?"

"Oh am I a bartender now?"

I shrugged my sore, tired, shoulders, leaning against the check out counter. "If you want, I can be the drunken, lovesick, costumer that vents out their problems."

He chuckled, handing me a water. "Well, if we do this, it'd be a good idea to introduce myself. I'm Levi."

I nodded to his tag, which had his name on it, as I opened my water. "I can read."

"You can?" He teased, smirking.

Taking a long drink of water, rolling my eyes, I stuck my hand out in greeting. "I'm Drew."

"Drew, nice name."

I glanced up, from inspecting my water bottle, at him, mumbling. "At least I'm not named after pants."

He glared at me briefly. "Who says I'm named after pants? Those pants could be named after me."

I laughed. "Yeah, right, denim was created by a tailor named Jacob Davis who teamed up with Levi Strauss. On May twentieth, 1873 they were excepted into stores. You are not that old."

He blinked at me. "You know your history, Drew."

I merely shrugged. "I'm smart I guess."

He chuckled softly. "So, where are you from? I can tell you're not from around here."

"I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio." I answered halfheartedly, staring into my bottle again, my voice bleak.

Levi whistled. "This is a long way from home, Missy, where's Toto? Cause you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."

I giggled. "Yeah, this definitely isn't Kansas."

"Can't even say it's Kansas City because this is Michigan not Missouri."

I smiled, taking another drink.

"So are you here to buy anything?" Levi asked after a awkward silence and I glanced up at him, shaking my head.

"No, just this." I held the bottle up as if to toast. "Nothing else."

He nodded, confused at my answer, waiting to for an explanation of a girl walking into a store and not buy. But I didn't give the full answer, or the one he wanted.

"Besides, I don't have any money."

"Why?"

I stood up straight, looking down. "Look I gotta go, nice to meet you, Levi."

"Wait!"

I didn't listen as I rushed out of the store.

"Drew!"

~~~~~

Jon's P.O.V

I walked into the convince store, finally reaching the outer banks of Detroit. It was dark, the humidity of the city heavy in the air, but was refreshing compared to the artificial air in the car.

A bell jingled over head as I entered the building, a teenage boy was at the cash register, his black hair saggy and messy. He looked up at my approach and smiled, but it didn't quite reach his tired green eyes as he greeted me cheerfully.

"Evening, sir, what can I help you with today?"

I walked up to the counter, glancing at a necklace chain that was on the rug under my feet. Bending down, I picked it up, realizing it was a pendant that was kicked under the table. I froze at the object attached to the chain.

UNSTABLE

"Uh, who's is this?" I asked, standing up straight.

The teen glanced at it, turning, and I caught his name tag. 'Levi'. Levi studied the pendent with interest. After a few minutes of silence he opened his mouth. "This girl came in earlier asking for a water, it could be hers."

I tensed at the thought of it possibly being my daughter, shoving it in my pocket I leaned forward onto the counter. "What did she look like?"

Levi turned to the register punching in some numbers as he answered. "She looked rough, honestly, her clothes were dirty. Her hair looked brownish, but it could of been a dirty blonde, like yours, her eyes were a grayish blue. And she was carrying a backpack and guitar case."

"How old did she look?" I persisted desperately.

"Um, a few years younger than me, fifteen, sixteen."

"Did she tell you her name?"

Levi looked at me suspiciously. "Why do you want to know? What's with the questions?"

I slammed my fists impatiently on the hard surface. "She could be my daughter! She ran away from home and I'm trying to find her."

The cashier lifted his chin definitely. "Where are you from?"

"Cincinnati Ohio."

He looked at me pitifully, sympathetic, he finally believed me. "She told me her name was Drew. And she ran out for no reason an hour ago, I'm sorry."

I whimpered, overjoyed and devastated that Drew was here in Detroit and was seen here in this store. But she was still gone. I still haven't found her. "Thank you." I muttered, throwing my number at him before running out of the store. "Call me if you see her again!"

The bells rattled violently as I ran through the door, hearing Levi call after me.

"Will do, sir!" He chucked. "They must be related they both leave stores in a hast."