Chereads / The Runaways' / Chapter 3 - A New Companion

Chapter 3 - A New Companion

I looked up to see a man with his hand out, he had dirty blonde hair in a long, messy braid. He wasn't Japanese but seemed to be fluent in it. I grabbed his hand and he lifted me to my feet, "You okay? I saw that grubby boy push you over.." He was kind, most people would keep walking like they saw nothing and I'd have to get up myself. "I'm fine," I replied, I sounded angry but I was just in pain. "Here, let me help you to my porch." He led me to an old broken down house and sat me down on a seat outside it. "I'm Callum, I'm from America by the way. I could see your puzzled expression when you noticed my hair," He chuckled, his aura was warm and kind and his smile was welcoming.

I replied "My name is Ichika,"

"I love your name, do you know if it means anything?"

"It means 'A Thousand Flowers'" My parents never told me what it meant but at my school, we all had the chance to search what our names meant. My teacher said that mine was unique and she had never seen it before, It made me feel loved I guess. "I can tell you're not going to school, are you?" He looked at me still smiling, "How did you know?" I was confused, I never told him anything. "You were going the opposite direction to the school, and there are no other schools around here." I felt dumb for a moment, "Yea, I'm not going to school.." He invited me inside and we sat at his tiny coffee table, he had made me hot chocolate and himself a coffee. "So if you don't mind me asking, where are you going that's more important than school?"

"Tokyo, I'm leaving my parents because they bicker every night and yell. They don't care about me and if they do they don't show it at all." I started getting a bit mad thinking about my parents but I couldn't blame Callum for asking, I'd ask the same thing if I was in his position. "I've always wanted to live in Tokyo ya know? That was my dream when I moved from America to here but everything crashed and now I'm stuck here, I've never had the motivation like you to leave. Could I maybe join you on your journey? It's okay to say no especially since it's a grown man asking a literal teen girl."

"Sure, the company will be good," I didn't care as long as he didn't try to kill or kidnap me."

"Really?! Awesome, I'll go pack my stuff and grab some money," He ran into another room while I finished my hot chocolate. It took me a bit to realise what I just did and started questioning my sanity, Am I already going insane?