The Runaway Shifter

THE sound of a car pulling up made Jane’s head lift. She let go of the brown paper bag that she was holding. She lost interest in it the moment she saw the slowing car. She is looking through the dumpster near the diner. Often, she gets leftover food from there. She already memorized the time when the staff threw the garbage. The dirty, torn clothes that she was wearing swayed in the air as she runs. She also found the shirt from the dumpster a couple of weeks before. It was cleaner then. And no holes in it. Someone else’s trash can be someone else’s treasure. Jane realized it when the street became her home. Her small hand went to her face to move the greasy hair from obscuring her sight. Her attention was set on the slowing car. She has to move fast or else other children in the alley will get the good stuff. The shiny paint of the black car reflected in her innocent eyes. In her mind, she already imagined the delicious food that she can buy if she will be able to get at least a dollar from the owner of the car. Her short legs sprinted towards the vehicle. Just in time, it halted. She knocked on the tinted window. “Can I have a penny? Please?” She immediately uttered when the window went down. Her mouth went ajar when her eyes met with the grayest eyes she has ever seen. Her hair was long and straight. They were the color of the sand on the beach where she and her parents used to go when she was little. The girl inside the car is a lot older than her. She may be a teenager. Maybe thirteen. The thick brows of the girl inside the car knotted. She looked at Jane, too. A hint of curiosity marred her face. Jane swallowed the lump in her throat. Her other hand went to her hair. She pulled them at the back of her ear. “Go on, honey.” Her eyes went to the woman sitting beside the girl. They shared the same gray eyes. “Here. I hope you don’t mind. It was only two slices of pizza.” The girl stated as she raised her hand with the brown bag. Her voice was soft and gentle. Yet, the young girl’s attention went to the brown bag. Jane almost salivated at the smell of the food inside it. It was one of the most delicious smells she ever encountered in a while. She slowly reached for the brown bag. Her hand is almost trembling in anticipation. Her heart is thumping so loud in her ribcage. "Take this, too.” The beautiful woman gave her a dollar. She has kind eyes. Jane has not experienced such kindness since she lived on the street. People that walked in the streets either yelled at kids like her or shooed them away. The people inside the cars are no better. Except for these two. “T-thank you.” “You’re welcome, dear.” Jane was rooted in her feet as she watched the car leave. She could see the other girl in the car looking back at her. Her eyes followed the vehicle until she lost sight of it. She sniffed. She rubbed her nose with her hand. The scent of the pizza sailed into her olfactory. She placed the money inside the pocket of her shorts. She made sure that it was in the right pocket. The other one has a hole in it. She would never want to lose the money. The little girl looked around her. When she saw no other kids, she darted to the nearest column of the overpass bridge. It was a little hidden from the people passing by. She wiped her hand in front of her stained shirt. She exhaled before her hand dived inside the brown takeaway bag. A smile formed on her lips when her fingers touched the toppings. Her eye widened when her sight zeroed on a sliced. It has that red-colored, rounded shape on top. It has also cheese everywhere. She forgot the flavor of this pizza. Her father liked this kind. That she can still remember. In a few bites, a slice of pizza was gone from her hand. She released a happy sigh. Her hand went to her stomach. She has never tasted such a delicious meal before. She burped with pleasure. A shadow cast on her face. Slowly, her face raised. The bulky body of the teenage boy stood before her. He has a wide grin on his face. His open palm was outstretched before him. “I can smell the food from meters away.” He said in loud voice. Jane exhaled. She spotted the dirt in his long nails as well as the smear of filth in between his fingers. Without a word, she grabbed the brown paper bag with the last piece of pizza on it. She placed it on top of his palm. He tore the paper open. He seized the slice of pizza and put it in his mouth. He chewed noisily with his mouth open. A grimace made itself known on Jane’s small face when the teenager licked his fingers. His fingers were filthy!! His other hand crumpled the paper until it shaped like a ball. A smirk formed on his lips. She watched him continue what he was doing with every finger in his hand that touched the food he ate. She was not surprised when he threw the ball of paper her way. It made a three-point shot in the middle of Jane’s forehead. The eight-year-old girl did nothing but rubbed the same area where the crumpled paper made the landing. “That was yummy, little girl. ‘Til next time.” He walked away but after a couple of steps, he turned back up. “Do you have money?” Jane shook her head. “Are you sure?” He squinted his eyes when she nodded. “I could see lies through your teeth, b*tch.” “I don’t have money. I’ve been looking at the dumpster the whole day. The lady gave me the pizza. No money, I swear.” She defended. The teenage boy laughed. “I know. Just kidding. Until next time, b*tch.” He ran after giving her a salute. Jane was able to release a deep breath when he was finally gone. That was Buck. He was one of the older boys in the neighborhood. Often, he walked with two of his minions. He must have sent them on an errand since he was alone this time. When she says neighborhood, it was the small area in the street where she and the rest of the kids were living. Some of the kids were on the other side of the street. It comes with the territory. She has been on the street for two years now. She knew that it has been a couple of years. She learned numbers and reading before she left the place she used to call home. It was not easy living in the street. She has no one. She has to rely on herself and learned to defend herself when she has to. There were times that she cried when remembered the life she used to have. She missed her mom's cooking. She missed her father’s goofy smile when he comes home to greet her mother. She missed being home to her parents. The kids that lived in the neighborhood were here before her. They were a lot territorial and listened to no reason. At times, Jane has to run and chose another street where she could lay for the night. It was not only the kids that she has to be wary of. Adult men have been loitering in the streets, too, and they captured children like her. She no longer saw those kids anymore. However, she heard from the other older kids that they were sold to rich people to become slaves. Aside from adult men, she and the rest of the kids avoided the policemen. They picked up the children that were loitering in the streets. According to one of the children, they were put in the orphanage to be adopted by wealthy parents. Yet, instead of being cared for, the adopted children were used as young workers and are not paid with money but daily rations of food. Kids were being physically hurt, too. The sun has set. Jane stood up and look for a place where she could sleep for the night. She has money. Her stomach is full. This day has been good to her. She walked towards the plant box. She retrieved the boomer jacket and the socks. She found them in the garbage not long ago. It was very timely since the season is about to change and the hoodie that she has been using has a lot of holes in it. The dog print on its back is fading, too. The socks were a different story. They reached up to her knees and of different colors. Orange and blue. She liked them because they were fluffy and kept her warm in the middle of the cold nights. Jane made sure that she hid them well. For now, they were her prized possession. The kids in the street were a bit of everything. They steal from the other kids, especially the smaller ones. The weaker ones. She was not the smallest among the children on the streets but the biggest ones were the most bully. Often, she did not fight back whenever they ‘asked’ something from her. She gave them away. She did not want to get in trouble with anyone. Jane’s eyes widen when she saw the familiar blue and red lights of the police car. At night, the uniformed policemen were scouring the streets for the children and other criminals. Every so often, they caught children than law offenders. Quickly, she scurried to the next alley where the police car will not be able to enter. As she runs, she saw other street children hiding in the dark. She squeezed herself between the bushes. To her surprise, the red and blue lights were on the other side of the plant box where she hid. It was the cop’s motorcycle! In her fright, she was not able to notice that she has exited into another alley. She went in the wrong direction in fear of the officers! Shivering a little, she made herself smaller. She prayed that she will not be detected in her hiding place. Her grip on the boomer jacket tightened. Despite the cool air sweat started pouring on her face and back. Her black hair was plastered on the side of her face. She has to blink a few times in order since sweat has obscured her sight. She breathed easier when the police vehicle went away. She’s safe. For now. Bit by bit, she moved out of the bushes. She patted the leaves from the jacket that she wearing, she noticed that she acquired new holes on it. She sighed in frustration. “Hi.” Her eyes widen in shock when she heard that. Has she been busted?