Liedecker Institute #13 – January Heatwave Part 1

Liedecker Institute Volume 2: Student Life

• Liedecker Institute #13 – January Heatwave Part 1
• Liedecker Institute #14 – January Heatwave Part 2
• Liedecker Institute #15 – January Heatwave Part 3
• Liedecker Institute #16 – January Heatwave Part 4
• Liedecker Institute #17 – January Heatwave Part 5
• Liedecker Institute #18 – Fun and Games Part 1
• Liedecker Institute #19 – Fun and Games Part 2
• Liedecker Institute #20 – Fun and Games Part 3
• Liedecker Institute #21 – Dryads Part 1
• Liedecker Institute #22 – Dryads Part 2
• Liedecker Institute #23 – Dryads Part 3
• Liedecker Institute #24: Dryads Part 4
• Liedecker Institute Annual #2

She’d spent the night in a maintenance shed on the north end near the playground thanks to the small collection of wires and nails in her pockets and a little finesse. Not as comfortable as a shelter or even a communal enclave like in the old Pittsburgh steam tunnels, but she didn’t know the city’s shelters well enough to trust them.

There were always stories about unscrupulous groups and individuals ‘recruiting’ out of shelters and rumor had it that they were just that much more aggressive when it came to people like her. She didn’t need extra people after her.

A glance over her shoulder before she hopped one of the low walls behind someone’s backyard showed her that no one was following her. Yet.

In retrospect, the bus had been a mistake. Sneaking into the baggage compartment was simple enough; as loathe as she was to admit it, she was little for her age and curled up just right, didn’t take up more space than a piece of luggage anyway. But arriving in Mayfield, she’d not only been seen by a baggage handler, who almost certainly called it in, but there were so many cameras in the depot, she was sure one had caught her.

That was two days ago. They probably had someone looking for her by now, and maybe Ambrose knew where she was too. That made her shiver. She couldn’t stay in Mayfield. The plan to hide out there until she had a more long term plan was dead before she even hit the street. Now she needed a way out of town as quickly and quietly as possible.

That was going to take some doing, she realized, as she knew absolutely nothing besides the places she’d planned to sleep and spend the daylight hours. The bus plan had seemed such genius that she never came up with an exit strategy.

The pang of shame was backed by a sting of pure emotional agony. Her father would probably be very disappointed in that oversight. On top of everything else.

Cold wind brushed her tears and swept even down into her hoodie.

Other people were lucky, she thought bitterly to herself. At least they could huddle near a fire when it got cold.