BREAKAWAY

SIREN MENDEZ

My legs already hurts when the train stops on the station. Fortunately, there are seats that became unoccupied when almost half of the passenger unload.

I sat as soon as the passenger in front of me stood up and leave the train. I still have two more stations to pass before reaching my destination.

I hugged my oversized backpack that I put over my lap when I sitdown. I feel hungry, and sleepy. It's already seven in the evening and the only meal I took was the breakfast, Mr. Harold the butler served me when I woke up this morning.

I think about having my dinner in a fast food chain or in a cheap diner as soon as I reach my destination. In the thought of it, I buried my face into the rough surface of my bag. Intending to have some sleep before the train stops.

I don't know how much time did I take sleeping but I have been awaken by a not so heavy tap on my shoulder. I saw an old man looking down at me when I lift my head up.

"The train stops right here, Miss. We should leave here before they turn off all the engines." The Grandpa, having a soft voice informing me.

I nodded before I stand up. He walked passed me when he saw me being ready to go.

The old man was walking slowly though he was the one who leave out the train first.

"Hey Grandpa!" I called him before running towards him.

"Yes?" Nonetheless, I feel amused by the old man's gesture towards me earlier. I feel warm with his small concern about me being stuck in the train for oversleeping.

"Thanks for waking me up earlier, Grandpa." I said when I reached him.

I use to walk slowly in his level of steps so I can accompany his slow movement.

"You don't have to thanked me. I merely do that in every kid I saw drooling while sleeping on the train. Besides, you snore loudly that's why I knew you are in deep sleep."

I tried hard not to laugh at what he says. Drooling and snoring? Haha! Who? me?

Instead of becoming irritated of him being exaggerated, I laughed at his pity jokes.

When we got out from the station, I bid to say goodbye to him as we parted ways. And though he didn't answer me back, I still look at him until his features fade from the dim light of the streets.

I walk towards the opposite side of the street and look for a diner or any convenience store as I go on from walking.

----------------

Being tired from the trip, I threw myself on the single bed as I entered the hotel room. It was the cheapest hotel inn in the place that I can find and I only checked in for about twelve hours.

I didn't bring a lot of cash, neither any cards that I possess in my account that's why I need to pull all my resources and take the cheapest thing I could have. I need to survive with this. I should push my limits and learn how to survive without my last name's help.

Having the thoughts of it, I rose up and sat on the bed. I took my bag and take out all the papers I prepared before leaving the mansion earlier.

Fake ID and documents are all set. I smiled lazily while glancing on the papers in my hands. From now on, I'll be Reena Gonzalez and Siren will nowhere to be found. It's a perfect escape plan I've been constructing since Felix Angeles starts working in the company.

Since my parents got divorced, my Mom flew back to Spain and Dad remarried with another divorced woman who have two sons from her ex-husband.

I was only eight years old back then and I barely understand what is going on with my family.

Mom is a heiress of her family's businesses and it makes her triple-time busier than any other businessman while my dad is a workaholic who desperately works and spent his youth building his own career.

As the result, I grew up in an empty home only having household workers around to look for me.

I barely even remember if we even had a chance to watch a movie just once. Yes, they are that busy.

Until one day, they told me about their divorced. I never had any idea what was that all about back then. I only thought that Mom will just visit my Abuela and Abuelo in Spain just like other holidays but she never come back since then.

Dad remarries within a year and I got two instant siblings with my stepmom l, Olivia Wines. the fact that I am a black-haired child with Hispanic look makes me feel different from the rest of the family. My Dad having both halves of Spanish and American feature while Olivia and her two sons we're all blonde.

Olivia is ten years younger than Dad when they got married. Her son's Felix is already fifteen while Alexander is twelve.

Whenever I saw them hanging out, I can't help but to feel jealous all the time. It was a family I always wanted to have. And it's just right in front of me, but I'm an exception. I'm an outcast.

I couldn't tell if Olivia is a bad or good stepmom for me. She never treat me bad anyway, neither treat me any good. It's more like I never exist at all. And Dad, I could tell he is happy with his new family. His two stepsons are his dream come true.

My stepbrothers, I could tell they aren't cool. I don't even getting along with them. Felix is a bookworm and he's totally smart. He excels in school and a top student. Alexander is also smart and sporty. He's always busy at school with every sports events. The two are quite popular, I must say. While me? Everyone says I am smart. But I don't really excel in everything. At school, I don't have any friends and being the best target for bullying.

I'm a quite high-tempered woman and it's the reason why I always got warnings when I was in high school.

When I entered college, I thought people are more civil because students are all grown-ups. And that was the biggest mistake.

There was a guy, Kent Calvis who is the best bully in school. He always makes fun of those exchanged students from Asia and even blacks. He was a monster. Even I didn't have a chance to be excepted with his bullshits. But I guess, bullying me droves him to the end of his bullying tyranny and becomes my worst experience ever.

It happens when he pokes fun of my hairpin that my Abuela gave me when I visit them last summer. It was a precious silver hairpin she bought from China. It was an eight inches long chopstick-like silver metal with flower carves at one end and a sharp edge on the other side

Mr. Harold's wife put it in my hair when she make my long hair into a bun. Not knowing it will bring a disaster later on.

When Calvis pulls my hair as a part of his bullying, the hairpin fall on to the ground right beside me as a fall off too. And that moment, I feel like everything is black. I could not see anything. When he grabs my collar to lift me up, I carelessly grab the hairpin and angrily, stabs him in his shoulder.

Being shocked by what happened, Calvis looked at his bleeding shoulder with an unbelievable expression written on his pale face.

His dumbass friends were in horror too when I faced them. I smirked at them.

Later that moment, I found myself sitting on a couch inside principal's office. Facing the Calvis'.

Mr. and Mrs. Calvis never tried to hide their rage towards me. Like parents, like son. I thought.

Since I'm already an adult, they insisted to put me in jail because what I did is a crime. They really think that I was a cold-blooded criminal that time . But when they found out that I am the only daughter of the billionaires Greg and Sylvia Mendez, they asked for compensation instead. I don't know if they are just afraid to bump into my parents or they simply just didn't care that much for their son. I don't know.

But that incident leads me being expelled. Or at least they called it expulsion. The truth is, Mr. Montealegro, the principal offers to transfers me in another college without any offense record. Just to avoid the same incident. They are thinking I'll be a criminal then.

I heaved a sigh after the flashback. I still remember how my Dad shouted at me when I came home and told me about being grounded until I transfer into another school.

That's why I executed my plan of running away.

'Sorry, Dad.' I utter bitterly.