Tears pricked Benny’s eyes as he ran, gasping for breath. He didn’t know where he was, just that he was out of that house. He had been held in that basement for so long he couldn’t remember the last time he saw sunlight. He knew she would be after him soon.
He noticed a building coming up, a school! He hurried, pushing himself to the school. He didn’t know if anyone was still there, but if they were he could maybe come to him.
He hurried up the stairs into Canterlot high and pulled at the door hard. It flew open and smacked him back. He fell backwards, the sound of his captors shouting ringing in his ears.
“Oh my- I’m so sorry!” A teenage female voice rang from above. Benny remained on the ground holding his wound and crying. He felt warm hands brush away his hands gently and when he opened his eyes he saw a fiery haired young woman looking over him . “Ohhh that looks bad. Why don’t you come inside and I can get a first aid kid, okay?”
He sniffled and nodded silently and let her help him up. She opened the door for him and followed him inside. “Here, I think the nurse is gone for the day...but I know where to find her stuff. I’ll leave a note explaining what happened.” She led into a hospital like office , that brought back bitter terrifying memories.
“.....do I have to go in there?” he asked quietly. “Can...you just bring it out here.” the girl frowned looking confused and Benny flinched awaiting a scolding that never came.
“Uh...sure. Are you afraid of doctors?” She asked.
“A little bit yeah” he admitted. She looked surprised at the answer momentarily.
“I- I’m sorry! Was that the wrong answer?” he asked.
“Wrong answer? Of course not” She smiled. “I’ve just….never heard a boy your age be so willing to admit they’re afraid of something. That’s pretty brave”
“R-really?” He asked as she knelt down and started to clean his wound. “...ow that hurts”
“I know, but I need to clean it before I patch it up. If you get it infected it’s going to hurt a lot more” she said. This girl was unlike the one he had grown to know so well. She was gentle and kind. She smiled reassuringly as she patched up the wound. “So...what are you doing near a high school anyway?”
“...I...was...out” he said hesitantly. “Playing”
“Oh?” she didn’t sound like she believed him. “Well it’s getting kinda dark. Maybe you should start heading home. I bet your parents will be worried sick” He knew they were. They hadn’t seen him in 5 years. Maybe. He wasn’t exactly sure how long it had been. “Do you want me to walk you ho-”
Her hand brushed against him and something stopped her short. Her eyes almost seemed….blank for a moment while she held contact and she when she pulled her hand away she seemed shaken.
“.....Miss?” he asked starting to draw away not knowing what might happen. She took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead.
“I’m okay...I’m okay.” She took a deep breath. “Hey..uh kiddo...why are you so far from home? You…..weren’t just out playing were you?” He gulped. She knew he had lied. He started to look around for a place he could run. How did she know?
“.....I…” he started.
“...It’s okay I’m not mad at you. But ….are you in trouble? Are you ...running away from something?” He gulped and nodded.
“Yeah.” He said. “....I ran away...while...while she was out.”
“She...uh...do you know her name? Or something we can identify her by?”
He shook his head. “...I….she’s a doctor...but she works from home. Only from home” He said. “She only let me call her boss or doctor.” She nodded , still breathing deeply.
“What’s your name. Mine is Sunset.”
“Benny.”
“That’s a cute name. Now..I have a place downtown. Why don’t you stay with me tonight?”
“.....is it safe?”
“I promise I’ll keep you away from her.” Miss Sunset said. “I have some pretty powerful friends who can help.”
“Okay..” he said. “Do you have a jacket or a sweater...something with a hood?”
“...i...uh… I think I have one in my locker” She placed a band aid on his forehead where the door had hit him. “You think you’re going to be able to walk home with me?”
“Yeah. I just want to hide my face.”
“Fair enough. Come on”
***************
Once she found her hooded gym sweatshirt for the boy, she made her way home, almost obsessively checking that he was by her side. She knew that he wouldn’t want to walk in front of her. Being followed was how it had all began, his ordeal. The poor child was stalked, hunted down and lured into a car trunk by someone at some YMCA type place.
She was panicking on the inside. She wasn’t even sure what to do, but she knew that she couldn’t leave this boy alone to be recaptured, and possibly punished for running away. She led him to her apartment building and she made sure to lock the door securely where he could see. “Do you like hot chocolate?”
“Yeah!” he finally gave a genuine smile.
“Okay , why don’t you come to the kitchen with me and we can make some.” She also knew he didn’t like to be alone. Her new powers had their perks. They also had their drawbacks. She knew she would be haunted by the images in her mind when she read Benny. She was planning to get him to a point where he could get some rest and then talk to the girls.