Alex wasn't in school the rest of the week so I wasn't able to tell him I was switching classes. He didn't show up at the house, either. I wasn't sure why he wasn't at school since he didn't seem sick the last time I saw him.

But it didn't matter. My chance at communication was being taken so it wasn't like I had a chance to even talk to him after I switched classes. Mom and dad were already suspicious that I snuck out once. Doing it again, just to talk to Alex, wasn't worth trying. Running away, however, was.

I still didn't have a plan for running away. I didn't know the town well enough. I didn't know how or when I could do it or even where the best exit street would be. My plan was pretty crappy without someone familiar with the place.

Maybe mom and dad really were onto me trying to run away.

Mom took me grocery shopping with her on Saturday. She wanted to show me more of the town, to which I didn't argue one bit.

But it didn't help much. The drive to the store was short and didn't show me anything more than the ride to school did. The grocery store and the other stores in town were in the same area, making it easy to get everything you needed.

Mom parked off to the side. The parking lot was fairly crowded though I had a feeling it was just about everyone in the small town. Maybe everyone did their shopping on Saturdays. The town was more different than I initially thought.

Mom opened my door and unbuckled me from my car seat. "I was thinking of going to look at another bunny after we're done getting groceries."

I sighed and watched her grab my coat. "I don't think I want another one, mom."

She frowned. "Why not?"

I shrugged and let her help me down and out of the car. I quickly stuck my arms in the sleeves of the jacket, wanting to get warm. "I don't want another one to get ruined."

"Honey, you won't have to worry about that in your new classroom. I'm sure you'll make new friends and everyone will be nice to you."

"That's what you said when we moved here. No one makes any effort to be my friend. I just play by myself most days."

She zipped my jacket up then shut the car door behind me. "That's exactly why having a playdate is a good idea."

On one hand, I wanted to make friends and have people like me. I didn't like being the new kid that people were afraid to talk to. But I also knew the kids in town were weird and too immature for me. My only real option, if I wanted friends, was to dumb myself down to their level. And I hated the thought of doing that.

She took my hand and we walked toward the store, the broken gravel underneath our feet reminding me of home.

Back home we had tons of stores and places to shop. There were three large grocery stores and a Walmart. I wasn't sure this town had ever heard of Walmart before. There was so much to do and so much freedom that came with it. I never had to worry about going somewhere with friends as long as mom knew who I was with. Here, I couldn't breathe without asking for permission.

Before we stepped through the automatic doors, mom stopped us. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pink pacifier and matching clip. She clipped it to the collar of my dress, letting it fall over the zipper of my jacket.

I groaned. I wasn't at all embarrassed about having it visible. Every kid in town made it known that they use them and didn't care. I was one of the only ones who did. It was the fact that mom thought I needed one that was the problem.

"Lyla, you're never going to get used to being here if you don't try what the other kids do."

"You always told me not to jump off a cliff if other kids were doing it."

She shot me a look. "I don't want to hear it, Lyla."

I rolled my eyes and started to cross my arms over my chest. Before my right hand could be tucked away, she grabbed it, holding it once more.

"I don't want you leaving my sight when we get in here, understand?"

A light went off in my head as an idea came to me. I was going to throw her off. They'd never suspect me of running away. "It's not like I have anywhere to go."

I wasn't sure if it worked but it was a start. Mom said nothing more as she got a cart and we started walking down aisles.