Page 167 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Anna nodded and looked down at the floor as dread filled her heart. “I’m afraid.”

Justin put his arm around her. “It’ll be okay, A—Katrina.”

They sat together on the bench, Anna leaning her head against his chest.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

He stood. “Stay here. I’ll get us something to eat. Keep your head down.”

He walked away, flashing her a last smile over his shoulder.

She lay down on the bench with her head on the backpacks. A TV hung on the wall nearby, tuned to a national news channel. She stared at it, not fully listening, until her name caught her attention. She looked up and saw her own picture on the screen with “Missing Ballerina” at the bottom of the screen.

“Oh, no!” She flipped over to face the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. Where was Justin? Surely Devin would find her now! She squeezed her eyes shut and trembled, wishing she could bury herself into the wall behind the bench.

Justin returned a few minutes later. “Here,” he said, dropping something soft on her head.

She reached for it and then sat up. “A baseball cap?”

He shrugged. “It might help you stay hidden.”

She put it on her head, pulling her hair through the back hole. “Did you see the news?”

“No.”

“I’m missing. My picture was up on the screen.” She buried her face in her hands. “He’s going to find me.”

“Shit.” Justin sat down hard next to her. “Once we’re on the train, we’ll be okay,” he said in a calm voice. “We just have to make it ‘til then.”

The wait dragged on and on. Every passing second felt like an hour. Anna lay with her head on Justin’s lap, hat pulled low over her face. She could feel his tension as he rubbed her shoulder and back. “It’ll be okay, Katrina. It’ll be okay.”

No one bothered them and the minutes ticked by. Anna’s constant inquiries about the time didn’t seem to bother Justin; he cheerfully answered each time, even if only a few minutes had gone by.

Eventually, the time to board the train arrived. Anna kept her head down, feeling the press of bodies and the buzz of conversation keenly as they made their way through the crowd. They finally arrived in their small room on the train and collapsed on the couch, sighing with relief.

Justin hugged her to his side. “Once we’re in New York, we’ll be fine. I promise.”

Justin woke in the middle of the night to a trembling, sweaty Anna crying next to him. He held her tight and whispered soothing words until she fell back to sleep.

She huddled next to him all the next day, which Justin didn’t mind, except that she was frightened. He didn’t like her being scared and wished he could somehow take it all away.

Anna fell asleep with her head on his lap mid-afternoon, and Justin let her sleep until they crossed the bridge into Manhattan. The train was two hours late, and every stop had made his stomach churn. Apart from mealtimes, though, they’d remained undisturbed.

Justin hadn’t been back to New York since he’d moved to San Francisco. He’d grown up in Brooklyn with his parents, two older brothers, and a younger sister. His oldest brother, Charlie, was a lot like his dad. Steve, next in line, and Justin were only a year apart and had always been best friends. Gracie, his sister, was sweet, but spoiled as only the youngest girl in a family of boys can be. Justin had spoken with his dad more in the last few months than he had since he moved out of the house at eighteen. Strangely enough, his dad’s respect for him seemed to have increased as the whole situation unfolded. Maybe he’d finally realized that Justin wasn’t a sissy just because he was a dancer.

He smoothed his hand over Anna’s hair. “Anna. Time to wake up. We’re here.”

Anna sat up and looked around, and her eyes finally locked on his. “We made it?”

Justin nodded. “We made it.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. “What do we do now?”

“Someone will meet us at the station and we’ll go from there.”

“Who?”

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