Chapter 24: The Road To Boulder

Bright and Sharon arrived at the train

station in Broomfield. He was visibly sad about her leaving and she assured him that she would be fine. She got her ticket to Boulder and boarded the train, waving goodbye to Bright as the train carried her away.

Thankfully, this train ride wasn't as eventful as her last.

Sharon arrived in Boulder and headed straight for the docks. Upon arriving there, she was disappointed to find out that the dock was closed for the night and would be open for business the next morning. She found a motel room and paid for the night.

While she lay in the motel room bed, she thought about the Winstons. The memories she made of them were treasures that she would carry with her for the rest of her life.

Her dreams that night weren't plagued with blood, chaos, or Addicus' murderous face, but with images of a happy home with a family; *a family that she had no choice but to leave behind.*

The next morning, Sharon was ready to go back to the docks. She didn't know what time the docks were usually operational so she decided to get some breakfast first before going there.

On her way out of her room, she ran into one of her neighbors. He was a handsome young man who seemed to be interested in her.

"Hi, there," he said nicely to her.

"Hi," she replied to his greetings cautiously.

"I haven't seen you here before. Did you just get a room?" He asked.

"Yes I did, but Ill be leaving soon. I was just going to get some food," she answered.

"I know a good spot. They serve the best pancakes. I was just heading there myself. We could go together if you want?"

He seemed nice and decent so she agreed and they left together.

"My name's Ethan, by the way," he officially introduced himself.

"I'm Sharon!"

At the small diner, the tWo of them got to know each other better while they ate.

Sharon didn't say much about herself and let him do most of the talking. He talked about his life and why he came to Boulder, he talked about his dreams and goals, his family, and his ambitions.

"Pardon me, I've been talking about myself this whole time. Tell me something about you," Ethan said.

"There's really not that much to say. I was born in Oregon, I moved here and now I'm going somewhere else," Sharon gave a vague and scanty narration of herself.

Ethan didn't want to pry into her personal affairs so he just went along and didn't push for more details.

"So, where are you headed now?"

"l have a few places in mind but I still haven't decided. Do you know any good, quiet, and secluded places someone can hide and never be found?" Sharon jokingly asked with a smidgen of seriousness.

"On this continent?" Ethan played along.

"Well, l don't have the money to take me farther so yeah, this continent," Sharon said, recalling that she left all of the money she had withdrawn from the bank on the train when she jumped off.

"Well, in that case, how about running off to Canada?" He suggested.

"Canada's too close and not quiet enough," Sharon replied.

"Okay, then. How about hiding out in Nicaragua?"

"Nica-what now?" Sharon had never heard of the place.

"Ah-ha! You don't even know where or what country that is, which means you could hide there and no one would ever find you."

"True. What other options do you have for me?" Sharon was now fully invested in this conversation not just for getting ideas of which country to go to, but also because she was starting to like Ethan.

"Well... There's this Island. It's called Coco's island. It's in Costa Rica. It is the most beautiful and peaceful place you'll ever find and the people there are nice and friendly.

"The flowers are always blooming and the sky is always filled with stars at night. It's perfect for living a quiet and uneventful life if that's what you're looking for," Ethan said.

"Costa Rica, huh? It sounds perfect," Sharon said and took one last bite from her pancakes.

She got up and left some money on the table for the food.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Ethan. The pancakes were just as good as you said. And thanks for the travel recommendations," she said with a smile.

"But I have to go now. I need to head for the docks and be on my way."

"Wait, you were serious? You're leaving the country and going to Costa Rica?" Ethan stood up while saying this.

"Yes, I am," she said sadly.

"Why don't you hold off on that for maybe another day...or two? You just arrived in Boulder and you haven't seen the city yet. It's really beautiful and I'm sure that if you gave this place a chance, you'd love to call it home."

Ethan was smitten with Sharon and didn't want her to go. Sharon didn't need to consider his offer. She already knew that she had to leave.

It was the only way to truly be safe from Addicus but she couldn't deny that she was also smitten with Ethan.

If the circumstances were different, maybe she would have loved to stay in Boulder and get to spend more time with this charming man but they weren't, so she could not.

"I'm sorry, Ethan but I can't stay," she said.

"Ok! How about one night then? Just spend the remainder of today with me. I'll show you all the wonders of the city and if you still want to go by tomorrow, then I won't try to convince you otherwise. Please?"

Sharon thought about it for a minute. One more day in the country probably wouldn't hurt so why not?

"Fine. Just one night," Sharon finally agreed.

**Ethan smiled triumphantly and paid the rest of the bill. He gave his hand out to Sharon who took it and they left the diner together.**