Her aunt stared from the doorway. “What are you doing?”

The girl in question was busily stuffing an assortment of items in a bag. She replied absentmindedly, “Just running.”

There was a silence. She turned and saw her aunt encouraging her to go on with a slightly quirked eyebrow.

Placing a shirt in the bag, she continued in an anxious manner, “Just running. From reality, from life, from the world.”

Her voice attempted to sound nonchalant as she repeated, “Ya’ know, just running.”

Her aunt murmured understandingly, nodding her head. Then, she said, “While you’re at it, run and get me some smokes.”

All motion stopped as the girl froze and turned back to face the entirely serious expression on her aunt’s face. She looked at her dead-on with a pointed finger and replied sternly, “I am just running and I am just sixteen.”