A Week Home Alone CH1

Eric rode down the long driveway on his small black skateboard, down to the sidewalk. He stopped only a moment to check his black backpack to make sure he had everything that he would need; notebooks, folder, binder, and his two books. He flew down the sidewalk, dodging people and weaving between through telephone poles. His unruly blond hair blew past his bright blue eyes, his small mouth in the form of a smile. He was home alone, and would be for the rest of the week. His father left for a "business trip" yesterday, while his mother went to "visit some friends" for a week that happened to live ten hours away and it would simply be impossible for her just stay for a day or so. Eric didn't mind much, what 16 year old would? He had the house all to himself for the most part, and it was a small house so it was easy to take care of. His mother usually gave him about $200 for when she would leave for a week, so he could order food or go down to the store for things that he might need.
Eric rode into the very large and very busy city for it being around 5:00 in the evening on a Thursday. The city seemed to have a bit more people then usual; there are usually only a line of people walking the sidewalks when there were now large groups of people filling the small spaces between the streets and the huge buildings that made it almost impossible to see the sky at all. This just slowed Eric down, as he had to walk so he was not to run over anyone.
Eric finally made it to the large white building that was the city's library. Upon entering, Eric took a quick look around and let out a happy sigh. The big lobby was quiet, with only a low murmuring. There were a few low rows of, more or less, random books as a sample of what was hiding within the rest of the building. In the center of the room was a large circular receptionist's desk where four people were tending to computers and helping visitors find their way to where one particular book might be.  Eric approached one girl at the desk, seeming to be around 20 years of age with long brown hair, matching brown eyes, and soft tan skin. She was wearing the black suit that was required of all librarians to wear, as well as her nametag that could be seen clearly on her chest.
"Hey Lisa," Eric said, as he hopped up on the desk in front of the girl.
"You know you're not allowed to sit on the tables or the desks," Lisa replied sternly, not looking away from her computer as she typed book numbers into a program.
Eric sighed, but hopped down and pulled out a thin book from his backpack. "I finally found that book!"
"It's about time!" Lisa said as she snatched the book from his hand. "It's over two weeks late, and my boss was starting to question me." Lisa punched something in the computer before finally facing Eric. "So, how's everything going?"
"Oh, not too bad I guess," Eric shrugged.
"How're your parents?"
"Well let's see...my dad is away on a "business trip" for a week...and my mum is out "seeing some old friends" for a week," Eric sighed, as did Lisa. "I honestly don't see any reason why they are still married."
"Maybe it's for your sake?" Lisa suggested.
"I would rather them split up though."
"Who would you rather live with though?"
Eric thought about it for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "That’s a good question!" Lisa just laughed and put a soft hand on Eric's shoulder.
"So, ya gunna check another book out today?"
"Yeah, but I wanna go on the computer a bit first, so I'll see ya before I leave!" Eric walked off toward the large staircase in the back of the room that led to the upper electronics section of the library where they had many computers, books on tapes, and a few games as well. Eric sat down at one of the computers, took a pair of headphones and his CD player out, and was instantly lost within the net.

Three hours later, Eric finally signed off the computer, after checking his e-mail, message boards, and a few other sites, and gathered his things. He made his way downstairs and took a walk through the teen fiction section until a book caught his eye. He picked it up and headed for the receptionist's desk.
"What time do you get off?" Eric asked as he handed over the book.
"Not until midnight," Lisa replied, punching a few keys on the computer and handing the book back. "All set."
"Alright, thanks."
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Lisa asked as he Eric began to turn away.
"Of course!" Eric called back and left the library.
Outside, the sun was very low in the sky as the buildings cast long shadows, making the streets darker. There were less people out now then before, so Eric got on his skateboard again and flew down the sidewalk. He stopped at a fast food place, got a hamburger and a coke, and made his way to a small park nearby. It was a nice little green place within the huge city, very relaxing and a perfect place for a rest. Eric took his time eating his dinner. Without his parents home, he didn't have a set curfew, so he took advantage of it. It wasn't 'til around 8:30 that he figured he should start his trip home. Eric decided to take the back streets to avoid most of the people and traffic that there would be on the main streets. In the alleys, he only had to avoid the occasional parked car and the few people who hung in the shadows of the city. Most would think it's very foolish to take the dark backstreets at night in such a big city, but it was probably safer then the main streets. Just as Eric was flying out of a dark alley, a tall skinny man ran in front of him and Eric was able to just miss the person.
"Hey! Watch where ya going!" The guy screamed and continued running. Eric watched as two cops run past, chasing the man. Eric just shook his head slowly. He jumped when he then heard a loud beep of a car horn and the screech of tires; Eric was now drifting along the middle of the road. Eric let out a small scream and fell to the ground.

The next thing Eric realized was that he was being half dragged to the sidewalk by a pair of big hands, his right leg and arm stinging badly, and a slight dizziness coming on. Eric looked at his leg, his jeans tore and his leg was a bit bloody as was his arm. He figured out that he had fallen off his skateboard, which was now in two pieces and was missing three wheels, and was able to not be hit by the car. He then noticed the large black car still running in the street, a tall man in a black suit standing in the shadows talking to a cop. It was impossible to tell what the man looked like, for it seemed the light from the nearest streetlight stopped just short of where he was. A paramedic walked over to Eric and helped him to sit on the edge of the back of the ambulance that arrived, and started to clean the Eric's cuts.