She looks over the book and the back at me. “You interested in trains?”
I nod, hoping she might let me go.
“Then why are you reading a book about a ghost who has fallen in love with a dog?”
I open my mouth and then close it. Someone has written a book about that? And I’ve managed to pick that one.
“I like ghost stories,” I say lamely.
“Read me a page,” she demands, her arms crossing over her chest.
“What?”
“Read me a page.”
The woman hands me back the book and I sit up straight, secretly freaking out. I look down at the words, but know half of them don’t make sense. I can’t read her this page, and something tells me she knows it. I’ll have to try to get out of here, I’ll have to run. If she calls child services, then Stan might figure out it’s me. I’ll have to go to Charlie’s location and it has only been a month. If I can’t survive for one month on my own, then what good am I to anyone?
“I haven’t got all day.” Fran crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot.
“The way he lo—he locked into hair e—e—” I stop trying to read it. I don’t know what I’m looking at and what I’m saying doesn’t make sense.
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen,” I answer quickly. I’m still sixteen, but soon I’ll be seventeen, which is practically eighteen.
Fran shakes her head, but doesn’t bring up my age again.
“What’s your name?”
“Will Brown.” I let out a quick sigh at remembering my new name just in time.
“Where do you live Will Brown?”
“I moved out.”
“Where do you live right now?”
I shrug. “Around.”
She frowns, her arms still crossed in front of her. “Where are your parents?”
“Dead.”
“I’m sorry.” She scrutinizes me for a few moments before she speaks again. “Do you have any friends or other family members you can stay with?”
“No.” I shrug at her to show it isn’t a big deal.
“Surely there is someone—”
“I don’t have any family and no friends,” I say harshly, not meaning to sound so bitter.
Fran stares at the bookshelf to her left and I assume she’s lost in thought. I consider pushing past her and running away. She is no match for me, it’ll be easy.
“Would you like me to teach you how to read?”
“I can read,” I lie defensively.
“I doubt it. The book you’re holding is a romance novel that is extremely popular with women. You have one from the naughty nurse range.”
I drop the book out of my hand quickly.
“I can teach you to read, but you have to do something for me.”
“What?”
“Not sleep here.”
I nod that I can do that. Besides, it isn’t like I can do that again now that I’ve been found out.
“Good, now let me introduce you to someone.” Fran turns her head to the side. “Freddie, come over here,” Fran calls out into the quiet library.
A tall, lanky, dark skinned boy walks towards me and now my path is blocked by two people. I stand up, feeling less safe sitting on the ground.
“What?” Freddie still has his head in a book and hasn’t glanced at me yet.
“This is Will; he’s new to the area. Would you mind showing him around for me, please?”
Freddie finally looks up at me and his eyes narrow at me.
“I would consider forgetting about the copious amounts of gum you leave under the tables and the punishment of making you pick them all off with your fingers, even the gum that you didn’t leave.”
Freddie makes a disgusted face at that suggestion and then holds out his hand for me.
“Hi, I’m Freddie and I shall be your tour guide for the day.”
I hesitantly take a step forward and shake Freddie’s hand, feeling more awkward than I have in a long time.
“Will.”
“I think we already established that.” Freddie’s attention has already moved back into the book in his hand.
“Drop him off at my place when you’re done. He’ll be staying with me for a few days.”
I look at Fran sharply, wondering what her angle is. Why is she being so nice? What does she have to gain from it?
“Fine, come on.” Freddie walks back to the table he had been sitting at and grabs all his books, placing them gently in his bag. He doesn’t wait to see if I follow before walking out of the library. Fran urges me forward with a nod of her head and then moves back behind her desk where someone is waiting to ask for her help.
I walk out of the library and into the blinding light. The weather today is warmer than it has been since I got here and warmer than I have felt since last summer. I don’t like summer.
“So, this is one of Fran’s tricks, right?” Freddie comes out of nowhere and pushes me into the wall beside the door I just exited.
“What?” I gasp out, losing my breath.
“She’s got something on you and she’s making you hang out with me, right? Well, I don’t need her pity or yours.” Freddie shoves me again.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Spare me your innocent act. You’ve got one day with me and then that’s it, my punishment is over and I don’t want you to ever speak to me again.”
I nod, afraid I’ll get shoved again if I disagree. It isn’t that it hurts or I’m afraid of Freddie, it’s that we’re getting an audience outside and I hate attention.
“Good, now since I doubt you actually want to see any sights, let’s just kill some time at the movies.” Freddie storms off towards the parking lot and I rush to follow. We walk in silence and when we get into Freddie’s car I keep my reluctance to be driven quiet. I hadn’t eaten today, so even if I’m sick, nothing will come out.
“You got any money?” Freddie snaps at me. I’ve obviously made him very angry.
“Yeah.” I pull out the cash that Rose has given me. I still have most. I can’t think of how to spend it. I’ve bought some food since getting here, but I don’t know how to get a house, and to make the money last, I didn’t want to spend it all on food so soon. I wanted to save it for emergencies.
“Holy crap, where did you get all that from?” Freddie’s voice drops the anger and changes to shock.
I quickly put the money away. One of Gavin’s rules had always been not to show other people anything you had worth stealing. If it’s worth the trouble to take, then you can guarantee it’ll get taken. It’s why we always hide our food and never have good clothes. It keeps you safe.
“Okay, don’t answer then. Whatever.” Freddie turns his music up loud and I wince at the screaming that’s blasting into my eardrums. At least it takes my mind off the quick corners he’s taking.
***
The movie theatre is busy with kids since school let out not long before. They’re all happy and carefree. If I had been allowed to have a normal life, I might be one of these kids right now.
“What do you want to see?”
I shrug, not recognizing anything written on the board Freddie is pointing at. I can understand some words, but there is no chance I’ll know what any of them are.
“How about the new Avengers movie?” Freddie is looking worriedly around us as he speaks. He has gotten nervous all of a sudden.
“Fine.”
We line up and I copy Freddie when it comes to buying a ticket. I have never been to the movies before and I don’t know what to expect.
“What was the last movie you saw?” Freddie asks me conversationally.
“I’ve never seen one.”
“Yeah, right.” Freddie is looking around us again, and I find myself picking up on his nervousness, feeling the same. Who is he looking for?
“Queer Freddie out on a date?” A large man comes up from behind Freddie and pushes him into me. I catch him befor
e he falls, but he’s quick to free himself from my hands.
“Why? You still upset I turned you down?” Freddie speaks fearlessly and I don’t have time to react to a punch this guy throws at Freddie. It knocks him down and I step forward, feeling angry.
“Whoa, I think I got his date angry.”
“Leave us alone,” I tell him.
“Or what? You’ll decorate my bedroom with pink fairies?”
I don’t know what that means, but I don’t care. I jab into his stomach, my fist connecting with his guts hard and he kneels over in pain. I swing again while he is crouched over and hit him across the side of the face. He falls down to the ground. The two guys he’s with come at me, but using only my instincts and some things I learned at The Windmill, I kick one in the side of the leg as I punch the other in the head. They both stumble from my attack and then glance at each other, unsure of what to do. That’s when I hear yelling coming closer to us.
Freddie, who has gotten back to his feet now, reaches out and grabs my arm, pulling me away just as I see a security guard reaching where all three boys are moaning in pain.
“How on earth did you do that? Where did you learn it from?” Freddie gasps, rushing us into a theatre and sitting us down near the front.
“I don’t know.”
“Yeah, right. That was awesome,” he gushes.
“Who were they?”
“They’re just some assholes that take pleasure in torturing me.” Freddie looks up at the screen in front of us, which is advertising a new game.
“Why?”
“Being the only out kid in school isn’t all that fun.”
“Out?” I don’t understand what that means.
“Yeah, as in gay. As in, I like boys.”
“And you’re teased for that?”
“Where the hell are you from? Of course I’m teased for that.”
I’m confused. On the street no one cares who you like or don’t. I know my uncle’s against it because he used to make comments when we’d watch TV and something like that was mentioned, but he is a mean drunk who’s a jerk. Why would people be on the same level as him?
“You actually seem surprised by that. What planet did Fran get you from?” Freddie’s question takes me away from thoughts of my uncle.
“She found me sleeping at the library,” I admit.
“Seriously?” I’m not sure if Freddie sounds impressed or surprised.
“Yeah.”
“Bold move. Fran thinks of that place like a sanctuary, anyone caught doing something wrong in there is exiled.”
“You weren’t exiled for the gum,” I point out.
“I have the pity vote with most adults. Anyway, if that’s what Fran has over you, then I think you can stop worrying. It’s obvious she likes you. And the fact that she’s letting you stay at her house is proof of that, so you don’t have to hang around me. I can look after myself.”
“I don’t know where she lives.”
“Fine, after the movie I’ll drop you off and you can be free of me.”
“Free of you?”
“There’s a reason I don’t have any guy friends and I have pretty good instincts when I’m around someone gay, you don’t fit. So sooner or later, you’ll take me being nice to you, or even just a look I give you as me coming onto you and you’ll freak out. And with the way you handled Carter and his goons back there, I don’t think it’ll be a fair fight.”
“Are you saying you like me?”
Freddie pulls a face. “Hell no, you’re not even close to my type. You might as well be a girl.”
“Then I don’t see your problem.”
“It’s not my problem, it’s yours.” He points his finger at me.
“If you want me to leave, then fine, I don’t care.” I shrug at him.
“But you will care, and you’ll go back to all your other friends and I’ll be alone.”
“I don’t have any friends.” I can’t really count Rose, Zoe and Charlie as my friends anymore. We can’t see each other and Gavin, who had been my only friend, is dead.
“Really?” Freddie is eyeing me carefully.
“Why would I lie?”
Freddie seems to consider that and then shrugs. “Fine, stay for the movie and I’ll think about it.”
I lean back in my seat, watching what I think might be the start of a movie, but it ends up being an advertisement for a different movie. How can people tell when the actual thing starts?
Chapter 11 – The Hawkes
Phoenix, Arizona
February 12th (Will aged 15)
I rub my hands together, hoping to warm them up. A chill has reached all the way into my bones and once it’s there it’s almost impossible to warm back up. I stand in the middle of an empty park with only a street lamp along the edge to light up the area.
I’ve been on the street for just over a year and I’ve learned a lot. Don’t wreck your clothes; they’re the only thing keeping you warm from the freezing winter. Never approach someone while they’re sleeping; I’ve seen enough bashings to know that. Avoid soup kitchens and shelters because they ask too many questions. One Gavin taught me is if any older men approach me I’m to scream loudly and run. I don’t know why and I’ve never had to do that before.
Gavin has been looking out for me since I met him the night I ran away from home. I probably would have starved if it hadn’t been for him. He said he felt responsible for me because I’m so young. I don’t want anyone taking care of me, but Gavin is different. He doesn’t yell at me, he doesn’t hit me and he’s okay if we just sit in silence. He often shares his food, and for a while, he always made sure I had a place to sleep and was safe. Now he trusts me enough to do that on my own. I like that he thinks I’m old enough to do that for myself. I’m stronger than I look.
I pull out the old newspaper clipping I’d stolen from my aunt’s things before I left. It’s an article about my mother’s death and my miracle survival. It has a large picture of us together and I love looking at her smile. I had only been a couple years old when she died and have no memory of her, but I see in the photo that I was a happy baby. I touch my finger to her lips and wonder what it would feel like to be hugged by her, to have her in my life.
Foreign hands yank the newspaper article out of my grasp and I quickly swing around to realize I’m surrounded by the Hawkes. They’re a large group of street kids that, on occasion, terrorize local businesses. Everyone around here is afraid of them and the cops are constantly on the lookout for them. It’s another reason I don’t want too many questions asked. If you’re a street kid on your own, you get sympathy, but if they suspect you’re part of the Hawkes, then you get hostility.
Gavin has made me swear that I won’t go near them, telling me they’re bad news. I don’t think he’s right about them. They are just kids, like me. They’re friends and each other’s family. I’ve never had friends. I’ve always wanted friends, and while I do have a friend in Gavin, I want friends my own age.
“What’s this?” one of the Hawkes sneers at me, scrunching the article in his hands and tearing a bit of the edge. My heart stutters painfully seeing that.
“It’s an article about my mom.”
“She in jail or something?”
“No, she’s dead.”
The leader of the Hawke storms forward and rips the article from the one who had taken it from me and then he studies it hard.
“It says here she’s in jail.”
“No, it doesn’t. She died.” Annoyance wells up inside me hearing the lie about mom. I might not be able to read perfectly, but I can understand enough words to know it’s about her death.
“You dare call me a liar?” The lead Hawke steps menacingly towards me. He’s one of the oldest kids in the group, easily seventeen with a tattoo of a snake wrapping around part of his neck, looking threatening.
“The article is about the day my mom died,” I explain carefully, not wanting to get on his bad side.
“Say
s here she was arrested for prostitution. Your mom a whore?” The lead Hawke holds the article between his hands and I know the threat without him saying it. Call me a liar and I rip this to shreds. It’s the only copy I know exists and the only photo I have of her.
I shrug. I can’t bring myself to say the words out loud. They’re a lie and I wish I was strong enough to be able to defend her.
“Right, that’s what I thought. We’ve noticed you’ve been around lately. What’s your story?”
“No story; just ran away from home and ended up here.”
“And that old man you hang around?”
“Gavin is my friend.”
“I doubt it. Look, we’ve seen your style and we like it. We think you could fit in here well.”
“Really?” I’ve never been able to fit in anywhere. Could this really be what I think it is? Am I about to get some friends? A family?
“Sure, but there is an initiation you have to go through.”
“Initiation?” I don’t understand what that word means.
“Yeah, a test. We have to be able to trust that we can rely on you. So, are you in?”
“Yes.” I don’t care what I have to do, just as long as I can have friends.
“Good. It’s actually quite simple; all you have to be able to do is knock Hammer to the ground.”
“Hammer?” I ask the question just as a beast of a man walks next to the lead Hawke.
“No rules. Do what you want and use whatever weapons you want.” The lead Hawke steps back and it’s then I realize that the Hawkes have formed a circle around us. I’m trapped.
Hammer has the appearance of a monster, one that is at least four times as big as me. His nose is crooked, he has a scar under his left eye and part of his left ear is missing. His eyes narrow as he stares at me, and I see the barely contained fury behind his eyes. Uncle Stan often had those eyes, and seeing it makes me immediately tense up.
Hammer cracks his knuckles together. I can just make out red stains on them, almost like he’s already beaten someone up recently with them. I know how to take a beating, but this is different. They want to see if I can defend them if I’m part of their group. I have no hope of beating Hammer, but I can try. Maybe that’ll be enough to make them happy.
Taken By Force (Taken Trilogy Book 2) Page 7
