Casting Shadows

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 (Declan's POV)

The bright sun shines into my room through the open curtain. Rays of light hit my face as I sit up in the comfortable mattress. I yawn as I realize I that I'm not in my house, but Gerard's. I wish my bed was as luxurious as this one, mine isn't heated.

By habit, I reach for my phone on the nightstand to check my messages. My mother and Ruby both called and texted me, wondering where I am. If I respond to my mother, then she'll tell my dad. Right now, I'll do anything to avoid him, so I decide to only reply to Ruby.

Before I get a chance to even begin to type a message, my phone begins to ring, her calling me. She probably saw me read the text from the read receipts.

"Hello?" I answer in a groggy, morning voice.

Ruby begins to talk fast, concern filling her tone. "What happened? Where are you? Your parents called me and asked if you were at my house. Your dad thought I was pulling you away from your duties and into a prostitute lifestyle."

Is that seriously what he said to her? How many times do I have to tell him that she is not a stripper, prostitute, hooker, or whatever label he wants to put on her?

"Just ignore my father, please," I beg her.

"I gave him a piece of my mind," she says.

"Please, don't do that either. He doesn't take insults very well," I say as I pinch my nose out of stress. Her standing up for herself will only make my father dislike her even more.

The conversation goes on, her questioning me and where I am. When I tell her that I'm at Gerard's house, she asks me if I'm crazy. "What were you thinking? Don't you think running away and going to another leader's house is a bad idea? You know your dad will flip out."

She rambles on and on about how she doesn't think that I made the right choice if I don't want to upset my father. I argue with her, telling her how I don't want to go home any time soon. As one grows up in a district, their mind is programmed to side with their home district. In schools outside of Death Valley, teachers tell students how the territory they live in is the best and the superior one to all the others. Ruby didn't go to school in the Youngblood district, but I can tell she still has the mindset to oppose other leader's and their land.

Eventually, I just hang up on Ruby. I really like her, but she cannot relate to my situation in any possible way.

I get dressed and exit the bedroom, making my way back to the white living room. That painting on the wall is mysterious and intriguing. I want to see it again. My feet brush against the wooden floorboards in the hall as I glance at the other artworks hanging on the walls. All of them are signed "G Way" and have a similar style to them. None of them appear to be as extraordinary as the one in the white room though. I'm about to turn the corner into the living room when I hear a television on and Gerard and Frank discussing in a hushed tone. Quietly, I hide behind the wall and keep my breathing as silent as I can.

"In what way do you think the angel law will change this dimension?" the television reporter asks whoever she's interviewing.

"Well, aside from the obvious population shift, I think that the diversity of the district's had been seriously and negatively effected," a familiar man's voice responds. He rambles on about how the law can be looked at in many different ways, depending on one's point of view. "I'm just glad Pete Wentz and my brother are taking the responsibility to take in all of the relocated angels."

I hear Gerard let out a loud, sarcastic laugh. "Look at Mikey, faking all of that sympathy."

Mikey is Gerard's little brother. I have never met him, but I've seen him and heard his voice. My father says that he is "annoying," but I have no reason to trust his judgment. I know that Mikey has a good reputation in the public's eye because of charity work or something in that realm. Honestly, I don't pay enough attention to the news to know anything about him.