Wrong Number~ The Vamps (Short story)

13

September 21st 2:13AM

Groupchat: Brad, Connor, Jade, James, Tristan

JADE: Good morning

JADE: Why am I here?

JAMES: I'm literally ten feet away from you

TRISTAN: Shut uppppp

TRISTAN: Let me sleeeeep

BRAD: We only saved you. A thanks would be nice

JADE: You kidnapped me actually

JADE: I'd rate the service a 3/10. There was no white van, no threats but you did give me food

JAMES: Why are you even awake?

JADE: Surely you can guess?

TRISTAN: Can you talk on your own? My phone keeps going off and I want to sleep

JADE: Turn off your phone then

TRISTAN: I need my alarm

JADE: Before you go I need to tell you something important.

JADE: A raccoon can go through a space of 4 inches. The human anus can stretch 7-9 inches wide. Mathematically, you can fit 2 raccoons up your arse.

TRISTAN: That was not important at all

TRISTAN: Bye

BRAD: Thanks Jade. Goodnight

She turned off her phone, hearing James laughing from somewhere in the dark room.

"Why do you know that?" He asked, switching on a lamp next to him. Now she could see that this was a hotel room, which made sense, and that she was laying on a sofa. Grunting, she sat up, feeling the bruising on her ribs from Mitchell a few days ago. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jade lied, looking over to where James was, "And I sort-of made friends with some sixth formers at my school to blessed me with that information. And that the diameter of a new born baby's head is just over four inches. Don't even get me started on the conversation."

"Why're you awake?" James asked, from his very comfy looking bed compared to the sofa Jade was on, but she didn't care. She was used to sleeping anywhere. This sofa was the comfiest thing she'd slept on in years. "Nightmare again?"

"Same as every morning," She sighed, "I won't be getting sleep any time soon."

"What? No, you need to sleep," He said, getting up and going over to her.

"I can last two days," Jade told him, "Then I'll sleep and start the cycle all over again."

James sat on the sofa next to her, "That's so bad for you, Jade. Talk to me, what was the nightmare about?"

"How my parents died," She said quietly, "The fire."

"Oh," He said, not really knowing what to say to her, "That was when you were eight, right?"

"Yeah," She nodded, brining her knees up, but stopping when the pain got too much.

"Hey, be careful, your ankle's pretty swollen," James told her, "How have you been walking on it without screaming?"

"Used to it," Jade shrugged, "I'm good at falling down the stairs."

"What really happened?" He asked, "I know you didn't fall down the stairs."

"I don't want to tell you," She said.

"Jade, you have to," He said, "This is important. I can't let you go back without knowing you're safe and you're obviously not."

"Maybe someone stomped on it," She said quietly, looking down, as if she was ashamed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He sighed, leaning back on the sofa.

"Because I don't want to be sent away," Jade admitted, choking on her tears. James said nothing, but in response pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into the T-shirt he was wearing. "If I told you, you'd tell someone and they'd send me away and I don't want that."

"Jade it would be for your own good," He told her, "So you can be safe. Not just to send you away."

"But I don't want to leave here," She sobbed.

"Why?" James asked her, "You could start over."

"Kieran's still here," She told him, "I don't want to leave Kieran."

"Who's Kieran?"

"My brother," She cried.

"Why can't you live with him?" James asked, "How old is he?"

"Dead," She said, in barely a whisper.

"Shit."

Soon enough, the emotions had the upper hand against Jade, making her cry herself to sleep, leaning against James, who just wanted the best for this kid he barely knew.