Run [Stereo Kicks/ James Graham]

Chapter 7

Over the next couple of hours, I learned as much as I could about the boys, before we split off as night fell. "You have my bunk, I'll sleep on the couch." Reece yawned, motioning towards the bed, but I gave him an unimpressed look, not budging. "Fine."
I'd borrowed a large shirt off one of the lads, and changed into it, climbing into the bed next to Reece and curling up to his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, falling silent.
"Tell me what happened to you." I asked quietly, not opening my eyes.
"Promise you'll tell me about you?" Reece's question was unanswered, but we both knew the answer. After a moment's silence, Reece started to talk, describing everything he could remember about his life from the moment when I'd left, right up until he found me again.
"It was hell, seeing you run away, and not being able to catch you." Reece admitted. "As I said, I'd gone through all that trying to find you, and, yet, I couldn't keep you once you were there."
"I'm sorry. I can tell you why."
"You better. You kept on that it was for my own good, but it really wasn't."
"If the roles were reversed, you might've done the same." Sighing, I glanced up at him, before returning to the comfortable position. "Maybe if I'd been a bit smarter. It started about three hours before I went out..."
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Flashback
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"I'll be back in literally two minutes!" I cried out to my family, shutting the door and walking over to where the car was parked on the other side of the street, instead of in our drive. Opening it, I rummaged through the boot for my book, knowing I'd left it around.
"Move, and your brother dies." The voice made my skin prickle, and I froze up. Was it some kind of prank? Maybe Reece had dressed up or something. "Turn around."
Hesitantly, I spun around, scanning the figure in front of me confusedly. "What are you doing?" I asked, frowning. I hadn't seen him before, I didn't think.
"Silence." His deep voice got me really upset. I'd no idea why a stranger was saying such things to me. Usually, my mom and dad, and Reecey, would keep me inside, then we'd go out like any other day, and life was just normal, not with strange men in dark clothes randomly appearing on the street.
"What did you say about Reecey?" I persisted.
"Reece Bibby." The man slowly smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. It sent chills down my spine, and I glanced towards the house uncertainly. "You would do anything for him?"
"Anything! Anything at all!" A bright smile took over my face as I thought about Reece, my twin, and how close we were, how we finished each other's sentences, had chosen to have the same bedroom, did everything together.
"You meet me out here at seven o'clock, or I'll kill him." Suddenly, I realised Reece was in danger. "You understand?"
"I- I understand."
"Good, little girly."
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Later on that evening, I pretended to be taking a shower to excuse myself from Reece, having purposely gotten dirty and muddy in the garden after meeting the man, before rushing outside, hoping my family didn't see me.
At two minutes to seven, he appeared, leering before me. "Come, quick." Fear took over me as he dragged me away, and I looked behind me at the house, where Reece was, praying I'd go back there tonight. Everything was surreal to me.
"You never, ever go back, or he dies. I'll know. If you ever make contact, run away again, or Reece will die." The menacing voice made tears well up in my eyes, and I shrank away from him. "I'm going to drive you down to somewhere near my home, and you can find somewhere to live. A friend of mine will trade with you on his terms if you're desperate."
"O-okay." I couldn't believe I was agreeing to this. I'd always been told, 'don't talk to strangers', but Reece was at risk.
"No calling the police, or anyone else, or I'll kill him, then you." At that, I burst into tears, but he just shoved me into the back of a car, locking the doors when he got into the drivers seat.
For hours, I sobbed my young heart out as he drove to an unknown place. The streets going past were unfamiliar, so I focused my energy on crying instead, knowing I'd have to try and hold myself together when we got out, and I had to have a good cry before I could.
"We're here." With a short kick to my legs, he sent me stumbling into an alleyway. He knocked three times, then once, then twice on a door. It swung open. "New target." And he walked away, leaving me cowering by myself.
"Knock like that if you need anything, we can do a trade. Good life, girly." The door slammed shut, and I was by myself.
Several hours later, when I had roamed the streets for a while, discovering I was in London, I eventually curled up just in the entrance of an alleyway. I was freezing, thirsty, and tired, yet I had no apparent escape from this. It was already dark, and I knew I was in serious trouble.
"I love you, Reecey." Curling up on the floor, I clutched the photograph I'd had in my fist the entire way here to my heart, and shut my eyes, praying I'd wake up again in the morning.
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Days later
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"You look hungry." A warm voice said, but I couldn't open my eyes, hardly managing to twitch my finger. My head was aching, my body tired and worn, thirsty, hungry, exhausted beyond what one could cope with.
Food was placed in my mouth, water tipped down my throat. Slowly, I looked up warily at the person above me. They were male, with dark, curly hair, deep, brown eyes and a pale complexion. "You homeless?"
"I-I think so."
"What happened?" He asked, sitting me up and wrapping an old-looking jacket around me.
"This m-man drove me here, b-because I didn't want him to kill Reecey." I stuttered.
"Poor thing. I'm Leo." Leo introduced himself. "What's your name, baby girl?"
"A-Amelia."
"Come on, Amelia, I'll take you to where I'm living right now. I can't leave you out on the streets." With gentle hands, he picked me up, carrying me down the desolate streets. "Here."
It was a dirty alleyway, but there was some things laid out on the floor, along with a sheet of clean plastic which Leo set me down on. "Drink, eat. I know how hard the first few days are."
"You're homeless, too?" I asked curiously, accepting the water bottle he handed me and drinking thirstily.
"Yeah, baby girl. Have been for some years now. I'm fifteen. Homeless at ten."
"I'm thirteen."
"Don't worry, Amelia. I'll take care of you."
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End of flashback
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As hours passed by, I told Reece everything, everything I could remember about starving on those old streets, on learning how to survive, how I desperately wished I didn't have to do what I did sometimes. "That cat probably died." I muttered morosely as I pictured the memory.
When I finally finished with arriving at the tour bus, Reece was silent, tears streaming down his face. "You'll always be my sister, Amelia. I'll p-protect you now." He wrapped his arms so tightly around me that I couldn't move, but I didn't mind, and relished the safe feeling it bought me.
Some time later, the others had come in and gone to bed, but I was still awake, worrying about Leo, and whether or not Reece was in danger due to my return. Hesitantly, I slipped from his grip, and went down to the main room, drinking some water then sitting on a windowledge, staring out at the darkened scenery of where we were parked.
"Amelia?" The soft voice made me jump, and I span around. "Sorry to bother you. You looked troubled."
"J-James? I'm, uh, fine." James was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, watching me carefully. "I'm just a bit... Nevermind."
"You can talk to me if you want." He offered, coming over to me and sitting down, careful to give me enough space. "I know you hardly know me, but you're Reece's little sister."
"By four minutes."
"As I was saying, you're Reece's little sister, and so we'll all look out for you. You're practically family now." James smiled at me, and I felt this little jolt in my chest, before becoming extremely confused. Was I ill or something?
"Amelia!"
"Ah!" I jumped out of my skin, having zoned out.
"Are you okay?" The worried frown on James's face made me blush lightly.
"Yeah, uh, fine, thanks." An awkward smile graced my face.
"That's cool. I'll see you in the morning." With another charming smile, James left.
What on earth was going on?
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"Amelia! Wake up! Breakfast!" Someone was shaking me lightly, and I stirred, snuggling under the warm covers. I didn't want to wake up and loose this imaginary feel of comfort and warmth, and have to -
I shot up, eyes wide, looking around me. "It wasn't a dream." I breathed, fingers tracing down the bed.
"Yeah, you're safe now." Charlie was next to me, and he sat down gently on the bed. "But Tom's cooked breakfast, if you're interested."
"Breakfast?"
"Yeah, you know? First meal of the day?" Charlie prompted, an easy smile on his face.
"I've never properly had breakfast..."
"You are now! Time to loose that skeletal look." He teased, hauling me up. I was about to argue with him, until I realised he was right. Despite being naturally slim, with quite wide hips, broad shoulders, and a petite waist, my bones were showing easily, so I trudged after him.
"Hey." Reece hugged me as I appeared, burying his face into my hair, and I snuggled into his chest.
"Morning." I mumbled, before he released me so I could sit down.
"Pancakes?" Tom asked me, placing yet another stack of pancakes on the table, which the boys dived upon like ravenous hyenas.
"Uh, yeah, thanks." Hesitantly accepting a plate, I picked up a knife and fork.
"Do you want Nutella on that?" Chris nudged me.
"I don't know." I shrugged, and Reece let his head hit the table with a gentle thunk. "Not my fault I've never had it."
"Never had Nutella..." Casey sighed dramatically, before quickly lathering a pancake with a thin layer of what I presumed was Nutella, and handing it to me. At my hesitation, Reece rolled it up, and held it to my mouth, so I obediently took a bite.
"That's heaven!" My eyes went wide as the deliciousness of the Nutella mixed with quality pancake spread across my tongue, and I hurriedly took another bite, closing my eyes in happiness.
"Definitely Reece's twin." Someone muttered. I giggled, happily eating my fill, and declining any more after two pancakes.
"She won't be used to eating a lot." Jake pointed out sensibly when they started pleading with me to eat more, so I sent him a grateful look, earning myself a bright smile in response.
"Either way, you're going to get fatter if we have anything to do with it." Reece muttered, wrapping an arm securely around me as they all continued eating.
"Don't use that word." I scolded him. "Not good."
"Sorry, princess." This casual tease made me laugh, and I finally relaxed, the way he said 'princess' just making me happy, feeling like everything was back to normal.
I was back, I was alive. I was reunited with my twin.