little bird // r.keene

l. noah.

Robby and Wren pulled each other up after a few moments and when the shouting stopped they made their way towards the broken window. Before it stood Kreese, Johnny and Daniel.

But they weren't alone. Miguel and Sam where there too and Miguel was battered and bruised, looking exactly how Wren felt. Her head had stopped bleeding now and yet dried red stained down the side of her face, just like Robby's hands.

Neither showed any emotion. Only the other knew how the other was feeling.

"Robby." Johnny uttered, seeing the mark he had left on his son's forehead when he knocked him out against the cabinets in the dojo, "Wren..." He added, seeing the blood. So much blood.

"We don't want you here..." Was all she managed to say, her eyes skimming from Sam, to Daniel, to Miguel and finally... Finally landing on Johnny, "Go." Her words are flat and cold. Just as she meant them to be, she stepped forward.

Her ears began to ring and her mind began to spin. But Wren kept her eyes firm and trained forward, she wouldn't let them see her weak. She wouldn't not now. Not ever.

Never again.

No one moved to touch her or even spoke. No. It wasn't the sound of them that broke her daze. It was the sound of footsteps.
"Wren!" A voice broke through the darkness of the sidewalk as it's caller tore down the street. "Wren!" It called again and before Wren could react, Will was there.

Will was there. What was Will doing there?

"Will?" Robby muttered, moving closer to him, just like Wren had already done. Will gripped her forearms as his lungs heaved, trying to pull himself together.

Johnny and Daniel recognised him instantly and Sam knew him from the window, Miguel kept his mouth shut. They all did so he could speak.

That small moment passed so slowly, even though it must have only been two seconds whilst Will took his breaths one after the other.

He had run here.

He had been working tonight.

He had been at The Bookshelf.

Wren's phone had rang.

She remembered now.

The sound of her ringtone echoing, mixing with the sound of the glass window shattering.

Will had been working with Mr James, he rang her, she didn't pick up and then he ran here.

"Will, look at me." He did, his eyes were wide and panicked, "Talk to me, what happened?" She asked, she wasn't sure how she sounded because she could hardly hear herself over the sound of her own blood thundering in her ears.

All eyes were fixed on them, no one moved. No one spoke.
Robby was behind Wren now, so was Johnny but she didn't see them. Wren kept her eyes trained on her friend, a solemn dread building in her throat.

"Noah." He breathed and like that. Wren was gone.

Wren tore down the street, her feet carrying her as fast as she was physically capable until her lungs felt as if they were about to give way inside her. Corner after corner she took, barely missing a few cars who beeped there horns at her as she crossed streets without even looking  as she continued to run.

One foot infront of the other. That's all she had to do. That's what she kept reminding herself.

She had to get back. She had to. Wren had to.

Wren ran home.

Her breaths were ragged and uneven as she forced them out of her throat. Wren's feet struck the sidewalk with such a force she feared she would stay there forever and yet- she did not stop. She did not flicker. Not once.

She had no idea if anyone was following her but she didn't waste any time, not even to look back. She turned one final corner and saw The Bookshelf at the end of the street.

She didn't stop, her head was spinning from the blood loss and yet she ran.

An ambulance. There was an ambulance outside. No.

No. No. No. No.

Wren stopped in the doorway. Noah was on the floor. Paramedics were around him. They were putting him on a foldout bed to get him in the ambulance.

He had an oxygen mask on. He had an oxygen mask on.

No. No. No.

"Noah!" She called but a paramedic got in her way, the man put his arms around her. Holding Wren back. The bloodloss from her head made her weak, she couldn't fight him off no matter how hard she tried.

She was too tired. Too much of a mess. She had lost too much blood.

"Wren." A woman's voice called out, it was calm and collected and the paramedic let go of her as Wren stopped fighting in his arms. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a woman, a woman, who a long time ago, Wren thought she knew well. But looking at her now.

With Leo Evans's hand on the small of her back.

It had been three years since Wren saw her parents together and yet Wren felt as if she was about to throw up.

Wren staggered back as Noah was driven away, she walked away from the Bookshelf and away from her parents. Away from her mother and father. Away from her home.

She was alone in the street when Robby, Will, Daniel, Johnny, Miguel and Sam found her. They had all run after her. They had all chased her. They were all there.

Wren could hardly think about anything at all. She felt arms hold her shoulder's keeping her upright, she looked up, tearing her eyes away from the sidewalk in the dark to see Robby staring back at her. Beside him was Will, everyone else was a few paces away, Johnny an arms length from Will.

Wren gazed up, in a daze, to meet Will's eyes. "Mom and Leo." She breathed and Will's shoulders fell, he reached out to touch her but Wren stepped back once more, out of Will's reach and Robby's touch.

"Wren." Someone said, Wren wasn't sure who but she didn't really care. She turned around and looked at Will and Robby.

"We didn't get his soap or tea."

And with those final words, Wren trailed off down the pavement, in the general direction of the hospital.