A case of Stockholm.

Chapter Nine.

I can't believe him. I hate being picked up so very much. I preferred having my feet on the ground, always. After a few minutes of futile protesting, I give up. He makes his way to the cabin. This guy is such a moron. Why was he even doing this? What had I done to deserve this?

When we get back Callum is frantically pacing the room.

"Dude, I'm so sorry I lost her." Elijah lowers me onto the sofa. I glare at him. What's wrong with this guy?

"Cal, I take back what I said earlier. She does need constant watching." He turns to me. "Or are you going to behave from now on?" He says in a condescending tone. I look through my eyelashes at him.

"What is the point of me being here? You're not getting money from it. What's the point?"

Callum's face turns to Elijah and he raises his eyebrows.

Elijah takes a deep breath and turns to me. His eyes are intoxicating.

"You want the truth?" I nod in response. "You seem like a spoilt brat that needs taught a lesson on how the other half live." I'm stunned. Turning from both of them I go back to the bedroom and walk to the window. Nothing but trees and birds. It was rather beautiful and peaceful as well. Under other circumstances I would adore being here. The sound of birds chirping and books in boxes around me are somewhat calming.

A knock sounds at the door. Elijah walks in. "What I said before wasn't true by the way. It was just a joke. I'm sorry if I offended you." I could tell he wasn't serious. His lips were twitching at the corner.

"I accept your apology." It wasn't okay with me but if I was supposed to stay in this place with him I could at least try and be polite.

I honestly meant it but the only way I can cope is to act as though I am joking. I would feel guilty but that's where the problem lay. I would have to be able to feel.

He turns and walks from the room, a slight swagger in the way he walks. He infuriates me. Everything about him just makes my blood boil. I face the window again and realise that I may never be free again. This was my life. I had gone from an upper class girl with no freedom to do what she pleases to a prisoner and again, I had no freedom. I wander over to the boxes and decide to start making myself at home. If I was going to stay here then I could at least sort my clothes out. There are a small set of drawers in the corner opposite the mattress. The chest was badly painted an awful purple-y grey colour.

Spending the next little while sorting through box after box. Clothes going into the drawers and books being stacked on top. They must have had close on 50 books. Once I had stacked as many as I could on top of the drawers, I began to stack them one on top of the other at the side of the drawers.

A knock sounds on the door and I turn to see Callum in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" He looks around the room. "I see you're getting comfortable." I nod not trusting myself to talk. I miss Hector. "You know if it were up to me I'd let you go home but Eli seems to have got it into his thick skull that you need our help and we need you here."

"Why would you need me here?" puzzlement interfering in my words.

"Eli doesn't think he's good company for me. He doesn't seem to understand that I chose to join him here. He needed me to keep him sane."

"Wait. What are you even on about? I thought you'd both chosen this life. That you had both run away from home or something." He chuckles to himself.

"I wish. Neither of us wanted this." I look at him and encourage him to continue. "I've already said too much. I should leave. I really am sorry for all of this Gwendolyn."

"Callum wait. Can't you tell me what is really going on here? What's with all the secrets?" He starts rushing from the room and I follow him. "Please?"

He turns to look at me, fear etched into his expression. "I can't Gwendolyn. This is Eli's secret to tell, not mine and believe me he won't tell you any time soon." I start after him. "Just stop. I need to get some air." He walks quickly from the hut and then I'm alone.

I can't exactly blame him though. He's just being a good friend which confused me slightly. How exactly does a guy like Elijah end up with such a loyal soul like Callum?

Standing in line in the small convenience store I feel exposed. There are people all around me. I'm on my guard constantly. When I reach the till the women asks for the money for our shopping. I reach into my pocket and pull out a handful of change. This was it. All the money that I had left. Who knew living away from home could be so expensive? I'd left with a small wallet filled with cash but it had been two years now. Maybe taking Gwendolyn hadn't been the best idea. Another mouth to feed. If we held her for ransom then perhaps her parents would pay to have her back but she said herself that they wouldn't.

I had seen them. The Porters. A couple of snobbish people. Them and their rich friends. Gwendolyn hadn't fit in there. I thought she'd appreciate that I had saved her from a life of misery. I still hadn't received a thank you for the good deed that I had done.

I could just leave here and now. Elijah and Callum were both MIA. This suited me rather well. I go over to the front door and turn the slightly rusty handle. Outside the air engulfs me. There is a cool breeze that raises goose bumps on my arms. This is totally blissful. That's when I see him. Sitting on the grass outside the hut sat Callum; his arms were wrapped around his knees.

I walk over and sit with him. "You should go back inside." He doesn't even raise his head to look at me. "We should go back inside." He corrects himself. "I need to tell you. You're a part of this life now." I look at him in amazement.

"Are you sure?" I enquire secretly hoping the answer is yes because I didn't like the idea of not knowing.

"Come on. I'm going to tell you everything."