Shards

chapter 20

Chapter 20:

“No, no! Stop!” I held up my hands in surrender. “These are my friends. It's okay. Everyone calm down!”

Dosle lowered his gun, but he did no holster it.

“Where did you go? What happened?” James continued to close the distance between us, seemingly unafraid of my new companions. “Dosle, chill out. They're all just kids.”

“James, I'm sorry,” I burst out, pulling him into a hug, completely voluntarily. “I had to go with them, they're all I have. You've got to understand.”

I released him, and he took a step back. “So you remember these people?”

I nodded. “James, meet Ian.” I gestured to the boy standing beside me. “Audrey, Julian, and Shay.”

He did a double take, looking at them again, as if he was only now really seeing them.

“They're real...” He said it in an undertone, but it still made me smile.

“Last time I checked,” Ian said, seeming to be unable to contain himself any longer.

Audrey made a sound with her mouth, like she was preparing to speak, but I fixed her with a glare. Ian was allowed to talk, she wasn't. She seemed to get the message for she closed her mouth, content to glare at the back of his head.

I laughed, a light sound. “They thought I was crazy. Please tell them that you were in my room, and that I wasn't hallucinating.”

“It's true.” Ian held up his hands in mock surrender. “I payed her a visit.”

James's expression had changed from incredulous to downright shocked.

“Well, Jane, I guess I owe you an apology.”

“Jane?” Ian raised an eyebrow.

I shrugged. “Yeah, as in Jane Doe. They call me that, because I didn't know my name.”

James looked sheepish. “I'm sorry. It's Jaylee, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, we got that right.”

“Sorry. It'll probably take me some time to get used to.”

It felt so good to see James again, but behind me I felt the tense atmosphere of my friends. Looking up, following their eyes, I realized that the police officers had moved closer. Leon's face was not as welcoming as James's, and Dosle had yet to holster his gun. Ian took a step forwards, as well, but I held up an arm, restraining him. Looking back at the rest of them, I made a movement with my elbow. They took the hint, and stepped away a little; leaving me with room to breath.

“Where did you go?” Leon's question was direct and straight to the point. “Erica and James panicked. We thought that sniper got you. Plus, doctor genius here assumed the worst.”

“I'm sorry,” I whispered. “I saw Audrey. I recognized her. Now I'm back with my friends, people who know me. It was worth it.”

The accusing look dropped from Leon's face, and he looked over at his boss. “She's right, you know. We have answers now. These people know who she was.”

“We know who she was, but we don't know how she ended up here,” Ian admitted.

“Well,” said Leon, smirking. “ I think we can help you with that.” He gestured behind him. “She rode into the city in the back of that pickup.”

Everyone crowded around the truck, and I searched for something to say, that would stop them from talking about me like I wasn't there.

“Is that my blood?” I pointed to the red smear that ran across the bed of the pickup.