Hold Me Close

Chapter Ten.

Keep running, I kept repeating this to my self as I kept up my pace.

I couod hear footsteps running up to me and how my stomach went into knots at the sound.

"Don't stop running Ann" Derek gasp through heavy breathing, I looked to my side and seen him running at my pace, his face was red and sweaty, yet there he was encouraging me to make it.

We turned onto my road and I had never been so happy to see my front door. I raided my pockets for my keys, but nothing. "Shit I forgot my keys" I cried.

The headlights turned onto the road, we both turned to look at them in union. Derek grabbed a hold of me and pulled me down behind the garden shrubs, "don't move" he whispered into my ear.

I was so scared that I began to shake and scrath at my leg. I felt Derek's hand rest on mine before his locked his fingers around mine, I looked to him and tried to smile, he smiled back.

The transit slowly drove up the road, we waited behind the shrubs until the sound of the transits engine fades away.

Derek helped me over the backwall, I opened the door to let him in but he wasn't there, I began to panic, I ran into the garden to see him with his hood up walking out of my garden.

"Derek? " I called out to him, he turned and just looked at me with empty eyes," come on, you can't walk home now, they might still be out there".

Thankfully my dad forgot to lock the back door, I slid the glass panel open and walked in with Derek behind me.

"They got her" he whispered so low that it took me a few seconds to register what he had said, I didn't reply.

"We met there everynight, we knew we would probably get caught but them taking her never crossed my mind, I always assumed it would be me, and I'm sorry Ann, we put you in harms way" he held his head down in utter defeat.

"You didn't put me in harms way Derek, I did that nighr with Chris and they took him just like they took Sora, only me and Chris weren't doing anything illegal, he just went to touch my jand, but he's home now, Sora xould come home too, if they let her", he just nodded and sat down at thd island and stared off out into space.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something? " I smiled," just to keep us awake, cause I won't be able to sleep and I doubt you will either after what just happened",

"That sounds good" he smiled and followed me into the sitting room.

After a few debates we settled on a action movie that recently came out, we sat next to one an other on the large seater.

Half way through I felt sleep taking over my body but I tried to keep my eyes open. My eyes felt heavy and soon I was dosing in and out of sleep.

I woke up with someone running their hands through my hair, I snuggled into them and closed my eyes, thats when reality hit me.

I jumped up and cause Derek to jump with fright, "I'm so sorry for falling alseep on you and then doing, well that" I blushed,

"don't worry Ann, it's fine".

We sat there in silence watching some cartoons when Derek fell alseep, his head fell to the side and soon he was lightly snoring, I rested my head against his and allowed my self to fall asleep.

"It's not her fault, it's mine", that's what i heard when I woke up, I opened my eyes to see Derek sitting next to me, his hands in a clasp on his lap and my mother sitting across from us staring at him as he spoke.

"I was with someone last night and Ann bumped into us, we were going to walk Ann home when the government showed up, I was going to walk home but Ann stopped me saying it wasn't safe to do so",

"well that's Ann for you, she's a very caring person, but she won't see the danger she's putting her self in" my mother sighed loud.

"Just breathing in this day and age puts you in danger" I snapped, "don't you see it mam" I sighed, "the world needs to rebel against this, they can't keep picking us off like flies, we're human beings, not trained pets",

"well then you explain that to your best friend" she snapped back,

"that's not fair", I felt my eyes burn up with tears, "honey, I'm sorry",

"just don't, don't speak to me right now, I don't want to fight, we'll talk when I'm not angry", she nodded and left the room.

"You're very mature for a sixteen year old, Ann" derek smirked at me,

"how do you know what age I am? " I questioned,

" well your mam asked me what age I was and when I said eighteen she said that you don't go seventeen for another month so I shouldn't be spending time with you due to my age",

"she's just scared, theres not that much of a gap for her to think thay shes just scared of the outcome of us spending time together",

He nodded and looked to me, at me.

"Do you want to spend more time with me? ",

" what do you mean? " I laughed,

"well we only meet the odd time, in bad situations, but I mean like do you maybe want to be, like friends, cause I have no one now that Sora is gone and as weak and cheesy as this might sound, I really don't want to be alone right now",

I looked around before nudging my shoulder against him and smiled, "having a friend around sounds good",

"good" he smiled back.