Run. || Alex Gaskarth A.U.

Chapter 6: The Glass Heart Theory

Against my chest, there is a charm from a necklace. Your necklace to be exact, Alex. It's a silver charm in the shape of a heart. In the middle of the heart, there is an eye.

This is the symbol of the Runaways.

I'm a little peeved that I didn't get the chance to rip the chain off my neck before they tied my hands behind the back of the chair. I don't want to wear it anymore, because you gave it to me, Alex. You were the one who slipped the chain over my head and let the charm fall over my heart. I know my parents created the Runaways, I know that it is in my blood to join.

But I don't want to, and I never will.

The little symbol is still nestled against my chest though, slightly concealed by your leather jacket, but I can feel the weight of it on my t-shirt. It burns into my skin, reminding me of when you first gave it to me on that day of the beautiful sunset.

~

We only made it a couple of miles North before the sun began to set, signalling that it was time to set up camp. I was past the point of exhaustion, because the sprint through the mutated forest was taking it's toll on me, and plus, Alex was weak from the attack. Once again, we were both a collection of bruises, scratched arms, weary bones, and sore muscles.

I took charge of setting up, leaving Alex to gather whatever firewood he could find. Initially, I wasn't too happy to let him wander back into the woods, but he informed me that he could look after himself, and promised he wouldn't stray too far.

I hated to admit it, but suddenly I didn't want anything bad to happen to Alex. The prospect of me being lost in the woods all by myself was frightening, and even though Alex wasn't the ideal person I would have liked to have by my side, he was still better than nothing. I was beginning to warm up to my childhood friend, no matter how much of an asshole he could be.

Alex's backpack was ruined from the thorns, and unfortunately fifty percent of the contents from his backpack were lost in our great escape. I managed to repair the bag using some bandage cloth and duct tape, but that didn't change the fact that we were low on food.

After we had set up camp and started a fire, I placed our last two cans of beans over the fire and sat next to Alex, my knees touching his. We sat like this, side by side, eyes landing and flickering to anywhere but each other. It was a little awkward, but then again, I liked the silence. It was calming, and reminded me that I was still alive. I enjoyed breathing in fresh particles of oxygen while I counted my heartbeat.

"You were right, by the way." Alex said out of the blue, making me sigh, because I was over the joy of being able to say "I told you so." At that stage, I was just too tired to claim my victory. There were plenty of opportunities ahead of me to roast his ass.

"We're lost." he mumbled, eyes glued to the ground, a clear look of embarrassment on his grimy face. Although I had washed his face in the water, it appeared that a fresh layer of dirt and grease had settled on his coloured cheeks and forehead.

"And we're low on food." I chipped in miserably, letting my eyes look into the crackling fire in front of me. It stung a bit, but after a few moments, my eyes adjusted to the heat, and the sparks became pretty ballerinas, jumping in the flames.

Alex sighed bowed his head. I could see that he was disappointed in himself. Him and I were like open books to each other. I felt sorry for him, I really did. All he was trying to do was fulfill a job that my father had assigned him to do, and so far, he wasn't doing a great.

"Tell me a story." I whispered, my voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire. He heard my voice though, and his coffee coloured eyes darted to focus on me. I didn't return his gaze, as I was immersed in the fire, but I was listening, and he knew it.