Hold Me Close

Chapter 15.

we arrived at Chris's and there he stood in his garden, the light from the lamp posts lit up his face, revealing the last few bruises that clung to his face.

"Hey" I smiled when we reached him. He looked Derek up and down, "hey I'm Derek", he held out his hand but quickly pulled it back once realising that not everyone was as keen on breaking the law as others, especially people in Chris' position.

"Tell him what you told me".

I stood staring at Chris as Derek explained it all to him.

When Derek was done Chris let out a lingering sigh, "you don't get it" he laughed,

"I don't know what to say to my mam, I don't remember her that much, can you imagine that, and now you expect me to tell her that, I can't"

"Look Chris, I don't know you and you don't know me, but, I can imagine it, I had to have my mother look at me like a stranger, I had to watch her as she nervously walked around her own home, as she panicked being around her own husband and children, but if you don't move, if you don't escape, they will take you".

Chris replied by saying he would talk to her in the morning, and then he went into his house, leaving me and Derek alone in his garden.

I didn't see Chris after that.

I went to his house three days after and it was empty, his mother packed up and left without telling anyone, Chris's number never rang through, all his web accounts were deleted, it was like he never existed.

I didn't know how to deal with it, I cried myself to sleep most nights, I didn't leave my house, my phone always off and my mind just couldn't comprehend that my best friend since childhood was gone.

My mother filled me in on the outside world, three people on my road alone went missing, Miss Garter that lived across the road from me was taken during the night, as was her husband, people whispered saying she was pregnant, but that she had not been to a hospital to have her child genetically created, and as contraception didn't exist due to the fact we weren't to be sexual with other people, she had gotten pregnant, I hated the thought of it, that a married couple could not lie together and create their own child, this world was hectic, even if the disease wasn't killing us the government was, we were all truly dead on the inside, bound by restrictions.

I set my laptop up and left it on the desk as I searched my assignment sheets for school. A loud beep escaped from my computer, on my webface account a chat box was flashing, the username read foxbought, the name sounded familiar.

I clicked open and felt my heart in my throat.

The message read:

Ann, it's me, Chris, cant talk long, I have to delete this account afterwards, I moved to Orlando, thank you for the heads up. I wont be coming home, but one day, maybe in the near future we'll see one and other again. I'm sorry though, you wont be able to reply as I will have deactivated this account after I send this message, be happy, but most of all, be careful.

I wanted to type back, to tell him I missed him, but just as he had said, the account was deleted.

Hearing from him didn't make anything easier, everything was the same, everything was black.

I closed the laptop over and fell back onto my bed, grateful for its comfort. I decided to turn my phone on and was surprised at the amount of missed calls and messages I had, most were from Derek.

I hit call on his name and waited.

"hello" he said, sounding happy,

"hey" I muttered back,

"Ok, I'm just going to come out and say it, did I do something wrong, everytime I try call there's no answer and my messages recieve nothing back and when I knocked at your door your mother told me you werent home, what did I do wrong on you Ann? "

" Chris is gone" I cried, I couldn't stop the tears from falling,

"Im so sorry Ann, did he move or did the government you know, take him? "

" he moved, just like you told him to"

"I'm really sorry Ann, I am, but this way he's safe, and him leaving is better then him being taken"

"I know" I agreed, wiping the tears from my cheeks,

"can you come out and talk? " he asked sounding anxious.

" I would, but I've school in the morning and a load of assignments that need to be done, maybe afterwards tomorrow? "

" yeah that would be better, I want to take you somewhere and show you something, I gotta go, goodnight Ann"

"Goodnight "

I dropped the phone onto the bed and pulled my schoolbag over to me dreading all the work that had to be done.