Cloned

Chapter 21

James POV

Emma and I had been in the barn when we first heard the sirens. It took me only a few seconds to leap into action. Emma appeared to be completely in the dark about why my family had come to stay in the first place. 

"We can't be seen Emma. We can't be taken away by the police. I am already in trouble for not telling the police about Maddie and will get into more trouble as I am the one who told Mum we should come here and endanger you and Sam at the same time." I tried to keep my voice down as Emma stared at me wide eyed looking confused. 

"Why is Maddie so special that the police want her? I thought you were on the run from her Dad or something." Emma accused me. I really don't have the time to have to explain to her everything before they find us. I had barely opened my mouth to tell her this when the door of the barn was shot open. I managed to duck and drag Emma behind me as we hid behind several bales of hay. The police officer seemed to be wandering around but not really checking everything before he got a call over the radio. 

"We are about to start questioning the suspect. The child needs to be taken back to England and handed over into the care of Scotland Yard. Over." The broadcast end and the sheriff seemed to pause fora minute before he radioed back. 

"No sign of the other two here. They are probably out in the town. Put a BOLO out for them." The sheriff then walked heavily footed outside of the barn. I released the breath I had been holding. I then realised that I had been holding Emma rather tightly in an effort to keep both of us hidden. As soon as the barn doors shut, I felt her starting to try to free herself from my hold. I let go of her as I tried to comprehend what I had just heard. They had Maddie and were taking her back to England. On her own? It took every inch of my being and reason to not go and rescue Maddie from the claws of the police. 

"James, we need to start moving soon. This isn't the first check they will do in here. They will start to search for evidence. What will happen to my Dad?" Emma seemed at first to be talking to me then drifted off into her own worries. 

"They can't do much to him, he thought that we were on the run from an abusive parent not the police Emma." I tried to console her but feeling just as worried myself. Mum hadn't told either of them for their own safety and even I only knew because I was the one that Dr Liv had first told. She said to me that she would prefer me not to know so we could avoid situations like these. I started to clamber out from behind the hay bales. We couldn't take the car to leave. That was one of the first things they would trace. 

"What do I take Emma? I can't take the car. They will trace it straight away. I can't even go on the roads as they will be searching for me in town. I have to leave." I started to yell at Emma who stood their completely stationary. This wasn't the time for standing in panic. Doesn't she get that my family is being taken away? Her Dad is innocent and will be freed quite quickly. I needed to get out of here now or he would be harbouring yet another criminal. "I need to leave." I spoke again more firmly. 

"You need to leave? Don't you mean we? I have been harbouring you and Maddie and your Mum for a while. I now know that you are on the run so that makes me just as guilty. As or how we are going to leave then there is one last option that can't be traced." Emma said crossly as she led me outside. You have to be joking as I stared at the two horses grazing in the paddock. This isn't the bloody middle ages! We can't ride a horse across Canada! Emma was starting to tack up the two horses. 

"Go inside and get water. As much as you can and food. Water mostly but food as well. There is money inside the drawer nearest the sink. We will need that as well." Emma instructed to me. It was true. We would need water before we needed food. I walked inside and started to pack up two bags with water, food and the cash. This would be a long few weeks.