Snow and the Wishing Well (Fallen Tales series)

Chapter 38

Chapter 38
Sarah
This had been the first time I had left the room in three days. Or wearing clothes for that matter.
I walked down the street of Hackney like I had done three days ago. The large apartments made me feel small in comparison.
I could hear a man yelling abuse and a smash of a bottle. Why would anyone live here?
I would choose the homeless shelter over this neighbourhood any day.
I continued walking, my mind wondering about Steve. What was he doing here the other day? Did he live here now? Was he okay? Was I seriously worrying about Steve?
I remember when Billy had first introduced me to him. He had mutter, "Won't last," then went back to sleep.
I had never known what he meant till now. He didn't think that I could survive living on the streets and honestly neither did I. I wouldn't have if it wasn't for Billy.
Another smash of a bottle made me jump, making me walk faster. I shouldn't have come alone. I should have taken up Justin's offer and made him come with me. But he had stuff to do. Like hiding from Abbigail which he pretends that he wasn't doing.
When I walked by an alleyway, something caught my eye. I didn't know what it was or if it was even real, but I entered the alleyway. The two large apartment buildings shadowed the alley, making everything seem cold and hollow. I wrapped my arms around myself as the breeze started to pick up.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see something that was the shape of a boot under a pile of rubbish.
"Hello?" I asked.
My heart started to pound as if grew closer and closer to the boot. My mouth started to taste of copper when I saw the leg that was attach to it. I swallowed taking one of the garbage bags in one of my hands before I picked it up. I froze when I saw an old, bloody, ratty checkered jumper. Tears from in my eyes when I spotted a white hand the clutched onto a knife that was dug into his chest. I fell to the ground, feeling my legs collapse under my weight.
"No, no, no," I cried as I pulled away more of the garbage bags.
I cupped my hand over my lips when I saw his face. Frozen, glassy eyes. Sickening blue lips. White, thin skin. I pulled on the jumper, trying to shake him.
"No, no, Billy, no," I cried
Even though there was no hope at all, I still tried.
"No, come on Billy, no. No!"
No!


Justin
I lied on the bed, trying to think of what to do.
I could go to the laundry pat two blocks away and actually do some laundry.
I could find some garbage bags and clean up the candles that still lied around the room.
I could go to library and look up why emu's can't fly.
Or stay here, because there is no chance in seeing Abbigail this way.
I liked the last option.
It's not that I didn't want to see her, it's just I wouldn't know what to say if I did. Yes we had both agreed that we couldn't be a part of each other's lives but that didn't mean that we weren't. I'm staying at the hotel that she worked at.
I sat up remembering something. I needed to change my checking out date. There was no way in hell that I was leaving London. Not yet anyway.
As I opened the door, the one across the hall opened as well. And the person I had been dreading to see, came out.
My face matched hers with wide eyes and opened mouth as we struggling to speak.
"Oh hey," she said loudly.
"Hi, hey," I stuttered.
"Hi," she finished.
There was silence as each of us thought about what to say next. What can you say to your birth mother? 
"This is awkward," she freely admitted.
"Very awkward."
We were both avoiding eye connect
"I guess it was going to happen sooner or later," she stated.
"I liked later."
"So did I."
There was more silence.
"How's Sarah?" she asked breaking the silence.
I was glad to move the topic.
"Good, Sarah's good, great actually. She's looking for a friend," I told her.
She tilted her head, looking sympatric, "oh really, that's too bad. What her name, I might know her?"
Damn it. Would my birth mother know a homeless man?
"No, probably not. S-she's kind of a loner," I said quickly.
She shrugged, not taking any notice of my uneasiness, "oh okay, I hope she finds her."
"I'm sure she will."
There was silence again. It wouldn't be long till we got to what we were really thinking.
"I'm sorry Justin," she confessed out of the blue, "I really am. I mean, you came looking for your mother and you had to find me instead. If I had been a good mother, you wouldn't have had to look."
I realized something that I hadn't before. Yes, finding Abbigail was the reason I came to London but it wasn't why I stayed.
"You don't have to apologise, instead I should be thanking you," she frowned confused, "I mean, if you had been such a great mother, I wouldn't have come to London and I wouldn't have met Sarah."
She smiled, proudly, "You really love her don't you."
"I really really –."
Ring ring, ring ring my phone sang, ring ring, ring ring.
I sighed, picking it up.
"Hello, Justin Carter speaking."
"Hello, Mr Carter, its Officer Belcher from the Hackney police department."
I frowned. Why would the Hackney police department be calling me?
"What?" I asked.
"Miss Santana Walther has put you down has her emergency connect."
I frowned again, "Who that hell is –,"
A bank account, under the name Santana Walther.
"Oh God no." 

"Sarah!" I yelled running through the group of ambulance and police cars. The colours of blue and red filled my eyes as I tried to search for Sarah.
"Snow!"
My heart stopped when I spotted a filled body bag being loaded into an ambulance. I shook my head denying it. No, no no, she can't be dead. She can't be –.
"Justin!"
I turned at the sound of Sarah's sweat voice.
I sighed, feeling my heart start up again when I spotted her, sitting on the back of the open ambulance with an orange shock blanket around her. As I got closer, I noticed her running mascara and red puffy eyes. Why had she been crying?
"Sarah, thank God."
Before I could stop myself, I locked my lips to hers, vowing that I wouldn't go a signal day without kissing them.
"What happened?" I demanded once I had let go of her lips.
"Billy," she croaked, "He's dead."
I pulled her close, filling absolutely sorrow for her. Why did she had to be the one to find him?
"They're saying it was suicide," she said pulling back so that she could see my face, "But suicide doesn't look like that. And Billy would never want to leave this earth without trying to patch things up with his brother."
I wanted so much to believe her, and I did. But I found that there was a small part of myself that believed it was suicide.
"Who would want to kill him?" she asked me.
All that I could do was shrug and say, "I don't know, Sarah. I really don't know."
"Can you go find out more?" she asked, "please."
Again, all I could do was shrug, "Yeah, of course."
I forced myself to part with her and head towards the alley. Just as I was about to enter, a police man stopped me.
"Sorry, can't go in there," he said with a stern voice.
I peered over his shoulder to see the scene. Two forensic doctors were crouched down, looking through piles of rubbish for clues. From where I stood, I could see the blood.
"What happened?" I asked.
The man stayed quiet.
"Come on, man, that guy was her best friend," I told him pointing back to Sarah, "What happened?"
"Simply suicide," he told me.
I was growing my frustrated by the minute.
"Come on, that isn't suicide."
He looked back towards the alley, then to Sarah, then back to me.
He sighed giving in, "Fine, probably murder. The guy got stabbed in the chest, probably bled to death. That's all I'm saying."
I nodded thanking him, then headed back to Sarah.
"What, what did he say?" she said almost jumping out of her skin.
I couldn't tell say it. I couldn't say that her best friend had been murdered.
"I'm sorry, Sarah."
She bit her lip as tears sealed her eyes shut. I pulled her to my chest as her cries turned into whales. How could someone do this to her? Why would anyone want to kill a poor old man?