Snow and the Wishing Well (Fallen Tales series)

Chapter 44

Chapter 44
Sarah
I sat on a street bench, feeling lost. Where do I go next?
I had found Paul and Benny together by a warehouse. They said that they were making their way to the homeless shelter in Hackney but hadn't seen anyone else from the homeless shelter. I saw Sandy sleeping on a pack bench, with my sleeping bag. He told me that the last time he heard from David and Samuel was that they were heading to a soup kitchen not far from the park where I was now. When I asked if he was going to head to the Homeless shelter in Hackney like Paul and Benny, he said, "There's no point anymore."
He had given up on life. And I couldn't even blame him.
All there was left was Steve.
I couldn't get last week out of my head when I saw him. Did he know about Billy? He was in Hackney. Maybe he had seen him, just before he was...
I shook the thought away.
"I never see you anymore,"
I sat up when I heard the voices of two guys coming closer to me. I turned towards them and saw them. One was tall and had dark skin and the other had ruffled red hair.
"You know Denise doesn't have a problem with you coming over to Rosings," he told him.
"I know, but she's got the triplets and baby Emilia to deal with," He said.
"Well I need a guy's night out so whatever you have planned lay it on me."
Before they were a meter away from me, I stopped them, "Hey!"
They turned looking surprised.
"Do know where I can find a guy called Steve?" I asked.
"You really need to be more specific," said the dark guy.
"Oh, um," I didn't even know his last name, "Tall, in his forties, homeless maybe. That's pretty much all I know."
"He doesn't happen to do drugs, does he?" Red head asked, unsure.
"Yeah," I groaned.
"Last time I heard, he was dealing down Cowper Road."
I nodded, then thanked him and turned down the way to Cowper Road.
The red head had been right. At the end of the road, was Steve, and a man handing him money. The bastard was selling drugs. When the man tugged the bag of powder into his pocket and walked into the other direction, Steve turned my way and spotted me. He through his head back in frustration as I raised my eyebrow.
"And you had the hide to be up me!" I yelled as he grew closer to me.
He took my upper arm and began to drug me away.
"I thought I told you leave Hackney," he said, angry that I had caught him.
"Do you honestly think that I wouldn't come back after Billy?"
He stopped, avoiding my harsh glare.
"So you've heard," he said.
"Who do you think found him," I snapped, my voice turning to a whisper, "How did you find out about him?"
"How most people find out about murder, the paper," he snapped, "you can't think that I did it."
I looked him up and down, honestly I didn't see him as a killer. Drug dealer, alcoholic, yes.
"He died in Hackney, Steve. You had to have seen him, Hackney is not that big."
"Fine," he said giving in, "yes I did see him. It could have been days before he died, it could have been merely hours, I don't know," he paused. I didn't think that he would continue but he did, "He was complaining that someone had been following him."
I frowned, "Following him, what do you mean –?"
"How the hell would I know?"
I relaxed my mind wondering to who it could be.
"Leave Snow," he said, his voice more serious than I had ever heard it before, "it's not safe for you here."
I frowned again, "What do you –?"
"Just trust me," he told, "You can't trust anyone."

I walked down the dark path, trying to stay in the light. I hadn't realised how late it was getting, and before I knew it, the sun was setting and there was no cabs to be seen.
My heart started to race as a group of men walked past me. I could smell the alcohol on them, but they didn't notice me. I continued to walk trying to think of Justin in an empty hotel room, worrying about me. After yesterday, I shouldn't have come back to Hackney, at least not by myself. But I couldn't leave it alone, could I.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the echoes of footsteps. I was being followed. My pace fastened as I pulled my trench coat tighter around me. But so did the footsteps. My heart pounded as I felt the person gaining on me and the space between us quickly disappearing.
Growing angry that this person was following, I turned to face them. Before I could see the figure, I was slapped. The force was so great, that I fell to the ground, feeling my hands and cheek burn from the impact.
I shook my head as I lifted half my body up, trying to contemplate what had just happened. I frowned when a three photo appeared on the ground by my hand. It was a smaller copy of my parents wedding photo. Over both of their faces were a red cross. I turned to another one. It was a photo of Billy and I, standing outside the shelter. Again, there was a cross, covering Billy's face. I cried out when I picked up the last photo. It was a photo of Justin and I, holding hands as we walked down the street. There was a Red Cross over Justin's face.
"She wanted me to tell you, that your boyfriend's next if she doesn't get want she wants," the man's voice was deep and over powering. I felt like just his shadow could shallow me whole.
I cupped my hand over my mouth as I looked over the photos again. Could the story of how my mother died of cancer be a lie? Could she have been poisoned like my father? And Billy. Could Victoria have taken him away as well?
As the man walked away from me, my eyes landed on the photo of Justin and me. Every minute I spent with him, made him more and more in danger. I had to leave London. I might even have to leave him.