Something in the Way You Move [O'J]

An Explanation

Danny's POV

After Callie runs off, we all chat for a while. My brother Ian asks, "So Dan, who was that little girl with you?"

"Her name's Callie O'Shanahan," I tell them.

At this point, the television decides to blare out, "Breaking news in the Branna O'Doherty story: her father came forward today. He has told our special informant that she has not always gone by her current name. No, in fact, her name was changed when she was adopted. Her first name, Callie Elizabeth O'Shanahan, might now be the alias she is going by to hide. If you come across a girl by the names of either Branna Shanahan O'Doherty or Callie Elizabeth O'Shanahan, you are encouraged to contact local authorities immediately."

My blood runs cold. Everyone in the room turns to stare at me. A minute passes before they all explode with questions, accusations, and everything in between. After several minutes of this chaos, I yell, "Will everyone just shut up for two minutes so I can explain?!?" Silence immediately falls over the room. This is weird. This has never happened before. I quickly launch into my story.

"Okay, so a few days back I was coming home from the pub one night and I heard this person crying so I went to check it out. It ended up being her, I called a friend, and she was taken to my friend's house. We found out there that her name is Callie---well, technically Branna, but she goes by Callie---and that her foster father was abusive. Like really abusive. She was only forty pounds, twenty pounds underweight, and her belly was covered in bruises.

"A few days after that, she told me that there were others that were still there, still being beaten by these guys, since six or so guys live there together. She told me that she had to come back and get them out, that she promised them she would. So we schemed a bit and we're going to go and bust them out in three days time, but we need help. It'll be dangerous, though."

"Danny, she's a missing person! Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get in if the authorities find out you've been hiding her?" my brother Dara asks. "It's stupid. We don't have any proof that they abused her, just her word. I'm calling the police to come and get her." Dara moves to pick up the phone to call them---which I know is a ploy for me to tell him more; he's a Sergeant in the Gardaí (a/n Irish police force).

"There are flash-drives with photographs of the beatings," I tell him quietly.

"Where? Does she have them?"

"No, she doesn't have them. They're at the house."

"What house?"

"Her father's house."

Dara puts the phone down and asks, "So you need our help to get these flash-drives?"

"And to get the other kids out, yes."

"And it'll be dangerous?"

"Quite."

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Look, we'll talk about this after dinner with Branna---er, Callie---present. Fair enough?"

Everyone nods as the back door is flung open. David and Callie come bursting through, looking around wildly. They run up to us and say, "You didn't see anything if anyone asks!" before turning around and racing upstairs. After a minute, Elaine and John come through the back door and run up to us. "Have you seen David and Callie? We're looking for them!"

We all shake our heads. "Uncle Dan...?" they ask hopefully.

I sigh. "They went out the front door," I tell them. They laugh, high-five, and run out the front door, yelling thanks at me.