Kids in the Dark

Chapter 18

Theo's P.O.V

We met just as we had arranged, 2 hours after we hand parted. I got back early, my stuff already in the trunk. I was alerted to the presence of the boys by the sound of laughter. I looked up from my phone to see them both, arms laden with bags, shoving each other back and forth.

"Hey, Theo, what are we doing for dinner?" Ryder asked as he shoved his bags into the back seat.

"Don't worry little bro. I got it covered." I said holding up the two large pizza boxes I had balanced on my lap.

"Nice," Marc said, squeezing in the back with all the bags. Ryder slid the seat back and took his seat. "Let's get home before it gets cold." He said digging around in his pocket.

"Glad someone has his priorities straight." I laughed firing up the engine.

"Damn right I do," Marc said back, a flash of white light signaling that he had turned on a phone.

"Dude, turn that off." Ryder snapped, snatching it from Marc's grasp. I glanced in the rear-view mirror to see that Marc's eyes had once again lost all color. "What's so important anyway?" My brother continued, looking through the phone.

"Nothing," Marc snarled reaching out for the phone. Ryder moved his hand quickly holding it just out of Marc's reach.

"Who's Charlie?" Was the next question he asked, pulling up a string of texts under the contact's name. Of the quick glance I could make while driving everything seemed normal, but at second glance I noticed that it was just a line of messages sent by Marc.

"He's no one," Marc muttered looking down at his lap.

"Don't bullshit me. You don't text a guy 4 months straight without a reply unless he's important." Ryder's curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Ryder, mate, don't be such a dick. Give the phone back. Marc doesn't have to talk." Ryder let at an annoyed sigh and handed it back over. "Marc, turn it off," I said in an attempt at a kind voice. The last thing I needed was the two of them arguing.

We reached the house about 10 minutes later. Unloading the car was down to me and Marc, as Ryder took Tank out to do his business. I set the pizza down on the kitchen counter, then carried my shopping upstairs. Once I had ditched it I made my way upstairs and emptied the washing machine of our clothes. Finally, I returned downstairs and placed the pizzas in the oven to heat for a few minutes.

"Ryder, Marc," I called my voice echoing through the house. I heard a rumbling and looked up to see the two boys falling down the stairs. The two of them scrambled to their feet the second they hit the floor.

"What is it?" Ryder asked walking over Marc trailing behind.

"Go through the movies. They're on the shelf beside the TV. Pick one." I told them and they vanished. I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't understand how 2 people could be at each other's throats in minutes and best friends the next. I could hear the two discussing what movie to watch as I pulled the pizzas out, and turned off the oven.

"Grub's up," I said setting the pizza boxes on the table that separated the sofa and TV. Marc instantly scrambled to his feet, Ryder close behind, slowed by inserting the disk.

"What are we watching?" I asked taking a slice of pizza and sitting back on the sofa.

"Guardians of the Galaxy," Ryder said, joining Tank on the smaller sofa. I slowly munched on my first as the opening credits rolled.

"I remember going to see this with a bunch of friends in the cinema," Marc announced reaching for his third piece of pizza. "We got kicked out about 20 minutes in. No spoiling the end." He said pointing his pizza threateningly in my direction.

Once the pizza was gone and the movie ended, the two 16-year-olds headed up to bed. With a sigh, I got up and ditched the empty boxes in the trash. I then went upstairs, heading into my room, I collapsed on the bed and fell into a light sleep.

I awoke to the sound of a branch snapping outside. I sat up, still fully clothed, and went to peer out of the room's large window. A shadowy figure moved in the dark, across the ground and towards a small dock that broke up the lakes otherwise glassy appearance. The shadow stepped onto the dock sending out ripples. Upon reaching the end they stepped out into the moonlight, the choppy blond hair giving them away.

Curiosity getting the better of me I got to my feet and headed outside, careful not to make much noise. I walked through the darkness, stumbling on unseen objects, the only noise to be heard was the constant hum of cicadas. In no time I was by the jetty, but I hesitated, not wanting to startle Marc.

"Can't sleep?" I asked. Marc's body flinched in surprise, but he didn't turn.

"Nah, I never can." He replied. I approached and sat beside him to see a phone clutched in his hand.

"You texting Charlie?" I asked causing the younger boy to look up at me.

"I gave up about a month ago." He admitted in a flat tone.

"Who is he?" I asked, causing Marc to let at an annoyed huff.

"The ass hole is my brother." He said through gritted teeth. My eyes widened in shock at this news.

"Where is he, do you know?"

"Most likely locked up is an underground prison impossible to escape from." He said laughing slightly at his own words. I looked at him in a confused manner. Marc, seeing this explained. "Charlie and I are well known in our home town for being the two brothers who the cops couldn't keep control of. Together we've escaped from 3 prisons."

"Impressive," I said in awe. "It will come in handy if we're ever caught," I said trying to make light of the situation.  Seeing that did nothing to cheer Marc up I said, "Look, you can stay with us for as long as you need, I'm sure you'll hear from your brother if he gets out, no come on, tomorrow we're going for a long drive to find you a skateboard."

"What?" Marc asked as the two of us headed back inside.

"Well, If you want to live with us you're gonna have to learn." Marc laughed as we went to our separate rooms.

This was a longer chapter, Hope you enjoyed it. The next part is going to go back in time To see what happened to the others. Now you know a bit more about Marc. Please Comment, Vote, Tell your friends. Thank you to everyone who has read it so far.