|Falling for Octavia|

08 | Door 15

"I found Immanuel."

**

"You what?!?" I practically shout as my beady eyes study the laptop screen carefully.

On the screen is a Facebook picture of a man hugging onto a child as the child laughs uncontrollably. My eyes can't seem to recognise anyone for a minute until I notice who the man is.

It's a type of Immanuel, the same thick curly black hair and darker skin. But this face looks different than when I last saw him four years ago. A groomed beard sits sloppily on his face, that's not the thing that makes me do a double take wherever or not it is actually him.

Its the facial expression he is making, happiness is plastered all over it. His eyes are slightly creased because of the smile that takes up most of his face. That isn't the Immanuel I know.

I know him as sick and depressed. Always frowning or lifted off into his own world. Sometimes dripping with sweat and throwing up in the toilet because he was forced to stop the drugs. I see him with tears and pain in his eyes as he chucks soil into my mothers grave and then leaves off in a hurry. Not bothered to even say goodbye, just gone. Gone forever.

"Who is he?" I manage to croak out and I feel my throat dry and crispy. I try to demand an answer out of her by pleading her with my eyes. But she can't reply as he hand muffles the sobs that choke out of her mouth.

Embracing her in a hug, I feel the next emotion that is flooding through me. This time it's anger, angry that he never came back to see if I was alive and living in my home or had been dragged off to a care home.

Ariyane pulls away and looks back at the laptop screen, "Toffee, he has a kid now."

"That's his kid?" I ask and I see the same curly hair on the kids head. She looks young, really little. Like two years old.

"Where does he live?" I ask another question, wanting to find out every detail about his life right now.

"He lives on Terring Lane. One of the flats." I nod my head, Terring Lane isn't bad. Not as bad as the place me and Ariyane lived in. Probably a lot nicer looking in the outside.

"We're going." I announce. Picking myself up and running to my bedroom. I walk to my closet and pull on a pair of black jeans and a Superdry hoody. Throwing my hair into a bun, I grab my trainers and tie them.

"I don't want to see him." She replies hesitantly and shakes her head with a frown.

"I'm going. Come or don't, it's whatever." I shrug and grab my phone and wallet, sticking them into my pocket.

"Give me a minute." She huffs, giving in to my common behaviour. I was stubborn when it came to what I wanted but right now I don't care. I need to confront him and find out exactly what he's been doing.

Afterward minute or two, I feel her link my own arm with hers and we walk out of the house. Ari seems to know where we're going so I follow her lead, I know she secretly isn't one hundred percent sure and a bus would be a life saver but right now. Two people on the bus would cost a lot, that's why I restrict myself to one bus ride a day. Or at least try to.

I observe Ariyane and realise that our family gene isn't terrible. Even though we are practically polar opposites we have features that determine us as sisters rather than friend or lovers. She would be the more outgoing sister though, with her stretched ears and piercings he looks rebellious and fun. I kind of come across as boring I think.

"How many piercings do you have?" I ask, generally interested. Also a distraction because I'm sure her eyebrows are going to combust with the amount of pressure she is forcing on them by her feel frowning.

"Well I have eight on my left ear, nine in my right, two face and six body piercings. According to my calculations that's 25, I think?" She replies carelessly, like she has answered this question two many times to count.

"Six body? I thought you only had your belly button." I hum with thought.

"Nope, got two belly buttons, one nipple and back dimples." I didn't even know that these piercings existed let alone she had them. If I had any of them id feel scandalous as hell.

Maybe that's what I'd do for my end of school present for myself, get like a cartilage piercing or something. That would be rad. Wow, it's funny how fast school actually goes. A second ago I was in infant school and now I had five months left until I was finished with school for good.

"Were here." I hear her say and I snap out of my silly day dream and back to life.

I'm surrounded by a block of flats, tall and white with blue windows. Not like flats more apartments really. Quite sophisticated and modern. Not like where I come from or what I expected of Immanuel.

"Which door?" I ask, itching with excitement and nervousness.

"No clue. I only know he lives here because of deep Facebook stalking. We're going to have to ask someone." She replies hesitantly. Her hands wiping on her tee as she walked towards the entrance to the building.

The first door we knocked on was an older lady who told thought we were there to fix her boiler and started complaining about how she'd been calling people for ages but no one had bothered to come... definitely not this house. We knock at the second door and out comes we'll, not who I was expecting.

"Peters," I sighed. Giving Hunter a head nod. Was he somehow following me or something because in the last two days I had seen him three times in different locations. Weird.

"Via? What you stalking me now?" Hunter questioned, a puzzled look on his face. Some brain length as me obviously.

"No. Just looking for, well for a certain someone." I smiled and then took a step backwards. "Do you know an Immanuel?"

"Yes, why?"

"Just where is he?"

"Why would I tell you, Via? People usually don't see him unless we'll, I can't tell you." Ariyane coughed loudly at the knock name he had suddenly sprung into me.

"First of all," I started. Rage clear in my voice. "Don't call me Via. And second of all, he's my brother."

"Wait that's the brother you were talking about? Manuel?" His voice came out slightly angry. With me or him, I'm not sure. I cringed at his nickname because it was the same one we had called him.

"Yes." I chocked out. My brother, right.

"Well he's at door 15 Via. Want me to come with? I'm not sure you should go, alone." His eyes slightly widened and I rolled mine in response.

"No I'm sure we'll be fine, Peters." I said and waved him off. Secretly I yearned to find out how he knew my brother. What was going on? My brother never spoke about him and I'd never seen them hang out. And was he worried about me?

I took Ari's hand and dragged her up the stairs, ready for beef. Blocking out her confused muttering about the boy a door two.