Chapter 1:
Quickly, I ran from the store. The alarms were so loud that they gave me a pounding headache. The cold air blew my long brunette hair in front of my eyes. Slamming into a large tree, blood crept down my face. Managing to wipe some blood off and put some pressure on the gash, I leapt across the fence that guarded my small home, I threw open the door and ran inside, closing the door behind me. The loud sirens came closer and closer, and my heart sped so much faster than normal. When the sirens finally faded, I took a deep breath, hid the money I stole from the bank in my drawer, and headed for the bathroom.
I hopped in the shower next. The blood turned the water dark red at my feet. My stomach churned, and I felt puke arise in my throat, but I swallowed it. After scrubbing my dirty body, and getting dressed in fresh, warm, clothes, I went out to my living room. My 6 year old little sister sat on the couch, waiting for me. “Jordan, what a gash!” she jumped up and ran to me. I picked her up and cradled her. “Ariel, I missed you! I have some really good news!” I told her. I put her down, and raced into my room. I put a large Band-Aid over my gash quickly and grabbed the wrapped gift that was a surprise for Ariel. I ran back in the living room.
I sat down on the couch, and Ariel sat beside me. I handed her the gift, and she practically tore the wrapping paper apart. She opened the box to find the thing she had been waiting for, for at least a few months. She pushed her short wavy blonde hair out of her eyes, and her green eyes lit up right in front of me. She threw her arms around my neck, and cradled her new stuffed lion. “I’m going to name him Coda!” she yelled in exclamation. She hugged me again, and then ran off like a monkey on jumping beans. I stood up and was about to go start dinner, when I heard familiar voices. First, 4 year old Story ran out and yelled for me to pick her up.
I picked her up and threw her in the air. Ariel ran out and jumped on the couch. “Calm down jitter bug.” I warned. I put Story down and she jumped up and sat next to Ariel, her black hair jumping around like crazy. Next, 14 year olds, Obie and Jewl, came out holding hands. They act like best friends around me, but I could’ve sworn I caught them being all flirty. Jewl almost knocked me over as she gave me a big hug. “We were all worried Jordan!” she said, and sat on the other couch. Obie was headed towards sitting next to Jewl, but I ran to him and hugged him. His long dirty blonde hair got in my face, and I pulled away. He gave me a smile, and then sat next to Jewl. 11 year old Jade slowly walked out, and gave me a short hug. “I’m really hungry!” she complained.
I messed up her blonde hair and gave her a big smile. “I’ll make some burgers and fries.” I said. She smiled, and sat with Ariel and Story. “Liam! Get your big butt out here and give me a hug!” I yelled. Liam, also 19 like me, came out and gave me a hug. A really long hug. Lately we’ve been sort of together. He gave me a quick kiss. “I missed you Jo. I really did. Later we can talk.” He smiled at me. I let go of him, and headed towards the kitchen. After grilling some burgers on my mini George Forman grill, I made some fries, and we all ate. “How much did you get this time?” Ariel asked. I sighed. “Almost 1,000 dollars this time! No one knew it was me, thank god!” I smiled. After dinner, I washed the dishes and headed to my room. “Let me go take a shower. Everybody is asleep. In their own rooms. I promise!” Liam said, and then I heard the shower start.
I think it’s time to give you some information about me, so you can know ahead of time. I’m Jordan Dylan. Ariel and I ran away when I was 12 years old. Ariel was only a 1 month old, and she was diagnosed with RSV. I don’t know what it stands for, but it meant Ariel had to have breathing treatments twice a day and she threw up a lot. My parents loved me, and Ariel was a complete accident. They couldn’t manage the difficulty of raising her. So my dad wanted to give Ariel up, but I wasn’t going to let that happen, so when my parents told me that they were going to take Ariel to a new family the next day, I packed some food and water and clothes, and ran away with Ariel. I found an abandoned home that was kind of run down and in the forest, and I built it up and made it modern. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I started robbing banks and stores. Yes, I know it’s bad, but I wasn’t going to let my sister or I get hurt or sick or hungry.
No one has found out that it’s me, and if anyone saw me in public, no one would know it’s me. Jewl and Obie mostly go get food from the grocery store, because I didn’t want to take any risks. After about 3 years of being in the house, I was out looking for another place to rob, and I found Liam, Jewl, Obie, Jade, and Story living behind a dumpster, living off dirty thrown away food. I took them in and Liam and I fell in love with each other. Ever since, we’ve been living together, and we’re very healthy. Everything is absolutely perfect! Now I’m going to give you some background about the whole group. Story is a biter. She will bite your hand off. She loves to talk, and she can be very violent. Ariel and Jade love to eat! They’re never full! But neither of them have the slightest little bit of fat! I don’t know how. Jewl is just about the sweetest girl you'll meet.
Finally, Liam is my soul-mate. I tell him everything, no matter how embarrassing it may be. I trust him with my life. He can be very joking sometimes, but it only adds to how amazing he is. Not only is he smoking hot, he is so sweet to me. He’s always there for me. When I’m sad, he always manages to make me smile. That’s all I have to tell you right now. Liam came in my room and shut the door behind him. He sat on the bed next to me. “What did you do to your head?” he asked. I looked down, feeling stupid. “I ran into a tree trying to run away from the cops.” I muttered. “Awww.” He said, and then kissed me right where the gash was. I embraced his warm body. It was about 10 minutes, no joke.
Then I pulled away. Then, he leaned in and kissed me.“You need to get some sleep.” He said, and then headed for the door. I stood up and was about to run to him and kiss him again, but my heart started to hurt very bad, my eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I fell to the floor. All I heard before I blacked out was Liam’s cry and his soft touch on my face.
