Iris Giorgianni is no ordinary girl. She's living a double life: a neglected daughter at home, but a fighter on the streets. As the leader of The Sangue - one of the most wanted and well-known gangs in London - Iris has a reputation to uphold. Only...
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"You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."
- J.K. Rowling
THEY DIDN'T leave straight after Wrench had finished. In fact, they waited for all the lights to go off. Or rather, they waited about three hoursafter all the lights went off, just to be sure. None of them knew what the leaders would do if they caught them – but they guessed that they'd probably get the police involved. And nobody wanted to risk that. Not even if it meant getting out of there sooner.
Iris shuddered. She'd managed to stay away from the police for as long as she could. If they found out what she'd done – what she did in her past – she'd be thrown in prison for the rest of her life.
The four juveniles waited in silence in the confines of Levi's tent, Wrench and Ember on Chase's bed (a bit strange, but nobody dared admit that), and Levi and Iris on the other. Iris watched as Wrench threaded his fingers with Ember's, giving her a nod as if to say, we're okay.
Ember smiled in reply, and then looked away awkwardly as her eyes met Iris's.
Even though Wrench and Ember were doing them a favour by helping out, Iris still found the whole situation kind of...weird. It wasn't even that long ago that Ember and Chase were kissing and hugging each other after a stupid argument, content in each other's arms. Now, there was a boy in Chase's place who spent forty minutes in the toilet earlier that night to do a poo.
Why did they have to be together? Couldn't they just be friends, or something?
Levi's warm breath tickled her ear as he whispered, "Stop overthinking."
Iris rolled her eyes and she turned around, so that her face was close to his. Levi was wearing a black shirt to 'blend in', and it complimented his figure nicer than she'd care to admit. "I am not overthinking."
"Yes you are." He smirked. "I can see you doing it. Stop it."
She scowled at him even though she knew he was right. She was overthinking – analysing Ember and Wrench's confusing relationship in fact, but that was because there was virtually nothing else to do. Silence was boring.
"I suppose we could leave now." Levi said after a while. "It's been long enough."
"Thank jesus." Wrench said, standing up. He had been complaining of pins and needles for the majority of the waiting process, making the occasional groan. He stretched out his long, spindly legs before yawning and helping Ember up herself.
Once they were all out of the tent, everything seemed to get a lot more real.
The air was humid with the cool condensation of the night, the sounds of the wind in the trees eerily shaking around them as they tiptoed in between the tents towards the main gates. Camp Juvy once again looked peaceful, without the sounds of the juveniles or the booming voices of the leaders; the tents still and untouched, the outlines of the greenery around them barely visible in the light. It was difficult to navigate without the security and guidance of the lights above, only the light from Hunter's phone stopped them from tripping over and falling in a heap. But it made Iris' heart beat. Her skin burned. Her eyes were open and awake.
