A Thief in the Night

Chapter 7:

*Two weeks later*

It's been two weeks since I've started staying at the Curtis home, and after the short amount of time, it's starting to feel like a real home. I try my best to not get to excited or attached, but part of me wonders what if?

I've been helping Darry with the house as much as I could, regularly doing the dishes, setting the table, clearing the table and cleaning. I would cook, but I don't know how, and I really don't feel like being in another fire.

I was getting ready to go on a walk with Darry, Soda, Pony, and Oliver and started to put on one of Soda's extra jackets he gave me. Both Darry and Soda offered, but both were baggy.

Oliver finished zipping up his same old sweater, and excitedly rushed me to hurry up. 

I finished getting ready and we headed out of the room and met up with the guys who were waiting patiently laughing.

Darry told me once that he and his brothers never got along that well, but I noticed that I don't see them arguing or fighting at all. Maybe they do just not in front of me and Oliver.

"You two finally ready?" Pony asks with an amused look on his face, "yeah, let's go" I say with a smile as I feel a tiny hand intertwine in mine. 

I look down and smile as I see Oliver tightly holding my hand, dragging me forward to go faster out the door.

Once we stepped out and made it out of the yard Darry looked around, "where do you two wanna go?" he asks.

I think for a moment, "let's go in town" I suggest as I have never seen much of what it was like, "town it is" Soda says as he leads the way down the street.

***

They showed us a few stores, and a gas station that Soda and Steve work at, and were on our way back when I halted in my steps, eyes wide, and heart stopping.

Next to a jewellery shop, on a wooden poll was a white sheet of paper.

In bold black ink read "MISSING" and below was a picture of a little boy identical to Oliver.

Oliver was staring bug eyed at it too, and slowly the Curtis brothers seemed to notice what we were staring at.

Every curve of his face, every freckle, including the one in between his eyebrows were identical to him, because it was him, and the name Oliver Heath below the picture, confirmed it.

My breathing starts to intensify, my heartbeat along with it, as the five of us stare at the paper like brain dead zombies.

"What. The. He-" I was cut off when the siren of a cop car started, and ended just as quick, pulling us from our brain dead trance and into the real world where a cop was coming towards us.

All of me wanted to run, and every part in my body was screaming to grab Oliver and run, but nothing would move, nothing would listen.

"Oliver Heath?" the officer asks, and no one answered, instead my hand jolted down to grab Oliver's, he eyed each of us head to toe before speaking again, "you five are gonna need to come with me" he says.

"We don't need to do anything" I blurt out in a harsh tone, and the officer narrows his eyes at me, "listen lady, you have a missing child next to you, you are in a lot of trouble, I wouldn't make things worse" he shoots.

I lowered my eye sight, and looked into the car, it's door now open for us to hop in the back seat like criminals, "we won't fit" I tell the officer, and he looks back at me confused, "all five of us won't fit" I tell him again as I point to the back seat.