Not wanting to tell Carla about the letter I stormed out of the house without answering her question. Upon arriving at the entrance to the neighborhood I turned left and walked all the way until I hit the highway, then doubled back and turned right onto a dirt road I had passed a few minutes before hitting the highway. My feet were starting to hurt and a drizzle had started falling from the over cast sky. A set of train tracks lead away from the dirt road and into shrubs tall enough and thick enough to cover me from the rain. A few minutes into the dry tunnel of plants and laughter caught my attention. The laughter was a mix of male and female. Following the sound I soon heard the sound of a crackling fire and smelled the smoke coming off of it.
Without warning a shove to my back caused my to fall forward onto my stomach. “Hey!” I shouted rolling over and standing up. Before I could make out any distinct figures in front of me a bag was shoved over my head. Hands probed at my hips and waste as if searching for a weapon, as another set of hands gripped my wrists behind my back and pushed me forward hard enough to get me to walk.
With a harder shove I was back on the ground on my stomach. Using my hands I pushed myself up and tore the sack off of my head just in time to see two boys of about my age sit on a fallen tree trunk. “Guys!” A girl drew out the word from my left. Looking over I was surprised to see a blonde girl wearing makeup and freshly clothed as if she had just left home. “I said be nice to new people!” her thin, glossy lips smacked as she chewed a piece of gum while she talked.
She wore the kind of clothes I would wear but always thought they would look funny on me. He blonde hair was teased to a spiky layer of hair with hairspray added to make it stick out strait. A second layer was teased just enough to add volume and a third thin layer lay flat. A big hot pink bow lay vertically in the layers. Her outfit consisted of a bright green, orange and pink tank top layered on over a pair of plain black short-shorts. Gladiator sandals covered her feet and buckled over her shins to just under her knees. Her toenails were painted black with an intricate white rose painted over the black. She wore a black choker that covered her neck in loops and rings of black gems with few strands dangling as she bent over to prod at the fire. Eyeliner rung her eyes so dark and heavy that it seemed she wouldn’t be able to see around her.
“Sorry about that!” she smiled. “These two are over protective. They don’t like anyone knowing about our little spot. We sit here and watch the train as it passes by. Sometimes even jump through the cars for fun.”
“H…how?” I stuttered. No one heard me.
“I’m Cat. This is Hex, and this is Alex Kineta.”
“Cat!” Hex said loudly throwing something into the fire that popped and made me jump.
“You’re a jumpy one aren’t you?” Cat laughed.
“You’re last name is Kineta? I know you! I mean! You know Jake!” I shook my head, trying not to stumble over my words. “Ambrotos!”
“You know Ambr- Jake?” Hex corrected himself with a slap from Alex.
“How do you know his real name?” Cat asked, eyes squinted, mouth turned to a snarl.
“He.. I… We.. I know him from school,” I shook my head again, trying to clear it from my racing thoughts. “I ran into him at school, then ran away from home, then he said I could stay with him for a night, then his mom adopted me, I wasn’t supposed to know, I know, but it just kind of happened. They-” My words cut off as Jake’s voice cut into my head.
What are you doing?
I was stunned into silence.
Talk with your mind. Not your voice. That way they wont hear you.
