Him & I

- CHAPTER 26 -

- RESCUE MISSION -
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Olivia
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I laughed at first. Bobby had to have been playing a joke. He just had to, but when nothing else came for 5...10...15 minutes, worry began to eat its way out of my stomach and settle in my throat.

I called his phone. No answer. I called again. Again and again and again. Each time the dialling beeps would be interrupted by an annoying monotone voice. Tears dribbled down my face and my nose started running as frustration rose to a high.

I rang Max from the orphanage hoping he could help me.

"Calm down, Little Ol, everything's fine. Don't think anything of it." He replied in his smooth, chilled out tone.

I hung up immediately. I know my best friend. I knew him, and I knew something was wrong.

I got to thinking.

Half an hour later I was out the door, running to the train station as fast as my little legs would carry me, my rucksack full of supplies bouncing on my back: I'd filled it with a few snacks, emergency money that Hamish keeps under a floorboard in his room, a small first-aid kit from the bathroom and a penknife from my brother's sock drawer.

It was a relatively small station, only a few platforms but it was nevertheless packed full of people. On the announcement speaker I heard a woman announce the approaching train for London and I followed a group of men in smart suits doing the businessman run in the direction of a moving train.

The train was surprisingly empty considering the destination but there was still a decent amount of people on board which made it easier for me to move around unnoticed.

Hiding underneath some empty seats to avoid the ticket-man, I waited: I waited for what felt like hours. At one point I could feel vibrations coming from my bag. It continued non-stop for around 5 minutes but I wasn't in a position to answer the phone, I was too tightly packed under the seat. I was just praying that it wasn't Bobby who was ringing me.

When we eventually reached London, I scrambled out of the train and weaved in and out of all the busy Londoners, making my way to a taxi rank. The taxi man was friendly enough, although he did seem a bit unsure of taking a small person in the car with him. I could tell because he continuously glanced back at me with a worried face as we drove on to Bobby's street.

During the ride I had enough time to check my phone to see who was ringing me so many times. I had seven missed calls from Hamish, five from Drew, and two from Jason. This was not good.

'Everyone must be really worried about me.' I thought, considering calling my brother back but the taxi stopped in front of a row of identical houses before I had the time.

"That's £30, miss." The taxi man turned around in his seat, smiling expectantly at me.

I reached into my bag and fished out the right amount, handing it to the man before thanking him and jumping onto the pavement. He drove off and I was left alone.

There was a park across the road. Some people were sitting around on benches and others were walking their dogs.

I turned towards my destination. A tall white terraced house stood before me. It was very pleasant looking but upon closer inspection things didn't seem to add up. The paint on the door was chipping and peeling and the windows were all dirty, having the appearance of murky water. The dark, closed curtains made it not as noticeable, though.

A flapping curtain on the top floor caught my attention but I couldn't see anyone. Suddenly, Bobby's face poked out behind the centre parting. I smiled with relief but became worried as Bobby put his finger over his lips and pointed to a dog flap at the bottom of a side door. Odd.