Valiance

Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

They exited around the back of the big mansion. The outside of the mansion wasn't nearly as glamorous as the inside. The littered alley way led to a back street with cars parked on either side.

Loose papers were flying around them as they walked down the sidewalk and around the corner onto a windy, main street. Not many people walked on the pavement, and those who did, wore their hoods over their heads and covered their faces with scarfs.

Gage stole a glance at Sephy and watched as her relaxed expression held her face together as her eyes scanned the street. The sun had left them with a bluing sky, not a cloud to be seen.

“Where do you think we are?” She asked him, catching him looking at her and turning away quickly. With his hands in his two pockets, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Who knows. It could be anywhere.” She shot him a mixed synical stare and then focused back on the streets. “What?”

“I thought you travelled a lot?”

“I do....did.” He said, simply and continued onwards. His foot tipped off of a can and sent it rolling away. A man across the road took a double take of the two of them before realising who they were. He was hesitant as to whether he should cross over or not. Stopping and starting a few times before he finally started down the path, checking over his shoulder all the time.

“You mind me asking you why you wanted to come out here?” Gage asked Sephy, keeping one eye on the man before he finally disappeared into a house a few doors down. Her shoulders moved up and down.

“No.” She peeked up at him, a humourless smile passing over her lips. “I needed to get away from all of the cameras. All the people that I don't know.” She dropped her eyes to the ground. “And the people I do know.” She added in a whisper.

“Everything will get better.” Gage told her after a few minutes of silence.

“Well they can't really get worse, can they?” Her words came out in bitter bites.

“You just need to get past this and then-”

“And then what? Live happily ever after?” She questioned him, stopping her pace and staring up at him with pitied, defeated eyes.

“Life isn't perfect.” He tried.

“Don't try to give me a prep talk, Gage.” She warned, holding her gaze against his. “You aren;t exactly the poster child for sticking around.” She told him. “I know life isn't perfect but it shouldn't be this damn hard, either!” Gage watched her stare up at him, in silence. Her tightened jaw, her creased forehead, her narrowed eyes. The bags under her eyes and the red in her gold cheeks. She tisked and turned away from him when it was evident that he wasn't going to say anything.

The walked silently in unison, receiveing more and more puzzled stares from the public as they walked along busier streets until they were on a main street.

“Do we need to talk about tomorrow?” He wondered. The muscles in her jaw clenched a few times.

“All that needs to be said is your plan to get out of it.” His long sigh made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and that all too familiar abyss in the pit of her stomach appear, once again.

“I don't have one.” He admitted. “There isn't going to be one and the sooner you accept it, the easier it will be.”

“Why are you giving up so easy!” She accused.

“I'm not! I'm just taking one for the team so that you can win!”

“Taking one for the team?” She mocked.