Chapter 2

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“Just a few more blocks, Angie.

— Have you seen yourself? You are worse than me.

Probably yes. She was breathing so hard I thought I was going to have a heart attack and she was sweating profusely. We began to walk in a hurry, until we recovered our air.

A figure emerged from the corner of the block we were on. We both stopped. Possibly, they surrounded us. Now we are dead. She sees us and starts walking towards us. We backed off, but there wasn't much of an escape. Going back the way we came would be suicide. I looked everywhere looking for a place to go, hide or run.

— Wait! The package?— that's what the guy we called called us and that's why I stopped my walk.

"The messenger?" I said.

- Yes. follow me

We listened to him, where would we go if not?

He turned into an alley when we heard the sound of cars approaching. The boy didn't show much, he had a hat covering his head and a black scarf up to his nose which only allowed us to see green eyes. He was dressed in black and notice that he had a gun on his belt. He stopped by a dumpster and opened it.

- Inside.

- Sorry?

I wouldn't go into a dumpster and knowing my sister either.

Do you want to live or not?

buffet. He joined his hands to help us climb, the container was not very high but, as I already said, my sister and I have zero sport and agility.

I jumped first. There was a horrible smell, I fell sitting on soft bags. I'm going to throw up, I swear. When Angie was inside, she made a disgusted face that was even funny. I pinched my nose to keep out that horrible smell.

The boy was left between the two of us and when he closed the lid of the container we were completely in the dark.

"What now?" I wanted to know.

“We'll wait until they're gone and then I'll take them to a safe place for the night.

The smell of dead animal was making me dizzy.

We stayed in silence for a few minutes listening to cars go by at speed. Until he decided to speak.

— And... May I know your names?

Would he tell us? Finally.

— I'm Angela, they call me Angie.

- Nice Angie.

— The other is my sister Aria.

— Like in " Pretty Little Liars"?

We both stayed silent. He is incredible, a boy who knows about that youth series.

— Oh my God, do you know about that series? — my sister and I love it, we always watch it and we repeat the episodes so many times that we even know the dialogues.

- It's one of my favorites.

— Wow.

- Than?

— I never believed that a boy would watch youthful series — it's not that I was prejudiced, just that everyone I had met seemed like a nonsense series.

— Well, I don't look at that many, I don't have that much time. But of the few I saw that was one of the best.

"What's your name?" Angie wanted to know.

"Thomas Napoli, I'll take you safely to Beckam."

- What's that?

Really, I was equally or more interested in knowing that than my sister. He is silent for a few seconds.

— It's a who, I'll tell you later, now we have to go — open the container letting in fresh air and light.

He comes out first. We both jumped out and he helped us down.

We walked quietly a few blocks, turned a corner, and were on the avenue. There were a little more people than in the previous streets. A taxi went by and Thomas hailed it. We got in the back and he in the co-pilot. He told her the address and off we went. I shared glances with my sister, we both frowned.

We traveled 40 minutes, we had left the city. Thomas was very nice to the driver, Angie was almost asleep and I was getting fed up. I already wanted to get to wherever we were going.

Until it happened. The taxi stopped, Thomas paid him, and we got out. The neighborhood was dark, horrible. There were few people on the street but they didn't seem friendly. We walked one block and then crossed a small field. There was a small farm by a stream.

Thomas knocked on the door three times.

"Where are we?" I asked.

- In a friend's house.

The door opens and lets us see a lady with glasses resting on the tip of her nose. She frowns at us, until she relaxes it as she recognizes Thomas.

— Thomas? What are you doing here? She — she hugs him.

— Hello Martha, I wanted to ask you for accommodation for tonight, my friends and I need it.

The lady brings her glasses to the bridge of her nose to look at my sister and me from head to toe. Smile. She is an older lady, with white hair and short.

"Of course, of course, come in." He steps aside and allows us to pass. They smell horrible.

"I'm sorry," Angie and I apologized.

"Don't worry." She closes the door behind us. I'll make you hot chocolate while you take a shower.

We followed her into the kitchen and she let us sit down.

— Tell me, what are they called?

— Aria.

- And I Angela.

Oh, what pretty names.

- Thank you.

The house was very cozy and had an eighties style. Mrs. Martha led Thomas into the bathroom, but he came back.

"We met at the club, in case you ask," he leaves.

The lady returned with a smile and served us a cup of hot chocolate and a plate full of cookies. She reminded me of my grandmother, she used to make us animal shaped cookies.

I was hungry and because of the nerves I had during the day I hadn't realized it.

— Poor girls, they look like a skeleton.

I smiled kindly, but that's a lie. I'm not that thin, when I'm standing yes, but sitting I have my rolls. Angie is thinner, she is small from every point of view, but at fifteen she dresses much better than me, she even looks like an adult when she wants to. So her physique is not a problem for her, she is already slim by nature.

"They're delicious," Angie says, chewing on a cookie.

- Oh thanks. Tell me, how do you know Thomy?

"Eh...from the club" I said what he told us.

— Oh yes, he always goes there. Do you guys do boxing too or are you just going to watch?

- We just look.

— Are they related?—he narrows his eyes to analyze us— They are very similar.

"Yes, in fact, we are sisters," Angie answers smiling.

- Oh, rightly so.

I took a sip of the delicious hot chocolate and let them talk.

Thomas came back with us. He had wet hair, he changed clothes, he had a tight black shirt that showed his muscles and pants of the same color. Now that I realize he is a very cute boy. He has hazel eyes, a square jaw with clean shaven skin, bushy eyebrows, and a sharp nose.

Angie showered before me. The lady put us to wash our clothes and lent each of us a cloth nightgown. She led us to a room that she said was Thomas' room, but he would sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.

We were already in bed but none of us could sleep a wink.

"I know you told me all day, but we'll be fine, right?" Angie asks me from the other side of the bed, she was a married couple.

I turn on my body to look at her.

— Yes, I promised — I really didn't know if we'd be fine tomorrow, but I don't want her to worry.

— I feel like everything is going to change now... It scares me.

I caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes.

"We can't call mom, right?"

— I don't think so, we could put her in danger... Although I don't know what.

"Okay," he sighs.

We try to sleep. I could not. A lump had formed in my throat. I had held in my urge to cry all day and did it successfully, but now… now I couldn't.

I got out of bed when I heard Angie was fast asleep. I went to the kitchen and leaned on the table. I let out all the air I didn't know I had been holding. I started crying silently. I always contained myself, I looked like a rock in front of the others, as if I didn't feel anything, but at night in my room while Angie was asleep, I cried from everything that overwhelmed me and that I had not been able to get rid of.

Everything is so strange. From one second to the next everything went crazy. Everything changed and she didn't understand anything. My head ached from trying so hard to understand.

I approached the front door. I needed air. I tried to open it, it was locked and it didn't seem to be in sight.

"Where do you think you're going?" I wipe my tears and turn around.

Sorry, I just wanted to get some air. I'll open a window.” I went to the kitchen and Thomas followed me.

- You are well?

"Yeah, I just got a little upset." I opened the window over the sink.

I didn't resist anymore. I'm ridiculous, I was crying in front of an unknown boy. He was behind me as I tried to stop crying. I rubbed my nose and wiped my eyes repeatedly. I didn't want to look weak or vulnerable, but the tears wouldn't stop. I was finally able to control myself and clean my face totally.

"I'm sorry," I said, "it's just...everything went to shit in the blink of an eye."

I felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked at him.

- Don't think I'm a crybaby.

— I don't think so... But you have to be calm, I don't know what you and your sister are up to, but I don't think it's as bad as it seems. You just have to know how to bear it.

"I don't know what we're into either," I laughed in pain. And I don't know how to stand it either.

— Well, in my opinion, you have been doing very well.

I smiled. Honestly, I needed someone to tell me I was doing it right.

She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, her veins standing out from them. Jesus Christ.

I looked away before he noticed.

— Tell me what happened — I raised an eyebrow — I was just saying, it's not that I care about the truth, they only pay me to take you to Beckam.

"Do they pay you?" I didn't know that.

— Yes, did you think they told me "go, find those girls and bring them here"? Friend, you have to earn a living with whatever.

— I mean, I'm your work.

"Yes, don't be offended.

Honestly, I didn't feel offended.

I told him how little I had understood about what had happened at my grandparents' house. He didn't say anything, he just listened to me and inside I thanked him. He didn't know him but I liked the kindness he carried, not everyone has the generosity to listen to a distraught and confused girl. Thomas inspired me confidence in him, I just hoped I wasn't wrong.

— [...] Until you answered. By the way, why didn't you go where you should have?

"If I did, you were the ones who weren't there."

— Of course not, we were waiting for you for almost three hours at the service station, but they attacked us and we had to escape.

— Service station? — He frowns — When I spoke to the person who hired me, he said they would be at the subway station.

I laughed. It was only a confusion of words that made us wait five hours to meet.

— Go to sleep, a long day awaits us — he leaves the kitchen, shaking his head.