Chapter two

Adria still fourteen

"Come on Adria wake up,"

I snuggle harder into the bed completely ignoring him. Lee is a morning person and I'm not, I love to sleep but lee for some reason enjoys getting up at the crack of dawn.

"Adria, if you don't get up by the time I count to five, I'm dragging you out."

"Go away lee," I mumble not lifting my head from the pillow.

"No, if you don't get up we both know you will go straight back to sleep, and I have shit to do today. So up."

With a have groan I throw the blanket off me,

"Fine I'm up, but you owe me an ice cream cone today." I stretch and yawn before opening my eyes.

"What time is it," I ask him.

"It's seven, go get washed and I'll make breakfast."

I give him a thumbs-up before sitting up on the bed, I stretch a final time before looking around our den. We have been building this since we were kids and I have to say I feel proud when I look around it.

Posters and pictures of our favorite things cover most of the walls, we have concrete flooring down here but a few carpets here and there help.

There's a tv that sits on the drawers that hold my clothes, a games console sits on the matching one beside it that holds lee's stuff.

Two arcade machine games sit up along the wall that we got out of the old abandon arcade place down on fifth.

A kingsize bed sits at the back wall letting us both have a full view of the room, there are fairy lights that light up the den since we don't get any sunlight down here.

And finally, at the back of the room, is the small bathroom with a toilet and shower. Unfortunately, it's not plumbed in so we have buckets for washing our hands and face with. We also have buckets in one of the closet that we use for doing the toilet. It's not as bad as it sounds we just clear it in the morning. We mostly go to the swimming pool two or three times a week to wash which is a lifesaver. The other room is where the generator is, it's the whole reason we have power down here. One day me and lee broke into a building site that was just about to begin working and They didn't put up cameras yet so, we may have stolen a lot of their equipment.

I mean we took bricks, cement, tools, their generator an outside door heater that keeps our den warm, especially during the winter.

What we have didn't take us overnight, it took us years to build and get it right but even now we are still fixing it.

Getting off the bed I head towards the bathroom to get myself ready, quickly doing business I wash my hands and face then brush my teeth, before putting my hair into a ponytail.

Looking in the mirror I take in my reflection, my skin is tanned with being outside most of the time, my brown hair is healthy and hangs down to my waist. My lips are quite big for an average girl and lee's forever teasing me about them.

My eyes are big and from a distance, they look black but up close there a deep chocolate brown.

I exit the bathroom and make my way back Inside to grab clothes.

Opening the drawer I take out my blue jeans and white top, throwing off the clothes I slept in I quickly pull on my outfit for today.

When I'm dressed I put on my sneakers before turning to find lee walking towards me with two plates of bacon sandwiches.

Lee is the same age as me but he looks so much older, this past few months he's been taking a stretch and eating like a horse so he's changing.

A beard has started to appear and at first, he shaved but after many attempts of cutting himself, he's started to let it grow. His blonde hair hangs past his ears making him look like a surfer dude.

Lee is very handsome no doubt about it but he's my brother in arms and the other half of me, even when I'm older I wouldn't cross that line.

Taken the plate we both head to the couch and sit down, me one end, lee the other.

"So, we should head up the anchor today."

The anchor is a restaurant on the upside of town that has middle-class and rich assholes who eat in it, Taken a bit of the sandwich I chow and swallow before replying to him.

"Sure, but I think it's risky"

He gulps his water eyeing me through the lashes,

"It will be fine if we get a good hit, I'll buy us some weed tonight,"

Finishing the last of my food I get up and take the plate to the kitchen lee following behind me, "fine, but you better."

" I wouldn't say I was going to if I wasn't Adria, come on let's go."

Snatching my phone and bag we both walk out of the den and walk the path for the door and stairs.

The way we have built this is, when you open the hatch at the top there are stairs that you need to go down. Then there's a tunnel but it's so loud that if anyone had to come in there's no way lee and I wouldn't hear it.

Reaching the stairs he goes first and climbs up me behind him, opening the locks (and there's about five) he pushes it up and climbs through.

I follow suit and when we both are out we close the hatch and covered it with sticks and leaves, blending them in the floor of the forest.

We both turn and start to walk heading for the town.

❧

"What about him?" lee asks licking the ice cream off his cone. I squint my eyes at the man lee has pointed at, he fixing his jacket stepping out of the black car that's parked across the street.

With a black suit and white shirt that probably cost more than the restaurant he's visiting, he looks around before he heads inside.

Lee gets up and throws the ice cream in the bin before turning back to me.

"We need money Adria and I could see the watch sparkle from here, come on let's play cat and mouse,"

When he wiggles his eyebrows I let out a chuckle and stand moving to the garbage throwing my cone away.

"Okay, fine but if we get caught I'm not helping you,"

"Yeah, yeah, " he waves his hand at me and turns to look around the building,

"I'll go around back you just walk through the front."

I Don't get time to reply to him before he's jogging across the road heading around the back.

I let out a sigh and shake my head at my best friend, if he would have been able to go to school I would bet he would have been the smartest in the class.

A few years ago I broke into a library and stole books for me and lee, we might not go I school but we needed to learn how to read and write if the plan we both made would ever work.

We will leave this town, there's no doubt about that. But we both know to get there we need to be smarter than everybody else, we don't have the advantages most kids have at our age so me.and lee work with what we got.

In the six years, we have known one another, we have built our own home. We have food, clothes a bed we share, there are also games tv and the best part is? It's me and his. Nobody can take it away from us.

I shake out my thoughts and square my shoulders making my way to the restaurant.

People stand around but I keep my head held high and walk with confidence past them. I see their eyes follow me but I ignore it, acting as if I belong in this part of town.

I open the door and deliberately slow my steps taking my time to walk inside, white marble floors greet me and classical music plays softly in the background of everyone's talking.

Tables surround all around the room apart from one pathway that takes people to their tables.

Thankfully it's not too posh and you don't need reservations here so I walk up to the waiter that's standing at the small desk.

"Hi," I said greeting him with a big smile, he looks at me and smiles back.

"Hi, table for one?"

"No, table for two, I'm meeting my dad here,"

Nodding his head he moves and indicates for me to follow. He takes me around most tables until there's a small one with two seats at the back, he pulls out my chair and moves away letting me sit down.

"Can I get you anything while you're waiting?"

"Yeah, can I have water please,"

"No problem, be right back,"

He turns and leaves me alone heading back to the front of the restaurant.

I take out my phone and pretend to be texting all the while looking around the room for the man or lee, it must be my lucky day because I spot him straight away sitting across from me in conversion with someone.

I can't make out the man he's talking to since I can only see the back of his head but he doesn't look happy.

I'm good at reading people and the way this man's eyes are tightened and how stiff his shoulders are I'm putting my money on he's not too pleased with the other guy.

I look back down to my phone and send a text to lee telling him I've spotted the man and where he's sitting, he texts back instantly saying he's in the boy's bathroom and will be out in five minutes and will text me when it's time.

Putting my phone away I cross my arms and look around the room like I'm waiting for someone, well technically I'm waiting for lee but they don't know that. The waiter comes over with my water and I give him a small smile before he goes away again.

Taking a drink out of the glass. I feel my phone vibrate, knowing it's lee I put down the water and stand-up.

It's go time.

I walk confidently past the tables looking as if I'm going to the bathroom, just before I near the man's table a scream comes from the room.

"A man with a gun, there's a man with a gun!!!!"

A young man comes running from the bathroom pale as a ghost screaming, Lee is behind him with the same expression. It takes a lot of strength not to burst out laughing at lee the way he is acting, we have dond this countless times and still, it is hilarious.

It only takes a minute for everyone to understand what they said and when they do everybody jumps up panicking.

"Gun, everyone get out now."

I Don't move right away, I keep my distance until the two men who were talking get up, when they both move around and head to the entrance with everyone else I move.

Running up behind the man to who he was talking I push through past him pretending to run like everyone else. When I brush up to his side I slip my hand in his pocket and pull out his wallet, before I've passed him, I have it in my jacket.

Not looking back I push my way through until I'm right beside the man who's the reason I'm here in the first place.

Pretending to trip I throw myself into the man's side, as soon as I make contact, I take out his wallet with one hand and unfasten his watch with the other. He pushes me away sneering at me before he rushes through the crowd heading outing side. I smirk behind his back and pocket the watch and wallet.

Easy.

Job has been done.

Everybody's still screaming and shouting but the restaurant is mostly empty now, putting one foot in front of another I walk fast out the door keeping my head down.

I turn left and bypass the crowd and make a dart to cross the street, I do and I almost make it around the corner but I'm grabbed and pulled into the alleyway.

I open my mouth to scream but a hand covers it stopping me.

Shit.

I've been caught.

Whoever it is, twists me around and pushes me up against the wall.

I start to fight but the guy who's got me doesn't let up, I kick and punch but he doesn't even move. After countless hits and trying to get away eventually I stop struggling and go limp glaring up at him. He's wearing black sunglasses so I can't catch his eyes but I know he's staring at mine.

There's hair covering his jaw and face but it's only slightly maybe a few weeks worth, he has jet black hair that's styled not one bit out of place, for some reason this annoys me that he's got me pinned up against a wall and not even a fucking hair out of place.

His hand is still covering my mouth and his other arm has my chest pinned to the wall.

What seems like a lifetime later he finally talks.

"If I move my hand will you promise not to scream,"

His voice makes me pause sounded familiar but looking at his face I Don't recognize him.

I nod my head still glaring with my eyes when moves his hand but his arm still has me pinned.

"Can I help you?" I spit.

He tilts his head observing me not answering my question, "Excuse me, are you deaf? What the hell do you think you're doing? You better let me go right now or-"

His hand comes back and closes over my mouth again stopping me mid-sentence.

"You talk far too much," he mutters quietly, again I recognize his voice I'm just not sure from where.

"Instead I'm going to talk and you're going to listing, okay."

I narrow my eyes since I can't do anything else and wait for him to continue.

"I seen you steal that guy's watch and I have to admit I was impressed, if I didn't know what to look out for I would never have seen you."

I don't as much as blink, just leave to go on.

"But...I just so happened to feel the inside of my pocket and do you know what I find?"

I shake my head not understanding what this guy's problem is.

"Mine is missing too, " He bends his head closer until his nose is almost touching mine, "So you save my life just to steal from me six months later?"My eyes widen with recognition, pushing his hand away slowly from my mouth I gape up at him.

No, it can't be.

Impossible.

Everything fades around me and in slow motion, I move my hand up to his face and, very gradually take off his tinted glasses until deep blue crystal eyes clash with mine.

"John?" I say disbelief coating my voice, a grin appears on his lips and he takes a step back from me. The last time I saw him, his eyes were black and his lip was Split, blood, and dirt covered his face making it that I barely could look at him without cringing.

"About time you recognized me, kid, I was hurt there for a moment." A goofy smile crosses my lips and a small chuckle escapes me.

"Sorry, you look so different, the last time I saw you-"

"Yeah, not my finest moment, " he interrupts and verbally cringes, I have to fight not to bust out laughing at him.

"True, not every day you fall down the dip of death and a girl has to come and save you,"

I tsk making him chuckle.

"I suppose I can't argue with that," he holds my eyes for a moment before clearing his throat and looking away.

"So, my wallet?"

Shame washes over me and I have to look away, "oh yeah, sure, " putting my hand in my pocket I pull it out and hold it out to him.

"I'm sorry, if I knew it was you," I mumble not looking up.

He takes a step forward and lifts his wallet out of my hand.

The silence stretches uncomfortable between us and I'm not sure what to do, I've never been caught before and if I'm being truthful I'm a little ashamed he knows I steal.

Making a snap decision I move from the wall and back up towards the sidewalk.

"Again, I'm sorry," I turn to leave but he calls out to me making me pause.

"What's your real name?"

"How do you know my real name is not Jane?"

"Your good at a lot of things kid, but lying ain't one of them."

Tilting my head slightly to look behind me I catch his expression. Curiosity and wonder are clear making me question if I should answer him or not. I could lie again but for some reason, I like him, and telling him my name should be okay, right?

"Adria,"

A ghost of a smile tilts his lips and he nods at me.

"Adria, " he says testing out my name, the way he says it makes me blush and I decide I'm glad I gave him it.

"What's yours?"

He pulls out a cigarette from his jeans before putting it to his lips and lighting it.

"Jensen,"

"Jensen, " I say rolling his name off my tongue, I'm not surprised that's what he called, it suits him.

"See you around, Jensen"

I turn around and force my feet to walk away leaving him.