FOURTEEN

Mark was driving through all my favourite places and stopped at one place his pride didn't want him to enter...

He rang the doorbell of Lucy's house and she came with a frown.

"What do you want?"

He took a deep breath and said,"I need your help."

"And why on earth will I help you?"

"Because it concerns Tommy."

She widened her eyes, took a deep breath and went inside.

She came out with a raincoat and got into his car.

They were driving away when she said,"Have you checked the subway?"

"No, why?"

"He's probably trying to get back to Minnesota, so he'd use the subway."

Mark immediately stopped the car and turned.

They were driving till they got to a traffic jam, they couldn't move. Mark hit the steering wheel in frustration and Lucy told him to calm down.

"What on earth is even causing this traffic?!"Mark yelled.

Seven cars ahead, a man picked up a badly injured twelve year-old into his car while a crowd watched and he drove away.

I opened my eyes slowly in a hospital with a splitting headache. I looked around and saw a man I didn't know sitting beside me.

He looked up and said,"You're awake."

I nodded then he asked,"Where do you live, so I could call your family?"

I hated Mark at the moment and yet, he was the closest thing I had to a family so I said,"I don't have a home."

The man widened his eyes and stood up to leave, I said,"Sir, please can I stay with you?"

He was still for some seconds then said,"Okay."

Mark went back home since he didn't find me at the subway, he met Oleh crying and when she saw him, she quickly scampered to his feet and said,"I'm so sorry for telling him, I didn't mean for something like this to happen, forgive me snookims."

Mark had a cold expression on his face and he said in a low tone,"We're through."

She widened her eyes and begged him but he called security to kick her out, no matter how she begged.

Four hours later...

Mark couldn't sleep, he was preoccupied by thoughts of me. He was rolling and looked to his side, where I sometimes slept.

He got up and put on some clothes then drove to the police station. He told the cop at the counter,"My little brother is missing and I need a search team looking for him."

"Of course sir, please describe him."

"Here's a picture."

The cop took it and scanned it into the computer then said,"Okay, we will have a search team looking for him tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning?? I need one now!"

"I'm sorry sir, but that's protocol."

He furiously punched the table and the cop jumped then he said,"Find my little brother or else!"

"Sir, you could get arrested for threatening a police officer."

"I don't care as long as Tommy is found."

The officer looked left and right and said,"I see you're desperate, maybe I could send a night watch team to look for him.

Mark was relieved as he said yes.

He left the police station and continued to search for me.

A few days later...

I was discharged and the man took me to his house.

I went inside and they gave me some food, it didn't taste as good as Mark's cooking but I managed.

I took a bath soon after and went to bed.

The next day, the man and his wife had to go to work and their twins to school, so he hired a babysitter to watch over me.

The babysitter was a false blonde teenager who was really negligent when her phone was on. I sat on the couch as she was talking to her friends and I wanted to see how vigilant she was so I stood up and walked out the door, she didn't realize...

Girls are weird.

That evening, as the man was just parking his car, I saw a cop posting a placard on a streetlight right outside the house, it was a lost poster, of me.

I sprinted to it and tore it so no one would recognise me but I saw there were a lot more.

I ate supper and decided to tear all of them the next day. I was on my bed, thinking...

Should I do this?

Mark is probably worried sick about me.

No, he lied to me!

I'm not going back.

I woke up the next morning and the family left and the babysitter arrived.

She was Instagramming and I went to the door and yelled,"I'm leaving! Probably going to do something illegal! Maybe sniff some powder and drink some hard drinks at my age! You would be responsible!"

"Shush you mutt, I'm having a life here."

I shrugged my shoulders and left.

I had torn seven posters and saw there were dozens more. I knew it would take all day but I had to, so I did.

I finally managed to tear all the pictures in a large area and ran home.

The babysitter hadn't realised I had left, I rolled my eyes and switched on the TV.

The woman arrived first on that day and payed the babysitter. She brought the twins too, Max and Maxine.

Max came to me and asked,"Can you help me with my homework?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"It's math and this trinomial is impossible!"

"Oh, all you have to do is use the... almighty... formula."

I remembered Mark and shook my head.

Snap out of it!

I helped him do the homework and went to eat, take a bath and go to bed.