beautiful thieves | ✓

fourteen

I manage to slip away from the group, mumbling some excuse about needing to go to the bathroom. I walk over to the twins but don't say anything, and instead nod over to a fire exit door tucked down in the corner of the room. I know that they're following after me so I slip through the door, into the fresh nights air, and turn to face the two of them.

Tristan hugs me immediately, Sean embracing the two of us, and I'm suddenly overwhelmed with the strong urge to cry. I never realised how much I've missed these two during this week until this moment, when I'm reminded of how much these guys have done for me since the moment I was born. They've been my protectors since I was a kid, they'd defend me and play with me or take me to the park to cheer me up. I'm reminded of the days that Mum and I would be going at each others throats, which lead to the evenings of the twins getting me out the house and taking me to the cinema or some fast food restaurant to distract me. They've done so much for me and I haven't even told them that I'm safe.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sean asks as we pull away, grabbing me shoulders and giving me a little shake. "Why haven't you come home yet?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "Come home? Sean, I'm not coming home. Mum has made it more than clear she doesn't want me there." I point at the fading bruise on my cheekbone for extra emphasis.

"We don't care about that," Tristan says. "We want you back, fuck what Mum says."

"I really don't think she'll see it that way," I say, wrapping my arms around myself as I start to feel cold. "Besides... I don't need to go back. I'm fine."

The twins share a look I know all too well; full of questions, as they use their twin telepathy to work something out.

"Fine?" Sean asks. "Who have you been staying with?"

I can't meet either of their eyes so look over at a bus stop at the end of the dingy road we're stood on. "Just some friends."

"Friends? You just moved here how do you have friends?" Tristan asks.

"I met them at school," I lie again. "They offered for me to stay with them as long as I give them money every now and then. If it wasn't them I'd be on the streets."

Sean sighs. "Rora, you can come and live with us at the university when we go back next week. Mum never has to know and you'll be with people who actually care about you."

"They do care about me," I argue defensively. "I appreciate the offer but I just don't see that working out. I'm perfectly fine where I am." I struggle to keep the waver from my voice when I think about Sean calling me Rora. I used to hate it when they called me that, but recently I would've killed to hear it again.

"We miss you," Tristan says, looking down at his feet with a frown. "Mum's been so strict, telling us that we can't have any contact with you. If she hadn't been watching us like hawks and she didn't remove your number from our phones we would've called every day."

I touch his forearm, clad in a leather jacket I wish it was wearing because damn, I should've thought against standing out in the freezing cold. "I know it's not your fault."

There's a small pause, before a thought crosses my mind. "Dad managed to call me about a week ago. It's obvious he's blaming himself for... everything that happened. Can you just tell him that I don't blame him? Honestly I think we're all victims in this."

"We can do that," Sean says, nodding along with Tristan. "And believe it or not, Connie seems pretty bummed out about you leaving too. She's worried it was her fault and... I think she's missing her older sister."

Damn, the alcohol is making me emotional. I cough slightly. "No, I think she's just missing the person that her mother used as a punching bag."

It's silent for a few moments again before I feel bad. "Is she getting it bad?"