Broken

||Chapter Ten||

Its been my third time around the block now. I really couldn't think of how to avoid Destine getting hurt. Dan will eventually see her and realize that I did nothing and take care of it himself and end me. I wasn't even important, it was Destine's life I was more worried about.

I groaned in frustration as I passed her loft for the fourth time. Deciding that there won't be a fifth time I stopped the bike and parked it on the curb. I took a deep breath and walked towards Destine's front door; lifting my hand to tap on the door I found myself reluctant. Why can't I do it? I thought to myself. How can I face her after leaving, without so much as a goodbye?

I dropped my hands and looked at her for blankly. What was I supposed to do? The only thing I could think of right now was... Running away with her.

Is that what I had to do? Run away and hide from Dan until this blows all the way over? Where would I go? Deciding to sit on the doorstep, I melled over my thoughts. Where could we hide that Dan wouldn't think of looking? I looked over the list of people in my head that I could consider staying with but then I remembered that I trust no one. Nowhere seems safe enough for Destine and me.

Then without really thinking about it, a name popped in my head.

Celeste.

Albeit she did screw me over at the end of our relationship but... She's the last person I trusted before we ended. That has to count for something. She and her crazy brother live on the other side of the city. That's a good distance away from Dan and all his goons. Finally! A plan!

But.

I owe her brother a favor and I have to figure out quick how to dodge the likes of him. Particulars aside, maybe Destine and I staying with Celeste wasn't entirely a terrible idea.

What am I thinking?! My ex-girlfriend and... Destine. How awkward would that be? I don't even know if Celeste wanted to see me again much less. I rambled in my mind about this plan I had, it was a plan alright but it had a lot of holes. I sighed and rested my head in my arms. I have to at least warn Destine.

Getting up and swallowing all doubts, I knocked on her door. "Destine? It's me, Amelia."

Nothing.

"I'm really truly sorry for leaving the way I did but you have to open up Destine you're in danger."

Silence.

Where is she? I decided to turn the knob. Locked. She wasn't home? Then where was she? I groaned in frustration and went back to the bike. This is not good. I have to find her. Driving around the block a couple more times I decided to turn left instead of right just to see if she would be anywhere on this side.

Passing the park I saw Simon, and sitting next to him was Destine. They looked deep in conversation and she looked upset. Did I do that to her?

No. Can't be. She doesn't care.

I kept telling myself that as I parked the bike and walked over behind them. While sauntering over I overheard something that made me stop dead in my tracks.

"Darcie you can't tell her!" Simon whispered harshly.

What did he just say?

I must be hearing things, otherwise, I'm sure he said, Darcie. I walked over numbly and looked at her. "...Darcie...?" I felt dizzy, my head got light, I felt nauseous, everything was fading and then all I saw was black.

Every day at 6 we would gather around in the basement to watch TV. It was the only room with a television. As the oldest one here I was put in charge of what channel would be watched. It was one of the many things I was in charge of now. Sometimes I was allowed to watch the other kids at playtime so no one strays or sometimes they would put me in charge of dinner duty; which was basically setting and picking up plates, cups, and utensils. I guessed this is what you do before you get too old and then they kick you out to fend for yourself.

I took up the remote to start the usual procedure; channel surf until everyone agreed on a channel. I'd stay on a channel for maybe five seconds and they'd ultimately decide what they wanted to watch in that stretch of time. Usually, the decisions would be made by a group of kids that consisted of the oldest ones next to me. Kyle, 13, Ainsley, 14 and Madison, 13. Whatever they liked ultimately became everyone's decision. Last week it was Law and Order, the week before that some movie about time travel. Sure these were interesting to me but it should be what the majority wanted. All the other kids just agreed with it in fear that if they should ever open their mouths disagreeing with the older group's choice, consequences before bed or tomorrow would come.

And so I flipped on the TV and started surfing.

"No," Kyle said

"Yeah, not that." Madison agreed.

I continued flipping like that until I saw something that caught my attention. I saw someone familiar. She had blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She looked kinda like Darcie. My breath caught in my throat as I turned up the volume, much to everyone's dismay. No one wants to watch the news.

"We're not watching this!" Ainsley spoke.

"I know, just give me a few minutes to see this, guys," I begged.

They huffed but complied.

"The body of a teenage girl was found in a ditch today. The body was discovered by two children playing when they noticed a limb poking through the leaves. The police were soon contacted and are trying to find the identity of the poor girl. Police say anyone with information on who this girl might be should dial the number on the screen. Next up on the news is hit and run in—" I couldn't listen to anymore, my stomach churned with the thought that Darcie was...

I couldn't even say it— or think it. But it was there in front of me. She looked so much like Darcie that she had to be her.

She was dead. Darcie was gone... For good.

"Amee! Come on! We wanna watch something fun now."

I snapped somewhat out of it and switched channels. "Right right, sorry about that."

Feeling a tug on my loose fitting jeans I looked down to see little Angelica by my feet. "Amee? Did ya know that girl?" Her tiny little voice made me smile, despite my inner turmoil.

"Yeah, I think I did." I smiled sadly.

"Amelia?" I heard someone call.

"Amelia wake up." The voice sounded familiar now.

I cracked an eye open then the other. My head was pounding. The first person I noticed was Destine.

That's when it hit me. That's when I remembered what was going on. "D-Darcie...?" I weakly managed.

She looked down at me with a slightly perturbed look. "You weren't supposed to hear that." She then smiled.

"How are you here?" I slowly sat up, I then realized I was in a bed. Her bed.

"Huh? I asked Simon to lift you home for me and he left not too long—"

"No. How are you here... How are you alive?" I suddenly couldn't believe my eyes. Darcie was right here in front of me. She was alive. But how?

I was looking at this girl in a whole new light. Darcie... It was Darcie all along and she lied to me.

She looked confused again. "I was never dead Amelia. What are you talking about?"

"But... One day... On the news, I saw... I swore it was..." I stopped and shook my head. "All these years... All this time I thought... You were dead. You lied to me." My bittersweet emotions soon turned to anger. "You lied to me from the very beginning! I don't even know who you are anymore. Has anything you've been telling me true?!" I spat.

"No no no Amelia, that's not what this is." She took my hand in both of hers. I yanked it away. "I swear to you the lie I told you was my name."

I raised a skeptical brow. "And the guns in the box?" I folded my arms and glared at her.

"It wasn't really a lie... When mother and father died these were their guns."

Still not convinced I looked at her. What reason did she have to lie to me? "Why?"

"Why what?" She inquired.

"Why did you lie?"

She sighed and looked at me with a frown. "Knowing me would put you in danger." I opened my mouth to inquire but she stopped me. "Please, let me finish. Dan has people all over the city, my real name draws all sorts of people to me. And sooner or later they will hear my name mentioned somewhere. Or yelled across the street or something and know that you know me and once they hear it, they'll start following you around too, you'll be put in danger and my position here would be compromised. I wanted to keep both lives separate." She let out a ragged breath and ran her hand through her hair.

"But... I'm just as deep into this business as you are. You could've just told me to keep my mouth shut." I said matter-of-factly.

"I didn't know that until today Amelia. You lied to me too." She glowered at me.

"I didn't lie, I left out information, information you didn't need to know because I thought I left that life behind."

"You were already had so many things worrying about, so many problems. I didn't want to add mine to your list." She sighed, seeming to be finished talking.

I didn't know what to say. I shouldn't be mad at her but I am. Her reasons are justified but I still am. Everything just felt different, now that I know who she really was.

"Why were you spying on me anyways?" She asked quietly.

Then another memory snapped in my head. I can't believe I forgot. "Holy s**t in a bucket! Dan!"

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Dan?"

"Yes, Dan! What the hell did you do to piss him off, yenno, apart from slapping him?"

She looked away from me. "He made fun of my parents. They're dead and he was speaking ill of them like they meant nothing to me... I...I do know what got into me but I slapped him. I slapped him and walked away." She turned to me. "By the time I got to my car was when I realized what would be the repercussions of my actions."

Dammit, I should've noticed that her car wasn't there. I berated myself.

"That's why I wasn't home." She continued. "I feel like somehow they would find me, he would send someone to come 'take care of me.'" She finished.

I chuckled a bit. "Ain't today your lucky day."

"What do you mean?" She c****d her head to the side.

"Destine— uh I mean Darcie, he sent me." Getting used to her actual name would take a while.

"He sent you to..." She trailed off.

"To 'shake you up' as he said," I explained. "When he showed me your picture...I knew I couldn't do it... So..."

"So?" She is the smartest i***t I know.

"He'll be after us Destine," I said. "We gotta get outta here. He'll find us sooner or later."

"You say this as if it'll be easy Amelia. To just find somewhere to hide."

"Hey, you hid from me for years, you should be a pro at this." That came out more bitter than I intended.

I could see the frown on her face as she turned away. "I told you that I would be back, I wasn't hiding from you."

"When did you even say that???" I was beyond confused now.

"Before I left the orphanage... Don't you remember?" She looked intently at me.

I subconsciously scratched the back of my neck and looked back at her. "I didn't exactly catch it. I was so shocked that you spoke at all."

"I was born in France. I only spoke French, I only knew a little English that the caregivers taught me. That's why I didn't talk. But unlike getting tired or frustrated and leaving like everyone else, you stayed..."

"I never thought of it like that." I smiled slightly.

"Yes well. I'm sure we can catch up some more when we figure out where we're going." She suddenly got serious.

"Well... I kind of have an idea but I'm not sure of what you'll think of it."