Taken

Chapter 2

Ebony showers quickly. She'd text Ariadne, her best friend, and told her to meet at the pub. She knew Ariadne would bring Aiden, her brother, and his girlfriend Tash along. She loved hanging out with everyone, it was everything she'd missed out on when she was younger. Growing up adopted and an only child her parents had been cautious, over protective and overbearing at times. She'd begun to question some of their parenting rules as she'd got older, it was what had eventually led her to move out. All the rules, constantly on at her, never giving her space to breath. As soon as she'd turned 18 she was out of there, she loved them dearly and appreciated them as her saviours but she needed space to be free.

Her small one bed flat was at the far corner of a line of two story converted terrace houses. Dan had introduced her to Ariadne, an old friend of his and they'd hit it off straight away. She'd managed to work her way into Ebony's flat, just after she started renting it. It's dated wallpaper and dull kitchen hadn't been a problem for Ebony, her parents had never allowed her to express her creativity, beige was a good enough colour for everything in their opinion. She'd told this to Ariadne who had looked like she was going to burst into tears. The next day, she turned with Aiden, Dan, Tash, and a ton of paint. After refusing several times and being told several times that they were decorating her flat, Ebony had given in.

She'd had great fun painting a mural of a forest on her living room wall, her bedroom black with all the constellations painted across the walls and ceiling. The kitchen brightly coloured, Ariadne and Aiden had taken the cupboard doors off and painted each one a different colour. Dan had found a forest green sofa on market place, they'd had fun trying to fit it through the narrow alley way and up the stairs to her flat.

It was her space, no one could take this from her.

Ebony now pulled on a pair of jeans and fitted white crop top, she grabbed her sherpa jacket and stuffed her keys and phone into her pocket. As she ran down the stairs she didn't notice the dark figure waiting in the opposite alleyway.

Dan caught up to her half way to the pub. He was dressed in jeans and lose jacket with a baseball cap pulled over his hair.

"Hey you"

Ebony turned and smiled "hey! How is it that no matter where we're going you manage to meet me half way?"

"I'm just that good" Dan grinned and offered Ebony his arm. She hooked her arm through his, glad of the extra warmth on this crisp autumn night.

"I text Ari"

"Of course you did" Dan rolled his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean? You like Ari" Ebony pouts.

Dan smiles "I know, I'm teasing. I just don't get to hang out with just you Ebs"

"We see each other all the time at work Dan."

"I know but that's not the same."

"You sound like a whiny girl." Ebony taps him playfully on the arm. "We're here, together now aren't we?"

Dan stops, making Ebony jerk to haut. He looks behind him and protectively moves Ebony closer to him.

"You ok?"Ebony asks. When he doesn't reply she gently takes his chin and turns his head towards her "Dan?"

His face softens "Yeah, I just thought I saw..." he shakes his head and smiles "never mind, come on it's cold and I need a pint"

They cut across the small field to The Doormouse and head inside. A lovely old fashioned pub, the old brick building has a slight lean to it. A polished wooden bar runs the legnth of the front room, with smaller knocks leading off it.a Ariande comes rushing up to them and throws her arms around Ebony. "Oh Ebony, thank God! I thought.." Dan coughs loudly and slightly shakes his head at her. "I was going to have to third wheel with my brother and Tash all night!"

"Er ok Ari, but I invited you" Ebony untangles ariadne's arm from her neck.

"Whatever, come on, Dan's buying."

"I am?"

"You are, Aiden will help you." Ariadne nods towards her brother who grins and heads to the bar.

"white wine please." Ebony calls over her shoulder to Dan as she's dragged to the table in the corner where Tash is.

She shrugs her jacket off and sits down, Dan and Aiden now deep in conversation about something, judging by the looks on their faces, something serious.

"So I heard Mark still can't keep his hands to himself?" Tash leans in.

"Urgh, he's such a pig. Honestly I don't know how you don't report him"

Ebony shrugs at Tash and Ariadne. "Meh, I go teach classes most of the time and the other time I just avoid him. Besides I know how to defend myself."

"True, but you really shouldn't have too."

"It's not the worse thing that could happen. Besides I don't know how much head office like him, if I file a complaint and he can pull some strings, I lose my job."

"Hmm, bl**dy men" Tash rolls her eyes.

"What have we done now?" Aiden grins, handing Ebony a white wine.

"Nothing my darling, you're perfect!" Tash takes the pint from him and plants a kiss on his cheek as he sits down.

"Urgh, get a room" Ariadne moans.

"Just because you're nursing a heart break, doesn't mean the rest of us can't be happy."

Aiden teases his sister.

"Jackson did not break my heart! We mutually agreed that the s*x wasn't worth it."

"Oh my god, sis I did not need to know that!! I have to work with Jackson!"

Ariadne grinned and sipped her wine.

Dan slides on to next to Ebony, sandwhiching her between the wall and him he puts an arm around the back of the bench and absently picks up a red curl of hers and starts twirling it in his fingers. This earns him a look from Aiden. He drops the curl but keeps his hand behind her.

At 10pm the Friday night quiz starts. It's been a while since everyone could make the quiz soit's nice to have a complete team together. Mid way through Ariadne and Aiden have a whispered spat over whether Queen Victoria was partially German or if she married a German. This was followed by Ebony and Ariadne having a heated debate about whether the River Nile or the sss River was the longest in the world. Dan had to step in before Ebony nearly spilt her wine over the quiz sheet while trying to prove her point about the River Nile. This lead to Aiden going off on a rant about erosion to which Tash repeatedly kept asking him what his point was and they missed they missed the final question. Despite all this they came third and agreed they'd all make sure they were free next week.

It was 12.30am by the time Dan walked her to the end of her street. She kept telling him he didn't need to but he insisted.

"I'm fine, honestly, I was taking care of Mark until you busted the door into my face!"

Dan groaned "I am sorry about that."

"I know, I'm only teasing"

"This was fun Ebs, but I meant what I said earlier."

"What? That Ari needs to let things go sometimes? I agree with you there but that's what makes Ari, Ari."

A small smile tugs at Dan's lips, he sighs "Night Ebs"

"Night Dan" She waves as he heads back towards his house. She turns and walks down her dimly lit street. Pausing, she takes her keys from her pocket and glances up at her kitchen window. She's about to cross the road to her stairs when a large shadow flicks across the window.

She blinks.

Something deep down inside her stirs.