Open Flame

One

I couldn't keep running, my heels were starting to become painful - blisters were forming on my heels but I knew I had too. If I was to get out of this god forsaken town with my body in one piece, I had to keep running. 

It was hard, but it was the truth - my life has consisted of running for over the past 5 years, I haven't since a beating one night when I was fourteen when my 'foster father' let slip that my real parents were still out here. 

I had really never thought of going to New York where they had let slip that's where the had lived. I honestly really knew nothing about them, and really if my name was what they had named me. Aliana Rose, just a constant reminder of the hell they put me through. 

The cold wind swept over my long teal blue dress that I was wearing, and I pulled my jacket closer to my body. I needed to be quick, If I didn't get enough money out of the ATM and quick, they were going to catch me.

"Aliana! You can't hide forever." His voice shouted, and I shivered - not once trying to remember what he had done to me.

******************

I woke up in a cold sweat, my thumb finding the home button on my phone. The big black numbers showed it was three in the morning - I rubbed my fingers over my eyes as I heave a sigh out. 

I was as close to finding my real family as when I first got to New York, I had no leads - all I knew is that they lived here. I silently pulled myself out of my bed, one of my friends from the bar that I worked at downtown let me live with her after a few weeks.

She had found out I was living in a really, ugly, rundown motel - just a few streets over, apparently it was a very bad place to stay. Drug deals, and killings go down there every day basically. 

"Are you up?!" She shouted through when I got to my door and I groaned when I saw her laying on the couch with a very wide awake and bare naked male.

"f**k Kalie, at least tell me when you're going to have a naked male in our living room." I say, turning around quickly giving them some privacy to get changed.

"Well sorry, I thought you were asleep." She says, as I hear the floor boards creak. 

"Well I was, until my nightmares come back - and I needed water. Are you guys decent yet?" I question, clenching my jaw - I heard her sigh before she cleared her throat, a clear indication that they were both decent. 

I turned around to see that a leather clad male was now standing in front of me, "Jake, this is Aliana. My roommate, Aliana - this is Jake, my boyfriend." She says, and I run my eyes over him. Assessing if he was the right person for my friend.

A large stitching was on the back of his jacket, it looked like some sort of rose with guns around it. With Black Devils written on the top half, I slowly snaked out my hand towards him. "Aliana," I say, and he asses me - like he knows something when realisation hits his eyes. 

"Jake," He says, shining me a dazzling smile - and I hear Kalie let out a sigh of relief and I smile back at him before nodding. 

"Kalie, I'm going to get water - I've got the night shift tomorrow. Don't expect me home till late'." I say and she nods, as I make my way past the couple. I could feel their eyes on me when I heard the small conversation they had before the door closed silently.

"I'm going to bed, for real this time - Goodnight Ali." She says, coming into the kitchen and I nod.

"Goodnight Kal." I say, and she smiles before walking out of the kitchen once again and I hear the creak of stairs, indicating she was going up to the second floor in our apartment. I sighed, gripping a hold of the counter as I closed my eyes.

The peace only lasted for a millisecond before my phone pinged, the bright light flashing on my face and I swipe my finger over the notification - it was from my boss, telling him there was some work to do back at the club and that I was needed.  

I sighed, walking through to the living room and grabbing my leather jacket from the hook and walking out and closing the door silently.  

"Where are you going?" A husky voice asks behind me, and I turn to face my neighbour who had a suspicious look on his face.