Chapter 9: Cold Nights.

I pulled the blanket back and walked over to my clothes pulling on Logan’s jumper which I still hadn’t given back, it was warm but I don’t think it was going to do it.

Remembering the sight of the many couches and warm fire I started to tip toe out of the room and down the hall towards the others. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard muffled voices coming from behind one of the doors to my left. It was cracked open ever so slightly giving me a view of Marco on the floor, his hands constantly rubbing his now free wrists. Why is he free? Shouldn’t he be tied up still?

I looked past Marco and saw Logan lying on his back on the floor with his arms over his eyes like he had done the other night in the hotel. I know I shouldn’t have stayed but I couldn’t help myself, Like I said before; I had problems.

“And what about the girl?” Marco asked turning to face Logan.

“Lena?” Logan replied, his voice muffled by his arm.

“You know who I mean, Becky or whatever her name is” Is he talking about me?

“It’s Britney. What about her?”

“Why her?” Yes good question Marco.

“Ask Peter, I’m just the solider.” Who the hell Is Peter?

“O I intend too. So little brother, are you going to let me go or are you still mad at me?”

“Still mad so no.”

“They’re going to kill me.” Oh well too bad, it will be a real lose to the community.

“Probably.” Logan said calmly. Kyle had said that they weren’t so close any more but he was still his brother I would assume that he would be at least a little more chocked up about it.

“And you just don’t care?”

“Of course I care but I know you too well, you’ll never make it to the noose.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Logan sat up and rested his arms on his knees. “Are you saying you’re going to go down without a fight?”

“Logan, I made a mistake leaving you there before.”

“I didn’t want to go with you.”

“I know you, this time is different. You know what their like you want to come with me I can see it in your eyes.”

He shook his head. “It’ll be different now, you’ll see.”

“How?” Marco persisted. I could see Marco chewing on his apple earlier today; he didn’t put up a fight but is it all because he wants his brother?

“Once I bring her back then they’ll have no other choice but to restore our name.” Oh fantastic so what am I a barging tool now?

“They’ll find a loop hole, they always do and if they do the minute you speak up at the council meeting they’ll kill you just like they did to mum and dad.”

I saw Logan get up off the floor and panicked, shit he’s coming, where the hell do I go? I all but ran to my door – well what I thought was my door. “Britney?” Shit!

I turned around slowly and looked at his confused face. Think Britney think.

“Logan” well done, you know his name. Note-to-self think of better things to say when being caught out ease dropping.

“What are you doing?”

“Heading back to bed.” Yes that technically wasn’t a lie was it?

“Oh ok, so you’ve decided to sleep in the broom cupboard, good choice.” I scrunched up my face and then turned the handle slowly opening the door to find a broom in there covered in spiders and dust. Damn wrong door.

I turned around and saw that he was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What were you doing Brit?”

“I was u-uh going for a walk” cause that’s the best I can come up with on the spot.

“Walking, in the middle of the night?”

“Yes?”

“Britney.” His tone was one of warning.

“I was cold ok, so I got up so that I could sleep near the fire.” I confessed.

He sighed and walked past me throwing open a door and walking in. I watched as he pulled the blanket off of the bed and grabbed a pillow, he walked over and threw the pillow in my face before walking out of the room and down the hall.

“Where are you going?”

“To find you a nice tree to sleep in.” He had to be kidding.

“Logan, I wasn’t complain I swear…” I stopped when he turned around with a massive smile on his face. Asshole. He walked over and dumped the blankets on the floor before he grabbed the pillow out of my hands and laid down on the only free couch. I looked down at the hard floor and the thin blanket and then back at him lying on the couch with my pillow.

“Your seriously stealing my pillow?”

“You complained, so you get the floor and no pillow. Rules are rules.”

I looked over at the blankets and then back at him. I wouldn’t sleep on the forest floor covered in leaves and dirt what the hell makes him think I was going to sleep on a dusty dirty floor riddled with spiders and good knows what else.

Walking over to the back of the couch I climbed up until I was sitting on the back of the couch with my legs next to Logan. Looking around quickly I saw everyone was still asleep and took my opportunity. Putting my feet on Logan I pushed him with all my strength making him fall off of the couch and onto the floor without his pillow.

Smiling to myself at how well that worked I quickly laid down on the couch and pulled the blanket over me. Ha take that.

“You are going to regret that” He warned getting up from the floor. Yeah right.

He sat down on my feet trapping me on the couch.

“Hey let go” I yelled at him as he moved my body making my almost fall off but he grabbed a hold of my waist before I fell off completely.

“Two options, I let you fall on your face and I keep the blanket or you willingly go and sleep on the floor and you can keep the blanket.” He offered.

Sighing I knew that I wasn’t going to win this fight. “Fine.” He let me go making me fall on my face and then chucked the blanket making it fall on top of me covering my face. Well gee thanks for being gentle.

I stayed close to the bottom of the couch hoping it may provide some kind of warmth, laying half on the blanket and pulling the other half over me I used my hands as a pillow. This sucked. I kept shuffling closer and closer to the dancing flame of the fire but I still couldn’t get warm, this place was like the Antarctic I couldn’t deal with this kind of cold.

“If you move any closer to the flames then you’re going to catch on fire.”

I turned over and saw him with his eyes still shut. “I’m cold”

“You have a blanket”

“I’m still cold” I muttered under my breath.

I heard him sigh in frustration and then turned around to see him get up and moved to the bottom of the couch and laid down next to me, pulling the blanket over him.

“What are you doing?” I asked him as I moved away putting some distance between us.

“It’s either body heat or you can try your luck with the flames.” He laid down on his back with his hands on his chest like he had before still keeping the sleeping beauty posture. I must have been staring because he opened his eyes and looked at me.

“What?”

“You sleep like sleeping beauty” I pointed out.

“It makes it easier to move if I need to run in a hurry” Oh, makes sense.

“So you untied Marco?”

He looked at me with a guarded expression. “I knew you were listening.”

“Just a little.” I admitted. I couldn’t really cover that one up any longer.

“Yes I untied him, he isn’t going to run.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“Stop answering a question with a question.”

He looked over at me and raised an eyebrow.

“No I don’t shut up now answer the question.”

“Because, he gave me his word.”

“And you trust him?” I asked in disbelief. Who the hell trusts a criminal and a murderer?

“He’s my brother; he has done many things but keeps his word and rarely lies.” He said calmly. “Now please go to sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day and I don’t want to have to carry you the whole way.”

“Why cause I’m fat?!” I elbowed him in the side but he barely flinched.

“For the last time I never called you fat. Now keep your voice down and sleep.”

I took a deep breath and turned around on my side.

“Can I have the pillow?”

“Nope.”

I moved backwards and pushed him half off of the pillow and put my head on the edge of it. Ha take that one, now you have to share the pillow buddy.

Finally feeling warm I closed my eyes and drifted off into a deep and much needed sleep.

***

“That is gross, what are you a dog?” The loud voice of Marco echoed in my ears like a drum. It is far too early for this.

I cracked one eye open to stare at him. He was sitting on the couch that Logan and I had fought over just last night. “What are you talking about?” I said putting my head back on my pillow to find it slightly damp and moving up and down at a steady pace. Oh god no please no. I looked up and saw that I was no longer sleeping on the pillow I had fought so hard to get but that I had been resting my head on Logan’s chest and to make matters worse I had drooled all over his top. Fantastic, this morning was off to a great start.

“Who the hell drools all over someone else, what kind of a human are you?!”

“Shut up Marco!” I whisper yelled at him. I sat up and put the blanket back on Logan hoping it would cover up some of my embarrassment.

“Yeah like that’s going to work.”

“Marco, go jump off a building or something.”

“No need to be so mean.” He said in a mocked wounded tone.

I looked over seeing Logan begin to stir and so I quickly turned over and pretended I was a asleep. Maybe he won’t notice, maybe he might think that there was a leak in the roof or something.

“Yeah like he won’t notice that” Marco went on. Did I say that out loud?

“Shut up the both of you” Logan said rubbing his eyes and sitting up, looking around the room he quickly got up and walked over to his bag by the door and pulled out a shirt. I watched him as he discarded the one he was wearing and put on a new one, the muscles in his back flexing and relaxing with each movement.

Shaking my head clear of thoughts I quickly laid my head down in an attempt to at least pretend I was still asleep.

“Up guys, we have to get a move on!” Logan ordered.

The sounds of yawns and rustling soon filled the room making me nervous.

“Britney!” Logan yelled at me making me flinch under the covers but I only snuggled into the pillow and blankets even more. I may have been up a second ago but I fell asleep just as fast as I wake up.

“Leave her alone, we can just carry her to the plane.” Kyle defended me. Well Logan wasn’t going to carry me anywhere, I believe he has learnt that lesson already.

“Britney, I know your awake. You have five seconds to get up or I’ll wake up like I did last time.” Logan’s deep voice came from next to my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck and sending tingles down to my toes.

Wait what?! His words had finally registered as his counts got to five and I was welcomed by the spray of ice cold water on my head. Damn it.

“Logan!” Kyle, Lena and Conner yelled in sync with each other while Marco’s deep seemingly evil laughter filled the room.

“I warned her.” Was his only act of defence.

Sighing I got up and stormed off towards the room where my stuff was. Quickly pinning my birds nest of hair back out of my eyes I let my now wavy blond hair fall down my back and pulled on my new blue jeans and baseball top. Thank-god he let me get new clothes or that could have been problematic.

Taking only five minutes to dress and do my hair I walked out to join them.

“Ready?” Kyle asked me coming to stand in front of me.

I nodded nervously swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Good, now let’s go.”

Taking a few deep breaths I followed the rest of them out of the house – or whatever this place was – and back out onto the street headed for the air strip.

So sorry for taking so long between updates but... YEAR 12 IS FINALLY OVER!!! so I should be updating regularly as littleng as Christmas shopping doesn't get in the way.

Please let me no what u think xoxo