Heavy feet tramped across the room to me. Then one of these feet kicked me lightly in my side.

"Get up Thorne. You can't lay there forever."

I sat up rubbing my eyes. "Go away, Gust," 

I muttered. He snickered and Matt came over. Matt leaned an elbow on Gust's shoulder and surveyed me with an evil grin. I was not happy with this in the slightest.

He said, "Thorne, I didn't know it was possible for you to have bed head. It was so messed up already, but look at you. Wow."

I self-consciously ran a hand through my hair. "Shut up, Matt. Don't you have brothers to look after?"

Matt grinned. "Drew's sleeping. For now at least."

I shook my head. "Something's wrong with both of you."

I glanced over to where Sunshine was sleeping. He needed to wake up so we could leave, but he looked like he could sleep for another two days.

I shook Sunshine's shoulder. "Time to go," I said.

"Do we have to leave now?" he asked, suddenly wide awake.

I nodded. "We have almost no time. It was risky enough to stay here overnight."

"What are we waiting for?" Sunshine sighed. He was still scared. 

I gave him a reassuring smile. "My plans always work," I said.

He gave a small smile, but I had helped very little. 

I stood up from the heap of blankets I had once called my bed to check my bag. Everything was there, including the knife and red knitted hat. 

I watched as Sunshine struggled to stand up on his own. When he was finally standing, I turned to walk away.

I didn't look at him when I said, "You could've asked for help."

Down stairs, Mrs. Chase hugged me goodbye. "Come back, Thorne," she told me. She didn't mean it to be just a nice thing to say while parting. She meant it as a command that I would have to follow. I didn't really have a choice.

Finally releasing me, Mrs. Chase turned to Sunshine. "You have better keep this young girl in line and listen to what she says alright?"

I grimaced. 

"You're a nice boy. Don't stop it," Mrs. Chase finished. I wondered what those two had talked about when I had decided to sleep. 

Either way, it was still time to leave.

"This way," I said to Sunshine as soon as we left the tavern. We were going to get out of this city as quick as possible, even if it meant walking an extra mile or two.

"Why are we walking so slow, Thorne," Sunshine questioned me.

I rolled my eyes. Always with the questions, it seemed. "We can't look suspicious, and you can't run, so we are walking at a normal pace, alright?"

"Sorry for asking," he muttered.

I cautiously shifted my wings under my jacket. I was stupid for bringing Sunshine, and I knew that when I agreed to take him. Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

Once we got to the deserted streets, I felt much better. The buildings were falling apart and most were already lying in ruins, toppled long ago. Nobody ever stayed in this place for long. Nobody here was going to say anything to anyone about sketchy children walking about. 

"Now," I told Sunshine, "we walk faster."

I started to hurry faster and faster. It was all I could do not to break into a sprint. Sunshine would not survive long if I left him here in this section of town. He was coming with me whether I liked it or not.

My blood ran cold when I heard footsteps behind us. I placed a hand over Sunshine's mouth, daring him to say anything. I removed my hand and kept walking. I grasped the hilt of my knife and searched for a building that looked ready to collapse. 

"In here," I told Sunshine in a low voice. He awkwardly maneuvered around the rubble to the building. The footsteps had been gradually getting louder.

"Faster," I pleaded. 

A few moments later, we were in the building. It had a low roof and I could see the sun peeking through. We sat in silence and I listened to the footsteps. They made a muffled thump against the clouds and to me, it sounded like a high ranking official's boots.

I drew my knife and rested it on my knees. I moved myself into a crouch and prepared myself for anything.

Nothing came. 

The footsteps eventually faded out of existence and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

"This way," I said, motioning to the back entrance. The door was missing and it left a huge hole in the side of the structure.

Sunshine and I moved out of the house, and, when there was no one waiting for us, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. Either way, I still had my knife grasped tightly in my hand.

It was more than five minutes of walking before it happen. I took a corner a bit too sharply and I almost ran into him. 

I stared at him, knife in hand for a long agonizing moment before he said, "So you got pretty far before I found you." 

It was Hans. And he was not happy.

I didn't try to make excuses. If I went back now, the king would have no choice but to imprison me. And besides that, I obviously was guilty of my crime. 

I took a defensive stance  and raised the knife. He had a sword and the power to control lightening. I was done for. If I was going to die, I wanted to do it weapon in hand.

"Oh, please, Thorne," Hans scoffed. "You're going to try to beat me with that?"

I narrowed my eyes. He was enjoying this. Sunshine's fear did nothing to help my own. 

"What do you want?" I asked Hans. He didn't look like he wanted to fight, and he wasn't going to let me go.

He spread his hands wide and said, "I don't want anything, I didn't see you here, and you're going to get out of the city very quickly now."

With that, he turned and walked away. I looked at Sunshine and he was even more confused than I was. 

"We've got to get out of here," I said slowly.

Sunshine nodded. "Very quickly," he said.

I set off at a brisk pace and he followed without complaint. Who knew what was going to happen now.