Excerpt: Forever [Working Title]

When the police officer returned, I was lying on the floor with my feet through the jail cell door’s bars. He had a scowl upon his face and he stood there for a few minutes just glaring at me. “WHO IS YOUR ACCOMPLICE?!” he yelled suddenly. Startled, I bent my knees and moved my feet away from him. Oh lord, here we go again.

“I dunno, who is yours?” I mumbled. He gave a fake chuckle and then went serious again. “Look, I’m not even the thief, so I expect this accomplice you think I have is probably just the real thief!” For some reason, that made him a little angrier. Probably because it made him sound like he wasn’t doing his job properly. He unlocked the door and was about to enter when I put all the force I could into kicking it open quickly. It knocked him over and I jumped to my feet. I realised this would mean Kian and I would have to move on to the next town but it was better then the alternative.

I ran from the building knocking a small man over in the process only to have the officer only seconds behind me. I had to lose him. Leading him back to where we were staying was not a good plan. I took a sudden turn only to narrowly avoid an old man on his way to the clinic and trip in my attempt to avoid the little girl Kian’s age following him. My palms were grazed and I knew a bruise would form on one of my elbows. I jumped to my feet only to be pulled backwards violently by my hood. I turned and he grabbed my wrists. I twisted my wrists so my hands were locked around his and decided a game of mercy was in order. I twisted his arms and bent his hands backwards until he was trying his best not to kneel or lower himself in anyway. I could see his knees just begging to bend and relieve the pressure.

Luck was not on my side. In a last desperate attempt to recapture me he pushed me backwards and my grip released a little. This gave him the opportunity to move his hand so that he could twist my arm behind my back. He did it harshly with no concern that he might be hurting me. I was on my tiptoes and barely able to do anything. My attempts to swing my leg around and knock him from his feet failed due to the distance between us and the fact my legs simply didn’t stretch that far back. He’d already cuffed one hand and was after the other when the sun glimmering of his bleach blonde hair caught my eye.

He walked up to us quickly but casually. He took an intrigued look at both of us and then opened his mouth. Before he could say whatever it was he was going to say the police officer spoke. “She stole from the supermarket and her accomplice recently stole from Saibara and Gotz.” He said it as if it were nothing; like I was nothing. The man closed his mouth and then raised an eyebrow at the officer. I struggled as much as I could.

“I didn’t steal anything!” I yelled loudly. It was getting me nowhere.

“Don’t be ridiculous! This isn’t the thief!” he seemed to be laughing as he spoke. “The thief is a man called Adam.” The last part he said with a serious tone. The officer looked at me and then at the man. He eyes us both like it was all some sort of game. I guessed what he was doing. He was probably soaking in our faces so that if it was all one big wild goose chase he could find us both and send us both to jail. He reluctantly uncuffed my hand and took another good look at us both. I saw no point in running. It would only make him all the more suspicious.

“I’m so sorry,” he looked incredibly uncomfortable as both of us stared at him. “I’ll be on my way to catch the real thief then…” With that he scurried away glancing back every few seconds until he had rounded the corner. The blonde man turned to me. I could only imagine I looked a state but was I really that bad that everyone had to stare.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. I contemplated telling him my name. I didn’t see it as important when I was about to leave but I figured it would be polite. “I’m Amira.” He seemed to stop staring but it made me all the more uncomfortable that he felt he had to look in other directions.

“Uuh, I’m Thorn,” he mumbled. I began to think I preferred it when he was staring. “It was nothing…” he whispered barely loud enough for me to hear. He looked at me again. “Are you okay? You look like you got into a big fight with him.” He moved his hand and I flinched thinking he was going to either hit me or point at my face. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“It’s nothing. Most of it wasn’t him,” I seemed to trail off. The silence lasted a good minute before I ran off. I imagined he probably didn’t believe me or was contemplating dragging me to the clinic. I wasn’t sure which made up my mind to leave and quickly.