Criminal Skills.1.

Chapter One

"Hey you!" I twisted my head around as I ran. I turned back and tried to run even faster. They can't catch me. I won't let them.

My breath was uneven. My vision was smeared. My legs burned. My muscles rippled and my stomach churned. I felt like being sick. I could barely breathe. What was wrong with me? Was this reaction normal?

"Get back here!"  the two policemen let out a string of curses as I darted away. I sprinted onto what seemed an abandoned road. My head pounded as I turned and ran as fast as I could into the cheap fourth house on the right.

I bust through the wood door and slammed it close. I couldn't catch my breath, no time. I kept going up the stairs, two at a time, and knocked rapidly on the blue door on the left.

"Abbey!" I screamed as loud as I could, feeling my jaw snap as I unclenched it. "It's me, let me in! NOW!" The door screeched open and I was face to face with my thirteen year old best friend. Her face was flushed with anger, then relief etched with a deep worry.Before she could ask question, because I knew she would, I pushed her into the bedroom and pushed the door closed. I tried to catch my breath as I stared her in the eyes with my own blue orbs. Her eyes were wide. I began to shake my head, crossing the space between us while gasping for oxygen.

"What happened..?" was her first question. She took a seat on her tinkerbell bed and pulled me down beside her. I took one glance at her and stood once again, pacing around the cream colored carpet.

"I did it," I murmured, standing in front of her. She choked on air as I said, "I finally killed them."

Silence filled the house, except for the constant hum of her ceiling fan and the creak of the light fixture. Mrs. and Mr. Baker were on "business" as always. Suddenly a chill flew into the room as the door opened, a small seven year old child peeking in. Abbey turned her gaze at Aaron, her younger sibling.

"Go back to bed, A-" Noisy sirens cut her voice and she tensed. She looked at me rapid, so fast I could've heard her neck snap, if it weren't for my own heart being loud enough. Then she motioned for Aaron to climb into the bed with her. "Come here you two." He scrambled towards her and dived under the blankets, knowing nothing of the situation at his innocent age. I kicked at the door to close, and switched the light off. I hastily got into the bed, Abbey in the middle of Aaron and I. We snatched the blankets over our heads just as we heard the front door bust down, much like my clumsy entrance. Abbey held Aaron close to her chest and whispered sweet things. I rested my head on her cool back and closed my eyes. I pushed my blonde hair from my face. I heard, and felt, Abbey's breath hitch as police stomped up the stairs. I pressed my face deep into Abbey's shoulder blade and tightened my eyes together. I couldn't stand to put them in danger, both so sweet and innocent. It felt like my heart was tainting, every tear poor Abbey produced.

"Search every house, every crevice on this street. We don't find anything, we'll have to release to the public. We'll search as long as tomorrow by midnight," I heard one of the officers say. I took one deep, long breath as I took notice of the lock clicking gently.

Yeah.. Now they're gentle.

The light switched on and I locked myself stiff. Footsteps got louder. "They children are still sleeping."

"Good. Look around here, don't wake them though. We'll come by tomorrow and interrogate them." I couldn't help the cynical grin that danced along my face. Wrong! I win, I win, I win.. I sang in my head.

The idiotic cop started exploring as the other stumbled down to the kitchen. Then the cop in Abbey's room stretched his noodle arm for a cardboard box under the bed, my and Abbey's cardboard box. I saw the back of his foolish head and I was angry. I slipped out of under the tinkerbell blankets and snuck my hands around his scrawny throat. Touch mine and Haley's box and you get hurt, that's the way it is.. I could feel he tensed. I put my lips against his ear and spoke in a whisper.

"I'm getting tired of this game we seem to be playing. I get arrested by a foolhardy cop like you, I get let out, and then I'm arrested once again. Why don't we pretend I'm not here? You can tell whoever's in charge here, that you know me. I would never let the people I love in danger. That eliminates this household." He gulped and nodded to the best of his ability, his face white as a sheet. He gripped and pulled at my hands, trying to pry them off. I let my hands fall and pushed the box to its rightful place. I kicked him towards the door and crawled back in bed. I pulled the blanket over my head as the scrawny man ran out of the room. Abbey let out a stiff laugh, and we were silent as death until the six, torturing hours they were in Abbey's house.

Afterwards, Abbey and I sat indian style on her bed. She had Aaron in her lap as we mulled over what had just happened.

"When did you do it?" she asked.

"Three days ago," was my short, blunt reply. I didn't want to talk, but she was the type where if she didn't get what she wanted, she'd hold a grudge until the day you die.

"So that's why I haven't heard from you in a few days!" Oh Abbey, you're so brilliant!

"Yeah, I hid in a cupboard for a while. It was crazy just sitting there, listening to the police talk about it like it was all a mystery. It was weird, I thought it was pretty obvious, but I guess that's because I already knew who did it." I set my head down as I pulled my knees to my chest. I took a rapsy breath.

"Do you plan to go outside ever again? I mean, you don't wanna be arrested..again." Abbey forced me to look her in the eye.

"Yeah! Well, I hope," I muttered. She bounced on her bed, getting excited. I was beginning to think this was like a game to her, a story. She didn't think it was real, but it was very real. The feeling in my heart, the silent mourning was real.

"You can stay here. You won't have to run, and live on the streets. That just isn't like you. We can dye your hair, get you different colored contacts, and anything else. You could go in the backyard sometimes. We can tell our neighbors that you're my cousin. We could get a hold of that one guy you know and get you a fake social security num-" Everything seemed so damn easy to her.

"Yeah, yeah, but what if the police suspect? We would need to wait a while to bring your 'cousin' to town. Life just doesn't work that way, it isn't that easy!" She blinked. My eyes dared not stray. She let out a sigh. "Alright, Abbey?" 

"Yeah, we'll wait a few years. But you can still stay undercover here." I nodded. "But there's still a few things we need to think about." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Like what?" I asked. Aaron took a breath and stirred. Abbey bit her pink lip.

"Matt, what will your name be?" I grinned.

"Nathaniel, my father's name."