Chapter 9

     She awoke to the smell of bacon and the sunlight streaming through the window. She thought that was one of the best nights of sleep she'd ever gotten. She got out of the bed and pushed the bedroom door open to see her brother still snoring on the couch and Murphy in the kitchen cooking. She ventured toward the kitchen and opened the fridge to find something to drink.

     "Here. I bought everything this morning," Murphy said, handing her a glass almost full to the brim with orange juice.

     "Thanks," She said, taking one long swig of the juice. She sat down at the table. There was a lot to think about. Was Gabriel looking for them? Would he find them? If he did, would he kill Murphy? She shuddered at the thought of it. Sure, she didn't know him that well, but she was slowly falling in love with him. There was nothing about to not like. He was sweet, cute, and had the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen, even if they were hidden behind a pair of glasses. She didn't notice as her brother came in the room or as Murphy set a plate in front of her because she was thinking about him.

     "Hey Wren, how do you feel?" Jasin asked her, as he took the seat across from her.

     "I feel fine," She answered after a minute. She looked down at her plate for a minute, then started to eat.

     "Did you sleep well?" Murphy asked, staring at her intently. She looked into his blue eyes for a minute.

     "I think it was the best night of sleep I've ever gotten," She said, continuing to eat. His ears turned red. She looked over at her brother, who was pretending to look for something on the floor. She knew he was trying not to listen to the conversation between the two of them.

     "I'm glad for that. Say, would you like to go skating with me later?" Murphy asked shyly. She was delighted that he had asked her on a date.

     "Of course! But, what about Gabriel? Won't he find us?" She asked. She was quite worried about Gabriel finding them. He'd surely kill them all.

     "I know of a place that he's never find. He's been looking for my apartment for the past couple of years and has not yet been able to find it," He said. They finished eating and cleaned up the dishes. They waited at the apartmen for a little while longer, then Wren and Murphy left.

     "Here it is. The best skating rink around," Murphy said as they rounded the last corner of their journey. It had taken them about three or four mintutes to find the rink. He took her hand and they went inside.

     "What sizes can I get for you two?" The lady at the register asked.

     "I need a size eleven in mens and..." Murphy said, looking at Wren.

     "A size ten in womens," She said.

     "One moment please," The woman said, going into a back room. They waited for a couple of minutes and the woman finally emerged holding two pairs of skates.

     "That'll be 15 dollars," She said. Murphy searched his pocket for a minute and pulled out a credit card. After they had paid, they went over to a bench and put their skates on.

     "You'll have to forgive me, I'm not the best skater around," He said, smiling at her. She just smiled back and got up, taking his hand and they went onto the floor together. The music was very upbeat and they skated for a while, hand in hand. It was the most amazing experience she had ever experienced. Why couldn't life always be like this? After a while, they got off the floor to leave. They didn't want to be gone too long.

     "Did you have fun?" He asked as they climbed the staires to the apartment.

     "It was amazing," She said, looking at him and smiling. He leaned in and kissed her. They stood there and kissed for a minute. He finally pulled away and she saw the beautiful look that he had in his eyes, the look of pure love. She looked shyly to the ground. It was the most beautiful, amazing thing she had ever experienced. He opened the door to the apartment. She looked inside and gasped with horror.