She ran. Her feet pounding on the pavement. Sweat dripped down her brow, falling to the asphalt below. The biceps on her arms were sore, the sinew reaching its limits. She continued to run though, knowing what followed her.
Swear words were mumbled under her breath, cursing her lanky body. And the thing that followed.
Slowly, she reached her safe house. Alfred's house. She knew he was home, but ran around to the backyard, disappearing from her captors.
"Where'd she go?!" the leader yelled out in frustration.
It was to no avail, as the girl was inside her best friend's home. She had let herself in, finding the blonde playing videogames.
"Hey _!" he yelled, still looking at the screen.
"H-hey Alfy," she said gulping a glass of water.
Suddenly, the noise from the T.V. had stopped, and a pair of arms wrapped her in a hug. The scrawny girl returned the hug, of course. Her head was soon buried into his chest, taking in the aroma of Axe and hamburgers.
"They were after you again, huh?"
She nodded. Alfred pulled her away, looking into her teary eyes. The girl hung her head in shame. All of the time, she was dealing with a mother who was never there, always blaming her daughter. Her mother was a prostitute, drug dealer, among other wretched things. Her "friends" were always coming to her daughter for the money she refused to bring.
"I dunno Al, I mean, yeah, she's my mom, but I shouldn't have to be responsible for her."
"I get ya! It should be the other way around. But…" he trailed off, not knowing how to say it.
Suddenly, the front door slammed, both of the teenagers looking towards it with fear. Instead, fear was replaced with relief. It was Alfred's British step-brother, Arthur.
"'Ello kids, sorry if I scared you. There were police cars scanning the roads."
She gasped, knowing they were looking for her mother's "friends." Alfred responded by putting an arm around her shoulders, as a sign of security. They would never be able to reach her if he was around. Arthur looked at them, knowing the young girl's situation.
"I just thought you should know, _," he said sincerely.
"Thank you. Well! I'll make dinner if I can stay the night?" she questioned.
"YES!" Alfred yelled, fist-pumping the air.
His brother agreed, knowing her cooking abilities were spectacular. Arthur himself was not allowed to cook under any circumstances, poisoning everyone, anytime he cooked.
~! #$%^&*()_+_()*&^%$# !~
Alfred sat down at the dining room table, trying to figure out math. It just wasn't working. After Peter, Alfred's younger and also British step-brother, arrived home, nothing was quiet. You had put diner into the oven, sitting down next to Al.
"Need some help with that?" you asked him.
"Yeah, I don't get this crap at all…" he admitted. Alfred knew you could help him. You were in all advanced classes, except science. It was funny though, you both shared the same table in science.
After looking over the problems, you dumbed it down enough to where he would understand it. It was simple to you, a slope and equation problem.
"Alright," you said pointing to the first graph, "how many does it go down to reach the next point?"
"Three!" he replied cheerfully.
"How many does it go over to reach that same point?"
"One?"
"Yep, so what's the slope?"
"Three?" the blonde questioned.
"Yes sir! So where would that go in the equation?" you said, checking the oven.
After he finally figured out the y-intercept, he wrote the equation and continued to work the other problems, while the two other brothers arrived home. Allistor was the oldest, Scottish, step-brother. Next in age was Dylan, who was from Wales.
Soon after the door was slammed, yet again, a kiss was planted on your cheek, arms wrapped around your waist.
"Hallo there, _!" Allistor said loudly.
"Oh hey Alli!" you replied sweetly smiling.
Soon enough, a small yelp escaped your lips and Dylan was holding you. He smirked and kissed your other cheek, leaving Allistor pouting. The five brothers had some sort of rivalry including you…
"What, no attention for me?" Dylan asked sarcastically.
"I was gettin' there!" you retorted, going to check on Alfred.
"_, I don't get this!" he said, whining like a little child, slamming his head on the table.
You rubbed his back, gained his attention with the mention of no dinner, and continued to help him. After several more problems, Alfred finally grasped the concept, completing the work sheet. You rewarded him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. A ding was heard from the timer, and dinner was ready.
Your signature lasagna was prepared, and the boys devoured it all. You only ate a small piece, not hungry after the events that occurred earlier today. Dylan and Allistor cleaned the dishes, Peter pitching in, while Arthur went to make a call for work. Alfred and you watched (Fav anime) to kill the time.
"Hey, _?" Peter asked while walking into the room.
"Yeah?"
"You're staying the night right?" he asked innocently.
"Yep, sure am!" you said smiling at him.
Alfred grabbed you, and pulled you closer to him. He knew you couldn't tell Peter, or else something would happen. Snuggling into Al's chest, Peter joined you on the couch to watch the show. Allistor and Dylan fought over who would sit next to you, Dylan winning.
Doctor Who was promptly turned on when Arthur came out, Peter complaining the whole way through. He stopped only after Allistor smacked him upside the head. Soon after, Peter was instructed to go to bed, only after his snack of peanuts.
After Peter disappeared to his room, Allistor pulled out a cigarette to smoke. None of you paid any mind; it was a bad habit of his. There was a silence, but it wasn't the uncomfortable kind. Allistor broke the silence, using a serious tone.
"_, they were after you again, right?"
"Yeah, they still want more money, which I don't have at the moment…"
The silence began again, tension in the air. An absent-minded sigh escaped your lips. Alfred released you, and you stood. Walking out to the patio, you wrapped your sweat-jacket tighter around you. Sitting down on the swinging bench, you felt a weight sink down next to you.
A small glance was stolen to as to who was next to you, but it wasn't who you had expected. It was your mother. She looked at you, trying to grab your hand. You jerked it away, giving her a snarling lip.
"What the hell do you want?" you asked gruffly.
"Money," she replied.
