Hi again,

Dissertation Done ! and I have a week or two to myself before exams- so my current plan is to write the whole thing and upload once or twice a day

Fingers crossed anyway

Enjoy chapter two


Pursuit.

The sky is pitch black and the beeping on my phone has lasted the past five minutes, flipping it over I press the snooze button once again.

I sigh in frustration as I enter my house, at camp I had raised my time of running ten miles down by sixty minutes not I can barely make my old time.

I swig the last of the water in my sport bottle before wiping a bead of sweat from my face.

I need to do something to step everything up.

A sound from the kitchen freezes me in my spot, its half 5 in the morning no one should be up at this time, let alone in the kitchen

I creep slowly towards the entrance, my back tense and ridged

Just as I reach the archway a shadow moved right in front of me

I jump back in a delayed response, which is when I realise aunt Cathy is stood there

Well more not standing but screaming at the top of her lungs dropping the sandwich she was holding all over the floor

'TRIS- WHAT THE HELL' She shouts, lifting her arm up to turn the hallways light on.

She is still wearing her scrubs from the hospital, and now it clicks.

She had the late shift last night

'I….I..er… went for a run' I say sheepishly looking at the blob of sauce dripping down the door frame

'Tris it's half five in the morning' She says eye running over me trying to check if I had actually being running and not up to anything else

'It helps wake me up- sorry for scaring you' I say bending to pick up the mess that now covers the floor

'I don't want you going out at times like this- you can always run at normal times you know' She sighs stepping into the kitchen to grab a sponge to wipe up the buttery mess

'Noted' I say before heading up the stairs, I can hear Cathy sighing behind me

Me and Caleb were a surprise to her, she never thought that she would get lumbered with us

But after the accident we lack any other close family, Cathy was my mum's cousin

And in turn now our legal guardian. I have to hand it to her she was the only family that we knew, just not well enough to accept when she moved in and took over our parents room

Its impressive that she was able to keep the pair of us under control, or the fact that she never shipped us off to a foster home.

That first year was hell for everyone involved. Caleb locked himself away in his room or always had his head stuck in a book never acknowledging the world around him

Or how lonely the whole thing made me, I lost nearly everything that was important to me and at the time my brother wouldn't even look me in the eye

I know now that was because my eyes remind him to much of our mothers, and forgiveness has been given

And once I accepted that Cathy wasn't going anywhere things got easier for everyone, she was there for me when I cried when I needed a mother's hand

She will never replace the role that my mum played in my life but she has helped me accept the person that I can become from the lessons that I had already achieved.

Shaking off the thoughts of the past I climb into the shower and get ready for the day

'Get in loser we're going shopping' Chris shouts out the window as I run down the steps to the car

Chris laughs as I climb in and throw my bag over the back seat

'So how was basketball?' I ask pushing away the lipstick she holds out for me

Sighing the goes on to explain her first day's training

'Get home okay then' Walking down the halls of school towards her locker

I currently have everything I need, Gym being first period

'Yer, Uriah pulled up next to me and gave me a lift most of the way' Chris stops half way of getting things out of her locker

'Was Four there' She stares at me contently

'Yes' I say my eyes glancing down the hall

My gaze lands on Will, smiling I fleet off before she gets the chance to ask more questions

'Hey, how was your summer?' Will askes pulling me into a hug before passing me over to Al

'It was fun, yours?' I smile up at them, chris slides in next to me smiling

'Anyway guys I've got to run off' I wave heading towards the sports hall

'Oh tris- I did mean it about going shopping after school!' Chris shouts after me

I can't help but groan a little, I like shopping as much as the next girl- but not as much as Chris loves shopping.

Stepping into the sports hall I come to the realisation that one- I'm early two- I've walked into the lads gym class and finally number 3- the great and horrible Molly is hear before me.

Stepping to the other side of the room I slip to the floor and just wait for the class to begin. I need to push myself harder I can't feel the burn of my muscles any more

'Sup Munchkin- need a ride home tonight' I look up to a heavily sweaty Zeke stood over me

Pushing of from the floor I very graciously dive away from his hug

'No, should be good think Chris is taking me shopping' I reply laughing as he gives up his attempt to hug me

'Well make sure you pick up a nice dress- Because this year you are coming to the one… the only… Pedrad house party' He grips me by the shoulders this time and shakes me

'You definitely going to come this time?'

'I'll try' I smile sheepishly, it's not that I don't like to party a small part of me just fears how drunk me would be

'No trying pip squeak you're are coming- even if I have to pick you up' By the end Zeke is shouting as he moves closer to the door and into the huddle of girls trying to get into the room

Turns out its cross country today- times to actually push myself this time round

….

'OOOOOOooow what about this?' Chris holds up yet another dress

'Pretty' I put on my smile once again, my face hurting now.

'Come on Tris- find something.' She crosses her arms and stairs at me

Huffing I walk across the shop looking at all the racks of colour coordinated clothing

And then I see it

No not a dress

A martial arts studio

It would be perfect, I've done a lot of training from camp and keeping up my fitness but martial arts is something I'm not trained in yet

It's perfect

This time my smile is genuine

'Find something' Chris says coming up behind me

My eyes roam around quickly and land on the first black item they find

'This' I say pulling it off the rack and holding it up

'Well…Risky- I love it' Chris grabs it from my hand before I can even look at the garment myself

'Hey, you mind paying I'm just going to run the toilet' I say handing the cash over to Chris and rushing out the shop

I look back to make sure she's not watching where I'm really going and enter the Martial arts studio

Stood behind the main desk is a tall thick man

Tattoo's and pricings every where

'Can I help you' His voice is gruff as he continues to flick through a paper without looking up

'Erm, yes I'd like to sign up to some classes please.' Now he looks up eyes me

'Think you're in the wrong place stiff.' Before turning back to his paper

'No right place- I want to sign up' I say this time with more force

I watch his jaw clench as he looks back up at me

Without saying another thing he hands me a form to fill out.

I'm just about to start filling the form out when I notice Chris leave the shop, stuffing the form in my bag I begin to follow her out

'Ha, what a Joke' I turn back a split second of leaving the shop, a second figure has joined dick face

Before I get the chance to figure out why they look familiar Chris notices me and begins to wave


Hope you enjoyed

Review if you feel like it ;)

xoxo

Sammy