It wasn't Rachel that made him have second thoughts. Rachel was great, Rachel was a goddess, Rachel was lovely. It was the way the shelter man looked at him. The shelter man was not lovely. He had gauged that Octavian and Rachel didn't have enough need to need to be there. Had wheels turning in his head that Rachel and Octavian, with their rich luggage, were not homeless but rather runaways. He wanted to let Rachel sleep, but they could not stay there all night. By morning news of them would be wide spread. From there, things would get dangerous.
He as no James Bond, but he figured he could handle a little bad, even a little awful. Looking back at his life, he knew for certain that he could. But he absolutely couldn't put Rachel in harms way. Death was better than that. She trusted him, cuddled up against him as if he was her home. He kept her secure for now, and kept his eyes and ears open to boot. She had been prepared to run away. To throw her entire life away. Why? For him? He gently removed himself from her, it was about 1 AM, and drifted to the shelter bathroom. Someone had left an electric razor on the counter and an idea sparked in his mind. In an hour, his head was shaved, and a stolen beanie pulled over it. The better to blend in.
He woke Rachel up at about four.
"We need to get moving Rachel. We need to keep moving and get out of the city as soon as possible, okay?" With the beanie and the darkness she wouldn't notice his hair yet. Hopefully she wouldn't freak out. He suddenly felt self conscious, concerned by how she saw him. What did it matter? They were fugitives.
His father, if he got his hands on him now, would be furious. His mother might tell him to act respectable, stand up straight, and get a better hair cut.
He slouched instinctively and let out a quiet laugh, thinking of the parents he was disappointing and how he just didn't care. He didn't have hair now, and pulled the beanie down further over his impromptu buzz cut. Rachel, looking at him inquisitively, plucked the beanie off of his head.
"Why'd you shave your head?" He cringed, looking embarrassed. Maybe that had been a bad idea. A stupid idea.
"I think it would help if we looked different, to remain anonymous. People will be searching for us come tomorrow morning." He envisioned his mother's irritation as squad cars and police helicopters combed the city looking for the runaways. Perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but he could not help be afraid. He had something to be afraid of.
"Good idea Ian, give me half an hour. See if you can scrounge up some food." She quirked a smile at him, and he quirked one right back nervously.
He dug through the kitchen completely silently. This of course was not his first time digging through a kitchen at an early hour. He had to remind himself he wasn't looking for pills. He was looking for food. That was not something he usually did late at night. He found a couple things that they could easily carry and consume. He had just packed everything up for good when Rachel came back. Her hair was cut into a short, layered bob. It was...
"Cute." He remarked, not thinking, not realizing what he was saying until it was out of his stupid mouth.
"Thanks, you too." She replied, eyes meeting his with a glint in the low light.
Immediately both blushed like fire. Octavian fumbled for a solid minute trying to think about what had just happened. Trying to think what to do next. He looked a little like a fish out of water.
"We should, we should definitely go before it gets light out. We do not want to be found. We really do not want to be found." He talked a little anxious, a little worried for his entire well being, and hers. As if being caught would personally endanger himself.
Because it would.
He knew that Henry Dare wasn't the beat your own child type, but he could not let Rachel get caught. He had this sinking feeling that if she got caught, something horrible would happen to her. Something horrible like... Well anything, from beatings to being cut off but mostly like... Like her being kept away from him for the rest of her life.
Would that even matter to her?
Or did it just seem heartbreaking to him? She had her whole life a head of her, a life she could no doubt live happily without him. A life with paint and a killer smile and a real chance to change the world. She didn't need him. Would she ever?
He would question time and time again whether or not Rachel truly cared about him. Whether or not he was worth anything to her. Time and time again he would beat himself up inside for not being the person he desperately wanted to be when it came to that girl. For not being good enough. For not being able to fully protect her from the ugliness of the world.
However, at that early hour, she slipped her hand in his, and none of those toxic thoughts that made him think less of himself mattered.
Nothing mattered in that moment, except them.
And now, they were outlaws.
So time to break some rules and not get caught.
Hello, guys!
Well, today is gonna be a short update, unfortunately. It's been one of those weekends when you have a million things to do and the time is not your friend...
So, today, I will be updating one chapter of Percy Jackson, son of Chaos and two chapters of Garden Wall. I have no idea how many of you follow this story, but I will continue to post all the notes in every chapter I post.
Also, I want you to remind you guys, you have time till next Wednesday to vote which is gonna be my next story or my next fandom incursion! For either, go to the poll posted on Facebook (search for it, others chapters have the link) or go to comments and say something! Obviously, you can go to the reading site of your choice...
Also, I'll be completing unfinished stories and doing request during June, so new story will be in July! Keep updated!
xoxo, SilverHuntresses
Edited:06/01/2017
Hello, guys!
Thanks to my lovely collab writer, Hugs6, I realized one chapter was missing that didn't give sense to the story... I'm fixing that right now! Sorry for the trouble!
