You'd expect Jerome to feel sorry for Alfie, wouldn't you? Four years of friendship has to mean to something. But, he didn't feel sorry for him, not one bit. Every ounce of respect that he had ever had for Alfie, disappeared when he ditched him for the Scooby Gang. Jerome thought that his friend was smarter than that, that he wouldn't get sucked in. But no, apparently, he was wrong. Jerome didn't care anymore. He could be absolutely heartless if he really wanted to.
He stood and waited outside the door. Eventually, Eddie joined him and they walked up the path. But, if you thought that they were headed to school, you'd be very much mistaken. They took a left into the woods, planning to meet Joy there.
It was all a part of the plan.
"Did they believe it?" Eddie asked.
"Of course," Jerome smirked. He had outsmarted them, he liked that.
"Do you think that we're going to get caught?" Eddie said after a while. "By this Rufus guy?"
"You can turn back Eddie," Jerome reassured him. "No one is forcing you to do this."
Eddie sighed. "I want to do this. For Mara."
"For Mara"
They eventually found Joy, sitting against a tree. Her eyed brightened when she saw them.
"Finally, I don't like this place." she said as she got up, brushing the leaves off of her skirt.
"Aw, was Joy afraid?" Jerome mocked but stopped when she shot him daggers.
"Where are we off to then?" she asked.
"Well, last time, I followed him to this old barn. There's a chance that he's keeping Mara there."
They took a turn, into the main street. "And what if he's not?" Eddie kicked the stones. "What else have we got to go by."
"Nothing." he admitted. "But I'm 90% sure that he's there."
"Let's hope so."
Line Break
It was only a ten minute walk until they reached the barn but it felt a lot longer. To all of them. It was ten minutes of awkward silence. They really didn't know what to say. All of them knew the danger of their actions but were willing to do this for their friend. But in Jerome's case, he was doing this for the girl he loved.
"What do we do know?" Joy asked in a whisper as they ducked behind some bushes.
"We need to wait and see if anyone comes in or out." His eyes darted around the area. "Just stay hidden."
"But… why can't we just bust into their?" Eddie whispered. "I mean, there's no car or anything."
Jerome though for a moment. Was it worth the risk? Granted, Rufus usually had a black jeep but anything could happen, they had to be careful.
"Ok, fine." He decided. "But someone needs to stay here, as a lookout."
"I will." Joy volunteered. "Just… be careful, alright."
Jerome and Eddie made their way, slowly, to the red door. They had to be absolutely silent. If Rufus was in there, he would definitely hear them.
Jerome crouched down, once at the door, since there was a little hole at the bottom. He peeked through, but it was too small to see anything. They would have to go inside. As he got up, Eddie pushed the door open slightly. Seeing nothing, they stepped inside.
It was a dusty place, lots of storage and things that no one would really need. A few footsteps in, Eddie tapped Jerome on the shoulder, gesturing next to them. Following his hand, he looked to the floor where an old tray lay. It was empty, except for some stale bread and an apple core. A small glass cup was next to it, drained of the water, which evidently had filled it before.
Jerome's eyes widened in shock. He had been right, Mara had probably been fed that earlier. They carried on, turning the corner into the bigger area.
But, unfortunately, that was as far as they could get. Jerome spotted a man, obviously Rufus, turned around, just a few feet away from them.
He pushed Eddie back around the corner, holding him up against the wall and putting a finger to his lips. He mouthed the words 'He's here' and Eddie immediately paled. Signaling for Eddie to stay there, he poked his head back around the corner.
Rufus was looking through some old boxes, making small sounds of frustration every now and then. Jerome's eyes traveled further down until he found what he was looking for. Mara lay on the floor, a quilted blanket on top of her. He sucked in his breath and held it, scared he was going to be heard. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She looked so different. Her usually glowing face, was now sunken and pale.
He moved back, telling Eddie hat Mara was there. As expected, his eyes widened and he moved forward, wanting to see her. But Jerome pushed him back, once again putting a finger to his lips.
Poking his head round again, he was surprised when he couldn't see Rufus anymore. He was about to go back to Eddie when he felt something very hard come into contact with his head. The last thing he saw, Rufus' smirk and his glare, looming over him.
I know the chapters are a bit short lately, but I'm just trying to get them up quicker. Hope you enjoyed and, please, REVIEW! :)