Chapter 10
Louis's POV
Even in the morning hours we were distributing missing posters around busy popular New York areas.
I was currently putting up and handing out posters in Washington Square, and inside I was praying that she might be here.
After and hour of sticking up posters and asking around, she was not here, I sighed before heading back to my car and driving home.
Nadine's POV
Dean said he had a friend that could help us out, which is now where we are to.
The walk was about 20 minutes long, and we finally pulled up to 129 W 20th Street, and up to a big building that was 5 floors high.
"Ok Dean who is this 'friend' that is gonna help us?", I ask Dean, as we walk up to the door.
Dean presses the buzzer. "A guy that I have known a long time, he will help you out trust me", he says.
The door opened a minute later and revealed a man in his mid thirties, with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked nice since he wore a kind smile that in a way comforted you.
When he saw Dean he gave him a warm smile and a man hug, "Dean it's good to see you, what brings you here?". That's when he noticed us, "Hey there I'm Andrew but Andy for short and who might you two be?".
Dean piped in then. "Well Andy that's why we are here, this is Claire and Nadine", Dean said as he pointed us out. "And well we need your help, do you think we could come in and explain?", Dean asked.
"Sure the others are still asleep so it's not a mad house yet", Andy told us before he stepped aside to let us through.
What did he mean by others?
I soon found out that his place was the condo, and I will tell you it is some condo, me and Claire stood there gaping. Obviously Dean has been here before since he did not seem as fazed as we were. The place was very modern with white walls and wooden flooring.
We snapped out of our gloating, and followed Dean and Andrew to the living room, where we all sat down.
"So what seems to be the problem Dean?", Andrew asked looking at us.
"Well you know how you foster children, or help ones in need?", Dean answered him with a question.
"Yeah..?", Andrew replied rather confused as to where this conversation was going, and to be honest so was I.
"Well got room for two more?", he asked with hope in his voice.
"Dean what have you done now?", Andrew sighed and buried his head in his hands.
"Nothing…for once, look they need a place to stay just for a while till something's are sorted. And I knew you would be willing to help", Dean negotiated.
Andrew removed his hands and looked to Dean, "Dean I can't illegally take two into my care, you know that, I am sorry but I have to tell the cops someone will be looking for them". Andrew stood up from his place.
Before I could open my mouth Claire had started talking. "Please don't make us go back there, we don't belong there, we hate it, please, please I beg you don't make us go back please", Claire, begged as she sobbed, I pulled her into a hug, while whispering comforting words to her.
Claire's begging must have touched a place somewhere in Andrew since he said, "Fine but just for a little while, nothing more".
"Thanks Andy I owe you big time", Dean said to Andy with a smile.
"Yeah you do, but if anything goes wrong I am dragging your ass down with me", Andrew tried to say threateningly but his smile gave it away.
Andrew then turned to us. "So how old are you two?". Claire had calmed down now but still was a bit upset so I decided to do the talking.
"We're both 13", I replied.
"Right…so I bet you two are hungry, why don't I show you to your room get freshened up then come down for some breakfast". Andrew asked us with a warm smile. I looked to Dean and he gave us an encouraging smile.
We both nodded our heads. Andrew lead the way up the stairs and across the hall to the last door on the left. "Ok guys this will be your room, sorry about the designing it's not all girly". He opened the door for us and let us in.
"That's good we aren't girly girls anyway", he smiled and said "Well I will let you guys get comfortable then, oh and the bathroom is next door and towels are in the cupboard feel free to take any" and with that he closed the door and left.
After scoping the room it turns out it really was a tomboy room perfect for us, there were two beds one up the little stairs and one on the floor next to the desk and laptop. The walls were white and blue with a white wooden floor. All in all it was amazing and suited us down to the ground.
Me and Claire had a shower and changed into our favourite Parkour outfit. (the outfit on the site from chapter 5) Before heading down the stairs and into the living room. It was now around 8:30 AM.
"Hey nice to see you all freshened up", Andrew said to us from the kitchen where a lovely smell of toast was being toasted. "You guys hungry?", he asked as we sat down at the island.
We opened our mouths to answer but my stomach beat us to it. I looked down feeling a little embarrassed. Claire and Andrew just chuckled at me.
"I'll take that as a yes then", he smiled and handed us a plate of two pieces of toast with butter on. "Do you guys want any jam or?", he asked.
We both shook our heads and politely said "No thank you".
"Ok then well enjoy", he said we all sat down at the island silently eating. And well silent is not one of my favourite things so I started up a conversation.
"So what can of work do you do Andrew?", I asked after I finish a mouth full of toast.
"Please call me Andy and I am a Risk Manager", he replied and took another mouth full of toast.
"What's that?", Claire asked finally joining in, in the conversation.
"Well I monitor and control risks that could prevent our financial business from achieving their goals", he explained to us.
We both nodded our heads in reply, then I remember him saying it was a mad house.
"What did you mean before when you said it's a mad house?"
"Oh well I foster kids there are currently five others living here, three boys and two girls", he told us.
"Oh and what are there names?", I asked.
"Well the eldest is Ryan who is 17, Scott and Shane who are 16, and Emma and Macy who are also 16", he said, great we are the youngest again.
I took another bite and Claire asked "Is that them?", I looked in the direction she was looking at and saw a photo of Andrew and some other kids who looked around the age he was talking about.
"Yeah they have been with me between eight to ten months now". He said smiling at the picture, he must really love them.
"If you Don't mind me asking why were you limping before?", Claire asked out of the blue, since when was he limping? Well I was never looking, Claire was and is always the observant one out of us two.
"Ah well I used to do Parkour and Free running, I was 20 at the time and in the Free running Championships, I was doing great until one of the blocks fell and I caught my footing wrong, and smashed my patella on the ground. From then on I could not do Parkour or Free running again but I managed to get my job and eventually open my own gym for Parkour, Free running and later on for gymnastics", he told us with a sad look on his face. You could tell he missed doing Parkour and Free running a lot.
"Wow so even though you can't do it anymore you teach others?", I asked amazed.
"Yeah and I love it I teach the kids here, keeps them off the streets and gives them exercise", he smiled proudly.
"How do fit all this into a schedule", I asked curiously as to how he could do it all.
"Well since I am in the foster care program I am aloud to work from home but I go in on Fridays for fives hours, and I am at the gym Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and on the other days my assistant and helpers are there", he explained.
"So how did you end up here since you must be from Ireland with that accent?", Andrew asked us.
"Our original orphanage here in New York was burnt down so we moved to an orphanage they previously had in Ireland and stayed there until the new one was built then we moved back here about seven months ago", I explained, and ate the last bit of toast that was on my plate.
"Well that makes sense, so you two into Parkour and Free running then", Andrew asked nodding his head toward our clothes.
"Yeah we love it!", Claire exclaimed, "But Nadine's amazing she is the best at it and quickly picks up new tricks, even Dean said once it took him at least 3 months to get the hang of doing a back flip and it took Nadine four days to learn it and perfect it", Claire proclaimed to Andrew.
I looked at her confused, "Claire we just as good as each others I mean I have never seen anyone do a wallspin like you do", I clarified giving her a look that said 'never say I am better because it's not true' look.
"Don't give me that look Nadine Wilson", Claire threatened with a serious face, I had to look away since when Claire used the full name with a serious face it meant don't bother because I will win.
I heard Andrew chuckle at us, and I turned my head in his direction. "Oh you two will fit right in here", he carried on chuckling.
(Was going to stop here but since I have not updated in awhile I will extend this chapter)
We looked at him curiously but shrugged our shoulders and helped him clean up.
"Wow now that's what I call a grand piano", Claire stated with amazement. I looked to see where it was and I had to agree with her it was a black beauty.
"Yeah do you play Claire?", Andrew asked and he went over to the piano and leant his arm on the top.
"No but Nadine does", Claire said to him.
I looked down a bit embarrassed that they were looking to me now.
"Well do you want to play something Nadine?", Andrew asked kindly.
"I haven't played in a while I doubt I will be able to remember", I said trying to get out of it.
"Don't be silly you play amazing, you love the piano you used to play it nearly all day when we were little even Mrs. Frisk said you were a prodigy", Claire said, and pushed me to the piano and sat me down.
I nervously looked at it and bit my lip "Please Dee Dee", I heard Claire say, I looked up at her and saw she wore a puppy pout face, oh she knew I fell for the face and nickname together every time.
"Fine but just one song", I gave in. But then remembered "Won't I wake everyone up?", I asked.
"Yeah but it saves me a job of waking them up individually", he said with a smile.
"Ok which song Claire?", I asked her.
"Oh how about Me Against the World by Simple plan?", she suggested.
I nodded my head before putting my hands in place on the piano and started playing.
Half way through I heard doors open and close before feet walking down the stairs.
"Morning Andy", "Morning" they said quietly while I finished playing.
They gave a little clap and I blushed. I am never one for attention.
"Wow that was good", a girl with olive skin, light brown hair and brown eyes said.
"Thanks", I replied.
"I'm Emma", she told me, oh so she was Emma then the other girl must be-
"And I'm Macy", the other girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes said.
"I'm Ryan nice to meet you", the eldest one kindly said, he had brown hair and blue eyes.
"Hey I'm Scott", Scott happily introduced. He had black hair and brown eyes.
"And I'm Shane", Shane said, he had blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Guys this is Claire and Nadine", Andrew said pointing us out. We gave a small smile.
"They are gonna be staying with us for awhile, so be nice", he added.
"So I see both of you like Parkour and Free running", Emma stated rather than questioned.
"Yeah we love it", I replied.
"Then how about we go to the gym and check out what you can do?", Macy suggested, looking to Andrew to see if it was ok.
He nodded his head, "Sure I'll come with you".
After the others got dressed we walked to the gym and surprisingly it was closer than I thought, it was only on West 19th Street.
The building was 3 floors highs and on the outside it said 'Andy's Parkour and Gymnastics Gym'. It look quite nice on the outside but I was dying to know what was inside.
We all walked in through the reception area, and to the gym, and my God what a gym it is.
It was separated so one half had gymnastics and the other Parkour and Free running. There was no floors it was just a wide open area. With a parents area and Indoor Parkour themed training facility.
"Wow", I whispered in awe of the sight in front of me.
The others chuckled at me and Claire's faces, we must have look like a 5 year old on Christmas day.
A few people greeted Andrew and the kids when they noticed them.
"Well why don't we warm up and see what ya got", Emma said and started jogging around the gym we all followed then after started doing some simple stretches. Andrew had gone off to help some kids on the bars.
"Let's get started", Ryan told us and stared to do some neat Parkour tricks. Then we all started to join in, they made me do flips and spins and big jumps and passes, by the time we were finished I was exhausted. (Video on the site please go on it has an amazing video that would show you just what Nadine can do).
"Wow", Macy said looking at me shocked.
"What?", I asked not as sure why she was saying that.
"What? All you can say is what after you just did all that?…wow", she trailer off while shaking her.
"She is right Nadine I have never seen you as good as you were just then", Claire added while looking at me from where we sat on the seats.
"Well this time I didn't have to worry about safety or time, and I had fun real fun", I said to them, and giving them a genuinely happy smile that has I know has never been on my face before.
They smiled back and Claire was the biggest obviously knowing I meant it truly. Like I said she is the observant one.
"Hey guys have fun?", Andrew asked as he walked up to us.
"Yeah", we chorused while smiling at him.
"I can tell judging by the way you guys smell", he joked.
We laughed at his silliness, "Come on lets head back before you stink up the place", he told us while adding another little joke.
We followed him out and started to walk back to the Condo. "Hey Nadine, Claire was right you really are good. And if you ever want to learn or perfect any skills, please I will be there ok?", he asked kindly.
"Yeah and thanks", I said, before starting up a conversation with Emma about some Parkour skills.
(New pictures of Characters on site as well as the videos and pictures of Condo so please look if you are interested)
Thanks xx XD