Disclaimer: See last chapter

~ Chapter Twenty Four ~

Sonny huddled up next to Gemma, trying to block out the freezing weather, ignoring their chattering teeth and shaking bodies. Gemma had been sick for the past few days since they got out of the place they called hell, she was pale and constantly shaking. Sonny knew she had to get the girl out of here but they had no money and begging wasn't working, she didn't know what to do.

There was no point in even talking to each other, they already knew what the other was thinking. She sighed and looked across the street as two large men walked towards them, Gemma closed her eyes and put her head on Sonny's shoulders. Sonny just stared at them, watching them as they looked at the two teenage girls, grinning at them.

She shook her head and finally looked away, hoping that they would get the hint and turn the other way. She wondered if she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep then they would leave them alone,

"Hey beautiful." She opened her eyes again and looked at them, shooting them a dirty look, she watched Gemma open her own eyes and shift uncomfortably, looking from Sonny to the men nervously. She could already see the tears in the girls eyes, she shook her head and gently squeezed her hand, telling her it was going to be alright.

They were right in front of them now, staring down at them, winking, grinning, moving a little closer. Sonny retreated further back into the wall they had been sitting against,

"Leave us alone."

"Come on, you both must be starving, just a quick something, anything you want." She watched them reach for their pockets, bringing out their wallets, filled with money. She shook her head,

"We don't do anything like that, sorry." She muttered, Gemma was shaking, Sonny thought again for a moment. Gemma didn't, Sonny did.

"Just one of you then, come on." She sighed and then looked across the road at their car,

"Fine then, but she comes and stays in the car, okay?" Gemma looked at Sonny wide eyed and shook her head,

"Don't do it Sonny, we don't need the money badly."

"We need that bus ticket, we ain't going to get it through this alone." She lifted up the small bowl that they had used for collecting money from begging.

"We need more money, we need $50 and then we can do, I promise you that I am going to be fine, I have done this before, remember?" She referred to all the times she would do whatever she could, whatever they wanted, just for some money. No, not money.. drugs. Everything had been about drugs, more drugs, always had to get more, forgetting all feelings, be someone else. Drugs. Drugs. Drugs.

Now it was about getting out of there, running away from the life she had once loved. Running as far as they could from that prison, they didn't belong there. Sonny knew she needed help but she had gotten that and now she should be home and Gemma never should have been there in the first place. Sonny knew she would have done the same as Gemma if that had happened to her, anyone else would have if they couldn't get help for it.

She shook her head and pulled herself out of her own thoughts, ignoring the urge to run away from the two men in front of her. She could feel Gemma's hand getting tighter, clammier in her hands. She can hear her breath quicken, keeping up pace with Sonny's own heartbeat.

Sonny didn't feel so cold anymore, shaking because of how nervous she feels now. She wants to cry out in fear but she gets up because she knows that Gemma won't be able to last much longer. They needed to get away where they could start to forget about all the bad things they have done and move on from everything. So many bad things..

Sonny pulled Gemma up with her and led her behind the two men, walking towards their car.

"You don't have to do this." Gemma whispered, Sonny nodded as tears ran down her pasty face.

"I am going to be fine."

"No you won't, when you did all of this before you were high or drunk, you didn't actually want to do anything like that. You never would have done it if you had been sober, just like you don't want to do it right now. You only feel like you have to do this Sonny but I promise you that you don't." Sonny shook her head and turned away from her, sighing when they got the car.

The two men opened their back door, Gemma got in with a worried look on her face, Sonny looked around for a moment before climbing into the car. She grabbed Gemma's hand, closing her eyes, ignoring the greed and lust in the two men's eyes in the mirror, she had to do it for Gemma, for herself... she needed to get out of there.

"Stop!" Sonny shook her head and saw a man running towards the car, she looked at Gemma, neither of them knowing who these men were. She could feel tears running down her face once she thought about what men could possibly want from two teenage girls, two desperate teenage girls, homeless and cold. She shrugged as one of the men looked at her, questioning her. Thinking it was all her fault.

She looked down at her shaking hands as one of the men outside opened her side of the car door, they looked from Gemma to Sonny, shaking their heads and grabbing Sonny's arm.

"Allison Munroe and Gemma Winters?" They both nodded, biting down on their lower lips,

"Step out of the car please." Sonny felt herself stop shaking when she heard the authority in their voices,

"We are taking you back." Sonny shook her head and pulled her hand back, Gemma started to plead with them but they both knew that they had already won this battle, they knew it wouldn't stop them from leaving her again. Nothing was going to stop them from running away again, nothing or no one.