The boy was back in the back of a car, which gently coasted down a long
road. David was sat to his left again, watching the boy with narrowed
untrusting eyes from behind dark glasses, whilst Cole drove; they all sat
in silence.
The boy was wearing dark shades as well whilst he stared pensively out of the window. The sun was high above shining down like a white hot ball of lava, bathing the world in blinding warm light. Other cars slipped past on the other side of the road, with the sunlight bouncing off the metal and glass and hitting the boys shaded eyes.
Above a plane roared past, flying low and humming loudly as it slowly and forcedly flew above the road and the lined up cars. The boy glanced up to watch the massive metal beast soar across the sky above them, squinting as it seemed to disappear into the sun a moment before appearing again, then disappearing above the other side of the car and over the tall intimidating buildings.
Earlier that morning they were all back in that white room again, the men in suits talking and talking whilst the boy sat in silence, staring at them with those dark eyes and his face expressionless. The men had shown and read some documents out loud to him and also showed him some newspaper cuttings and news footage, giving him more information and updating him on the situation.
They stopped at some traffic lights for a moment waiting for children and their parents to cross over. The boy looked up watching parents holding their children's hands protectively as they crossed the road. A boy rode a bike, meandering through the people to hurry across the road and disappear down another street.
The car stirred to life again and they turned around a corner, slipping into a shadowed dirty street, where people walked across dirty rubbished paths and broken glass littered the ground. They kept going down that road before turning down an even lonelier narrower road, seemingly more overshadowed.
The car slowed down as it emerged from the end of the road, sliding and grating against gravelled road until it stopped in a space in front of a small shoddy excuse of a building, which was surrounded with yellow police tape.
The suited men opened their doors and clambered out of the car first, then stood and waited patiently for the boy to step out of the car also. He slowly emerged in one fluent movement from the car, turning and squinting behind the shades he was wearing when the hot sunlight touched his face. He stepped backwards and slammed the door before turning to face the building.
"This is the place" David stated, gesturing with a hand to the building, "we'll show you where"-
"I'm going in alone" the boy cut in in his low turn and slowly turned his head to fix his disturbing gaze on the man.
"No you're not" Cole laughed and made a noise of disbelief and annoyance, "you think"-
"Alone. Be back within 10 minutes" Cole quickly cut in raising a hand facing David telling him to stop.
The boy glanced at them both before he walked off, boots barely touching the gravel or making it crunch as he approached the building, his long leather coat billowing slightly behind himself.
David glared at Cole before folding his arms and shaking his head annoyed as he leant against the car.
The boy ducked under the yellow tape and through the slightly open front door, emerging into the dark dirty hallway of the house. He stood still a moment and simply listened and looked around, sniffing slightly before starting to slowly walk down the hallway. A rat scuttled through the kitchen unnoticed.
He immediately headed to the last room on the left of the hallway, where the broken door hung by its hinge, threatening to fall off. The boy stepped into the room and stood still, glancing around the small bathroom.
Dirty white cracked tiles on the walls and floor, the space was tiny because of where the bath and everything else was positioned. He sniffed again and turned to face the bath.
Slowly he leant forward and reached with a single finger, running it along the edge of the bath, leading up to the tiled wall. He then ran his finger up along the cracks between the edges of the wiped over tiles before standing up straight again looking at his finger. Glancing down at the tiled floor briefly he stepped to the side and looked at his finger again then shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Glancing upwards to the side he noted the tiny dusty window that was shut, and allowed in a small square beam of sunlight into the room, which rested on the head of bath in mute movement.
Seemingly making his opinion or mind up, he turned and walked out of the room, back down the narrow hallway to the outside world again. He winced slightly from the harsh contrast of the sunlight outside again to how the light had been in the house. He spotted the suited men stand up straight turning to face him as he walked across the gravelled ground towards them.
Before the suited men could open their mouths to ask the boy nodded and ran his tongue alone his teeth before sucking in his lower lip a moment, "You were right - about some things" he stated lowering his head slightly whilst looking at them still before heading to the back of the car.
The suited men exchanged glanced again before turning and going back to the car as well.
"So" the boy asked glancing out of the dark windows which shaded the bright world outside, "Where now?" he asked, standing there like a silhouette.
"High school" Cole replied. The boy turned fixing his dark questioning gaze on the man whilst his pout slipped that little bit more.
The boy was wearing dark shades as well whilst he stared pensively out of the window. The sun was high above shining down like a white hot ball of lava, bathing the world in blinding warm light. Other cars slipped past on the other side of the road, with the sunlight bouncing off the metal and glass and hitting the boys shaded eyes.
Above a plane roared past, flying low and humming loudly as it slowly and forcedly flew above the road and the lined up cars. The boy glanced up to watch the massive metal beast soar across the sky above them, squinting as it seemed to disappear into the sun a moment before appearing again, then disappearing above the other side of the car and over the tall intimidating buildings.
Earlier that morning they were all back in that white room again, the men in suits talking and talking whilst the boy sat in silence, staring at them with those dark eyes and his face expressionless. The men had shown and read some documents out loud to him and also showed him some newspaper cuttings and news footage, giving him more information and updating him on the situation.
They stopped at some traffic lights for a moment waiting for children and their parents to cross over. The boy looked up watching parents holding their children's hands protectively as they crossed the road. A boy rode a bike, meandering through the people to hurry across the road and disappear down another street.
The car stirred to life again and they turned around a corner, slipping into a shadowed dirty street, where people walked across dirty rubbished paths and broken glass littered the ground. They kept going down that road before turning down an even lonelier narrower road, seemingly more overshadowed.
The car slowed down as it emerged from the end of the road, sliding and grating against gravelled road until it stopped in a space in front of a small shoddy excuse of a building, which was surrounded with yellow police tape.
The suited men opened their doors and clambered out of the car first, then stood and waited patiently for the boy to step out of the car also. He slowly emerged in one fluent movement from the car, turning and squinting behind the shades he was wearing when the hot sunlight touched his face. He stepped backwards and slammed the door before turning to face the building.
"This is the place" David stated, gesturing with a hand to the building, "we'll show you where"-
"I'm going in alone" the boy cut in in his low turn and slowly turned his head to fix his disturbing gaze on the man.
"No you're not" Cole laughed and made a noise of disbelief and annoyance, "you think"-
"Alone. Be back within 10 minutes" Cole quickly cut in raising a hand facing David telling him to stop.
The boy glanced at them both before he walked off, boots barely touching the gravel or making it crunch as he approached the building, his long leather coat billowing slightly behind himself.
David glared at Cole before folding his arms and shaking his head annoyed as he leant against the car.
The boy ducked under the yellow tape and through the slightly open front door, emerging into the dark dirty hallway of the house. He stood still a moment and simply listened and looked around, sniffing slightly before starting to slowly walk down the hallway. A rat scuttled through the kitchen unnoticed.
He immediately headed to the last room on the left of the hallway, where the broken door hung by its hinge, threatening to fall off. The boy stepped into the room and stood still, glancing around the small bathroom.
Dirty white cracked tiles on the walls and floor, the space was tiny because of where the bath and everything else was positioned. He sniffed again and turned to face the bath.
Slowly he leant forward and reached with a single finger, running it along the edge of the bath, leading up to the tiled wall. He then ran his finger up along the cracks between the edges of the wiped over tiles before standing up straight again looking at his finger. Glancing down at the tiled floor briefly he stepped to the side and looked at his finger again then shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Glancing upwards to the side he noted the tiny dusty window that was shut, and allowed in a small square beam of sunlight into the room, which rested on the head of bath in mute movement.
Seemingly making his opinion or mind up, he turned and walked out of the room, back down the narrow hallway to the outside world again. He winced slightly from the harsh contrast of the sunlight outside again to how the light had been in the house. He spotted the suited men stand up straight turning to face him as he walked across the gravelled ground towards them.
Before the suited men could open their mouths to ask the boy nodded and ran his tongue alone his teeth before sucking in his lower lip a moment, "You were right - about some things" he stated lowering his head slightly whilst looking at them still before heading to the back of the car.
The suited men exchanged glanced again before turning and going back to the car as well.
"So" the boy asked glancing out of the dark windows which shaded the bright world outside, "Where now?" he asked, standing there like a silhouette.
"High school" Cole replied. The boy turned fixing his dark questioning gaze on the man whilst his pout slipped that little bit more.