Chapter 16

I was up so I walked outside, not really caring where I went. I had just gotten a lot of money so I didn't need to work right now. I had thought about waking Quatre up but decided against even telling him about what had happened. In the short time I had known him I had learned that he cared a lot about other's feelings. I thought it best not to worry him. I know it's stupid that I procrastinated since I could right then, but I just didn't feel like stealing. I had a lot on my mind and I wasn't thinking very clearly. It was hard to focus on anything, let alone use the skills it takes to steal without being caught. My head was just a little too full right now and I wanted some time to sort everything out.

I was walking not paying attention where I was going and thinking when I suddenly realized I wasn't walking anymore. I glanced up to see where I was and noticed my feet had taken me directly to the richer part of town. Something in the back of my mind was nagging at me that I had forgotten something about here but I was just a little too preoccupied right then. I leaned against my normal spot on the wall to watch people go by unconsciously picking out people to steal from. I sighted a woman who was just too good to pass up as she walked by with her purse wide open. I started walking towards her already in stealth mode. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder I turned around in shocked surprise and then glared as the thing that had been nagging me was in front of my face.

"What do you want?" I spat at the boy who had caught me robbing.

"Are you ready to start contemplating the idea of escaping yet?" The boy asked. I let out a sharp laugh.

"Escape? It's impossible for me too escape I'm already hooked." I said cynically. The boy stared at me.

"You didn't take more of that drug did you?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, you wanted me to stop." I said non-humorously. "Well, sorry but I forgot to tell you David added a drug to the one I normally took, it gives me more time but causes more pain."

"More time? Even better." He said. His optimistic attitude was starting to get on my nerves as well as his superfluous words.

"What do you mean?" I asked, tired of his little games.

"More time gives you more freedom. When you are ready to stop him it will be easier." He explained.

"What makes you so sure I want to escape?" I asked him. He acted like such a know-it-all.

"You mean you don't?" He asked me for once he seemed surprised. I hesitated. I still couldn't lie. "You mean you like being overly dependant on a person?" That struck home.

"No!" I shouted then I lowered my voice. "Maybe I would like to escape but that's beside the point. He's got me hooked. I can't get away." I said sadly. The boy looked at me with pity in his eyes. If I hadn't known that no one truly could, I might have thought that he actually cared.

"But there is. You have to believe me, there really is." He said. He said it with such surety that I actually felt a glimmer of hope spark. "It's all up to you though, do you truly want to escape at all costs?" He asked in complete seriousness. I thought about this for a second.

"Yes." I said simply.

"If you do then you are going to have to trust me with a little more information." He said slowly.

"Trust you?" I was a little taken aback. Trust was a weakness that I didn't need. "Trust you, I don't even know what your name is."

"It's Heero Yuy." He said immediately. I stared.

"My name's Duo Maxwell." I said.

"That's a start, one other question, do you know anyone else who would want to escape?" He asked. I paused my mind had immediately jumped to Quatre. I had learned that he didn't like stealing either.

"I don't know many other people but I met a boy my age who would want escape too, his name is Quatre." I said. He looked to be storing the information for later use and then looked up at me again.

"OK, Duo, now that I know you truly want out I will get a few other details worked out and then meet up with you again but I have to go now. Until we meet again, have faith." He said and then turned and left. To my surprise I found that I didn't want him to leave. I found that I actually felt safe and comforted for the first time since Sister Helena had died. I snapped myself back to reality. He couldn't possibly have meant there was a way to escape and be OK. That wasn't possible. Was it?