Thank you for the reviews! This chapter is a flashback of what happened whilst she went missing. I have tried to keep to the scale of time but somethings may be around the wrong way, so forgive me for that. I hope you like it because I know some of you have been waiting for the secret!
Carla had been running from place to place, she was cautious of everyone and paranoid that everyone was against her.
One day she was walking along a popular road in town. She was getting all sorts of looks in her direction. She was not physically in the best state as well as mentally.
She needed somewhere to hide from people but she had no means of getting anywhere.
It was too close when Peter and Johnny came looking for her. She had seen them and heard their voices, which meant she had to leave. She needed somewhere and she needed somewhere quick.
Whilst walking with her head down, so she wasn't caught, she bumped into a familiar presence.
"Carla"
Frozen in the spot, she was stuck. He had seen her, was he going to tell anyone where she was. She thought about running, but he was directly in front of her.
"Carla it's me"
She still didn't move. She was thinking about how to escape.
"I can help you"
"NO" she shouted and made a run for it down the road. Although she was fast, he was faster. His daily runs made him so. He caught up to her, again standing in front of her so she couldn't move.
"Come on Carla, you must be hungry" he pointed to a cafe "let's have something to eat, then I will leave you alone"
Carla thought about it, would he trick her and tell them where they were. She really didn't want them to find her.
"No one can know"
"I will tell no one" he promised, pointing in the direction of a nearby cafe.
So they walked side by side to the cafe. The bell of the door made Carla jump when he opened it for her. She was so afraid of everyone, she would catiously look around to check everyone. They took a seat in the corner of the cafe, away from the other customers, to keep Carla calm.
"What would you like to eat?" he asked but received no answer "Well I am going to order a bacon sandwich, would you like the same?" Knowing that is what she liked to eat.
A slow nod came from a still hooded Carla, who would still not look at him directly.
"Is there a camera in here?" she asked, looking around the cafe "They know I am bad"
"No, I don't think so" he said, joining her gaze around the cafe.
"Do you have one, they can't know I am here" she looked him up and down, trying to notice any signs of a camera.
"No I haven't got one" he knew she was paranoid but this was something else "Brain injury, the metal of a camera messes with my brain, you won't find one on me"
She looked up, for the first time, she looked at him. She believed the metal story. He smiled at her. Carla then relaxed, just a small amount but it was enough to stop her gazing around.
It was the first time someone had smiled at her in a while, giving her a warm feeling inside.
"I have nowhere to go, where there are no cameras" Carla told him "Since you hate them too, where do you go?"
He looked at the women he used to know. Unsure of his next move but he just knew he needed to keep her safe. He was sure there was something wrong with her, she was but a shell of her former self.
A woman approached the table with their order "here you go" she said as she placed them down.
"Thank you very much" he said, pushing Carla's plate towards her.
"Is it safe to eat?" she asked, again gazing around the cafe.
"Yes" he promised. For some reason Carla trusted him. She began to eat the sandwich, slowly at first but once she knew it was ok she finished it in record time.
"Carla, where are you staying?"
"I am between places right now"
"I can help you"
"Can you find me somewhere with no cameras?" she asked.
"My flat has no cameras"
"NO" she demanded "To close"
He thought about where he could put her so she felt safe. He couldn't lie to everyone she knows but if it kept her safe then it was better that way. Surely?
"I know a place, but you have to trust me Carla"
"As long as no one knows where I am and there are no cameras then I can try"
He nodded. He knew what he needed to do.
"Carla, let me make a phone call and then we can go to this place"
"No one must know"
"I know, I am calling the place"
"Ok" she said, looking down again.
He needed to get something sorted and fast. He googled hotels on his phone that were close enough to where they were but also to the street. He hadn't decided whether to tell her family or not yet.
After five minutes he returned to the table, where remarkably Carla was still sat at. She would normally have done a runner but she knew she needed help, currently with nowhere to live she was vulnerable to the people finding her and she couldn't have that.
He returned to the table but didn't sit down "Ok, lets go" he said, placing some money on the table.
He took her to the hotel he had picked. He had phoned and explained the situation, the best he could without them looking at him as some sort of pimp.
They made it into the hotel slowly. Carla had to look around and work out who was working here and who might be a threat to her. He made her feel safer then she had done in a while. He sat her down on a chair and went to check her in. He told the receptionist that she would be here for the foreseeable and that he was paying.
The receptionist looked a bit confused. So he explained that she was his friend and needed somewhere to stay. She was hesitant but believed his story. Although it was the truth, he was her friend and wanted to help her.
"Carla, I will take you to your room now" he told her on approach, she flinched but followed him.
The pair travelled in the lift up to the second floor, where she was going to be staying. He opened the door and gave her a key.
Carla ran in and shut the curtains immediately. She turned all the appliances around so nothing was looking at her. She then removed her hood.
"Thank you" she said to him with a small smile.
"You are more than welcome Carla, I want you to feel safe"
"I do with you, you have shown me I can trust you"
"I will let you settle in and I will be back tomorrow, with some things for you"
"Thanks Nick" she said, smiling at him.
There are more flashbacks but I thought I would spread them across the story or would you like them all in one, let me know!