Robin got an answer on the phone and said "Hi...yeah it's me, look I need a lift...me and someone else...ok...yep, the road north of here...ok, see you in 5." She put the phone down and turned to me "come on then, Alex. A two minute walk and then we're getting picked up." Robin looked down at my wound and cursed again, pressing down harder than I had been. We walked as fast as I could manage until we came to a road, where we stopped. I leant against a wall, bent double with the pain. A few minutes later a car drew up beside us and Robin went over to it and said "nice day, isn't it?"
"Can hardly say that when the sun's not out." Said the driver.
"The suns always out, you just need to know where to look for it." Replied Robin.
"The sun turns white at night. People call it the moon." Robin nodded at the driver's response and ushered me into the back of the car. "What was that all about?" I said, blood seeping between my fingers. "Security procedure," said Robin, pressing down on my stomach with such force I winced, she looked at me and said "you wanted my help. So if you want to live, you're going to have to suffer a little. We don't have the luxury that hospitals do round here. Far from it in fact."
We got out of the car at an elegant looking hotel. It stood out like a beacon amongst all the other dilapidated buildings. Robin lead the way and I followed on her heels, she turned sharply left and swiped a key in the lift for the doors to open. The metal doors parted with a hiss and we stepped inside. "Phew," said Robin as the lift began to slowly make its way up. "I'm glad nobody saw you, it would have raised a few awkward questions. "
"Why are we in a hotel?"
"Oh, it's not a hotel. They're apartments for...us." The lift juddered to a halt and the lights went off, leaving us in complete darkness. The black seemed to swell around me, it seemed to be breathing. The darkness seemed alive and it was ready to swallow me, ready to crush me. "Hold onto the bar next to you." Said Robin.
"Wha-"
"Do it!" I grabbed a metal bar firmly and held on, but my cut began to bleed more freely and my hot blood ran down my body and I heard it drip on the floor. "Robin reporting here with one passenger."
"Voice activation successful. The lift will now proceed." Said an electronic voice that seemed to speak from everywhere. I hoped it wasn't coming from inside my head. It was like the voice of the world. The voice of my fate. It felt as if I was losing consciousness but then the lights flashed back on, glaring harshly in my face. The lift jerked upwards suddenly and it felt as if I had left my stomach somewhere on the ground floor. I slammed into the metal back of the lift, just another shot of pain to add to my endless torture. The lift stopped and the doors hissed open, Robin helped me out. "Told you to hold on." She said in a 'what did I tell you' sort of voice.
We stood in the penthouse apartment, the huge windows looking out over London, millions of little lights, blinking on and off. My vision blurred and, if I wanted to, I could have imagined I was looking at a Christmas tree with dancing fairy lights. But I didn't want and I barely even noticed the trail of blood I was leaving on the pristine laminate floor. Robin lead me into the bathroom, which was really big compared to any other bathroom you've ever seen. It was the size of one of those showroom bathrooms that you see in shops, the ones that make you think 'I wish I had a bath that size.' The bath in there had a lid that could be pulled on top of it, so Robin told me to sit there and take my shirt off. I undid the buttons of my once white shirt, and tugged it off, not wanting to look at the crimson stain that had spread too far for my liking.
Robin got a cloth and gently wiped the blood away from the surrounding area, I watched her face and her eyes widened and she chewed her lip. "Can you...can you do anything?"
"Yes but," Robin busied herself with getting things out of the cupboard "Alex, can you promise me that you'll close your eyes while I do this?"
"Why?"
"Just...look, you're going to have to trust me. I'm going to help you but, I really don't want you to look."
"Alright."
"Even if it hurts, keep your eyes closed. Just trust me that I'm not doing anything bad."
I swallowed, this girl was the only chance I had, I had no choice but to trust her. "Ok, I'll trust you."
"Good. It's a clean cut, so you're lucky. You're not allergic to anything are you?"
"No, why?"
"Because of the creams and sprays and antiseptics. This is going to sting." Robin rubbed something onto my cut and I flinched. It got worse the longer it was there and I blinked back the tears. "Right, now you're going to have to close your eyes." I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, bracing myself for what was going to happen next. My cut was already sending jets of pain throughout my system, it was hard to believe it could get any worse.
It wasn't that bad. It hurt but what had been sharp, agonising pain turned into a dull ache. I think it was down to Robin really. I expected her hands to be clumsy and rough but quite the opposite. I barely felt her fingers on my skin as she did, whatever it is she was doing. She'd done this before. A lot of times. Do you remember, when you were younger, and you fell and cut your knee, and your mum would clean it and put cream on it and all that? Well, she'd do it with a firmness that was enough to be painful but Robin's touch was light and I barely felt a thing. I thought she wouldn't care about how much it hurt me, because all we'd done was made a deal that if she helped me then I'd help her. But she actually seemed to care about my feelings.
"I'm done now." Said Robin, "you can open your eyes." I looked down at my stomach and saw that Robin had given me stitches, I couldn't quite believe my eyes. It looked like the work of a professional. "It didn't hurt too much did it?" She asked.
"No," I said truthfully, "how did you...?"
"Oh, just basic first aid skills." She said, shrugging the question off. Her eyes scanned my bare chest, looking at all my scars "been in a lot of fights, haven't you?" she said.
"No, not fights. I'm just clumsy I guess. I do a lot of sports and I get hurt." From the way Robin looked at me, I don't think she believed my lie. Her eyes froze where the sniper had shot me. "Alex..." she said quietly "how did you get that scar?"
"Fell off my bike. Had to go into hospital, it was really bad." Her blue eyes fixed mine and she said in a level tone "You're a good liar, Alex. But not quite as good as me." She looked back at my scar and said "bike accident eh? Some accident." I held my breath but she didn't ask any more questions instead she said "I suppose you'll want a shower and...I think I can find some clean clothes for you." Robin left the room, leaving me sat there with my heart pounding and my mind racing. She knew what my scar was. She knew. But she hadn't said anything. Why? Robin had saved my life and she hadn't turned me in. But I owed her something and despite her hospitality, I was scared.