The Runaways – Chapter 24
By MyNameIsCAL
-Nudge's POV-
I've never been to the city before. Although, we were in the car, driving through it. Well, okay, stuck in traffic. But still, it was an experience for me.
"I don't like cities," Iggy grumbled. "They're loud and obnoxious and filled with people who are even more loud and obnoxious."
"But I heard they have good food," I replied.
"Well, I guess that's true. But I can make you better food." He let out a sigh. "We can't exactly walk around the city, so what's the point of going to Los Angeles?"
Fang let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, Ig. Just to try to change things up. We'll probably just pass through or something, head somewhere else like San Francisco and then maybe we'll head up towards Washington."
"There's nothing in Washington except rain," Gazzy commented.
"That's exactly why we'd go there," Max finished.
"Right," Gazzy shook his head. "Why didn't we just stay in Idaho?"
Fang let out another breath, not answering this time. He turned up the radio, letting the reporter's voice fill the car. Police had found the fake park rangers, taking them in for questioning. According to the FBI, they had connections with Gazzy and Angel's parents, who were still sending threats to the FBI every day. It had been a while since we listened to the news, but it sounded like not much had changed.
"We can't run forever," I whispered to Iggy.
He frowned. "No, we can't. We're not bullet proof either, but we'll run until we can find a way to get help."
"Why haven't we just gone to the FBI already?"
"Because unlike us, Max still has family. And Gazzy and Angel's parents threatened to go after them if we seek help," Iggy said quietly.
"They're not my parents anymore," Gazzy grunted from behind us.
Iggy sighed. "And we at least owe her to try to keep her family out of harm's way."
"Oh, of course." Well, there was no arguing that. Max didn't even have to be here with us. And then another thought hit me. "When this is over, if the FBI can really save us, then what will happen to us? They'll shove us into foster homes…we don't have family."
He put his arm around me, a troubled look on his face. "We'll find a way to stick together, I promise."
-Gazzy's POV-
I always felt like Angel had been stronger than me, smarter too. Not that I'd ever admit that, well, I probably would, eventually. We were lucky that we weren't the kind of siblings that hated each other's guts.
It was hard to believe that we were in Los Angeles, the guy who I had pegged as a creep helping us, and I had finally come to the realization that he was just as human as any of were. What happened with my parents, and to Iggy's parents, and Nudge was tied to us somehow, I couldn't figure out what compelled him to help us. I knew Max was here for him, but I also knew she cared about us too, not just about him. The way she talked to us, the way she treated us, it almost made me wish she had been my mom, well, okay, she's not that old, but she can keep us in line.
This seemed like the worst situation anyone could be in. I mean, our parents wanted to sell us, they killed my best friend's parents, and now they were going to kill anyone who got in the way of them getting my sister and me. That was cruel. It made the world seem cruel, but as young as Angel was, she told me that there were worst things. We could be dead. And if she was going to be strong about this, as her big brother, I had to be too.
"What if I hadn't ever believed you?" I asked her.
Angel just shrugged. "Well, then, I wouldn't have known what to do. Maybe I would have begged Iggy to believe me. Or I could have given up."
"I'm sorry I doubted you."
She frowned. "You believed me eventually. What's to be sorry about?"
"I don't know."
Angel closed her eyes, leaning against me. "Either way, we would have gone together."
Well, she couldn't be certain about that, but I closed my eyes too, hoping we'd find a place to stop to stretch.
-Max's POV-
We found some abandoned parking garage inside the city. Fang drove to the top and now I sat on the hood of the car with him, watching traffic go by on the interstate. The others were sitting around, taking in our opportunity to be outside, even if city air wasn't the cleanest.
"I actually really hate the city," Fang commented, leaning back.
"Why's that?" I asked, falling into place next to him.
He gave me this half smile, explaining. "I've always felt like I was running out of time because of all the terrible things I've done. The city, well, we lived pretty closed to it back in Arizona, and it gives that kind of feeling of living fast and forgetting life. I never really had the chance to grow up as I pleased, I just had to because I had to cope with my mother's lifestyle."
Fang let out a breath, staring up at the sky, and I looked up too, the stars gone behind the smog of the city. In a way, it was depressing, but it reminded me of home, where the nights were hit or miss about seeing much of anything. Travel farther from the city, and you might be able to see a stretch of the Milky Way.
"I'll tell you what," Fang said, taking my hand. "If we're still together in ten years, or when we're old enough to get married, if we're ready, we gotta away from all of this and find somewhere peaceful so I can forget about all the bad things I've been through."
"That sounds like a plan," I said, smiling.
He gave me an amused look, pulling me closer. "I'm really no good for you, Max."
"No, you're the best thing that's came along since my mom divorced Jeb."
Fang let out a laugh, leaning down towards me. "Of course."
And then he kissed me, deep and slow, the noise fading away, like we had somehow managed to find peace in this city of noise.
Thanks for reading! New chapter will be up around next week most likely. I've got a lot going on. If you're interested in knowing when a new chapter is going to come around, check out my tumblr fanfiction website on my profile!