Forty One

Josh's POV

Jessie and I were sat around the fire with the rest of the runaways. It was a bleak derelict building but home to so many people. Charlie was sat with his head resting in Jessie's lap. Charlie was the same age as me and Jessie. Lily was eighteen and Mariella had been sixteen. There was another Lily in the house with her little sister Holly, a young boy called Zach and an older girl called Jade. There were six of them and they all seemed like really good friends.

"Lily. What happened?" Jessie asked quietly. Charlie was crying silently on her lap and Jessie was struggling to hold herself together.

Lily looked haunted and the rest of the runaways just looked upset. "A man came. It was Mari, myself and Holly here alone. The rest were out looking for food. Mariella was on lookout. We never heard him enter. But we heard the gunshot. I went to run to Mariella's aid but Holly grabbed me and stopped me. We hid. I tried to get away from the hiding place until Holly whispered something to me."

Holly looked across the fire at Jessie and I. "I told her that if she got killed as well who would look after Charlie. That stopped her. Her concern for the rest of her family."

Lily nodded. "We stayed hidden as the man came into the back room. He was black and I think of African descent. Holly had sensibly grabbed everyone's belongings and brought them into our hiding place so they wouldn't get stolen. He walked right past our hiding place and went into the filing cabinet. He then pulled out a bag of cocaine and a gun. He left straight after and after making sure he was gone, Holly and I left our hiding place. I ran to Mariella but she'd been shot and was completely dead. By the time Lily, Jade, Zach and Charlie had returned I'd managed to move her body and clear up the blood but Charlie wanted to see her." As Lily finished Charlie started crying even more uncontrollably. Jessie pulled her cousin upright and hugged him tight.

"It will be alright Charlie. We'll sort everything out," Jessie told him quietly.

"it's not that," Charlie piped up, running his hand over his shaven head. "It was her body." Jessie looked nervous at that and we both turned back to Lily.

"it's easier to show you than explain," Lily said and she stood up. I stood up and started to follow her out. I noticed Jessie was warily watching us.

"Do I have to?" she asked. I nodded and she stood up slowly. She walked a few steps behind me. Lily stopped at a black tarpaulin.

"I'm going to give you warning it's not very pretty," Lily told us. Jessie grabbed my hand as Lily started pulling the tarpaulin off. I gasped at the sight of our beautiful blonde cousin. I felt Jessie's hand go limp and she dropped to the floor, fainted. I could see why Charlie would be scared, I felt as though I was about to throw up my lunch. Lily re-covered Mariella while I crouched down next to Jessie. Her eyelids flickered. She stirred.

"is she gone?" Jessie asked. I nodded and Jessie sighed as she sat up. "Lily you have to get rid of her," Jessie added. "it's not right or healthy."

Lily spun round and glared at Jessie. "How would you know? You don't have to live like this. In your posh house with your mum and your brother and acting all the innocence. You wouldn't know what it's like to have to protect your only remaining family member!" she shouted.

"Lily!" I shouted but she ploughed on.

"You are too privileged for your own good Jessie. You are the goody-two shoes. Lives in a perfect family and has a perfect life and wishes she'd never seen this," Lily continued shouting. Jessie started crying next to me.

"Lily! That's enough!" I commanded. She stopped and looked at me then at Jessie. "There's something you should know." I told her, leading Jessie back into the main room of the warehouse. We walked back in, Jessie still crying and Lily looking a little bit guilty.

"What have you done Lily?" Charlie asked looking at Jessie then at Lily. He stood up, grabbed Jessie and held her close next to him.

"I had a bit of a rant and lost it at Jessie and she just started crying," Lily explained slightly confused.

"yes," I said. "because you told her she didn't understand what you were going through."

"You don't though," Lily told me exasperated.

"We do," Jessie said quietly. "Lily we've been in care for the last month and a half." Lily's mouth gaped open.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"Mum abused Jessie. And she made me hurt Jessie. She threatened us. I had enough of it and phoned social services. We got taken away, mum's gone to prison and I spent a month in a Youth Offender's Institute for hurting her," I explained. At this Jessie pushed back her curtain of hair and Lily stared at her face.

"Oh my word. I never knew," Lily said.

"you wouldn't have. It's a recent thing," Jessie said. She looked around at all the other kids. "Why don't you come with us. Being in care isn't so bad. And they don't split up siblings," she added looking at Lily 2 and Holly and then Charlie and Lily. Everyone pulled a face at her. "No look. The rats will get here soon because of... well Mari. You're not going to want to live here then. Come with us. You're looked after. You're protected." I watched Jessie with admiration.

Holly tugged on her older sister's arm. "I want to go with them. They seem nice. We can have a home again," she said. Lily 2 looked at her sister and smiled.

"In that case we'll go Holly. If that's what you want," Lily 2 told her. Jade stood up.

"I'm going too," she said cheerfully, smiling a nice smile at us. Zach leapt up and wrapped his arm round her waist.

"Well if you are going then I'm going as well," he said and confirmed my suspicions that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Jessie turned to Charlie who nodded, just slightly to show he was going to come with us.

I turned to Lily. "Lils?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I can't leave Mari here. And I'm eighteen. I'll be out the care system and left in some crummy council house by myself. Me and Charlie. We'd be split. The age gap is too wide," Lily told me. Charlie looked nervous. Lily turned to her brother. "Go with them. They'll look after you. But don't ever come back here and don't look back when you leave." In that instance I guessed exactly what she was going to do. She had nothing left to live for. Her sister was dead and all she'd ever wanted was for Charlie to be looked after properly. She had that wish but knew she was never going to be able to get out of her situation. So was going to do the last thing she could and take her own life. I saw Jessie realise what she was about to do. Charlie must have realised too as he gave her an extra long hug goodbye. We led the runaways out the warehouse and started running down the street but we were too slow and heard the gun fire.

A/N: You lot are going to hate me. I'm sorry but as Lily said she's 18 and I couldn't do much else with her. I said it was going to be a happy ending, I didn't say for who. Charlie will get his, as will the other runaways. Indigo :)