Chapter Four
‘Keep running.’ She panted behind me.
Spotting the men at the station, we managed to sneak out before they saw us. It had been a month since we had moved. We knew that Mother would send someone to try and find us. So far we hadn’t seen anyone. Until now. They wore suits and talked into their phones as they looked around them. I had recognised one. That had been enough to make me grab Cancer and get out of the station.
We were running on the concrete path alongside the river Thames, hoping we didn’t look too conspicuous. There wasn’t a lot of people around during the middle of day. Most of them were still at work. It was cold. My breath huffed out in a puff of white mist as I tried to get more air into my lungs.
‘I think they saw us. A car just skidded over there,’ Cancer called.
I looked but couldn’t see anything as my hair swept into my face. I pushed past a tourist group, apologising when I pushed into one of them.
‘Pisces, jump in!’ Cancer called.
I spun to see Cancer pointing down to the river. I nodded as her body changed and she turned into liquid. The shower of water hit the ground. I turned to where she had been standing. Wishing I was fitter, I grabbed the green railing and lifted my leg over it. A shout from behind made me look back briefly. I recognised the man’s face as he ran towards me but I didn’t have time to place him. Had he been one of our bodyguards when we were younger? He didn’t look old enough.
Jumping into the river, I thanked the universe that it was high tide. The iciness enveloped me as my mouth flew open. I inhaled deeply. Somehow the water flowed into my body but it didn’t kill me.
My breathing underwater ability had come to light when I was a toddler. Mother had left me in the bath on my own and I had gone under for a long time without dying. Taking water into my lungs had been instinctual, and although the memory was a blur, I would never forget that first time.
My body started to float to the surface of the river. I put my hands in front of me and pushed through the water. The water was so murky, I struggled to see where I was going. My long coat pulled me down, which actually helped, as it concealed me. My bracelet caught my eye as I pushed my hands forward. I breathed in deeply and felt the water enter my lungs. I didn’t know how I survived but apparently I could. The silver of my Pisces charm sent a bolt of annoyance through me. I hated being tied to my mission.
After swimming for a while, I allowed myself to float upwards. Water poured from my mouth and nose when my head broke the surface. I was on a quiet part of the river. I pulled myself out and sat shivering for a moment.
‘Are you okay?’ Cancer asked from behind me.
She had a weird way of knowing where someone was. I nodded. She looked dry, not soaking wet like I was.
‘How did you get here?’
She grinned and pointed at my boots. ‘I attached myself to your feet.’
Shaking my head, I got up and wrung out my brown hair. The length of it was heavy when it was wet. I let go and it fell to my waist.
‘We need to get you out of those clothes,’ she said, taking the arm of my coat.
‘Are you okay?’ The voice was deep and sent chills up my spine. The man that approached was tall and slim with dark shaved hair. My skin flushed when he looked at me and smiled.
‘I’m fine. I just fancied a swim.’ I glanced down at my hands when his gaze met mine.
His eyes twinkled. ‘Well, that’s commendable. Although, a bit crazy too,’ he said.
Taking off his coat, he wrapped it around me. I shivered even more when his hands brushed my shoulders.
‘Pisces, we need to go.’ Cancer stepped in front of me and grinned up at the man.
I was tempted to push her out of the way. It would only make her worse. She loved men and they loved her.
‘Pisces, that’s a rare name,’ he said, ignoring my sister.
The man seemed to be focused on me. That was unusual. They usually spoke to Cancer, or Sagi. I was far too quiet for them to take notice.
‘It’s pretty,’ he added when I didn’t say anything.
Cancer grabbed my arm and started to pull me away.
‘Wait. Where can I find you? So you can return my coat?’ he called.
I was usually shy but I felt strangely confident. Mother had told us to look for any signs when you are around a possible soulmate. This immediate surge of confidence was one of them. It was a pretty big sign. ‘Meet me in that coffee shop in an hour,’ I said, pointing to a nearby coffee house.
He nodded and smiled as I ran to catch up to Cancer. She had given up on me and legged it. My longer legs carried me to her quickly.
‘Why did you do that?’ I puffed when I reached her.
‘You’ve got to be careful,’ she said as she swiped her blonde fringe out of her eyes.
‘You can talk. You’ve spoken to loads of men since we moved.’
She laughed and I realised what the problem was. Cancer was actively looking for her twin flame and she hadn’t found him. I was just getting used to my own little piece of freedom, instead of being focused on the search and I had just met a good looking man.
‘He’s probably not the one,’ she said, grabbing my hand to stop me.
My muscles started to shake. It was the end of winter and I was still soaking wet.
‘You don’t know that. I think he may well be,’ I replied. There was a flutter in my chest but I couldn’t tell whether it was a good, or bad omen.
She looked to where I dripped all over the floor. ‘Be careful. You know how easy it is to get hooked in.’
I glanced back the way we had come but couldn’t see the mystery man. Why did I have to be careful? I didn’t want to be careful. I wanted to find love. Standing there, dripping in the freezing cold, wasn’t going to make that happen.
‘Let’s go.’ I hugged my friend awkwardly, laughing when she moaned and pushed me away.
‘You’re soaked! You’ll die of hypothermia before a bloke can sweep you off your feet.’
Going into a local shop, I managed to sneak into the changing rooms without being seen. Cancer brought me two dresses and a towel she had taken from the home department. I dried myself as best as I could before deciding on a dress. The assistant jumped when I came out but smiled when I did a twirl.
‘I’ve just met a man and I’m going on a quick date. Can I wear this now?’ I smiled sweetly as a look of excitement flashed over her face. She agreed so I gave Cancer the dress to buy, before I put it back on. Stuffing my wet clothes into a plastic shopping bag, we left the shop.
‘You’re really going to do this?’ Cancer asked.
We headed back to the coffee shop. I looked down at the man’s coat that I wore over my dress. I smiled a secret smile, although Cancer knew me well enough to know what I was thinking.
‘You’re going to make it impossible for him not to see you again because of the coat. You could’ve bought one but you didn’t.’ She shook her head. ‘You’re as bad as me!’
Laughing, I handed her the bag of wet clothes. She rolled her eyes before she muttered a goodbye and left for home.
I felt daunted as I walked in. At first I couldn’t see him, but when he stood and waved at me, I made my way over to him.
He stood up as I approached. ‘Glad you came back, I’m Will. Nice dress,’ he said, smiling.
Glancing over at the waitress, I froze when I caught sight of another man that sat in the corner. Will gestured for me to sit. I lowered myself into the chair, my back straight against the rigid wood. I had no idea who the other man was sitting in the corner. I was sure it was the same one who had seen me on the other side of the river, the one Cancer and I were running from.
‘So, what made you jump into—?’
‘I told you,’ I interrupted, in case anyone could hear. ‘I’m a bit weird.’
He smiled as he sipped the hot drink he held in his hand. The waitress came over and I ordered a hot chocolate. My eye caught the other man
but he looked away.
‘I always like to help a damsel in distress,’ Will said, resting his arms on the table.
‘And do you have a lot of damsels in your life?’ I didn’t know what made me ask about the women in his life. I felt a flush of heat as my cheeks warmed. He laughed. I sat back in my chair. What was wrong with me? Why was I worried whether he was the type of man to pick up a lot of women?
‘I’ve rescued my fair share of damsels, yes.’
I had to be frowning because he started to squirm. Mentally shaking myself, I put on my best smile. It was the small talk again. Hard for me but part of the whole process.
‘Do you want to get out of here?’ I whispered.
His eyebrows rose. I quickly realised what I must have sounded like.
‘No. I meant for a walk, or something,’ I said backtracking.
He grinned and nodded, although I doubted he believed me. When we left I caught the other man watching me. He was probably a spy for Mother. I never imagined that we would need to worry about our own parents.
Mother warned us about the Dysfuntionals, they may appear anywhere at anytime, but now it seemed we running from our parents’ spies as well. How had we all of a sudden become enemies with the parents that had raised us?
‘Where does your name come from, Pisces?’
We walked along the Thames once more. I glanced up at him as he asked the awkward question. He was clean cut and wore a smart suit. He must’ve been cold but he didn’t show it. I snuggled into his coat. He grinned when he noticed.
‘I have an eccentric family. All of the children are named after the Zodiac signs.’
I was comfortable with him for some reason and wanted to tell him about us. I couldn’t give too much away but it was nice to be open and honest about who I was.
‘That’s certainly different,’ he said as we stopped and looked out over the water.
Was he the one? If I kissed him, I might be able to tell. I tucked my arm in his and looked into his eyes. I smiled gently as he leant towards me. His lips attacked mine in a slimy wet kiss. I wiped my mouth when he pulled away, cringing at the excess saliva he left behind.
‘You’re keen.’
‘S-sorry, I…’ Will stuttered.
I wanted to step away from him but remembered that I had to go with the flow. I had never been patient and literally had just met the man. If I was honest, I had no idea what I was doing.
‘Do you want to go back to my place? It’s not far from here,’ he said, licking my ear.
I froze, not quite sure what to do.
‘No, she doesn’t.’
The voice was one I didn’t recognise. Will pulled back. The man who was at the coffee shop was standing behind us. He was taller than the one who had just kissed me. He had brown hair cut in the normal British style. Short at the sides, and a little longer on top. He had handsome chiselled features.
‘Can I have your number?’ Will asked, taking a step away from me.
I typed my number into his phone, before he took his coat. With a smile he walked away leaving me standing there. Now what did I do? There was still something about this other man’s face that made me curious.
‘You don’t remember me, do you?’
A flashback hit me. He was the man I had met in the café just before we’d moved. My cheeks heated when I remembered that I had been in my pyjamas. His hair had grown out a bit but his blue eyes still pierced me.
‘Is that why you were following me?’ I felt small and stupid. I didn’t know how to act or what to do when it came to men. I was so inexperienced. I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to most people.
‘No, I was following you because I work for…’
I spun and jumped the wall. A rush of air pushed my dress up as I plunged back into the river. If it was the same man that had seen me go in the river earlier, he would know that I could swim well. As I let my body sink again, something heavy splashed next to me. A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled, dragging me to the surface.
‘I’m sorry, Pisces, but you need to come with me.’
Raising my fist, I punched him in the nose. He swore. It wasn’t enough. I tried to get him underwater but he was a lot stronger than I thought.
‘The more you fight, the harder it is,’ he said as he pulled me toward the wall.
My muscles were tired and my throat was sore. I had to keep swallowing to make the sting of tears go away.
‘I’m not a bad man,’ he grumbled as he pulled me to the ladder attached to the brick wall.
He pushed me to it but I refused to get on. He started to climb, dragging me with him. I swore and tried to hit his head. The water hindered me as I tried to wrench free but he wouldn’t let go. My wrist burned where he gripped me.
‘Just stop!’ he shouted.
‘Is everything okay down there?’ a man called from above.
I was about to scream.
‘I work for your father,’ the man hissed in my face. ‘I’m your new bodyguard.’
I faltered, giving him momentum to get his foot on another rung.
‘My girlfriend fell in. I’m trying to help her.’
I wanted to hit him again but instead I held the railings with my other hand and tried to get out of his grip. Another hand grabbed my arm and lifted me up.
‘Thank you.’ My captor shook hands with the older man.
‘Does she need an ambulance?’ he asked.
Could my father be looking out for me, instead of trying to kill me?
I wanted to tell the man that I was being kidnapped but something made me keep my mouth shut. If the police were called, it would bring attention to my family. I had been so stupid with the man I kissed. I should have gone straight home with Cancer the moment I realised we were being chased.
‘She’s my girlfriend and we’ve had a fight. She’s fine.’
I found myself nodding along as he hurried me away from the people who had gathered. My intuition was never wrong and something was telling me to go with him.
‘You need to let go,’ I hissed.
He laughed and I found myself looking up into his face. I hated him for forcing me to do what he wanted but it was impossible to look away.
‘Like I said, I work for your father. He wants to see you.’
Something inside me flipped. I felt different all of a sudden. Father had been gone for five years. A part of me wanted to see the man who had abandoned us. I had secretly wished he would come back and help us to escape from our mother. She had made us fear him but I wanted to see him face to face. I needed to find out why he had gone. Not knowing had almost killed me. It seemed that I would now have the opportunity to get my answer.