Anne. I'm back outside and the night air rushes past me like I'm being hit by something incredibly cold. As soon as I get accustomed to it, Christie is pushing me out the fire exit, dragging Cassie and Anton behind him. Anton looks murderous, and Cassie looks a little too happy to be sane. I'm slightly worried about all of us.
-Can we just run through what we're doing right now?
-We need to collect something from a guy.
-Collect what, from what kind of guy, Christie?
Anton says this, and I feel affection towards him for being the only straight-thinking person here. I'm not awake enough or involved enough to really be bothered with finding out what's going on.
-A thing, from a guy kind of guy. Don't ask questions, Anton, it bores me. We're going to get the sculpture-
-Thank you.
-Anton my love, let me bring your awareness to the distance you'd be falling if I were to push you over that rail, just for a second. Right. Good. So, the guy, then we're going to take it to another guy, and we're going to make sure the second guy gives us money. It's all very, very simple. And if you haven't got that by now, for god's sake stay here, but bring me someone who will replace you first. I need people to do things for me. Otherwise I can't emphasise enough that I'd have absolutely nothing to do with you.
-Christie. What are you going to ask us to do? What if we don't want to do it?
-Things, Cassie, just things. No, they won't be legal. No, I'm not going into detail until the time comes. No, you shouldn't have come if you didn't want to get involved with 'something like this' and yes, you should have known before leaving with me that it won't be easy, safe, or morally right. Now please, please, let us move.
The way in which he flounces down the staircase is almost comically camp but there's something way too sinister there for it to be remotely funny, so I follow him because I'm worried about my life if I don't.
I wonder if this will all turn out to be just talk, his mad manner and tickling threats to all of us. I'll probably go along with it anyway because something might happen. I don't know, this last twelve hours has been so odd I'm getting caught up in it, completely.
I forget to be a bit terrified when we run through the woods, and when we reach the other side I sense some kind of anticipation. A cab drives up straight away, and I think what a sight we must look, emerging from the forest dressed all...well, how people here tend to dress. I personally feel that I look quite normal. I would ask Christie how he managed to get a taxi here so fast but the look he gives the driver makes me think he knows people, and this isn't the kind of taxi I should get into on my own. As well as this, Christie isn't looking so friendly. He sits in the front while I sit next to Cassie with Anton opposite us, sharing questions with our eyes but unable to voice them for the surreality of the evening's events so far. It shouldn't be forgotten that to these people I'm a girl who helped a psycho break into their flat. I'm not in the most comfortable of positions here. I choose to rectify this.
-Just so you know, it wasn't my idea to, you know, break into your flat. He broke into mine first, and stole all my cleaning products. I don't actually know him.
Anton gives an ironic laugh.
-Nice work, Christie,
He shouts over his shoulder.
Cassie puts her hand on my leg.
-Don't worry sweetie, if you've come this far we'll be pretty much fine.
Her smile is a little more sympathetic and understanding, and I feel kind of comforted if not a little patronised.
-I'm not worried. Only telling you that it's not really in my weekend routine to go sneaking into people's houses.
I feel like being honest with her. It feels nice, actually. It's quite unusual to hear in my voice the inflected bitterness that's usually reserved for the thoughts I turn to myself, whilst listening to my sickly sweet social character take me onto autopilot with people who wouldn't cope that well with the cynical bitch I secretly am. It's refreshing.
-I'll tell you the truth, Cassie- I'm here because I don't care about anything. There is absolutely nothing in my life to care about, so I'm doing this. I'm following this freak while he ponces about playing a supervillain I'm only half sure he's not, and I'm trying to feel a little more enthusiastic about things. Actually, screw enthusiastic, I'm interested in feeling anything towards anything. Criminal involvement seems the way forwards right now, but only because I was rudely interrupted when trying to overdose.
-You're my kind of girl, Anne. Life and soul of the party, I get it now.
Anton rolls his eyes and I only feel slightly insulted.
-Trying to overdose?
-Yeah. Actually, I lied- I do know this guy, he took me to his house and slept with me the other night. And then I took lots of drugs because I hate sex.
Anton turns around with mild interest. I'm liking this new opportunity for openness. I think I can use it to my personal advantage. People always told me not to keep things bottled up, and it feels good to make the whole atmosphere that tiny bit more gloomy. After all, I think, Cassie needs to be less happy.
We get out where the drunk people start to bleed out of the edges of the city. More running, oh god more running. We go through a complex labyrinth of backstreets until Christie stops and turns to tell us to stop and go into a place with a roof and some walls but little else. I think I should be kind of petrified right now, and I should definitely feel more unusual as I watch the ghostly silhouette of Christie dash off into the darkness but again- just interest. He's back incredibly soon, I'm impressed. He has a small package in his hands that he's tucking into the inside of his coat as he approaches.
-Right. Now we need to go, and we need to get to somewhere quite fast, so follow me again.
-Christie, sweetie, I wasn't made for this much running.
-Mysterious, then, how easy you find other forms of physical exertion that require an unusual amount of stamina.
Wow, that was low.
-Like Anton.
He finished with a pretty arrogant batting of his eyelids in her general direction. I'm amazed when I don't see murder in her eyes. I guess some people really like the whole...irredeemable twat thing. My oh my, what idiosyncrasies the human race forever continues to cradle.
Christopher. It should be easy to forget, but I'm incapable: Gabriel Vincent is worth every second of this overly long-winded approach to vengeance. These people will hopefully never understand how little the money actually matters to me. The only thing I'm worried about is how well Cassie knows me, but I'm sure even she wouldn't expect that I'd be so affected by the sudden realisation that Gabriel is no longer my property.
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