Unlike You

Twenty Three

"So what're we gonna do about Fredrick?" I ask again quietly.

"We need to catch him off guard. I know my uncle better than anyone. He's at his weakest point when he least expects it," Lawrence explains. I nod in agreement.

The only things I really know about Ray- I mean, Sam is that he killed my best friend. He's a twat. And that he works at the detention center. I gasp in realization.

"I know," I say. I grab Lawrence's hand and pull him towards the kitchen to make a plan away from everyone else.

~*~

After a good hour of planning, we have finally finished our plan to get Sam behind bars. It's the best plan we could come up with, but there is a very high chance that it can work. Lawrence is still skeptical about it though.

"Are you sure, Ser? I don't want you to get hurt doing this," he states, worry clear in his voice. I laugh quietly and place my hand on his cheek.

"I think you're forgetting that I was in juvenile detention for a year. I wasn't really the nicest girl in there," I say.

"What do you mean?"

"What?"

"You said that you weren't the nicest girl in there. What do you mean?" he asks. He hops up onto the counter and pulls me between his legs. I roll my eyes and begin my story.

"Well, I always tried to avoid the girls in the detention center besides Dana who is like my little sister, but one day, some girl just felt the need to mess with me. Everyone knew about my... situation. They knew - well, thought - that I was the murderer that they entire town thought I was. So, that being said, this girl who was at least six inches taller than me, built like a freaking body builder, came up to Dana and me on the basketball court and started punching the crap out of me. Dana ran to get Sharon or some other officer. I was trying to get this cinder block of a girl off of me when I suddenly feel a horrible pain in my side. I managed to see the glint of a knife in her hands and that's when I realized she had literally stabbed in the side."

I lift my shirt up carefully and reveal a horrendous, three inch long gash on my hip. I smirk, thinking about how the whole situation was so random. I look back up at Lawrence who is looking a it like it's the most interesting thing in the world. His cold fingers trace it carefully as if he were to touch it in any other way, he would out me in some kind of agonizing pain.

"I can't believe I missed it," he says quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Last night..." he trails off. A frown etches on his lips and I laugh quietly.

"It's fine. We were both kind of... all over the place," I state. "Looks bad ass doesn't it?"

"Totally," he replies with a deep chuckle.

"So," I begin, letting my shirt fall back down, "when are we going to complete our mission?"

~*~

The storm has finally passed, but it's three in the morning now. All the customers are still asleep, some sleeping on the couches, or chairs. Few sleep on the floor along with Lawrence and me. Lawrence is passed out next to me, sleeping peacefully with me wrapped tightly in his arms.

Sleep is the last thing on my agenda at the moment. My mind keeps me awake with different scenarios on how the plan is going to go down. Most end in horrible ways that make me want to back out of it entirely, but I know better than to run from what is needed to be done. And this is one of those things. Sam deserves what is coming to him and that is a fact. No mercy. No second thoughts.

My eyes stay trained on the dim street light as my thoughts swirl in different directions in my brain. A thick layer of fog coats the outside like a cool and chilly blanket. As grim and depressing as it looks outside, I can't help but love how it looks.

I try to slip free from Lawrence's grasp and I smile when his arms fall limp on the floor. As I step over a few sleeping bodies like the chefs and Mandie, I finally make it to the door. I twist the lock open, cringing when it makes a loud clicking noise. A sigh of relief leaves my mouth when I see no one wakes up. Not a stir in the room. I wrap my fingers around the cool, brass door knob and pull it open quickly before running out, hoping no one wakes up.

Once I am outside safely, I proceed to walk down the street. It's quiet. An eerie gust of wind pushes my hair from my face, blowing it different directions. The streets are soaking wet and still flooded from the rain. Branches float in the pools of rain water, making the street look like a disaster. Leaves, twigs, rocks, and other such debris cover the sidewalk that I am walking down. It seems as if a tornado has swept through the trees, tearing them into a million little pieces.

I spot a slight glow a little bit in front of me and it seems to be a shop. I begin to walk quicker towards the bright light in the dark streets and see that it's a twenty-four-hour pharmacy. I run up to the door and try to yank it open. It doesn't budge. Attempting the knocking method, I finally see someone emerge from behind a tall shelf.

A girl. Maybe seven. She is short and skinny. She has blonde hair a few shades lighter than mine, and soft brown eyes. She's wearing tattered jeans and a pink t-shirt with pink sneakers to go with it.

I smile slightly and gesture for her to open the door. She looks hesitant. I mean, I would be too if it were three a.m. and some random chick is asking to let me into your only form of shelter at the moment. She carefully starts to pad over to the door and twists the lock free and the door gives a little. I pull it open and step into the warm building. After locking the door behind me, I turn to see the little girl hiding behind a display of chips.

"Hi," I say quietly not wanting to scare her.

"Hi," she answers quietly.

"What's your name?" I question.

"Bianca."

"I like that name. My name is a long one," I state, sitting down on the floor. Bianca makes no attempt to come out from behind the display, and I don't force her to.

"What is it?"

"Serendipity," I reply. I shrug. "I like your name more."

"I like your name, too. What are you doing here?" she asks so quietly that I almost miss it.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. Being locked up in a cafe with about ten other people gets a little crowded," I explain, trying to make it simple so she can understand. "Are you here alone? Where are your parents?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen them in a while," she says.

"Weren't they here before the storm?" I ask.

She shakes her head in responds. I frown at her answer. How could someone just leave their child in the middle of a storm? Especially at her age.

"When did you last see them?"

"Before the storm started. We were walking up the road when the storm got really bad. They said to run in here and lock the door. I don't know where they went," she explains, her voice quivering.

"No one else was in here? How did you get in? Wasn't it locked?"

She shook her head.

"You know what," I start, "it's late, you shouldn't be here alone, and you need to sleep. In the morning, we will go and look for your parents. Come on."

I offer her my hand hoping I'm not coming off as a creep or anything, but she is too young to be here alone and she needs to sleep. She looks at it hesitantly, still not sure on what to do.

"I promise. I won't hurt you. I just don't want you to be alone," I coax. The side of her mouth stretches quickly as she thinks it over. I watch as she emerges fully from behind the copious amounts of chips and places her small hand in mine.