Break the Rules {Book 1}

Chapter 3

I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and a muffled voice telling someone to go on that they'd catch up. "You're okay, Ellie, you're safe." They stroke my hair softly. "You made it. You're on the ground."
"Am I dead?" I asked weakly, clinging to them.
"No you're alive, Ellie, I got ya." They spoke comfortingly. 
Suddenly it dons on me who's speaking. I move my head so I'm looking at Rafe. He smiles. "You're okay. I promise." He said quietly. "Now come on the others are waiting for us." He let go of me and I felt really weak. He quickly wraps one of my arms around his shoulders. "Sorry I forgot the impact gets you the first couple of times." He laughed. "And not bad, British girl, I expected you to scream."
" When? When I jumped, or when I saw your face?" I wasn't to weak to be sarcastic. 
He chuckled. "You better play nice." His accent thick as he spoke. "I'm trying to help you." 
"Oh yeah I forgot." I deadpanned. "But let me guess you're too much of a bad boy to act sweet that's why you sent them away, and when I can stand alone again you'll act like it never happened?" It was more of a rhetorical question.
He smiled like a real smile, but it only lasted a few seconds then the smirk was back. "You got it, Ellie." He seemed to like calling people by their name. 
I pushed off of him as we got closer, and found I could walk on my now. "Thanks by the way for helping me." 
"You're welcome." He paused looking to where Alex and Jerica could be seen. "Thought you were so tough didn't you, British girl." He laughed, the bad boy attitude back.
"British girl?" A new voice asked excitedly. "We have a new girl?" 
"Yeah, Mag, but she's no good." Rafe answered. 

Jerica frowned. "Don't listen to him." 
"Yeah." Alex chimed in. "Magnus this is Ellie. Ellie this is Magnus."
I shook the darker haired boy's hand. "Nice to meet you, Magnus."
"Same to you." He said with a smile. "You're staying with Jer aren't you?" 
I nodded as Alex leaned over to me. "Him and Jerica are dating." He whispered in my ear. "But they think no one knows." I laughed at his comment. 
"So this is Mr. Whitticer's house." Magnus gestured to the house behind him. 
"We're just going in?" I asked a little shocked.
"Got a problem with it?" Rafe raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, not, I was just making sure." I shook my head. 
He smirked before opening the kitchen door. "Ladies first." 
Jerica steps in side and I start to follow, but he holds me back. "I said ladies first."
 Once everyone is in he turns to me. "Don't screw this, Ellie."

"I won't."
He nods and slips through the door, waiting for me just inside the kitchen. 

........

"Hey guys!" I called from the living room. The others were scattered among the house. "Guys!" I called again. Glancing cautiously out the door I called them again. I think Alex was mistaken when he said there weren't security cameras because I've found two. Both quite functioning. "Guys!" I yelled trying to sound a little more frantic. Rafe was the first one down the steps. "You alright, British girl?" He asked.
"I'm fine." I said with a smile, watching him visibly relax. He doesn't like me why would he be concerned?  "I'm afraid we might not be." I gestured to the cameras. 
"They don't work they haven't for years." He said. 
"They're working alright." 

"How do you know?" He questioned.
I motioned with my finger for him to come closer, and surprisingly he did. I pointed to the red lights on the side. "See them? Those lights mean the cameras are on."
He looked at me in amazement. "How'd you-" I cut him off. "My dad used to work for a place that made those kinds of monitors." I explained. 
"Go get the others." He ordered. I obeyed and ran upstairs.
"Jerica, Alex, Magnus, where are you?" I yelled, running upstairs. 
Each walked out of different rooms and shared a look of confusion. "The cameras they work now." I explained quickly. "Which means the cops are probably-" Sirens blared in the near distance. "Downstairs now!" I half said half ordered. "All of you!" 
Halfway down the stairs Jerica looked back. "Crap I lost my backpack!" She started to come back up. 
"No! Go I'll find it." I said. "You're almost down and I'm faster then you anyway. Go I'll catch up." She nodded and I ran off to find her bag. 
I'd already searched two of four of the rooms and couldn't find it. By this time the sirens were outside. I didn't hear anything means the others had already left.
I finally found it in the last room on the right. As I turned to exit the room. The door was stuck, and I heard footsteps coming upstairs at a fast pace. "I'm caught!" I thought as the steps got closer.
"Ellie!" I heard a voice call. "God, Ellie, where are you!" They yelled. 
"Rafe! Rafe, I'm in here!" I banged on the door. "It's stuck. I can't get out." I sighed. "Go, before they find you."
"I'm not leaving you here. It's my fault you came upstairs in the first place." He hit the door. "Stand back." I did as told. I heard a loud thud then the door popped up.
Rafe stood there on the other side. "Come on quickly!" We rushed to the steps as the front door bursts open and cop start  filing in. 
"Dangit!" He reached my hand and started in the direction we had come from. 

He jerked open one of the door and ran inside, shutting the door behind us.
"Rafe, what are doing they're coming?" I asked noticing our hands were still laced.
"Do you trust me, Eleanor?" He asked. It wasn't a joke or a snide remark it was a serious question.I thought about it a second.
"Ellie, do you trust me?" He asked again slower this time.
"I do." I nodded. "I do trust you." 
He nodded and lead me to the open balcony. "I need you to climb down." He spoke quietly. Not a trace of the old boy could be found.  
"What?"
"I'll be right under you if anything goes wrong. I won't let you fall." He sounded so honest so convincing that I found myself nodding. "Okay. If you say so."
He lets go of my hand and swings himself over the balcony motioning for me to do the same. I hesitate. I'd never climb a rock wall let alone the side of a two story house. 

"Come on, Ellie, I promise you'll be fine." He pleads.
I grabbed onto the bar and swung myself over just in time for the cops to enter the room. 
Rafe jumped down once we were close to the ground. I mimicked him only to stumble knocking the breathe out of myself. I would have fallen, but he caught me. "See that wasn't so bad was it?" He said with a sigh of relief.
"Not at all." I breathed out of breath.
His grip on me didn't loosen. "I thought we were goners for a second."He laughed.
"Me too."
I look down at him hands then at him. He lets go and steps back a little. "Try not to make a habit of getting get, ay?" He chuckled. 
"Will do."
"Hey! You kids!" A rough voice yelled from the balcony. 
"We gotta go." He grabbed my hand again and we took off toward the woods.

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Double update cause why not . Possibly triple update. 
Anyway can we take a moment to appreciate how cute Levi looks in the picture up top? 
Dedicated to Nilili_Mama for helping me with the cast.
Until next time - Izzy