Playing with Fire

5

"Lawrence," Daniel says again.

"Yeah." I shrug my shoulders.

"Odd name for a female. You look like an Emma or a Jane."

I laugh a bit. "Really? I think I'm a Lawrence. Just Lawrence." I tell him.

Daniel doesn't respond in any other way than to stare at me.

I think of what to say to him.

How did he get here?

"Does your mother and father know you're out here?" I question him.

He frowns and glares at the grass below us.

"My parents are dead," he responds in a low voice. "My pa died in an attack - don't know who killed him - but my ma died a few months after I was born."

"So... where do you live then?" I ask.

"Nowhere now."

I bite my lip, struggling what to say to him. "You- you don't have a home?"

"No. No one wanted to adopt me just because of my race."

"THAT'S HORRIBLE!" I exclaim mid-gasp.

"What about yours?" Daniel asks me.

I stop and I am silenced.

I don't want to say... I really can't. My secret between my parents and me.

"They know," I say slowly. "I think." I hide back some tears. "They said that they were going somewhere so I was left home alone and once, my mother said I was a responsible adult so I could go out without their permission so... here I am."

Daniel raises an eyebrow concernedly.

"What?" I laugh. It's pretty obvious that I'm lying.

"You're lying. I can tell."

This baffles me.

What does lying mean? What is it? How can I find out-

"Lying is when you try to hide the truth. There are two types: Little White ones and Lies."

My eyes widen. "Did you just... read my mind?!"

"I can hear your thoughts. Can you hear mine?"

I stay silent and so does my surroundings.

"No," I say. "I cannot hear your thoughts... What was I supposed to hear?"

"Something about me but I'll say it-"

"You don't have to!" I tell him.

"Whoa! Okay!" he puts his hands up.

"Stay still!" I snarl at him and I grab a pair of scissors from his bag and I snip off the end and compress Daniel's arm around a few seconds and I let go.

"Okay, now you can move."

Daniel moved his arm up and down and smiled. "How did you learn this?"

I stay silent.

I cannot say it to him. Staying on the border of New Elizabeth - next door to Raymond - with no one. I CANNOT say-

"New Elizabeth?! I've heard of that place-"

I point my index finger at him. "Stop reading my thoughts as if we were in a science-fiction-paranormal-thing!"

Daniel stares at me. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" he cowers.

I stand up and smile. "I don't hurt people unless they hurt me." I give him my hand and I pull him up onto his feet.

"So, since you don't have anywhere to live, I might as well let you stay over mine," I offer. "I have money - just enough on me- and I can fetch you a drink or something."

"No thanks. I gotta be heading off." he stands up as well. "Nice meeting you, Lawrence."

He walks away but I grab his collar. "Daniel. Eaton. Please. I'll get you a drink. You can't go off dehydrated and all."

He sighs.

"Fine. Where are you gonna take me?"

"Oh, one of my old favourites."

I walk off - followed by Daniel with his backpack on - out of the tranquil forest, into London.

"This is London..." he looks around in awe.

"Yeah, duh!" I check behind me. "Why, haven't you been here before?"

Silence.

"Yeah! Yes, I have."

He's lying-

"I am not lying," Daniel adds.

I stop, turn around to face Daniel and place my hands on his shoulders. "Listen. Do not use your supernatural powers around here,"

"Why?" Daniel asks me.

"People here are strict as hell. So I suggest that you keep your powers to yourself and I'll stop yelling at you." I let go and carry on leading towards my Favourite Place of mine.