Crash and Burn (1)

she's good at hiding

**SHAMELESS WARNING: pretend they were/are in Manhattan (OG versión) while I edit the next couple chapters 😂😂 I have reached this level of organizing my disorganization 💀

♚ ♛

"GET UP!"

Strong hands shaking my shoulders, a harsh command in my ear. Where was I? What w—

"Hey, wake the fuck up!"

Soren.

I bolted upright, immediately alert. "What?"

Those blurry green eyes were the first thing I saw before Soren shot a brief look over his shoulder. Faint footsteps. "There's someone coming up."

Breathe.

When he turned back to me, his eyes were hard. Urgent with a warning. Panic slithered through my veins as he tossed his duffel bag over his shoulder and started for the window. "We need to go now."

Blinking away any remnants of sleep, I took a cautious step forward. "Who is it?"

He scoffed. "How the hell should I know? All I know is that neither of us wants to be found."

No, not yet. I nodded, running a hand through my knotted hair and grabbing my sweatshirt from the floor. Soren was already fully clothed, fiddling with the slab of wood at the window.

"Wait!" I hissed. "Listen first."

Muffled voices.

"There are people down there."

Soren froze with his fingers curled around the thin plywood. I couldn't make out words, but someone was there.

Breathe.

Always have an escape plan. Always have a second exit. His faint reminders rolled through me tauntingly, like he'd been training me to run from him.

"Have you looked outside the room?" I asked in a hurry, whipping my head around to look at the door.

"I—"

I didn't even hear him. I strode to the door as the footsteps grew louder. We need to act quick.

"Lacey!" Soren hissed, clambering across the room. Every heavy footfall rattled the weak, wooden floorboards. Loudly.

A hand wrapped around my elbow, and I shot him a deadly glare. "Soren."

My gritted response did nothing to soften the rivaling look in his eyes. Dark with an unspoken threat to stay fucking quiet. "You are not going to get us killed."

Scowling, my hands curled into fists, but before I could even spit out a vicious curse, he was shouldering past me and opening the door.

Disbelief paralyzed me. "What the fuck, Sor—"

Soren spun, clapped a hand over my mouth and stilled. "Ay carajo, cállate," he slurred so quietly I barely heard it.

It only took a split second for my anger to simmer as I saw the serious look in his eyes. Panic rose like bile, closing in on me until my vision dimmed.

Breathe.

The footsteps halted. Soren and I stayed frozen.

"Una chica rubia," a deep voice echoed up the hallway.

A blonde girl. My blood ran cold with the truth. They'd seen me, they knew what I looked like, they were so fucking close.

Soren's gaze darted frantically to the long, dirty locks of blonde hair lying over my shoulders.