Brothers I Never Knew ✔

Chapter Ten - Recognized and Running

The awkward silence in the van was stifling, easily cut with a blunt butter knife. Everyone was stuck in their own thoughts, no one having spoken about the events that happened almost an hour ago. No one seemed to want to disturb the silence that had befallen on them all.

Cameron shifted gently, making as little noise as possible. She didn't want to be the one to break the silence. The feeling that it should be someone else was strong, like it wasn't her job. The question of when she had got like this was swimming in her head. 

When had she become scared of speaking? She wasn't normally someone who enjoyed big groups, and conversations, but this had never stopped her from standing up for what she believed in, or speaking her thoughts. Her sarcastic responses and blunt honesty often put people off from talking to her, calling her rude and odd. 

Though, since she had left Drew Turner's corpse lying on the floor of Charlie's Corner Café, her voice seemed to have been lost. She wanted it back. 

"We're going to stop for some food in ten minutes," Myles stated, his voice soft obviously taking in the tense atmosphere.

No one acknowledged the second oldest brother, all remaining the way they were, as if he had never spoke in the first place.

Reid sat on her right, his back straight and eyes staring at the back of the headrest on the passenger seat. Throughout the whole time he had checked over herself and Arlo, he hadn't spoke once. No words were muttered until the very end when he stated that she did indeed have a slight concussion, but nothing too serious, and Arlo had sprained his ankle when he had landed after the bomb went off. He remained quiet after that, sitting in the same position he was still in.

To the left Arlo bounced his good leg slowly, to a beat she couldn't hear. His right ankle was wrapped in bandages to control the swelling until they could get an ice pack from where ever they were going to stop. Cameron had spent five minutes of the journey watching Arlo through the corner of her eye, his facial expressions giving her some amusement. They ranged from annoyance, to joy and back again, all changing within seconds of each other. 

She wasn't able to see Lloyd and Diego, who each sat in the back. She knew for fact that Lloyd wasn't on his laptop, as she couldn't hear the familiar clicking of the keys being pressed. She had no idea what Diego was doing.

Kalmin was obviously driving. That seemed to be his job as no one had offered to drive instead. Myles sat beside him on the passenger seat, watching out the front window. He occasionally glanced over his shoulder into the back, checking on everyone. Most likely checking they hadn't miraculously disappeared with how silent they were all being.

The ten minutes went by quickly, feeling more like five minutes than ten. The van came to a stop outside a quiet retail complex, which held a range of restaurants and shops. 

"Who wants to-."

"I'll go," Diego cut in. Kalmin shot him an annoyed look at being interrupted.

"Anyone else?" Kalmin questioned.

Cameron nodded. "Yeah, I will." She didn't want to sit in silence anymore.

Arlo opened his mouth but quickly shut it when given a look from Myles. 

"Oh come on, why not?" Arlo asked with a pout, his eyes pleading to be let out.

"You're ankle needs rest," Myles stated. Arlo huffed in reply, reminding Cameron of a sulking child.

"Reid, why don't you go as well, since you need to move anyway to let them out." Kalmin suggested. Cameron noted how his voice said one thing, but he seemed to have a silent conversation with his eyes, sending Reid a secret message. What the message was, she had no idea.