Silvery Touch

15. Bad News

Hey everyone! Finally another update. I apologise deeply for the growing length of the frequency of the updates! Just been so very busy, but finally I have a bit of free time. I'm so happy that it feels like it's raining *insert your favourite chocolate here* haha. Handed in my dissertation today and so I'm free from University forever, InshaAllah anyway. Unless there are retakes, which I hope there not to be. Time to enter the big bad world. A new adventure, how exciting? Anyways, sorry for the pointless Message.

Happy reading!

~ Zana :)

Chapter Fifteen ~ Bad News

"Where are we going? My feet hurt" Max asked for the hundredth time as Eva dragged him by the hand. They had risked taking a taxi and were fortunate enough not to be recognised. However, after the constant screams by Max, the driver kicked the two out and they were making their way on foot.

"I don't know just yet. We're looking for someone." Little did Eva know that she was going in the right direction, heading straight for her capturing.

"Are we looking for Mummy?" He squealed in excitement of the thought.

Eva tugged at his hand, urging him to walk faster, not realising the poor little boys feet were aching.  She was beginning to regret her choice of bringing him along, but what other choice did she have? What if they mistreated him while she was gone? She couldn't let a little innocent kid get hurt.

"Here, have some snacks" She let him go for a second and unzipped her hand bag, passing a packet of crisp over to him. "Now, c'mon."

"I can't open it with one hand," he moaned as she grabbed his hand again. She rolled her eyes before picking him up, deciding to endure the pain of carrying him for a little longer.

"If you behave, how about I buy you an ice cream? Hmm, do you like the sound of that?" She asked him with a smile, hoping that would keep him quiet for a while.

"Yeah!" he shouted, expressing his excitement a little too much.

"Shh, be quiet." Eva's stomach fluttered. She was nervous. Her appearance was far from camouflaging, where she wore a thick coat with the hood over her head. With the sunny weather, this caught a lot of attention and Max's screams didn't help the matter much. "Okay, tell you what? Let's play a game. The one who stays the quietest the longest wins, okay?"

Max nods and the silence began. Eva sighed in such relief as she made her way forward, unaware that it was leading her right to Darren.

Half an hour later, the silence continued, Eva's feet beginning to ache too, as well as her back. She put Max down who groaned a little but stayed quiet otherwise. But that was the least of her problems. As she approached a corner shop, desperate for the cold of the water to soothe her dry throat, she entered it and pulled Max with her. As she looked down at him, frowning to get a move on, she smacked right into someone.

The other person grabbed her arm to stable her and once balanced they both stared at each other.

"Eva?"

"Darren?"

"What are you doing here?" They both spoke in unison.

"I came looking for you!" Darren's innocent act began. Eva almost instantly became suspicious.

"And why is that?" She screwed at him, releasing Max and placed her arms across her chest.

Darren gulped, taking a moment to think up an excuse.

"I think I know where Jett is," he simply answered. "I can take you to him."

"Darren, what are you doing on the other side of town? I left you back there and you said you'll take care of everything." She gritted her teeth, having an urge to rip at his throat. What was with people and not listening to her these days? Did she need to take out the Crest and show him that she's in power?

"Err, Pandora came back after you left and she told me. She's there now, at the place where Jett is and she told me to go looking for you. And you know how she can disappear and reappear somewhere else, that's how I ended up here before you," he explained, his palms beginning to sweat, in the hopes that she believes him.

Truth was, Eva had gone round in circles about four times before she realised that and headed in one direction. That's how Darren managed to get there before she did. He knew his path, while she was clueless of her destination.

"Pandora?" Eva thought he was telling the truth. Logically, that made sense. "Take me to her and Jett."

"Follow me!"

Eva turned to Max, or rather, where she thought he was only to find the spot empty.

"Where's Max?" She panicked.

"Don't worry, I was keeping an eye on him. He's over there, looking at that graffiti."

"Go get him. I'm just going into the store to get some water," she ordered before pushing past him into the shop.

An hour walk later, they approached the base at which Jax and Darren stayed. Max had long fallen asleep in Darren's arm. Eva hadn't noticed two guys following them for the past half an hour only a few metres away. The two men were there just in case things hadn't gone as planned and they had to abandon it to capture her instead.

"We're here. We'll be going underground in a bit, okay?" Darren spoke for the first time in a while.

"Shh, speak quietly, you'll wake Max up," she whispered, screwing at him. "And underground, what kind of place is even built underground? Plus, this place looks like some sort of cave."

"What is up with you?"

"What do you mean?" Eva asked as Darren pressed a button besides the door and it slid open.

"You being all soft on this kid," he nudged with his shoulder in an attempt to point at Max.

"He's a bloody kid, how else do you expect me to act?" She grit her teeth as Darren lead the way into the 'cave' soon to reach a set of stairs leading downwards. "Seriously, where are you taking me?"

"I told you, Jett is down there and so is Pandora."

Although Eva wasn't satisfied with the answer, she quietened down. The faster she reached Jett, the better. They reached the bottom of the steps and Eva looked up. The ceiling was arched, as if they really were in a cave, only underground. The wall and ceiling were one and made out of rocks. Lamps decorated the walls, each five metres apart. Strangely enough, the floor was made of wood.

"They're in there," Darren pointed with his chin, towards the first door on their right. He handed Max over to Eva, making an excuse that his arms were hurting. "Go ahead."

She stepped towards the door and pushed it open as it was slightly ajar. The room was dark, the light from the outside of the room revealing a few shadowed furniture and a silhouette. She turned back and raised an eyebrow at Darren but he urged her in, instructing that the light switch was to her left upon entering the room. She walked in and immediately the door shut behind her. She heard the turn of the lock and went for the door knob again, only to find that it was locked.

"What the..?" She screamed, forgetting that Max was in her arms. He jolted awake and began crying.

As she was attempting to soothe him, someone spoke up.

"Eva?" Pandora hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Pandora?"

"Turn the light on, will you?"

Eva, without a second thought, slowly edged her way to her left and tapped the wall until she came across the light switch, pressing it on. Max was still crying.

"Shh, it's okay." Eva averted her attention to him and placed him on an empty chair besides Pandora.

"I told you Darren was bad news," was the only thing Pandora said before placing her head back on the table.