Wandering Alone

Chapter 10

My hand hovered over the surface of Zanes desk, my fingers lightly brushing the surface.  I couldn't believe I was leaving today.  Today, I went home.  Part of me yelled to get out, to give their family the space they needed.  But the other part screamed for me to stay.  I had come to love the Angleo family so much, it was like they were my own.  They excepted me for who I was, no judging whatsoever.

Sighing, I plopped down into the desk chair, burying my face in my hands.  Deep down inside, I knew I had to go.  It wasn't an option to stay.  I couldn't intrude on this family's kindness any longer; I had been here for more than a week already.

It was Saturday.  A week and two days since my heat stroke, and a week since I found out I could sing.  Since then, I had returned to school and everything was going great.  I was back in the swing of things, which is why I was going home.  Me and Katie had worked things out, but we weren't as close as before.  For one reason or another, that didn't upset me.  Was it because I had found a family that I loved as my own? 

I was jolted from my thoughts as the door flew open and three little munchkins ran in, clothed in bathing suits and armed with water guns.  I spun around in the chair, startled to the point my heart was racing a hundred miles a minute.  They just grinned at me, their evil little grins.

"Put your hands up!"  Miles demanded, and I quickly obeyed.  But, of course, the boys had other plans in mind.  I opened my mouth to speak, but right as I did I was pelted with ice cold water.  A small scream escaped my lips and it soaked through my clothes and dripped down my chest.  I jumped up and ran out of the room, fleeing down the stairs in a desperate attempt to escape my attackers.

No such luck.

I heard their little feet hammering on the ground behind me, their laughs and shouts filling my ears.  Teaing through the hallways, I ran through the kitchen, gaining strange looks from Will and Emma, before ripping open the back door and flying off the back steps.  Because I had longer legs than the boys, I made it there in just enough time grab a water gun and fill it up - after all, I knew where they kept their supplies.

I had just finished positioning myself behind a tree when the boys ran out the door.  They skidded to a stop, tripping over each other and landing on the ground.  I pressed a hand over my mouth as I struggled not to laugh.  They looked around, confused.  Thank God this tree was big enough for me to hid behind.  But then -

The world must hate me.

"Demi?  Why are you hiding behind a tree?"  Zane was walking out of the small work shop which, unfortunately, gave him a perfect view of my hiding place.  I raised a finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet, but it was to late.

"Found you!"  Ian yelled, pelting me with another stream of water.  I screamed and shot back, missing Ian and hitting Miles.  He didn't miss a second, he shot me right back.  So, how fair is it that I had to fight three boys by myself?  That's setting me up for failure.  Which is what happened.  We ran around for twenty minutes, shooting water at each other and occasionally falling to the ground.

I glanced around and, seeing as the boys were attacking each other at the moment, decided to fill my water gun back up.  I jogged to the side of the pool and stuck the nozzle in, pulling the cap back I submerged it the rest of the way, watching the bubbles float up to the surface as the air left the gun.

And then I was under water.

It happened so fast, I didn't even scream.  I came up gasping and sputtering for breath, glaring at whoever pushed me in the water.  My eyes looked up at Zane, who was grasping his sides laughing.

"You're going to get it!" I screamed, a small smile tugging on my lips.  His face paled as he looked at me, he knew I wasn't kidding.  He ran and grabbed a water gun, filling it quickly with a hose as I worked my way out of the pool.  As I got out, I glanced down at my white shirt, which was now see through.  Bad day to wear a black, lacy bra, Demi.  Shrugging, I ran towards Zane, preparing my gun for battle.  Thunder rolled as shot at Zane, but I ignored it.