Skinny • Book 1 In The Reality Series

Calum

We were living in a bubble. Blissfully unaware we drove with headphones and the radio off since none of us could agree on a station. We didn't watch to, didn't read newspapers, we didn't know.

We'd been gone for three days, which doesn't seem like much, but when your dad is a well known defense attorney whose face is printed on bus stop benches and interstate billboards and you're traveling with the Signorello cheese fortune heiress and a stolen elephant, it's newsworthy.

I figured at most a police officer would come and arrest us all for the kidnapping of an elephant, and at best, our parents would be called to pick us up. What I did not anticipate however, was a gun waving, door kick downing, SWAT team.

My life flashing before my eyes as I realized I was being thrown in the slammer, forced to live out the rest of my life in jail, I complied to their orders and lay down on the dirty linoleum floor.

But as one officer after another stepped over me, I realized that it was not me who'd be doing time in the slammer, it was Gracie. My mouth hanging open, I watched as she was handcuffed and forced to her feet.

Several hours later I was sitting in a hard plastic chair in the front lobby of the Pluttonville Florida police department.

"How much longer do we have to sit here?" Sierra questioned, in the chair next to me.

"When your parents get here." The officer in charge of babysitting us, sighed.

"My dad is going to kill me." I mumbled.

"Not literally." I added hastily, when the officer frowned concernedly, "It's a figure of speech, he doesn't beat me."

Realizing that I was digging myself a hole, I fell silent.

Turning away from the window, which she'd been looking out in silence, Katy looked around the otherwise empty lobby.

"You want a snack?" the officer sighed.

Shaking her head, Katy crossed her arms over her chest.

"You thirsty?"

Again she shook her head.

"You gotta pee?"

"No," she mumbled, "It's just... where's Gracie?"

"Holding cell." The officer muttered not skipping a beat.

"Why?" Sierra questioned, "We're just as guilty as she is."

Wanting to kick her I sent her a death glare.

"As noble as that is." The officer sighed, "The three of you are minors. Grace is a legal adult. She's being charged with grand theft, kidnapping, attempted homicide..."

"What?" Sierra gasped, "You can get arrested for trying to kill yourself?"

"That's suicide." I snapped, "Homicide is killing someone else.."

Nodding, the officer fell silent.

"Who did she try and kill?" Katy demanded, "She's crazy, but I don't believe she'd ever go that far."

"Circus trainer." The officer muttered, before raising his finger up to his neck and slowly sliding it across in a slitting motion.

Feeling sick, I looked down at my shoes. I'd always thought Gracie was a little out there, more or less crazy. But never had the thought crossed my mind that perhaps she was legitimately insane, or dangerous.

Closing my eyes I rested my forehead on my knees. It was a weird feeling, realizing after you're safe that you've been in danger, blissfully unaware. I felt like a kid skipping through long snake infested grass, unaware of the limbless serpents, slithering at my feet.

"You okay kid?" the officer asked.

Feeling my eyes well with tears and hating myself for it, I opened my mouth, and with a voice wavering with emotion uttered the six words I'd been holding in for three days, "I just want to go home."