Their Runaway Mate

Chapter Four

"Now!" He shouted when I only stared at him.

I turned, tripping slightly on the step behind me, before running to the back garden and gathering my brothers.

I knew that my dad's business was unstable at best, that much was clear from his pep talks he gave preparing us for a day when we might have to leave the house quickly. However, perhaps naively, I never thought that day would come; I thought it an unnecessary precaution. He worked in some sort of finance sector at a large firm which dealt with some... unpredictable clients. That was how he described it anyway.

That's why, when I explained what I had heard and what dad had told me do, me and my brothers got to it immediately.

When my father returned with my mother thirty minutes later, my siblings and I were all packed, with bags waiting in the entry way ready to go.

"Good. Thank you, Ellie." My dad said, more kindly and with a sad sort of smile on his face. He leant over to kiss my forehead and I looked towards my mother, confused. I only received a similar smile from her in response.

"Ellie, please pack a bag for me and your father whilst I grab some food and the boys load the car." My mum said, smiling.

I stood my ground though, determined for some real answers.

"What's going on? What did Henry mean when he said they would come tonight?" I said clearly.

My dad winced in response and went to open his mouth.

"Your father's business has turned a little sour, sweetie. You know what its like. We can explain more when we're on the road but now we need to pack up. Please." My mum answered instead. Though she spoke measuredly, I could tell she was struggling to keep it together and so I did what I was told and headed up the stairs, grabbing a small suitcase on my way past the linen cupboard.

As I was throwing my parents' toothbrushes and shower things into a toiletries bag, I heard tyres screeching down the small lane connecting our house to the rest of the town.

"Ellie, hide! Now! I love you." My dad shouted up the stairs quickly.

My eyes widen and fear grips my heart like a vice. I thought we had until tonight? Just as I am about to voice my panic, I hear the front door crash open and shouted orders for my family to 'move' to another part of the house. I can hear my father try to reason with them and my brothers calling for them to stop but I am powerless and frozen in terror. This all happened so quickly and now I'm separated from my family. My blue eyes fill with tears, and I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop my anxious gasps.

"Check upstairs. There should be a girl." I hear a muffled voice order, quite effectively kicking me into motion.

Tears still streaming down my face, I race to the room that used to serve as mine and my brothers' playroom but is now mostly for storage, and occasionally used as a spare room. When we first moved in there was a small built-in cupboard on the far wall and, as children, we concealed it to be almost invisible unless you knew it existed; perfect for hide and seek. Now, I hoped it would keep me hidden for very different reasons.

As I was running I could hear heavy steps thundering up the stairs behind me and I made sure to soften the impact of my bare feet as I ran. Reaching the cupboard, my shaking hands struggled with levering open the lip on the door; the handles having been removed for better camouflage. The silent tension was suffocating as I heard the intruder slamming open doors further up the corridor as he was searching for me. I almost cried out in frustration but caught myself just as the cupboard door finally opened. Scrambling inside, I turned and pulled the door closed using the small length of faded fabric we had stuck to the inside of the door as children.