The Colours of Salvation [Complete (Slowly Editing)] #Wattys2016

Chapter Four (Part 2)

CHAPTER FOUR (PART 2)

Sky

Until now, after running away from the orphanage - or 'Orphan Hell' as we like to call it, a couple of weeks ago, we've been sleeping rough. One day it's someone's couch, the next it's a youth shelter. We've even slept on the streets a couple of times. The days seemed endless, and the nights were too short. With nothing but a 'borrowed' gym membership, we wasted our days. At least we never got hungry, not really anyway. The gym membership was all-inclusive. We had a daily £15 food allowance and yes it wasn't much between the three of us especially as the cafés were rather pricey but it was manageable. When we woke up with kinks in our necks because we'd been sleeping on concrete all night, we still managed to look forward to the £3.50 tuna mayo baguette awaiting us at Le petit café parisien, at the gym. Eventually though the routine began to get old...and the membership got cancelled. Luckily that day we were given a credit allowance so we didn't go hungry. We also made full use of the modern showers and the mini-spa services. The three of us changed back into our newly cleaned (thanks to the free-for-members laundry service) clothes and left.

Silver had suggested we go to a local student-run pub near a university. He reckoned Sapphire and me could easily get some guys to buy us drinks and maybe even a meal. I had to remind him that we would need IDs to get in.

'We'll get in don't worry,' he had said.

'I don't think we will. You might but me and Sapphire look our age and I doubt the security guards will risk their jobs by letting fifteen year olds inside,' I'd replied hoping to knock some sense into him. 'I think we should go back to the orphanage.'

'Are you out of your mind? After all we've been through since running away you think I'm going back there?' Silver had shouted. I looked at Sapphire for support. She was the wise one out of all us; she would surely see this was the best option. We had nowhere to go now, our little rebellious adventure had come to an end, and it was time to go back. I never want to leave the orphanage anyway - well that's not quite true. I did want to leave but under different circumstances, I wanted to be adopted not run away.

'I agree that we don't look eighteen,' Sapphire had said looking at me. 'But I think we may as well try our luck at the pub. The worst thing that could happen is we get turned down but at least we'd tried.'

'There it's done we're going,' Silver had declared grateful Sapphire agreed with him. Seeing the resistant look on my face he added: 'Sky, you don't seriously want to go back to the Orphan Hell do you?'

'Well, I...I mean of course I don't but I don't see how else we're going to make it. I mean even if it works and we get inside the pub and we somehow managed to get some guys to buy us a drink or a meal even, then what?' I'd replied.

'Then we don't get hungry for another couple of hours,' Silver said looking at me like he didn't understand why I couldn't see this very obvious fact.

'But then what?' I'd persisted. 'What about tomorrow? We can't go back to the gym so what do we do? We can't just keep walking around aimlessly.'

'Let's not worry about tomorrow. Let's focus on today.' Sighing he added. 'Look after we have a couple of drinks, we'll get the underground to Kensington. Our travel cards are still valid for a couple more days.'

'What are we going to do in Kensington?' I asked him dumbfounded. Of all places to pick in London he thinks Kensington will accommodate three broke teenagers?

'That's where your rich mum lives isn't it? Why don't we pay her a visit? From all the stories you've told us she sounds pretty cool. Maybe she'll adopt you again and us too of course.'

'What?' he couldn't be serious. 'You-you think my foster mum, my ex-foster mum will take me back? Are you forgetting she's the one who put me in the Orphan Hell?' I continued holding back tears that were threatening to drop.

'But she only did that to protect you from her husband after he hit you.'

'Don't!' I'd shouted. 'Don't you dare speak about something you have no idea about!' It'd taken me a year, a whole year before I'd managed to completely suppress that memory. He should know better than to make it resurface.

'All right, all right, guys! Let's all chill okay?' Sapphire had said. 'We don't have the luxury to argue with each other right now okay?'

'You're right, sorry,' Silver had replied.

'I'm sorry too,' I'd added. 'Okay, let's just go to the pub and we'll work something out.' As it makes us look older, I'd put my hair up at the same time Sapphire did making us both laugh. Arriving at the pub we were let in straightaway, no questions asked. I could see Silver grinning from ear to ear.

'Told you,' he'd whispered. The pub smelled of stale bread and lemon. Looking around Silver spotted some easy targets. There was a large group of students sitting at a table ordering. We slipped in next to them and ordered. No one paid attention to us, as they were all too engrossed in their own conversations. Fifteen minutes later the food arrived and we dug in. It was delicious and I almost licked the vegetarian dish clean with my tongue. As we were about to leave, one of the girls at the table asked us who we were and soon all the attention was on us as everyone noticed the mysterious triplets. Silver trying to blag his way through said that he was studying politics, leaving everyone confused as they were all fashion students and this was their end of year celebration. When it was made clear that we had crashed their pre-paid party, we were asked to pay up. This obviously was not possible to the irritation of the fashion-conscious group. As we tried to leave, one of the guys who was clearly drunk off his mind grabbed Sapphire and suggested that if she performed for him, whatever that meant, he would pay for her. In return she kicked him where it hurts most and he let out a loud animalistic sound. One of the girls, his girlfriend I presume, called Sapphire a bitch and asked her to apologise. Silver laughed and taking Sapphire's hand said:

'She's not apologising to anyone. It's your dirty f-word dog of a boyfriend that should apologise to her.' Between Silver and the girlfriend arguing, to the other students demanding we pay up and the manager threatening to kick everyone out and call the police, the next minute that followed was chaotic. Everyone was shouting and we were gaining more and more unwanted attention. Eventually when we heard police sirens, everyone legged it out of the pub. Silver, Sapphire and I began to make our way to the underground station, which just so happened to be the same way most of the fashion students were going as well. In pain, angry and fuelled by alcohol the guy Sapphire had hit ran, well stumbled, towards us shouting profanities. Silver finding this extremely amusing mimicked the drunkard, which really wasn't the best idea. Eventually when the guy reached us, without warning he punched Sapphire square in the jaw. For a moment, everything stopped. I couldn't hear the bustling city around us anymore - everything was silent. Then as quickly as the silence had come, the city became alive again. I saw Silver, comforting Sapphire who was trying to control her now bleeding nose. Unfortunately, the drunkard wasn't done and he threw another punch this time at the back of Silver's head. Sapphire and Silver collided harshly and they fell to the ground. I screamed and then felt my own body stumble back and forth after someone pushed me.