Shifters

Chapter 23

The stars were shining, but the city lights were even brighter. When San Francisco rolled into view, Scott was still fast asleep, and both heirs were awed by the coastal city. Kayla felt a pang of guilt for wanting to run away to california with Cody, when the hunters were centered in so close. She would've been running even closer to danger than she realized.

Damian wasted no time pulling the car into smaller, dark roads between buildings in the older part of the city. Otherwise known as the ghetto. When he had it parked, they quickly climbed out of it. Kayla scrunched up her face in disgust when she laid her delicate feet on the sticky floor, full of tar, gum, saliva and tobacco. Her toes marinated in it. Uneasiness rose within her at the sight of the unwanted portion of the city, she didn't feel safe there, or with her company. Outside of the little alley Damian had pulled into, she could hear trouble-makers giving cat calls, and drunkards stumbling about looking for a fight. In the corner was a homeless man that smelled like piss, he snored as he slept on papers by a dumpster. Scott stirred, he sleepily opened his eyes and looked around curiously. She grimaced and tried to pretend everything was okay, before glancing at Damian. He'd better have a good idea, but unfortunately, he didn't look inspired. He glanced around, trying to figure out how they would survive looking like they'd just murdered someone. Also, the issue of Scott, should they leave him at a foster home? Take him to the police? Should they go to a hospital? He feared wasting unnecessary time, it was imperative that they got back home as soon as they possibly could.

After a while, when he gave no indication of an idea, Kayla grew restless. She scowled and glanced around the alley in disgust, Scott began to get fussy. He whined and wiggled out of her grasp, when his little feet touched the floor he ran to stand by Damian, Kayla reluctantly followed the toddler.

"Any ideas?" She asked begrudgingly.

He nodded, his green eyes were locked on a prize straight ahead. "You see that clothes line, up there on the third floor of those apartments, straight ahead? We can take them and ditch the clothes we have now, it'll confuse our scent a bit and make us less suspicious."

She gasped. "But that's stealing!"

He glared at her, "Those people are practically asking for their clothes to be taken. Anyone who lives in this sort of neighborhood should know better than to leave them hanging over night."

"They're on the third floor. They're obviously not expecting someone to actually climb up there and take it."

He rolled his eyes, "We need it, and we especially need to get away from here. Stop whining."

Before she could argue with him, he took Scott by the hand and marched forward toward the clothesline. She carefully stepped over the gritty road and stood with Scott while Damian expertly climbed up the fire escape with impossible agility. His green eyes peeked through the dark window for a second, it didn't look like anyone in the apartment was awake. Then he snatched up the first pair of jeans and T-shirt he could find for himself. He tossed them over his shoulder and felt around for some girl clothes, he came across a skirt and some kind of blouse. The material was thin, it reminded him of something Regina would wear, he should know, he'd felt the material of her stuff plenty of times. He worried it would draw too much attention to Kayla, as it did with Regina, they couldn't afford that. So he grabbed an additional trench coat jacket. Before he left, he fumbled around the floor, and found two mangled pairs of shoes, effeminate heeled booties, and large work shoes. The owner obviously didn't want them anymore, they cracked, and they smelled heavily of alcohol and gunk. He smirked to himself, something told him Kayla was going to hate what he had grabbed, but there was really nothing he could do to change that, and he was inwardly glad for that.

There was a shout from below, he hurriedly looked down to see the Pelisian heir backing away from an angry human. He was yelling loudly at her incoherently, Scott hid behind her, terror evaporated from the traumatized memories within him. If the man kept yelling like that, he'd wake the entire neighborhood. Damian skillfully climbed down in rapid fire, just as the man pulled out a knife, threatening both Kayla and Scott.