Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ Who? What? Why? ~~

Bryce must have been watching her expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it all soon, and I'll help you get the Worcesters back safely. They'll be alright for as long as she needs them for collateral."

L's worry rose when she suddenly realised that since this was all real, then the situation with Robbie and his family was also a reality. They had been taken because of her and would be used against her at some point in the future. The only people she cared about had been taken away, and that made her angry beyond description. She balled her fists up and took a few steadying breaths.

She peered up at Bryce, trying to calm herself down by thinking of something to distract herself.

"How did you do that back there anyway? The floating and appearing then disappearing?"

Bryce smiled down at her and touched a finger to his nose, "Now that's an explanation I think we should save for another day. You're probably already overwhelmed as it is, and you might go into shock if I drop more on you too quickly."

He peered up each of the streets while they walked, like he expected an imminent attack.

"I need to grab some supplies, and then we need to head out as soon as possible. Is that alright with you?"

L ignored the comment about her going into shock and thought it was strange that he didn't have any supplies on him. She didn't comment on it out loud and instead just nodded. She glanced back to see if the Smiths were nearby. She didn't fancy being chased through town by them. Luckily, the street was clear. She felt more at ease when they turned the next corner and were out of sight of the restaurant.

They twisted and turned through the streets, and L realised after a few minutes that they were heading towards the Smiths house.

Her brow creased, and she looked up at Bryce suspiciously. "Where are we going for these supplies?"

He smiled down at her and gestured with his head in the general direction of the house. "To your foster parents' house, I left my bag nearby, and I thought you could grab your things while we're there. They'll be arriving at the restaurant any minute now so the house will be empty, but we have to be quick."

L shook her head in disbelief. He spoke like this was a perfectly natural situation to be in.

"Is this something you do on a regular basis, sneak people away from their lives in the middle of the night?"

"This is the first time I've done this particular version, but I do, do similar things like this on a regular basis, yes."

He seemed like he was almost proud of that, and L wondered again just why he was the one to come for her. He must have some kind of skill or reputation. Those creatures in the cemetery ran away at just the sight of his dagger.

L tried to refocus while they neared the house. Bryce went in first, just in case there was something else lying in wait. L watched him creeping forward and frowned to herself. She couldn't hear his footsteps and realised she hadn't heard them all night.

He walked like he was floating above the ground, which L now knew he could do. Once he declared that the coast was clear, they crept up to the front door.

"They've all gone to pick you up from the restaurant by the looks of it. They took the car just to pick you up, these Norms are even more ridiculous than most."

L shrugged at him, "Why wouldn't they? It's not safe to walk around at this time of night, so I've noticed, but they're more lazy than anything else. Also, I can be a bit of a handful, apparently... Shouldn't we get moving? You're the one who keeps talking about being in a hurry..."