We heard the sirens behind us. We bolted down the streets as fast as we can, taking sharp turns, random alleys, and pushing past people to apologize later. But the sirens didn't fade away, they didn't give up. I can't be caught, we can't be caught. Terrible scenarios just raced through my head as fast as we were running. I'm too young, I can't go to jail, especially because it was his fault.
"Jordan I'm going to kill you!" I exclaimed, almost tripping as I ran, but caught my balance and continued running
He laughed as he ran, doing his best to hold on to his murse or satchel, whichever you prefer. "I think I heard this before!"
As common as this may seem, let's wind back to earlier that night for things to make sense.
With Declan taking another nap back at the base, it was only Bennett, Jordan and I. I didn't know where we were going, but wherever we were, Jordan was excited.
"I'm so excited!"
See?
"Excited for what? And where are we going?" I asked them from the back seat.
"That's for me to know, and you to find out," Jordan said slyly.
I ignored him, making him frown, and looked at Bennett. "Where are we going?"
"I'll be dropping you two off somewhere," he said calmly. "After that you two will walk to two other places before you can go back home."
"What? You're leaving me with him?" I demanded, emphasizing on the last two words.
Jordan grinned at me. "Is something wrong with that, Naomi?"
"Just for a couple of hours," he assured me.
I looked at Jordan. "Hours of pure torture," I finished.
"Aw, it won't be that bad," Jordan said. "The last guy was able to last a day."
"The last guy?" I repeated in disbelief.
"He's kidding," Bennett said, shooting Jordan a glare. "And it really won't be that bad. You already hanged out with him at that fair, compared to this, it won't be that bad."
"Yeah," Jordan said with a wink. "It'll be awesome. I've done this a couple of times, so as long as you stick with me, you'll be fine."
"Take my word for it Naomi," Bennett said, "which hopefully, it'll assure you. You might even have fun."
"Then how come you're not coming along with us?" I asked him.
"Believe me, I'd love to come to," Bennett began.
"Liar."
"Alright, but I still have something to do."
I eyed him. "Is it another gang thing?"
"No, it's a family matter."
"Is that a code word?"
"No, I'm serious," he said, looking at me from the rearview mirror. "I would rather come with you guys than face it, but if I've been summoned-"
"Summoned?" I repeated.
"A joke," he said curtly. "Just been ordered to come."
"Which is just the definition of summon," I told him.
He shrugged. "Though it's not as harsh."
"But enough about him," Jordan said. "Let's go back to what we're doing tonight."
"Is it going to be bad?" I asked slowly.
"Maybe..."
"Is is going to be stupid?"
Maybe..."
"Is it going to be crazy?"
"Maybe."
I paused for a moment then said, "But is it going to be fun?"
"Totally!"
Oh how I regret ever giving in.
Bennett "kicked us out" of his car near a gas station. He didn't like the term I was using as I yelled traitor as he drove away, but that still didn't stop him. Jordan took out a piece of paper from his pocket, then began to walk down the street. Obviously with nowhere else to go, I followed him. I couldn't help but noticed he was wearing all grey, with grey jeans and a grey sweater with a loose collar. Also he had his beloved satchel strapped around him. But the weird part is that he told me to wear grey too, so I wore grey leggings and a loose grey tank top under a grey cardigan.
Suddenly Jordan stopped walking. He looked around the street, which of course was empty, no one would be out at this time of night anywhere near this place.
"We're here."
I blinked. "For wha-"
He cut me off when he tossed something at me which I was able to catch. I looked down at my hands to see it was a mask. It was a grey mask of an owl themed that covered half my face.
"Okay Jordan, you're freaking me out."
He chuckled. "Don't worry. Not put that on." As he did, he put on his own mask, a grey wolf mask that covered half of his face.
"A wolf?" I asked in disbelief.
He winked at me. "Chicks dig werewolves, right?" Then he looked up at the sky. "So it seems fitting since it's a full moon tonight."
Only because the mask was pretty, I put it on. I took off my glasses before putting on the mask, knowing that I'll see anything far away slightly blurry with my nearsightedness.
"Now tell me what's going on," I told him.
He put down his satchel and took out spray paint. He shook it a bit then grinned at me.
"What's going on? We're going to have fun, that's what's going on."
It turns out the whole reason I'm here is to be look out. I told him it's pointless for me to wear the mask if I can't wear my glasses to see as well. But he told me that I look cooler with the mask on, and any silhouette of someone is a threat and that I just have to scream, "run". Once again, Jordan had made me feel like our friendship is a lie. Usually Declan or Bennett would have the "honor" of the job, but Declan needs rest and Bennett had stuff to do. Or in Jordan's words:
"Declan's being a big baby and Bennett chickened out," Jordan said as he almost finished drawing it in chalk. "So they told me to just use you, they're the traitors, y'know."
"You could've told me that you were, I don't know, going to graffiti a building!"
He shushed me. "If you're going to yell at me, don't be so loud."
My mouth dropped. "That doesn't make any sense."
"I don't care," he said as he took out a couple of spray cans and started to graffiti the wall, "but be quiet unless you want to get caught."
I stiffened at the word. "Caught?" I repeated.
Jordan sighed. "I don't think I should have said it like that."
"I don't think you should have said that at all!" I exclaimed before realizing my volume and hissed, "We're going to get caught."
"No we're not."
"Yes we are. We're going to get caught."
"I haven't been caught."
"Yet," I finished. "I mean look where we are in the first place. We're in the open street, tagging an abandoned building. Anyone can catch us."
"Just keep your head together Naomi," he told me distractedly as he continued to spray paint. "After this, we have two other locations."
"Two?" I groaned. "We're going to die."
"Almost done," he muttered, as he stuck his tongue out in concentration.
I took a cautious look around to see if there was anyone. Knowing the coast is clear, I walked behind Jordan to see what he was exactly doing to risk us getting caught.
I could hear the smile in his voice as he asked me, "Like what you see?"
"Yeah," I said quietly, "I do."
I didn't know Jordan had any art in him, any of this creativity. He always seemed to be that funny guy with a goofy smile and is scary good at computers. But you would have never thought he'd be able to draw any of this out. In about half an hour he was able to make out graffiti art that had "3M" stood proudly on the wall. Though the thing was the only colors were just black, white and grey.
Grey.
I stared at Jordan.
"What? Do you like it?"
"Nevermind that."
He blinked. "Then what are you staring-"
"You're Graeae."
Jordan didn't say anything. He just packed up his stuff back into his satchel. He was about to leave when I grabbed its strap.
"Hey, you can't make me do this without answering me."
"You didn't ask me a question."
I narrowed my eyes at me. "Are you Graeae?"
He shrugged me off, making me let go of him. Jordan went back to walking, probably to the next location. I matched his pace as he walked.
"C'mon Jordan, can't you tell me just this?" I asked him.
"What if I was?" He asked me.
I exploded. But not out of anger, but out of excitement.
"I can't believe it! You're him, you're Graeae! I can't believe I didn't figure out before. The grey clothes, the grey masks, and now your picture in nothing but in black, white, and grey! Why didn't you tell me? How can you make me be your look-out without telling me?"
Jordan stuffed his hands into his pockets, looking a bit embarrassed. "I thought you wouldn't know any of that stuff, so I didn't say anything."
"But I do!" I said, grinning. "You're famous, known as the street artist that only paints in those three colors. And when you wrote "3M" it means the Three Musketeers, right? What for?"
He shrugged. "Territorial reasons. If anyone sees them, they get scared and walk the other direction. It's like when a dog pees on a fire hydrant to mark its territory."
I made a face. "Don't say it like that."
I got some of the old Jordan back when he smiled at that. "The art I make that doesn't have "3M" are just for the fun of it. Time to time I would find abandoned walls and stuff when I walk around then just note the address to draw later." He nodded to the direction where we just came from. "I passed by that wall back when I had to go to the store while you were getting a tattoo."
"I'm just surprised why you aren't as excited as I am. You're always proud when you show off your computer skills, why not this?"
He let out a sigh. "I don't know. Art is just... it's something I'm proud of only to myself. I don't really care for anyone else to know it. The other guys are cool with it and just keep out a look out so I won't get caught, but they don't fangirl unlike someone I know..."
I punched him on the arm, making him laugh.
"Oh, you know it's true," he said with an eye roll.
"But let me get this straight," I told him. "You're called Graeae after the Grey Sisters in Greek mythology, right?"
He winked at me. "Bingo."
In Greek mythology, the Grey Sisters are three sisters who share one eye and one tooth with each other. Pretty freaky but hey, it's Greek mythology. In the Perseus story where he needed to find things to kill Medusa, he went to the sisters for the information.
"You know, it's because of your name that some people think you're a girl."
He snorted. "Well obviously I'm not."
I could just hear Declan's voice saying, His birth certificate says otherwise.
We arrived to a sign that told us that there's a construction site up ahead. They closed off some of the streets, including the bridge that lots of people use to cross the freeway. But Jordan just walked right past it followed by going over the noticeable fence of cones. Not really wanting to leave his side, I quickly ran followed behind him.
"Don't worry," Jordan assured me. "This one will be quick. I was halfway done when..." He trailed off.
"When what?"
"I heard the sirens."
I stopped walking.
Jordan groaned. "Not now."
"Do you know how many stories of you as Graeae almost getting caught? That the police are searching for you?"
"But they haven't found me," he said in sing-song as he began to search his satchel.
"Well hurry up," I grumbled, doing the paranoid part of being the look out. "And where were you painting in a place like-" I stopped and sighed. "Please don't say what I'm thinking."
"How am I supposed to know what you're thinking? I'm not a mind reader."
I looked at him as he put on a safety harness. "It's at the side of the bridge, isn't it?"
He looked at me innocently. "What gave me away?"
Strapping the harness on the hopefully secure railing at the side of the bridge, Jordan made his way down at the side of bridge. I looked down at him, tapping the railing nervously.
"I could hear your tapping, stop being nervous," Jordan said as he finished his half done artwork.
"You're hanging who know how many feet-"
"20 or so feet in the air," Jordan finished me with a shrug. "I measured."
"You can at least lie to not freak me out!"
"But you'll see though the lie."
Well he was right about that. I leaned against the railing, watching him paint.
"Can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Shoot."
"When did you start this?"
He paused for a moment then said, "Remember when I told you I did some bad things to get on my bully's good side?"
"Yeah."
"Once they broke into my locker and saw my art journals. When they found out I like to draw, well after they made fun of me, they made me graffiti different places for them." He switched spray cans then continued talking. "Sometimes I'd go back to those places and paint them over as if they were never there... then I thought of painting my own stuff. After I left, I started to paint my own, this was when I started high school."
"Weren't you scared of getting caught?"
"After messing with those guys?" Jordan asked with a snort. "Nah, not anymore."
"What made you choose the name Graeae?"
He shrugged. "I liked the gore in Greek mythology. I thought it'd be pretty cool. Grey is my favorite color and the eye is symbolic."
"Why only those three colors?"
"I want people to see people the world different," he told me quietly. "That not always life is full of color. People should see things in reality. See it in black and white."
I nodded, getting it, like the art style, realism.
"Now let me ask you this," Jordan said. "Why are you so obsessed with Graeae?"
I shook the harness making him yelp. "I'm not obsessed with Graeae! I'm just obsessed with art."
He laughed. "Alright, alright, you know I was kidding. Now don't kill me. How come you're so obsessed with it?"
"With all that time to yourself, you learn to appreciate things more. You had your computers and art. I had books and art. Besides the art you'd see in a museum or in the computer, I also like seeing the street art I pass by."
Jordan nodded. "Yeah, that street artist Banksy, he's a genius."
"I would always see your art," I continued. "And I would take a picture of them. I actually have some in my phone. My favorite one was when this teddy bear was saving a girl on this side of this abandoned building. I like the use of creativity with the building."
He laughed. "That was the first time I used the harness. I nearly pissed myself every time there was even a little breeze." Jordan looked back at his painting then signed his signature. "There done."
"With your signature, is it true that it's really the Pokemon unown of the letter G?"
He grinned up at me. "You got it."
In Pokemon, there's one called unown which have 26 versions of it, each representing the 26 letters of the alphabet. Graeae's signature vaguely looked like the letter G unown.
I helped Jordan as he pulled himself up the bridge. He was able to clasped at the railing with one hand. Jordan looked down at his satchel to see one of his spray cans was poking out of it. While he secured it back inside the satchel, he accidentally lost his grip of the railing. But I was able to catch his hand in time, then used my other hand to hold on to him, using my feet to hook the bottom of the railing.
I let out a sigh of relief. "You okay?"
"Y'know, I'm still wearing the safety harness," he reminded me. "If I dropped, I would have gone back to the level of the art."
"Don't ruin the moment. I just saved your life. The thought of it counts."
Jordan grinned. "Thank you for saving my pathetic excuse of a life Naomi."
"Don't say that," I told him, frowning. "What will I call my own life then?"
Back at the safety on top of the bridge, Jordan took off the safety harness and put it back in his satchel. We looked down at the side of the bridge to look at his work upside down.
"Now people can see it proudly as they drive under the bridge," he said.
"I've always wondered how people were able to pain in these random places high up," I told him. "I'm still going to think they have jetpacks or something."
We then went to the last location where Jordan will strike with his art. It also happened to be the most dangerous, besides the bridge, since we can really be caught since we're on a billboard. Jordan was able to pull down the ladder and had me climb up first while he followed, maybe to make sure I don't chicken out on him.
"Since we're the most exposed here, I brought stencils so it'll be quicker," Jordan assured me.
"Why didn't you stencil it for the other ones?"
"I wouldn't look as cool."
I rolled my eyes then used them as my job as lookout. I took a seat on the billboard stand, hearing the hiss of the spray paint on the board. The city skyline was beautiful, lighting up in the darkness, but it wasn't as bright as the full moon tonight. I secured the mask on me, feeling the thrill of being on top of here in the first place. I looked back at Jordan who was nearly halfway done with his final work. But then he paused and looked at me.
"You want to help?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow.
My face lit up. "I've been waiting for you to ask me all night!"
I jumped to my feet and matched the stencils at the chalk marks Jordan made. I shook the spray can and then sprayed it on the stencil. Even on my first stencil, my hands were caked in the grey and white spray paint. Glancing at Jordan, his clothes were covered with those colors, as if he purposely sprayed it on him like perfume. But the closer we were done with the artwork, the more worried I got.
"We're going to get caught, I know we are," I muttered as I painted.
"Don't jinx it."
"What are we going to do? I doubt even you can talk your way out of this when you're caught red- well, black, white and grey-handed."
"Don't worry."
"How can I not get worried?"
"Maybe because I have a permit?" Jordan asked me.
I stared at him for a long time before holding the spray pain in front of him. "I have half a mind to spray this on you."
Jordan burst out laughing. "You do not know how long I've been holding that fact from you."
I punched him on the shoulder. "You made me become look out, become so paranoid and worried, when you had a permit all along?"
"Yeah," he said, snickering to himself.
"How did you get one anyway? You could've given away that you're Graeae."
He shooked his head. "Nah, Bennett got it for me anonymously, just for these three places."
Cue the cash register sound for Bennett.
"You asked him for it?"
He shooked his head again. "He gave it to me," Jordan told me, "for my birthday."
"Your birthday?" I demanded. "When was this? Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was a couple days ago and-"
I punched him on the shoulder.
He whined and rubbed the spot where I punched him. "Why did you do that for?
I grinned at him slyly. "16 more times, birthday boy."
With the tradition to punch the birthday person the number of years old they are, I began to chase Jordan for my valued punches.
"This is exactly why I didn't tell you!" He said as he ducked when I swung at him. "When I accidentally let it slip with Declan, he punched me too! His punches really hurt! I wish I didn't!"
"Oh, you shouldn't leave him out of the fun. I'll be sure to remind him next year if he were to forget."
"You sadist!"
I pulled him into a hug. "I just wish you told me it was your birthday."
He laughed and hugged me back. "Don't blame yourself. I wasn't in a celebrating mood that day. That and because I value my life."
I backed up and asked, "What about the other's birthdays?"
Jordan scratched his head. "Well Bennett's birthday was over the summer and Declan's birthday was a couple months ago."
My shoulders sagged. "I missed all of your birthdays?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yup, pretty much."
My mind was at work as I began to come up with a plan when I heard it.
Sirens.
Suddenly a huge spotlight was on us. And it's not the one everyone dreams to be under when on stage, it's the bad kind. I squinted at the light, being nearly blinded at the brightness of it.
"Put your hands up in the air," someone ordered through a speaker.
I dropped the spray can out of my hand, and it clattered on the floor. Then I instantly put my hands up, though I noticed Jordan didn't at first. He slowly went down to pick up the spray can and put them spray cans back into the satchel until he police ordered him to do the same which he did. I put my hands up in the air, and though I was tempted, I didn't wave them around like I didn't care. It's because I did care, cared at being caught.
"Now slowly go down the ladder," he ordered us. "Don't think about running. Don't get into more trouble than you already are."
"We're going to die," I muttered.
"Oh no, I lost her," Jordan said to himself.
"That's it. My life's over."
"No it isn't." He glanced at me through the mask. "Naomi?"
"That's my name, which the police will learn, and end my life forever."
"Naomi," Jordan said again.
"What?"
"Run."
And now here we are. We were able to take the police by surprise and climbed down the billboard ladder to take off running. The police didn't expect us to run and fumbled going back into their cars to start chasing us. We were sure to keep on wearing our masks so they wouldn't see our faces. Jordan kept on fumbling with his satchel until one of his spray cans fell out. He turned to get it back, and I grabbed his shirt and yelled at him to not be stupid, but he got it back anyway.
"Don't want them to get any fingerprints, right?" Jordan asked me with a grin.
"We're in so much trouble," I said.
Jordan laughed and cut a sharp corner. "You're only in trouble if you get caught."
I looked behind me, trying to see the red and blue lights chasing after us. "Don't quote Aladdin on-" I was suddenly yanked back into an alley.
I tried to yell at Jordan but he clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Shh."
My muffled yells got even louder on how dare he shushed me. Jordan backed me up against the wall and pointed his finger at me.
"Shh."
I grumbled something under my breath, obviously he couldn't hear me. He was too busy listening for the sirens that were slowly fading away.
"What's the use of running if you have a permit? You could just tell them."
He laughed. "But where's the fun in that? Street artist Graeae reveals he has an art permit. It takes the mystery out of it."
I rolled my eyes at that.
"Coast is clear," he said with all smiles.
Jordan took his mask off and stuffed it into his satchel. Then he pulled my mask up from my face. We were left just staring at each other.
"You look different without your glasses," he told me.
"People tend to when they wear glasses a lot."
"I like you wearing glasses though," he said as he removed my mask and put it back into his bag.
I took my glasses out of my pocket and put them back on. "Me too."
That was when he heard the sirens again.
"Those guys just can't quit," Jordan muttered before looking back at me. "No use running anymore."
I blinked. "We're turning ourselves in?"
He laughed. "No, you're crazy. We're just going to hide out somewhere until the coast is clear."
"Where? We aren't close to the base at all."
"I don't mean the base," Jordan said. "I mean home."
-
"Honey, I'm home!" Jordan announced as he walked into the door.
"Do you always say that when you come home?" I asked him.
"Nah," he said. "Yesterday I had to sneak inside because I was late."
"The last time he was late, he had to scratch the door like a dog to tell me he wants to come in," a voice said. "A couple hours later, I gave in."
"Well, in my defense I told you I was going to be late," Jordan defended.
"Yeah, but in three o'clock in the morning?"
I looked at him in disbelief. "What could you be doing in three o'clock in the morning?"
He winked at me. "Just stuff." Jordan then kicked his shoes off and placed in near the door. "If you don't mind, can you do the same? My mom will freak if-"
Jordan was suddenly cut off when a towel came out of nowhere and hit him right on the face. He staggered back and crashed backwards onto the door. Even I jumped back in surprise at that. I looked at the end of the hall to see a woman fist pumping the air.
"Bulls-eye!"
He took the towel off his face and demanded, "What's wrong with you, woman?"
"Don't talk to your mother like that," she scolded, pointing a spatula at him. "And you know how I feel when you've gone off painting without at least telling me you were going to be late. Now go wash up, dinner's almost done."
Jordan grumbled something under his breath then trudged to another room. I was left blinking stupidly at this whole scenario I just witnessed. When I looked up Jordan's mom was right in front of me. She had medium short very curly blonde hair, curlier than even Jordan's, and had the same bright green eyes as him.
"I'm Annie, but you can call me Ann," she introduced with a Jordan-like smile. "And I'm sorry you had to witness that whole thing, but if you've known him long enough –which I doubt because I raised the kid- it's best to take him by surprise to put him in check."
"Someone who can actually tame Jordan, I'm honored to meet you."
She pinched my cheek. "You're so sweet, as well as Naomi, right? Jordan talks about you, y'know."
"I do not!" Jordan called out from the bathroom.
She rolled her eyes. "What did I tell you about eavesdropping on people?"
There was a short pause before he said, "That I shouldn't do it."
Jordan's mom led me into her home and had me sit down on the couch. "I'm so sorry for the mess, if I knew I was going to have a guest-" her eyes trailed to Jordan's direction who must still be washing the spray paint off his hands "-I would have cleaned up."
I shooked my head. "No, you shouldn't go through so much trouble for me."
Also, I didn't know what she was talking about, the place was practically spotless. The whole apartment looked neat and orderly, so I can't even believe in the first place Jordan can actually live here and his messy habit.
"I could feel your glare on me through the wall, mom," Jordan said as he walked into the living room. "And we just happened to be in the neighborhood of-"
"Running from the cops and thought, 'hey, I live near here, let's use my house as a safe house'," she said in a Jordan mocking tone.
I blinked. "You know he's-"
"That Graeae street artist blah, blah, blah," she finished. "I know, what's with me? Most moms would ground their kids and take it one step further by just burying them into the ground. But as long as he isn't caught, then I don't know what you're talking about."
I looked at Jordan who was nodding. "Yeah, I know, she's awesome."
She grinned and twirled the spatula in her hand. "You can say that again."
"The likeness of you two is uncanny," I said in disbelief.
As if on cue, the both of them ran their hands through their hair.
"You tend to pick habits out of people if you hang out with them long enough," Jordan said. "In this case, 17 years now."
Suddenly we heard a loud beeping coming from what looks like the kitchen. Then dark smoke came into the room.
"The food!" She cried as she raced into the kitchen. "Not the food!"
"Help me out," Jordan said as he started to open the windows.
But even with my help, it was too late because the smoke alarm started to beep, louder than the oven. Jordan's mom came back holding a tray with an oven mitt. She pouted as she poked the burnt food with a spatula.
"What were you trying to cook? Charcoal?" Jordan asked her disbelief.
"I don't know. I think?" She said. "I've never been good at cooking, but that still doesn't stop me from trying." She let out a sigh. "Are you guys up for pizza?"
Jordan looked at me. "This is where my love of pizza comes from."
I hope you all enjoy the picture of mine and the next one. Before I forget, here's another brilliant poem for you guys made by HiddenInTheCrowd, I hope you all enjoy this too.
See how they whisper behind your back,
Feel how they beat you until you're all black.
Hear how they snicker at you groaning in pain,
How much it hurts to be thought as plain,
How much it hurts to be rejected by others,
The only people that can help is your fathers and mothers,
There's no reason to be bullied like this,
And to think if you're no one will miss
The sarcastic comebacks you used make,
The smile that you used to fake,
The only thing that they will miss is the way their fist make contact.
-HiddenInTheCrowd
RubixCube89201