Mike's POV
I hear the car pull up on the drive and walk over to the window. The dark rain clouds hover above. But Layla's car isn't the only one I see. A black truck of some kind is parked on the side of the road. The car is easily recognisable as Phoebe's fathers.
I cut my stare to Layla's car. I know whats going to happen before it does. The light inside Layla's car is on, illuminating everything. Phoebe rushes out in the night to her father. She climbs in the big black vehicle a feeling of despair passes over me and I know I should run across, get her out. But my feet are rooted to the floor.
Emma struggles with her seatbelt unable to get out of the car. I silently pray, seeming as I'm frozen to the spot. A shiver runs down my spine when finally, Emma frees herself. She runs across but the car is already starting. She won't make it. One step behind, one step too late.
But just as the car pulls up, she leaps. She hooks her arms around the tyre on the boot. Thats when I act. The invisable force is no loger holding me. I run from the house into the street, Layla does the same. Emma is nowhere to be seen. I hold my breath.
Seconds later the three get out of the car. Emma standing between Phoebe and her father. It's going to be okay. Emma has the impassive look on her face. The one that comes out when she's blocking everyone out, becoming in control of her emotions. She shouldn't have to put on that front but right now she needs it. The only one who can break her walls is Phoebe.
But I thought too soon. Her father knows her only weakness and he uses it to his advantage. I reach out to clasp Layla's hand. Its as much as to reassure myself as it is to reasure her. We hang on tight.
Phoebe recognises the stance and protests. She pulls at her arm. "He's not mother Emma" She defends.
I swallow tightly. How can she believe that, after everything? I watch Emma carefully. This time she doesn't cover up, lie through her teeth. "No. He's worse." She says. For once she tells Phoebe what he's really like, instead of protecting her from the harsh reality. I guess she's trying to protect her in a totally different way. Her words ring out, the truth in them undeniable.
Father just stares at Emma. "You had to ruin it, didn't you?"
I can't help but glare. How could he? I take one step forward but Layla holds me back. Emma questions her father. If he could still be called that. "Me?" She begins to laugh hysterically. "Me. I ruined it. The irony crack's me up."
Me too, I think.
But then Phoebe pulls on her arms again. "He didn't do anything Emma!"
I stare at her, and Emmas does the same. "What?"
"He didn't do anything!" She insists.
Emma hopfull, broken voice rings out. Her pain obvious. "Your choosing him, over me?" But Emma already knows the answer.
I'm the only one whos see's her small, almost non-existant flinch when Phoebe says without hesitatation, "Yes."
She next words are whispered so low I barely hear, directed at her father. "You did it. You won, okay? You got what you wanted. You got her."
He smiles cruelly. "You think this is over? I think not." He draws a knife and step forwards once more, determined to rip the knife from his grasp. Then I would make sure Emma was okay. I see the bravest person I knew crumpled on the floor in the rain thats started to fall. All I know is she doesn't deserve this.
But a glint in her eye stops me. She doesn't need my protection. She runs forwards, pushes him. All I see is the gash that opens along her hand and Phoebes terrifyed expression.
"Layla, pass me your phone." Emma orders. She does without question.
Emma dials triple nine. "Police." She demands to the woman on the phone. Its over in that moment. Emma isn't fighting anymore. She has nothing to fight for. I want to step forwards, rescue her. But the only one who can do that now is Phoebe. And she's curled up on the floor eyes resting on the knife. A look of confusion on her face.
I stand as I realise what will happen now. I don't bother to get out of the rain. Not even when the man in the florestent jacket tells me to go inside. I just stand there, my hand tightly entwined with Layla's.
I feel myself being torn away from Layla. I try to hold on but its no use and our fingers slip apart. I'm loaded into the back of a police car. I look across the see Layla in panic . She runs towards the house only to be held back. She's worried about Abe. I tell the policeman in the front of the car in a dull monotone, "Her son is in the house." I doubt he listens.
When we arrive at the police station I'm taken into a room. Not an interagation room, or a jail cell so I think I'm safe. The guy in front of me is older than I am, and his thinning hair is going gray from too many hours work on low pay.
He sighs and begins asking questions. I answer a few. Then he asks "Why did..." He checks his pad for Emmas name, "Emma go to you instead of calling the police?" I narrow my eyes at him and keep silent. "Excuse me sir. did you hear? I said..."
"I heard damn well what you said." I say my voice icy.
He's not picking up on my tone because he glances to his pad with another sigh. "I don't see the problem sir." I stare at him. I hear him mutter under his breath "There goes my evening." But you know what? I don't feel the slightest bit sorry for him. He waits for a moment to study my face. When he's sure he's not going to reconsider he walks out of the room.
I sigh when two men come in and take me to a room that can only be interogation. To my surprise Layla is there. The look on her face is sad with occasional glares of disgust for the police. They dump me in the chair and leave the room.
"Hey Layla." I say tierdly. The dumb cops were watching us through the one-way glass but I can't bring myself to care. "Have they told you anything about Abe?"
"No. There treating me like I've done something wrong. I'm going to sue them for every penny they have when I get out of here." She rants fustratedly.
I give her a hug. "You don't mean that."
I feel her tears soaking through my shirt. "What if they take him away? What if we never see Emma again, or Phoebe? What if they arrest us?" She leans back "They can't arrest us can they? We didn't do anything!" She leans in and sobs into my jacket.
I wish they'd just let us go already. We need to go home, sleep. Sort out our lives now that a lot of it has changed. We really don't need to be held up in a room because we don't want to tell personal information about Emma to perfect strangers.
A while later Layla has finally run out of tears. She keeps her face hidden in my t-shirt though. I still have my arms wrapped around her when someone finally comes in. This guy is older than the other one but more clued in and less like he wants to go home so he can eat a burger.
"Do you know why Emma didn't call the police?" He asks.
"Yes." We answer in unison, without bothering to confirm with the other.
"Why?" We stare at him blankly and he moves on. "You had no right to look after those children. There parents would have been sick with worry. Not to mention its not legal." He sounds like my bos giving me a lecture.
I resist the urge to snort. There parents didn't care. I was there when there father held a knife to Phoebes throat. If he's trying to guilt trip me, its not working.
Then he continues questioning. "Did you not ask questions, call the police, call her parents?"
I think back. "Yes, No and No."
"Why did you let her stay?" He shoots back.
I think he's trying to pile on the pressure. Its not working too good for him. "Well she knocked. I opened the door. She was still there and now I think about it, look pretty annoyed. Then she asked if she could stay here and I said no. Then she stormed in. I didn't really have a lot of choice."
The policeman looks at me "You could have called the police, or parents."
I look at him like he's gone mad. "If I call the police up about a eight year old tressapssing in my house I'm not sure they would have believed me."
Without another word the cop leaves the room. I think he's gone outside to count to ten. I ask Layla "You okay?"
She nods. "A little dissapointed though, they didn't ask me any questions!" I laugh with her. Eventually were realesed with Abe and we go home for a nights sleep we desperatly need.
In the morning I wake and walk downstairs to see Layla sitting at the table nibbling a cookie and examining Emma's halloween costume. I sit in the chair next to her and glance at the cookies. There cut out into shapes of cats, pumpkins and witches hats. Then someone had decorated them finely with icing. Black for the cats, orange and green for the pumpkins and black and yellow for the hats.
"We should send them." She says. I look at her puzzledly. "You know, the costume and cookies. To Emma. We can send Phoebes too.
"Okay. But first..." I help myself to a cookie and laugh at Laylas scolding expression.