by Elle, Leen
"Look at you, all grown up." Gwyn teased, sneaking her arm around her brothers. He glared down at her, but didn't pull away.
"So, what would you like for lunch?" Rylan asked, smiling brightly. He always lit up like this when they were all together.
None of them wanted to admit it, but they were all becoming too busy for one another. Making time to hang out was a struggle that they'd all begun to hate. Rylan was entering his final year of college, and his workload was hard to manage. Gwyn had spent the fall applying to colleges and maintaing her nearly perfect GPA, while also juggling being the president of her student body. Even Teddy, who was still in middle school was always busy training for his soccer team.
Every day it grew harder and harder to stay as close as they used to be. Their family was slowly growing apart, and there was little they could do to stop it. Each of them was finding their own path, and the more they discovered about themselves, the harder it was to come home.
Rylan tried to ignore the obvious signs, and Teddy was too young to really understand what was happening. Gwyn, however, had already been coming to terms with the change for months.
A part of her blamed Robert and Sophie, even though she knew that was unfair.
Rylan paused in the middle of the sidewalk and glanced up at the tall building to his right. Gwyn followed his gaze and she smiled as she recognized their apartment building. She'd been so lost in thought she hadn't even registered where they'd been walking.
"Home sweet home." Rylan said with a sigh. It'd been almost a month since he'd been back.
Gwyn nodded, feeling an immense wave of sadness rush over her. Even after all this time, she still didn't feel like that apartment was home. They'd moved in after Rylan had turned eighteen and received a generous trust fund from his father. Dr. Smith had helped them to create identities for their new lives, which were still working flawlessly.
"Five years." She whispered, remembering their old home as clearly as if she'd been there yesterday. She still missed it more than anyone knew. She missed her old bedroom, and playing in the yard with Teddy. She missed eating dinner together as a family, and movie nights.
More than anything, she missed Sophie and Robert.
They'd spent years pretending the hole wasn't there, but Gwyn had never been the kind of person who ignored things right in front of her.
"Where do you think she is right now?" Teddy asked from beside her. His face was serious, but sad at the same time.
"I don't know." Gwyn answered, her eyes turning to the blue sky.
Everything had ended so fast back then. One minute they'd all been together at their old home, and the next they'd all had to go into hiding. Within twenty-four hours their world had gone crashing down. The place they'd called home had gone up in flames, and suddenly Cleo and Max were on the news being arrested for numerous crimes.
Their lives went from stable to chaotic, and there was nothing they could do about it. The changes were so sudden none of them knew how to handle the news. Should they be happy that Cleo wouldn't decide their future? Should they be scared of her lashing out again?
They'd had so many questions back then, but none of them had been answered in the last five years.
Dr. Smith hadn't told them anything about the night Robert and Sophie vanished. The only information they'd been able to find came from a news story about three cops being injured in a shooting. The police had been patrolling an abandoned warehouse where known fugitives were hiding when they were fired upon. The gunmen were taken out immediately, but the fate of the two criminals was still a mystery.
At least, it was still a mystery to the police.
"If I had to guess, I'd say Sophie's probably in Paris. I hear it's lovely there this time of year."
Both Teddy and Gwyn turned to Rylan with shocked expressions. "She called you?" They asked in unison.
"I just got off the phone with her this morning." He said, grinning foolishly down at them.
"You could have told us!" Teddy crossed his arms in frustration.
"We've been waiting for her to call for two weeks! You know how worried we get when she changes locations." Gwyn pursed her lips, genuinely annoyed at Rylan.
Two months after the chaos ended, Sophie made a discrete phone call to Dr. Smith. She told them very little about what had happened, or where she was headed. All they knew was that she was on the run from the police, and that she couldn't stay in the country for much longer.
After the initial phone call Sophie checked in at irregular intervals throughout the years. She sent letters every two weeks, always from unknown locations. She spoke very little about what she was doing, but she was always eager to learn about what was happening in their lives.
It was obvious that she missed them, but for their own safety and her own she never visited. Someone had made it clear to her that Agent Marshall, the man in charge of Cleo and Max's case, was still eagerly searching for her.
Gwyn hated that she'd missed Sophie's latest phone call. They didn't have a way to contact her when they wanted to, so her calls were the only chance they got to catch up. Gwyn had been looking forward to hearing from Sophie, and talking to her about her recent concerns.
Despite being thousands of miles away, Sophie had managed to maintain the sisterly bond they'd created while living together.
"I was going to wait until later, but since you're both so angry with me..." Rylan reached in his jeans and pulled out three slips of paper.
Teddy was unfazed by them and continued to pout, but Gwyn's eyes widened in excitement.
"Tickets to Paris?" She squealed, her voice rising. "You know where she's living?"
"Not exactly, but she's agreed to meet us there. She says she feels safe with letting us stay there with her for the summer."
"What...how?" Gwyn was shocked by Rylan's surprise. "It's not safe for her to meet with us! What about Agent Marshall?"
"I was honestly so excited I didn't ask many questions. I'm sure we'll have the whole summer for her to explain." He smiled down at Gwyn, his eyes lighting up. "So, do you like my surprise?" He asked jokingly.
"It's brilliant!" Teddy replied, still as shocked as Gwyn.
"We're going to Paris!" Gwyn whispered, her heart filling with happiness.
Five years was a long time to be separated from loved ones. In those years many events had passed that had changed the three of them. They were older, somewhat wiser, and more independent than they'd been in the past.
However, it didn't feel like they were heading to meet a stranger. Years had passed since they'd last seen Sophie, but the bond they had with her hadn't been broken.
As Gwyn stood staring at the plane tickets in Rylan's hands, she realized this is what it meant to belong to a family. Even if they were separated from one another, it didn't mean that they were alone. Time and distance weren't enough to break them, which gave her immense hope for the future.
Maybe she didn't have to worry so much about their family after all.
* * *
The scene Sophie was staring at now felt like a dream. Sunlight filtered into her studio, brushing over the unfinished canvases her students had started that morning. The air from outside the building swept in, causing her long strands of hair to dance against her face.
She glanced up at the cotton-like clouds that dotted the skyline, and then down at the groups of teenagers hanging out in the courtyard below. There wasn't a soul around her that wasn't smiling on such a relaxing and beautiful day. From her perch next to the window, she felt like she could stay here forever.
Sophie brushed her paint-covered hands against her apron, noticing how they looked stained with the variety of blues she'd been working with. By now, she was used to always being covered in paint. Her students even had a running joke about it.
When another gust of wind blew her hair back into her face, Sophie reached behind her to tie back her long black hair into a tight bun. Now that she'd grown it out long again, she missed how short it u
sed to be. Long hair was rarely worth the hassle of maintaining it, especially when she had to worry about dying it every few weeks.
Reaching towards the radio sitting next to her desk she turned up the music. She recognized the song immediately, having heard it a number of times before. Next week would mark her third year in France, and she was already familiar with the culture around her.
Five years she'd been forced to keep moving from location to location, always changing her appearance and name. It felt like she'd never stopped running, even after all these years.
Quiet moments like this were always times for her to reflect on the past. Memories from her life back in the States hadn't faded but grown stronger with time. That phase in her life was a transition from the mundane to the extraordinary. She'd had no idea when she was in college that one day she'd become a thief on the run.
At least, a retired thief. Since leaving the States, Sophie hadn't even considered stealing again. The rush of adrenaline was a good memory, but not one which she was eager to relive. She'd had more than her share of action while working under Cleo.
Her relaxed smile faded when she thought of her former boss. Even after all this time the woman's memory caused a shiver to run down Sophie's body. Cleo and Max had brought Sophie as close as she was willing to get to death.
She reached up to her ear that was partially covered by her hair. Her eyes closed as she touched the small hole that was now located there.
The sound of the gunshot that almost killed her was still vivid in her memory. She clenched her eyes shut as a wave of memories from that night flew back to her.
* * *
Bright lights filtered around them. Both Sophie and Robert were blinded momentarily, long enough to be disoriented when the first shot rang out in the silence.
They'd been walking out of the warehouse hand-in-hand. Nothing about their position was aggressive or threatening. The police had no reason to fire, and Robert immediately shoved Sophie behind him in the confusion.
Loud shouts filled the clearing. The police were screaming at people that neither of them could see.
"What's happening?" Sophie shouted, her hands tightening around Robert's just as another gunshot rang out.
Robert jumped back, shouting in pain. Sophie turned to look at him, and she only saw blood. His left hand, the one not holding to her own was covered with blood. He'd been holding it over his eyes to see clearly, but now it was disfigured and shaking.
"Damn it!" He shouted, his face contorting with pain. Sophie reached for him, but he shoved her backwards.
Another gun shot broke through the shouts, and Sophie froze in panic. She felt the bullet whizz by her head, and heard someone screaming in her ear. It took her one disorienting moment to realize she was the one screaming because of the searing pain that pulsed from her ear.
Robert was staring at her with wide eyes, filled with panic.
Sophie couldn't think clearly. The clearing was now filled with dozens of gunshots, all being fired in various directions. Men were shouting orders, or screaming in pain. Nothing made sense.
"Follow me." His voice was just above a whisper, and Sophie wondered how she heard it. She allowed him to drag her forward, her mind too far gone to argue.
Lights flashed around them, more gunshots followed their escape, and when they found the edge of the forest Robert toppled forward to the ground. A red stain appeared on his right side, and gradually it grew larger and darker.
"Robert." Sophie whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "They're going to kill us."
"No, they're not." He answered with cold determination. While he was on the ground he reached into his pocket and threw his phone back into the clearing where the police were distracted with another threat. No one had noticed their disappearance, which gave Sophie all the courage she needed to pulled herself together.
She ditched her phone along with his, and turned back to help him to his feet. Robert was clutching his side in pain, but he could still walk.
"Are we really doing this?" She asked as they stumbled deeper into the forest. "Are we really running away?"
Robert didn't stop walking, but he flashed her a serious look. "Don't run if it's not what you want. If you think we should turn ourselves in we can, at the safest opportunity. Whoever was shooting at us back there was obviously not the police, and I'm willing to bet they're connected with Cleo and Max."
"They'd rather us be dead than testify against them." Sophie guessed, clenching her jaw in fear.
"Their orders were definitely not to keep us alive." He winced once when his side brushed against a tree limb.
"Running away..." Sophie mused, her heart racing. "Could we do it?"
She couldn't help but see this as their last chance. They'd been given the opportunity to escape from the police together, and though the road ahead was dangerous, it was still in sight.
"Do you know what that means?" He asked calmly. "It means leaving behind the kids, your belongings, and maybe even this country. Marshall will want any weapon he has against Cleo and Max, and we happen to be that weapon. The evidence with us on board is overwhelming, which means he'll chase us until we're caught."
"He doesn't need us though. Diana has all the evidence of their crimes in the past, and Luke can personally testify to their present cruelty. After they're convicted, he'll have no reason to find us."
"Marshall might have taken over a decade to bring down Cleo and Max, but he was persistent during all that time. He's not the kind of person who's thrown off the hunt easily." Robert sounded so exhausted she couldn't argue with him anymore. "If we decide to run from the police, we give up everything. To make this decision, you have to understand that."
"I do." She answered, and as her heart clenched she knew that she did understand.
She thought of Gwyn, Rylan, and Teddy, and realized they were her last and only reason for not wanting to escape. She'd already given up her life as Sophia Parker months ago, and the world considered her dead.
The kids were her only connection to her old life, and it felt impossible to let them go.
Robert understood what she was thinking, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
"No matter what we decide, we cannot protect the kids. Maybe one day if we do escape we can find them again."
Sophie bit her lip, knowing she'd already come up with her decision.
A few months ago Robert had offered her the chance at a new life as a thief. Now, after everything had collapsed, he was offering her another new beginning. A beginning that was more terrifying than the one before it, because there were no promises it would work out.
Despite having no assurances of the future, Sophie felt in her heart that any path she chose with him would be the right one. She trusted Robert to see her out of this mess, and she knew he trusted her.
"Let's go." Sophie led him forward now, her green eyes determined.
Robert's lips curled into a brief smile as he followed after her.
They disappeared into the shadows of the forest, and the rest was simply history.
* * *
"Ce que j' fais là moi. Je sais pas. Je voulais juste marcher tout droit. Ce que j' fais là moi. Je sais pas. Je pense à toi depuis mille ans."
The music of Raphaël Haroche spun around the room, and Sophie had unconsciously begun to hum along.
It was another gust of wind that called her back to reality by causing a stack of envelopes to fall to the ground before her.
Sophie sighed, reaching down to reorganize the mess. The stack consisted of essays she'd been grading since the following day. As an art teacher, she rarely gave out written assignments, but yesterday had been one of those occasions. Her teenagers hadn't been pleased, but she was eager to read what they had to say about the essay topic.
She'd never considered teaching before coming to France. It was a pure accident that she became interested in it three years ago, when she'd been taking an art class while temporarily residing in the city o
f Lille.
Painting and teaching everyday was the most perfect career Sophie could've chosen. It helped that the backdrop for her new life was Paris, the city she'd always dreamed of visiting.
Her eyes caught on a cream envelope that was jutting out from the stack of essays. Sophie's breath caught when she remembered what it was.
Pulling out the envelope, she carefully held it in her hands.
There was no return address for the letter, but by the slanted, small writing, she knew who'd sent it. In the past, she'd seen the writing a few times before, and remembered it because of the significance of the individual in her life.
"Luke." She whispered with the same heavy sigh that she'd used when the letter had been sent to her a month before. She'd been living in Paris for almost a year, the longest she'd ever stayed in one place since leaving the States. Over the last five years she'd had no contact with Luke, and had no idea how the letter came to her now.