Double Life: Nowhere In Particular

A/N: one more post -3 post in two days, that´s a miracle haha

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They got out through the same door and got in through the one they´ve exited. She chose their sits, not listening to a member of the staff that led them to the right side of the place “We got sits this way” she´d said and walked the opposite way. They sat on two available spots in the center of the place.

“There were closer seats on the right side” Josh commented

“I see my father, his wife and Natasha from here. It´d be bad if they saw us” she explained

Once the audience was clapping at the end of Camille´s performance, Nichole got up to leave, Josh followed. They were on their way to the exit when josh felt himself being pulled; they got into a room, a restroom. He looked at her with a confused expression.

“Nat is about to pass…” she seemed uncomfortable. He peeked through the door and as Nic had said she was walking her elegant walk towards the place they had been, if she hadn´t pulled them in the restroom she´d had seen them.

“How did you know it was her?”

“Her shoes are always too loud. Now let´s get out of here, this is the man´s room” she wrinkled her nose

“No, really, how did you know?” he asked as they got out of the restroom

“When you´re at home, aren’t you able to distinguish the footsteps of your brother from your dad´s?” she asked once they were walking swiftly out of the building.

“I guess –he answered finding it odd- but her steps were not audible at all” they kept walking once they got out of the ballet school

“They were for me”

“Do you have super hearing powers or something?”

“I´ve told you I´m a cat”

“Nichole…” he took hold of her hand, she glanced at their hands as she let go of his but for a couple of fingers

“I can hear you when you enter the floor of the Art Club room… right when you turn after coming up the stairs…” she spoke softly

“What?!... Wait… that means you heard what I said to Jill back in the Art room!”

“I am very glad that you lied to her… I wanted to work with you too” this she said as if it was very obvious. Josh gasped and blinked a couple of times not knowing what to say. They kept walking silently for about fifteen more minutes.

“Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular”

“Wanna eat something?”  I saw a few places and a mall when we exited your sister´s school

“I’m sorry you didn´t get to have dinner on time Today” she sounded actually sorry, which was odd. “She´s weird” Josh thought for himself

“It´s ok”

“I wouldn´t mind food but I rather not risk us getting caught if we eat near here… maybe we could go to a drive-through…”

“That´s not how I imagined the celebration of your birthday” he said moving their hands together. She chuckled

“This is my faked birthday”

“Still”

“This has been a good one” she shook her head

“You see? It should be better, we can find a nice place somewhere even if it´s not dinner time anymore” now he shook his head

“I´m sorry” she stopped walking “I won’t bother you anymore nor I will put you in danger” she said and hugged him. At first he didn´t hug back, she´d never hugged him without a reason, and the only reason had been his birthday.

“What do you mean anymore?” he´d noticed her choice of words. She briefly looked at him and then started to walk again

“I´m not going back to Burgeoys next year” she said after a while in almost a whisper

“What? Why?” he took her hand again, making her stop, at the beginning she gave him her piercing gaze that before had made him stop his enquires but this time he kept his stance. She tilted her head

“Today, I´m legally an adult…” was her answer

“I thought you said today was not your birthday”

“It´s not”

“So, you´ll be an adult until the 10^th, not today” he stated, she huffed

“No, I´ll turn 17”

“Then…why…?”

“I can´t tell you… long story…”

“I think we have time” he led her to a bench, they´ve gotten to a small park in the middle of the city, it was small enough that they could see the cars going through the street in front and at the back of it. She let out a breath

“If I tell you, I might risk your safety”

“I doubt that, how could that even be?”

“Please, just don’t ask, you don’t know who I am or the things I do, you´re in danger by just being here now”

“You always say that…” he frowned

“You won´t have to hear it anymore” she interrupted him; he thought her voice was somehow melancholic but it was pretty much the same, the change was too subtle.

“Because you´re leaving” he supplied, she nodded “does the school knows of this?”

“Only you and I know”

“Won't your family look for you?”

“I’ll hide”

“How?” he asked, she closed her eyes and didn´t answer

“Camille will miss you”

“I came to say goodbye today” she sounded hurt

“Was this goodbye too?”

“No, I planned to say goodbye to you the day of the art project due date”

“Was I going to know that was goodbye?” he asked to a closed-eyed Nichole, she shook her head. He pulled her close into some kind of hug, she stiffed “it´s ok, you´re wearing your gloves” he reassured her, she seemed to relax a little “wait one more year” he asked as she laid her head on his shoulder

“You don´t know what that implies for me…” she ended up saying it in a small voice, Josh wondered if she was crying

“You seem to like school, and the Art room and the forest and…”

“You –she supplied- you´re one good thing in there” she had a soft voice now. He smiled and squeezed her shoulders gently

“If you just leave… I´ll miss you… I know you´ll make it so no one knows where you are”

“Yeah…”

“Just stay, please, let´s graduate together with the other people in our class… Many things can change in a year, maybe things will get better… you´ll have more time to plan…”

“I don´t know, Josh”

“Just think about it, please…”