Cináed regards the waitress and says something to her. They both turn to look at me and the waitress nods, licking her red lips with a coy smile. Then Mr. Lucky Charms heads right for us. He isn't even trying to be subtle—his smirk lights up the pub like a sunburst.

Darren senses the sudden tension, or maybe catches a few of the choice words tumbling out of my mouth, and he follows my gaze, noticing the intruder right as he steps up beside our table.

"Roisín, I could have sworn we never scheduled our meeting, and yet, here you are at the very place I planned to bring you."

You've got to be kidding me.

"No way." My smile is more like a grimace. "It's just the kind of coincidence I could swear about too."

Darren shoots me a look, but sunshine boy isn't phased.

"You never mentioned you have a brother." He says as if we're lifelong friends and is realizing I've been keeping secrets from him.

"Darren, this is..." I pause.

"I am Cináed." He easily fills in.

I roll my eyes. I wanted to give a blatant demonstration that I forgot his name—a nice addition to my "couldn't care less" vibe. Although, truthfully that name was engraved in me since he said it the first time in the cemetery. It played in my mind all day like some catchy TV jingle you loathe forever but can't forget.

"So what brings you to my favorite Irish pub?" Cináed says, glancing between both of us.

Darren opens his mouth, but mine reacts faster, the words almost jumping over each other to answer him. "We're stranded till another bus comes cause the creepy bus driver called the cops on us and they'll probably take us back into foster care and—"

I cut myself off. Darren's eyes are bulging, and Cináed's are laughing. My face burns and I'm overwhelmed with the desire to stand up and punch Cináed right in his adorable face.

Before I can recover enough to salvage my dignity, Darren folds his arms over his chest and faces Cináed. "I didn't want to have to say this, but you're bothering my sister."

Cináed's eyebrows spike, but his little smirk still remains. "Oh, really?"

"Yes." Darren is all business as he continues. "And even though she basically hates you, I want you to help us."

Cináed starts to speak but Darren cuts him off. "I'm not asking for sympathy. We're willing to make a deal."

Finally returning to myself, I shake my head and look at Cináed. He returns the favor, and I inhale deeply to steady my thoughts fluttering around like idiotic butterflies. "Can you just give us a moment?"

Cináed nods. "Absolutely. I apologize for any inconvenience I've created." He smiles at both of us like nothing's happened, although I sense a twinge of disappointment. "Pleasure to meet you, Darren, and pleasure seeing you again, Roisín."

He leaves and I wait until he's sitting at another table, out of ear shot, before facing Darren with eyes ablaze.

"What do you think you're doing?" I say.

"I could ask you the same question."

For being thirteen, he sure is annoyingly quick-witted.

"You want to make a deal with a perfect stranger. Who knows if he'll turn us in the moment he has the chance."

"You're the one who told him we're runaways. I just tried to make the most out of it." He rested his hands on the table, a new eagerness in his young face. "But Roisín, I really think this guy can help us. And I think he likes us enough to do it."

Ignoring him, I fumble for some change in my pocket and stand up. "Order what you want, but nothing too pricey. I'll be right back."

"Whatever, Raisin." He mumbles.

I know he's mad at me. I'm mad at me too. But regardless of my stupid mouth, it doesn't mean we need to start asking for help. We already have a plan.

I noticed a payphone in the pub entry when we came inside and I walk over to it, place some quarters in the slot, and pick up the receiver that looks like something straight out of the stone age. Dialing the number I know by heart, I wait as the grungy plastic rings against my ear.

He picks up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Lucas, it's me." I say, surprised at how relieved I feel just by hearing his voice.

"Where are you guys?"

I glance over the bar at Darren, sitting with his back to me, looking at a menu. "We just barely crossed into Maine. The bus driver was onto us so we had to bail."

His sigh fills my head, and I picture him running a hand over his face. "I thought you said bringing your kid brother wouldn't mess anything up."

I rest against the payphone. I don't need this from him right now. "He isn't messing anything up. We'll just catch another bus."

He's silent for awhile, and my heart accelerates. We both know that he offered to let Darren stay too. But I also know that Lucas likes things simple. And admitting that we ran into some trouble is the opposite of simple.

"Listen," I say, trying to sound calm instead of demanding, "just be there tonight. We'll be late but I'll try to call you again—"

"Roisín." He says my name and I know it's over. If I'm honest with myself, I know it never even began.

"Fine." I snap, unsure of what else to say.

"Hey, it's not my fault you decided to bring him along. Your chances are better on your own, and you know that. The system doesn't care about someone who's months away from turning 18."

That stings. Before I can summon a response, he goes on.

"And isn't the kid going to be adopted? If the foster parents are willing to make it legal, who knows how hard they'll fight to find him."

My eyes squeeze shut. I forget how much Lucas knows. The things I willingly tell him that no one else knows. Even Darren doesn't know the Roberts' plan for adoption. It's something I hope he never knows.

Talking to Lucas is beyond me now. Swallowing the tightness in my throat and remembering to breathe are the only functions I have left.

He sighs again, probably sensing my emotions through the phone. "Know you're always good to crash here, K?"

Translation: You can still come stay here as long as you leave kid brother behind.

"Go to hell, Lucas." I hang up. I curl into myself and try to focus on the lumps of stucco covering the wall until the lump in my throat disappears.

Who needs him anyway?

My mind immediately answers that I, in fact, need Lucas. I relied on him as a friend and confidant, and losing it all in a matter of minutes left me disoriented. Sniffing, I wipe my eyes and step out from behind the payphone. Time to face my kid brother and tell him we're royally screwed.

But Darren isn't at the table where I left him. He's at a booth across from Cináed. And they're deep in conversation, shaking hands as if they just made a deal with each other.

I take fast, determined strides over to them. Both sets of eyes turn to me, Darren's with pride and a touch of guilt, and Cináed's with pleasant casualty.

"We were just discussing more about your journey north." Cináed began. "But from the look on your face, my guess is something went wrong."

My fists clench. "Leave. Us. Alone." I hiss, my jaw tight and my skin tingling.

Darren looks a lot less pleased with himself now, and he starts scooting out of the booth. My stare-down with sunshine boy holds strong until I see my reflection in his eyes. A tiny, angry me, but I also see a halo of indigo circling my body.

Someone clears their throat—probably Darren—and I blink, realizing my hands are pressed into the table and my torso is leaning toward Cináed. There are mere inches between our faces.

I step back, but before I turn to leave, Cináed grabs my arm. His strength surprises me as I'm forced to look at him. Darren stands a few feet away, eyeing us both like he's caught in a tug-of-war.

Cináed's smirk has melted away completely for the first time. His hold on me softens, allowing me the chance to take off running. But I don't.

"If you will not listen to what your brother and I agreed to, then hear this. The friend you called is not coming for you, and night is drawing near. With no where to go, and no where to hide, you are left alone. And the people you run from will find you."

My lips part, but words don't form. I want to flee from the nightmare he speaks—the truth I refuse to face just yet—but my feet are like stones weighted down to the earth.

Cináed continues, his voice low and emotionless. "With odds such as these, there is nothing for you to lose by accepting my help."

I inhale through my nose and I'm met with a scent that can only be described as longing. The image of Darren and I arriving somewhere safe fills my mind. Then it all fades as quickly as it came, leaving me breathless.

"How do I know I can trust you?" I say.

His smirk twitches back to life as he gives a small chuckle. "Roisín, I am not asking you to trust me. This is, as you say it, strictly business. A deal, and nothing more."

I bite my lip and glance at Darren. His expression is wary but hopeful. Everything that I feel inside.

"So what's this deal, anyway?" I say.

<<--------------------->>

And that's the question I'll leave with you: what is the deal going to be? Comment your thoughts about Lucas, Cináed, Darren, or our troubled heroine, Roisín, below. I love a good chat :)

Until next time, kittens.

X Logan