A Life for A Life

*Caitlyn’s POV*

My fingers flew across the keys as I tried as fast as I could to find the latest news in DC. My name never showed up, nor a picture. I had to dig deeper. In my years of growing up, hacking always seemed to be a skill that came quite easily to me. I could always find a way around systems and programming. My fingers continued to press speedily with each letter as I found myself searching the law enforcement information.

Not 48 hours since I’ve been running and I’m on the top 10 wanted list for America. Unlike the others, there was no crime listed, not even a name to match the face. The birthmark on my neck was very much visible too. I bit my thumb as I stared. It was a good thing the boy told me to stay indoors. No one would guess I would be travelling in the same bus as One Direction.

Finding all that I could, I went through the computer and began to backdate it. It would completely erase the computer’s history and officials would have a harder time in trying to target it. The boy allowing me to be in here was a huge help on my part. The bus was air conditioned and it stayed on all the time, luckily. They had plenty of beverages and snacks in which they always had to stock up on just about every other day, judging on how fast they consume everything.

I shut the laptop, looking out the window to see the boy coming back with two bags of McDonalds in one hand and the phone up against his ear on the other. I checked to see if he was alone before I relaxed as the door unlatched and he stepped back on. He was speaking fondly into the phone as he neared back and placed the bags beside me. “Yeah, Eli. I miss you too.”

He said his goodbyes before hanging up. I reached into the bag, pulling out the first thing my hand touched. The boy sat the phone aside. “Okay, first thing’s first. What’s your name? I hate to be calling you ‘girl’ and just ‘you’.”

“I could say the same.” I replied. “As far as I know, you’re just a boy that’s a part of One Direction.”

“You know what One Direction is yet you don’t know my name?” He asked in disbelief.

I shrugged. “Never really paid attention to it.”

The boy shook his head as he stuck his hand in the bag, pulling out two things of fries. He handed me one. “It’s Louis.”

I nodded, acknowledging his name before sticking a fry in my mouth. “You haven’t told me yours.” He noted.

I took a deep breath. “Louis, I know you want to know more about me, but the less you know, the better.”

I looked at him. He blinked, shocked by my words. He slowly chewed on his food, a little angry. “Can you not trust me?” He asked slowly.

“Seeing how my family is out to kill me, you can see how I’m having a hard time trusting anyone.” I answered.

Louis nodded, his angry expression changing into a sigh. He looked over at me and I found his eyes lingering on my neck. “Is that a birthmark?”

He reached over suddenly, moving my hair out of the way of my neck. I pulled back, shocked by his sudden motion. “Calm down, I don’t bite.” He said, reaching forward again and touching my hair. “Hm, looks like a kitty paw. How cool.” His hand stayed there for a moment as he continued to stare at my birthmark.

I would be lying if I said my creep meter hasn’t risen any. To just sit there and stare intently at me like that makes me want to latch out at him. “Please stop staring at me like that before I hit you.” I said.

He seemed to pay no mind to my words. “I got it! I’ll call you ‘Cat’. Is that okay?”

“I… I can work with that.” I said, slightly flustered by the nickname. His hand left my neck, my hair brushing my cheek as he pulled back.

Somehow the name felt familiar. Or maybe not, I could’ve just been overthinking things.