Part 3.

"Just through this clearing, here, Ill help you" Zayne says, holding up his hand to Kyle.

"I'm fine..." He doesn't take it, rushing past him and keeping his distance.

Zayne takes it in his stride however and catches back up as the both of them reach the gap in the trees into a gorgeous plot of land with house bases at the base of a hill, it was well built, but its age was clear. It must have been around for generations and the multiple floors and side houses attached made it seem like bigger than it should be.

"There she is, here home!"

"This is all abit sudden dont you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, Hi family, i met this stranger on our land and he had no shoes so im going to give him mine? sounds sketchy"

Zayne pouts his lips and nods slowly.

"Mmhm mmhm, your input is appreciated, but I got this, dont worry"

"Riiight, you literally just tackled me to the ground 10 minutes ago, now were best buds all of a sudden...this doesn't feel right"

Zayne looks behind him and smiles at Kyle with complete endearment.

"You worry a lot dont you?" a smile creeping up to his face again.

"I usually have a great reason to" he replied snarkily "And lets be honest I've waned to leave this situation since it began"

"and yet you're still here huh?"

Kyle didn't know how to reply to that, and simply shut his mouth and followed Zayne. Who approached the front door of this great house.

"I thought i'd hear barking" Zayne's shoulders tense slightly "Didn't the gate say beware the dog?" he said, waving around his hand skeptically.

"Oh, we just hang that to deter thieves and trespassers"

Kyle smirks to himself.

"Clearly you need a better sign" he teased, finally the front door opens and a hulking woman steps to the door, she was taller tan both of them and could easily crush them with her big toe if she wished. Her stature was bulky wit muscles lined up perfectly with her arm and bracing her shoulder, while her body was slim, it still looked like that could crush them too.

"Zayne my boy, why were you out so long, and where is your-" she says, her eyes wavering over to Kyle who was astounded by her.

"Who is this?" she asked, staring Kyle down with a petrifying gaze.

"Hey mum, this is Kyle, we met yesterday at the markets when you sent me to go get flour for the Cozonac (sweet bread) yesterday" he says in an innocent voice.

She warily sets her gaze from Kyle and looks to Zayne with a knowing look.

"You know your father will not be happy about this, but for now, he isn't here, so go wild baby" she said, nonchalantly, going back to her baking as Zayne leads Kyle inside the glorious kitchen. Packed to the teeth with spices, alcoholic spirits, ingredients and meats from all around the world, Kyle had never seen such a fine collection of food either from the fridge door hanging wildly open.

"That's your mother?"

"I know, shes a beast right?" He compliments her with a wink, although it sounded like an insult.

He leads Kyle up the stairs, he heard many interesting things, like a tv, maybe it was the uncreaky floorboards and the fact there was no holes in the ceilings.

"Here's my room, I should have an old pair you can have...also you never said where you were from, never seen you round town before"

"Oh...we dont live in town, there's a hut just a few fields away from here, we own a nearby farm"

Zayne was listening intently, while digging into his draws and belongings for any shoes.

"Whats your size sorry?"

"Oh im a size 7"

"Hmm, dang i dont think i got anything"

"Its fine, i didn't ask yo-"

Suddenly Zayne's door opens and an older woman walks in, she had sleek black hair but towards the bottom was stark white, and her face was scrunched as she looks straight over to Kyle.

"I thought i smelled something...new"

"Go away Alyssa"

"Why? i was just popping by to see if you'd found a new toy yet? and I was right~"

Her eyes didn't leave Kyle's even though she was talking directly about him to his face, he hated disrespect but he wasn't about to answer to the mother cooking downstairs. They were a beautiful shade of violet.

And with those small moments spent, she leaves without another word, feeling Zayne place a hand on his shoulder, flinching back from him.

"I'm...sorry about her, we dont get along"

"Who was that?"

"My sister, Alyssa, she's very annoying I'd keep you're distance if you're gonna be hanging out here"

"Hanging out here? wait I cant stay here, I need to leave I shouldn't even be here" Kyle admits, getting overly worried about the reaction when he eventually had to return home.

"Why are you so scared?"

It didn't take a huge amount time to stand in the silence before Kyle rolled his eyes, he didn't want to do this but there was no other way to explain it without looking like a weakling. He rolled up his sleeves and bares his arms to Zayne, brandishing his belt marks on the arm from that morning.

There was a slight pause in Zaynes emotion, it wasn't easy to read but Kyle could see he got angry at this, then he could see his eyes watering though he covered it expertly.

"Who did that to you?"

"It doesn't matter, just know ill have to return to this eventually...its why I was at the pond in the first place"

Zayne didn't say anything, instead he just stared sadly at Kyle which made him very nervous, he never really interacted with anyone other than "family" his entire life, he never got drunk and clambered home after a night out or hanging with friends and living life, he was always working.

"You shouldn't go back"

"I have to"

"Why?!" he said exasperatedly.

"Because I cant leave my brother with them...it wouldn't be right"

There was anther pause before the banging of a door could be heard downstairs, Zayne perked up and immediately looks out the window in front of his bed.

"Uh there's some old guy outside banging on my front door"

"WHAT?!"

Kyle, without hesitation, jumps into Zaynes closet, closing it behind him with a slam causing all his messily stacked clothes to fall over him. They stunk terribly of sweat and old cigarettes.

"What are you doing?!" Zayne asked, a blush spreading over his cheeks as he looks at the closet with utter confusion.

"He cant find me here! he cant find me at all he'll fucking kill me" He says through the crack in the closet.

"oh...uhhh ok just wait here, im going to stop my mum from ripping him to pieces, dont move" Zayne says reassuringly, leaving his room and the door ajar as he rushes downstairs. Kyle sat down, pulling socks and boxer shorts from his shoulders with a shudder.

"This day went from 0 to 100 very quickly...what am I going to do?" he whispers to himself.

Then looking down at the clothes around him with an idea slowly popping into his head, although he felt bad about it, he tosses his shirt and changes into Zayne's clothes, new pants, socks and a hat he had lying around in dust, he wont miss it.

In a new outfit, he leaves the closet and the room, silently creeping around the floor and down the stairs where he could hear Zayne and his mother talking to his grandfather.

"I KNOW hes in there, I saw him disappear into these woods and I AIN'T LEAVING until he's given back"

"Ok, first of all, Sir, You are trespassing on private property and I will not hesitate to escort you off myself if you keep up this tantrum of yours" His mother eloquently said.

But grandpa wasn't very smart, he also didn't talk to many people besides the market stall owners and shop-keeps.

"You? Escort me? get the hell out of my way woman!" He yelled at her, which was quite obviously the wrong choice, she immediately picked him up without any effort and started walking in the direction of the green gate.

"LET ME GO! H-HELP SHES ATTACKING MEE!" he croaked flailing around in her grip, like an angry child.

The sight was almost enough to make him want to stay and watch, but he knew he'd only have a small amount of time to get back without a car to drive back, so when he exited the house using the backdoor, he noticed a bike locked conveniently to a fence. He sighed with a relief.

"Sorry Zayne...I owe you one"

And with that he wastes no time, bolting it around the house, just out of sight and onto the dirt path again, racing his feet the go as fast as possible in the direction of home, even though he'd have to travel the maze of Fordwich which cut into his time by half, meaning he only had 30 minutes to get home if his watch was correct.

Looking down he was counting down the minutes...29...28...27.

He was panicking as his breath gets thin and he has no choice but to stop, collapsing over the handles of the bike, he always suspected he might have asthma but he figured he'd be dead by now if his grandparents skipped on an inhaler.

Without much time left, he carries on, pushing through the burning in his legs and lungs.

22...21...20.

What would he even say when he gets home, how would he get away with this if he'd already been seen...even if it was the back of his head.

15...14...13.

"Oh god this was a mistake...please dont kill me..."

7...6...5...4.

And with only 3 minutes before sundown, he skids outside his hut and sprints to hide the bike in the tall grass at the back of the house. Then as quietly as he could he enters through a window in the kitchen, He was confidant his grandmother would be asleep in-front of the tv by now, and Shaun would be in his room after his work was finished.

His shaky foot slowly descends onto the black and white tiles, they were cracked, and as he finally touches the floor a slice of tile slips and it clangs against the other loudly.

The tv static in the living room could be heard over the light snoring. He didn't want to bide his time and rushes inside, quickly avoiding any squeaky spots in the floor and stairs, and finally making his way to his room the second his grandpa had come home.

"Where is he?!" he yelled, muffled by the walls of Kyle's room, he quickly strips from Zaynes clothes and hides them under his bed, jumping straight into it and pretending to be asleep.

He could hear the thumping footsteps of his grandfather scaling the stairs and clutch the doorknob of his room, twisting in in rage and pushing open the door.

He couldn't see what he was doing, but the light in the hallway shone through the door, silhouetting him against the the wall Kyle was curled at, his eyes clamped shut at the heavy breathing. But all was well, and he leaves him to sleep in his dark room, with the memories he'd made that day.