тнє тнιєƒ тнαт ѕтσℓє... ωєℓℓ, єνєяутнιηg

[~echo~]

She swallowed a little bit. "Yeah, I mean, there is... What's the point of living cooped up in a tiny apartment, never getting to do anything? It's just not worth it."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner watched her, searching for some way to persuade her. But, really, he couldn't argue with that. He would take danger, even death, over a virtual prison any day. How could he possibly convince her otherwise? "Fine, but we can't keep touring the city right now," he said. "She could still be watching."

[~echo~]

Vanessa nodded, seeing the sense in that. "Right. Where should we go?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner grimaced. "My place," he said reluctantly. "I can get us there in a way no one can follow. We'll be safe."

[~echo~]

"Are you sure about that?" she asked. "I mean... you don't seem happy about it."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner gave her a somewhat pouty look. It looked strange on his handsome face. "No one has been to my place before. Ever. Count yourself extremely special."

[~echo~]

She hid a grin. "I'll be sure to do that."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner grumbled under his breath at her obvious lack of seriousness. He took her wrist and led her down the busy street, keeping hold so she didn't get lost in the crowd. He eventually turned off the crowded main streets down an alley, coming out in a somewhat sketchier neighborhood. A good number of pedestrians plodded along the sidewalks, but the buildings on either side weren't as well-maintained or fancy as those they had left behind.

[~echo~]

Vanessa sobered up as they walked, worried they were being followed even though she didn't see anybody. She followed him carefully though.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

They took a few more turns before coming upon a small, dingy-looking pawn shop. Instead of walking in the front door, Conner led her around the back. He removed a loose plank from the boarded up hole that used to be the entrance to a cellar. The space was just big enough for an average sized person to wiggle through the boards and into the cellar. "In you go," he said.

[~echo~]

Vanessa raised her eyebrows when he removed the plank of wood, but obeyed hesitantly after a moment, scrambling through the small hole.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner followed her, wriggling his above-average sized body through the entrance. Inside, the only light came through the hole like a spotlight, but Conner flipped a switch and dim light spread throughout the room. It wasn't much. A bed with a brown comforter, a TV on a small dresser, and a small fridge/freezer in the corner. He slid a board into place under the hole.

[~echo~]

Vanessa looked around at the pitiful living conditions, keeping her face carefully neutral in order not to offend her host. She watched him as he placed the board back over the hole, then gave a small smile. "Don't you have a front door?" she teased him, trying to lighten the mood.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"What do you mean?" Conner asked innocently. "That is the front door." He shrugged of his jacket and hung it on a hook nailed to the wall. "There is an escape exit, though. In case someone happens to find this place."

[~echo~]

Vanessa looked back at the little hole and then nodded. "Sure, that makes sense." She hugged her arms to her body and rocked back and forth on her heels awkwardly. "Sooo.... are you sure nobody will find me here?"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner snorted. "If they do, I'll eternally regret bringing you," he said. "No one's ever found this place, and trust me, many have tried." Young as he was, Conner had made a few enemies.

[~echo~]

Vanessa gave a small smile, then looked around. "So, I suppose we lay low for a while. Then... I guess we can go back to my home and I'll give you back your satchel."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner nodded, his face turning serious. "Yes. Then we can put this all behind us and go back to our normal lives." And oh how he'd like that. He missed being on his own, and not having to escort some girl around the city.

[~echo~]

Vanessa looked at the ground as she considered what her normal life was... and wondered if it could ever be the same now that she had actually experienced the city instead of watching it from her window. "Yeah," she said softly. "Normal."

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Conner started toward his bed, but paused and raised an eyebrow at her. She sounded upset. Damn, what did he do? Instead of commenting on it, he said, "We should lay low here for a few hours."