Chapter 13

I was sitting at the kitchen table with my head in my hands. John's hand was on my knee. Nancy was starring at us with Terrance's arm around her. Tammie was sitting on Josh's lap just starring at me. It was one in the morning. Shannon, bless her, was tidying up everywhere.

"Can't you just try?" Tammie shattered the silence.

"How?" I snapped at her. "I don't even know how it works myself. Don't you think I've tried?" I grabbed tighter on to Megan's scarf - she always wore it.

The front door open and closed, everyone looked up with hope in their eyes. Max tiredly leant against the kitchen door frame.

"No luck." He shook his head.

I wriggled in my chair and John noticed this. "You aren't still blaming yourself are you?" When I didn't answer he said, "Flo, you can't. None of this is your fault."

"Yes it is! If I had listened to Megan and not gone upstairs. Or if I hadn't punched Paisley in the face..." I pulled Megan's scarf closer to me.

"You did what?" Terrance looked up.

"Megan caught Paisley cheating on Max and told me. Megan didn't want me to go upstairs and find them. Max saw for himself and Megan ran out of the house. After Max went looking for Megan, I asked Paisley why she did it and she dissed Max and Megan! So I broke her nose. John stopped Grayson from punching me back. Then..." I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again, "they threatened to kill Megan..."

"And you." Tammie added.

"Thank you John, for protecting Florence." Nancy said to John and then turned to me and moaned, "see this is why you shouldn't hit people even if they deserve it. One day you'll hit someone, they'll hit you back and John won't be there to stop them."

"I don't care if anything happens to me," I said in a shrill voice, "I care what happens to Megan! She could be laying dead in a ditch and it's all my fault!"

"It isn't your fault and how do you know that she hasn't ran off to Spain, like she's told you a million times?" John was trying to help.

"Because... she didn't have enough money for that." I was fighting back the tears.

"Maybe she just wants to be alone for a little while?" Terrance suggested and then left to help Shannon tidy up.

"I'm going to call the police." Max walked over to the phone.

"It'll be alright." Nancy was comforting Max as he was dialling.

I buried my head into Megan's scarf and sucked in a deep breath. It smelt like Megan. I gave up fighting and let the tears fall. All of a sudden, in a blink of an eye, I knew exactly where Megan was.

"Hang up the phone! Now!" I virtually screamed and bolted out the door but not before I grabbed Max's car keys.

I can drive. I'm a good driver. I just like driving as if I'm in an action movie. I have never been in an accident - thank God. I'm pretty sure, though, after tonight I would have made over thirty violations and I know that I'll never get my liscence. It wasn't until I pulled up to the metal iron gates to - which I was at first, the gates to hell - Grayson's house that I realised I hadn't told anyone that I was here. It was big. Not big enough to call a mansion but still... it had three floors, a swimming pool, a game room; I really don't want to name everything Grayson has considering that a lot of us don't really get that stuff (like John). I learnt this as Grayson insisted on taking me on a little 'tour'. That was, of course, after I had stormed right through the door and gate-crashed his little sleepover-party.

That's right. Everyone that was at my party, my birthday party, had driven over to Grayson's to finish off the night, sleepover and then go to the big football game the next day. Tom was the only person who seemed delighted by my presence. I, however, had only one thing on my mind... Megan. I couldn't just go traipsing through somebody's house looking for someone that wasn't even reported missing, but I knew, too well, that Megan wasn't missing. Someone here had done that to her. And I had a pretty good idea who.

"Hi Tom," I said in reply to his grin and 'Flozz, what a pleasant surprise', "can I borrow you phone? I need to make a quick call."

"Sure you can. Anything you want just name it." Tom said as he pulled out his flash phone. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I said as I dialled my home number. Please Tammie. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. I prayed as it rung.

"Hello?" Thankfully, Tammie answered. Max obviously couldn't bear to sit by the phone and wait. Terrance was helping Shannon clear up, Nancy was probably talking to John and Josh.

"Tammie," I said breathlessly, "before you say anything, I need you to pretend it's a friend from the party. Like Rose... or someone..."

"Hi Rose, sure I will." Tammie, like always, had my back. "Where are you?" She hissed in a whisper.

"At Grayson's house." I said flatly.

"Are you... are you at a party?!" Tammie gasped. "At a time like this?"

"Okay," you're no help, I thought. "Distract everyone a put John on the phone."

"Fine," Tammie was clearly not happy with me, "oh, John." She called. "My friend Rose needs some help. She's stuck with some work. I've tried to help her but she never listens, since Flo tells me you are very good at explaining would you mind?"

It was or wasn't going to work. Would John feel like answering a call? Did he catch on from the way Tammie was speaking? Or did he really believe a girl called Rose was calling - at one thirty in the morning - about work?

"Hello?" John's deep voice took over from Tammie's light but firm voice.

"Hey, John. It's me Rose..." I whispered. "A.K.A Florence."

"I know." John paused. "Where the hell are you, Ryder?" Obviously everyone was busy or too worried at home to pay attention to who was on the phone.

"I'm at Grayson's house-"

"You're at his house?" John growled. "Florence, what are you thinking?"

"John! I don't want Nancy or Terrance to know I'm here!" I virtually yelled down the phone. "I was thinking I'd save Megan from a terrible fate and since there's a party going on nothing will happen as the person who has done this wouldn't want to get caught." I looked around to make sure no one had heard me. Luckily the music was too loud for that to happen. "John, if I'm not home by three A.M. then call the police, okay?"

"No, either you come home now or I will come and get you myself!" John's voice was like stone. "I'm not having you put yourself in danger too."

"John, please! I don't want Tammie and Josh to come over - it's too dangerous for them. Nancy and Terrance will be so upset and extremely angry at me! John, no one can come here. I'll be alright. I promise."

"Florence... why don't you just tell everyone where she is?" John sighed tiredly.

"No!" I snapped, sucked in a breath and said, "look, I'm using Tom's phone right now. I've got to go. Remember if I'm not home by three then call the cops."

"Florence. Don't-" I hung up on him. It was just wasting time. Precious time, that I could - that Megan could - not afford to lose.

Megan was tied up in Grayson's closet upstairs in his bedroom. I wasn't thinking straight what with the music drumming in my head, my heart beating violently in my chest and the chilling thoughts about the truth of Grayson. But, at that moment in time, I realised, there was only one way I was going to get up into Grayson's bedroom. I didn't want to do it with Grayson - I shuddered at the thought of his evil hands touching mine, so I settled for Tom. He was foolhardy enough to believe me when I whispered with my hand giving his shoulder a little squeeze.

"Oh, hey." Tom rose to his feet.

"Hi, thanks for lending me your phone." I said quietly on purpose.

"What?" Tom asked loudly. "I can't hear you. Do you want to go somewhere that's a bit more quieter?"

"Sure." I said louder in his ear and let him take my hand.

I swallowed hard, hoping it wasn't a mistake and that I was doing the right thing. I needed to get into the bedroom, for Megan's sake! Grayson had left his bedroom door open, of which Tom stood still in his tracks. That meant I had to lead him into the room myself.

"So..." Tom sat on the bed with me holding my hands. Just before he could lay a kiss on me - or anything more - I broke in saying:

"Why don't you get some glasses and pick the best bottle of wine there is?" I raised my eyebrows in a suggestive way - which I knew was totally forced - and Tom fell for it.

"What kind?"

I didn't know how to respond since I don't really drink myself - except the odd one at Christmas maybe? So I settled for, "surprise me." I made myself look all flirty.

Tom winked at me and left and closed the door behind himself. As soon as I heard the door click, I started for the closet. "Megan?"

I threw open the door, pushed back Grayson's clothes that were hanging up neatly until I got my mits on them, chucked his shoes from the closet, recklessly and in the darkness I found Megan. She had blood pouring down her face from a wound on her forehead and white lines from which her tears were scaring her face. She had been gagged - like Harriet - and tied up. The ropes were clearly burning on her wrists and ankles.

"Oh, Megan!" I fell to my knees. "I'm so, so sorry!"

When I untied her, Megan, flung herself at me. "Thank God! Flo, I thought I was going to die. We've got to get out of here!"

"Okay," I said in what I hoped was a soothing voice, "out of here first, talk later."

But just as I was helping Megan to her feet the door knob turned. Tom, I thought, that was quick.

"Well... well... well..." It certainly wasn't Tom. It was Grayson - well why not it was his room, but that doesn't give him the right to victimise Megan - and Paisely who had her tanned arm flung around his neck.

"Snooping... is frowned upon, you know?" Paisely said with a mischevious smile.

"No point in screaming, no one can hear you over the music." Grayson said as if he had read my thoughts.

"True, but Tom is coming back any minute now and-"

"I think we can handle Tom." Grayson cut me off.

I looked around for any weapon to use as self-defence... but nothing... it was a simple room... nothing heavy enough to use as a weapon. They grabbed Megan. They could have - no, should have - gone for me. But they'd knew I would follow her or attempt to save her.

They silently dragged her into the garage where Grayson's smooth sliver ride was parked. It was about two in the morning. I bumped into Tom.

"Hey, where are you going?" He grabbed on to my arm.

"Sorry, Tom. Something came up." We were standing in the kitchen. As we were talking I pulled out a knife from the knife rack and said, "excuse me."

Tom just stood there looking at me as if I was bonkers. He'd lost the colour in his cheeks and his gaze was stuck on me until I was out of his view. I snuck myself - and the knife - past everyone and into the garage. My mind was so persistant on saving Megan, I didn't even stop for a moment to question where Paisely and Grayson had disappeared to.

The garage door slammed shut and Grayson wrapped his manly and sturdy hands around me. "Let's see to the other one first." Grayson ordered Paisely.

"God," I said once Grayson had let go of the hold he had on me to bolt up the door, "do you always let him push you around like that?"

"Shut up." Grayson pulled out something from one of the shelves. "Or your friend gets it."

The weapon he had pulled out was "a crowbar?" I rolled my eyes. "It's the same murder weapon in all the films... that, a knife or a gun."

"Shut up!" He bellowed making my insides jump a little.

It was the fear he'd struck into my body that caused me to blindly reach out and grab Paisely and put the knife to her throat. "She's bluffing!" Paisley attempted to giggle behind the knife.

"Drop the knife or Megan here ends up with her brains smashed in." Grayson patted the crowbar in his hand above Megan's head.

'What's the point? You'll still kill Megan and then have a blow at me. That was what I wanted to say but I owed it to Megan not to give up or play any games. "Fine... as long as," I know it was pushing it a little but I had to try, "you drop the 'bar."

"On the count of three." Grayson confirmed. "One..."

Why hadn't I listened to John?

"Two..."

If we were getting out of this alive, he'd kill me.

"Three." We both dropped our weapons.

Paisely took the advantage and pinned me to the floor with the knife aimed to skin my face. I had to fight her off, if I didn't then how could I make sure that Megan would get out alright? I heard her muffled screaming as Grayson untied her gag, screwed it up, shoved it in her mouth and duck taped it, meanwhile,I struggled with Paisley fighting off the knife. She missed me face and cut my arm instead. I knew it was bleeding but it wasn't like a proper, deadly cut. For someone who hasn't been in a fight before she could throw a good punch. If I had internal bleeding thanks to her, she would wish she was dead. Not because of me. But I knew John would come after her... eventually...

Grayson lifted Megan's bound body and threw her - hard - into the boot of his car and slammed it shut. Then heavy footprints made their way to my head. Everything went black...

Chapter 14

Now I was the one tied up - to a chair though - I wasn't gagged or duck tapped. My vein in my head was pounding against my skull, my stomach was turning inside out and my arm was stinging as the blood trickled down it.

"Where is she?!" I demanded in a hoarse voice.But the banging that came from the car answered my question. "Let her go!" My voice went, suddenly, shrill.

"No. Everyone's asleep now. No one will come to save you." Paisely grinned wickedly.

"Wanna bet?" I said a little too smug. I glanced at the clock. Only half an hour to go until John calls the police. "My friend is going to call the cops soon and when they find us, you'll be sorry and that face of angel won't work on them!"

"When they 'find' you... I mean, if they 'find' you. It'll be too late. You both'll be dead. We would have cleared the evidence away and everyone upstairs are witnesses to us not murdering you." Paisely laughed.

"You know Paisely," I learnt that it helps if you're nice to your captors, "you really are pretty." But then again who in their right mind would be nice to someone that is about to murder you and your friend after cheating on your brother - much to his chagrin - and after murdering a cheerleader, that you know, in your year? "But you are sometimes damn right stupid... and pathetic... and inadequate-"

"Gray! Make her shut up!" Paisely gave a piercing cry.

"You really are a fatuous figure" Grayson punched me right in the jaw.

Yes. It hurt. Bad. But I swear he wasn't going to do a double hit but he did. The second blow was at my eye. Ironically, it was worse than what I gave Tom. Mr Ward would be like 'I told you so, Florence. Well, what do you expect?'

I couldn't open my eye again. It felt too heavy and painful. I could only pray that John would show up. Anyone - perferably John, because he would be able to handle himself in a crisis like this - that could just get us out of here and say 'everything's going to be alright.'

"Now, where shall I start?" Grayson said with an immoral laugh. With my good eye I saw a flash of silver raise above me.

Then to my delight, I saw two bright lights followed by red lights... and blue lights... Red... Blue... Red... Blue...Red... Blue...

"Don't you dare!" John tackled Grayson, knocking him unconciouss.

Paisley, I heard outside, was attempting to flee but an officer had caught her.

"J-John...." I blurted breathlessly with relief.

"Florence. It's alright. We're going to take you to the hospital." John untied me.

"No!" I cried - mostly because of the pain, but I had to get to Megan. I opened the boot of the car to find Megan lying as still as the deadly, crisp air that hung around us. "Megan!" I climbed into the boot and prepared myself for CPR but a paramedic pulled me out whilst some police men arrested Grayson.

"Sir, please take her to the ambulance." Another paramedic told John, who placed his arm gently around my waist supporting me outside.

I must have been gripping on to John so tight that when he sat me down in the back of the ambulance he kept saying, "Florence. It's okay, let go."

"Miss? Can you hear me?" A paramedic asked as my eyes were sealing shut.

"Florence." I heard John tell the paramedic.

I was too shaken to speak so I nodded - which was just as painful. I heard a familiar voice shout out for Megan. Max, it had to be him.

"Okay, Florence, we're going to take you to the hospital to get you cleaned up. Are you ready to move?" The paramedic in a soft and gentle tone. But my tone, in my head, wasn't as sweet. Move? Are you kidding?! I felt like if I do anything my body will just shatter.

I was trying to say 'yeah' but all that came out was "Y-um-nah..."

"I'll call everyone when we get to the hospital." John said firmly.

I wanted to protest and beg him not to but I couldn't. My body just gave up. I felt the ambulance's engine heat up and then we were moving. Red... Blue... Red... Blue... the lights began to fade. What I really wanted, right then, was to climb into my bed with John's solid body next to me - and his arms engulfing me (where no one would hurt me because he wouldn't let them) - and fall asleep with my head on his chest. And lay there. Forever.

An hour later I woke up with such a start.