UNKNOWN

He walks through the party disgusted by the atmosphere. Alcohol and drugs are being passed around like candy. The night is getting late, and the crowd is getting messy. He is walking through the crowd when he hears someone say her name. He moves closer to the group. They are talking about something that happened in the kitchen between Kasey and that skank, Rachel. As he listens, hearing the details more and more, he can feel his rage build. He looks around to see where that bitch is. He can't see her inside, so he moves to the door. He looks out to the crowd that have taken over the backyard. He finds his target. Of course she is near Kasey. Pretending to dance while moving away from where Kasey is sitting at the pool. His eyes narrow as he gets a bad feeling. It doesn't take long to realise why. He is fuming as he watches Kasey being carried out of the party barely conscious. He turns his gaze back to Rachel to see her watching with a smile and laughing with her friends. His fists clench as he tries to regain control. He knows he can't go and choke the life out of her in front of all this crowd. He takes a few deep breaths and walks back into the main room. He walks around before he finds what he is looking for. He walks over to the table. It is littered with abandoned drinks and food as well as what he is looking for. He swipes up a small bag as he goes past and makes his way back to the back yard.

He watches and waits for the perfect opportunity for what feels like hours but is realistically it was only minutes. He watched her talk, laugh, flirt, dance. Finally, the moment presented itself. He watched as Rachel placed her drink down, turning to flirt with some random guy. He walked over and as he passed her drink he emptied the bag of white powder into the glass. There are perks to being the sort of person no one notices, the type who is just background characters. No one sees a thing. He moves to a nearby chair to sit and wait. He watches her as she mingles, talking to everyone she deems worthy. Everyone popular. It makes him sick to she how she sucks up to them. He smiles when he sees her drinking her drink. Only a matter of time now. He stands and moves with her, staying close, waiting for it to take effect.

He follows as she stumbles inside, giggling her excuse to whoever, and follows her towards the bathroom. He intercepts her before she can reach it. She is easily pliable now that the drugs are in full effect. He guides her back outside and towards his car. By the time he starts the engine she was fazing in and out of consciousness. He can't stop the smile on his face. She is going to pay for the constant torment she has put Kasey through. He would have overlooked it all, but she crossed the line tonight. He couldn't let that go. He wouldn't.

"Wake up bitch!" he pours a bucket of ice-cold water over her.

He had driven her to an isolated cabin by a river. He had waited patiently for her to wake after he had strung her up by her arms from the roof. He had entertained himself with fantasies of what he could do to her. But his patience had worn out an hour ago. She jolted awake with a gasp. Her eyes frantically looking back and forth before finally settling on him. She pulled at her arms trying to get them loose. He smirked watching her struggle. He had her hung so her feet barely touched the floor, so he knew she had no hope of working herself free. She stopped struggling and looked at him.

"Please, let me go." She pleaded. He said nothing. "I did nothing to you." Still, he said nothing. He looked at her bored. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" she yelled, her anxiety and fear building.

He walked over to the table and looked over his tools. The cabin had a fireplace in which he had started a fire, even though the temperature was still quite warm. He turned and looked at her and nodded before turning back to the table and grabbing some fabric shears. He walked towards her holding the shears high and enjoying her wide, fear filled eyes.

"What are you going to do with those?" she asks, unable to keep the trembling out of her voice. He still kept silent.

She tried to flinch away unsuccessfully. He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed, his message crystal clear to her. He then brought the shears to her dress hem and cut her clothes off her, leaving her in her bra and underwear. She was trembling now this was good. He turned towards the table but hesitated. He turned back toward Rachel, eyeing her long hair. He took to it with the shears, cutting it close to her scalp. She started to cry, it was like music to his ears. He returned to the table and sat down in one of the chairs.

"Why?" she sobbed. He snorted.

"you really have no idea why someone would hate you?" he growled.

"NO! everyone likes me!" she cries.

"Wow, you are either blind or just totally delusional." He snorts.

He picks up a fire poker and place it in the fire. Returning to the table to pick up a knife.

"You honestly think you haven't done anything wrong? That you don't deserve to be punished?" he asks stalking towards her.

"No, I don't know what you are talking about." She shakes her head violently, eyes dropping to the knife in his hands.

"Really?" he asks, dragging the knife softly over her chest causing a whole-body shudder. "Can't think of anything you may have done tonight that might explain why you are strung up like an animal ready for slaughter?" she can't stop the sob escaping.

When he doesn't get the answer he wants, he presses harder on the knife, carving a long cut onto her chest. He watches the skin separate and the blood start to flow over her white lace bra. She screams softly. He made sure not to cut too deep. He wants this to last.

"Please," she pleads, "what do you want?"

"What do I want?" he spits in her face. "I want cunts like you to get what's coming to you! You think what you say and do doesn't have any lasting effects?"

He walks to the fire to pull out the now red-hot poker. She starts to scream as he approaches.

"Please, tell me what you want. I'll say what ever you want, DO whatever you want." She tries to move her body away from his approach.

"I wouldn't touch a disease riddled skank like you even if you were the last female on the planet!" he presses the poker into her belly. The smell of burning skin mixes with her screams. "Be as loud as you like, there is no one around for miles." He pushes it into her body again.

"Please, stop." She begs through uncontrolled crying.

"No." he says flatly, returning the poker to the fire again. He takes off his shirt, feeling the heat both from the fire and his rising adrenaline. "I am going to make you feel the pain your words and action have caused others. And I am going to take my time."

"What did I ever do to you?" she yells in anger.

"No, not me, but someone close to me. Tell me, who did you fuck with tonight?" he watches her closely, seeing her eyes widen when she realises.

"THIS IS ABOUT HER?!" she spits. "That bitch, Kasey? That cunt!"

He slaps her hard across the face, splitting her lip. "Don't talk about her like that. Admit what you did!"

"All I did was spill my drink on the bitch... oh and slap her." She tries to lie. He punches her in the stomach causing her to cough and gasp.

"Wrong, try again."

"I don't know what you want me to say!" she yells, spitting our blood.

He walks back to the table and picks in some pruning shears. He walks back to her and kneels taking her little toe in his fingers.

"For every lie you tell, you will lose a toe. If we run out of toes, we will start on your fingers. If we run out of fingers, well, then we will just have to get creative, wont we? Now what did you do to her tonight?!"

"NOTHING! I did nothing."

"Wrong answer." She whimpers as he brings the pruners to her little toe. Her scream is like music to his ears as he watches her little toe snip off and fly across the room. "Lets try again." He grabs the next toe. "What did you do to her tonight?"

"I.." she starts, in between whimpers, "I put something in her drink."

"Damn, I was hoping you would lie a little more." He says disappointer.

He walks to put the pruners down. But he picks up the knife again. She starts crying as he approaches, realising that she won't be walking away from this.

"Now the fun can really begin." He smiles sadistically at her.

******************

I wake up in my bed in the arms of a very concerned Phelan. My head is pounding, and my mouth feels like cotton. Without a work he hands me some water and pain killers. I take them without hesitation.

"What happened?" I ask, shocked at how my voice sounds. I clear my throat and try to speak again. "I can't remember the end of the night." I look at Phelan with fear in my eyes.

"It's okay." He runs a soothing hand through my hair. "As soon as we noticed something was wrong, I brought you straight home. We think someone put something in your drink." He explains.

"Why?" I whisper, trying to control my already stretched emotions. "Why would someone do this?"

"I don't know babe, but if I find out who did they will be sorry."

I burrow myself further into his arms, letting his warmth sooth me. He continues to run his hand through my hair and down my back. I slowly start to feel better. I look up at him.

"Thank you." I whisper, kissing him lightly. "But nothing else happened? Were you two okay?"

He chuckles softly, "yeah, we are fine. I came straight here with you, but I know John left shortly after too." He pulls me in tight. "I'm just glad I was there. I hate to think what would have happened if I wasn't."

"It's okay, we don't have to worry about that. You were there." I kiss him softly. "I know you will keep me safe."

He kisses me, hands running gently over my back as if to prove I am there and okay. We stay in each other's arms for a bit longer.

"We should have a shower, that will help you feel better." He suggests. I nod.

I go to stand up, but fine the world spinning causing my legs to fail. Phelan is there to catch me.

"I got you babe." He helps me to the bathroom. "Maybe a bath would be better." I snort out a laugh.

"Yeah, probably a good idea."

He leads me to the bathroom and sits me on the toilet as he starts the water. I watch as he lovingly adds my favourite bath oil and adjusts the temperature. I am delighted to see him taking off his shirt and start on his pants.

"What? You think I am going to leave you alone in a bath when you are still dopey?" he smirks at me.

I pull off my clothes, which is just my underwear and his hoodie. Apparently he changed my clothes at some point last night. He steps into the bath and helps me in. he sits, pulling me down to sit in front of him, pulling me into his bare chest. He gently wets my hair before pouring some shampoo in his hands. He works it into my hair, massaging my scalp. I hum with pleasure as I feel my muscles relax. I sit forward slightly for him to rinse it out. He gives my back a massage before pulling me against him again. He works a soapy face washer across my body as I relax against him with my eyes closed. He kisses my shoulder as his hands wash my body. I am still feeling the effects of the drug and he can pick up on this, so he doesn't push for anything more. I am fully relaxed against him as we sit there enjoying the intimacy of this moment.

We spend the rest of the day on the couch watching movies. He introduces me to his favourite movies, while I make him watch my favourite horror movies. We order food and spend the day laughing and teasing each other about their tastes in film. I don't even notice the time until my mom is walking through the door.

"Oh, hello you two. Are you staying for dinner Phelan?" mom asks all chipper.

"If that's alright Ms. Watkins." He calls from our spot on the couch.

"You're more than welcome, you know this." She smiles at him.

I snuggle into his arms, not wanting to leave our comfy little bubble, but I eventually get up to help with dinner. Luckily the drugs have completely worn off and I am once again stable on my feet. We sit down to a nice home cooked meal of the classic meat and three veg. I am going to miss this once I leave for college. Phelan and mom sink into their normal small talk as my brain goes off on its own tangent. I think about college and the living arrangements I still haven't worked out. I am broken out of my thoughts when I feel Phelans hand on my thigh, squeezing slightly.

"Ah you okay babe?" he asked, still slightly concerned. Perhaps there is still some residual drug affecting me.

"Yeah, I am good. My mind was just wandering." He smiles at me to show me he understands before collecting our plates and taking them to the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that sweetie." My mom coos at him, joining him in the kitchen.

I hear them start the dishes and can hear them talking. I can't seem to bring myself to move.

"Is everything alright?" I hear my mom say. "I noticed Kasey seems a little off."

I can see Phelan turn his worried gaze to me. I nod to him to let him know its okay to tell her.

"Something happened last night. We think someone drugged Kasey's drink. I am afraid it isn't out of her system completely yet." He explains in a soft voice.

I hear my moms gasp as she is told this. I watch the scene as Phelan places a comforting hand on her arm.

"I brought her straight home and have kept an eye on her the entire time." He reassures her.

"Thank you for looking after my little girl." She flings her arms around him and hugs him tight. "She's all I have left." I hear her whisper.

"I will always be there for her. I will keep her safe, I promise."

"I know you will. You're a good man." She places her hand on his cheek before clearing her throat. "Now I will take care of all this, go, be with her." She shoos him out of the kitchen.

Phelan walks towards me with an amused smile. "Your mom is great."

"Yeah, she's pretty awesome." I smile back.

He helps me up and we return to the couch arguing over what to watch next. We end up watching bad movies late into the night.