Counting the Stars

Chapter Eleven

    I stood in the middle of the room, my vision slowly coming back to me. Damien stopped at the bottom of the stairs with a evil glint in his eyes, a smile on his sadistic face. 

    "I see you're finally awake." He said, stepping closer to me. 

    I held my ground. "I see you're still a cocky ass." That pissed him off.

   "Bitch." He charged me then, punching my square in the face. I started to fall but I caught myself, matching him hit for hit. Finally he landed a blow to my temple and as I crashed to the floor, I gritted my teeth. I would not scream. I would not scream. 

    As my hit the floor for the second time in an hour, I blacked out. I guess a fight it would be.

   Jaces POV

   I raced to the house, my heart pounding in my chest. I had to call 911. I busted through the doors and the guys jumped to attention, all posed to fight. I shook my head and raced to the phone, tripping over my own feet on the way there.

   "What's wrong? Where's Ripley?" Rexon said as he walked over to me.

   "Damien- there's a lot of stuff you don't know! I have to call 911!" I huffed out, dialing the numbers as I spoke. They picked up and I drawled out the address, what was wrong and finished with a pleading, "Hurry!" 

    "What do you mean? What's going on!" Reese yelled as he stormed over to me.

    "I'll explain later! Follow me!" I yelled, running back through the house. The guys pounded behind me, matching my pace. I couldn't get my head around what had just happened. What had just happened? I'd gotten in a fight with Damien, Ripley had drowned. Would she be okay? Would he finally leave her alone? The latter was doubtful but I could hope at least, right?

    We crashed into the clearing and my heart stopped when Ripley was nowhere to be found. Damien. He must of taken her! Oh God..

    "What's going on!" Rexon yelled.

    "Damien has been abusing Ripley! He attacked earlier and he's taken her now!" I yelled as I threw my hands into my hair and paced back and forth. I had to find them. I had to save her. 

   Ripleys POV

   I was back in that blue 2002 Sentra, blasting Simple Plan. My purple earbuds were shaking from the loud volume. My parents were bickering back and forth but I couldn't hear what it was about. Rain drops raced down the window, one following right after the other. It wasn't nearly dark out but it was getting there. We were on our way back from the movies, family night ending in an argument like it always did. 

    Mom patted my leg, her mouth forming a frown. I pulled my earbuds out and raised an eyebrow. 

    "Yes?" She always liked it best when I said yes instead of yeah or yep. I lived to please my mother.

    "We're almost home." She said, smiling a tight smile before she turned around.

    A thick, tense silence followed. I hated it when my parents fought but it had became a common occurrence when they were forced into small spaces for long periods. I learned to block it out. 

    Thunder rumbled through the fields on either side of the road. My heart pounded in my chest; storms were never my cup of tea. My parents continued to ice each other out and I ached for my brother to be in the seat next to me, cracking some joke and ending their anger. Why couldn't Rexon go to school closer to home? Why couldn't he be here to make everything better? Ever since he went off to college, life just wasn't as fun.