Chapter Fifty-Six

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Suddenly Demi was turning away from them and running out of the hotel. Screams of 'wait' following in her wake, but she didn't stop.

Her fingers clutched the crumpled piece of paper like it was her life support. Her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into her skin so forcefully they left bruises. But Demi barely even noticed. There was somewhere she needed to be.

"Taxi!" She yelled, waving one down. It stopped and she shot inside, quickly giving the driver the address.

As the car pulled away, Demi could see her friends and family standing outside of the hotel, waving for her to stop and calling after her. They were with her very angry bodyguard. She would certainly be in trouble for this later.

The journey took half an hour. Possibly the longest half an hour of Demi's life. When the taxi finally pulled up in front of a block of white flats, Demi found that she was unable to move.

"You alright, miss?" The driver asked, turning to look at her. Demi didn't answer, she just stared straight ahead. "Er, that'll be £25, please..." Still Demi didn't respond. The taxi driver was at a loss for what to do. After letting her sit there for a minute longer, he did the only thing he could think of.

BEEP

Demi jumped violently and cursed, her head snapping around to look at the driver. To his shock, there was a look of horror and fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, miss! But we're here!" He explained worriedly. "You have to get out now, you're on the clock. I'll have to ask you for £30 instead if you don't her out soon."

"Right," Demi mumbled, grabbing her purse. "How much was it?"

"£25, please," the driver said carefully. Demi knew the look in his eyes, she had seen it many times before, he thought she was crazy. Maybe he was right. She certainly felt crazy.

Swiftly she paid the man and left the vehicle. Then she watched him drive away, keeping her back to the flats a few seconds longer. She was afraid to go in. What if there was nobody there? What if the note was just from a fan? What if nobody would let her in? Demi didn't think she could bare it.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sounds of the front door opening. A woman walked out with her little chihuahua, holding the door open for the little guy to get out. Demi rushed over to her, almost grabbing the stranger in her desperation for answers.

"Are you from 10A?" She asked hurriedly, grabbing the front door herself to stop it from closing and locking her out. The woman looked up at her with eyes like saucers and shook her head, hurrying away.

Demi caught a glance of herself in the reflection of the bottom story window. Yes, she definitely looked crazy. Her fair was notted, her eyes looked unsettled, her clothes were baggy and she had no makeup on. A great start. But there was no time for that now.

After entering the building, Demi was faced with another annoying problem. There was no lift. And she needed to get all the way to level ten on a twelve story building. Perfect.

She thanked her lucky stars that she had gotten fit as she raced up the stairs, determination keeping her going. Demi ignored the sweat creeping down her forehead. Ignored the screaming in her legs as she pushed herself to stretch two steps at a time up the stairs. Even ignored the hammering in her chest that caused it to be hard to breathe, due to her high anxiety about both reaching and not reaching her destination.

When she got to the top of the stairwell leading to the tenth floor, she stumbled to a stop. Her head dropped down and her hands gripped her slightly bent knees as she tried to catch her breath. She felt sick and dizzy all of a sudden, and it had nothing to do with stairs. Demi knew that once she reached the top, there was no turning back. Yet she had so much to lose the second she got there. Everything she had been worried about for the past month. Or really, if she was being honest with herself, the past fifteen years of her life.

Shakily Demi put one tentative toe on the top step, her legs unstable with anxiety. Slowly she pushed herself up, so she was standing in the corridor. On the wall beside her was a mirror. Demi glanced at herself, quickly pausing to flatten out her clothes and hair - no use turning up looking like she was a crazy person, that was exactly what she was trying to prove she wasn't!

Then, once she had ran out of reasons to procrastinate, she walked towards the first door. It was white, like every other door. But to Demi this door couldn't be more different. 12a, this was the one.

Demi didn't move. She couldn't breathe. She feared that she was going to die on the spot - an even crazier thing to do then her hair predicament.

Finally, she gave a couple of light taps on the door, holding her breath until she felt like her lungs would explode.

Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a small, brown haired woman. The woman gasped at the sight of Demi, her hands going to her heart in surprise.

"Goodness," she breathed. "I didn't think you'd come."

"I, er, I got your message," Demi explained uncomfortably. She held it up stupidly for the woman to see, like neither of them knew what was written then.

I have Kesha, she's safe. Please come to this address. We need to talk.

The address written was where the two strangers were currently standing. The both shifted awkwardly, neither knowing what to do.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," Demi mumbled feebly. "I was...in court."

"Yes, I know," the woman rushed. "That's how I knew who you were. It's been all over the papers. And once I knew what hotel your family were staying at, it was easy. I heard your friend talking and decided to give her the note instead of waiting around for you to come down to the foyer." Slowly she stopped talking, not knowing what else to say. Demi just stared at her impatiently.

"Why did you take her?" She suddenly blurted out. "Is she okay? Is she hurt? What's your name?" Demi paused, tears brimming in her eyes. "Can- Can I see her?"

"I'm Vicki," Vicki said, her voice soft and kind, but her eyes dangerous and angry. "And I didn't take her. She's fine. She's just sleeping in the other room. I didn't tell her I went to you."

"She doesn't know I'm coming? She needs to know! She needs to know I'm here for her, that I didn't leave her," Demi practically sobbed.

Vicki took a wary step back, this was a lot to deal with from a complete stranger. She had no idea what to do with Demi being this hysterical.

"No, she doesn't need to know. She needs to sleep," Vicki said firmly. "She never sleeps."

"But-" Demi choked out.

"No, Demi," Vicki interrupted. "Demi, Kesha doesn't even want to see you..."

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