~Jeff~
I took a deep breath before walking in to English class. I was actually early today.
I opened the door and there were a couple of other people sitting around and talking. These were the people with friends in the class so they only came early to talk.
I sat in my desk and waited for Natalie. I sat facing the door so I could see everyone as they came in. Every time I walked in, I would jump in anticipation. But it was never Natalie.
Eventually Mr. Anderson came in and started the lesson. He shut the door behind him so it would be clear when someone came in later than him.
I kept psyching myself out by thinking the door was opening. But it never did.
Somehow I managed to get through the whole class without breaking down because the next thing I knew Mr. Anderson was dismissing us. I made my way out into the hall only to stumble around and be pushed on either side as I got in other people’s way.
I got to my second class, French and sat stock still and stared forwards at the white board.
“Please excuse this interruption, but could we please have all grade eleven classes report to the main gym immediately,” a voice boomed from the PA system.
My teacher shrugged and we all crowded around the door until she let us go. In small groups we went down the halls until we got the main gym. A vice principal ushered us in with a hint of urgency in her voice. I didn’t think anything of it because teachers were always freaking out about the smallest things.
About ten minutes later, once we had pulled out the bleachers and were seated on them with some organization, our principal went and stood in the middle of the gym and started to talk.
“Something tragic has happened over the weekend,” our principal said skipping right to the point.
Oh god, please no. Don’t say what I think you’re going to, please don’t, I mentally begged.
“Our newest student, Natalie Taress, has gone missing,” Mr. Gregson, our principal, continued.
That was exactly what I didn’t want you to say. My own imagination was bad enough, but hearing the words from Mr. Gregson’s mouth just confirmed them, made them all the more real.
“Her father has requested that all people who might have talked to her Friday, or since then,” he added hopefully, “come forwards now so that he can ask them about her.
“We are not trying to blame anyone for her disappearance, we just are trying to find out what happened. If you even talked to her during class, or remember seeing her in the halls, please come forwards, we need as many different people as possible to try and put together the pieces.
“And on the rarity that one of you were involved, let me just say that this is a sick and cruel joke. Her father is going out of his mind looking for her and has received terrible messages in returns. This is not funny. Someone has gone missing for no good reason.”
Then Mr. Gregson smiled at us. “Anyone who saw or talked to Natalie, please come forwards. All others, please go back to your class.”
There was mumbling as people looked around and tried to figure out why such a short assembly had been called. But I guess they were happy that it had gotten them out of class for like a half hour.
I also why Mr. Gregson had called the assembly. If he simply said over the PA system that he wanted people who had talked to or seen Natalie on Friday, they never would. But since now he was offering a get out of class free card, everyone who had talked to Natalie would talk to Mr. Gregson immediately.
I waited until the bleachers had cleared before making my way to the centre of the gym. I wanted there to be as few people around as possible when I talked to Mr. Gregson. I didn’t want someone else over hearing and thinking that I was supposed to have had a date with Natalie and she stood me up or something.
But when I went to the centre of the gym, Mr. Gregson didn’t ask us to tell him what we knew. Instead he told us to follow him. There were eight of us in total.
Maybe we just needed to get out of the gym so a class could use it or something. I don’t know.
Mr. Gregson took us to his office at the back of the school. And when he opened the door, two men and a woman were sitting inside.
“Students, this is Natalie’s father,” Mr. Gregson said pointing to the blonde haired man. The other had black hair and was sitting next the woman.
Then I realized exactly who Natalie’s father was, Senator Taress. I had been scared of meeting him before, now I was absolutely terrified because despite what Mr. Gregson had said earlier, we would be suspects if it proved to fit.
“Thank you so much for coming forwards,” the woman said. “I am Detective Greene and this is Detective Brailer,” she said pointing first to herself than the man next to her.
“When did you see, or talk to Natalie on Friday?” Dt. Brailer said leaning forwards in his chair with his pen posed over his book. Still Senator Taress didn’t say anything. He kept his eyes downcast and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, which he probably hadn’t.
The other people mostly just told quick summaries of how they had talked to Natalie a little in class, or how they remembered seeing her in the hall, alone, on the way to a class. A couple of them said they had one of the last two periods with Natalie and she hadn’t been in neither of them.
As they gave their statements, they were dismissed back to class. Soon it was only myself, Senator Taress, the detectives and Mr. Gregson left in the room.
“Sir, I am a friend of Natalie,” I said addressing Senator Taress directly. Normally talking to a senator would make me nervous, but this was Natalie’s dad, I knew exactly what he had gone through the last couple of days.
His head shot up. “You’re a friend?” His voice broke on the last word with raw emotion. His voice was also rough because he probably hadn’t talked much the last couple of days, and he had probably been crying. Natalie’s disappearance probably did nothing to help him get over his wife’s death.
I nodded solemnly. “I am. She also told me everything. Shawn and the accident,” I said slowly.
Senator Taress flinched like I had physically hit him. The detectives and Mr. Gregson were clearly curious, but they didn’t say anything.
“She did?” Senator Taress whispered.
“Yeah. He called the other night when we were working on the project and she broke down into tears and told me everything.” I watched as emotions crossed the senators face. “I would never hurt her. Her secrets are safe with me,” I assured him.
“She told you,” was all he could whisper.
“I’ve only known Natalie a week, but she means a lot to me. I wouldn’t dream of ever doing anything to her.”
“She never told me about you,” he said softly looking up at me curiously.
I shrugged, I had expected that much. “Senator Taress, she was always telling me how she was new at the whole friendship thing. I think she wanted to make sure I was actually her friend before she jinxed it by telling you.” Senator Taress nodded and I knew I had guessed correctly.
“Natalie was supposed to meet me Friday after school. She said her house was lonely and she wanted to hang out with me. I waited an hour after school for her and she never showed. I’ve been calling her constantly since, and she hasn’t picked up,” I said, this time addressing the detectives.
“Would you mind if we looked at your phone?” Dt. Brailer asked. I nodded and handed it to him. They probably needed a warrant, but I didn’t care. If it meant finding Natalie, I would jump off a cliff.
“You should be getting to class,” Mr. Gregson said gently.
“Do you mind if we keep your phone for a while? You can pick it up at the end of your class,” Dt. Greene said.
I nodded. “Anything for her.” Then I stood up and left.
But I didn’t go back to class.
Instead I headed outside and allowed the February air to numb my skin. I think I handled things in there very maturely, but now I just wanted to curl up and cry.
The police were here and so was her father. Natalie missing was real, she wasn’t just avoiding me.
I waited outside until class had ended, then I went back to Mr. Gregson’s office. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be getting my phone back. They were probably going to question Senator Taress on who Shawn was and what had happened with his wife. Then they would need to find evidence that I was actually Natalie’s friend and that I wasn’t just making friends up. The fact that Natalie hadn’t told her father was suspicious enough.
But I hoped they believed me. If they even glanced at my texts and Facebook, they would see that we were actually friends. I know that wasn’t as legitimate as Natalie telling her father, but it was as much as we had.
“Here is your phone back,” Dt. Greene said handing my phone over. I was surprised, but then I remembered that they had those programs now where they could access texts and call history from their computers. They had probably only used my phone for a quick search, it had only been in their possession barely half an hour.
“Why didn’t she tell me about you?” Senator Taress asked again.
“I think she was just scared,” I said. “Maybe she was scared about telling you, or scared that once she gave me status of a friend, that she would lose me. Like Shawn and her mother.” Senator Taress flinched again, but I had had to say it.
“How did you get her to tell you everything?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think she meant to. It just happened.”
“What did you say to her? When she told you?”
I tried to remember but I couldn’t. “I can't remember. But the next day she had been all happy and smiley,” I recalled. “That was Friday,” I added sadly.
Senator Taress nodded and once again looked down at the floor.
“Senator Taress, how was Natalie at home?” I don’t know why I asked, but for some reason I wanted to know.
“You know who I am,” Senator Taress said smiling a little in appreciation. I guess they he didn’t come across many teenagers who recognized him. The fact that Natalie had told me who he was helped too.
“She’s been quiet, she’s always been quiet. I can't answer for you. I’ve been to lost in my own world to notice,” he said sadly. He leaned forwards and put his head in his hands. “I’ve never been there for her.”
I looked around startled, I hadn’t expected that. But the detective just shrugged. Mr. Gregson had left for some reason. “You might not have seen her every day, but you were always there for her in thought. You always loved her,” I said hoping that it was somewhere near the truth.
“No I didn’t,” he said softly, like he didn’t want me to hear.
I tried to come up with what he might mean from what Natalie had told me. “Maybe not at first you didn’t. But you still adopted her. To her that must have been a dream come true. And you treated her like she was your daughter even though you had adopted her for your wife. You can't say you are a bad father to her.”
Senator Taress shook his head in disbelief. “You really do know everything,” he commented. “I wish she had told me about you, it would have made things easier. I could have gone straight to you instead of coming to the school.”
“It was a good thing you came here,” I said hoping that my voice didn’t give away how upset I was that Natalie hadn’t told her dad about our friendship. “I only have first period with Natalie. And I had lunch with her. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you she wasn’t here the last two periods.”
“Jeff,” Dt. Brailer said when neither Senator Taress or I spoke again. “As much as we would like to believe that you were in fact Natalie’s friend we will still need to look into it before we can take anything you’ve said seriously. We have no way of knowing if you’ve made up the things you’ve told us.”
“I am her friend,” I said. “I wasn’t her friend.” They looked at me shocked. “You said ‘were’ as in past tense, she isn’t dead,” I said forcefully, my hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
“But I understand. If you don’t find sufficient proof in my phone of my Facebook, just talk to my parents. My mom is half in love with Natalie from the one day she met her,” I told them.
“We will make sure we will,” Dt. Greene said.
I nodded and stood up. I left Mr. Gregson’s office and immediately headed back outside. I had lunch this period, but I wasn’t about to spend it at the library like I usually did.
No, I would take the numbness the outside offered over the strong memory of Natalie at the library.
At least outside I wouldn’t be able to felt anything. Maybe the numbness would make its way to my brain and then I would stop thinking about Natalie.
If only.
~Natalie~
I’ve figured out how many days I’ve been in this hell. Three days, this day being the fourth. Or at least that’s my most recent guess.
Once a day, one of the minions bring me a meal of a slice of bread, a rotten piece of fruit, a small piece of disgusting chicken barely bigger than a chicken nugget and a glass of water. I’ve gotten that meal three times now. They wouldn’t have given me one the first day I was here.
There’s no window, so I have no way of telling when it’s a new day until my daily meal comes.
I haven’t left this room. It’s barely bigger than normal house bathroom and then only furnishings are the table I was tied to the first day and a small wooden chair that wobbled violently. There was also a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling that cast the dim light around the room.
Since I’m not allowed to leave this room, I also don’t get bathroom breaks. So the one corner of the room…any sane person wouldn’t go near it. It smells slightly funky.
So now the whole room smells bad, not that it smelled great when I first got here, but now it is nowhere near being pleasant.
A couple of times a day Scary Man comes in. I still haven’t learned his name. Every time he comes he brings my phone and practically waves it under my nose, taunting me that no one loves me because this morning Jeff’s calls stopped and Dad hasn’t called once. Scary Man came in this morning, or at least I think it was morning, and proudly announced those points.
But if my math is right, then Jeff should be in school right now, so that part makes sense. But has Dad not noticed that I am missing, or does he just not notice? Have I just been a burden to him since Mom died?
Also, whenever Scary Man comes in, he finds a reason to punish me. It started with only physical beatings, but now, somehow my clothes have been ripped to shreds and my bra is barely holding on. Scary Man has also made suggestions of much scarier things he is going to do to me than just punching, kicking and cutting.
“Good afternoon little girlie,” Scary Man said coming into the room. I didn’t even look up from where I was curled up in the corner. I knew I should, maybe he wouldn’t give me as bad as a beating, but I was too scared.
“Look at me when I speak to you!” he boomed. I felt the sharp sting as his blade slid along my thigh, drawing blood. Then his breath, heavy with alcohol, was on my cheek. “I won't hurt you, I promise,” he said sweetly.
But I knew that was a lie. This man seemed to have amusement in my pain. Which was why I no longer fought him, or showed him how much he had hurt me. If I didn’t he would get bored faster. And bored was good, it meant he would leave to go and torture someone else.
I raised my head and looked at him. He smiled at his win.
“Why do you still wear this?” He asked tugging and my ratty shirt. It didn’t hide anything, but it made me feel better to still wear it.
I didn’t answer him. I had learned that it was easier not to talk, it gave him less things to punish me for.
“Stand up,” he ordered.
I did as he said.
He ripped the shirt off of my body and shredded it completely with his knife, then stuffed the remnants into his pocket. His eyes slid over my body hungrily and he licked his lips.
“Mmm, much better,” he said, almost in a purr. His hand snaked into my hair and he forced me forwards, I stumbled slightly over my feet. Then before I could even comprehend what he was doing, he rammed my head into the wall. Not once, but twice.
I felt warm blood trickle into my ear. Trickle was good, it meant that it would hopefully stop in a couple of hours.
“I’m so glad that your parents had a girl and not a boy,” Scary Man said, his hands now roaming over my body. I tried not to squirm and show him how much I just wanted to run from him.
Scary Man clearly didn’t know I was adopted.
“A boy would be so much harder to play with. Too much muscle and not nearly as great of a body.”
I knew it was only a matter of time until Scary Man fully raped me. Until then, I would savour the beatings he gave me. As horrible as they were, I knew they were better than how Scary Man really wanted to play with me.
***
Meh, I do not like writing the Natalie scenes. I know it is my sotry and that I can change the story line, but I dont want to. I like this story idea, I just dont like the actually writing it story.
Thank you so much for reading!!
Vote + Comment + Fan please!!
This is Action #283 last time I checked!