I have to climb faster. The scraping of the rocks below me let me know that they're getting closer. The sounds of claws raking across stone pushes me on. I can't let them get me. Something slices open my calf and I can feel my life draining away. Just keep going. I'm tiring and getting slower. Hands reach toward me from above, and I grab for them in desperation. They're cold and hard. They snatch me away from the rock face and I'm suddenly looking into black, dead eyes. Their owner smiles, and his teeth are all filed to points he grabs me by the shoulders and laughs as he pushes me over the edge. I scream as I fall, but the only noise I hear is his cackle.
The air in the room shifts, pulling me from the endless fall in my nightmare. Someone is standing next to the bed and I let out a small yelp as I scoot away. A finger presses to my lips as the figure whispers, "Shh." A flashlight clicks on and I see that it's Rosie. She takes a seat next to me on the bed and leans close to my ear.
"I don't want to wake the boys. I'm leaving for a few days, and I wanted to give you something before I go." I look over to the floor by the window and see North and Silas both stretched out in sleeping bags. One of them is snoring loud enough that I'm surprised I was able to sleep at all.
Rosie hands me a small pink rectangular box about the size of a deck of cards. It has a strap dangling from one corner and some metal pieces on the other side.
"This is my Small Fry, and it's my favorite stun-gun." I drop it to the blanket immediately, afraid I'm going to electrocute myself. She picks it up and hands it back to me.
"Don't worry, it won't work unless you turn it on." She points to a switch on the side. "This little gal packs one hell of a punch and has a disable pin so that it won't work if someone tries to take it and use it on you. I figure that you should have a way to protect yourself just in case." I nod and am kind of relieved. I'm never alone, but I think I'll feel just a little bit safer with this. "Have Kota show you how to use it in the morning, and make sure you charge it after." She reaches over and gives me a quick side hug. "Stay safe, Sang."
As she gets up to go, I whisper, "Thank you."
She closes the door behind her and I'm once again plunged into darkness. I start to feel like I'm panicking, so I get up quietly and tip toe to the bathroom. I shut myself in before turning on the light and sit down on the edge of the tub. I try to breathe like I did last night with Mr. Blackbourne. Slowly in, hold, slowly out. I do this about a dozen times and start to regain control of myself. I'll have to remember to thank him for teaching me how to do that. I start to examine the stun-gun when the door swings open, startling me, and I fall backwards into the bathtub with a squeal.
"Sang, Baby!" North rushes over to help me, but I've somehow managed to twist myself up into the shower curtain as well, and am too tangled to get out quickly.
Silas comes in and yawns, "Aggele, what are you doing in the bathtub?" I giggle, and think he must still be half asleep. He stretches his arms over his head and his shirt rides up, revealing his exquisitely sculpted abs. I'm pretty sure that my brain short-circuts for a moment, and I stare at him like an idiot. North's hands trying to free me from my jumble bring me back to reality and I can't help but laugh again.
"Shit, Sang, this isn't working." He pulls out a knife and cuts the curtain free. Wait, where was he keeping a switchblade?
Silas reaches over and lifts me out of the mess in the tub and carries me back to the bed while North stays behind to tidy up.
"I can walk, you know," I scold him.
He grins at me. "Nope. Gotta carry you. Doctor's orders!" I roll my eyes and flop back onto the pillow. North comes in and plops down next to me.
"This yours, Baby?" He holds up the taser.
I nod. "Rosie gave it to me before she left."
He frowns. "I don't know if I want you to have this. You could hurt yourself."
Silas plucks it out of his hands and gives it to me. "It's not your decision, North. It was a gift to her, you can't take it." He looks at me with a smile. "Besides, she'll be careful with it, won't you, Aggele?" I nod.
North sighs, but doesn't argue. "Sang, why were you up? Did you have another nightmare?" I must look guilty because he smashes me into a bear hug and growls, "You promised you'd tell me."
"Mmph-dnmph-gmph-uh-chmph" I mumble into his chest. He pulls me away a little and I repeat, "I didn't get a chance."
Silas lays down on my left, and North on my right.
North is staring up at the cieling, but still holding me into his side. "Okay, Baby. I believe you. But tell me now."
I relate my story to him, and between the warmth at my back, and the slow, steady movement of North breathing under my head, I drift off into a dreamless sleep.
***
It's just after lunch, and I'm still stuck in this stupid bed. None of the guys are letting me up, and I'm seriously bored out of my mind. Gabriel is asleep next to me and Victor is slumped over in the armchair in the corner. I guess they had a long night. I wish I still had my Kindle. I try to slide out of the bed, but Gabriel mumbles, "Don't even think about it, Trouble."
I huff and whine, "But I'm soooo bored!" I'm a little bit afraid of what his reaction will be, but I've seen him and Luke play like this. He slams his hand down on the nightstand a few times and I fear that I've made him mad. He shoves something into my hands and grunts, "now be a good Trouble and let a fella sleep."
He's handed me his phone. I push the only button I can see and the screen lights up, asking me to 'slide to unlock'. I swipe my finger along the arrow and a bunch of little boxes appear. I want to jump for joy when I see that one of them says 'Kindle'. I tap on it and it takes me to Gabriel's library. I'm curious to see what kind of things Meanie likes to read. I scroll through them and stop at one called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Marie used to talk about Harry Potter when we were kids. I think there was a movie made from it, and she was in love with the lead actor. She had the whole series of books and never even opened the box that they came in. She knew how much I wanted to read them, so one day, she brought the books into my room and dropped them on the floor. I was so excited, and she just laughed at me. She had doused them in lighter fluid, and just before I reached for them, she lit them on fire. I had to sit there and watch her burn the brand new books, and then got in trouble for the mess it made.
I tap the cover for it and let out the breath I'd been holding when the first words appear on the screen. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Prived Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much..."
***
I jump when the door bangs open. Harry was trying to dodge a rogue bludger in the second book, and my heart is racing. North drops a stack of motorcycle magazines into my lap and takes away Gabriel's phone. "These are much better than this drivel," he says as he pockets the phone. I try to grab it back and he snorts at me. "Baby, those fantasy novels will rot your brain. Read about bikes with me. They're real."
I glare at him and growl, "Don't be such a Muggle, North!"
He looks confused and Luke, who was standing in the doorway busts up laughing. He shouts out down the hallway, "Sang just called North a Muggle!" Seconds later, Kota, Dr. Sean, Mr. Blackbourne, Gabriel, and Nathan come into the room. It's a little crowded.
"What did you say, Luke?" asked Dr. Sean.
Luke's still laughing, but manages to say, "Sang-called-North-a-Muggle!" Everyone else joins him, but I'm still glaring at North for taking the books away.
"Miss Sorensen, are you enjoying Harry Potter?"
I nod at Mr. Blackbourne and try to get rid of my glare, but I think it comes across like a bit of a pout.
"Oi, North! What'd you do to make Trouble upset? Put that fucking lip away, Sang! Shit! Someone fix her!" Gabriel is getting hysterical.
"Mr. Blackbourne, he took the phone away, and I need to know if Harry catches the snitch or not! There's this bludger that keeps coming after him and then North grabbed it out of my hands and now he's saying that it will rot my brain and that I have to read stupid motorcycle magazines instead of finding out what happens and who the heir of Slytherin is!" To my horror, on top of tattling like I was five years old, I start bawling my eyes out.
***
Oh God! What do I do? Sang Baby starts crying and my brothers look like they're about to murder me. Mr. Blackbourne sticks his hand out and I immediately give him Gabe's phone.
"Mr. Taylor,"he snaps at me, "when Miss Sorensen is finished with these books, you will personally sit with her through each and every one of the movies. You will not disparage her choices, nor will you lie to her about 'rotting her brains'. You will let her enjoy them, and she will eat candy and popcorn like any other teen who goes to the movies. Do I make myself clear?" He sits on the bed and pulls Sang into his arms.
"Here you go, Miss Sorensen." He hands her the phone. "You may continue to read, if you wish. Once you are ready, or find yourself at a good stopping point, I would like for you to spend a little bit of time watching some self-defense training." He wipes her eyes and she nods.
Kota grabs me by the elbow and drags me into the living room. Mr. Blackbourne follows us out and nails me to the couch with an icy stare.
"You, Mr. Korba, and Mr. Griffin will be demonstrating basic self defense for Miss Sorensen."
Shit, I know where this is going.
"Mr. Taylor, I think that it is appropriate that you are the attacker for tonight's training. Tomorrow, everyone gets an hour." I don't disagree. I didn't mean to make her cry.
***
Well, this tart is definitely more fun than the last. I position her so that they can see everything. Naughty boy, having a camera in his room. She stirs as the drugs wear off. She's wearing a mask like the others and nothing else. I smile. I have her hands and feet bound, and because I'm the considerate type, I've put a tarp down underneath her. I like this bedroom. It's above the garage, and if I look out the window, I can see my Blonde Dolly's house. I check to make sure that the camera feed is live and then give a little wave. This little beauty was difficult to snag. She's petite like my girl, but her hair is not quite the right color. She starts to moan around her gag and tries to wiggle free of the ropes. It arouses me just watching her squirm like that. I pull out my blade and approach her. I check my angles, to make sure that they'll see everything, and get to work. This one will be a masterpiece. She screams.
***