"And his tears could fall unwanted on his sheet, but his sobs were so gentle that they did not shake the bed, so quiet they could not be heard. But the ache was there, thick in his throat and the front of his face, hot in his chest and in his eyes. I want to go home."
-Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game
•••••
I woke up next to Vic, who was checking his Twitter. He noticed me shifting, and smiled down at me.
"How'd you sleep?" He said softly. All it did was pour gas on the flames.
"Fine." I snapped, laying my head back down on the pillow.
He reached out to stroke my cheek, but I sent him daggers with my eyes. He drew his hand back sheepishly.
A loud clap of thunder shook the house. The rain pelted against the window, streams of water rushing down the pane.
Tony popped his head in the doorway. "Vic. Band meeting. C'mon."
Vic sighed and put down his phone. "I'll be right back." He mumbled. I stared at him, my expression soft. His eyes looked sad.
He locked the door. I laughed at myself for thinking he trusted me. I heard their muffled voices come in through the wood from the other side. They weren't trying to be quiet at all.
"How's she doing?" Jaime asked.
"She's so fucking scared. She cried for hours last night. Even when she stopped crying, she was shaking. I tried to hold her, but she just shook even more. She's so damn terrified, and I hate it." Vic sounded deflated. He took a deep breath. "She just wants to go home, guys."
"Vic, we feel for her. We really do. I can't imagine being in her shoes right now. I'd want the same thing. But that's not really an option right now." Tony said, sounding just as exasperated as Vic.
"Staying here isn't really an option anymore either." Jaime sighed. "We got a call about the screaming last night. I just told them it was a movie that we had on too loud. We can't stay here."
My heart pounded at the thought of moving. My chances of getting out would be reduced from little to none if we moved to a place I wasn't familiar with.
"Chris has a vacation home in the mountains. We could go there." Mike suggested. "Of course, we'd have to tell him what happened."
"It's our best shot." Vic sighed. His voice sounded distant. I heard a shuffle of feet move away from the door. Jaime and Mike's voices faded.
"Vic, she's scared. Don't think that a hug will fix any of what we've done to her already. It takes time." Tony tried to reassure his friend.
I shook my head. Did Vic really think that I'd ever get comfortable with them?
The door opened back up, and I pretended to be very interested in the scars on my wrists from the rope. Vic gave me another sad look.
"That looks bad." He took my hand gently and examined the cuts.
"I've had worse." I muttered, not interested in making conversation.
"Next time, we won't do it so tightly. We were panicked and didn't mean to hurt you."
Next time? There would be a next time? I mentally slapped myself after remembering the plan of moving.
As if he read my thoughts, Vic reached out and cupped my face with his hands. "I'm sorry, Bethany. But it's just too risky." He leaned down and kissed my forehead lightly. His touch sickened me.
Happy birthday to me...
•••••
"You need to eat, babe." Jaime said gently. I stared at the plate of food in front of me.
Tony, Vic, and Mike had gone to Chris' house to explain the situation to him. We were told to be ready to move just in case something went wrong. A bottle of chemicals and some zip ties stared me down on the counter.
"Please." Jaime said again.
I shook my head, giving Jaime a cold look. "I left my appetite at home." His face fell and he stared at his hands.
"We really are sorry, Bethany. We didn't really know what Mike was thinking. Not even just when he took you, but when he killed Casey. We are truly sorry." His voice was distant.
I believed him. I knew they were sorry. Hell, they were probably just as scared as I was. But that didn't change how I felt about them.
I just nodded at him. I grudgingly bit into the fruit on my plate. Jaime's smile was hollow. "That's my girl."
The front door opened and the others walked in. They weren't in a rush, so Chris must've gone along with it. Tony held shopping bags
"What'd he say?" Jaime asked.
"He's not happy, but he did agree to help us." Vic said, relieved. Jaime sighed.
"He's gonna be there too. I mean, his house, his rules. And he volunteered to watch Bethany when we play shows." Tony announced. My heart tumbled. Great, another stranger.
"Don't worry. You're gonna love Chris." Vic patted my shoulder. I didn't feel any better.
"We bought you some stuff, Beth." Mike took the bags from Tony and handed them to me. The bags held a few shirts, some shorts, pads, tampons and a Hershey bar. "The candy was my idea." He said proudly. I half smiled.
A buzzing sound filled the room. I felt in my pockets for my phone out of instinct, before realizing that they had most likely taken it. And I was right. Vic pulled my phone out of his pocket.
"Someone named Joey is calling you." The ghost of a smile disappeared off my face. "You can answer, but don't be stupid. We're right here." His tone was a bit cold, and I didn't like this side of him.
I took my phone out of Vic's hands, and answered it. I put four years of theatre classes to use.
"Hey, Joe!" I said in a fake cheery voice.
"Bethany! Where are you? How was the concert?" He asked, a smile audible in his voice. I wanted to cry.
"The concert was great. I actually got pulled on stage and got a song sung to me." I cringed at my own "happiness."
"That's awesome, Beth! Hey, where are you? You never came home and I got a little worried." He chuckled. Tears found their way into my eyes.
I wanted to scream. Help me, Joey! I'm scared out of my mind, and I need you now. I'm not okay. I think I'm gonna die. Please, Joey, please help me.
"I saw a friend at the concert. She invited me to go on stay with her for a while. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Sorry I didn't call. I snuck into the house last night and grabbed a few things." I surprised myself with how quickly I thought up the lie.
"Oh, okay." Joey said casually. My heart sank a bit. "Just be careful, alright?"
"I always am, Joseph." I wiped a few stray tears off of my face.
"I love you, Bethie. Stay safe. Bye." He hung up the phone. I threw it on the table.
"I just lied to the only family I have left. Happy?" I asked no one in particular.
The silence was deafening. I held my head in my hands and cried silently.
"We have to leave soon. Pack a few things, then we'll go." Tony announced
Once the car was loaded and we piled into it, Vic took out the bottle and a cloth. I knew where this was going. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few zip ties. He looked at me sadly.
"Put your hands behind you." His voice was empty. I did as I was told. He fastened my arms behind me. Vic climbed out of the car and retreated back into the house. He returned with my Vans, slipping them onto my feet for me before securing my ankles. I was once again, defenseless.
Vic held the cloth up. Chloroform. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes once again. He kissed the top of my head. "It's quicker than falling asleep. You'll be okay." I sighed slowly. He held the cloth up once more. "May I?" He asked. I nodded.
He put the cool material gently over my mouth and nose, telling me to breathe in. I did, and I soon felt myself drift into a dreamless sleep.
•••••
(Vic's POV)
Bethany was curled up in my lap, sleeping soundly. I held her, wanting nothing more than to take her back to her family. I stared down at her bound wrists behind her back. Just thinking about what we were doing made me hate myself. And I knew the guys felt the same.
The rain and wind was so strong against the car window, the entire vehicle shook with a force. I pulled Bethany closer to me, resting her head against my shoulder.
The drive to Chris's house seemed endless. No one spoke a word the whole ride, not even talkative Jaime. Our panic level was in overdrive.
We finally pulled into the driveway of the vacation house, enveloped in the trees. Mountains surrounded us. I would've been so happy if we weren't in this situation.
"Cut those off of her." Tony suggested, gesturing to her bound hands and feet. "I know there's almost no one around, but just to be safe. It'll look like she's sleeping. We can put more on once we're in the house."
I nodded and pulled out my pocket knife. I cut the cruel ties off of Bethany and lifted her bridal style, carrying her out of the car gently. I did the best I could to shield her from the pelting rain.
Chris greeted us at the door, looking somewhat annoyed.
"This her?" He asked coldly. We all nodded. He chuckled and shook his head. I was confused. Chris was never like this. But he was risking a lot helping us, so I didn't complain.
I laid Bethany on his couch after we entered his house. I pulled a few more ties out of my pocket. I turned to the others. "Do we have to?" I asked, looking at Bethany's sweet face.
"We don't wanna do it just as much as you, man. But we have to." Tony rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
I tied Bethany's hands in front of her, rather than behind her back so she wouldn't be uncomfortable when she finally woke up. I left her ankles alone. Chris spoke.
"You guys have soundcheck in two hours."
We all sighed, preparing for a day of paranoia.
•••••
(Bethany)
"Get up." A deep, rough voice pulled me out of my sleep. I did the best I could to sit up.
I felt a hand grab my hair, yanking me into an upright position. I winced and cringed in pain. Who was this? Surely it's not one of the guys. They wouldn't hurt me...right?
I felt both relieved and scared as my eyes met with a stranger's.
"I'm Chris. I've known the guys since high school. And you are?"
"Bethany." My voice was small, and I felt two inches tall compared to Chris.
Chris nodded, and sat back down. "Well, Bethany, the band is doing soundcheck for a couple hours. And I'd like to take advantage of the time we have together." He slurred, giving me a sly smile. I didn't like where this was going. "I'd like to lay out some ground rules. 1. You will never argue with me. 2. When Pierce isn't here, I have the right to say and do whatever I want. 3. The things that go on here when they aren't present, will never be brought to their attention. I will find out, and there will be consequences. I hope we're clear now."
My heart flipped. Maybe the guys wouldn't hurt me, but it seemed like Chris sure wanted to.
He strutted over to me, confident.
"I don't know even what you're doing here. I don't even know why you're still alive. It's not like people are gonna know you're even gone!" He laughed coldly. I shifted in my seat. He grew serious, and visibly intimidating. "You loved and adored this band. And here. You. Are. Funny how things work out." He turned on his heel and left me alone.
I didn't know what to think. I bit my tongue and tried to let the two hours pass, dreading the moment Chris walked back through the door.
This story will be told from Bethany's POV unless stated otherwise.
Are you guys enjoying this? Give me some feedback, please!
Chapter song: The New National Anthem by Pierce the Veil
Thanks!
-Gracie