Chapter 13

Chapter 13




There wasn’t any need to ask how their search went, the identical glum look on their faces said it all.  “It was a good idea,” Cassy said softy. 

“It was, we thought we had something for a minute.  He sniffed around that old shed enough that we thought there might be something there,” AJ took a cigarette out of the pack and settled down in the doorway to smoke. 

“The one that Nick and I found with Kristine?”  Brian asked.

“Same one,” Kevin replied, “That thing has been locked up tight for awhile.  I couldn’t even get the door to budge but there wasn’t any noise inside at all.  Even if he had those girls bound and gagged we could have heard them if they were in there.”

“There were a few boot prints again too,” AJ blew a cloud of smoke outside and coughed, “It’s weird though, the way they come and go.  We found a few steps, the nothing, and then a few more and then they were gone all together.”

“He’s a hunter,” Cassy tried to explain again, “It’s easy to disappear in the woods if you know what you’re doing.  With the best hunters in my family, you would never have known they set foot in the woods, they would walk on tree roots or cover up their tracks behind them.  The deer know when someone is out there that doesn’t belong so you have to learn to blend in.  If you found any tracks, it either means this guy isn’t that good of a hunter or he’s just playing with you.”

“Lumberjack Jane,” AJ laughed darkly, “I wish we could have taken you out with us.”

“Not a chance,” Brian cut in quickly, “Even if he wasn’t planning on nabbing her with the other girls, how tempting would it be to make it five for five just to show us how much better he is?  It’s just not a risk I’m willing to take, I’m sorry.”

“Even if it brought her friends home?”  Nick asked in disbelief. 

“Even then,” Brian wrapped his arms around her and met the hurt and angry expressions of his best friends, the men who were family to him.  “I’m sorry guys, so sorry that we couldn’t keep the rest of them safe but please don’t ask me to do this.”

AJ walked out to the front porch, shutting the door behind him and pulling out a second cigarette.  Howie and Kevin passed by him without another word, walking out to the back deck with Maddy at their heals.  Nick rolled over on his mattress, facing the wall and leaving Brian with Cassy in his arms and the feeling that he had just thrown knives into his friend’s backs.  “Nick,” Brian pleaded, “Just please try and understand.”

“Just hold her tight and hope he doesn’t decide to grab her,” Nick’s voice was dead, he still refused to look back at Brian again, “Just hold her tight and remember that none of the rest of us can.”

Everything was falling apart, Kevin realized later that night after the dinner dishes had been washed, dried, and put back away.  He was lounging on the back porch and for once he was alone.  AJ had been sitting alone out front, Nick in his spot in the living room with Brian and Cassy across the room.  Howie was back to sitting in the kitchen, doing little more than staring at the table and rereading a letter Starr had left for him. 

Kevin had opened up one of the bottles of whiskey that were in the liquor cabinet.  It was a miracle AJ hadn’t gone back to the bottle again and he hoped Alana had something to do with it, that even if she didn’t come back that his memories of her would keep him from relapsing in his misery. 

Christ, he couldn’t even stop himself from thinking of her as gone.  He grimaced and took another swallow from the glass he had poured.  He had to stop, had to get back in control of himself.  If he was starting to believe Alana was gone forever, how long would it be before he believed that of Kristine?  After everything he had gone through, trying to convince himself that he couldn’t act on his feelings, that he had to give her up for her sake, after all that mental back and forth between his head and heart.

“I can’t do it, Bri, I just can’t!” Kevin exclaimed, pacing animatedly.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up Kev. Can’t do what?” Brian asked, confused.

“It’s Kristine,” Kevin sighed, sitting down on the bed and putting his head in his hands.  “I just can’t do this to her.”

“Do what?” Brian gently asked, also sitting.

Kevin exhaled loudly, “I kissed her this morning,” he admitted.

Brian was taken aback, “What?”

“I don’t know.  It just kinda happened.  But I just can’t ask her to give up everything she has going for her just to be with me.”

Brian’s mind was still pondering the previous statement, “But why would you kiss her?”

“I don’t know.  God, Brian, it felt so right!”

“Kev, you’re 10 years older than her.”

“I know and that’s part of what’s driving me crazy.  I shouldn’t be feeling this way.”

“Feel what way?”

“Like she’s the one.  Like there’s no one else in the world for me but her.  But I can’t let that happen, Brian.  I won’t let it happen.”

Kristine had come into the living room then, ending their conversation quickly.  He wasn’t sure about what she had heard but couldn’t help feeling ashamed.  “Hey, Kevin, could you come help me do the dishes?”

Kevin looked up from where he sat on the couch.  After a moment’s hesitation he replied, “Sure,” and stood to walk over to the doorway from where she’d disappeared into the kitchen.

Kristine walked over to the sink and turned on the water, filling one side with dishes and squirting soap onto them.  Kevin joined her at the sink and they both watched it fill with suds.  She picked up a glass and began scrubbing the interior with a dishcloth.  She sighed, “Kevin, we need to talk.”

Kevin paused a long moment, not looking at her.  “Okay,” he said slowly, unsure of where to begin.  “About what?”

“About us.”  Kristine placed the soapy glass in the other side of the sink and Kevin began to rinse it. 

“If this is about that kiss this morning, Kristine, I’m really sorry and I-”

“No, Kevin, I don’t want you to be sorry,” Kristine cut him off, turning to face him, her hands soapy and grasping a plate.  “I can’t, no I won’t,” she restated.  “I won’t deny that I’m attracted to you.  God, Kevin, you’re a very handsome man but being attracted to a guy based on his appearance has gotten me into trouble before.”

Kevin began to vocalize something, but was cut off again by Kristine’s raised hand.  She looked up at him, her eyes filled with emotion, begging him to understand.  “No please, just hear me out.  I can’t deny that I’m attracted to you, but it’s more than that.  It goes deeper.  It’s right here,” she patted her chest above her heart.  “And I don’t know why I feel this way about you but I do.  And I know you feel the same way.” 

Kevin was taken aback, he had never been with a girl that straightforward before, one who was willing to spell out the facts instead of making him guess at them.  “I don’t know if this is just because we were thrown into this situation, but I do know that I’m not going to let it go.  I know that there’s a lot I don’t know about you but I want to, and I’m willing to take the time to learn.  I know there’s a bit age gap between us but would we care five or ten years down the road?  With everything that’s going on right now why can’t we deal with it all together?”  She extended her hand palm up, offering everything she had, looking hard into Kevin’s green eyes.

Several emotions flickered through his eyes as a long silence passed between them.  Finally, Kevin exhaled.  “Kristine,” he said his voice thick with many emotions.  “You know that everyone’s going to be against this, right?”  Kristine nodded.  “And maybe it won’t work out between us.”  Another nod.  He exhaled again slowly, shaking his head.  He looked down at her, smiling slightly.  “You know we’re both crazy for doing this, right?”

Kristine grinned.  “Yes,” she said happily, “We’re both insane.”  She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.  “But at least we’re crazy together,” she whispered, leaning her head on his chest.

Kevin held her tightly.  It felt so right and it was as though a huge weight had been lifted from his chest, ‘crazy feels pretty great’, he couldn’t help thinking, looking down to see her smiling against him.

He hadn’t told any of his friends, but the night they had together, the night before she had gone missing, he had made love to her, made love with a girl ten years younger than him who despite not being a virgin, was still the most emotionally innocent girl he had ever taken to his bed. 

It had been such a natural progression, from the hushed conversation to kissing her the way he had waited to kiss her all day.  There was just no hesitation on her part, just simple acceptance as if she had been waiting for him all her life, as if she knew they were just meant to be.  Her skin, it was so beautiful, almost alabaster with the moonlight touching it. 

So small, so pale, so beautiful.  That was his Kristine.  He had felt so bulky next to her, like he was sleeping with an ethereal being so delicate that he would crush her under his awkward human form.  Her moans were quiet, suppressed to avoid waking up Starr and Howie in the room across the hall.  Still, they were the sweetest notes to him, the most touching ballad he had ever helped compose. 

He had pulled her on top of him, just so he could see her completely, covered in that silvery moonlight.  He needed to see every expression on her face, every movement of her body.  It was as if he was proving to himself that she was there, that she was real, and that she was his. 

Kevin took another swallow from his glass, turning it around in his hand and letting the light hit the golden brown liquid. 

“You have enough of that to share?”  Howie’s voice came from the doorway. 

“Help yourself,” Kevin handed him the bottle and heard him pour a glass. 

“How long are you going to give Brian the silent treatment?”

“I just don’t have anything to say to him right now, it’s like he thinks we won’t keep Cassy safe if she goes out with us.  With three of us, there’s no way we’d lose her.”

Howie stared down into his glass of whiskey, “All five of us were here and we still lost Starr,” he said finally. 

“It just happened so fast,” Kevin protested. 

“All it took was thirty seconds, same with Jedia and Kristine.  You can’t really blame him for holding onto Cassy, he’s scared.  She’s the only one left so there can only be one target left for him.”

“You were just as angry with him.”

“I was.  Then I realized that if the roles were different and Starr was the only one left here, nothing in this world would have convinced me to let her out of my sight.  I would have locked her in a bathroom, anything I had to do to keep her safe.  That’s all Brian is trying to do.  We all failed the women we love, he’s desperate not to do the same.”

“I’m glad she finally gave in and gave you a chance,” Kevin took another sip. 

“So am I.  I don’t think I’ve ever dated a girl like her before and I don’t think I’d ever find anyone like her again.  I know she’s younger than me, a lot younger than me, but I don’t really think about it.”

“You narrowed the age gap down from where Kristine and I are at,” Kevin replied absentmindedly. 

“Obviously didn’t bother you that much since you ended up sleeping with her,” Howie chuckled. 

Kevin almost spat his drink out over the porch, “How did you know?”

“Kev, those beds are antiques.  Either you were jumping on them, changing sides every five minutes, or taking part in some other nighttime activities.  Even I couldn’t sleep through that noise.”

“You’re trying to tell me you and Starr spent all day alone outside and you didn’t?”

Howie’s smile faded slightly, “No, we didn’t.  From what she’s told me and what Kristine and Jedia told me, I’m the first guy she’s dated in about three years and she never really dated much before me.  I don’t want to rush her into anything because I don’t know what she’s comfortable with.  My guess is not much and I know I’ve got to be careful or I’m going to end up scaring her away.”

“You’re telling me you managed to fall for a 20 year old virgin?”  Kevin’s eyebrow shot up.

“I didn’t ask her but I think so,” Howie swallowed down the rest of his glass, setting it down on the porch floor next to him.

“When’s the last time you’ve been in that situation?”  Kevin asked

Howie turned away “High school,” he admitted, “maybe right after.  Either way, it’s been awhile.”

Kevin put the cap back on the whiskey bottle, setting it off to the side, “When we get her back, you need to make sure you take care of her.”

“Kev, I want nothing more than to do just that.  Kristine though, she’s going to need you even more.  Whatever this guy is doing, she’s going to need someone by her side while she recovers from it all.”

“Already planned on it,” Kevin drained the rest of his glass, setting it down next to Howie’s, “Have you sat back and thought about the odds of this all happening?”

“Falling in love with girls only to get sucked into some stupid teenage horror movie?”

“Even beyond that.  What was the chance that we’d end up in a rural part of the country that we didn’t plan on staying in and just happen to run into a group of five friends who have been together almost as long as we have been.  Then you thrown in that they’re all so different and that each one of them was exactly what each one of us wanted or needed in our lives.  We stuck around here longer because of that and if we hadn’t, they would have probably been dead within a week.  How do you even measure the chances of one of those factors?”

“Fate,” Howie replied softly. 

“All I’m thinking is that if fate was behind all of this happening at once, then there isn’t any way that we’re going to leave here without them, all five of them.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alana had given up.  Her energy had gone and the last few locks remained intact.  Brett hadn’t been back for a day or two so there was no chance of even hoping for food or water.  She hadn’t had to use the bathroom in over a day and that was what finally clued her into the fact that her body was shutting down on her. 

The chunk of birthday cake he had thrown at her hadn’t done much more than send a sugar rush through her veins and as quickly as it had come, it disappeared leaving her stomach crying out for something else, anything else. 

There wasn’t anything else.  Kristine was right, he must have found a way to grab Starr and that was the end of their time.  Kristine would be saved, she’d be out there somewhere eating a giant steak or something while Alana’s body continued to decompose in that trash filled tower room. 

She couldn’t tell when she was awake or sleeping anymore, the two blended together seamlessly.  The never-ending hunger followed her even into her dreams now.  It was all she could think of, food...food and AJ.

A freakin’ boyband member, out of the billions of guys in the world, out of the hundreds she knew personally and out of the dozen she had slept with, she had ended up falling for one of the guys she had laughed at her friends for listening to.  Alana had always said they were each just acting out a role, trying to gain the admiration and wet dreams of girls everywhere by falling into five carefully chosen parts.  Kevin was the older brother, almost a father.  He was so responsible and level headed, he reminded Alana of her no-nonsense father but without any of the angry passion for life.  Howie was the romantic, the sweet one, and the understated one.  To be honest, there were times she barely noticed him.  Brian was the main well of talent, that was easy enough to tell.  His looks, his playful personality and ability to befriend and put people at ease made him an easy object for the affection of their fans.  Nick was the baby of the group and the typical blonde haired blue eyed heartthrob.  None of them appealed to her at all, none but AJ. 

The rebel thing had been done to death.  He was a bad boy, the one you wouldn’t want to take home to your parents.  He was sarcastic, a drinker, a smoker, and yet it was all just him, not some stupid mask he put on for the sake of other people. 

It wasn’t supposed to have gone that far.  All she had wanted was a one night stand with a guy that girls around the world would have given anything to be with.  The booze was an excuse, a catalyst, she would have slept with him even without it.  Even with the alcohol, she wasn’t going to lie, he was far better in bed than any of the other guys she had been with. 

He was better by far, and she had realized too late that it wasn’t just his bedroom skills that put him at the top of her list.

They had ended up in the tent together around 3am, leaving Nick and Cassy sitting around the campfire with the last of the rum and Coke.  They spread one sleeping bag out underneath them, threw the other on top and...yeah.  They barely even noticed Cassy’s screams about half an hour later, they were still too involved with each other. 

Alana had passed out soon after, the booze and fantastic sex finally catching up to her.  She had slept so soundly she hadn’t realized AJ had stayed awake watching her until he had confessed that to her after they had moved up to the cabin. 

Sleeping with him the second time, there was none of the rushed passion they had found in the tent.  Maybe it was because of the vulnerability she was feeling after finding her parents murdered or maybe it just came with the realization that she had found the one thing she never expected to find, a guy who lived his life the same way and wanted the same things that she did. 

“You really suck at this game,” Alana sat on the floor, watching AJ tackle the first few levels of Dragon Spirit again. 

“I remember playing this when I was a kid,” he protested, “How lame would it be if it turned out I was a better gamer at 10 than I am as an adult.”

“Well, this one is pretty hard,” Alana relented, watching his dragon die on screen again. 

“I’m out for the night,” AJ offered her the controller, setting it down on top of the game system when she shook her head.  “Tired?”

Alana shook her head again, “I just feel numb.  My parents are dead down at the campsite and I haven’t been able to cry since we found them.  Is this normal or does it really make me the selfish bitch my father always said I was?”

AJ wrapped his arms around her, brushing his lips against her forehead, “I don’t think it makes you selfish,” He said, “I think in any normal situation, you’d be able to cry for them like you think you should be.  This situation is anything but normal and right now you have to focus on yourself and surviving.  When this is all over, when the psycho slips up and gets caught, that will be the time to mourn your parents.”

Alana fell silent, “I need a drink,” she said finally, “Want one?”

AJ hesitated before shaking his head.  “Really?”  Alana asked.

“I’ve got a problem with it,” he admitted, “I screwed up that first night here.  I shouldn’t have bought the stuff and I really shouldn’t have drank any.”

“Then why did you?” 

“Same reason any guy does something stupid.  There was a girl I was trying to impress.”

She paused for a moment, “I’m not even legally able to drink yet.  I guess that makes two of us that were drinking when we shouldn’t.”

“Why do you?”  AJ asked. 

“Never really thought about it before,” Alana shrugged, “I like to have a good time and it just seems like it went with the crowd.  Some of it tastes good but the rest is just there.”

AJ laughed shortly, “We’re two messed up people, drinking because it seems like the rest of the world expects us to.”

“You drink because it’s expected?”

“Sometimes.  Other times I just want to forget about everything else that’s going on in my life and it’s just a faster way there.”

“You want to forget about being a pop star who’s loved around the world by millions of hormonal girls?”

“Sometimes.  Other times I remember what I’ve done just because I could get away with it because I was loved around the world by millions of hormonal girls and I need to forget so I can stop hating myself for a few hours.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” Alana said, “I’ll stop if you do.”

“What happens when you turn 21?”  AJ asked.

“A year without is a pretty good detox period.  After that, maybe we can try moderation.  Either way, I don’t want to release a record and start making it big only to become nothing more than another tabloid queen.  I want to be famous, I want people to take me seriously as a singer.”

“You’re talking like you plan on us still being in contact in a year,” AJ pointed out.

Alana slid her hand under his, “I would have had sex with you even if I was sober,” she admitted.

AJ squeezed her hand, “You’re sober now,” he pointed out. 

“We both are,” she agreed easily.

“We can wait until this is all over,” he said, “I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you when you’ve had to deal with so much.”

“We could wait,” Alana agreed again, leaning over and brushing her lips over his, “we definitely could but I don’t want to.”

She had ended up underneath him on the couch, her hands pulling at his shirt urgently, as anxious to feel skin on skin as he was until he shifted and ended up on the floor.  Alana couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face.  “No good?”  She asked

“Not for what I had in mind,” AJ’s dark eyes gleamed. 

“I’m not really feeling the floor idea,” Alana pointed out.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he groaned, “If you haven’t notice, we’re a little short on beds.”

Alana hesitated, “There’s one more that no one is in.”

“You sure?” 

“AJ, my parents are dead along with who knows how many other people around here.  I’m scared out of my mind and even with that, all I can think about right now is how much I want you.  If we move up into my parents room, we’ll be near most everyone else anyways.  I think my parent would call that a smart move if they were here.”

“What would they say about the part where I get you naked again?”

“Dad would call me a slut but I think Mom would be secretly impressed.”

“So?” 

“So you better make it worth it.”

Alana groaned and rolled over, the light streaming in from the cracks in the wall causing her to wince in pain.  It was a good memory to die with.  Different scenes from her past had been playing through her mind for hours, time with her family, time with her friends, it turned out that her life hadn’t been so bad.  The only things she had left to regret were her parents dying before she realized how much they really meant to her, not being able to find out where her relationship with AJ would take her, and not being able to realize any of her dreams of fame. 

Dammit that hurt.  She was too young to die, there was no way she could leave yet. 

The wave of nausea hit her, causing her to dry heave.  That was new.  She didn’t have anything in her stomach to throw up, but she had never heard of throwing up being a symptom of starvation. 

“You awake?”  She croaked. 

Kristine stirred, her eyes opening slowly.  She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out.  She swallowed hard and tried again but still no voice.  The cake Brett had fed them hadn’t come with anything to drink and hadn’t been substantial enough to give them any kind of sustained energy. 

“I think this is pretty much the end for me,” Alana whispered, hating herself for admitting it, hating herself for causing Kristine to cry silently.  “I’m sorry.”

Kristine shook her head “Hold on,” she finally managed to stay.  “Don’t leave me.”

Alana grimaced, hearing the steps on the stairs, “I’m glad we were friends.”

The door creaked open but Alana didn’t bother to look over at it, what was the point anymore?  Even the crinkle of the plastic bag didn’t interest her, she wasn’t even sure she would have enough strength to chew if he did throw her any scraps. 

She closed her eyes but couldn’t shut out the sound of the seal breaking on a bottle of water and the sound of someone drinking.  “Please Brett,” she heard Kristine plead quietly, “Alana, please help her.  She’s going to die.”

“Well, yeah.  That’s kind of the point,” Brett’s voice was incredulous, “haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?”

“Not like this, please don’t kill her like this.  It’s just too horrible, making her starve.  It’s not like you.”

“She deserves this,” Brett threw the mostly empty water bottle at Alana.  She felt it hit but the pain barely registered.  There was only an ounce or two left in the bottle but she drank it greedily, unable to hold back.  “Rotting away up here is the perfect ending for her after she cause you to break up the best relationship you ever had.” 

“She’s my friend,” Kristine protested, “No one deserves this.”  Alana heard the crack of skin on skin and Kristine’s cry of pain. 

“What is it going to take to convince you that she’s worthless?”  Brett demanded, “She’s a manipulative bitch and a stupid worthless whore.  She’s no friend to a stupid girl like you.”

“Please...”  Kristine’s voice was cut off by another slap.     

“God dammit you’re stupid.  Just shut up!  I’ll prove it to you and then maybe you’ll see she’s not the type of friend you should have.”  Alana heard his boots coming closer. 

Mom...Dad, I’ll see you soon.

He kicked her over so she had no choice but to look at him.  “Listen to me you fucking whore, I want Kristine to see what you really are.  I’ve got soup and a sandwich in that bag.  I’ll even throw in two bottles of water to go with it all.  I’ll let you have them and live to see another day but this time you’re going to tell me you want me to fuck you.  No screaming, no crying, you’re going to have sex with me and I’m going to pay you for it and because you’re a whore, you’re going to agree to it.” 

“Go to hell,” Alana croaked into the floorboard. 

Brett smiled cruelly, “Either you do what I say or you’re going to beat me there.” 

Alana’s eyes drifted beyond him to Kristine, her nose bleeding and fresh bruises appearing on her cheeks.  Kristine lifted up her head with a whimper to catch and hold Alana’s gaze.  She didn’t say anything, she couldn’t, she couldn’t ask Alana to give up her pride and be violated again by the man who was determined to break and kill her.  She wanted to beg her friend again not to leave her but she couldn’t take away her chance to escape, even if it would be through death.  No, Alana had to make this choice for herself. 

“Do it,” Alana muttered. 

Brett kicked her onto her back, “That’s not what I told you to say.”

Alana gritted her teeth, “I want you to fuck me.”

Brett smiled again, “What do you charge?”

Alana paused for a long minute before spitting the words out of her mouth “Soup and a sandwich.”

Brett paused in unzipping his pants, glancing back over his shoulder at Kristine, “Most whores will at least hold out for cash,” he pointed out before dropping his pants and forcing her legs apart. 
Alana let her mind drift, focus on anything other than the bargain she had struck.  AJ, he would understand, he would have to understand.  She couldn’t leave Kristine alone, not if she had the chance to stay with her a few more days...a few more hours. 

Brett finished, muttering about diseases and picked himself off of her.  “Now do you see what I was telling you?”  He demanded, walking back to Kristine.  He yanked her chain off of the wall and set a bowl of soup and a package of crackers next to her with a bottle of apple juice before he threw the bag at Alana.  The lid flew off the bowl, the contents spilling inside the bag.  The two liter sized water bottles rolled out and onto the floor but still easily within her reach.  “I’ll be back soon.”

Alana didn’t move until she heard the door locked and his steps moving down the staircase.  She pulled the bag to her carefully, lapping the lukewarm vegetable soup off of the plastic bag.  Her body responded quickly, converting the vegetable matter and broth into a burst of energy she hadn’t felt in days. 

“Why did you do it?”  Kristine asked

“I couldn’t leave you alone,” Alana replied quietly, “Who knows, tomorrow may be the day that they find us.  I’d be an idiot not to hold out as long as possible.”

“He took away your pride though,” Kristine protested between sips of her own soup. 

Alana smiled, “No, he didn’t.  He thought he was, but he gave me the choice.  I’ve made bad choices before and I’ve lived with them.  The main thing is that they were mine and I had to deal with the consequences and I’m the one who has to keep all those memories.  I got to make another bad choice but because I was the one making it, it’ll be one more I’ll just have to live with.”

“I really don’t see what the difference is,” Kristine admitted. 

“You may by the time this is all over,” Alana turned the bag inside out and sucked the last bit of soup residue from the bag.  “He left your chains down?”

Kristine looked down at her wrists, “I don’t know if he meant to or if we just annoyed him so much he forgot.”

“Everything so far has been deliberate,” Alana pointed out, “Let’s just assume this was too.  Why would he have let you move around now?”

Kristine put the lid back on the soup and pushed it away, saving half of it, and considered.  “He’s pissed off that he can’t force me to change my mind and see things his way.”

“It wasn’t like that when you dated, you bought into everything he said until you thought you were pregnant.”

“So he’s pissed off that he can’t make me think like him anymore.  This entire plot of his is about turning me back into his little drone but at the same time he wants to break you and probably Starr and Jedia too.  This is about control and he’s lost it twice in one hour.  He’s furious but he won’t let us see it.”

“So intentional or accidental?”  Alana asked

Kristine crawled over to Alana’s side and threw her arms around her friend.  “Right now I don’t care, I’m just so happy that you’re still here with me.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jedia knew their luck wouldn’t keep holding.  Brett hadn’t been back to the shed since the guys had almost discovered their holding place.  It really didn’t make much sense, in his place she would have doubled the time she spent to prevent her captives from getting away.  After all, Maddy had sniffed around the door so much, what if he ran back there and the guys followed?  With Brett not inside, she and Starr would be able to make their presence known and would be easily rescued. 

He had planned everything so thoroughly, this risk was just out of place. 

She glanced at Starr who was back to lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling.  As strange as Brett’s absence was, she welcomed it.  Starr needed as much time as possible to heal from the beating he had given her the last time.  She could sit up if Jedia helped her but still couldn’t move without pain. 

“You’re getting forehead wrinkles again,” Starr pointed out from her place on the floor, “What are you thinking about?  You only look like that when you’re worried about something.”

“Not really worried, just trying to think some things through.”

“Like what?”

“Let me run a scenario by you and see what you come up with,” Jedia moved over to sit next to her.  “Let’s pretend you’ve got four piles of something important.  For the sake of this, let’s say you’ve got a pile of rubies, a pile of sapphires, a pile of emeralds and a pile of diamonds.”

“Sounds good, where are they?”

“Well, you don’t want to risk anyone taking what belongs to you so you can’t deal with a bank because bankers talk and they’ll absolutely mention that there’s now piles of precious gems in their institution which would draw unwanted attention.  You determine the best way to keep all of this safe is to hide it away yourself.  You know that you’re going to have to keep checking on your piles of riches because otherwise, how do you know that they’re still safe and in your possession?”

“Makes sense so far.”

“How would you divide up your riches?  How many hiding spots would you use?”

Starr considered, “If I hid them each separately I’d have to put the spots pretty close together so I could get back and forth fast enough.  Then anyone watching me would still have a better chance of finding them because more than likely one of the spots isn’t as good as the rest, it was just convenient and with them so close together, the thief would be able to find the remaining based on finding the other.”

“So you wouldn’t use four spots, would you use three?”

Starr shook her head, “I’m human, I’d want to make sure the diamonds were protected because they’re worth the most.  If I used three spots, I’d end up hiding something else, probably the rubies or emeralds, with them.  Then I’d end up hiding the sapphires and whichever other gem is left off on their own.  The problem is that wouldn’t keep the other two safe.  With the majority of the wealth in one place, you bet your ass I’d be staying right near it to keep them safe.  Then the thief could just do some careful hunting and probably take at least one, if not both of the other piles.  I just don’t think it would make much sense.”

“Okay, so would you use two spots or would you just keep them all together?”

“One spot would be just as bad.  Again, I’m human.  At some point in time I’m going to have to use the bathroom and eat and sleep at a minimum.  If it’s all together and I’m just guarding the one spot obsessively, a thief would just have to wait for one of those actions to come out and they’ve got everything and I’ve got nothing.”

“So two spots.  That’s what I figured.  How do you divide everything up?”

“Pretty much what I said before.  The rubies and emeralds are worth nearly the same so I’d keep one pile with the diamonds and one with the sapphires.”

“See, that’s where we start to differ.  You already said the diamonds are worth the most, right?  Let’s go ahead and give them value 5.  Emeralds and rubies would be 3 each and we’ll put the sapphires at 2.  For me, it would make more sense to make the two spots nearly equal value.  I’d end up putting the diamonds with the sapphires and then the rubies and emeralds together and guard them the same.  Why would you put a value of eight on one side and five on the other?”

“It keeps coming back to the human factor.  What matters most to me is what I’m going to pay the most attention to guarding.  If I’m going to leave something else mostly unguarded, I don’t want it to be as valuable.”

“Then why not just put the rubies and emeralds with the diamonds and just leave the sapphires alone?”

“I’ll never check up on the sapphires in that case.  They’ll be gone and again, the thief would end up taking the other three when nature calls because I’ll have been there the entire time and given the spot away again.”

“That’s the mindset I wasn’t able to figure out,” Jedia gave Starr’s hand a squeeze. 

“So I’m assuming Kristine is the diamond, do you think you or I am the sapphire?”

“I am.  I think you and Alana are the rubies and emeralds.  He hates both of you equally for being the most vocal about how abusive their relationship was and supporting Kristine through ending it.  When he brought me here the first time, he mentioned wishing that I had stayed home this summer so he could have let me live.  That tells me right there that I’m not the important piece to him.  You and I were grouped up together so I was just trying to figure out if Kristine and Alana were too and if that was the case, why he chose to put each of us where he did.”

“It could have just been the order that we got taken in,” Starr pointed out. 

“I don’t think so.  Even if I was first and Kristine was second, I’m not convinced that we would have been kept together.  He spends so much time trying to convince me that I’m stupid that I know my intelligence is something he recognizes enough to want to break down.  I’d be the one he’d worry about coming up with a way out and he wouldn’t want to risk losing Kristine.  You and Alana were the interchangeable pieces.”

“Switch up the order, if I was taken first instead of Alana, do you think he would have put me with Kristine?”

“Probably.  Again, he hates you so much that he can’t recognize any of your positive traits, any of your strengths.”

“So now I’m fat, ugly, and stupid?”  Starr let out a short laugh then grimaced in pain. 

“As far as he’s concerned.  That’s what he needs you to feel at least.  You and Alana have so much pride between the two of you that in order to beat you, he needs to take that away.”

Starr snorted, “Good luck with that.”

Jedia smiled, “That’s what is going to get us through because I bet Alana is the same way.”

“Back to your jewel theory, if we’re together and Alana and Kristine were together, what the hell was he doing upstairs in the house?  I saw his expression when I caught him coming down the stairs.  He wasn’t hiding up there waiting for a chance to catch me, it was just bad timing.  He didn’t mean for me to see him.”

“It would be an easy way to keep track of what’s going on in the house,” Jedia replied, breaking open a bottle of water and handing it to Starr, “Think about it, if everyone else was downstairs he could hang out on the second floor, listen to what’s going on and make his moves accordingly.”

“Do you think he’s still up there?” 

“Maybe.  If he is there’s got to be a reason for it.  That spot isn’t secure at all.  What happens when we get out of here?  The first thing we’re going to do is tell everyone else that he’s holding up above our heads.”

“I like the way you’re still saying ‘when’.  I doubt that it’ll be the first thing on your mind anyways, not with that pretty-boy blonde of yours sitting around in the living room.”

“Second thing then,” Jedia conceded. 

Starr started to smile but stopped suddenly, her body tensing up.  “I guess it’s too much to hope that one of the guys came back this way.”

Jedia grimaced, “Safe to say they wouldn’t come out here alone.  Starr, you’ve got to stay quiet this time.  I don’t know how much more you’re going to be able to take without seriously needing a doctor.  If he beats you too much more, I don’t know if you’ll survive it.”

The door rattled as the different locks came off of it.  The two girls were silent as he opened the door and walked into the room.  The first thing Jedia noticed was that his knife was still tucked into his belt.  He had it out the last few times he had stopped in to make sure they were still there, probably to make sure they didn’t try to overpower him.  The other thing she noticed was that he wasn’t carrying a bag with him this time.  They had been rationing out what food they had without much difficulty but there wasn’t much left.  They could go without food for awhile but the lack of water would hit them much faster. 

Brett stood studying them, Jedia sitting on a box in the back corner and Starr lying down next to the wall.  “Some friends you are,” he spat on the floor next to Starr’s feet, “All this fucking time and you never bothered to ask how Kristine is?  I understand that you don’t care about Alana, no one cares about that stupid whore.  I guess you two are just frigid, don’t give a damn about anyone other than yourselves.”

Jedia let her eyes slide over to Starr, just to make sure that she was still holding onto her control.  Her eyes were closed, she hadn’t even glanced at Brett when he came into the room.  Brett had noticed the same thing, Jedia saw his face getting red, the muscles in his face tightening up.  He hated to be ignored.  “Would you have told us if we had asked?” 

Brett smirked, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the door.  “Depends on what you wanted to give me for it.”

“Sorry, I forgot to grab my purse before you knocked me out and dragged me here,” the words were out of Starr’s mouth before she could stop them. 

Brett’s lip curled in disgust, “I wouldn’t take anything from you anyway.  Fucking ugly bitch, at least Alana could get paid to spread her legs, you’d have to pay someone a fortune to crawl between yours.”  He walked over to where Jedia was sitting and grabbed her face, “You’re not bad though, better than Alana.  Maybe I’ll take your cherry, show you what it’s like being with a real man and make you think twice about that pansy ass blonde.”

Jedia shrank away from his touch, receiving a sharp slap across her face before he threaded his fingers through her hair, dragging her back to him, “You still think that you’re better than me?”

Jedia stayed silent, forced herself to suppress her cries of pain.  “You’re pissing me off,” Brett growled, pushing her down on the floor, “I’m going to show you who’s the one in control here.”  He reached down to unbuckle his belt with one hand, grabbing for her long blonde hair with the other. 

Jedia couldn’t hide the panic in her eyes as she tried to dive away from him.  “No you fucking don’t,” Brett grabbed her arm and yanked her back to him, forcing her down on the floor. 

“Don’t worry about it, Jedia.” 

The two of them stopped their struggle, looking over at where Starr had pulled herself into a sitting position. 

“Starr, what are you saying?”  The grim smirk on her friend’s face worried Jedia even more than the words coming out of her mouth. 

“Seriously, just let him do it and get it over with.”

“What?”  Brett demanded. 

“It’s not like it’s really going to matter.  His dick is so pathetic that Kristine was still practically a virgin after they broke up.  Just deal with him sweating on you for awhile, Nick will probably still be able to take your v-card.” 

There was nothing Jedia could do to stop him.  His fists were flying, his work boots connecting with any part of Starr he could reach.  As strong as Starr was, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out.  He wasn’t attacking her to teach her a lesson, he had lost control and he wasn’t going to stop until he killed her.  Again, Starr had decided to save Jedia no matter what it ended up costing her. 

Jedia couldn’t stand herself, she couldn’t sit in the corner and watch her friend die to save her precious virtue.  She had to break his focus.  It wasn’t until he had his knife at Starr’s throat that she realized how to do it. 

“You know that’s what she wants, right?”  The shed fell back to silence that was interrupted only by Starr’s soft cries of pain.  Jedia grabbed the opportunity and ran with it.  “You’re just giving her what she wants.  She hates her family and she’s totally jealous of all of us hooking up with the boyband guys that she’s been in love with since high school.  She’d rather die than go home to everyone knowing that they fell in love with all of her friends but not in love with her.”

The knife twitched in his hand as he hesitated.  She knew she had him.  They were right, in his mind if they got any control back then he would lose at his own game.  She knew it and he knew it and that was enough. 

She didn’t expect to hear the sounds of frustration bellowing from his throat.  He tossed Starr’s body against the stack of boxes piled up against the front wall with enough force to cause them to start rocking.  He slammed his fists into the wall of the shed, causing them to move even more. 

He couldn’t even speak coherently, just continued to rage in the small space.  Jedia watched him, her fear gone.  There was no way he would be able to rape her in the state he was in and after she redirected his fury and left him without a target he was going out of control.  She just hoped he had lost his mind enough that he would forget to lock the door. 

He didn’t say another word to either of them as he slammed the door shut and the locks clicked into place.  So much for that hope. 

The boxes rocked again when the cabin shook with the force of the door being slammed.  The top three boxes fell on top of Starr, spilling out what little content was left inside of them. 

Jedia listened to his footsteps walking away, breathing a sigh of relief as she picked the boxes off of Starr.  “Can you hear me?”

“Mmmm....”  Starr moved her head, half opening an eye. 

“Where does it hurt?” 

If their situation was any less desperate, Jedia would have been impressed on how her friend was only half conscious and barely able to move and yet was able to convey multiple sarcastic rebuttals with only half an eye.  The dimming evening light coming through the cracks in the boarded up window showed bruises on...

Window?

Jedia dragged over one of the stronger plastic tubs to climb up on and get a better look at it.  There were bits of glass in the corner but the pane had been mostly smashed out.  The boards were nailed on the inside of the window sill.  She would need some tools but she was sure she could get them off. 

“Starr, you’re not going to believe this but I think we’re going to get out of here.”

“Hweee,” Starr’s voice was barely audible. 

“We’ll get you back to Howie,” Jedia promised, “I’m so sorry I had to say all of that stuff.”

“Sssok.”

“I’ve got to see what I have to work with.  I thought there was a tool box back in a tub.”

Jedia started rummaging, pausing only to open one of their last bottles of water and try to get Starr to drink some.  She was able to swallow a small mouthful before she gagged and threw the liquid back up onto the floor.  “Srry,” Starr groaned. 

“You need to get back up to the house and fast,” Jedia found the toolbox and grabbed a hammer and flat head screwdriver, “Don’t you dare fall asleep on me now.”

“Mrrryy.”

Jedia went to work on the boards.  They hadn’t been put in by Brett, with the rust on the nails and how deep they were into the old boards, they had been there for quite awhile.  She had to chip away at the old wood with the screw driver before she could yank out the nail using the back of the claw hammer.  It was slow progress but it was progress.  “Do you remember that one time we were at your house playing around with those Avon samples before we went to the dance that night?”

“Mmmbrrr.”

“I can’t believe the little brat locked us in.  Actually I can’t believe that your mother installed the doorknobs on your bathroom wrong.  How stupid were we?  Trying to pick the locks with those wire earring backs instead of just yelling for help.  Either way, this is going to be our second time climbing out a window together only this time your mother won’t be waiting for us to get home and yell at us for leaving the window open.  Did your sister ever get yelled at for locking us in?”  Jedia yanked another board loose and looked down at Starr when she didn’t answer. 

“I think I’ve almost got this.  Just a few more and we should have a big enough hole to squeeze through,” Jedia hopped back down, kneeling in front of Starr, “Starr, you’ve got to stay awake for now.  You can sleep after we get back to the house and you see Howie again but I need you to stay with me until we get out of here.”

Starr didn’t respond.  Jedia swore and began working the boards as quickly as possible.  Kevin wasn’t any more of a doctor than she was but maybe between the two of them they could get Starr stabilized until they could get her to a real doctor and a real hospital. 

She had to hope so at least.