8. Broken Doors and Broken Dreams

"I'm Noah by the way." The adolescent boy introduced himself, as I climbed into the passenger seat of his truck.

"Savannah," I replied shortly, casting anxious glances through the glass of the windows. I wrapped my arms around myself, throwing Noah a grateful smile. "Thanks for doing this. I got lost in the woods and this happened." I explain, gesturing to the cuts and bruises littering my body.

Noah nodded, seemingly not noticing the nervous quake in my voice, which had to do with the fact that there was a load more to do with that story. "Where are you headed?"

At his question, I bit my lip. I didn't want him to get dragged into this whole mess that had become my life, but I knew I desperately needed to escape. I pursed my lips, my fingers tightening their grip on my arms. "The nearest town. I can have someone pick me up there."

Pressing his foot down on the gas, his lips curled into a smirk. "You were headed the wrong direction then. The nearest town the way you were going is 45 minutes away. By car."

My face twisted up in disgust. If Noah hadn't offered a ride I most likely would have been picked up by somebody much worse , Jace or even Ricardo, or have perished with the increasingly cold weather. I shivered with revulsion at the terrifying thought. "How far is the nearest town then?" I questioned, pressing a hand to my aching forehead. "And do you have a napkin?"

"In the dash." He pointed, before pulling out a napkin and handing it to me eagerly. "That doesn't look good. And it's about five minutes away."

"Doesn't feel good either." I murmured, pressing the napkin lightly against the cut. I bit my lip to hide my smile. Only five minutes till I gained my total freedom. I shifted in my seat, feeling the excitement affect my ability to sit still.

"You okay there?" Noah glanced a horrified look in my direction. "Because if you have to pee, please tell me now. I just bought this car with my hard-earned money."

I narrowed my eyes at him in a menacing glare, or what I perceived to be as one. "No."

"Wait." He spoke calculatingly, the emotion on his face growing somewhat confused. "Who decides to get lost in the woods at midnight?"

"Who decides to pick up strange ladies off the side of the road at midnight?" I shot back, turning away from Noah to face the window. His questions only made my anxiousness rise. If he realized that something wasn't exactly right, he could drop me off at the police station instead.

"You just called yourself strange." He chuckled, his eyebrows cocking as he shot me a quick glance. "Is that what you consider yourself to be?"

"Sure." To say I still felt alienated over the whole situation was a bit of an understatement. The dense trees were passing at a speedy rate and I bit back the hopefulness that this would all work out. Hope was the demise of many things. With hope caused distraction and distractions brought failure. I was not going to be disillusioned as to what I could eventually face.

Noah seemed to sense my inner turmoil and if he had groan suspicious, he didn't show it. "Family around here?" He questioned carefully, his gaze unseeingly on the road in front of him.

I hesitated, my hands picking at a thread on my t-shirt. "Uh, no. I moved here alone. I'm nineteen." I informed him. "Do you?"

He bobbed his head, flicking up the temperature. "My parents are divorced. My mom lives in a condo in Seattle and my dad lives up in the mountains. I live with my mom because I go to a private school in Seattle. Holidays with my dad though." He offered me a tiny smile though I could see the bitterness radiating from it. "Why did you move here?" He suddenly questioned, his jaw clench tightly.

"Art." I let out a snort at how stupid it sounded. "I love it and my Best friend was moving down here for school so I came with her. I used my savings to rent a house, since she's in a sorority, and I've been working to save up and hopefully open an art gallery." I bit my lip, hoping to smooth the troubled expression on my face. "For now I've been taking photos and painting."

Looking down at my lap, I attempted to hide the bitter expression which was so clearly on my face. I wasn't sure any of my dreams were even going to happen anymore.

"So Noah, do you have a girlfriend?" I questioned loudly, trying to change the subject somewhat discreetly. Though from the flat look Noah was shooting me, I hadn't done it so smoothly.

A deep blush spread through his cheeks, moving from the back of his neck all the way to the base of his wild curls. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "Uh - no." His less-than-jubilant expression on his face sparked my curiosity.

"Aw," I cooed, clasping my hands together eagerly. "But, there is a girl right? What's her name? Is she pretty?"

The blush only deepened and my lips curled up even further. "You're so cute Noah! Aw!" Resisting the urge to pinch his cheek, I leaned back, propping my feet up on the dash. I sighed a little, before speaking the words that had Noah shooting me an annoyed look. "Young love."

"Stop it." He complained, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. His voice grew higher and he scratched at the back of his neck. "Her name's Stella and I don't think it's going to work out. She's my best friend. And take your feet off that."

I made a face, not understanding how such an adorable guy like Noah wouldn't be able to win over this Stella. "Why not? And I'm comfortable." I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly, before removing myself from his shiny dashboard.

"I think I'm in the friend-zone." He replied, his voice flat and a depressed look on his face. His sadness was resonating over to me and I couldn't withstand the urge to pat his shoulder.

"Oh," Grimacing, my head tilted to the side, my ratted locks of hair following the movement.

"Yeah," He snapped shortly, his annoyed expression only growing as he fumed.

My lips pressed into a thin line as I stared at the blonde boy. He shot me an exasperated look, "What?"

"Just make her realize that you're the one she will want." At my words, he shot me a dumbfounded look.

"That sounds easier than expected." Crinkling his eyebrows at me, he only looked more perplexed. Stepping on the gas a little harder, Noah let out an irritated moan. "I think I've tried that more times than I can count. But, she doesn't exactly realize that my hugs and compliments aren't because I'm gay."

"Then make her jealous." I spoke slowly, rolling my eyes. "Make her realize that she doesn't want someone else with you."

The expression on Noah's face only grew more confused and he bit his lip. "I read online that you aren't suppose to play games to get the person you want."

Boys, sometimes you just want to slap them.

"Well, sometimes games are your only offence!" I clapped my hands together, resisting the urge to send him a dark look at his denseness. "Noah, you should know this. If you want someone, you have to do what it takes to get them."

"I know," He grumbled and I was satisfied to see that the amount of confusion on his face had decreased. "Girls are so puzzling." He grumbled under his breath.

Disappointment swelled in my belly when the distraction of Noah's love life left us. It was almost satisfying to think of something other than the horror I seemed to be facing with each day.

As the trees began to appear farther and farther apart, nervousness twisted my gut. I could see the city lights shining in the distance, strangely welcoming when I knew them not to be. Guilt had me shutting my eyes briefly for Chase and the rest of the guys with what they were facing. I had used their momentary weakness to my advantage and even after everything, I still felt remorse for something. Chase wasn't a bad guy. He didn't deserve such a thing to happen to him.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?"

I shrugged, before pointing at the gas station that had come into view once we had turned a corner. "There's fine."

Noah flicked on his blinker. "Is there anything else you need, Savannah?" He questioned kindly as he turned into the parking lot. Pulling into a spot in front of the tiny, dilapidated mini-mart, his body rotated to face mine.

I shook my head. "You've done too much already. Thank you - so much." I leaned over to peck him on the cheek, grinning at the blush that easily flourished from his face.

"N-no problem." He shook his head, running a hand coolly through his hair as his face flamed. "Anytime, Babe."

My nose crinkled as I stared at him, before a tiny giggle left my lips.

His shoulders dropped. "I was trying to play the game." Pouting was the only thing that could describe the look etched onto every edge of his face.

"Might want to work on that." I chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Thank you." Stepping out of his car, I shut the door softly.

I felt strangely exposed not being in the confines of the tight cab of Noah's truck. The cold night air that washed over my shoulders had me shivering and clasping my hands together in some effort to keep some resemblance of warmth to my body. The moon had disappeared behind a thick layer of crowds. Wrinkling my nose at the eerie feeling of it all, I quickly started to the shop. Noah waved as he backed out and I quickly responded with one my own.

Glancing behind me quickly, I yanked open the door, cautiously peeping into the mini-mart before disappearing behind a shelf loaded with chips. My stomach grumbled dangerously, though I continued to walk, forcing myself to not look at the delicious treats littering the shelves. Having skipped dinner, it was safe to say I was famished. My eyes flickered around the small confines of the shop, searching for any signs of danger. With no signs of Jace or any of his men, I looped around another shelf. Heading for the counter where a man sat, I stopped in front of the counter, my hands gripping the counter nervously. His gaze ran boringly over a magazine in his lap, slowly glancing up to stare at me.The man looked even older under the fluorescent flickering lights as he stood up.

He grumbled out a greeting, planting his hands on the counter. "Hello."

"Hi." I hesitated, smoothing a hand over my dirty clothing. His eyes ran over appearance, widening slightly.

"Look, lady. I don't want any trouble, so-"

"There isn't any trouble. This is from the cut on my head." I gestured to the throbbing part of my forehead. "I fell walking here. Night walks are the best, you know. I didn't expect it to be so cold though. Especially during the summer, but I guess it happens." I let out a lame laugh, the nervousness in it even resonating to me. "Anyways - can I borrow a phone to make a phone-call? I need someone to pick me up. This cut needs tending."

With a narrowed gaze on me, he nodded his head slowly. Grabbing a phone behind the counter, he passed me the device. "Just stay where I can see you."

"Oh course." Smiling gently, I dialed Brooke's number which I had remembered by heart. I held my breath as it began ringing, hoping to God that she hadn't gone to bed already because of her classes in the morning.er

"Hello?" Brooke's tired voice came from the other end of the line and I almost collapsed in relief.

"Brooke? It's Savannah."

"Oh my God, Savannah!" Brooke suddenly sounded much more awake at my name. "I've been so worried. Where the hell have you been?"

"It's a long story." I hedged, glancing at the man staring at me with beady eyes from behind the counter. "Can you come pick me up? I need help."

______________________________________________________________________________

"What happened?" Brooke slammed at me as soon as I had opened the passenger door to let myself into her Honda. Her eyes skimmed over the blood and bruises, her eyes widening dramatically. "You look like you've been in one hell of a war."

"I have." I sighed, resting my head against the head-rest. "Please drive. We need to go pick up my things and buy me a bus ticket to the farthest place I can go."

With her eyes wide, she turned her key in the ignition, starting towards where she knew my house to be. Peeking at the mess my face had become, she let out a shocked sound. "I think you owe me an explanation. First, you don't call me for days and I was about to call the police, then I get a note from you saying you ran off with your-"

"Note?" I interrupted her, my eyebrows crinkling confusedly. My head tilted as I stared at her. "A note from me?"

"You don't remember?" Brooke's face crinkled up in confusion. "It said you met someone and ran off with them to spend the weekend at some ski-resort."

"That little ass." I growled, my hands tightening into two fists. "That little asshole."

"What?" Brooke shot me a frantic look. "None of this makes sense."

"I never sent you a letter." I finally explained, my voice sounding distant. "My kidnapper did."

"Kidnapper?" Her mouth fell open, staring at me in both shock and horror. "You were kidnapped?"

"Kind of." My forehead wrinkled as I ran a hand along the bandage still covering the mark that Ricardo had carved into my skin. "I don't know. Everything's gone crazy though." Shaking my head, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You - you owe me an explanation." Brooke insisted, her eyes troubled as she stared blankly at the road. "I was scared, worried. You're my best friend, Sav."

"I know. I'm sorry." I murmured, rubbing at my temples as the throbbing in my head increased. "A lot has happened, so much has."

Brooke shook her head, still not understanding. "I don't-"

"I can't tell you everything." I hesitated, wanting to protect her, but at the same time needing her to know. "Because I want you to be safe. They may be watching. Even now you may not be." The paranoia was back, stiffening my muscles and making my throat clamp up.

"You're freaking me out." She whispered back, her hands white as she tightly gripped the steering wheel. "None of this makes sense and then you say that."

"I was attacked by bad people." I started, hesitating when her eyes widened. "Really bad, scary, people, who give me nightmares, but at the same time make me want to kick them right in the nuts." My fists ached to hit something, as I stared darkly ahead. "And then this asshole comes along and mends me up and then tells me that I have to stay with him because it isn't safe because these bad people want to kill him and will kill everyone around him to do just that."

Brooke seemed to lose the ability to speak as she absorbed what I said. She shook her head, letting out a shaky breath. "So, is the asshole a bad guy or a good guy?"

"I don't know - he forced me to stay and that's why you received that letter that wasn't from me. He hasn't hurt me, but he's threatened to. And then, when I had the chance to escape, I took it and now I don't know what to do!"

"I don't - I don't know. The police! We have to go to the cops!" She cried, stomping a little harder on the gas. "They can help!"

I shook my head, pressing my forehead against my knees as a wave of nausea passed me. "No, they can't. They're all connected. I just need to leave."

"How many are there?" She pressed, "What can we do?"

"Nothing. That's all you can know." I whispered, swallowing back bile. I was already in too deep. The X engraved in my wrist reminded me of that.

"There has to be something." She insisted, her face wrinkled in focus.

Pulling onto my street, I squinted into the darkness. Already on edge, my suspicions increased at the sight of my house. For not having seen it in a week, my heart swelled at the sight of it. It may not have been much, but I was more than proud that I was able to rent such a thing and call it my home.

"Park on the street." My voice was muted as I pointed to a particularly dark area where her car would blend in.

Following my directions, Brooke quickly parked her car. Both of us too wary to speak, we walked silently up the drive, our eyes flickering around us for any signs that something wasn't right.

With shaky hands, I pulled out my key, inserting it into the lock and quickly unlocking the door. Briskly, Brooke and I quickly shoved ourselves in, slamming the door behind us and twisting the lock. I quickly yanked the curtains shut in front of the big window, before leaning against the wall. Briefly shutting my eyes, I straightened, speaking in a low tone to Brooke. "Don't turn on the lights."

I knew Jace enough to know that he would already know I was missing and I had no doubts that he knew where I lived.

Picking my way to the stairs on the balls of my feet, I made my way towards my bedroom. Brooke followed, her nervous breathing the only thing to be heard.

"I need to pack all that I can carry." Shutting the door, I grabbed a large bag from my closet, tossing in a couple pairs of jeans and shorts. Randomly grabbing piles of shirts, I chucked them into the bag too. I tossed the bag over to where Brooke was standing, her mouth wide open as she stared at my packing.

"You're actually leaving." She mumbled, sounding numb. Wiping a hand over her brow, she shook her head. "I can't believe it. We moved her together and then-"

At the tears that were rising in her eyes, I turned away. Grabbing the spare cash I had in my dresser, I dropped it into the bag. "I'm sorry, Brooke."

She smacked my arm, her glare making more of her tears fall out. "It isn't your fault." Sniffling, she wiped at her eyes. "I can't believe it though. We were supposed to go to frat parties! This was supposed to be our year." Shaking her head, she clasped her hands around her. "Where are you going to go?"

"Probably back home." I snorted, feeling bitterness swell in my chest. "I'll only stay there for a little, before I go off somewhere new - anywhere I want."

My words only made her sniffling louder and I wrapped my arms around her sniffling form. "Be careful here. It's dangerous."

As I felt her nod, I pulled away, quickly turning to walk over towards my closet. Yanking off my soiled clothes, I kicked them into a pile, grabbing a t-shirt and leggings. Pulling the shirt over my head, I turned around and knelt by my bag, sorting through the pile of my belongings.

Bang

The loud noise that resonated from the downstairs had us both freezing and glancing at each other with wide eyes. Suddenly it was hard to breathe and I clasped a hand to my chest as Brooke covered her mouth in horror with one of hers. Another loud thump had our heads shooting towards my bedroom door.