Damian Kyle's Pov

"Now, just because it's the last week of the term does not mean you can laze about and not do your work. So... Get on with it" I said to my class as I rubbed my temples trying to relive my headache.

This is the first time I've left her alone in the house and I'm going mad with worry thinking she'll escape.

I've not been back to see her since Saturday night when I put her down there, it's now Monday evening.

I didn't want to leave but I have to make appearances to make it seem as if all is well.

I expect the police will turn up soon much to my dismay. From when my little love hit me in her little tantrum, she's given me a black eye. I've done my best to cover it but I'm no beautician.

6 and a half more hours with the little bastards and I can leave.

———

The bell goes for lunch and they storm out. I turn away from the door and bang my head on the desk, it's no fun here without her

A loud knock comes from the door.

"Come In."

In comes the two familiar police officers from before. Great.

"Hello, sorry to disturb you..Mr Kyle, right?" The female officer said.

"Yes, officer Parker, right? Do come in, sit down" I told her completely ignoring the man, I can't, for the love of me remember his name.

"What do I owe the pleasure? Anything on Mr turner?"

The woman looks to her partner. "No, nothing yet. This is not about him."

"Oh. Well then, what's going on?"

"Another student has been reported missing" I made a beautifully shocked face "a, Casey Nickels, age 16, was last seen in the school just like Oliver was. Her mother reported her missing after she revived a phone call from her younger brothers school saying no one had come to pick him up and later that evening Casey never returned home."

"Oh my, that's horrible. What could have happened to them?" I smile on the inside.

"That's what we want to know" she muttered "now, we are aware that she also had Science with you, correct?"

"Yes, she is a good student, always listens, gets very good grades."

"Right. Well, same questions really. Did you notice any differences in her behaviour of late?"

"No, none at all."

"Interesting" the man to her left said writing in his pad, I had honestly forgotten he was here, he hadn't spoken till now.

"What about her grades?"

"Uh" I look up on my computer her current grades even though I already knew them, it would be suspicious if I knew of off by heart, especially since I have over 100 students to teach. "A slight slip from A to B but not much."

"I see" she looks down at her pad before speaking up again not really making eye contact with me "a student said she didn't leave at the bell and was kept behind by you, is that true?"

Shit...

"Uh, yes."

"Could you tell me why you kept her behind?"

Shit.

Fuck.

"Yes, I seen she wasn't doing her work and wasn't listening in class so I kept her behind and told her to do the work at home as homework."

I'm unsure about this, it feels like a trap.

"So, she wasn't listening in class? Okay. Do you remember what time she left?"

"No, not really, however it was a few minutes before I left at, 3:20 roughly."

"Did she say anything to you?"

"No, nothing at all."

"How about how she looked? Did she have any signs that she was agitated, scared to leave? We did notice from her last school photo. She's changed her hair quite dramatically."

"Yes, I did notice that" I said clenching my fists "no. Nothing" I said bluntly. I'm starting to get fed up now with all the questions.

"Were you aware that Casey Nickels and Oliver Turner were involved in a relationship?"

I can literally feel the blood stop in my veins and my fingers go numb from how tight my fists are.

"No. I don't get involved in my student's personal life's."

She nods.

"I wonder if this has a connection to the fact, she was trying to leave school early." The man mutters under his breath.

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"Hum? Oh sorry, I didn't know I said that out loud. Before we left on Friday evening, we caught Miss Nickels attempting to leave the premises."

Was she now...?

"She seemed, frightened..." he mentions.

"Yes well, it was probably due to the fact that her boyfriend I was reported missing" I spat the word out and it left a foul taste in my mouth.

"I'm sorry if this is a bit intrusive but, do you have a black eye?"

Oh, you're not sorry, she's been looking at it since she came in.

I chucked "my girlfriend accidentally hit me in the eye with her elbow." I shook my head as if it was a funny memory "she's so damn clumsy." They smiled at me, seemingly entertained.

"Well, thank you for your time Mr Kyle-"

"Please, call me Damian."

Finally, they're leaving!

She smiled back at me "Damian" god I wish it was that easy with Casey. She stopped in the midst of her step as she got to the door "oh, we heard you are leaving the school."

"Yes" I smiled uncomfortably.

"To another?" he asked.

"Yes, to be closer to my family in Spain."

"Spain" he said exaggerating "would never have guessed."

"Yes."

"That sounds good, nice to have a fresh start sometimes isn't it?" I nod, my jaw hurts from the forced smiles "oh one more thing" I resist the temptation to roll my eyes "did you ever see Casey out of school?"

I was a bit taken back by the question. Why would they ask that? Do they know something?

"No" they nod and leave.

Fuck, this is getting risky.

Casey's Pov

I can't. I just can't.

I want to cry but nothing comes out. I can't feel my arms anymore. The metal cuffs are digging into my wrists so bad.

I'm numb. It's too cold down here. My body's freezing. I can't feel anything.

In the probably hours after I was first put down here, I tried to drop to my knees but the chains don't allow me to rest on them. My arms feel like they are being pulled out of their sockets as I limply hang towards the floor.

I don't know how long it's been.

I threw up after what I think was an hour. The smell in here was so bad. Blood, piss and vomit, however my senses have now gotten used to it so I can't smell anything unless I move. When I move, I disturb the rotten liquids around me and the smell comes back.

My stomach hurts so bad. My throat too. I need food. I need water.

I think I've been down here for days.

I've started seeing things in the darkness. My mind playing tricks on me. It scares me. I don't want to be in the darkness anymore. I don't want to be here anymore.

I want cloths. I want a shower. I want food.

I want...a hug.

I want comfort, I need company, from anyone.

I'm so alone.

No! You can't break!

I hate him!

"Stay strong Casey. He'll have to come back eventually." I say to myself weakly.

He will come back...

What if he doesn't? What if he leaves me down here forever?!

My thoughts are betraying me.

I'm so weak. The little time I stay awake I'm left in the dark coldness, trapped with my thoughts.

I keep blacking out. I had not eaten for 4 days and that was before he put me in here. How longs it been now? I've not drank for however many days I've been here.

I'm so tired. Tired of fighting.

Maybe I should give in. He just wants to love me, right? What's so bad about that? I'm just being so stubborn.

No!

He killed Oliver.

You killed Oliver.

I killed Oliver.

Me.

No. I can't, I can't give in. I hate him, I despise him.

I want Oliver...

Oliver's Pov

Darkness.

All I see is darkness.

Oliver. That's my name I'm sure of it.

What happened? I don't know.

I'm still in darkness but I hear something.

Beeping?

Rhythmic.

Beep. Beep.

Beep. Beep.

What is it?

I can't move. Why can't I move? I can't see. Just black.

I hear a creak like a door opening and then a click as it shuts. I hear shuffling, footsteps. Then a knock on the door.

"Hello?" The man in here speaks.

"Hiya. Officer Andrews. Officer Parker. We are here investigating a missing persons case and we heard about a boy being rushed in a few days ago matching our description" a man speaks.

The doctor huffs "what description, he's been beaten black and blue, I doubt anyone would recognise him."

"It was basic stuff. Brown hair, hazel eyes, male in teens and height."

"Here let me show you" I hear three pairs of footsteps.

"Oh god" a woman gasped.

"Poor kid."

"What happened to him?" The woman asked.

"Well, we don't know. It appears he was beaten and stabbed in the abdomen, luckily it missed all vital organs and arteries, penetrating only skin and fatty layers. From the bruises around his neck, it seems he was strangled and left for dead."

"Maybe the attacker didn't realise he was still living. Probably didn't even bother checking for a pulse." The other man states.

"What about his arm then, it's in a cast?"

"Ah, yes. Well, it appears he may have woken up from his injuries and wondered along a road, a very distraught woman accidentally hit him with her car. Again, luckily, she only clipped his side and he only broke an arm and his lower three ribs. But with his other injuries he's sustained, coupled with an infected wound, it was nearly fatal." I hear paper rustling.

"It's definitely him Andrews." The woman says.

"Is it your missing person?" The doctor asks.

"Yes. Oliver Turner, aged 16, been missing for 6 days."

Oliver, me. I'm Oliver Turner. My dad. I remember my dad. Oh, he must be so worried right now! I wanted to shout to them. Ask them what the hell happened. Why did someone beat me up? Why was I left for dead? What did I do to piss someone off so much?

"Ah good. John Doe didn't suit him at all." The doctor joked the awkward silence said it all, it wasn't funny "right, I guess I'll look up his files so we can contact his parents and then he can receive the medical care he needs."

"Wait" the man says stopping the doctor in his tracks "when will he wake up?"

There's silence for a few seconds.

"I'm not sure. Right now, he's in a drug induced coma. His body needs time to heal and with the surgery to fix his ribs, arm and wound, his body nearly gave up. He was dehydrated, starved and lost a lot of blood. It could range from weeks at best to months.

I don't even know how it was possible for him to wake up let alone wander miles in his condition, he must have been really motivated." With that a pair of footsteps walk away and the door opens and shuts.

"Shit James" the woman sighs.

"I know Rose."

"The hell happened to him? The poor kid."

"You know what this means right? They didn't run away together."

They?

"Of course, they didn't, that was so obvious from the beginning James. Dammit! We should have seen how scared she was, she was trying to leave the school for a reason! God and I was such a bitch too."

Silence for a moment.

"Fuck! James, she said she was going to go to the police station anyway, she knew something, she was scared!"

"It's not our fault, we didn't know. We both thought she was just skipping school." He sighed.

"But why? Why them? Why take one after the other? They were dating, maybe it was a ex?"

"An ex? Seriously Rose? They are kids! No this was something else...Jealousy."

"The teacher?"

"Come on. You seen the tapes. Both, when Oliver and the girl went missing the camera cut out, after they reloaded his car was gone from the parking lot."

"He has a clean record. He's been a teacher for 5 years and nothing."

"Her necklace was found meters from where his car was parked. The chain was broken like someone ripped it off. She seemed very attached to it, especially if it was from the boy. She wouldn't have ripped it off like that."

Necklace? What necklace? Who's this girl? They thought I ran away with a girl. Why can't I remember?!

"We need to search his desk and home. Something about him admittedly, gives me the creeps. Do you really think he could have done this?"

"Definitely. I was watching him remember? When you were asking the questions. He's good at masking his emotions and not showing them but when you said she was missing, he wanted to smile, I could see it. He said she was a good listener in class but then said he held her back because she wasn't doing her work and wasn't listening. It doesn't add up."

"I did notice that too, he didn't act surprised either when hearing that she was gone. Not to mention that the principal said that they had to call an ambulance for her because she had a panic attack and fainted in his class, ′no change in behaviour', huh?"

"On her file it said he gave her numerous detentions and one was because she ran out of the classroom during a practice exam. She never had a detention before, not even from her previous schools...and the amount he's given her..."

"It all leads back to him. His black eye. He made her stay behind on the day she went missing, the day she tried to run away from her last lesson with him. The way he started getting angry with all the questions. The way he said 'boyfriend' like he was disgusted."

"Did you see him when we mention her hair? He clenched his fists and went tense. When you said about their relationship it was worse, I thought he was going to punch something with anger."

"This can't have been something new. If she was running from him then she knew, he must have done something to her already. The way he acted when we asked if he seen her out of school, we need a picture of him ASAP, we should show it to her mother and her old work colleagues, see if he ever stopped by or if they ever seen him...He's moving away James! We don't have long to dilly-dally!"

"We need to watch the CCTV again. Not just from the times they supposedly went missing, hours, days, weeks even before."

"This is going to take days. We need to draft a warrant to search his desk and home right now. I just hope we have enough probable cause."

I hear a pair of footsteps come closer to me.

"I'm sorry this happened to you Oliver but I promise we will find the bastard that did this, whether it was him or not we will find her and arrest whoever did this to you. I need you to wake up though and soon, before it's too late."

"Come on Rose, I need to phone his father and tell him he's been found."

With that I hear footsteps leading away and the door shut.

What the hell happened! I've been saying it a lot recently but seriously what happened?

So...

My names Oliver Turner and I'm 16. I've been missing for 6 days and I've been beaten up and ran over by a car. Someone tried to kill me and they found me in the middle of nowhere. They thought I ran away with a girl who I was dating? They also think a teacher did this?

What teacher? I can't even remember what school I go to. Who's the girl? Is she the one my head was telling me to save? What was her name!?

Think dammit!

Something comes to me. Not a name. Just something.

A notebook...

I have to find the notebook. It had everything in it. I don't know what exactly but I know it has everything they...we need.

Then I remember something else.

She once told me something, I can hear her voice in my head. She told me she hid the notebook at the back of her P.E locker.

They have to find it.

It has all the answers.

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