Tiffany's POV:
Just like the time I was kidnapped, I fell asleep on the way home. I wasn't expecting to be lying on a bed when I woke up, which is exactly what happened- like last time. I look around the small dark room I was in and find someone- most probably Kyle sitting on the chair by the door.
Why was he beside the door?
"Kyle?" I yawn, "Why are you over there?"
He jumps slightly at the sound of my voice, soon the smallest of light lights up the small room, but when he looks at me he smiles tiredly. "You're awake."
"I just woke up Ky." I tell him, sitting up on my arms. "Come. You need to sleep." I tell him, patting the spot beside me.
He gives me a small smile and shakes his head slightly, "I can't. The others aren't here yet and the fact that you're unsafe is not reassuring."
I sit up on my knees, lightly sinking into the bed. "Kyle, you don't have to worry about me. Really. You know I can handle myself if som-"
"Don't even say that." He says, instantly standing up and walking over to the bed. "I don't want anything to happen to you and I'll make sure of that."
I send him an assuring smile as he puts his hand in mine. "Okay, then what time is it?" I ask him. Looking around the room for a clock but there isn't one.
"Three in the morning."
I look at Kyle with tired eyes. "Come on, you need to sleep. I'm sure you've bolted the door and windows." I joke, he laughs sheepishly. I was joking, I don't think he was. "You seriously bolted the door and windows?" I shriek.
"Well, yeah." His sheepish look is adorable if you ask me.
"Okay." I sigh. "Let's get some sleep, and then you can like I don't know-" making quotation marks with my fingers, "protect me, in the morning. Everyone needs some sleep, even the bad guys." I tell him, he sighs and I know he has given in.
"Fine." As soon as he says that he let's out a yawn
I pat the spot beside me with a tired smile. Kyle gets the message and lays down beside me. I snuggle into his warm embrace, pulling the blankets up. I can already feel drowsiness hit me, and I let it.
"Night Ky." I mumble. Kyle replies but I don't know what he said as I fall into the darkness known as sleep.
The next morning I wake up to the sound of my phone buzzing away on the side table. I reach for it blindly, feeling the table until I reach the buzzing device. I manage to answer it without looking at the screen, also not knowing who it is.
"Hello?" I mumble.
"Well well well. I thought you'd never pick up."
The voice is very unfamiliar.
"Uh, who is this?" I ask in confusion.
My voice makes Kyle stir beside me. Making me lower my voice.
"Hmm, well you don't need to know that." The voice says, sounding male. "The reason I called is so you have an option."
This makes me sit up, blinking a few times I pull the phone from my ear and look at the screen. Blocked. This isn't good, and how'd they get my number?
"What option?" I ask in suspicion.
"Oh you know, give yourself up or lose your family." I gasp. "Oh and your best friend."
I start hyperventilating. I look at Kyle trying to figure out why he hasn't woken up yet.
"W-why? So you can kill me? Then what? Take The Elementaret, I'm pretty sure it doesn't want to be controlled by you." I tell the guy, I don't know how I even said that without stuttering.
I hear a loud chuckle. "I don't think you understand, Tiffany." He says in a tone that makes my skin crawl. "Maybe I should just kill your boyfriend instead-" My head starts feeling fuzzy. How does this person know that I have a boyfriend, or that my name is Tiffany. "If you agree to hand yourself in, your friends and family won't get hurt. And that's a promise."
I look to Kyle, gulping.
"You won't go through with your threat. I know for a fact that you're just trying to scare me so I turn myself in. Well you know what? I'm not handing my life to you. Not now, not ever." I say with anger lingering in my tone.
I was just about to hang up when I hear his voice say, "Oh little Tiffany, you remember little Claire, right? Your little sister. Would you like to say hello?"
I feel my heart stop beating at the mention of my sister. "What did you do to her? Or is this just your tactic to give myself up?"
Kyle stirs again in his sleep and starts to wake up. I look to him with panic and fury.
"No, no tactic at all. Say hello Claire."
"Tiffy, help me! Please. This g-guy wants to hurt me. Ahh!" She screams. This makes my eyes tear up. Kyle beside me looks up at me with a worried look.
"Don't touch her." I grind out. "What do you want?" I ask the guy, I can already feel the tears falling.
Kyle looks angry now. He goes to take the phone but I push his hand away shaking my head.
"Oh, you know. You hand yourself in, your sister gets freed." He says.
"Okay." I say, trying to act calm for the sake of my sister. "But you hurt her, you'll be dead before you even know it."
"Meet me at the soccer field in thirty. I hope you can make it."
With that he hangs up.
Staring furiously at the wall ahead of me I don't even realise Kyle is shaking my arm.
"Tiffany?!" Kyle finally snaps.
"What?" I ask him, trying to hold back the tears.
"Who was that?" He asks me, although I'm sure he already knows who. "Was it-"
"Yes. It was the fucking idiots that want me dead. They also have Claire!" I snap. Feeling anger surge through me, and soon enough I smell something burning. I turn my head and see that the curtain is on fire. "Shit."
"D-did you do that?" Kyle asks me in a calm tone and my eyes widen. Did I just do that?
"I-I don't know." I tell him.
Kyle jumps to his feet, getting the fire extinguisher and putting out the fire. Once it is out he comes and sits down on the edge of the bed.
"Look Tiffany, whatever they wanted- don't do it, okay." He pleads but I shake my head. "We can get Claire back. We will get her back." Kyle says but I refuse. She's my sister for goodness sake. I should have been here protecting her. "Tiff?"
"No. I'm doing it. I need to save her."
Right about then, six rapid knocks sound at the door.
"That's Sky." He tells me, getting up and answering the door.
"So we have a pl- What's wrong? Tee?" Skylar asks and I look to her still not saying anything.
"They have her sister, Sky. And in order to get her-"
"They want her." Sky nods and looks behind her to Aaron. "Looks like this plan is moving faster then we thought."
"I guess so."
"How did they even know we're here?" I ask them quietly.
"They must have tracked your phone, they called you right? On your phone?" I nod and she curses. "That's how they tracked you. They must have figured out that you were leaving."
"How did they get her number?" Kyle asks to no one in particular. "No one knows her number apart from us and Avery. Right? So they must have an insider." Kyle says looking at all of us.
"Kyle, don't be ridiculous." Skylar says with disbelief. "Everyone here is on our side." She says with alert. "Right?"
"I think he might be right." Aaron says nodding. "How else would they get her number?"
"My boss?" I question. Everyone looks towards me. "Lucy, she had my number in a file back at the ice cream parlour." I explain.
Skylar looks to Kyle with alert. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah. They've been onto us for a while, probably watching us." He tells her with a nod. "They must have broken in and taken Tiffany's details."
"That's that then." Aaron says, "So the pla- wait. Where's Cal? Shouldn't he be here with you guys?"
"He told me he was taking his car." Kyle tells him.
Aaron looks to Skylar and Kyle nervously. "So... he should be here by now. I mean we left an hour or so after you, he would have had a head start."
"Do you think he could be the insider?" I ask nervously. Looking at the three of them.
Aaron looks down at the floor shaking his head. "I really hope not Tiffany. I really hope he isn't, but it all adds up right? So there is a possibility."
"Tee, what did the guy tell you?" Skylar asks slowly.
"For me to meet him in thirty-" I cut myself off, unlocking my phone and see that the call was eighteen minutes ago. "I have twelve minutes guys."
Kyle looks at me shaking his head. "You're not going Tiffany. You can't." He demands but I shake my head.
"I-" I can feel tears brimming my eyes. "She's my lit-"
"Kyle." Skylar says in a warning tone. "Look, we could use this as a trap. She has to go Kyle, she has no choice." She looks to me, "You have to go in alone. We will be sure to surround the area, okay. You'll be safe."
I nod. I already made up my decision, I was going there.
"We have to leave now, we've wasted enough time." I tell them.
They all nod in agreement.
Waiting behind the bleachers of the field for them to come, was the only suitable place I could think of. And I was right as I hear footsteps walking here.
"Tiffany." The man says when he sees me leaning on the cold metal pole holding up the bleachers.
"Whoever you are." I say with a shrug. "Now where's my sister?"
"That was the deal." He tells me with a nod, moving towards me. "But truth is, I already let her go."
I glare at him, as he steps even closer. "No, you didn't. Now where is she?" I demand, but he's still shaking his head. Now two feet away from me.
"I told you I let her go. Now my half of the deal." He says in a dangerous tone.
I shake my head and step back, as soon as I do I hear a faint scream for help. I turn my head in the direction of the scream and that was a big mistake, cause I feel something sharp enter my abdominal area making me scream out in pain.
"Bad mistake girly." He whispers.
I hear someone scream out but it was then I start to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Black dots now spot my vision, until all I see is black.
Kyle's POV:
Skylar found something. Dominic's van.
Dominic aka The Bad Guy.
She looks to me with a finger on her lip, telling me to not talk. Skylar looks around for a second to see if the coast is clear before opening the sliding door to the back of the van. When she looks inside, she jumps in the van quickly.
I look inside and when I see Callum and a little blonde girl tied to a chair with a piece of duct tape on their mouth, I jump inside and quickly help untie the little girl while Skylar unties Callum.
I cut the rope off her hands and feet first, being careful not to cut her. Then move on to the duct tape, this is definitely going to hurt her.
"Now this might sting." I tell the little girl in a calm whisper. She nods, then I rip the duct tape off her mouth. She lets out a scream, when I do. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" I ask her. She shows me her arm that has a few lines going in different directions. I hiss, "They used a knife or a bla-"
I get cut off by her scream and whip around, when I hear the safety of a gun get removed. I'm quick to get my gun from my waist band and point it at the guy. Skylar then quickly kicks the guy in the side making him fall backwards, giving us some time. I don't think the guy saw her.
She's the first one to get out of the van, with Callum behind her. I stay back to protect the little girl, who I'm guessing is Tiffany's little sister.
"Where's my sister?" She asks me nervously.
I hope to God that Tiffany is safe and isn't hurt. I can trust Aaron with her.
"She's safe." I assure her. "Now we have to get you to a saf-"
Once again I get cut off but by a scream in the far distance.
Tiffany.
"Come. We have to go quickly." I tell the girl. Getting out of the van and putting the little girl on my hip.
Before I leave, I turn to Skylar and Callum making sure they can handle the guy. Before taking off in a hurry to make sure Tiffany is okay. When we get closer to the bleachers I try to quieten my steps, trying to stay hidden before moving behind the bleachers. When I look behind the bleachers to make sure Tiffany is okay, she's on the floor passed out.
What the hell did he do to her?
I look around for Aaron or Dominic but they're both nowhere in sight. I take my chances and start to run to Tiffany but stop when I hear her ear piercing scream.
"Wh-what's happening to Tiffy?" The little girl asks me. I still can't really remember her name, maybe because I didn't really ask either, even though Tiffany told me her name a few times now.
"I-I'm not really sure." I tell her trying to stay calm.
This is the first time I've seen or heard this happen. Tiffany stands up slowly and now whirls of wind is surrounding her mixed with blue flames. She lets out another ear piercing scream, making the little girl cling to me, before heading in a direction. I follow closely behind her.
Tiffany continues walking, now I can hear the screams of Aaron and Dominic fighting each other. Tiffany stops once she see's the guys fighting, and almost instantly she uses her teleporting power and moves in front of Dominic. Aaron stops his move, staring wide eyed at the scene.
"Now it's time for you to die, bitch." She says in a voice that sounds nothing like hers.
This has to be The Elementaret talking and using her body. Tiffany moves her hand to Dominic's neck, gripping it tightly, I put the little girl on the ground and push her gently behind me so she can't see what's happening. Dominic's face drains any colour it originally had, now turning pale, a colour so close to white.
"This is what happens when you try to kill me bitch. I'd suggest next time you try, you take my powers from my heart before trying to kill another person- oh wait, there's not going to be a next time for you. Goodbye."
That's the last thing she says, before blue flames light up Dominic's body slowly turning his body to ash. Tiffany wobbles away from his body, looking lightheaded, I also notice her eyes are glowing neon blue. I look to Aaron who's still watching Tiffany in a daze.
"Tiffany!!" I yell, making her look to me. The wind and blue flames now calming down until the wind and flames are gone.
I run to her quickly, when I reach her she faints and I quickly catch her as she falls to the ground. She smiles as she mumbles my name, before closing her eyes.
I shake my head. "No, no. Tiffany. Tiffany! Wake up!" I tell her slightly shaking her arm slightly but nothing.
Aaron is fast to move as he rushes over to me and looks over her before finding what he was looking for and rips a large piece of his shirt off and placing it over her abdominal with added pressure.
"Look, Kyle. Dominic stabbed her abdominal, and she's still bleeding. I have no idea what just happened but we need to get her to a hospital, asap." He tells me in a hurry.
My eyes widen in panic. That's why he's putting pressure on her abdominal, she's been stabbed.
"Tiffy!" Tiffany's sister exclaims.
I totally forgot about her.
"Kyle! We need to go now." Aaron snaps.
I snap out of my trance lifting Tiffany off the ground, but making sure to add pressure to her wound so she doesn't lose any more blood, but it's not working. Aaron lifts the little girl up and we hurry to his car. I sit in the back with Tiffany and the little girl. We don't have a car seat for her but she needs to come with us.
"Little girl! How long were you kidnapped for?" Aaron asks, when she doesn't answer he rewords his question. "How long were you taken for?"
"I- I don't know. A day." She stutters. "What's wrong with my sister?"
"She'll be alright." I assure her.
But I think I'm really just trying to assure myself.
After about twenty minutes of driving, we reach the hospital and I rush out making the girl stay with Aaron, taking Tiffany to the ER.
When I get in I rush to the counter and explain what happened and telling the lady Tiffany's age and name, the lady at the desk calls for a code and a bunch of doctors and nurses come rushing out with a hospital bed, getting me to lay her on it, before putting a mask over her mouth and rushing away. But I hear a nurse mention emergency surgery. I go to follow but they told me I couldn't go with them, they told me they'll come and tell me what's happening once the surgery is over.
I watch her get wheeled away and suddenly it hits me. If I lose her, I don't know what I'll do.
"Sir? Has her parents been notified?" The lady at the desk asks me and I shake my head.
"No, they haven't." I tell her, sniffling.
She nods and picks up the phone, typing away at her computer before typing in a number on the phone.
I go and take a seat in the waiting room, honestly hoping to God- if there is one- that she will be okay.
"Kyle?" I look up at Tyler, who just got here. "You look like shit." He tells me straight out. I roll my eyes, and move my elbows to my knees, putting my head on my hands.
"Yeah, well Tiffany is out of surgery and in recovery. Her parents are with her." I tell him, "Aaron explained what happened, well part of what happened. About finding Claire in the van, before hearing a scream and found Tiffany behind the bleachers with a stab wound. The doctors aren't allowed to tell me anything so, yeah I look like shit cause I have no idea of what state my girlfriend is in."
"Ky." Tyler says quietly, taking up the empty seat beside me. "If she's in recovery, don't you think she will be okay." He tells me and I shake my head.
I told her not to go meet up with him. But she wanted to save her sister and that's understandable, but she risked getting killed. We could have saved her sister another way, a way that wouldn't get her hurt.
"Just go. I'll be fine here." I tell him, not really wanting to talk.
Skylar, Aaron and Callum went back to the motel hours ago. So I'm just hoping Tyler does the same.
"No you won't. It's Tiffany this is about, of course you're upset and worried. You love the girl for goodness sake."
I look to my older brother with a raised brow.
"Love? Who said anything about love?"
He smirks shaking his head. "I might know a thing or two about the subject. But back on topic, it's obvious. You love her, now don't let her get away."
"Dude."
"Kyle, I'm being serious." I blankly stare at him. "You want to know something that'll make you believe me. I loved a girl once, it was after high school. I let her go and I'll never love anyone the same again. Now do you understand. Just tell her you love her."
I'm guessing there's more to that story, but I'm not going to question it.
"Who loves who?" A familiar voice asks.
I look up and stare at a girl, around Tiffany's age. She's leaning on the wall beside the chair I'm sitting on. Long brown curly hair, with a maroon beanie sitting on top of her head. Wearing a maroon singlet, a black leather jacket and a pair of jeans with her black converse.
"And who are you?" Tyler asks her, looking her over.
"I'm surprised you don't remember me, Tyler. Kyle." I look at her blankly. "I'm Avery. Tiffany's best friend."
"Right. I remember now." I say nodding.
"So when I said bring Tiffany back for her soccer game, I didn't mean to land her in hospital." She tells me shaking her head, she then raises an eyebrow, "What happened anyways? Her parents told me what your friend told them, but I don't believe it. What really happened?"
I sigh. "Look, it's a long story. And I don't think you'll understand."
She smirks. "Right, I totally believed Tiffany when she said her eyes turning neon blue was just the camera effect on the computer."
I look to Tyler. I knew Tiffany using Skype was a bad idea.
"Things you could do with a computer these days." Tyler says nodding. "Pretty cool, aye?"
"Forget this shit. Have you seen Tiff yet?" I ask her. She smiles.
"So you two are finally together. That's good news, you see I've been wanting to go on double dates for a while now but I co-"
"Avery." I say in a warning tone.
She shrugs. "I'll make a deal. You tell me what actually happened and I'll tell you what I know about Tiffany's condition. We have a deal?"
I look around the waiting room before looking back at her, giving her a nod.
"Deal. But this information is entirely a secret, so you can't tell anyone." I explain, I'm guessing she would have found out sooner from Tiffany. Avery nods with a small smile.
"I promise, I can keep a secret." She tells me quietly. "I'm just worried about her you know. That's why I want to know." She explains.
"Take a seat, cause this is one long ass story." I tell her, gesturing to the seat beside me. She takes it, luckily the waiting room is empty apart from us. I then start. "So it all started with..."
We sat there telling her what's been happening for over three hours, hearing her gasp and let out a few tears throughout the story but she listened to every word I told her. Nodding when necessary. When it came to the end, that's when she really started crying.
"She went through all that? And I wasn't there with her." She sobs, "Poor Claire. She didn't need to be pulled into it. When I found out Claire was missing I tried contacting Tiffany, but she wouldn't answer the phone. And Tiffany, they wanted to kill her. She did nothing wrong." She says, furiously wiping her eyes. "Sorry, I shouldn't be crying. I'm such a baby." She sniffles.
"Hey, it's okay to cry. Crying doesn't mean you're a baby." Tyler tells her.
She shakes her head, putting on a small smile. "I should tell you about Tiffany now, right?" I nod. "Okay, well you might not like it." She tells me in barely a whisper. "She's in a medically induced coma, so that her wounds can heal. The doctors also said that when she wakes up there's a possibility she will have amnesia." She tells me, holding back her tears. "But they said they found some unusual burns and cuts on her body. I guess your explanation of what really happened explains that."
"But she's going to be okay, right?" I ask her, really concerned.
"Yeah, she'll be okay."
Now I'm also holding back tears in relief. I wrap my arms around Avery in a tight hug, she hugs me back. When she pulls back she smiles.
"That's good to know." I tell her.
"Tiffany's strong you know, she can get through anything. She'll be fine." She tells me giving me a smile. "I better get going, I told her parents I was getting them some beverages." She says sticking her thumb behind her. She then gets up and goes to walk but stops and turns to me, "Thank you Kyle. For taking care of her these last few weeks. And also for saving her and Claire, you're lucky to have her you know. Oh, and you better tell her you love her before it's too late." She says sending me a wink.
I shake my head in amusement. I don't reply because she walks away. Tyler is looking after her as she leaves.
"Dude, she's out of your league." I smirk, nudging his side.
He jumps and looks to me with a look that says what-the-hell-you-on-about.
"I wasn't looking at her like that." He explains. "She just- I don't know, she looks familiar." He tells me.
"Ty, she is Tiffany's friend." I tell him but he shakes his head.
"No. It's not that. I've seen her before. When Tiffany skyped her that time, I saw her but now I've actually met her, she looks familiar." He says, then shakes his head. "Never mind, do you want something to eat or drink?"
"No, I'm just going to head out for a bit." I tell him, getting up out of my seat.
The only thing on my mind is that Tiff is okay. She'll be okay.
And that now I need to figure out a way to tell her the only thing I should have known about a long time ago. The signs should have gave it away; my heart racing faster, the kisses that make my head spin, the way she feels in my arms, the way I care about her, sometimes the over protectiveness. The signs that make me now know that I love her.
How could other people realise before I even did? I don't even know.
I love her. I love Tiffany. And I need to tell her.
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A/N:
It's been a while right? Well now that I'm back I've given you an extra long chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it! <3