Chapter 9

My eyes widened and we both stared, Blaine's hand falling from my neck and to his side.

“Lets go,” Abductor said and without hesitation I ran over to him.

“What the-who the f**k are you?” Blaine asked with a dumb look on his face. Abductor ignored him, turning, taking my hand, heading through the door and towards the stairs.

“Hey wait!” I heard Blaine calling after us. He stormed through the door rushed up to us and grabbed Abductor by his shoulder. I shrieked. And as if he had done it a million times before, he grabbed Blaine's hand from off his shoulder and twisted. He yelped. Then he stepped to the side and pulled, sending Blaine falling face first down the stairs. I gasped as I watched him fall, each step connecting to his body making a different sound. Then he finally reached the bottom. Stiff as a board, unmoving. I resisted the urge to run down to him and see if he was ok.

“Is he...” I couldn't finish the question but I had to know.

“No. We need to go,” and then he was practically pulling me down the stairs with him. We reached the bottom, pass the body and headed through the door into the cold night air. I looked back and could have sworn I saw Blaine's eyes open, staring after us. But I ignored it, turning back around and heading into the sleek, heavily tinted, black limo waiting for us. Abductor slipping in behind me.

***

It was as if seeing through that window at the hospital and having actually been on the outdoors suddenly made me feel really clustered inside the limo, even though it was big enough to fit eight more people. I undid the first three buttons on my blouse, not knowing if he was seeing being that him sitting so far from me made it hard to see beyond the mask. We sat in silence for a bit. I sighed as I couldn't help but think of what just went down a few seconds ago. Everything playing in my head like a slide show. The gas station, the making out, the truth, the strangle, then...suddenly a question came up.

“How did you know I was at his house?” I asked aloud. It sounded a bit accusing and I wondered if he would lecture me for staring the conversation with such question rather than a thank you.

“I said I'd be back for you in three days but I figure that after this morning, one day would be all you need. Plus, ex-drug users can get pretty violent.”This morning? Ex-drug users getting violent?

“You were stalking me?” still a bit accusing but I couldn't help it.

“I prefer the term 'guiding'. As in watching over you to make sure you were always safe. If I wasn't doing that I doubt you'd be here with just a aching throat.” I flushed as I touched my neck where Blaine had squeezed. The only way he could know that was if he was watching us, which means he saw everything. Including me throwing myself at Blaine and acting, as he said, like a sex-starved animal. I flushed again and mentally slapped my forehead.

“So.....” I said trying to break the embarrassing silence.“What happens now?”

“You choose.”

“Choose?”

“Yeah. Choose what to do with your life. Whether you want to go back to your family and friends, or...” he allowed his voice to trail off. I could hear the small touch of sarcasm in his voice as he said family. I sighed.

“Or stay with you?” I finished for him. He didn't answer. “Do you want me to stay with you?” I actually held composure on that question. Confident yet with plea. But his answer wasn't the one I was hoping for.

“I've never had a problem facilitating you before.

But what about my school, my friends (not Jaime), my dancing and everything thing else? I thought. Was I really ready to let all of it go? It didn't really mean much at this moment with the state my family was in right now but was I really ready to just move on. And move on with him?

I figure I could do it. To just give it a shot. But one issue was still hovering in the air.

“How can I stay with someone who's face I've never seen?” And this time he did hesitate. For a very long time; and I watched him carefully.

“You have the opportunity now so take it,” he said it softly as if he was unsure. But I wasn't going to give it up. I shifted from my seat at the side to sit behind him at the back. I moved real close, my leg and thigh touching his. He didn't pull away. Good, I can breathe. Instead he turned to face me, moving so mechanically as if he was programmed to.

As I reached up I held my breath. This was it. The moment I'd been longing for. My fingertips touched his cheeks �" of the mask really �" and then my palms. I caressed them as if the were his, staring down at his lips. Thin, slightly pink and very masculine as I recalled from my first observations of them. Then my gaze diverted up to his eyes; he was looking at me and our eyes locked. Hazel to blue, strong to weak. Somehow I just knew I knew those eyes, but from where and on who. I tried hard to remember but nothing came. However, his eyes did hold something more than the gorgeous color and familiarity. They held something...good, pure, hypnotizing. I found it impossible to look away. His entire face was just so interesting. And suddenly, I didn't want it to go. Wanted the mystery face beneath to stay hidden as I was in love with the one above.

My eyes lulled in realization. I was in love with him. And I didn't care that I didn't know him or that he might not feel the same way. I loved Abductor. And that's all that mattered.

I drew his face closer to mine but he didn't protest, he just kept his eyes fixed on me. I went closer and closer, closing my eyes, the cold hard feel of his plastic cheeks touching mine. And then our lips touched for the briefest moment; a spark; the soft feeling-suddenly the limo stopped and he snapped away form me. My hands out and my lips still puckered in midair. He pulled the car door and hurried out, slamming it back shut. Next thing, my door opened behind me and before I could even blink let alone turn around, a hand came around with a cloth and covered my nose, another around my abdomen. I tried to struggle free �" more in reflex than free will �" but I inhaled once and that was it. I fell into darkness. Sweet deep darkness; the arm around me pulling my limp body.

***

I awoke slowly and realized I was on the couch of the house. I sighed and tumbled into a sitting position. I noticed he wasn't here with me and instantly knew where he was. I walked into the kitchen, he was there with his back turned, obviously busy with something. I brushed a hand through my hair and headed over to him.

“I hope you like omelets,” he said without turning, “its easy to prepare and I thought-”

“I'm not hungry,” I said softly and he stopped. I heard a sound like silverware crackling on plates and then a small thud as he turned off the stove. Oh no, did I upset him? He turned to me.

“You haven't eaten since you left the hospital.”

“I can't eat,” I corrected. He inclined his head.

“And why is that?”

I knew exactly why I couldn't eat, but I wasn't going to tell him the reason. Well not yet. For now I just needed us to...bond a little. I walked around the center counter, slowly to see if he would back up. And when he didn't, I went to stand before him. I wanted to just hold him, but had no idea how to. He still intimidated me although now he was hardly my domain.

“Dance with me,”my voice was no more than a mere whisper. He looked at me, staring, then he walked pass me and out the kitchen. Before I could curse myself for making a stupid move on him and getting rejected, I heard a soft melodious song coming from the living room. And not just any song. The exact one I heard the first day I woke up in the house. I practically ran to the living room. And there he stood, in the middle of the room, waiting on me.

When I reached him we instantly got into position. One hand entwined in his, the other on his shoulder and his hand that wasn't entwined in mine around my waist. We started in a slow waltz, gentle and steady. And I wondered how it had never occurred how obscure it was that I was a 16 year old enjoying waltz, the most boring dance of all, with a man in a mask. But yet he didn't make it boring, the way we moved, the way he led and I followed was way better than anything I enjoyed in this world. Except ice-cream. We picked up speed, jumped and pranced, ending up in the kitchen, around the counter, through the alley again and over towards the stairs. He led me up on the first step, then the second and back down to the first and then he leaned me over and dipped me, a smile visible in his eyes as I shrieked with glee. And we went again, the song slowed and he pulled me closer, his heat radiating to me, giving me warmth and comfort. A sway, a twirl, step step twirl.

Then as the song came to a stop, he twirled me the last time and lifted me into the air. He spun me around in his arms �" his palms holding my waist firmly �" then rested me lightly on my feet on top of the wooden center table. The cold surface touched the bare soles of my feet and I realized my shoes had fallen off when he lifted me. He stared up at me and I stared down at him. My heart was beating a million beats a minute as I held his cheeks, the way I did in the limo. And without hesitation, as I was scared something would interrupt us again, I pressed my lips to his.

I felt as if I would fall if it weren't for his hands holding me up. His lips were so soft and they claimed mine with an expert gentleness that had me not wanting it to ever stop. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted me down form the table and pulled me in to him. He held my cheeks, pulled away an inch and claimed them again. There was no tongue or animal hunger. Just a pure passionate kiss. And when he pulled away I found myself frowning, he looked just as dazed as I felt when I looked up at him, but unlike me he kept composure.

“Take it off,” he whispered; his breath brushed across my lips and I swore I almost fell then. It took me a second to realize what he meant and another to find my voice to reply.

“No,” I was whispering again, “I like you this way.” I was caressing the mask, him...

“You've read it all, been through so much to confirm the truth. Don't you think its time to confirm one more? To know who your abductor is? Its all over now, don't you want the truth?”

“Its not over. This right here to me is the beginning. You're not my abductor, you're my hero and I...” I stopped. Unsure if I was to say it.

“You what?” what if he rejects me? Stupid girl with the messed up life falling for the guy that opened her eyes to it all? What if he had someone else in his life beyond this one? A family and friends of his own and that he didn't want me to be apart of it. Then again why would he offer to have me stay with him? Did he just feel sorry for me? But that certainly didn't feel like a pity kiss to me. It felt real. And then again, what have I got to loose at this point? That's right. Nothing.

“I love you,” I just still couldn't bring my voice beyond a whisper, “I love you like this. I don't care what you look like beneath. You're okay this way to me. I want you this way.”

“You saw the fake on this outside but you fell in love with the real within. This isn't me Kay-lee. Its just a mask, hiding your real hero beneath. You deserve to know the truth. You need to.”

It was as if he snapped out of character, like an actor reading the wrong script for a movie. He reached out and brushed his thumb across my cheek, and it came back wet. I didn't realize I was crying. He sighed as if it hurt him.

“Please.” he stood still, waiting for me, hands at his side, chin upright. I took the deepest breath and a last look at the white face. Then I reached up and slowly, ever so slowly, drew it off...