Chapter 10

The mask fell from my hands as we both turned to the door; our expressions of matched confusion. The sound I heard was one I've never heard in real life, or hoped to hear. Gunshots. In reaction, he grabbed my hand and ran with me towards the stairs, up into a room next to the one I was in, through a closet, behind a wall, down some underground stairs and into another closet. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. I was already too shocked and dazed to ask why there was so many rooms, why we were running and who we were running from. He had pulled a switch and I was staring at his face. Very sexy and handsome and also very familiar and recognizable.

Flashback

Kay-lee laughed as Jaime explained how unfair her mom was for taking her phone away after catching her in the pool with her boyfriend. Amanda nudged her and rolled her eyes. The three of them were on their way to Bio,books tucked to the left under their arms, hair high in ponytails and skin glistening in the overhead lights of the hall as they were plastered in glitter. The red radiating off their matching cheer-leading outfits on it. Suddenly Amanda let out a chuckle and Kay-lee turned her attention in the direction her friends were looking. The biggest nerd in the school was coming in the opposite direction, acne-faced, glasses wearing, dressing like its the 70s, Fred. He was in the 9 grade, above them. Good with formulas and beakers but terrible with society and girls. Jaime stood in his way as he ascended the stairs. He looked up at her, dropping back his head when he saw Kay-lee. Amanda laughed again.

“Awe, poor Fred. Crushing on one of the most popular girls in school and has absolutely no game to get her. How sad,” she leaned over and laughed in his face. Kay-lee was unsure of what was happening but just went along with it anyway.

“Hey Mandy, do you think you could give four eyes here a lesson on what to do in his little situation.”

“Why it would be an honor,” she went down to the step he was on and drew him by the collar over to stand before Kay-lee, then held his face and pushed it up to her. “Go on, tell her you love her. Everyone already knows so just go for it.”

Kay-lee stood still, completely shocked. She never knew about this, any of it. Yeah she was co-head cheerleader and had many guys openly crushing and hitting on her but she surely didn't know about this one. He looked utterly stroked, shivering really. She looked down at him. Curious of him. The hazel eyes beyond the glasses were filled with water.

“Tsk he's shy, awe,” Jaime crooned. “ If you used some proactive, got a makeover and some modern clothes, then maybe, we'd consider letting you do our homework.”

“Yeah. That's how low you are,” Amanda agreed pushing him aside. He tumbled into the wall. “Idiot. Though you actually had a chance with my friend. Her life is way too perfect to fit you in. And besides, she already has the hottest guy in school. You don't have a chance.”

“And you never will,” Jaime said, bumping her shoulder in his chest as they swung their hips pass him. Kay-lee felt horrible. He gathered what dignity he had left and was about to run off. But he looked up at her; their eyes locking. She wanted to apologize or even put a hand on his shoulder in sympathy but couldn't. Her status didn't allow it.

“C'mon Kay,” Jaime called and he ran off then. With a sigh, she fixed her books under her arm and continued down to her friends.

End

“Fred,” I said softly. He looked hurt, the same way he did that day on the stairs. Its funny how me and the girls never talked about it much nor did I actually thought about it since it happened, until this moment and I remembered it so vividly. He leaned on the back wall of the closet, but we were still close because the space was so tight. My back was to the door; nothing was in the closet except us, the light above and the 4 walls. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked so wonderful, so innocent and so not abductor like. I swore if it weren't for those eyes he'd go almost unrecognizable. He changed sooo much. I scuffed. I cant believe this. This was really him. The Abductor, my hero, was actually the puny little nerd crushing on me back in the 9^th grade.

“I wanted to prove them wrong,” he spoke. His eyes were closed, as if he were talking in his sleep. I listened intently. “I'd listened to what they had told me infront of you and behind. And I stored it in my heart, allowing it to scare me. I hated their guts for what they did, how they'd bully me and kill me with their words. I wanted to prove them wrong. To prove everyone wrong...” he opened his eyes and looked at me. “I did what they said. Got a complete make-over, worked out until my muscles ached to get in shape. I practiced and got into character and then as soon as I was finished with myself I started on you. I didn't aim to invade your privacy or try to ruin your life I just wanted to confirm it. If you really had a perfect life that I wouldn't fit into and if I really never had a chance with you. I wasn't lying when I said I was a close friend of your parents. I was. I was on the school's fund-raising program and a couple of us volunteered to do some sort of community service to collect some extra cash. I knew your parents were the founders and chairpersons and when they offered me the job as your gardener I immediately accepted. It was during that time that I got to the bottom of everything. It wasn't hard to figure out really I just observed. Something you couldn't do since you were so blinded with all the antics and material things.” He paused and shook his head, then continued, “I knew if I just came to you that you would have never believed me. I didn't think you'd embarrass me or shut me down because I knew you weren't like that. That it was society and your choice of social ranking that made you the way you were; that those b*****s you called friends made you what you were. I saw it, in your eyes that day that you wanted to say something to me. To give me your pity but you held back. Anyways, when I found what I had I thought that it was way beyond just getting back at them. It wasn't that much, just three secrets. Three big secrets that would probably change your entire life forever. I still thought just coming to you was a bad idea. So I just thought of a plan.” he chuckled, “the mask was purely a way for you to not know who I am and the whole all black and white dress code thing, authoritative figure and spontaneous way of doing things was me getting into character, and to make it more believable.”

He leaned off the wall and came closer to me; brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear and looking down at me, “At first it was just to have a little fun and to get you the truth. I had locked away my feelings and sat my aim on giving you what you needed to know. But...as the time went by, you were so fragile and brave, then so timid and...all those feeling resurfaced. I'm sure you've noticed where I lost track a few times but-” he cupped my face, “ I've always loved you. From the first time I saw you. You have no idea how it felt to just have you here with me, just us. When we kissed; how my heart stopped to feel these lips on mine, “ he brushed a thumb across them, “...the way your body felt beneath my hands as I held you to me when we danced. W-when you told me you loved me. All this time that has passed has been a real dream and I-i wouldn't change a thing.”

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. My mind was flooded. I wasn't sure what to say, what to think, how to feel.

“Maybe now you feel different about me since you now know who I am. But...” he allowed his voice to trail off.

“I don't,” my voice was breaking, barely audible to my own ears. “I still love you. It doesn't matter what happened in the past. And you didn't ruin my life; I rather be sad and away from them with the truth than under them in their web of lies, “ I took a breath. Oh my gosh. “We're together now and that's all that matters.” he pulled his brows together, drawing the back of his fingers along my cheek.

“If I'd known you were this emotional-” he wiped away the tears. My heart was hammering, my hands shaking, my body melting. And just as he reached down to me, a loud thud sounded somewhere upstairs and as if he was in a trance he snapped away form me and held me firmly by my shoulders. His expression one of horror now.

“I didn't know it would happen so soon,” he was panicking. Suddenly I remembered what caused us to have ended up in the closet in the first place. The gunshots.

“What's happening? Where did those shots come from, who-what-?”

“Jack told me this would happen if I got out and more involved but I didn't listen,” he was talking more to himself than to me.

“Who's Jack? Fred what are you talking about?”

“Someone's found us.”

“What, how do you know that?” Panic and worry suddenly surfaced on my part too.

“Listen Kay-lee. We are going to go through a tunnel and when we get out I want you to run ok. Run like hell. No matter what you hear or what happens, just run!”

“Fred please talk tell me what's happening, what-”

“Someone's found us. Someone knows I took you and now they're here.”

“B-but how? How do you know that?”

“The shots you heard, they're the signal for when someone comes on. The police..or..” his voice trailed off. He looked so mortified. And that did get me more worried.

“But who could-”

My question was cut off mid sentence as another loud thud echoed through the air. And this time it was impossibly loud as if it was right outside the door. I looked up at Fred, he looked pale. He gave me a pitiful look then turned around, pushing at the back wall and revealing a secret passage way. He held my hand and helped me through. Then he came in behind me. He pushed back the wall-door and we were plunged into pitch blackness. The only thing reminding me that all this was still real was his hand in mine and...that voice. It wasn't his though, it was the one I've been hearing all my life. Deep. Fatherly.

Llyod.