 
Day Seven

Yianna Yiannacou

© 2011 Yianna Yiannacou. All Rights Reserved

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Covert Art by Insomnolepsy titled Behind the Green Door. Edited by Yianna Yiannacou.
Preface

I will begin by saying that I am going to tell you a little story. I know what you are thinking,

'Obviously', right? I don't blame you. This story is about two people - a man and a woman. It won't seem like it at first, but I assure you it will. Well, these two people have just met, yet it seems like they have known each other for eternity. There was an immediate spark after the first time they saw each other. There is always that one person in your life that you know and you feel like you can entrust them with the world. Some people call it their 'soul mate.' Your every move is mirrored by their behaviour for that day. If they're sad, you feel sympathy for them. If they're mad, you try to make them happy. You know you are in love and it is the best feeling in the world.

Then, on the other hand, there are other people who you know not to trust – the bad people. They have that look in their eyes that screams, 'bad news!' These people you never tell a word to. You stay away from them, fearing not only for your safety, but also for your well-being and the well-being of others. You are tempted to go and see them, to confront them, to prove a point, but that is the last thing you should be thinking about! Reasoning with these people does not work and should not be attempted.

We tend to lean towards the familiar for safety. It is always good to trust your first instincts. When someone tells you to stay away from that person, you should listen, before it is too late. People are known to fight back when they are trapped in a corner with nowhere to go. They make drastic decisions. Sometimes they aren't the smartest, but at the moment they feel it is the right thing to do. Regret nothing.

Trust the ones you love. In the end, they will be saving not only your life, but your soul as well.

Day 1

Sunday March 15th 2010

Just like every other morning, Hailey sat on the edge of her bed, and tried to fully open her eyes from their dreamless sleep. Her shoulders slumped as she stared down at her bare feet, blinking away her blurry eyesight. She always hated her feet, especially her toes. They were painted the same colour as her hard wood floor which was a golden brown. Her entire house was hard wood. No one in her family liked carpet. She sat there barely awake, resisting the sweet temptation to roll back in her covers and laying there for the rest of eternity. Hailey's body still felt heavy and exhausted.

She had her eight hours of rest - if that's what you like to call it – just like every other day, but it never seemed like it was enough. She doesn't get the pleasure of closing her eyes and seeing the wonderful scenes of gumdrops, unicorns and rainbows anymore. The beautiful dreams she used to have are no more. Instead of peaceful, happy dreams; she has nightmares - Nightmares so terrifying that she feels as if she could lose her life in the heat of the unconscious moment.

A sigh of relief came bursting out of her as she turned her head to the left to look beside her bed frame. Her calendar hung there neatly on the wall. Each day of the month that passed was crossed off with a big red X. The handy marker lay there as it always did, on her bed stand, waiting to be used again. Today was Sunday so she didn't have to worry about getting ready and dressed for school. It was only her second year in high school and she already hated it. In elementary school, people knew not to walk up and talk to her. She was the loner kid and she actually liked it that way. People made fun of her behind her back, and even sometimes to her face. Truthfully, it didn't bother her one bit. She'd gone through a weird, ugly faze all through elementary school. Her appearance was different from everyone else around in her area.

The town where she lived, everyone had blonde hair and blue eyes - not Hailey though. Even from being born in the town of Collingwood, Ontario, Hailey had long, black hair, and midnight dark eyes. It was because of her mother. Her mother, Carmella Glassman, was an out-of-towner who had visited when she was in her teens. She ended up meeting the love of her life, Hailey's father, Roger Glassman. Roger fell in love with her the moment he saw her. It was story tale love at first sight. Carmella had literally swooped Roger right off his feet, they liked to say.

Hailey came out looking exactly like Carmella - a dark featured goddess - while her Dad, in fact, had blonde hair and blue eyes. Hailey's skin was so pale and unable to tan. If she stayed out in the sun long enough, her skin would redden, but then go back to its soft off-white colour. Hailey never spent enough time outside though, unless she was gardening or just taking out the trash. And getting a tan really didn't concern her, unlike the other girls in her class who went to the tanning beds two to three times a week just to get that unnatural orange glow.

Carmella Glassman had always told Hailey that she was an identical match to her mother when she was younger. As much as Hailey could see the resemblance in pictures, she never got the opportunity to meet her grandmother in person. In Hailey's eyes, her mother was the most beautiful person she had ever set eyes upon. Carmella had long black hair when she and Roger first met, but cut it as she aged. She had beautiful dark eyes which Hailey inherited and she always wore a beautiful pearl necklace. The necklace Roger got her on their first anniversary and hadn't ever taken it off - it even stayed on while she showered.

Hailey always went to Carmella for advice whenever she felt sad or in need of cheering up. When Hailey was much younger - when people's comments did hurt at one point - Carmella would always be there for her daughter, no matter what. Carmella would tell Hailey that things in life would change once she was older and not to worry about what other people said about her. It didn't really matter what she said or how Carmella gave advice to Hailey. If someone said the exact same words to Hailey, she wouldn't believe them, but because they were coming out of her mother's mouth, with her sincerity, Hailey hung onto every word. She adored her mother.

Carmella had always told Hailey that she would grow up to be beautiful and everyone would want to be her friend. Carmella even put the idea in Hailey's head that she would grow up to look like the Snow White character. Hailey didn't believe her then, but she does now. That was one of the reasons Hailey hated high school. She was beautiful on the outside but broken on the inside. Grade nine, for some odd reason, was much easier to be hidden in the crowd. Hailey did not talk to anyone and she made no friends. Everyone was nervous and insecure about everything in grade nine and Hailey loved it. As soon as grade ten came around, it was as if everyone had changed and turned into these massive social butterflies. The beginning of grade ten turned out just as she planned – she talked to no one and no one talked to her. As soon as everyone got back from March break, and the sun came out, everyone noticed Hailey, and she did not like it. Not one bit.

The newly evolved students of high school all wanted to get to know her. They wanted to know her name, and what elementary school she went to. They asked why she transferred over to their school, even though she has been there the entire time in grade nine. _'How do you get your hair so shinny? What face product do you use to get your skin so soft and glowing? Are you wearing contacts, or are your eyes normally that dark? Where do you live? How come I have never seen you out before? Do you live in the area?'_

Those were only a few of the questions she got asked from returning from March Break. Hailey physically and mentally couldn't handle it. She wished with all her heart that her parents were still with her, so she could have someone to turn to. Hailey missed them so much and there was nothing she could do to ever see them again.

Hailey's parents both died when she was just ten years old.

The painful memory still lingers in her mind. She will always remember that day it happened, just like it was yesterday. It was December 24th 2004 - Christmas Eve. The day couldn't have gotten any better. It was a sunny day that reflected off the fresh, untouched snow that blanketed the ground. As soon as Hailey had woken up, she jumped off her bed and went straight to her window. Opening it created the mountain of snow that rested on her windowsill to scatter on the ground which quickly melted in the heat of her room, creating a little puddle. She took a deep breath of that cold winter breeze. It had smelled so invigorating and full of great promises to come. It was such a refreshment to be able to enjoy the simple pleasures like that. Hailey could see the front yard of her house from her room. She had looked down and noticed her dad shovelling the pathway to their house. He looked up and waved to her, telling her to come outside and help him.

Carmella had allowed Hailey go outside to play since it was her most favourite thing to do in the world. Hailey loved to build forts and all different kinds of things a ten year old would do in the snow. Sometimes she would even eat it when her parents weren't looking. Carmella didn't know about this, and if she did, she would never allow it. If Roger found out, he would have just laughed about it and said, 'kids will be kids.'

After a long day of playing in the snow, Carmella, Roger and Hailey Glassman had decided to sit by the fireplace and sip some fresh, homemade hot chocolate together. They were one little, perfect, happy family. Hailey couldn't ask for better parents than the ones she was gifted with. Carmella had even made a fresh batch of gingerbread cookies, just like she had done every other Christmas Eve. It was a family tradition that should never be broken. Hailey had asked for more after her fourth cooking but Carmella said no and that she would get a stomach ache from eating too many. When Carmella went into the kitchen, Roger told Hailey that she could have his. He winked at her as he handed it over. Roger spoiled her sometimes. Hailey could tell he loved her more than life itself. Roger always told her that she was his little gift to the world and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy.

The hours had passed and it was getting late. It was time for Hailey to go to sleep. Her parents had told her that if she stayed awake, Santa wasn't going to bring her any presents. Santa only came when everyone in the house was asleep. Hailey believed them, just like any other ten year old would have. So, of course, she went straight to bed and tried as hard as she could to fall asleep. There was no way an energetic ten year old, wired on sugar was going to end up sleeping though. She was just too excited. Half an hour had passed and she was still wide awake. That was normal behaviour for her. On Christmas Eve, she normally passed out only from exhaustion while lying in her bed, trying to fall asleep. Carmella and Roger were in the room next to hers. She heard them get into bed a couple minutes after her. She heard their hushed whispers, then all had gone quiet.

At that moment, while she was about to doze off, Hailey heard something strange. She thought she heard the front door to her house open. Hailey had always thought Santa came through the chimney. There was rustling downstairs and she heard two male voices. It was very unusual to hear any other voices in her house since neither Carmella nor Roger had any immediate family that had ever visited. Hailey had always left her bedroom door open a crack just as a precaution. She didn't feel comfortable closing her door all the way. The light in the hallway turned on and she saw Roger run downstairs. Hailey automatically sat up in her bed.

"Hey!" Roger angrily called to the people downstairs. He was holding something in his hand. Hailey couldn't make out what it was since he had passed the crack of her door too quickly for her to see.

"Honey, what's going on?" Carmella had been right behind Roger. Hailey saw her go down the stairs after him.

Hailey's heart raced as she had to go and see what was going on. She threw off her covers, jumped out of bed and walked to the top of the stairs. She knelt down and hid behind the two pillars. She watched the commotion downstairs from up there. She gripped the pillars with both her hands as she peered through. There were two men dressed in all black. One of them had a black mask on while the other didn't cover his face at all. Hailey could see his dark brown hair all messy and his forehead covered in sweat. He looked so nervous. _What were they doing in my house?_ Hailey thought.

Carmella screamed. Hailey looked towards her Mom and followed her gaze. The man with the mask on pulled out a gun and pointed it towards her parents. Hailey gasped in horror – her grip on the bars tightened. Carmella was crying as she fell to her knees. Roger stood with courage right beside her with his hands held up in the air as a surrender. The thing in one of his hands was a big wooden bat. _Where did he get that from?_

She had realized what was going on. Those two men were robbing their house. They didn't have much to offer. Their house was old and was in need of a facelift. Carmella never let Roger fix up the house though. The floor boards in the living room were slowly separating from each other with age. Carmella had said the older the house got, the more character it had. Roger never argued with Carmella. They had more than enough money to do it, but they decided against it. Roger gave Carmella everything she wanted, only to see her happy.

The man with the brown hair was grabbing the masked man, ordering him to leave. He pulled on his shirt but the masked man didn't budge. The brown haired man grabbed and pulled with all his might for the other man to follow. The masked man, still holding the gun, turned around to push his friend away. It seemed that Roger thought that was an opening so he ran up to the masked man and wrapped his arms tightly around him, struggling to get the gun out of his hand. The masked man pulled free. Roger had his hands wrapped around the man's jacket, which he ripped off him. Things fell out of his pocket. Both Roger and the masked man looked down to see what had dropped. The masked man raised the gun once again right in the middle of Roger's forehead.

"Dad! No!" Hailey had screamed from the top of the stairs. She didn't mean to. It came out without her knowing. She let go of the pillars and took one step down on the stairs. She stood there on the second top step, watching, struck.

"Hailey! Stop! Go back to your room! NOW!" Carmella screamed to her. She barely got the words out. Her eyes were glistening with tears. Carmella didn't have the energy to stand. She stayed kneeling on the ground. Her shaking hands were pointed for Hailey to go back upstairs.

Both the men looked up at Hailey at the same time. As soon as the brown haired man looked at her, he yelled to his friend, "Aw man, naw, screw this, I am out of here!" and ran out the front door.

Roger swung the bat, aiming to hit the masked man, but the masked man was too quick. He had taken two shots at Roger before the swing even took effect. The first shot had missed, but the second hit his target. He had shot Roger right in the middle of his chest. The boom of the gunshot had deafened everyone for a few moments. No one expected the noise to be that loud, not even the masked man - the one who pulled the trigger. It echoed throughout the entire house. The remnants of the gunshot had left a ringing sound in the pit of their ears that didn't ease up. Carmella and Hailey both screamed their loudest. They barely heard themselves. The noise of the shot kept replaying in their heads like it was on some horrible repeat tape. Carmella had quickly composed herself and got the energy to run up to Roger before he could fall over. But his weight had been too much for her. They both fell together towards the hard ground. Blood instantly started soaking through Rogers white t-shirt that he had worn to bed. She could see the hole that the bullet had made.

All Hailey could hear were the screams of horror coming out of her mother's mouth. Hailey's vision blurred from the onslaught of tears that had formed in her eyes. She ran down the steps to her father but came to a dead stop atop last step. She took one good look at her father's chest and she became nauseous. She could see the blood staining, and pooling on the wooden floor underneath him.

"Roger! Roger! Please. Lord what has happened?!" Carmella had placed her trembling fingers on Roger's chest to try and stop the bleeding to no avail. Rogers's eyes fluttered as he groaned from the pain of the bullet in his chest. His head flopped backwards as he spoke his last word, "Hailey."

"Daddy." Hailey had stood on the last step as the masked man raised his gun once again to Carmella's face. They were about five feet apart. Carmella's face was filled with sorrow and anger. There was no fear. This man had shot her husband. She had to get him back for what he had done. Carmella gulped back her tears to speak to the man who still held the gun to her head.

Carmella had opened her mouth to speak, forgetting her daughter was listening and watching everything. "You mother fu-"

Bang!

The masked man had shot Carmella dead in the center of her forehead. Hailey stood there as all her muscles tensed up from what she had witnessed. Her eyes were so wide open that she couldn't close them anymore. They hurt from being open so wide and for so long. She had watched as the bullet entered her mother's forehead and exit the other side. Splotches of blood and other remnants covered the white wall behind her. There was blood everywhere. Hailey bent over and threw up everything she ate that night. The cookies and milk came up like it was nothing. It burned her throat as they exited her mouth. One of her hands clutched her stomach as the other grabbed her neck from the burning sensation. It felt as if she were throwing up poison. Poison that she wished, at that moment, would have kill her. She knew she would never be able to get this day out of her mind for as long as she lived – if she even did after this.

She heard the floorboard creek and footsteps coming towards her. With her body doubled over, she tilted her head up enough to see the masked man with the gun walking towards her. The inner part of Hailey's thighs warmed up as she realized urine was running down them. She stood straight up as her eyes locked with this masked man's. All she could see was bulging blue eyes from behind his black mask. Hailey didn't even have time to take into consideration she had wet herself. That seemed to be the least of her concerns in that moment. She couldn't look down to confirm that it was, in fact, urine. She stood there, on the last step, dumbstruck as to what had just happened. Both her parents were gone. Dead by this random individual who had chosen to rob their house, out of all the houses on the block, on this night, out of all nights of the year.

Hailey could feel the evil emanating off the masked man. It felt as if her skin were crawling with burning insects just from being in the presence of him. Hailey's mind told her to run, scream, get out of there, but her body was in shock and wasn't responding to a thing her brain was telling her to do.

The masked man slowly walked up to her without taking his gaze off her once. She could tell he still had the gun in his hands without even looking at it. She could smell the gun power emanating from it after the two bullets he shot which killed her parents. What once smelled like cookies, hot chocolate, love and delight, now smelled like gunpowder, blood, fear, and death.

His piercing blue eyes spoke to her since his mouth was covered by the mask. "I am sorry you had to see all this, but now you have seen and know too much." And just like that, he raised the gun at her and pulled the trigger.

Hailey felt a sharp sting, deep in her neck. She grabbed her throat with both her hands as she watched this masked murderer grab his bag; fill it with gifts under the tree and even her mother's necklace right off her neck. He then picked up his things off the floor, which fell out of his pocket earlier, and ran out of her house.

The warm liquid, her blood, flowed over her fingers and down her shirt. She felt the blood pour quicker as she panicked. She couldn't breathe and she was gurgling blood. She became dizzy and after that, everything went black.

That was six years ago, but Hailey remembered it like it was yesterday. They still haven't found the murderer and the case remains open and is still under investigation.

The Glassman house was quiet and empty today - besides Hailey being in it. Hailey's aunt – Stella White, taking her last name from her husband - used to go over every day to cook, clean, and make sure everything was neat and in order. It was the least she could do for her only niece. Stella was Carmella's only sister. After that tragic day, Stella felt it was her duty to watch over Hailey. She lived two hours away, but made the trip every other day to visit. Hailey found it funny that she never used to visit her only sister when she was alive, but made a promise to visit Hailey now that her sister was dead.

Hailey told her enough times she could take care of herself, but Stella never believed her. It was until last year when Stella had a child of her own who needed her constant attention. Hailey thanked her for all the trouble she went through to take care of her, but it was now time for Stella to take care of her own family. Hailey was actually relieved to not have her around. She could finally stop faking the smile she had been putting on whenever Aunt Stella was around. She could cry in peace now, not having to worry if someone could hear her sorrow.

Hailey remembered that today was Sunday and she had to go grocery shopping, just like every other Sunday that passed. She quickly got up and out of bed, took a step towards her calendar, picked up her marker and crossed off yesterday's date. It was then time to get ready. She put on a thin hoodie, zipped it up and put on a pair of Lulu Lemon pants. She looked at herself one more time in the mirror before heading down her stairs and out her front door. Damn, I do look like friggen Snow White. Crap! After putting on her hood, she walked outside into the cool March breeze. The snow was starting to melt and smelled like spring was just around the corner.

Once at the grocery store, Hailey slowly picked out the things she needed. It was a local grocery store and she always saw the same people there every Sunday. Mrs. Oletto always stood by the lettuce for half an hour, debating which one she wanted. Mr. Cooper always bought seven - not six - seven loaves of bread. He was a pretty big man, but Hailey always thought that nobody needed that much bread. She remembered one time when the grocery store only had six loaves of bread; Mr. Cooper lost his mind on the person working there. He didn't leave until they made him one more loaf of bread. Hailey thought that was funny. The list of regulars went on and on.

Hailey walked over to buy her normal, carton of milk, fresh vegetables and lettuce for her salad, bread for her sandwiches, case of bottled water, some meat and fish to fry up for dinner, oatmeal and eggs for her breakfast, and she even decided to buy a chocolate bar to treat herself for no special reason.

She paid for everything with the money her parents left behind. They didn't have any other children, so all the money went to Hailey. It was a hefty amount of money that any sixteen year old shouldn't normally have. Hailey was more responsible for her age than the other children were. Hailey didn't work since she had enough money to last her and her children a lifetime. She wondered how come her parents had so much money, yet they lived in such a normal neighbourhood. Hailey didn't splurge the money on stupid things like thousand dollar purses or clothes. Hailey didn't dress to impress, yet she always looked moderate in her eyes. She didn't want to look extravagant to catch anyone's attention.

She did her round of the grocery store, just like she did every time she was there. She passed one of the aisles and as soon as she passed it, she got a glimpse - a very short glimpse - of a man. He didn't look like any of the other boys that lived there. He looked much older and very different. She stopped dead in her tracks. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to picture what she just saw after she passed him. He was tall, with broad shoulders. He had black hair and green eyes, like a cat! Hailey had never seen him here before; he was definitely not one of the regulars.

Hailey debated on going back to see him again, but she was too nervous. She looked around to see if anyone was staring at her. No one was. She turned around and went back to the aisle where she first saw this mysterious green eyed man. When she got back to the aisle, he was gone. Did I just make him up? Was he even really there?

She shook her head and went to the cash register. She looked down to her watch which was once her mothers and noticed it was time for lunch. She wasn't hungry but she knew she had to go home and eat. She lost five pounds in the last month which didn't look healthy on her. She was eating, but for some reason her body was starting to give away on her. Her body had put up with her depression for so many years and it seemed like it had finally caught up to her.

In the back of her mind she wondered intensely on who that man was. His green eyes pierced her memory and she knew she could never forget them. She knew if she saw them again she would remember them instantly. She was excited to come here next week to see him again. Hopefully he would return, just like everyone else did on a Sunday.

Day 2

Monday March 16th 2010

Hailey's eyes shot open wide as she awoke to the loud, annoying sound of her buzzing alarm clock. She would never get used to the shock which that thing sets on her body so early in the morning. She lazily rolled over and turned it off - tempted to pick it up and throw it across her room. She knew it was time to get up and ready for school.

Slowly rising from her bed, sighing, she grabbed the infamous red marker off her night stand and X'ed off yesterday's date; Sunday March 15th 2010. It was one less day of the year she had to worry about now. It was one less day she has to live with; stuck with the memories she kept trying so hard to forget. It hurt less when she realized how some days had passed by easier when the numbness took over. She groaned as she got ready for school. No one was there to hear her complaints. The house was empty and she was alone, just like every other day.

Getting ready for school was always the same. Get up, walk to washroom, stare at herself - trying not to cry, shake it off and brush teeth, wash face, dry face, tame/brush hair, put on shirt and pants - preferably something that matched, go downstairs, walk to kitchen, make breakfast - which is oatmeal most of the time, eat it, pack a sandwich for lunch, wash dishes, dry dishes, put dishes away, put on shoes, check time, always early, and finally, go to school.

While descending the main stairs from the second floor to the first, Hailey no longer looked towards her right. To the right was where the living room was located. That room and area was off limits to her for many reasons. That was the room where her parents had lost their lives and she had almost lost hers as well. She didn't have the strong enough stomach or heart to look there, for she knew the pictures from that night would flash in front of her without consent.

She never stood on the last step of the stairs either. Every time she walked down, she would get to the second last step, and then jump the rest of the way down. She would then turn to her left to go into the hallway towards the kitchen. She wouldn't even glance the other way. It became routine to her, sometimes she didn't even have to think about it. Her body did it all by itself.

Hailey walked to school, which was just around the corner from her house, and it seemed like everything was going according to plan. Don't be seen, don't get noticed, talk to no one.

Today Hailey was wearing her favourite loose white blouse that almost matched her skin colour. The sun shone directly on her with each step that she took. It felt as if the sun was concentrating on shinning its rays on no one but her. The sun was hinting to her to get some colour on her pale skin. It was no use; the sun could try all it wanted. Her skin did not, and would not tan. Hailey wore jeans on the bottom to make her outfit more casual. Her hair was left down and slightly unruly. Even though she brushed it today, it still had crazy mind of its own. She preferred it like that, a little messy. Prim and proper was never her thing. Her black boots that she wore today fit her like a glove. They were her most favourite pair of shoes she owned. Everyone else in school wore heels to class, but Hailey knew there was no need for heels and they would only attract attention. It was too cold anyway to wear heels. No one talked to her this morning or came up to pretend like they were friends. Hailey figured if she didn't make eye contact, no one would even know she was there.

Wrong.

There was that one boy in school, Gregory Barnes, she hated him extensively. He followed her around, smiling at her, giving her flirtatious eyes. Every time she saw him she wanted to yack. He was a good looking guy, but he was too good looking. She knew if she got close to him, or even talked to him for five minutes, she would be the talk of the school and then that would just draw more attention to her.

Gregory's father, Richard Barnes, was their local news reporter. Everyone wanted to be friends with Gregory so they could be on television. Hailey thought that was pathetic. Since Gregory normally could get any girl in school he desired, he wanted Hailey even more after realizing she put up a challenge. Normally the girls would chase him, but in Hailey's case, he had to go after her. It pleased him to know he had to work for a girl. The chase was arousing to him.

Hailey's first class of the day was English. She walked to her seat which was located at the far back, left corner of the classroom. She sat at the desk closest to the window. The classroom had double desks. Hailey always had an empty seat beside her, but she would always place her backpack on the chair to make sure no one tried to sit next to her.

Today in class they were reading Romeo and Juliet. So typical for a grade ten English class. Everyone dreaded reading anything from Shakespeare – no one really understood it. They were all so naive and immature. No one saw the true beauty behind his writings. No one knew this, but Hailey loved the story of Romeo and Juliet, it was her favourite. She loved all kinds of romantic love stories. She secretly had her share of Harlequin books at home that no one knew about. It's what she does with her time. No boyfriend, no friends, no mom, no dad, no relatives to tend to her - one must think of _something_ to do. That is what she does - Hailey reads love stories.

I bet you're wondering if she had a boyfriend. Well indeed, Hailey did have a boyfriend - once. His name was Frank Argentino. They were never _officially_ going out, but Hailey liked his company. Maybe they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend at the time, but it sure seemed like it. He was a year older than Hailey was, making him seventeen and in grade eleven. They didn't go to the same school. He lived out of town, but he frequently visited his grandparents who lived right next door to Hailey. He visited around three to four times a month.

Frank Argentino looked like every other guy around Hailey. He had the dirty blonde hair and medium built body. He didn't stand out, which she liked. He kept mostly to himself so she didn't have to worry about him talking about her to other people and spreading around rumours. He was pretty cute which helped a little bit.

One day while Hailey was gardening - well, trying to garden - Frank genuinely approached her, out of nowhere and asked if she needed help. He acted like he'd known her his entire life, but in realization that was the first time anyone has spoken to her in many years. It was as if they were long lost friends.

She pretended like he wasn't there, hoping he would go away. She had hoped that if she closed her eyes tight enough she would disappear. That didn't happen. Without another word he got down on his hands and knees, rolled up his sleeves and started picking out the weeds in her front lawn, just as she was doing. He even made her smile, which was rare at that point. They spent the entire morning together not saying one word, just gardening and fooling around. She would dig a hole and he would plant whatever flower she had sitting beside her. She didn't even have to ask him to do it, he just... did it.

Hailey always wondered if he'd known her story, or _history_ I should say. He probably did. Everyone in her neighbourhood had known about what happened to her parents. Her next door neighbours, his grandparents, the Argentinos, were actually the ones who called 9-1-1. They had heard the gunshots and called instantly. They ran to the house after a couple of minutes to find a tragic, bloody disaster. Unfortunately they were far too late. They found Hailey's parents both dead on the floor, lying together. They did find Hailey, unconscious, but breathing. They told her they had wrapped her neck with a random dish towel until the paramedics came. They spared her the exact details of how it looked. She could barely understand them anyway. They were an old Italian couple, fresh from Italy - forty years ago. They had the hardest accent Hailey had ever heard in her life. Hailey was born and raised in Canada, so she knew no other accent.

Hailey was glad she couldn't understand them. She didn't want them telling her exactly what had happened. Hailey knew the scene very well, a little bit too well. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was her parents, dead, bloodied, on top of each other on the ground; her Mom cradling her Dad's body before the gunman pulled the deadly trigger and shot her in the head.

Hailey thanks them privately, in her head, every day for finding her and saving her life, but at the same time she also scorns them for saving her life. She wished sometimes that they would have just left her to die. No one would miss her. She would be able to be with her family. She always thought death would be scary and painful. Until that day she realized she was wrong. It was scary, yeah, but painful, no. The gunshot shocked her, but she barely felt anything except the warm liquid racing down her skin. She blacked out, thinking it was that easy. After blacking out, you don't remember anything. She could have died then, and she wouldn't have even known.

So, ever since the day Frank helped her garden, she had felt a bond to him. At least whenever he was around, her numbness subsided and she was able to feel pleasure from him being near.

He and Hailey had become pretty close and intimate. Once their relationship grew from gardening outside, to being invited inside, Hailey began to trust him and let him into her world. He would always sneak over at night and end up in Hailey's bed. She left the back door open on purpose just for him. Whenever she would notice he was over visiting his grandparents, she would automatically go to the back door to unlock it, and wait for him until whenever he decided to visit her. She could tell exactly when he visited since his grandparents would talk so loud whenever he was there. Hailey never understood why they did that. He was right there, yet it seemed like they needed to yell whenever he entered the room.

Hailey trusted Frank Argentino. She trusted him enough to lose her virginity to him. When she was younger, she believed in saving yourself until marriage. She felt like the one you lost your virginity to, had to be someone you loved dearly and decided to marry. After marriage was the one and only time you could lose your virginity. She pictured a beautiful candle lit room with rose petals fluttered everywhere, covering the bed, the floor and even the scent of the room was floral. She pictured a large bed with a white down cover, as white as her wedding dress, waiting for her, calling for her to lie down with her husband. In this room there was the hint of soft sensual music playing in the background. She pictured that to be the most wonderful way to end a day filled with matrimony. That was until her parents died and her view on things changed; her view on _a lot_ of things changed.

Losing her virginity to Frank had happened so quickly, she hadn't even realized it. Four months ago, during the dark and quiet hours of the night, he had snuck into her house and into her bed. That was all normal and welcomed, until they started touching, then kissing, then caressing, then rubbing. Before Hailey knew it, all her clothes were off and he was on top of her, inside her. She doesn't even remember it hurting. It happened all too quickly, it was over before it even began. Hailey used to be afraid from all the stories she heard on how it hurts the first time you do it, but for her, it was a piece of cake.

She used him only for sex. Well, not so much _used_ , but it was all she needed from him. She never confined in him with her problems, even though he knew them already. They didn't talk about it. She didn't even remember having a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes with him. It was strictly business of pleasure for her, and that's how she liked and wanted it. He knew that's all he was needed for, and he did not argue, not even once. They had that sort of relationship. They were both happy that way. Hailey did not need loving or anything else like that from him.

The sound of glass shattering had woken Hailey up from her trance. Those many memories take over her mind and she doesn't even realize it. She completely forgot she was still at school. She was in the lunchroom. Sometimes she wondered how she passed school with average grades if she doesn't even pay attention most of the time.

She looked to her right to see what had caused the glass to break. She saw a male student standing there by a table, head down, staring at his broken bottle of apple juice on the floor. He must have accidentally dropped it before he sat down. His friends all laughed at him. He looked absolutely heart broken. _What does he know about having his heart broken? It's just juice for crying out loud_! Hailey thought to herself.

Hailey turned her body to face forward once again. Spilled apple juice didn't amuse her anymore. She noticed Gregory Barnes walking towards her. She felt nervous all of a sudden, like she was caught cheating on a math test or something. Her breathing became more laboured as she thought he would sit right at her table, in front of her. His broad shoulders and shiny blonde hair was a little bit too much for Hailey. She tried keeping her head down but couldn't help her wandering eyes, staring into Gregory's as he passed by. The entire time he walked by, she held her breath, hoping he wouldn't realize that she was secretly freaked out.

As he passed, Hailey let out her breath and chuckled to herself. She shook her head at the foolish thought. Did she really think Gregory would actually come up and talk to her, with everyone watching? She hoped not, and he didn't. She rested her head in her right hand which was elbowed up on the table. She had her notebook open as she doodled random pictures that came to her mind. Hailey was odd that way. When writing notes, she would use her right hand, but when drawing or doodling, she used her left hand. She never knew why, but she kind of liked it.

"Hey there," called a voice to her right.

Hailey jumped in her seat, drawing a big long line across her drawing page before dropping it to the ground. She looked to her right and realized that Gregory Barnes had taken the seat right next to hers.

"H-hi?" Hailey said quietly as she looked around to the other people in the cafeteria. No one seemed to notice Gregory Barnes sitting right beside her - yet! She didn't have the courage to look him in the eye. She bent down to pick up her notebook. When she was sitting straight again, she noticed he was still sitting there, staring at her. "What are you doing?"

"You know, I noticed you many times and every time I come up to talk to you, you give me this look like 'Back Off,' and it was really intimidating. Now though, I have built up my courage to tell you that you are very, very beautiful. Remember that. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

And just as quickly as he sat down, he pushed himself up, got up and walked away.

_What was that all about? Why did he come out of his way, to talk to me for point three five seconds? Right_... Hailey didn't know what to do in that sort of situation. She had to think of something else since she could feel her face heating up, turning red. _He thinks I am beautiful. No one has ever told me I was beautiful, besides my mother._ Hailey felt a lump rising in her throat whenever she thought of her parents. She had to push the thought away before she started tearing in the middle of the lunch room.

Hailey was thankful for the fact that the day was almost over and she only had one more class left. The most dreaded class of all \- Math. As much as she detested going to this class most of all, she was too flustered with what happened with Gregory Barnes to even think about skipping it. Skipping was not allowed in high school. If you got caught skipping you would be penalized appropriately and then they would call your parents. Technically, at Hailey's age of sixteen, she still needed a guardian - someone to watch over her since her parents were both deceased. The school still thought that Hailey's aunt, Stella, lived and was taking care of her. Every time they call asking for Stella, Hailey pretended to be her. She doesn't even change her voice. Hailey talked normally and they couldn't even tell the difference. When you change your voice to try to sound like someone else is when they think something is up.

Before Hailey knew it, the bell rang and class was over. She was free of the dreadful place after a long unexpected day at school. Sometimes Hailey hated going home, but in days like today, going home is all she wanted.

Hailey walked out of the school, ready to get away from that awful, children filled building and back at home in her - what she liked to call - safe zone. She took a couple steps outside the door, had to squint her eyes from the effect the sun had on them from being inside all day and that was when she saw him. She never stopped walking as she stared at the man from the grocery store. He wasn't a figment of her imagination after all. He was real, and he was standing in her school parking lot. He leaned on his parked car as if he were waiting for someone. _I guess I don't have to wait until Sunday to see him again_ , Hailey thought to herself.

He scanned the area slowly for whoever he was looking for. Was he there for her? His eyes, those cat-like eyes were searching for something. Hailey couldn't believe how green they were. She thought that they must be contacts to be almost glowing like that. His long black hair was almost covering his eyes. He moved it back with his hand in one swift movement. The perfection of his fingers, the way they moved so swiftly caught Hailey off guard.

Without even realizing where she was going, Hailey's feet kept the pace up in the same direction she was heading. Hailey couldn't get her mind around to get her feet to stop moving. Her feet were walking in his direction, even though he was far off in the distance. Something pulled her towards him; something dragged her very essence to be near him. She couldn't fight it and she didn't want to. It was like mentally trying to make your heart stop beating, it just wasn't possible.

The mysterious, handsome boy looked her way and was caught off guard. They both locked eyes and stared at each other as if they were trying to find something in one another's soul. They were at least thirty feet away at that point. The lock of their gaze was mind shattering. Neither one of them could look away. It was as if time stood still and Hailey forgot how to breathe.

At that moment, his gaze snapped free. Someone ran up to him, it was some random female, distracting him and pulling him out of his trance. Hailey didn't recognize her. She must have just transferred and was new to the school. They both got into the car and drove away. The mysterious man never took his eyes off Hailey until he disappeared into his car. Hailey never stopped walking. Before she knew it, she was at the spot where the car was once parked. After aggressively stepping off the curb, not even noticing it there, Hailey snapped out of it. She walked the entire distance in a daze.

_That was weird_. Hailey walked home alone.

As much as she tried, she couldn't get that man's face out of her mind. That had never happened to her before. She had seen her share of good looking guys, but none of them looked like him. Yeah, he was handsome and all, but there was something about him that held onto her gaze like a fish on a hook. He reeled her in without even realizing it.

After arriving home safe and sound, Hailey made dinner for herself while she sat at her table all alone. To a normal person you would think that Hailey looked sad and lonely, but by now she had learned to block out those emotions and not feel them anymore. She hid herself from everyone else so she didn't expect company. That was how she chose to live.

After washing her dish and doing some homework at the table in her room, she lay down on her bed. She was just going to lie down for a bit before she took a shower, but her body didn't want to move. It was around 9:00 p.m. and Hailey was so tired. She didn't know why, but she could barely keep her eyes open. They were slowly weighing themselves down.

Hailey drifted into her dream world. All of a sudden, her eyes shot open. There was a pounding noise coming from downstairs. Hailey looked over to her clock beside her bed and realized it was 11:00 p.m. She had fallen asleep for two hours! She felt like she just closed and opened her eyes in less than three seconds.

She didn't even remember if she had any dreams or not. She was thankful for that. Most of the time, she didn't like remembering her dreams.

Her heart pounded along with the pounding from downstairs. She didn't want to go downstairs. What if it was the men from all those years ago? She thought back and realized that if it was them, they wouldn't have been knocking. They would have just broken in as easily as they did last time. Hailey wasn't expecting any visitors this late.

The knocking continued. Then her doorbell rang. She figured she might as well answer it. Maybe it was the Argentinos looking out for her.

Hailey jumped up from her bed and walked downstairs. She jumped down at the last step and went straight for the door. She stopped dead still before her hand could grab the handle. She took a deep breath and figured she'd go for it. She turned the handle and opened the door towards her, shielding her body with the door. She opened it and there he was, standing there on her porch; the man with the green eyes.

"May I come in?" the man said as he walked past Hailey and walked right into her house without an answer.

Hailey stood there with her mouth open in shock. He had the nerve to just walk into her house like that. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't even stop him from entering. Her mind wasn't quick enough. It was as if her mind decided to freeze on her for this exact moment.

"Lovely house you have here," he said as he looked around with his back to her.

Hailey closed the door and stood there with her back against it, still holding on to the doorknob. She couldn't believe this random man was standing in her house, acting as if he knew her and they were acquaintances. Her hands were wet with sweat against the doorknob. Her heart pounded in her chest and she was still flustered.

The man turned around and took two steps too close to Hailey but she could not back away from him. She didn't know why, but she was so keen on paying attention to his every movement, as if she could predict them before he even moved. That calmed her down a bit. Hailey was already up against a dead end. He was inches from her face. She could see her reflection in his glowing green eyes. They were beautiful. They were more breathtaking up close than they were from afar. Hailey's voice was still caught in her throat. Her brain still couldn't process any intelligible words yet.

He tilted his head. "What is your name?" he asked in the sweetest voice she has ever heard. Her knees almost melted from the effect his voice had on her. Hailey couldn't get past the aroma that was coming off him. He smelled so... fresh. She couldn't put a word to what she smelled, but when she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath; she could see a river flowing rapidly. She felt like she was there when he was that close to her.

Hailey opened her mouth to say her name, but nothing came out. Finally, "H-Hailey," managed to slip out as a whisper that sounded as it were forced out of her stomach.

"Beautiful. Hailey," he whispered as if he tasted her name on his tongue. "My name is Robert."

Robert held up a finger, about to say something, but turned around instead. He paced in front of her. He walked into the forbidden living room. Hailey's eyes were on him the entire time until he walked in there. She closed her eyes and repeated in her mind, _Do not go in there. Come back. Come back. Come back._

"I'm sorry," Robert said as he walked back up to her with a concerned look on his face.

Hailey opened her eyes and asked herself, _Did I say that out loud_? She wondered if he heard her say come back as soon as he walked into the room. There was something different about this Robert. Hailey pushed herself off from the door and this time she took a step towards Robert and he had to take a step back. Hailey squinted her eyes, staring at him. It felt as if she had known him forever. It sounded weird, but to Hailey it felt like they were deep lovers in a different lifetime.

They were about a foot apart, but something was pulling Hailey to go closer to him. It was something invisible pulling her internally towards his very essence. Her body wanted to become one with his. She was on her tippy toes, trying to fight against the force. It was like gravity was pushing them together. She had to take a step back to break the force. Hailey wondered if he felt the same way. She could see his chest rising and falling quickly. She knew he was just as breathless as she was.

He raised a hand to touch her face. She knew he was going to do it. She could just feel it in her bones. His hand was inches from her face. The hairs on her arms stood up. She closed her eyes, waiting for his fingertips to touch her cheek. And then... nothing.

"I have to go." Robert's hand lingered there, unable to touch her face. He dropped his hand. Robert walked past Hailey, opened her door and ran out.

Hailey turned around to see him running down the pathway in front of her house and make a sharp left and out of sight. She dropped to the floor, staring at her open door, taking in the clean fresh air of the cold night to snap her back to reality. She felt like her body was shaking. On her knees, Hailey had to rub her hands together to get the tingling sensation to fade. Hailey thought to herself, _Whoever that man was, I have to see him again. I have to know exactly who he is. How did he make me... feel those things?_

Shaken, Hailey walked up her stairs and got ready for bed. Tomorrow she will get her answers.

Day 3

Tuesday March 17th 2010

Hailey was wide awake before her alarm even had the chance to go off. She looked to her clock and realized there was still one minute to go until the most annoying sound in the world came on. She was restless all night and couldn't sleep. She stared at her clock, watching it, waiting for that one minute to pass. She wanted to enjoy every second she had in bed, yet she couldn't wait to get up. The next minute ticked by and even though she was expecting the alarm to come on, she still jumped from the noise. She got up and turned it off. Her alarm got under her skin, but she knew if she changed it to the sound of the morning show to wake her up, she would never get out of bed. The morning show hosts had such nice soothing voices that lulled her back to sleep. At least with her buzzer she had a mini heart attack to wake her up.

Of course, just like every other day, Hailey grabbed her big red marker off her bed side stand and crossed off yesterday's date; Monday March 16th 2010.

Hailey got ready for school, with her day planned out already in her head; she was determined to find out who Robert was and where he came from. She didn't know where he lived. She only knew his house was somewhere in the direction to the left of her house - which was the direction he went after running out her front door. Hailey knew who to go to first. She would go to the girl who ran up to him yesterday. She would find her out in the school and find some much needed answers. In the back of Hailey's mind, she hoped that the girl wasn't his girlfriend. Something told her she wasn't though.

Before Hailey knew it, she was out her door and walking towards the school. She didn't even watch where she was walking. She kept her eyes on the road, staring at the cars that drove by. She was looking for one car in particular. She stared at every blue car that passed. The car that Robert stood by yesterday in the parking lot was a blue BMW M3 Sedan. She could distinguish the car out of them all since she owned an older version of his car. Of course his was much nicer. The car Hailey owned belonged to her parents. Hailey had just gotten her licence and she was ready to start driving. The day she got her licence, she stepped into her parents' car, ready to burn some rubber. After ten seconds of sitting in the car, she opened the door and walked right out. Hailey knew she would never drive after that. The car reminded her too much of when her Dad would take her and her mother out. The memory too much hurt and she decided that she never went far enough where she needed to drive anyway. Walking was fine with her. She decided to keep the car, in case of dire emergencies. It now sits in the garage under a cover, untouched.

Hailey arrived to school ahead of schedule. She didn't even have the chance to walk into the building because that was when she saw them. There they were, standing in the parking lot in front of her, beside their blue car. The girl handed over the keys to Robert as she walked into the school. Robert's back straightened. That was when he abruptly turned and locked eyes with Hailey. Hailey's heart skipped a beat.

***

On the way to school, Robert sat in the passenger seat of the car his parent's bought him. It served as a bribe for him to be a good older brother and to watch his little sister while they were out of town for the week. He was teaching her the main things she needed to know about driving. She complained with every piece of advice that came out of his mouth, saying he was being too overprotective, but he knew she would thank him one day. Her G2 license test was coming up next week and Robert told her that she could use his car to go for it.

Robert and his sister, Rosie, just moved to Collingwood a week ago so she had to get used to the streets and the different speed limits. Rosie wanted to memorize them by the time she went for her test so she had no surprises to come her way.

Rosie was the smallest person that Robert had ever met and he wondered everyday how he was actually related to her. Robert and both his parents were very tall, but Rosie came out this small little thing that could barely see over the steering wheel. She stood about 4'11 on her good days. She was so adamant on proving everyone that one day she would be able to drive and have a license of her own. Everyone made fun of her saying she was too small to drive so she wanted to prove them wrong. She had dark brown hair and light green eyes. She had dyed her hair many times before that; even she doesn't know what her natural hair colour was anymore. At one point she even had purple hair. Robert thought it looked kind of cool, but he never told her that.

With his eyes barely on the road, Robert didn't have much to say to Rosie today about her driving skills. Rosie thought something was up but didn't complain since she thought for once that Robert was accepting her as a good driver. That wasn't the case. Robert couldn't say anything about her horrible driving since he already had way too much on his mind. Like, who was that girl from last night? He learned her name was Hailey. When he first saw her at the grocery store he hid from her view. He really didn't know why he did that. She made the hairs on his arms stick up. At first he thought that she was dangerous until he followed her home. Why did he have the urge to go and see her and follow her like that? He didn't know. The moment they locked eyes he felt something intimate between them. Why did they have that connection? It was a certain connection that Robert had never felt before in his life. It was very eerie.

After ruling out the possibilities, Robert knew there was something special about Hailey. He had to see her again. He would go to her house again if it meant seeing her one more time. That was out of character for Robert. He was normally a guy who kept to himself and didn't go stalking people at their homes. He put on a fake personality to mask the nerves were seizing up with each step he took into her house. It may have come out cocky hut it worked in the heat of the moment. He didn't like the way he treated her, but he could always make up for that after.

There was another thing bugging him. Robert couldn't get over the feeling he had in his chest when he walked into Hailey's living room. He noticed that he made her nervous, but as soon as he walked into that room, his throat tightened and his chest burned. Something was telling him not to go in that room. He looked to Hailey and noticed her eyes were closed as if she was making him feel those things. He couldn't explain it and that was why he needed to know more.

He remembered seeing her the other day at Rosie's school so he figured that would be a good starting place to look for her. Robert didn't even realize, but Rosie was calling his name.

"Earth to Robert. Hello Robert? Anyone there?" Rosie waved her hand in front of Robert's face as he blankly stared at the dashboard in his car.

"Huh?" Robert looked over to Rosie, only to realize that they were at her school and she was getting out of the car. He opened his door and got out. Rosie walked around the car and handed the keys to Robert who appreciatively accepted them. He was thankful that she got them there in one piece.

Rosie walked away, annoyed that her brother wasn't even paying attention to her. Robert felt something vibrating in his chest. He realized that it really wasn't vibrating; it was just his heart beating exceptionally fast. He had this same feeling twice before - yesterday and Sunday, at the grocery store. Robert stiffened.

Robert turned around and there she was. Her clothes fit her perfectly. The way her thin blue sweater hugged her body was nothing less than perfection. Her black hair hung over her shoulders as it swayed in the wind. He stared as he counted the seconds it took for her to walk up to him _. Seven... Eight... Nine...Ten_. He held his breath. She was standing right in front of him. He had to act cool and control his shaking hands.

He let his tense muscles relax. He spoke as if everything was fine and his insides didn't want to stretch out to grab her and never let go. "Hello Hailey," he finally said. He could never forget her name. He decided to go with normal Robert this time instead of cocky Robert.

"Hi. Robert, was it?" Hailey was so nervous. She could hear her insecurity coming through her words. She hoped that Robert couldn't notice them. She bit her bottom lip and played with the strap of her bag which she held in her fingertips. She couldn't stop fidgeting. As much as she tried to keep her composure, nothing was working.

Robert noticed everything about her. The corner of his mouth rose to a smile. That didn't help Hailey's situation one bit. He turned to open the passenger door of his car. He held it open for Hailey. "Get in," he said. Not taking his eyes off her once, he waited for her response, hoping she didn't decline.

As she stared, mesmerized into his eyes, Hailey got in. Her body moved by itself. "But what about school?" she asked as she sat down in the seat which was still warm. Hailey wasn't too sure if he heard since he was in front of the car, walking over to his side.

Robert got in the driver seat and smiled again at her, ignoring her question. He knew she didn't want to go to school.

"Where are we going?"

"To my house," Robert answered.

"No. I don't want to go to your house. Take me to mine." Hailey sat in the passenger seat as she felt her tension move to every single part of her body. She was so stiff she could barely move her head to look at him. Hailey couldn't believe she just got into this stranger's car! It was too late to get out. At least she knew they were going to her home. It was better than going to his unknown house.

Robert obeyed. Her house was on the way to his, so he didn't have to change direction.

They got to Hailey's house and he pulled into her driveway. She drummed her fingers on her bag which was sitting on her lap. She sat there debating on what to do. They both sat there in what felt like hours. Hailey didn't know what else to do so she acted on impulse. She opened the door and walked out not saying one word. She walked to her front door, key in hand.

A few seconds later, Robert got out of the car and followed her. Hailey waited for him in front of her stairs. "Wait here," she said to him when he finally walked in.

***

Hailey threw her bag on her bed and ran for the washroom. She panicked. Her hands were shaking and her heart was on fire in her chest. She had no idea what to do. That guy – Robert – was in her house and she had no idea what he wanted. It seemed alright in the beginning to let him come over. That was only because she couldn't think of anything to say so she just agreed with whatever he said. She paced back and forth contemplating on what her next actions would be.

Making her way into her washroom, Hailey turned on the tap and splashed water on her face. She thought the coolness of the water would snap her out of it and prepare her to go downstairs to face Robert once again. She never forgot about yesterday and how she was determined to find out who he was. She would ask him questions. She would be strong. She would be confident. She wouldn't show him her weakness. She didn't want him to see her fear, even though it was written all over her face and was pouring out of her pores.

She even contemplated on not going back down. She figured if she stayed in her room long enough that Robert would eventually get the hint and show himself out. As rude as that sounded, Hailey knew it wouldn't happen. Something told her that Robert would wait forever until she came back down those stairs. She didn't want to do that to him. She pictured his eyes in her mind and never wanted to see them filled with pain that she caused.

She stood straight up and looked at herself in the mirror. She stared at herself, wondering who she was turning into. She was once this shy person who never liked meeting new people. Now all of a sudden she intentionally invited someone over to her house who she knew nothing about. She told herself, _People change_. And that was it. She took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth. She prepared herself for the walk downstairs. She knew he would be there waiting at the bottom of the steps for her.

***

Robert paced back and forth at the bottom of the stairs. _What have I gotten myself into_? he asked himself. Robert was in shock that so drastically, so easily, so effortlessly he ended up in Hailey's house once again - but with her consent this time. He knew she wouldn't argue with him and follow what he said. He could tell that Hailey was nervous, just as he was. Getting to her house was the easy part, now he didn't know what to do or say to her.

The entire time in the car he wanted to reach over and stroke her skin. He wanted to feel her flesh under his fingertips. He wondered if Hailey caught him stealing glimpses of her from the corner of his eye. He thought not since she looked frozen in fear as she sat there unmoving. Robert wondered what was taking Hailey so long upstairs. The longer she took, the longer he had to be alone with his thoughts - something he didn't like. Robert liked to act on impulse alone. Thinking about things makes you make bad decisions. _Go with the flow_ , he had always said.

Little did they know, but they both felt the same fears. They both paced. Both their hands were sweating. A million questions went through their minds. All they had to do was talk to figure it out. Their feelings intertwined with one another. Either way, at that moment, Robert knew what he had to do.

***

After taking a deep breath and finally exhaling, Hailey opened her washroom door and walked into her bedroom, ready to go downstairs to speak with Robert. She stopped midway in her bedroom since she didn't have to go any farther. Robert was in her room, sitting on her bed. He didn't look at her even though she was standing right in front of him. He stared down to a book which sat in his hands. She knew that he was well aware she was standing there staring at him.

"It was on the ground," he said. He never moved his gaze from the book. "I picked it up for you. It must have fallen out of your bag." He looked over to Hailey's bag which was open on her bed. She threw it there when she walked upstairs. She knew the book fell, but didn't pay it too much attention to pick it up. Robert did that for her apparently.

"Oh, thanks," was all Hailey could say.

Robert closed the book and looked up to Hailey with his warm eyes. The green of his eyes seemed calm. They weren't as cat like anymore. They were still the same colour, it's just the way he looked at her made them seem different. He smiled at her. He could tell that she was much calmer now. He patted the seat next to him on her bed. Hailey walked over and sat down.

"A great classic," Robert said as he shook the book. He was tense. He stalled. It was getting awkward. He had to move past it. The tension slowly eased as he began to speak. His voice calming them both. "Okay, well I am just going to go out and say it. You feel that right? It's like I can sense when you are nervous, or happy or calm. It's like my feelings coordinate with yours. I stood downstairs and I was so nervous. I couldn't tell why. But then I realized you were probably just as nervous as I was. And now that I am sitting here with you now, I am calm and relaxed, just as I can tell you are. It's like when I am with you, my mind clears and all I can think of is you. It is like nothing else in the world matters." Robert scratched his head, but never took his gaze off Hailey.

Sitting there, unsure of what to say, Hailey just looked down to her intertwined hands, keeping the nervous tremors to a minimum. She wanted to agree with him but she felt like that was still a little bit weird. Those sorts of things didn't happen. She knew exactly what he was feeling but couldn't make herself believe it.

"I know it sounds crazy. Believe me. I feel like a crazy person saying this, but it feels as if I somehow... know you."

Shifting in his seat, Robert turned so he and Hailey were both facing each other on the bed. He stared at her for a little while as if he were trying to read her mind. That was something no one is able to do, not even Robert. Robert made the first move. He lifted his left hand and Hailey lifted her right. Their palms touched. Robert lifted his right hand as Hailey lifted her left a split second before he did. Hailey knew what Robert would do next, just as Robert knew what Hailey would do. At the same moment they intertwined their fingers. Hailey bit the inside of her lip in an attempt to hold back a smile. She stared at their hands in amazement. Robert stared at Hailey. He couldn't get himself to remove his gaze from her.

Their hands separated. "We must have met before. Have we?" Robert asked.

"No," Hailey said in a daze. "Wait, yes!" She had to shake her head to clear her mind. "In the grocery store. I am sure that was you, wasn't it?"

Robert ducked his head. "Unfortunately, yes, that was me."

Hailey looked confused. _Why unfortunately_ , she thought to herself.

Looking back up, Robert said, "For that one second I saw you at the grocery store, something stirred in me. I didn't know what it was so I assumed it was fear. When my eyes first locked with yours I was in shock so I hid behind the aisle. I saw you turn around and look back for me. After I saw your eyes for the second time I knew it was definitely not fear that I felt – but something more. I was kind of embarrassed that I hid from you. I felt like a coward. So I... uh... never mind."

"What?" Hailey asked with a smile on her face.

The corner of Robert's mouth rose as he winced with the words he spoke next. "I sort of followed you home. I waited outside your house for twenty minutes before leaving and going home. I couldn't take it anymore. I was restless at home, so I made my way back to your house."

Hailey nodded her head. "And that is how you ended up at my house. Gotcha. _Stalker_." Hailey joked.

"I am not a stalker," Robert whispered in total seriousness. "Would you let a stalker do this?" Robert leaned in just as Hailey knew he would and she leaned in as well. He embraced her in a hug. His warm chest touched her body. She couldn't believe how comfortable she was. She took in a deep breath with steady her swaying mind. She was overwhelmed again, just like the other time when she took in his scent. The refreshing feel of the forest. The smell and sound of rushing water. It all seemed like a faded memory to her.

Robert pulled back, only enough to see her face. Hailey knew what was going to happen before it did.

Robert's face inched closer to Hailey's. She closed her eyes, ready for his kiss. He stalled. Hailey waited. She opened her eyes curious as to why he stopped and for the first time he took her by surprise. Robert's lips found Hailey's quickly and easily.

Hailey had to pull back and catch her breath. Her hands and lips tingled. It was something she couldn't explain. Robert had to hide his excitement. Hailey knew they both felt the same way.

Hailey leaned in for the second kiss this time. She went in with all intensity. She wrapped her arms around Robert's neck. She lay back on the bed, pulling him down on top of her.

They didn't know what happened or how, but as soon as Robert was on top of Hailey locked in a kiss, they were suddenly someplace else. They were still kissing. They could still feel their arms wrapped around one another. It was as if they were both dreaming the same thing while they were awake and fully aware of everything.

Hailey watched confused as she saw herself. It wasn't her present self though. It was as if she were staring at herself, but in the past. She wore a long brown dress as she kneeled by the river washing her clothes. Robert, in his past self, walked up behind her startling her. She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She reached up to grab the back of his neck, caressing it. Hailey leaned the back of her head on his chest with her eyes closed. She felt his warm body pressed up against her back. Robert leaned his head down and gently kissed her neck.

They stopped kissing and opened their eyes, back to the present now. They were both in shock at what they witnessed. They knew they saw the same thing, but how was that possible? Neither one of them said anything since they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Normally someone would be weirded out by seeing themselves in a past life, but something about that vision comforted them. It made them realize that they did once know each other in a different life. How they witnessed it was a different story. It was a story they didn't want to ask questions about.

They stopped kissing and opened their eyes, back to the present now. They were both in shock at what they witnessed. They knew they saw the same thing, but how was that possible? Neither one of them said anything since they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Normally someone would be weirded out by seeing themselves in a past life, but something about that vision comforted them. It made them realize that they did once know each other in a different life. How they witnessed it was a different story. It was a story they didn't want to ask questions about.

Being in each other's arms seemed so perfect. Robert lay down next to Hailey, no longer kissing her even though that is all he wanted to do. He didn't want to overwhelm her. Her lips were still swollen and glossy from their previous kiss. Hailey rested her head on Robert's chest. They lay there in silence together for a while. They almost fell asleep in one another's arms. Luckily the sun shone in her room, keeping them awake.

They heard a vibrating noise and Robert pulled his phone from his pocket as swiftly as he could without moving Hailey from his chest. He didn't want to lose contact with her.

He flipped open his phone and noticed a text message saying, "Staying at a friends house 4 the night. BIG test 2morow. Got 2 study. Love ya. Bye. R."

"It was my little sister, Rosie," Robert answered the question Hailey didn't even have time to ask. "She is going to stay at her friend's house for the night. I can't believe school is out already. Time flew." Robert closed his phone and looked at the time on the glowing screen.

Hailey agreed with him but didn't say anything. She didn't even care that she missed an entire day of school. She knew she would get a phone call from the office tomorrow. A phone call she was ready to answer without hesitation. It wouldn't be the first time she missed school for her own personal reasons.

She nudged closer to Robert to get more comfortable. She listened to his heart beat and took in the warmth of his body. She hadn't been that close to anyone in so many years. She forgot what real human contact felt like. Hailey knew that no one else could bring those feelings out except Robert.

Yeah, she had been close to Frank Argentino, but she never truly enjoyed his presence. When he touched her she didn't react the same way when Robert touched her. Frank's touch was more dead and cold but still pleasurable. Robert's touch sent sparks through her core like someone set off fireworks in her stomach. She made a vow to herself to never see Frank again. She no longer needed him. She had the companionship now which she had been longing for so long.

Hailey's mind flashed to Gregory Barnes. She smiled, thinking what he had said to her in the cafeteria. He was a good guy, she knew.

Tears began to form in Hailey's eyes and before she knew it her throat burned and face was turning all red. She couldn't keep in her sobs.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Robert asked. He pulled her off him so he could get a better look at her face.

"I-I don't know. Nothing is wrong. This is so weird yet so wonderful." She grabbed his hand, staring at it. Robert kept his worried eyes on her face. "I forgot what another person's touch felt like." She lifted Robert's hand and placed it on her cheek, closing her eyes to the warmth of it. She took a deep breath in. "You smell like the freshness of the forest and chilled water..."

"Water from a spring. I know." Robert finished her sentence. "It is sort of a homey smell. Like it once used to be my home. I don't know."

"That's so odd. The smell is so vibrant if I close my eyes I would believe I was actually standing next to a river in the forest. It just so..." Hailey couldn't find the right word to finish her sentence.

"Familiar?" Robert asked.

"Yes." Hailey's shoulders relaxed as she placed her head back on his chest.

"I am not too sure what we saw before as we kissed, but it seemed like we were looking back on a past life. Humour me here. I know we're not insane and we don't have any magical powers, but what if something, a force we can't see or touch, has brought us back together. We were meant to be. It's fate. I don't know what happened before in our past life, but maybe we can make things right, now. We can be together. If you like?" Robert asked.

"I'd like that." Hailey didn't comment on the fate part since she knew he was right.

"Me too."

They spent the rest of the day embraced in one another's arms. Robert didn't even ask Hailey when her parents were coming home but somehow deep down inside he knew they weren't coming home any time soon. The sun slowly started to set as both Robert and Hailey watched it from the bedroom window. The glow of the sunset turned Hailey's room orange.

For once the memory of Hailey's parents didn't hurt as much. Hailey thought that it was about time to move on from her grieving. Robert made her feel stronger inside. She had more confidence in herself now. She thought about getting past her fear of her living room. That would all depend on how tomorrow goes. Tomorrow is, after all, just another day. Hailey didn't want this day to end. Neither did Robert.

Day 4

Wednesday March 18th 2010

Hailey had suddenly awoken only to realize that she had a stiff kink in her neck. Lifting her head to rub it out, she realized that she was in the same position she had been in all night, but the sun was now up. She slept on Robert's chest the entire night. He did not move once to disturb her. Robert had woken in the middle of the night to see Hailey sleeping peacefully on him. He slowed his breathing down so the rising and falling of his chest didn't disturb her. He realized it didn't bother her until he thought of it. She looked comfortable sleeping with a slight smile on her face so Robert went back to sleep knowing Hailey felt safe lying there with him. Neither one of them wanted to move, so they didn't.

Hailey noticed Robert's heavy breathing which meant he was still in deep sleep. She stared at Robert's face, examining his unique features. It was as if Robert could sense Hailey staring at him since at that moment his eyes fluttered and slowly opened. Hailey could see the green of his eyes trying to escape through his long, black eyelashes.

"Good morning," he said which sent goose bumps up and down Hailey's arm. His voice was a little bit rough from just waking up, but it still sounded like perfection in Hailey's ears. Robert cleared his throat from realizing the harshness of his voice.

Smiling up at him, Hailey couldn't get over the fact that Robert was actually in her room. For Hailey, it had felt like so long ago that she had first seen him in the grocery store. It is funny how fate worked sometimes. _Who knew that eventually he would end up in my bedroom?_ Hailey thought to herself as she said good morning back.

Robert went to the washroom to freshen up first. Hailey was still in her clothes from yesterday and wondered how she looked in Robert's eyes. She was never self-conscious but all of a sudden because of Robert, she was. Her clothes were all wrinkly and her hair was a mess. Something inside told her that Robert didn't get turned off by her disheveled appearance.

Robert emerged from the washroom all cleaned up and ready to start his day. "I'm starved," he said.

Abruptly laughing out loud, Hailey's shyness got the best of her and she felt her face turn red as she pushed a wavy strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't mean to laugh that loud. "I can make you some toast if you like. I think there is some cereal as well. Let me change and I'll help you in a minute."

Hailey stared at her feet as she walked passed Robert. She had no courage to look him in the eye after the amazing night they had last night. She could still feel his lips on hers. They tingled with anticipation, hoping to be touched once again, but Hailey didn't want to overwhelm him.

Hailey closed the washroom door behind her. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, ran a comb through her knotted-beyond-help hair and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had bags under them, but she knew those would go away with a little coffee and some sunshine. She put on a fake smile in the mirror and realized there was no point in lying to herself. She couldn't force herself to smile. The only time she smiled was when she thought of Robert. _There ya go_ , she thought as she stared in the mirror.

Hailey opened the door and before she could grab something comfy to change into, Robert wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her in the air, startling her. Hailey was frightened at first, but quickly realized it was Robert just from his scent alone.

He brought her all the way back to her bed and fell on top of her. "I missed you," he whispered in her ear.

Hailey took a deep breath, hoping the moment would last forever. "I just saw you two seconds ago!" she laughed. She was squished with Robert's weight but it didn't bother her one bit. She liked the feeling of his strong body on top of hers. She didn't want him to move.

"I know, but the thought of being away from you, even for a second didn't settle too well with my heart."

Hailey knew the exact feeling he was talking about, but she didn't want to say anything. She decided from then on that she would be totally open with Robert since he somehow always knew how she was feeling.

Hailey looked into Robert's eyes which were currently a calm green like the ocean. His playful eyes turned serious. Hailey reached with her arm up and moved a strand of hair from Robert's face. Their faces were inches apart; Robert still on top of her. His breath tickled her face. Hailey removed her gaze from his eyes to look to his full lips. They looked as if they were almost pouting. He licked them just as she thought that. Robert leaned in and kissed Hailey. He was gentle at first, but his kisses became more aggressive yet not too pushy.

His strong hands wandered all over her body. Before she knew it, she was pulling off the shirt from his back. She was the one being forceful now. Clothes off, Robert stopped. He stared at Hailey as if to reassure himself she wanted to do this. They both wanted it. It was nothing new to either of them, but it felt like their first time. Whenever you had a new partner you had to adapt to the way they moved and what they liked since everyone was different, but with them, it was like they knew all along what the other wanted.

Robert knew that Hailey was going to pull on the hairs at the base of his neck. Robert kissed Hailey's neck and knew she would moan with pleasure. Robert saw Hailey's bullet wound. He lightly grazed his lips over it. Hailey's body tensed and she inhaled sharply feeling like her heart just stopped. It was a sensitive spot for her that no one had ever touched. Not even Frank Argentino, her neighbour. He knew to never touch it or even speak about it. Robert continued to kiss it, knowing exactly how Hailey was feeling. Her tense body slowly started to relax. She loved the way Robert's lips felt on her neck. She never knew she would marvel at the feeling of someone else touching her scar, but it made her feel... normal for once. Her scar didn't frighten Robert and to have him kiss it sent her on a high that felt like she was filled with morphine.

It was wonderful for Hailey since Robert knew where to place his hands at the right moment and Hailey knew where to run her hands over Robert's body at the same time. Hailey loved the feeling of their bare chests rubbing against each other.

Rushing water. Kisses. Trees. Touching. Freshness. Passion. Time. True love.

Hours passed. Hailey and Robert lay under the covers together. Robert had his eyes closed but was wide awake. He was replaying the day in his mind. He never wanted to forget it. Hailey stared at Robert's chest. She could see his racing pulse pushing through his rib cage. It looked as if his heart wanted to escape. She slowly brought her hand over her chest and watched as her heart raced in unison to Robert's.

Hailey sat up but before she could go anywhere, Robert's hand came down on hers, covering it completely. She looked to his face and saw him smile. "You're amazing," he whispered.

No one had ever told her that she was amazing before. _Was he talking about me, or sex?_ Hailey wondered.

As much as he didn't want to, Robert sat up eventually and got dressed. Embarrassed, Hailey turned her gaze the other way. Robert noticed and laughed at the fact she couldn't look at his naked body given the fact of what they had just done. He would never get over how perfect and beautiful her body was.

One by one, he picked up his clothes which he didn't remember throwing all over the room. It was all one big high to him which was definitely worth it. Robert had butterflies in his stomach just thinking about Hailey. He didn't know how to get rid of them. She was unlike every other girl he had slept with in the past. _This didn't feel like the first time we made love_ , Robert thought to himself. _It was exciting yet familiar at the same time._

Robert was still starving. He forgot about his hunger for a while, but it came back with more willpower this time. "I'm going to make us something to eat. Join me in the kitchen when you are ready. Take your time," he said as he walked out of her room.

Sighing heavily in content, Hailey fell back on to her bed. She rolled over to the side where Robert was previously. She breathed in deeply as his scent lingered on that spot.

Looking up at her calendar, then down to her clock, Hailey realized she didn't want to base the moments she had with Robert on time alone. She wouldn't count down the minutes to the days like she used to. She would live in every moment like it was her last. She closed her eyes and turned around her clock so she wouldn't be able to see it. She made a mental note to throw out her big red marker.

After searching for her bra, which was hanging off her desk, Hailey got dressed properly for the second time and was about to head downstairs. She looked out her window to see a gorgeous sunny day outside. The sun was bright as ever and it was melting whatever snow was left on the ground. She could smell the freshness in the air. But nothing compared to what she smelt when she was with Robert.

Hailey didn't say anything when they were making love but she saw a vision again. Or a flash-back in her past life with Robert. It continued the vision she had previously of him as he kissed her beside the river.

This time she saw the rest of it. She saw herself making love to Robert by the river. Their every move mimicked what was happening in her mind. In Hailey's mind she raised her hand to touch Robert's lips and in real life she did the same thing. It wasn't as if she were copying what she saw in her mind, it was as if they were puppets and someone was making them do the same thing at the same time. Hailey wasn't forced though. All of it was consensual.

As much as she really wanted to go outside and maybe get a little sun, she would rather spend the day inside with Robert. She could sit there thinking about him for hours, but that would be no fun.

Hailey saw things in a new perspective now. She was happy to be alive and walking now. She was happy to know that she actually had something - someone - to look forward to seeing every day. The phone in her room rang. She turned and was about to answer but let it ring. The voicemail system would turn on and if it was important, the person would leave a message, which they never did. Mostly telemarketers called and as soon as the voicemail was turned on, they hung up. Aunt Stella rarely called but when she did she always left a voicemail and when Hailey heard her voice, she picked up the phone automatically.

In Hailey' voice, but monotone it said: 'Hi, sorry I missed your call. Please leave your name, number and a brief message after the tone and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks.' BEEP. "Hi, I am calling on behalf of Collingwood secondary school and I wanted to inform you that Hailey has not been to any of her classes in the past two days. We have not heard from anyone nor has anyone seen her. Could you please call me back at -" Before they could finish, Hailey put the voicemail on mute. She looked towards her door, hoping that Robert hadn't heard that message. Hailey waited until the light stopped flashing green and turned red - which meant there was one new message. Hailey quickly deleted it.

Hailey knew she would get in trouble from her teachers for skipping class – two days in a row she just realized. She would make up some lame excuse and her teachers would have no other choice but to believe her. She would make sure to get the stuff she missed from one of the classmates she never talked to. If worse came to worse, she would just ask the teacher. They never refuse their students homework.

Hailey sighed and decided it was about time to join Robert in the kitchen. She wondered if he knew how to cook. There was so much she still didn't know about him but she was willing and patient enough to find out. They had loads of 'wanted time' to figure those things out. It was the first time after the accident where Hailey wished the days were longer.

She walked down the steps, excited to see what Robert was making to eat. She hadn't realized she was hungry until he brought it up. She stopped dead in her tracks on the middle step as her gaze was fixed on Robert. He stared into the living room. He looked like a statue, like he wasn't even real. Hailey slowly made her way down and called out Robert's name.

Roberts face was scrunched up in confusion. "What is wrong with that room? Why does it make you - me - feel like this?" Robert clenched and unclenched his fists.

Hailey took a deep breath before realizing that there was no point in keeping the secret from him. She told him. She told him everything from her parents being murdered in front of her eyes, to being shot right in the neck. She fingered her scar as she spoke about it.

"I-I-I am so sorry. Oh my god." Robert shook his head to hide his shock. He didn't want to make things worse. He figured saying nothing was better than saying the wrong thing and upsetting Hailey. Instead of opening his mouth he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She hugged him just as tight back. Tears formed in her eyes, but she held them back. She didn't want Robert to see her cry.

Robert felt her pain in the pit of his stomach. His throat burned with tears as he could tell Hailey was on the verge of crying. Robert didn't like the fact that Hailey had to live in a house that reminded her of her parents' horrible fate every single day. Robert wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. He couldn't get her to move - that was out of the question. He knew telling her to get over it wouldn't work either and that was just harsh. He obviously could not say that time would heal all since it had been a while since they died and she clearly wasn't over it. So the next best thing he thought of was to tear up the floor boards. Get rid of the hard wood floor that had blood stains soaked into them. You couldn't notice if you were an outsider, but if you knew where to look, you could see them. And Robert saw them.

"How do I get into your garage?" Robert asked Hailey with authority to his voice. Robert was set on his mission and he would do it properly.

Hailey was curious as to why he wanted to go into the garage when just a few minutes ago he wanted cereal. She showed him the way with no questions.

She heard him banging around looking for something. Hailey wondered what he was doing, but decided it would be better not to ask. She knew that he would eventually come back from the garage with answers. Hailey wasn't one to pry into other people's business, even though they were in her house.

Robert came out of the garage with a hammer and a crow bar.

Hailey's eyes widened and she was filled with fear. She wondered what he was going to do with those. Was she mistaken of her safety with this stranger? He walked towards her with them. Hailey froze. Hailey thought he was after her, but quickly pushed that thought aside as he passed her and walked into the living room.

"What are you doing?" It came out as a hiss. She looked to the opposite side as she still couldn't make eye contact with the living room.

"Fixing your problem."

Holding the hammer high above his head, Robert thrust it down towards the hard wood floor with all his might. He loosened each piece of hardwood section by section. He also had a crow bar to pry the boards from the ground. Determination covered every part of Robert's face.

Hailey stood against the wall beside the stairs frozen as she tried not to watch. Robert tore the floorboards one by one. She couldn't get herself to watch fully. From where she was standing she could barely see what he was doing. She saw Robert's back and his frantic hands tearing away. She still couldn't get herself to look that way. She stared at the ground by her feet and listened to Robert hammering.

She stood there for hours. Her path was blocked with all the furniture in the room which Robert had to move in order to get to the hardwood under it. The hallway was clustered with furniture Hailey didn't even remember having.

Robert got to the patch where it had all happened. Robert ripped the wooden floor boards and then stopped. He stood up and took a step closer to where he just removed the piece. His eyes zoned in on something. He wiped his slick forehead with the back of his hand. He worked so hard that he began sweating. His hands were full of cuts and splinters. His pain was nothing compared to the pain that the room had caused Hailey all those years. He bent down and picked up something that was hidden under the floor boards.

The silence haunted Hailey as she wondered if he was done. Instead of asking him, Hailey's curiosity got the best of her and her gaze made its way into the living room. For the first time in years she took a step towards it. Her chest tightened at first but then she let out a breath after realizing she was holding it in. She didn't know why she was doing that. Her hands shook as she finally made her way to Robert's side. The room looked nothing like it used to.

Hailey craned her neck to see what Robert held in his hand. It was someone's drivers licence. But she couldn't get a clear enough view to examine whose it was.

"Do you know a Draven Christopher Stone?" Robert asked as he passed it over to Hailey.

"No idea. I've never heard that name in my life." Hailey looked at the ID for a split second before gasping and dropping it like it burnt her hand.

"What's the matter?" Robert asked.

Hailey never took her eyes off the ID. She stared into the picture. She could still clearly see it from where she was standing. The ID's picture stared back at her from the floor. The man's eyes. Those eyes she could never mistake them anywhere. They haunted her dreams every night. Those eyes belonged to the man in the black mask. The one that killed her parents.

Hailey felt light headed and before she could pass out, Robert had her securely in his arms. He guided her to the ground and when Hailey regained her consciousness he asked her what had happened. Hailey explained that the man in the picture was the exact man who killed her parents. She never saw his face the day it happened since he was wearing a black ski mask, but she could distinguish those eyes anywhere. Hailey wondered how come his ID was under their floor boards but then she remembered the struggle that her father and this man got into. Things fell out his pocket. Hailey remembered keys but not his ID. It went right through the boards and was there all along!

Hailey was struck by a sudden unknown energy and she automatically fumed with anger. Robert could sense how mad she was becoming. Her breathing deepened as she stood upon her own accord. Robert got up with her.

Hailey had the ID in her hands now and was examining it closer. She realized the address was about twenty to thirty minutes from her house. Hailey's irrational thoughts got the best of her as she went to grab her jacket in the closet.

"Where are you going?" Robert asked.

"I have to go to this man! I have to find him!" Hailey yelled, not at Robert in particular.

"Um, no you don't. Let's call the police. We'll show them this." Robert tried to close the closet door.

"No, you don't understand. The police already searched my house up and down. The one spot they never checked was under the floor boards. They would never believe that we just found this under them and that this was the man who killed my parents. It is not enough hard evidence. And plus, they probably already searched their area. This man, Draven, only lives twenty minutes from me! The police searched, in every direction, three hours away. It is impossible that they missed his house. There were no footprints; no one saw a car, no nothing. I need this. I have to go. I won't interfere with anything." Hailey was pleading.

Robert could see the passion in her eyes to find this man. He knew it was stupid but also knew that anything he said wouldn't make a difference in her decision.

"Besides, he might not live there or might not be home. This ID's address is over six years old. I just want to look. That's all. We can even stay in the car."

Robert knew the last part was a lie, but didn't push her any farther. He hoped that by the time they got there, she would be too scared to even get out of her car, so he agreed with her. On one condition – that he be the one to drive.

***

By the time they got to the murderer's house, it was starting to get dark out. They pulled up the side of the street but it was a dead end. There was a one way gravel road that Robert wasn't going to take. He knew for sure that if he took the road, they would get caught.

"Go on. Let's go. Why are you stopping?"

"I'm not going any farther. They will see my car if I drive any closer. You can see the house in the distance. That's good enough. I am turning the car around and we are leaving. Please Hailey. This has gotten far enough and I'm having a bad feeling about this." Robert touched Hailey's leg.

"No! We can't stop now." Hailey reached for the door handle and opened the door, but Robert caught her arm before she could step out.

"Please, stop."

Hailey's chest was hurting. She knew she was feeling what Robert felt. All he wanted was to leave and he was scared for Hailey. He was scared something was going to happen to her or both of them.

"I'm going. With or without you." Hailey gently pulled free from Robert's grasp, stepped out and closed the door behind her. She knew Robert would follow. He would never let her do this alone.

She was right. Robert sighed heavily and ground his teeth together as he got out of the car. They walked together trying to stay out of sight. They hid from tree to tree. No lights were on in the house so Hailey knew no one was there to see them, but she still wanted to take precautions.

"Look, there's a barn behind their house."

"Seriously, Hailey, this is enough now. We have gone too far. If you take one more step, I will pick you up, throw you over my shoulder, take you to my car, and tie you down with the seatbelt. We both know I am stronger than you, and I _will_ do that."

All of a sudden they heard a branch crack behind them and voices followed shortly. Hailey ran for the barn and Robert ran after her, cursing to himself. Hailey's heart pounded in her chest as she held Robert's hand to safety. They were behind the barn.

They tried to listen for any sign of movement or voices, but heard nothing. The silence was deafening. It was hard to listen since both their hearts were pounding so loud in their ears.

Robert squeezed Hailey's hand as they looked around the barn. The light in the house was now on. They saw someone walk into the back door. They had to be careful now to get back to their car without being seen. Robert's profanities continued.

"We have to be super careful now. Stay low or else they will catch us."

"Yes, stay very low," a voice said from behind them.

But before they could react, two people grabbed them and held them tight. They both struggled for freedom but it was no use. They both screamed and their captors both laughed. They knew no one would be able to hear them out there.

Their wrists were tied with rope that scratched their skin and they were gagged with clothes that smelled like they hadn't been washed in ages. The smell and taste alone made Hailey gag.

Robert could feel his fear growing. He could feel Hailey's fear growing in the pit of his stomach and he was disappointed in himself that he even went there in the first place.

They were captured. There was nothing else to say or do. They were done for.

Day 5

Thursday March 19th 2010

Struggling constantly and pulling on his restraints, Robert never gave up. Hailey, on the other hand, had given up over an hour ago and sat limply not saying a word. The entire time sitting there, Robert tried to remove his hands or at least loosen the ropes so he could move again, but it was no use and he was getting nowhere. His captives had obviously tied up many people before and knew what they were doing when it came to tying knots.

After being captured outside from behind the barn, Hailey and Robert were both dragged against their will inside the small, dingy farm house. Hailey kicked and screamed the entire time being hauled through the back door. The men dragging them laughed, saying that they could scream as much as they wanted; no one was going to hear. Robert fought with all his might, but the man holding him was just too strong.

After bringing Hailey and Robert into their small green kitchen, the captors grabbed two old, wooden chairs and sat Hailey and Robert on each. Their hands were tied behind their backs with rough rope and their legs were tied to each of the front legs of the chairs. They pushed them beside each other near the wall and left them there. Hailey was glad in the sense that at least they didn't separate them. They had no idea where the captors had gone, but they were alone now.

Looking around, Hailey tried to save the image of the kitchen in her mind, so she could remember what it looked like when she went to the police after she escaped; if she ever did. The kitchen looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. She could tell there were dirty dishes still in the sink and there was a sour smell that lingered in her nose which must have been coming from the fridge.

Hailey heard Robert's grunts, trying to get free but she refused to look at him. She could feel his anger radiating off him. She knew he was upset with her. She upset him and got them captured. She knew apologizing wasn't going to change or fix anything. Sitting quietly, slowly trying to free her writs was what she was going to do without showing Robert her struggle. Slow and steady wins the race.

With her wrists aching with a throbbing pain, Hailey was sure they were cut up and bleeding by now. The rope scratched and slowly dug its way into her skin. She couldn't take it anymore and accepted the fact that she was tied up to a chair against her will in a random person's house with no clue what was going to happen next.

On the other hand, Robert would not accept being captured so easily. He screamed, and thrashed and pulled hard on the ropes. Hailey had given up on being quiet and noticed that she had to sooth him with her words before he hurt himself more. It was the only thing that would calm him down. In the beginning it didn't work but after a few hours Robert had given up as well.

Out of breath, he pleaded with Hailey, asking her what they should do. He cursed himself for being caught in the first place. He cursed over the fact he even let them get this far. The whole scheme was against his ruling but he had gone along with it anyway. He regretted it entirely but did not blame Hailey. It was her idea to come, but it was his final decision to go along. He should have picked her up and drove her home against her will. He knew nothing would come out from showing up at a murderer's house in the middle of the night – and he was right.

"I don't know what to do." Hailey looked down to her lap. Her hair covered her face. She didn't want to show Robert she was scared.

Hailey was terrified though; terrified not only for her life, but for Roberts as well. She had finally found the people who had killed her parents, even though the two men who captured her were unrecognizable through her screams and struggles. Either way, she knew they were dangerous. She would be strong for Robert. She would not show him her fear, even though he could probably feel it in his heart at the moment. She had to erase those feelings entirely. She had to think of hope. She had to imagine them getting out – alive.

"Hailey?" Robert said, calmly.

Hailey took a deep breath and tilted her head back and shook it to remove the hair that covered her face since her hands were incapacitated. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine." She looked into Robert's fearful eyes and faked a smile.

Seeing right through her lies, Robert exhaled deeply and stared straight ahead to the door leading out of the kitchen into what he assumed might have been the living room. Hailey followed his gaze.

Suddenly, they heard voices and footsteps coming closer and becoming louder. Robert's body instinctively tensed. Hailey stared in wonderment thinking, _what now?_

The kitchen door swung open and three men walked through. Hailey instantly knew she was in the right place. Fear rose in the pit of her stomach causing everything to tighten and made it harder for her to breathe. Those eerie blue eyes stared at her with a grotesque smile. The man from her living room walked up to her and bent down to be eye level with her. He aggressively grabbed her face and turned it from side to side, getting a better look at her.

"It's her, I am sure of it. You can even see it for yourself," one of the men said. Hailey looked towards him and recognized him as the other man in her living room that day - the one with the short brown hair that ran away. She always thought he was a good man, fleeing like that. She didn't blame him. But now that she looked at him, she realized he was just as bad. He must have lost all of his common sense in the years that passed since that day.

The blue eyed man, Draven, stood in front of her and placed his hands on his hips. "Well, what do ya know? It _is_ her!" He looked into Hailey's eyes. Chills covered her body. The man who killed her parents stood there looking at her. Hailey felt like she was about to throw up.

Hailey's legs shook with fear. As much as she tried to make them stop, she couldn't. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, tasting blood. She closed her eyes and calmed herself. _Deep breaths in... deep breaths out. Relax. Relax. Do not give him the satisfaction of your fear. That is all he wants._

"What do you want to do with them now?" the brown-haired man asked.

"I don't know Steve, I don't know. How did they find us in the first place?" Draven rubbed his rough hands against his growing beard. It sounded like he was rubbing sandpaper. Draven turned to the other guy; the bigger one that had carried Robert in. He was bald and it looked like he ate way too much that his body didn't know what to do with the excess fat. "What do you want to do Randy?"

"M-me? I don't know boss. You make the calls," Randy said as he shifted between his weights on the balls of his feet.

Hailey realized that Steve and Randy were henchmen who took orders from Draven.

"No, I'm sorry but you gentlemen must be mistaken. We were lost and we have no idea how we came here. Now if you would just let us go we will be on our way. This is a big misunderstanding. We both understand." Robert took another breath since the guys said nothing. He looked up at the clock that hung over the doorway. "It is morning and I would like to get some breakfast ready for me and my friend here," nodding at Hailey.

Draven smiled a generous smile which faded automatically. He took an aggressive step forward and wrapped his hand around Robert's neck, pushing him backwards. His chair stood on its hind legs as Draven's grip tightened on his windpipe.

"You think I am stupid, boy?" Draven was inches from Robert's face.

Robert couldn't breathe. "S-s-to...p."

"Leave him alone!" Hailey screamed. She was out of breath. Her heartbeat was uncontrollable. It beat frantically with no natural rhythm.

"Well, we weren't supposed to go after her until later; maybe we could just use her now," Steve said, trying to change Draven's attention from Robert to himself.

Letting go of Robert's throat, Draven looked to Steve and took a step back. Robert's chair fell back into place with a loud thud. Robert coughed as the air rushed back into his lungs. Hailey stared at Robert as he eyed Draven with hate and disgust. Red marks instantly formed on Roberts's throat. Hailey wanted to touch Robert, to ease his pain but she couldn't; her hands were still constricted together. Her heart felt like it was being held just as tight as her wrists were bound. She was helpless.

Before Draven could say anything else they all heard another set of footsteps coming into the room. "You know, there better be a good reason why you numb skulls called me here so early in the morning." The man burst through the door rubbing his eyes. As soon as he looked to Hailey and Robert his eyes widened with utter shock. "What the hell is going on? What is _she_ doing here?" The new man who walked in was outraged. His voice rose above all.

Hailey looked to the man who just walked into the room and she recognized his face automatically. Her eyes started to water, but tears never fell. "F-Frank? Is that you?"

Hailey hadn't seen Frank Argentino in so long. She was almost relieved to see him now, but she remembered vowing not to see him ever again after she met Robert. She did not need Frank and his body anymore. She couldn't take her eyes off him though. He saved her once from her sorrow of losing her parents, maybe now he could save her again.

"For Christ's sake guys! Our agreement was that you weren't allowed to touch her. I specifically ordered you not to touch or go near her!" He let out a sigh and went to stand beside Hailey to see if she was alright. He bent down to undo the knots that tied her feet together.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Boss," Draven said. "Your father seemed intent on keeping her tied up."

Frank jumped up and yelled, "My Father! You called..." He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You called my father?"

"Well, yeah, it was his orders to keep an eye on her anyway. We had to report back to him. It's not our fault she showed up at our place." Draven grabbed a chair and sat down while Steve, Randy and Frank stayed standing.

Frank took a step to Draven, but kept his eyes locked on Hailey. "What do you mean, _she_ showed up _here_?"

"Her and this joke," Steve pointed at Robert, "were sneaking behind our barn. We caught them and brought them inside, not knowing who they were at first. We searched them and found this." Steve threw Draven's ID on the kitchen table. "After we tied them up we realized who she was, then we called your father and you at the same time. Your father said to tie them up and then wait for you to get here. We called him an hour ago when you were on your way and he told us to go through with the plans now. Might as well. There's no point in waiting anymore."

"No!" Frank yelled. "That's not going to happen. Let me call my dad and talk to him. Let me figure this out." Frank, with shaking hands, rummaged through his pockets for his cell phone. He dialled a number and put the phone to his ear. "Dammit, no answer." He shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. He stared at Hailey with pleading eyes, hoping that she would understand. Hailey didn't know what to think. She had no idea what was going on.

"Guys, go do something instead of standing there like morons." Draven ordered Randy and Steve out back to make sure everything was set up in the barn.

Robert didn't have a good feeling about this. He wondered what those men were going to do. What were they planning to do all along? Did they know that they were going to show up? Was this all a set up? The sickening feeling in his stomach grew stronger. Hailey felt the exact same way.

A loud crash, sounding like glass shattering, came from outside. Draven got up. "Idiots!" he said as he kicked open the back door and yelled profanities to Steve and Randy.

"Frank, what is going on?" Hailey asked, exhausted. She had been up all night and her head was starting to hurt. "You have to explain everything to me right now."

Robert wasn't affected by Frank's presence. He couldn't care less. He was only looking out for Hailey. "Hailey, how are you feeling? Are you alright? Are you cold?"

Looking at Robert with sad eyes, Hailey didn't have answers for him. She was exhausted and her wrists hurt and she couldn't feel her feet. She was frozen but there was nothing Robert could do about it. They were both in the same predicament. Robert couldn't stand seeing Hailey like that.

"There's no time to tell you what's going on. I am so sorry," Frank said. "I need to get you two out of here. I will get you home safe and sound. I promise."

Robert was confused. "You actually know this guy?" he asked Hailey.

"Yeah, his grandparents live next door to me." Hailey didn't say any more. Robert didn't need to know about their 'relationship.' Hailey felt her face flush and wondered if Robert caught on. Hailey looked down to Frank to hide her face from Robert. Frank was struggling to remove the rope from her feet. They were tied too tight so he got up and walked towards the counter, opened one of the kitchen drawers and grabbed out a knife.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing? Randy, grab him!" Draven ordered after walking back into the kitchen and caught Frank trying to free his captors. Frank was just too slow.

Through the doorway, from behind Draven, Randy appeared and grabbed on firmly to Frank, holding his hands behind his back. Frank didn't fight. He stared coldly at Draven. A smile even appeared in the corner of his mouth. He shook his head and laughed, "Fools. Wait until my dad hears about this. He will kill all of you. He doesn't give second chances."

"Your dad doesn't care if we tie you up. He knew you would go against him. We talked to him. He ordered us to tie you up if you tried to interfere. So that is exactly what we're going to do." Draven motioned for Randy to sit Frank down on one of the chairs and tie him down exactly like Hailey and Robert were.

"You're lying! I don't believe you!" Frank spat.

"Steve. Let's go."

Steve walked in from the doorway and picked up Hailey; chair and all.

"W-where are you taking me?" Hailey tried to shake free, thrashing her body from side to side so Steve couldn't get a good hold of her.

"Stop squirming or I'll drop you on your pretty little head!"

Steve, Randy and Draven carried Hailey, Frank and Robert into the barn. They were removed from their chairs and tied to metal rods sticking out from the ground. Their restraints were looser but they were still bound seamlessly. They were made to sit on old hay that was placed on the ground who knows how long ago. On one side of the barn, two couches were set up facing an old television that was covered in a layer of dirt and dust while on the other side, near the back, was a white drape that hid whatever was on the other side. Hailey didn't want to know what was being hidden.

Hailey scooted closer to Robert after they were done tying him up. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes to her visions. She smiled when she smelled the river and heard the breeze touching the grass. For a few seconds she believed she was in the field and not in the smelly, stale barn.

"I wish," Robert said, waking Hailey up from her daze. She knew he saw the same thing she did.

When the three of them were alone, with a final sigh, Hailey tried one more time asking Frank what in the world was going on.

"Okay. I'll tell you. I have no other choice now, really. I am warning you ahead of time that you might not want to hear this, but since I don't want to hide anything from you anymore, here it goes... Those were the men who robbed your house all those years ago which I am sure you probably realized by now."

"I know that. I know who they are and what they did. Tell me what they meant by going through with the plans? And no point of waiting? Waiting for what? What plans?"

Frank ground his teeth together. Whatever he was about to say, he didn't want to say it. "Alright. It all has to do with your mother, Carmella."

"My m-mom? But she... she's d-dead." Hailey's throat tightened. She hadn't heard her mom's name in the longest time and she wasn't sure if she was up to speaking about her just yet.

"Just let me get this all out and then you can ask questions. Well, your mom wasn't from this town. She was an out-of-towner. When she met your dad, she fell in love and married him, ignoring who she was before; ignoring her past, so to say."

Hailey listened intently, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from breaking down. She didn't know much about who her mom was before her parents got married since she never talked about it. Hailey jumped at any opportunity to learn about her mother's mysterious past. This was her chance.

"She got herself into trouble with my family. Not me personally, but she made many, many people angry. She was engaged to be married to one of my relatives and she blew the whole thing off. She stole a bunch of money from his bank account and then ran away so no one could find her. She changed her name and came here to create a new life with your dad and yourself. My dad is a very powerful man, one whom you should _never_ cross. Well, your mom crossed him and he found her.

"I snuck in on one of my dad's meetings when I was younger. I heard what they planned to do to your house. I remembered you from all the times I visited my grandparents. I never talked to you when I was younger, but I did see you. One day, a long time ago, I think I was around eight or seven years old, I remember you were riding your bike and you fell. Your dad was there to help your scraped knee. The way he kissed it and hugged you afterwards made me so happy to see that someone had a loving father, but also made me a little jealous. I was shy and I didn't have the guts to talk to you until almost nine years after – after the accident."

Hailey's nails dug into her palm. "Your father planned the murder of my family?" she said through clenched teeth.

"No! My dad knew that your mom had the money, even though she never revealed it. Your mom was smart and never splurged on expensive things. She kept it well hidden. He wanted to rob your house, that's it. He was originally going to take your mother back and make her pay personally, but I wouldn't let him. I cried and told him to leave her alone. I was only eleven back then, but I still knew what was right and what was wrong.

"I found out afterwards that Draven had killed your parents and shot you. I freaked out. I stormed to my father and he bribed me to keep my mouth shut and in return he would keep you safe. I agreed. I would do anything to make sure you were protected. That was when I started talking to you. That first day I helped you with your flowers. I didn't want to get too attached though. I was afraid of you finding out who I really was and hating me for the rest of your life."

Hailey sat there with her mouth slightly open. She stared at Frank Argentino, but wasn't really looking at him. Her gaze went right through him like he wasn't even there. Her mind was a million miles away; thinking of her mother, her father, the love they shared for one another and how it was so easily ripped free from her grasp in less than five minutes.

"Randy's mouth got away with him the other day when we were drinking. So stupid. All brawn, no brain. He told me that my father was in need of money. The economy wasn't doing too well and he needed the money your mom stole all those years ago since they didn't get that much when they robbed your house. So," Frank took in a deep breath and closed his eyes so he didn't look at Hailey. "They planned on kidnapping you when you turned eighteen. And using you to get their money back."

"Bastard!" Robert called out, and was about to punch Frank if his hands weren't tied behind him. His body jerked forward. He fell over to his side and he kicked him instead." Hay went flying everywhere.

"Wait! I wouldn't let them do that though! I had a plan!" Frank said trying to defend himself. They both calmed down and Frank continued. "I was going to get even closer to Hailey and make her move away with me. We would run away together and I would protect her from my family. I was willing to cut ties with them just to protect her. I knew how to make her trust me and I was going to use her trust to save her life. I didn't mean any harmful intensions whatsoever. I care for Hailey!"

Robert looked to Hailey. "So, what? Are you two a couple or something?" he asked.

Feeling a ping of jealousy flow through their bond, Hailey assured Robert that she and Frank were not a couple, nor would they ever be. Hailey told Robert how Frank was there to comfort her when her parents died. That was it. Robert trusted Hailey but now despised Frank.

They were all hungry, cold and scared. Hailey and Robert didn't know what was going to happen next, but Frank did. Frank knew exactly what was going to happen. Frank sat there in silence, contemplating all his options. His mind never stopped working as he thought of his escape route.

He knew that Draven and Steve were probably somewhere inside the house planning who would be first. Frank could hear Randy outside. They made him sit outside the door to make sure they didn't escape. It was the only exit to the barn. The only other way out of the barn was through the windows, but they didn't open. You would have to shatter them to get through which would have made a lot of noise. They risked getting cut by the glass shards if they rushed all together. Their best bet was to get untied and run like hell out the door. Frank knew Randy couldn't run. He could barely haul his fat body up a flight of stairs.

Suddenly, Draven and Steve walked into the barn. "Stay there!" Draven said to Randy who was instructed to sit and wait outside to guard the door. They weren't alone. There was another man that no one recognized with them. It wasn't Frank's father. Hailey, Frank and Robert, sitting on the cold ground, looked up to see who the new man was. He seemed awkwardly eerier. He did not smile and he didn't look like someone who had many friends. He wore all black and cracked his knuckles to the sight of the three of them sitting on the ground. His bald head shone in the one light that barely lit the entire barn.

"There she is. She is a beauty, eh?" Draven said, nudging the man's arm with his elbow.

The random man shrugged. "She's alright. Worth the money."

Frank hung his head, knowing what was coming next.

_Worth the money?_ Robert wondered.

Hailey's heart dropped as Draven leaned down behind her and removed her restraints. As soon as she was standing, he gagged her with a white kitchen cloth that actually looked clean, which was surprising. He tied it at the back of her neck.

"Where are you taking her? Leave her here! Hailey run!" Robert said as he got one look at her bulging helpless eyes.

"Shut up, you!" Draven said to Robert, kicking his foot.

Robert never stopped. He thrashed and went to kick Draven's legs.

"I _said_ shut up! If you can't shut up, I will make you." Draven pulled a gun out from his pocket and placed it right up to Robert's temple. "I'll kill you right now if I have to. I didn't hesitate when I killed your little girlfriend's parents, what makes you think I won't hesitate to kill you?"

Robert stared intensely into Draven's dark, empty eyes. "Kill me, I don't care. Just, please, leave her alone."

"No can do. We're going to show your little friend how to have a good time. That's all."

"You piece of scum! Let her go! Hailey! No! No!" Robert screamed for Hailey. She tried to get away but she was so weak. She hadn't eaten anything all day and she was exhausted. She didn't even have it in her to cry. She saw tears forming in Robert's eyes, but she couldn't cry.

"You asked for it." With the gun still in his hand, Draven punched Robert square in the jaw. He fell unconscious to one side awkwardly limp since his hand restraints kept him from falling over completely.

Hailey gasped in shock - barely - it just came out as a muffled grunt since the gag was stuck in her mouth still. Her hands shook. Her heart raced. _Robert_ , she thought. _Robert, please wake up. I need you. I'm scared. I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and never came here in the first place. What have I done?_

Draven turned the gun and pointed it at Frank. "Do you have anything to say?"

His words sounded like a curse. They came out as a low growl from the pit of his stomach. "I will kill you. When I get out of here I will hunt you down and kill you slowly and painfully. You will be begging for me to kill you when I am through with you."

Draven cocked the gun. "I'd like to see you try," he laughed.

Hailey's knees began to tremble when she realized Robert wasn't waking up. He was still alive, she knew. She could see his chest rising with every breath he took. Her legs gave out but she was still conscious. She was just dizzy, very dizzy. Steve carried her in his arms, but she didn't even realize she was moving. At first she thought the room was moving, but it was really her.

With Hailey in his arms, Steve walked to the back of the barn with Draven and the other man. Draven pushed aside the curtain to reveal what was behind. There was nothing behind it except a ratty old mattress. It didn't click it until after what the mattress was for.

Steve threw Hailey on the mattress. Before they closed the curtains and that was when the ear-piercing screams began. Even though they were muffled, they stung Frank's heart. Her screams rang in his ears and he wished that Draven had knocked him unconscious along with Robert. Her screams would haunt him forever.

Hailey screamed, but no one else could hear. There was nothing any of them could do. The night ended horribly for all three of them.

Day 6

Friday March 20th 2010

There was a certain stillness in the room that seemed almost unnatural. No one moved, for they were all asleep, lost in their dreamless unconsciousness. The air was dry and stale and hung heavy in the air. Frank spent the entire night cursing himself and his family for the turn of events that fell through last night. He failed in keeping Hailey safe. He failed in promising himself that he would make sure no harm came to her. The plans he had constructed were ruined. He couldn't run away with Hailey anymore. He couldn't protect her from his family. He couldn't start a life he had dreamt of with her. Even if it had meant losing his family in the process, he didn't care. Frank didn't care too much for his family anyway. His mother passed away when he was little so he only had his father. He only cared for his grandparents who were oblivious as to what his father did. His father's parents had passed away and the grandparents that lived next door to Hailey were from his mother's side.

The morning sun rose in the sky and lightened up the darkened barn but the cold and darkness still lingered in the shadows. Hailey lay passed out on the cot, unmoving. Robert awkwardly sat on the filthy ground still passed out. Frank slept with an exhausted and creased face. He didn't want to sleep last night, but his body protested until he passed out without even realizing it.

The door to the barn opened and closed abruptly, startling Robert and Frank, waking them up. It was Randy entering, heading for the curtain at the back. The early morning cold from outside rushed in with him, sending chills up Robert's back.

Randy didn't utter one word to them as he passed, barely missing stepping on their feet. His steel toe boots were covered in mud and the hay that he walked on stuck to them with each step that he took. His boots made so much noise compared to the quiet that they all endured for the night.

Frank silently watched Randy as he walked to the back of the room. Dry tear marks covered Frank's face, running down his cheeks, staining his skin. He never took his gaze off the curtain. He was at a loss for words and couldn't come up with any words through the fog in his brain. He was scared to see what the curtain would reveal.

Waking up dazed, Robert squeezed his eyes, squinting, and tried to slowly sit up. The sun was shining – barely – through the dirty windows and had woken him. He straightened and moaned at how uncomfortable he was. He passed out last night and was limped to the side awkwardly. The side of his body and his arms were so soar. When he sat up fully he realized he had an agonizing headache and tried to remember what had happened. He realized afterwards. He sneezed from all the dirt entering into his nose and yelled out loud at the pain in the left side of his face. He wiped his face on his shoulder and noticed how tender the side of his face really was. He felt like someone had punched him with a brick.

Automatically he realized Hailey wasn't sitting beside him anymore. He remembered them taking her away from him. _She's gone. Where is she_? Robert's asked himself.

Pulling back the curtain, Randy grabbed the still-sleeping-Hailey off the cot and brought her to sit back with Robert. She remained unconscious when he picked her up and dropped her off. Her head lay limp on Robert's shoulder. Robert's heart felt like it was being clawed at by a ravenous animal. He couldn't even produce angry words to yell at Randy. He wanted to sob. Everything in his body was telling him to start crying and never stop. He was frustrated and couldn't do anything to dilute it. He couldn't kick down a wall or run or punch someone's face since his hands were tied. He couldn't even swear his brains out since words didn't form. He felt like everything he knew was wiped clean. All he could think of was how utterly and uncontrollably miserable he was.

When Randy was done tying Hailey's bruised and cut hands to where they previously were tied, he casually walked out without even making eye contact with Robert. He acted like he wasn't even there. He didn't even take a second glance at Frank.

A lump burned in Robert's throat from holding back his tears. He wondered why Hailey didn't wake up when he placed her down. He tried to speak but his throat was closed entirely with fear and dust. He shook his shoulder, causing her head to shake with it. Hailey moaned and Robert let out the breath he was holding.

Hailey finally came to, slowly lifting her head from Robert's shoulder, severing contact. At first she was confused at her surroundings. Hailey went to grab her throbbing head with her hands but she was stuck. Her hands were tied. Like Robert, Hailey snapped back to the present situation she was in. She brought her knees to her chest. She looked down and gasped at her ripped and bloodied clothes. Her lip was cut and bleeding - or at least it _was_ bleeding. Now it was just dried up blood which no one wiped off.

"Robert... what hap...? Oh god! Oh no! No, no, no!" Hailey dropped her head into her knees. She shivered with fear. Her eyes were shot open, staring at her legs. She didn't have the nerve to close her eyes since it only showed memories of last night.

Robert scooted closer and wanted to nudge Hailey's shoulder, but Hailey flinched with fear and moved an inch away. Robert could feel the fear Hailey felt from his touch.

Trying to cover up her body, Hailey felt used and broken. She had read about people who shared their stories of being raped, but she could never imagine it happening to her. She could still feel that monsters hands and lips on her own. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to burn her skin off. It itched like a thousand red ants were biting her and she couldn't get rid of the feeling. She wanted to scratch her skin off, but her hands were tied, bleeding, bruised and sore behind her.

Robert looked over Hailey's body. He didn't know where her pants were, but luckily her shirt was long enough that it covered most of her torso. Robert was thankful Hailey put on a loose, long fitted shirt, unlike all the other girls he knew which wore almost nothing, exposing way too much skin.

The purple and blue marks on Hailey came from the man's fist connecting with her porcelain skin. He beat her. Not because someone would hear her screams, he beat her because her screams were unbearable to listen to – annoying even. It was a sense of empowerment. When Robert got out, he would find that man and kill him. He would show him who was more powerful.

The man had called her profound names while he hit her. Hailey was conscious the entire time, trying to fight him off. She heard every foul word and dirty thing he said to her. Every bad word in the book was repeated at that time. When Hailey couldn't take it anymore, she prayed that he killed her instead of enduring another moment of that torture. She tried to drown it out. She tried to think of her forest memory with Robert. She tried to picture Robert. She couldn't get the memory to form in her mind. She couldn't remember what the air and grass smelled like.

Hailey wondered if Robert would still love her after finding out what happened to her. She knew he was knocked unconscious and was glad he didn't have to hear what was going on. On the other hand, she knew that Frank was there, listening the entire time, not helping her. Was she not screaming loud enough? _Why isn't he helping me_? Hailey had wondered. She knew his restraints were too tight to escape from, because if they weren't, she knew he would have saved her.

With the man's body on her, evil words spouting from his mouth, Hailey managed to drown him out eventually. Instead of Robert appearing in her mind, Gregory Barnes from school had. She remembered back to the cafeteria when he spoke to her. "Yo _u are very, very beautiful. Remember that. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise_." She had wished that she wasn't so anti-social. She wished that she took the time to talk to Gregory when she had the chance. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He could possibly have even been her friend. One friend was better than none. She wondered if anyone had even realized she was gone and missing. She knew no one cared enough for her to realize. _Does Gregory realize I'm not at school_? she wondered. She pushed that thought aside. Hailey now had Robert and he was all she needed.

Hailey was devastated about what Frank Argentino had been hiding from her. _How could I have been so oblivious? I've been treated like a fool my entire life. He didn't even have the decency to tell me the truth. What a scum bag._

Hailey's thoughts came back to the present. Robert still shook his shoulder to get her to look at him.

"H-Hailey. It is o-k-kay." _Crap, it's not okay. How in the hell can it be okay. I can't even comfort her properly_ , he thought.

Robert knew what happened to Hailey. He could only guess but he knew he was right. Cot. Random guy. Hailey flinching from his touch. The bruise marks on her body. The man's handprint on her thigh. He couldn't believe it. He was angry, but Hailey's sadness made it impossible for him to show his anger. His soul was in pain. He felt sorrow flooding through Hailey. Her sadness became one with him. He couldn't bare it. He could only imagine how much intensified it was in Hailey's petit body.

Turning to face Frank who sat there like a statue, Robert noticed the veins in Frank's neck were sticking out. "This is your entire fault!" Robert raised his leg and smashed it hard into Frank's rib cage, sending him about a foot away from where he was sitting. He couldn't go far since his restraints weren't that long.

Frank screamed in pain, coughing from the unexpected effect of the foot-to-ribcage action. His yell echoed throughout the entire barn. Robert knew it couldn't have hurt that much, but he was glad that it seemed like it did. Robert was going to do more than that to Frank when his hands were untied, that was for sure.

Raising her head to see what happened to Frank, Hailey could feel the anger boiling inside Robert. She felt Robert move and figured that he hit Frank somehow to release his anger. Hailey didn't mind that Robert caused Frank pain. He deserved it.

Frank started to laugh out loud. Robert and Hailey were curious as to what he found so funny.

Frank lifted his weak hand to remove his dishevelled hair from his face, slicking it back. His hand shook on the way up. His hand was purple and his wrists were cut all the way around.

"Your hand!" Robert said. "You're out of your restraints." Robert didn't even comment on the condition of his hands or the fact of how much pain Frank was probably in.

"Yeah. I have been trying to get myself loose from these stupid ropes ever since they first tied me here. Sleep got in my way, but I overcame that. Thanks to your friendly nudge, I am out completely." Frank tried to laugh but it came out more of a cough. He was exhausted and surprisingly out of breath. He turned and tried to free his other hand. His forehead was covered in sweat and dirt. Robert finally realized the amount of pain that Frank was in. Frank couldn't control the tremors of his hands. His wrists had old and fresh cuts from the rope, which were still bleeding.

Wondering what his own hands looked like, Robert turned his head to get a look at his hand, but failed miserably. He couldn't even turn around properly. He figured they were most likely purple and bloodied like Frank's. Robert couldn't even move his fingers anymore. All he could manage to do was pull on the ropes, causing it to dig deeper in his skin. His fingers stopped working long ago. Robert used the majority of his energy previously trying to free himself. He had no energy left. He was exhausted even though he just woke up.

"I'll be back," Frank said as he sluggishly got up. He dusted off his pants and walked towards the door.

Hailey and Robert's gaze followed him, clicking in a moment later that he was actually free and standing up in front of them.

"What the hell? Untie us," Robert said. He was worried about Hailey. She didn't eat much and he knew she had no energy to even stand. He would have to carry her back to their car - if it was still where they left it.

Frank didn't listen.

"Where do you think you're going? Help us!" Robert yelled.

"Shhh! I'll be back," Frank said.

"Like hell you will!" Robert couldn't control his tone of voice. He knew he had to suck up. He tried a different tactic. "Come on man. I was just kidding. Sorry about the kick. No hard feelings, right? I helped you, see. Just untie us and all will be forgiven and forgotten. Alright?" Robert tried to keep his anger to a minimum. If he had to kill Frank to get himself and Hailey out of there, he would gladly do it.

Robert had no idea where he got all this anger from, but when anyone he loved was in danger, he felt it was his right to protect them. If anything or anyone threatened his family, he would defend them until the death. He felt that Hailey was part of his family and would do anything to help her. Robert had never killed anyone - let alone even thought about killing anyone - but with the current situation, he would kill anything and anyone for even daring to go after his beloved Hailey.

Frank opened the door a bit, just to peep out. He had to make sure no one was there when he made a run for it.

"Please! If you don't want to untie me, I get it. Just... untie Hailey! She doesn't deserve this. You owe her that!" Robert was running out of things to say to make him untie them. If he at least got Frank to untie Hailey, that would be fine with him. He didn't need to be set free. He only wanted the safety of the wonderful woman sitting beside him who he had fallen madly in love with.

Hailey kept quiet the entire time but looked up at Robert when he said that. She smiled and her eyes glazed over. Her face turned beat red as she thought the same thing. She was madly in love with Robert. He was willing to risk his life to save her. Hailey knew that if Frank untied her, she would still stay back and untie Robert, even if that meant Frank leaving.

"Relax. Like I said - I'll be back!" And just like that, Frank opened the door fully and disappeared.

"Son of a -" Robert stopped himself. He didn't want to swear in front of Hailey.

"He left," Hailey said with a hoarse voice, almost not believing what her eyes showed her. "He just left. Just like that. He left us here. Alone. He didn't save us. He... he... left." Hailey was in shock. She held in her tears. She didn't want to cry. This situation didn't deserve tears. She couldn't be weak and let Robert see her tears. Her chest shook as sobs wanted to burst out but she wouldn't let them. Her bottom lip trembled. _Be strong_ , she told herself. She scooted closer to Robert and placed her head on Robert's shoulder, embracing his warmth. She was so cold. Her body ached, but she learned to ignore it. She learned how to ease the pain of seeing her parents murdered. She put the man raping her in the same little box in the back of her brain. The same box here parents' bloodied bodies had been in.

"Don't worry. We don't need him. If he could get out of these restraints, so can I." When Robert finished speaking he pulled. He pulled harder on the ropes than he ever did before. He yelled and screamed in pain. The rope, it burned his skin. He was losing way too much blood.

"Robert, stop!" Hailey screamed. "Please stop. You're hurting yourself!" Hailey looked at his back. She could see his hands. "Your hands! They're ruined. You can't pull anymore! Your skin will rip right off. Stop!" She nudged him with her shoulder.

Sensing Hailey's fear, he stopped pulling. He knew he was getting nowhere. All he got out of pulling on the ropes was a loss of skin and blood. But they were worth loosing if it meant getting out of there.

The door opened and someone rushed in panting. It was Frank! He returned! "What the hell is going on in here?" he asked, after hearing Robert's screams.

Frank ran up to Hailey and grazed her chest. Robert thought he was cupping a feel but he realized that Frank placed something in Hailey's breast pocket since it was drooping after he walked by her.

"What is that?" Hailey asked, looking down, turning her head this way and that. She couldn't see straight into her pocket.

"A little something to say I am sorry. I've been hiding it all these years. I was going to give it to you when we ran away together, but I am guessing you probably wouldn't want to see me after this. It's kind of a token of my apology. Now, be quiet, they are coming." Frank went and sat back down beside Robert. He placed his hands behind him, acting as if they were still tied. "I told you I would come back. I grabbed it from inside the house and then came back here. They are on their way here now. I heard them. They didn't see me though. Don't say anything. When they leave, I will unite us all and we'll get out of here. Just be patient. Once you guys are far gone and safe, I will then deal with them. Those bastards deserve to die. Each and every one of them." Frank's face hardened.

Hailey and Robert were both terrified of Frank in that moment, but the moment was short lived since the door opened and Draven, Randy and Steve walked through. Steve was holding a tray which he placed on the couch. Randy sat down on the other couch and was looking curiously at the remote control. "Does this thing even work anymore?" he asked with his husky voice. It sounded like his mouth was full of food, but it didn't look like it.

Draven walked up to the three of them, taking his time to make his way over. He crouched down so he was eye level with Robert. Robert stared at him with an intensity that almost burned a hole in between Draven's eyes. Hailey cowered behind Robert. Robert didn't want Draven looking at her.

Draven scuffed at them, almost as if he was thinking that this was such a waste of his time, but he enjoyed doing it. He got back up and snapped his fingers to Steve. "We got a pretty penny last night thanks to our lovely Hailey over here. Here is our celebration. Feed them."

Steve grabbed three pieces of bread from the tray. He walked up to Hailey first. Robert saw a glimmer of something in Steve's eyes. Was it regret? Did he feel bad for what they were doing to Hailey? As quick as Robert saw it, it quickly disappeared and his face hardened once again.

Hailey didn't lift her face from Robert's shoulders once since Draven had walked in. When Steve reached Hailey, he didn't say anything. Instead, he just placed the piece of bread on her knees. He figured she wouldn't be able to grab it with her hands, so by placing it on her knees, it was easy accessible for her mouth.

Robert, knowing he couldn't use his hands to grab the bread as well, mimicked Hailey's position. He brought his knees up to his chest and Steve balanced the piece of bread on Robert's knees.

Steve then walked up to Frank and offered the piece of bread. Frank didn't even look at him. As hungry as Frank was, he didn't want to eat anything they touched. Even though he knew the food was perfectly fine, just seeing them and their betrayal disgusted him and made him lose his appetite.

Draven noticed what was going on with Frank and walked up to Steve, grabbing the bread out of his hand. Steve walked back over to the couches where Randy was. "What? You don't want my bread? Not good enough for you?" Draven asked, waving the bread in Frank's face.

Frank didn't make eye contact and didn't answer when Draven spoke to him.

"Not hungry then, are we Frank?" No answer. "Fine then, starve!" Draven threw the piece of bread at Frank's chest, it fell to his lap and landed on the dirty ground.

"Give me that," Steve said to Randy as he snatched the remote control out of Randy's hands. He pointed the remote to the TV and turned it on.

"Oh, it does work!" Randy said happily.

An alarm sounded from the television and everyone turned their attention to the little old box which sat on the wooden stand. Steve walked up and wiped the screen with his hand, cleaning some of the dust off it.

"Breaking News. For those of you who are just tuning in, an Amber Alert has been issued for sixteen year old Hailey Glassman. She was last seen in the school parking lot, the morning of Tuesday March 17th 2011. A very concerned classmate of hers made the call since her absences at school began to increase. Hailey's teachers and principals have called the house countless times with no answer. Her aunt, Stella White, has been contacted as her only guardian and has informed police that she didn't know Hailey's whereabouts. Child services has been called and will do a farther investigation of child neglect on Hailey's case.

"A search warrant of Hailey's house has been granted to the police to search for any clues in where she might be. After entering Hailey's house they noticed the floor boards had been torn off completely. Foul play is not suspected but police are still investigating."

The screen changed and Gregory Barnes showed up. Hailey recognized his friendly face and a smile rose on the corner of her mouth. She knew that with his dad's connections in the television and news industry, it was easy enough for him to get his five minutes of fame to vent out his concerns.

"Please if you know where Hailey is, return her peacefully. This is not normal of Hailey to miss school and I know she didn't have many friends, but she would never run away. She was content with her life. She has had too much trauma for any girl her age and we just want her back safe. Please. Whoever you are and wherever she is, please bring her back. Thank you."

The screen went back to the news reporter.

"After inspecting school cameras, it revealed Hailey entering an unknown vehicle which we have just discovered belonged to Robert Catalanotto. His sister, Rosie Catalanotto, attends Collingwood Secondary school. The police questioned her and found out that she knows nothing of her brother's whereabouts and she informs police that he has been missing as well. He stopped replying to her text messages and she was worried about him. Robert Catalanotto is the suspected kidnapper. If you see this car," a security picture of Robert's car came into screen, "please do not hesitate to call the police."

Hailey watched the newswoman and her heart lightened up a bit. They were looking for her. They did realize she was missing. Hailey couldn't believe that Gregory noticed she was gone. He even went through to say that he knew she was content with her life. He had actually noticed her at school, she knew it now. He had been watching out for her ever since everything that happened. Hailey wondered why he never spoke up to her more than just that one day in the cafeteria. It didn't really matter now. The cops were looking for her. That was wonderful! They would find her soon!

"Well that can't be good. It's alright though. They won't check here anyway," Draven shrugged.

"Why not?" Hailey asked, before she even realized she spoke at all. She averted her gaze, cowering.

"Because, little princess, when you have money and power, the rules are under you." Draven looked to Frank. "Your little friend over there, like I said, has a powerful father. How do you think we escaped the first search they did for the killer of your parents? Our area is marked down as dilapidated and they just pass over. Easy as cake!"

Draven walked over to Frank and kicked his foot. "Your father is a great man. Too bad he doesn't even trust his own son. It's probably because he doesn't love you anymore. How could he love a low life like you anyway is beyond me. If you were my kid I would have knocked some sense into you. No wonder your mother left you." Draven laughed.

Hatred sparked in Frank's eyes. "She never left. She died."

"Oh, is that what your father told you? Well then, he lied. She left him because she couldn't stand to look at your filthy face. She ran away the day after having you."

Frank's temper started to bubble inside of him. It looked as if he might explode at any moment! Robert noticed. "Relax," he said under his breath. He didn't want Frank to do or say anything stupid. Especially when they were so close to freedom.

"Your mom was just another whore your father knocked up. I think he actually liked her though, since he kept you. I don't know why."

"Don't talk about my mother like that. You don't even know her!" Frank said through clenched teeth, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Oh, I know more about her than your own father does. She told me she never loved your father. Being with him was a mistake and having you was an even bigger one."

Frank's furry couldn't be withheld any longer.

Draven continued, "And when you were born, she couldn't even look at you. She was disturbed by your very presence. That's why she left. Your father couldn't stand the fact that she left and disappeared, that's why he told you she died. He never really loved you either but kept you anyway. You reminded him too much of her, that's why he couldn't stand to look at you and sent you away every chance he got."

"LIAR!" Frank roared, getting up from his sitting position.

Stunned, Draven went to grab his gun – the same one that he had used to knock Robert unconscious - which he kept tucked in his belt buckle, but Frank was quicker. Frank grabbed Draven's hand as he wrapped his fingers around the gun. They both struggled; grunting and trying overpower the other.

Hailey's eyes widened in fear. She knew nothing good would come from two men fighting at such close proximities with a gun wedged in between them. She wanted to close her eyes, to look away, but she couldn't. She hoped that if she stared long enough, they would just stop.

Steve and Randy joined in, but wanted to separate them. Steve went behind Draven, trying to pull him off, but couldn't. Draven had Frank in a headlock and Frank had his arms wrapped tightly around Draven's waist. They would never let go. Randy went behind Frank and tried to pry him off Draven to no avail.

Then, suddenly, a gunshot.

Hailey screamed. And didn't stop screaming. She shook her head to erase the numbing sound that the gunshot left afterwards. It was fired at such a close proximity, that it stunned everyone in the room. Everyone's ears rung and they went deaf momentarily. Hailey couldn't hear herself scream but she knew she was from the pain in her throat.

Taking a good look at Hailey, Robert was afraid that she got shot. She was screaming, but not crying and she didn't look hurt. She was terrified though. He could see her face, her mouth open, screaming, but he still couldn't hear it. The ringing and buzzing noised remained for a few seconds before his hearing came back to him. When his hearing returned, he was able to concentrate better. Robert relaxed a bit and checked himself. Nothing hurt on his body and he didn't see any blood. He and Hailey were fine.

Robert then looked to the huddled bundle of Steve, Frank, Draven and Randy, all standing in close proximity with one another. They were so close they were all touching in some way. Randy was the first one to step back and check himself. He checked his arms, his legs, his chest and stomach. He let out a sigh of relief since he wasn't shot. Next to move was Steve. He stepped back, letting go of Draven, checked himself and sighed as well. Four down, two more to go.

Draven, stunned, like he had seen a ghost, let go of Frank. Then, screamed. Frank fell to the ground, but before anyone noticed Frank's body fall, they all noticed Draven's hand. His pinky finger was missing. He shot off his own pinky!

Randy's face turned green. "Boss! Your h-h-and! Your finger is g-gone!" he stuttered. He took a step back from the blood which was gushing out of Draven's hand.

Staring with wide, stunned eyes, Robert and Hailey couldn't believe Draven had shot himself! They sat there in silence, not sure what to do or say.

Draven screamed more as he tried to stop the bleeding with his jacket which he took off quickly. He covered his hand completely and put pressure on it. His face was white and pasty. He had lost blood and the effects were wearing him out.

"Oh no, not again. Not again!" Steve grabbed his head, obviously shaken by what happened. Everyone turned to his direction. Everyone was more focused on Draven's hand that no one realized Frank on the ground. There was a puddle around Frank. A puddle of blood. Steve rolled him over, only to discover that Draven wasn't the only one who got shot. A bullet hole protruded right in the middle of Frank's forehead.

"Hailey!" Robert screamed to get Hailey's attention.

She turned to him before looking at Frank's lifeless body. Robert needed to distract her. He didn't want her to see the bullet hole. He knew if she did, memories of her mother getting shot would resurface and be even worse for her to handle. He didn't want her to go through that. Hailey felt the panic in Robert's voice and his presence. She trusted him and didn't dare look towards Frank. She closed her eyes and dug her face into Robert's shoulder once again.

Everyone was shocked. They couldn't believe that Draven had really killed Frank. "We're all dead. That's it. Were done for. I can't believe it. He will come after us. He will kill us all. I knew it was a bad idea. This can't be happening," Steve was ranting. He said more things that were inaudible. He was scared – very scared.

"Steve! Shut up!" Draven yelled.

"What you do boss?" Randy's face turned a darker shade of green from seeing more of Frank's blood.

Draven turned to Randy. "Nothing! I didn't do anything! It was an accident! Pick him up and bring him out back to the digging area. Start another hole and we will bury him there. You all saw, he attacked me!" Draven's eyes were wide with fear. He knew he would be in trouble when Frank's father found out what happened. "We let Frank go... yeah. That is what happened. We untied him, alright? We let him go and he left. None of this ever happened!"

Draven followed Randy, Steve and the lifeless Frank out the barn. As soon as Robert heard Draven say 'None of this ever happened,' Robert knew there was no way they were going to get out of there alive.

He sighed when he realized he had never been that scared in his life. He had to start accepting that they would soon be the next ones in the dirt beside Frank.

Day 7

Saturday March 21st 2010

Waking up with another searing pain pulsating through his head, Robert's brain felt like it was on fire. His vision blurred as he tried to make out objects in the barn, but he couldn't. He couldn't get his eyes to focus well enough to see clearly. He looked down at a distorted vision of his shirt and it was completely stained with red and dark brown. He didn't remember what colour his shirt initially was, but he knew it was now the colour of dried blood. Something else was different, something wrong. He realized he was elevated from the ground. He was no longer sitting on the cold, dirty, hay filled floor of the barn. He was once again tied to a chair in the kitchen.

All came into focus when he realized Hailey wasn't beside him. The insides of Robert's legs hurt him. His head felt like he had been punched multiple times. His body felt violated. His headache was growing unbearable. He felt disgusted with himself and wanted to be put out of his misery. Those weren't his feelings. He felt Hailey's emotions once again.

Heart pounding in his chest, Robert was filled with fury. How could he have been captured and treated like a rag doll so easily? How could someone have so much power over him? He wanted to be free. He wanted to be able to walk whenever he wanted. He wanted to eat, go to the washroom and move his hands freely once again. His shoulders felt like they would pop out of the socket at any moment. His back had a searing pain running through it at one point, but now it was just a numbing pain that made Robert wonder if he would ever get feeling back in parts of his body.

Robert was exhausted, dehydrated and unfed. He couldn't keep going along with that. It wasn't like he had a choice, but something had to be done.

Closing his eyes, Robert tried to recall the events of last night. His memory had been faltering ever since that first blow to his head. He remembered that Draven, Randy and Steve had to dig a hole for Frank's lifeless body. Robert still couldn't believe Frank was actually dead. It all happened so quickly. They were all so close to escaping, but then Frank let Draven get into his head and Frank got killed because of it. From that act alone, Robert and Hailey had lost their freedom just as quickly as Frank lost his life.

If only Frank kept his cool and didn't attack Draven. Robert would have been lying in Hailey's bed or Hailey in his bed. They would have been warm together and not have to worry about anything. Of course the first thing they would do when they escaped was call the police and make sure Draven, Steve, and Randy all got put away for life.

What should have taken them about an hour to dig a hole last night, ended up taking much longer. They dug all the way into the late hours of the night. Draven was frantic running all over the place, trying to wrap up his finger to cease the bleeding. He didn't want to go to the hospital since they always asked so many questions and he didn't have any time for that.

Draven had clients arriving the moment the trigger was pulled and he wanted to make sure that Frank's body was removed from his way. He didn't want anyone to see what had happened to Frank. If anyone knew that he had shot and killed Frank, Draven would have been just as good as dead. He knew whoever came over would automatically report back to Frank's father. Draven couldn't have that.

Two men arrived just as soon as they were done digging the hole and dropping Frank's lifeless body in. Draven ordered Steve and Randy to wait in the house for him while he talked to his clients.

The two men came for Hailey. The smiles on their faces that arose from taking one look at Hailey set Robert on fire. Hailey cowered behind him and started crying. His anger couldn't be contained. He roared with rage as he pulled his hands through the ropes. His skin came off with his freedom. Robert managed a bloody punch that connected with one of the men's jaw.

"Don't touch her!"

Hailey screamed for Robert's life. She knew he didn't have a chance against those three men. Robert didn't care. He would do whatever he could to ensure the safety of Hailey since he failed the night before. He wouldn't let it happen again. He _couldn't_ let it happen again.

With barely any strength left, Robert and the man he punched both ended up falling to the ground. Draven pulled Robert off the man and punched him square in the stomach. Robert turned around to go after the man on the ground or get away from Draven but something collided with the back of his skull, rendering him useless and unconscious.

That left Robert in his current situation. They removed him from the barn from being such a nuisance. They couldn't have him punching every single paying customer that Draven had come across. It just wasn't good for business.

Steve walked into the kitchen through the doorway. He and Randy were sleeping on the couch. "Hey, you're awake," Steve said as he walked up to Robert. Randy stretched and followed Steve.

Robert was about to flinch but didn't when he realized Steve wasn't going to hurt him. Robert didn't know why, but he actually felt sorry for Steve. He knew he shouldn't, after what he put him through, but deep down inside something told him to pity Steve. He seemed like a guy who got caught up with the wrong people at the wrong time and he was now stuck for life. Randy just looked stupid enough to follow the person in front of him and it seemed like he liked the orders being barked at him by Draven.

Robert had an idea. He didn't know if it would work. But he figured he literally had nothing to lose.

"I have to go to the washroom," Robert said.

"Uh, gee. I don't know if I can let you go," Steve said with a sad tone to his voice. He rubbed the scruff of his face as he contemplated on helping Robert.

"Yeah, Boss said we're not allowed to untie you. No matter what," Randy said with a mouth full of bread, already.

"Draven isn't here. It will only take two seconds. You guys can both escort me. I really have to go. I mean _really_. I didn't go last time you let us all go to the washroom. Please."

"We can't. Sorry," Steve said.

"Come on guys. Please!"

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

Silence.

"I'll go in my pants then. I will. And then Draven will make one of you guys clean it. You know I'm right." Robert knew he could always bring up Draven's name to scare them.

Their backs both straightened as they both imagined the scene in their heads. They knew Robert was right. They could easily avoid that if they just let him go to the washroom. Neither of them were in a mood to clean that sort of mess.

Steve looked to Randy who just shrugged. "Well, I guess since Draven isn't here we can. But you can't say anything! Or I will never help you again!" Steve said. He then turned to Randy, "Help me with these knots. You grab one arm and I will grab the other. One slip, Randy, and this will all be on your head."

"I got him, don't worry."

The moment they untied Robert, the blood rushed back to his fingertips, making them tingle. He had never felt so good in his life. Even though Randy and Steve had a good grip on his arms, it felt amazing to have his wrists out of the restraints. He almost cried from the feeling.

As soon as they passed the kitchen doorway into the living area to go to the washroom, Draven walked in through the front door.

Of course.

Draven stopped dead in his tracks, almost not believing the image he was looking at. "What the hell are you guys doing? Are you two insane? I don't know who is dumber sometimes. Idiot number 1," he pointed to Steve. "Or idiot number 2." He pointed at Randy.

"S-sorry Boss. Steve told me-" Randy was flustered and didn't know what to do. His guard was down and broken whenever he saw Draven.

"You're _such_ a tattle tale! Grow some balls Randy!" Steve yelled.

Robert figured this was the best of time to react. With Randy's grip loose on his arm, he yanked free and grabbed Steve with both his hands. With all his might, he pushed Steve into Draven.

Instinct took over Draven as he grabbed Steve with both hands and tried to steady himself so they both didn't fall to the ground.

In those few seconds it took for Robert to push Steve and for Draven to hold onto Steve, Robert took a step forward and grabbed the gun that Draven kept hidden in his belt buckle at the rim of his pants. It easily just slid out. Robert smiled at how easy it was.

The cool steel of the gun felt much better in his hands than it did ground against his face.

Holding it with both hands and pointing it at their faces, Robert threatened to shoot them. His feet were apart as he held the gun outstretched with both his index fingers on the trigger.

"Don't move. I'll shoot. So help me God, I will shoot all three of you dead right now."

"If there are bullets left. It could be empty," Draven said, trying to trick Robert.

Internally, Robert struggled for a few moments. The gun could have been empty. Draven could be lying. Why would he carry around an empty gun? Why is he cowering in front of him if the gun was empty?

"Grab him Randy," Draven said quickly, slapping Randy's arm.

The three of them stood in a row in front of Robert. Neither one of them moving. Steve had his hands up in the air as if he were surrendering.

"Get him I said!" Draven yelled.

"But he has a gun. He will shoot me." Randy's forehead began to glisten with sweat.

"No he won't, you idiot. The guns empty. Now get him!" Draven yelled which echoed throughout the entire house.

At that moment Randy lunged for Robert.

Robert was not going to get captured again. He wasn't going to sit there and let them tie his hands behind his back all over again. He wouldn't let them harm Hailey any more. He had to protect her. She didn't have anyone else. He loved her and didn't want to see her suffering like that. These three men were hurting her. They were going to kill her and kill him when they were done with them. Just like Frank. Poor Frank.

Robert pulled the trigger.

Randy screamed and fell to the ground.

The bullet pierced the biggest part of his body – his stomach. Robert didn't know if it was a fatal shot or not, but he knew Randy was down and out for the count.

"I thought you said the gun was empty," Randy groaned.

Robert then turned the gun to Steve. "Run! Leave now and never come back and I will spare your life. And I _don't_ give second chances."

Steve took one glance at Draven, pleading almost, and then turned around and ran out the front door, never looking back. Robert knew he wouldn't return. He could almost see the tension in Steve's shoulders erase as he left. Robert might have been mistaken but he thought he even heard Steve sigh as his image disappeared.

"It's just me and you," Robert said with a smirk on his face. He couldn't wait to make Draven pay. Oh, and how he would make him pay!

"Too bad. You're out of bullets."

Robert's gaze flickered from Draven's face to the gun for a split second, but in that second, Draven took the advantage and rushed Robert.

They both fell to the ground, but Robert had determination on his side, strengthening him. He rolled over on top of Draven and with all his strength he brought the gun down on Draven's temple. Robert knew it was the softest part on the head and a blow like that would do some damage. Robert was right. After connecting with Draven's skull, Robert sat up and stared at him. There was no blood, but Draven was out cold.

Quickly getting up, Robert ran for the barn. He didn't know how much time he had, but he didn't need much. He planned to run to the barn, grab Hailey and get the hell out of there. He kept the gun tight in his grip. He brought it with him, just in case he ran into any unwanted company.

Bursting into the barn, Robert knew Hailey was in the back, behind the curtain. He almost didn't want to know the condition she was in. He didn't waste any more time. As soon as he pulled that filthy curtain back and laid his eyes on Hailey's body, he crumbled to the ground, speechless. His knees buckled as they hit the cement floor hard, but he felt nothing. He covered his face with his hands and bent over to place his head on the mattress Hailey lay on. Sobs filled his chest. He didn't want to look back up. He dry heaved from the image which was now stuck in his head. His hands filled with his warm tears. He knew he had to be stronger than that. He lifted his head up and wiped his hands on his clothes. Robert's lip trembled as he moved the strands of hair that stuck to Hailey's face. A mixture of blood and tears kept them in place.

As soon as Hailey felt Robert's touch, she woke up. Hailey's arms were tied above her head and attached to a stake in the ground. Her shoulders looked like they were being pulled right from her body. She lost so much weight from being tied up and rarely fed all these days. Hailey's body was covered in more blood and more bruises than last time he saw her. Her lip was swollen, black and blue.

Robert's stomach couldn't handle seeing Hailey tied up like that. It was torture for him to see the one he loved in that much pain. He couldn't stop his tears from falling. He could feel her energy slowly drifting away. The Hailey he once knew was now miles away and he knew he would never get her back. Even if they did get out of there alive, he knew neither of them would be the same ever again. Hailey did not deserve that. She did nothing in her life to deserve all that has happened to her. Robert's only wish was to start everything over again, if there was one way he could have prevented everything from happening. He would trade his soul, his life, just to see Hailey smile again.

He got back up from his knees and crawled to the stake in the ground. He pulled it out and removed the knots that were tied around Hailey's wrists. He pulled the rope of gently. Hailey clenched her teeth as Robert had to peel the rope away. It dug so deep into her skin, almost becoming a part of her body. Her blood coloured the rope red. When he was done removing them, he threw the rope to the side and held Hailey's hands in his own.

Robert kissed her wrists, the bruises left behind on her arms and her shoulders. He kissed her neck where he could see imprints of the men's hands. Robert stopped himself. His nails dug into his palms. He wanted to scream and yell and kill all those men that came in here, but he didn't know where to start.

Robert's touch sent tingles through her body. His warm touch erased all the cold hands that touched her the past nights. His skin heated hers in a way she couldn't even describe. She felt bad though. She didn't want Robert to have to see her like that. She didn't even think he would want her after what had become of her. She could never push Robert to stay with her now. "Robert, you don't have to."

Looking into her deep, dark - and now sad - eyes, Robert didn't know what she was talking about. Confused, he asked, "Don't have to what?"

"Stay. Just leave me here. You don't have to stay here with me." Hailey's bottom lip trembled.

Robert looked to Hailey in astonishment. Did she not realize what she meant to him? He knew what happened and blamed himself for her tragic events but he would never, under any circumstances, leave her alone ever again.

"Hailey, I love you! I would never leave you!" He placed his lips gently on hers to kiss her. She let out a whimper. Her lips were cut and bruised.

Even though Robert's kiss physically stung, the smell of rushing water overpowered her, almost washing away all the impurities of what happened. She felt a spring breeze, even though the room was stale and dry. She didn't want to open her eyes since she knew it would mean the smells weren't real and she had no idea where they could have possibly come from. She wanted to walk in the river she visioned, but didn't know how that would even be possible.

Pulling back to compose his thoughts, Robert remembered that was his only time to get her out. She looked so fragile; he didn't even know if she could stand on her own. "I'm going to get us out of here okay. I will help you sit up. Can you do that? You think you can walk?"

Just as Robert was about to place his hands under her shoulder to carefully ease her up, she shook her head. "No, please, stop."

"Am I hurting you? I am so sorry. It's just that we need to get out of here as quickly as possible. I kind of shot Randy and we need to get away from here."

"Good. He deserved it. But I don't want to move. I can't move. I am not going anywhere." She didn't look into Robert's eyes. She couldn't bare it. She lay there on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. She struggled to breathe. She knew for sure that one of her ribs must have been broken, but she didn't tell Robert. It hurt too much to speak, but she did anyway.

"What do you mean?" Robert's heart felt like it plummeted to the ground.

"I could barely live my life the way it was before. My conscious was bombarded with the memory of losing my parents and my life was slowly slipping away. I became stronger though after meeting you." She finally turned her gaze to meet his. A lump formed in her throat and she almost wasn't able to finish. "You changed my life. You made the sun shine for the first time in years. We haven't known each other technically for that long, but it felt like I've been with you my entire life. I can proudly say that I love you and you are my soul mate, but I can't do this anymore. I don't want to live my life with these memories anymore. I just can't do it. I am sorry." Defeated tears rolled down her face.

Robert's tears matched hers. The green in his eyes were dull and fading away. What once used to be vibrant green, cat-like eyes were now washed away with the tears he had been crying. Now, if anything, his eyes were red. He stared into Hailey's void-like eyes as he was helpless and had no idea how to get her out in the short amount of time he knew he had. The vision of her began to blur. He had to wipe his face with his sleeve in order to see her clear again.

"But..."

"No. it appears I was never destined for happiness. It's weird. When I first saw you that day at the supermarket, I felt my heart beat. It lay dormant all those years after losing my parents but when I saw you, you brought me back to life. All I ever wanted from you was to see you once again at the grocery store. I finally had something to look forward to for once in my life." Hailey started sobbing.

"Shh," Robert said, trying to make her not speak. It took a lot of energy out of her.

"That's all I wanted. I just wanted to run into you one last time. I didn't ask for much. I didn't want this. Not any of this. I am so sorry I dragged you down with me. Truly I am."

"I know. I know. You didn't drag me into anything and I don't regret anything either. If this was the way our lives were meant to be if we wanted each other, we can't change that. But as for you wanting to see me at the grocery store - how about this; we will go grocery shopping tomorrow. I promise."

Hailey didn't say anything. She could never understand how Robert was so sweet. How he could make her feel like a million dollars while they were together. He would stand by her side through absolutely anything. He was so forgiving. He truly did love her. If this had happened with her and any other guy, he would have run off a long time ago, but not Robert. If Robert had left, it would have been like leaving his heart behind. He couldn't live like that.

Hailey didn't stop crying. Robert lifted her up and placed her in his lap. They sat on the mattress together. His arms wrapped around her petite body. He cradled her as he tried to calm her down. He didn't say anything. He sat there quiet. Both of them crying. He stroked Hailey's cheek as he rested his head on the top of her head. He didn't want her to see his pain. He was supposed to be strong for her, but at that moment he crumbled. He knew there was nothing he could say to change things.

Robert suddenly remembered something. With Hailey cuddled into him like a little child, he reached into the pocket of her shirt. He remembered Frank putting something in there when he had returned to free them. Robert was curious as to what it was at the time, but never had the chance to take a look. Slipping his hand in, he felt something cool and smooth. He pulled it out slowly and noticed it was a necklace – a pearl necklace.

Hailey gasped when she took one look at it. "My mother's necklace!" Her hands shook as she struggled to reach for it. Robert placed it in her hands.

Hailey placed her hands with the pearl necklace inside to her chest. "They had it along. Frank had it all along. Mom, I am so sorry. I miss you. I miss Dad. We will be together soon." Hailey opened her tear-filled eyes and looked to the ground. She realized that Robert brought something in with him from outside.

"The gun," Hailey barely got out, "you have it?" Her voice was all raspy from lack of liquids. She looked to the gun beside Robert's feet.

"Yeah." Robert read Hailey's mind. It was a perfect tool for protection, but they both had a different idea in mind.

Robert helped Hailey off his lap. He knew she was in more pain than she was showing. He could feel it in his heart. He didn't want to say anything though. He knelt down as he lay her back down gently on the mattress and she closed her eyes. She was so tired. He knew what she wanted.

"We will always be together, Hailey my love," Robert said as he tried so hard to hold back his tears.

"How long?" she asked with her eyes still closed.

"Forever, my love."

"For eternity, my life." Silent tears crept down the sides of her face.

Robert picked up the gun and opened up the cylinder. He wanted to see how many bullets were left – if there were any even since Draven said there weren't. After opening it, he realized there were three bullets left. _What a liar_ , he thought. But Robert didn't really expect any less from that scum bag.

At that moment, Draven barged into the barn. Robert didn't even turn around to see who it was. This would be over with soon. The numbness took over Robert. It was the worst part. Worse than the anger, pain, helplessness and betrayal he felt. For the numbness meant acceptance. No more fight. Hailey accepted her fate and Robert knew what the right thing to do was. It was his duty to protect her.

Bending over, Robert placed the gun to Hailey's forehead, without touching her. Her eyes were closed to begin with so she wouldn't even know when it was coming. Robert couldn't prolong it anymore.

"No!" Draven yelled as he pounced towards Robert.

As soon as he head Draven yell, everything went quiet. It wasn't because Draven stopped yelling, because Draven didn't stop yelling when he figured what Robert was going to do.

It was like the world went on mute and slow-motion for him. Robert pulled the trigger; the bullet flew out the barrel and directly into Hailey's forehead. Hailey went with a smile on her face. The corners of her lips rose up as soon as it penetrated her head.

She lay there like an angel. The only thing different was she was a little red dot in the middle of her forehead. It didn't bleed since her head was laid back. What Robert didn't know was that the mattress was soaking up all the blood from underneath her head.

Turning around, Robert raised the gun automatically, aiming for Draven. Draven didn't have time to turn and run. Robert didn't even give him a chance to blink. As soon as the spun, Robert pulled the trigger after aiming it right at Draven's heart. His shot was a little bit off and he ended up shooting Draven in the throat instead of his chest. The exact same spot he shot Hailey all those years ago. Robert prayed that his shot would kill him unlike how Hailey was spared.

Draven fell to the ground on his knees. His hands grasped his throat as his eyes widened in fear. Blood automatically shot out and prayed all over Robert's pants. Robert didn't care. He took a step towards Draven, in the direct path of the spraying blood.

Draven gasped for air. Robert smiled as he watched the blood poor out and puddle the ground. He watched as Draven's face turned white and he couldn't hold himself up anymore. Draven fell to the ground, face first into his own blood.

Robert stood there for a while and watched as the puddle around Draven grew. He knew there was no one around to hear the gun shot and no one around to save him. Robert was content with knowing Draven would die on the ground at his feet.

Robert turned and walked back to Hailey's lifeless body. He lay beside her and just as quickly as two people passed in less than thirty seconds in the room, Robert made it possible for three people to pass.

"Until we meet again, my love." He raised the gun and placed it as his temple. With one swift kiss on Hailey's cheek, he pulled the trigger and died alongside his soul mate.
Epilogue

I woke up in my warm bed with the covers pushed down to my waist. The sweet smell of my cottage in the forest greeted me, just like it did every other morning. The birds in the field sang a beautiful song for me to wake up peacefully. My arms stretched out my relaxed muscles, ready for a full day of work. I planned to do some cleaning as well as some gardening outside. I knew my garden was perfect already, but a little pruning never hurt anyone.

It was Sunday morning and I knew I had to gather some fresh fruit and vegetables for the rest of the week. My garden and the forest around bore more than enough fruit to last me over the span of my lifetime. The trees lived to nourish my empty belly and I thanked them every day for it.

A moan escaped my lips as I stretched as wide as I could, careful not to fall off my bed. I recapped an awful dream I had last night. It felt so real. I was kidnapped, beaten and raped. I had no idea why my brain would even think to create an image so horrible, but the brain always worked in mysterious ways.  
I sat up to make sure it really was just a dream. I kicked back the covers and looked at my arms and legs which were covered in my new beige nightgown. I reluctantly lifted the hem of my skirt to get a look at my legs. Not a bruise or a cut in sight. My arms were clear as well; my skin the colour of milk.

I ran my hands over my soft skin and shook my head in disbelief for even letting myself think my dream was real.

"Good morning," a warm voice sounded from beside me.

I gasped, hiding my legs again and turned to the man lying down beside me. "Robert?" I asked.

"Yours truly," he said as he traced his finger up and down my arm; his vibrant green eyes taking in every curve of my body. His eyes took on the colour of the brightest leaves on top of the highest tree - the ones that get the most sunlight. His cat like eyes stared at me with playfulness even though I knew he had just woken up as well.

I collapsed on top of Robert's hard chest, almost on the verge of tears and told him how I had the worst dream.

He cooed me and ran his hand over my silky hair. It felt so nice. He said he knew how bad dreams could feel so real but I had nothing to worry about. He told me to forget all about it and we should enjoy the new day ahead of us. I liked his idea.

"It's Sunday and I promised you we would go grocery shopping."

I was shocked. I lifted my head to look into Robert's mesmerizing eyes _. So, was it a dream or not?_ I asked myself. I wasn't sure, but didn't bother to push it.

Robert lifted his head but didn't say anything. He planted a kiss on my neck. As soon as he lay back down, I closed my eyes and raised my hand to feel the place he had just kissed. I felt a little circle where my skin was slightly raised. A scar. My hand found something else around my neck. My necklace. It wasn't just any necklace; it belonged to my mother. I wore her pearl necklace.

With my eyes still closed I sighed and asked Robert, "How long?"

"Forever, my love."

"For eternity, my life," I whispered, eyes still closed on the verge of tears.

I didn't move. I didn't know what to do or say. I stayed like that for a few moments, Robert let me. He watched me as I calmed myself down, breathing reassuring breaths. I could sense him thinking how he has never met anyone as beautiful and full of character as I was. He loved me so much. Even more than his own life.

"Come on now darling," Robert said, shaking my shoulders and making me open my eyes. "Your parents are visiting today and we have to make sure everything is perfect for them. You haven't seen them in a while."

_No I haven't_ , I thought.

"Give me five more minutes," I said as I lay my head back down on Robert's chest and listened to the beating of his heart.

We stayed like that for a while. No one talking or moving. We were ready to get on with our day after realizing we had one another and we were never going to leave each other.

I lay there and realized that I've witnessed the bad and I have accepted the good. Sometimes it is just good to be content with what you have and not try to change the good things that have fallen in your lap. Dream or not, nothing will make me want to change my destiny now. I won't question it and won't doubt myself or the one I love. Trust is one thing that has kept me going strong and I plan on sticking to it from now on.

Whether or not this was my heaven, it didn't matter when I had such special people to share it with. I just hope that others don't have a difficult time in realizing the darkness and light in their life like I did. I stick with what I said before. Trust the ones you love. In the end, they will be saving not only your life, but your soul as well.

THE END
