The problem Kayla had was that his obsession seemed to have passed onto her now, and she didn't like that at all. She tried to laugh off such crazy thoughts, but she felt his eyes constantly staring at her in class every day now.
He had at least stopped turning up at her home, once her mum had words with him. He had woken her mum up by hammering against the door, and calling out Kayla's name. Her mum had then yelled at him for it, but Kayla only felt more uncomfortable around him.
Every day, Steve still tried to make his presence known to her. Kayla had been pretending that it hadn't been getting worse all week, but she knew that it had. She shivered, as she tried not to think about Steve's constant, but unwanted attention.
She forced herself to change tact, and to think about Isaac. That gave her a thrill, instead of a nasty chill. She was going to wear his jersey again tonight, and maybe she would even cheer in the right places. At least she always had Hayley to help her out with that kind of thing. Hayley was a mad sports fanatic, and she knew the rules to every game.
When Isaac stood outside the door to walk her to her next class, she grinned happily. She threw all her stuff into her bag, and went to go straight to him with a broad smile on her lips.
Someone tripped over her bag, and created a whole back up of people trying to stream past. In the crazed kerfuffle and cursing, she actually lost her bag completely. She couldn't understand where it went. She looked around, only seeing the person that tripped over her bag grumbling at her.
"Sorry, but have you seen my bag?" She asked and the guy simply shrugged as he got to his feet.
"Kayla, are you alright?" Isaac came to her rescue.
"I can't find my bag."
She searched around the room again, as the classroom emptied. When she found it behind the teacher's desk, she felt confused. She stared at it for a long moment before picking it up and checking that all her stuff was inside. It wasn't as if she had anything even worth stealing.
"That's so weird." Kayla said, as she walked towards the door.
"Yeah, I know. C'mon, we had better get to class."
She forgot completely about the mystery of her missing bag with Isaac in her last classes. He had gone back to sitting next to her, which she loved. It wasn't until later at her house that she pondered how her bag had ended up where it did.
Eventually, she gave up trying to figure it out. She changed for Isaac’s game feeling excited. She grabbed her drink bottle from her school bag, and drank it all down. It tasted a bit odd, but she barely recognised it, as she bounced on her toes at seeing Isaac soon. Even if their team lost tonight, Kayla would still be immensely happy because she had Isaac back.
When she walked back down to the lounge room ready to head to the game a while later, she felt rather strange. Her head felt all woolly, and she was finding it hard to concentrate. She clutched at the railing, as the room spun around her briefly. She took in a breath, before taking another step further and finding herself all wobbly.
"Hey, Muffin. You don't look too good there. Are you sure that you want to go to the game?" She heard her Dad's voice and turned, only to find his image blurring.
"Isaac’s expecting me." Kayla pushed the words out, as the doorbell rang.
She lost her focus, and couldn't pinpoint what was happening. She heard voices, but she wasn't able to understand most of what she heard. The world swayed around her, but instead of panic, she wafted in a strange euphoria.
"Hey, Kayla, Isaac asked me to pick you up, and take you to the game." She blinked her eyes open, as she swayed to music that wasn't even playing. The guy in front of her looked familiar, so she nodded.
"Are you sure, Muffin? I think you should stay at home." Ted's stern voice made her huff out a breath.
"I'll be fine, Dad." She told him, as she walked toward what she assumed was the front door.
The car door closing around her sounded like the clang of a prison cell. She forced herself to blink her very heavy eyelids, and try to think. Why was none of this familiar? Nothing was making any sense to her befuddled mind.
"It's better late than never, Kayla," she heard the words and the sly little laugh that went with it, but she couldn't manage to open her eyes again. "All you had to do was be the one girl not besotted with that dick Isaac, but even you fell for him," the voice ranted in a continuous ramble. "What do you girl's see in that loser?"
"Isaac loves me," Kayla murmured, with a brilliant smile. "He may not have said it, but he... he does." Kayla's words slurred into nonsensical noises.
"That moron couldn't love anyone. I love you, Kayla. Ever since you tutored me, all I can see is you. Why did you never see me?" The voice began shouting and Kayla whimpered.
"He does love me." Kayla focused on the only words that she had heard.
"No, he doesn't! Look at what you've made me do? Now I'm stuck hiding you at school until the game finishes. I’m going to be late for the start of the game as well, which will look bad. I'd do it again. I'd do anything for you, Kayla." She heard the words and giggled. Whoever this was sounded so sweet.
"Oh, Isaac." She murmured lovingly, until pain pinched her arm and she yelped.
"Don't ever think I'm that loser, Kayla." The voice turned cold and deadly. In the back of her mind, she screamed, but the foggy happiness that surrounded her kept her trapped.
They seemed to drive forever into the darkening night. Kayla hummed along to the songs on the radio, while the voice kept saying things. She tuned it out, when all it seemed to want to do was say mean things.
When they stopped, Kayla reached for her seat belt buckle, only to find her hands didn't want to work. She stared at them, she noticed the tape bound around them, but she just grumbled at their uselessness. She knew there was a reason this should concern her, but she couldn't remember what it was.
"Let's go, Kayla."
"Where?" She giggled, only to find in the next instant that she couldn't say anything at all.
"I've got to get you in here before anyone comes." The voice began sounding more and more agitated.
Kayla flopped out of the car onto the ground, and felt her skin tear at the abrupt motion. She rolled around to look at the damage only to find her feet lifted from the ground. Her stomach protested, as nausea smothered her, and her arm ached from the cut
"Now, you be a good girl until I get back." The voice told her firmly.
Darkness engulfed her, as she tried to look around. Everything remained blurry, but she could smell something that reminded her of her chemistry class. The nausea roiled around her again, and she closed her eyes. The welcome relief from the dizziness had her sighing, and she decided to keep her eyes closed for as long as she could.
She came awake later, and felt the first sense of terror and panic take over. She felt horribly achy, and could barely manage to open her eyes without pain throbbing through her.
Everywhere was black and unfamiliar. The only light shining through was from the tiny window, which let in a sliver of the waxing moon. Even that showed her nothing that made any sense.
With a groan that never sounded, she tried to open her mouth only to find something covering it. Panic and fear hit her hard, as she tested her arms and legs, but they refused to budge.
She was tired up, bound in a room that reminded her of school, but not much else. How did she end up here? She couldn't remember anything; everything was blurry and inconsistent in her mind.
She wanted to know the time, but with her hands tied behind her back that wasn't going to happen. She glanced down at herself, hoping to recall anything no matter how small. Nothing came to mind, which only encouraged the intense anxiety that gripped at her.
What was she wearing? The garment seemed far too big for her. Something clicked in the back of her mind. Hadn't she been going to Isaacs’s game? Yes, she was going to drive there, and then he said he was taking her somewhere special. So, why was she here in the darkness feeling sicker than she had ever felt in her life?
H
er mouth was burning with dryness, her whole body ached intensely, and her head pounded out of control. She tried to shuffle around to find anything familiar, but that only caused jagged pain to engulf her and force her to grit her teeth. She went back to being still, hoping that her body would stop protesting soon.
She tried not to contemplate the worst things that may happen while she was captive. She tried to focus on the positive, but nothing within her could stop her frightened tears from falling. Who would have done this to her and why?
"Sorry I left you alone for so long, Kayla," she cringed at the voice she heard. "Oh baby, you don't need to cry, I'm here to look after you now." He tried to be soothing, but Kayla shrunk away from his presence.
Why hadn't she thought of Steve? The guy had drugged Isaac. She had been thinking all week that there was nothing stopping him from doing the same to her. Why hadn't she fought him? Her heart thudded with terror, as a sliver of light from the doorway finally showed his presence.
She had realised that he had become infatuated with her, was it only this afternoon. How had she missed the signs that were leading to this?
Things clicked into place. Her bag that went missing that she found hidden behind a desk. The fact that her water had tasted funny from the water bottle that she took to school. How had she been so stupid and careless? It didn't explain how she got here. She realised that she probably wouldn't remember in the same way that Isaac had no memory of his drugging time.
"You know I might actually believe what you told me earlier," Steve sniggered, as he stepped closer to her. "I really think that thick headed Neanderthal actually cares about you," she cringed away, as he continued moving into the room. "His loss, because now you're mine."
She stiffened at the nasty, possessive tone in his voice. She couldn't even think about what Steve had in mind next. The smirk on his face became an evil looking sneer that left her whimpering behind the tape on her mouth. She could see no escape from this situation, and that terrified her most of all.
Chapter 24 - Lost and found
Isaac was halfway through the game, when he first noticed an insufferably superior Steve. The guy had turned up late seeming panicked, but also with a smug, triumphant look. Isaac hadn't been pleased when the guy kept sending him these pointed looks, as though Isaac was supposed to know something.
What caused him even more concern was when Hayley caught his attention, with a mad waving of arms. His sister wasn't one to easily panic, especially when she knew that he had to focus on the game. That was when he knew that something was truly wrong.
"What is it, Hayles?" He ran up to ask her, as he gulped down some water.
"Kayla hasn't turned up. She's not answering her phone either," Hayley told him in a worried tone.
"That's weird," Isaac frowned, knowing that she had promised to come to his game earlier.
"It gets worse, Isaac." Those simple words sent a chill through Isaac, as he recalled Steve's looks to him.
"How could it be worse than that?" He forced himself to ask.
"I rang her house to see if she was just running late. Her Dad answered, he said some guy had been there to bring her to the game. He said that she had acted weird before she left. The guy said that he would look after her, and that Isaac told him to bring her to the game." Hayley told him frantically, and Isaac found his heart about to pound out of his chest.
"Steve, it has to be Steve." He went straight over to his teammate, as they all waited to return to the field. "Where is she?" Isaac demanded, but that only seemed to deepen the smug smile on Steve's face.
"Where's who?" Steve enquired casually.
"You know who I'm taking about! Where's Kayla?" Isaac forced himself not to shout and punch the guy in the face.
"Lost your girlfriend, hey? I don't think that's my fault somehow," Steve sneered at Isaac with a superior expression, which only made Isaac grit his teeth and clench his fists at his side.
"Get it together! Get on the field!" The order from their coach left Isaac undecided as what to do.
His coach clapped his hand on his shoulder, and demanded his presence on the field. Playing the game meant nothing now. He didn't care if he won or lost. All that mattered was that Kayla was safe and away from the psycho guy that seemed to like playing stupid games.
Knowing that Ted could identify whoever had picked up Kayla to drive her here, was the only hope he clung to as he played. The desperation of his thoughts, and the tension that smothered him helped to cost them the game. Losing a game was nothing compared to losing Kayla, she was much more precious than football.
He kept a close eye on Steve, who seemed to be fidgeting nervously. Isaac knew he was looking for his moment to escape. As coach began his 'lost the game, we'll get it together next time' speech, Isaac saw Steve edging away. He was desperate to follow him, but he heard his name called out.
In the second it took him to take in a breath, he found himself surrounded by worried parents and false accusations. Isaac watched as Steve escaped, which made him feel useless.
Ted was the one being the most threatening, while also the last one that Isaac wanted to discuss things with. His parents seemed completely flabbergasted by everything that was happening, and hadn't really said much at all.
"Explain to me why some kid came, and picked up my girl at your say so only to disappear with her!" Ted's voice was rough, demanding, and as scary as hell.
"I never told him to pick her up. Kayla was intending to drive here herself," Isaac informed him, and Ted looked surprised.
"That kid was doing what?" Ted's voice kept rising, as his parents looked equally anxious and squeezed Hayley tightly to them.
"He, uh, didn't like that she's dating me." Isaac admitted, as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"Don't forget that he drugged you," Hayley added in, before slapping a hand to her mouth.
"What?" All three parents turned to him, demanding an explanation that he just didn't have time to give.
"You explain it to them, Hayles. I need to search for Kayla, before Steve leaves with her." Isaac didn't give them time to hold him back, he simply ran. He headed in the direction Steve had left to loud protests from his parents.
"Slow down, Son," Ted called out and Isaac stopped. "Let's be smart about this. We don't want to give away any advantage that we may have."
Ted's calmness helped Isaac. He was in a frantic panic unlike any that he had felt in his life. Fear bit at his soul that Steve might hurt Kayla in some way. What if he drugged her? Kayla could be in the worst danger of her life, and have absolutely no clue about it. Steve could hurt her, before Isaac had a chance to save her. God, he couldn't breathe through the anxiety that clutched at him, when he thought about how injured she could be.
"I already gave it up. I was trying to follow him when you all turned up," Isaac threw his hands in the air, feeling defeated.
"Sorry about that. Still the smart thing to do is think your first movement through. He picked her up for the game when it was about to start, correct?"
"He was late for the start of the match. What are you getting at?" Isaac asked impatiently.
"He can't have left her too many places. If she was in his car then I'm sure someone would have noticed when they all left, and we would’ve heard already. Or." Ted frowned, but Isaac had no answer. He was starting to feel agitated and anxious about her being in Steve's care.
"I don't have a clue." Isaac admitted unhappily.
"Or she's here somewhere, Lad. He had to have stashed her somewhere. Where do you think would be a suitable place?" Ted explained his thoughts, and Isaac felt his own begin to clear.
"The school is locked up for the night, even on game nights. The only things open are stuff needed for the game or for the cleaning. He wouldn't have left her where someone might have seen her when they were walking past..." He trailed off, as an idea occurred to him that made sense. "He would have left her in one of the cleaning rooms. We all know the cleaners don't
come in until later, and he would already be gone in that time."
"Excellent deduction. Point me to where the cleaning rooms are located, and be as quiet as you can be." Ted raised a finger to his lips, and Isaac nodded in understanding.
Heading back out into the now relatively dark football field felt both surreal, and fear driven for Isaac. He was terrified that they may not find Kayla in time to be of any help to her.
Steve didn't seem to be quite the kidnapping extraordinaire that he thought he was. Isaac noticed one of the rooms with the door swinging open on the opposite side of the field.
It had only captured Isaac's attention due to the dipping and swaying light within, which he assumed was a torch. Hope filled him, as he realised that perhaps Steve's getaway had stalled. He knew he wouldn't be happy until he saw that Kayla was safe.
"Now is not the time to be rash. Rushing in gets people killed, believe me, Son, I know." Ted whispered solemnly.
Isaac felt his chest clench. How had he forgotten that this man had been in war zones before? He nodded his head in agreement, and knew that he could depend on Ted's knowledge to help them save Kayla.
"What do we do?" Isaac asked quietly.
"We head over there nice and slow. Watch for any movements that he is leaving the building. The only time we run after him is when he attempts to leave. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir." Isaac answered decisively.
"Good, lad. Let's go and get my daughter." Ted made a sharp gesture to the side of the field, and Isaac followed.
Creeping around the stands was slow going, but they gradually made it closer. Isaac hadn't once taken his eyes from that open doorway. If Steve tried to run off, Isaac was sure as hell to be chasing after him.
"We really have to go, Kayla. Stop making this so difficult!" Steve sounded frustrated, while Kayla made no sounds.
Panic bubbled up inside Isaac, if he had hurt Kayla in anyway, Isaac would crush him into the ground. Ted made a stopping motion with his hand. Against all his driving need to rush to Kayla’s aid, Isaac forced himself to stop. He reassured himself that Ted would've had dealings with this kind of situation before, and that he knew what he was doing.
How We Began Page 25