Hi Guys! I'm back! Please feel free to leave a review and let me know how you are feeling about this story. I got this concept by watching an episode of Criminal Minds called "Wheels on the Bus". I haven't decided if I will change the name to my story later on, but for now, I will leave it as it is. This story is an extreme work in progress. It will flash between past and present and that is something I haven't done before. So bear with me.
***Also, I will highly stress that this is going to be a trigger story. There are many trigger warnings in this story. This will be dark and sinister as the description suggests. There will be some very dark themes as we go along. Please let me know if you would like me to put warnings before each chapter as we go. I will gladly do so. Thank you!
I hope you guys enjoy! I will be updating every Sunday so stay tuned! Keep in mind that I will be uploading and updating other stories on Sundays as well and to check them out too! Thanks guys! As always Read and Review!
Rose's POV: Present Day
"Rose. Come here. Look at this." I looked over at Lissa who was sitting behind me at an angle. I glanced at the front of the bus, checking to see if Mr. Alto, the bus driver was watching. When I saw he wasn't, I slid to the edge of the seat, and hopped quickly to the seat next to Lissa.
"What?" I asked, looking at where she was looking at her phone.
"Check out what Camille just uploaded. Apparently, Ralf slept with Natalie and there are pictures." She explained.
"Pictures?" I asked intrigued, looking down at her phone again.
"Yeah. Camille was saying that Jesse might have done it. No one knows if Ralf knew ahead of time." Lissa said, flipping through the pictures.
"There's no way Ralf would want his ass plastered all over the internet. Natalie's sure, but his?" I laughed.
"True. He is private." Lissa nodded.
"Did Christian ask you out yet?" I whispered to Lissa. She glanced in front of us, seeking out where Christian was sitting by himself a couple rows ahead. He had his earbuds in so he couldn't hear us.
"No." She exhaled, sadly.
"Give me a second." I replied, standing up.
"Rose! No." She whispered harshly. "Don't!"
"I'll be right back." I reassured, walking towards the front. Christian was sitting on the aisle, so I sat in the seat across from him. I sat on the edge of the seat, giving me space next to the person who was sitting in the seat. I didn't even glance at who it was, as I turned towards Christian, tapping him on the shoulder.
"What?" He snapped. He was a loner, with not many friends that he spoke with. So he chose to keep to himself. We never got along. He was definitely an ass, and I didn't understand what Lissa saw in him. Today was no different.
"Move over." I pushed.
"No." He stated looking offended.
"Are you going to ask Lissa out or what?" I continued quietly. Last thing I needed was rumor to circulate about Lissa. Those things spread like wildfire around here.
"That isn't any of your business." He snapped.
"Well, I'd hurry up before someone else does." I continued. He snorted before putting his earbuds back in his ears, signaling the conversation was over. I huffed as I turned towards the front of the bus. The person next to me chuckled, bringing my attention towards him. "What?" I snapped, before registering who it was.
"Nothing." Dimitri smirked down at me. He was currently reading a novel that looked like something out of the Old West. I scoffed at him, annoyed, before standing up and heading back towards Lissa.
"What did you do?" She whispered harshly as I came back to the seat.
"Nothing I shouldn't have done a while ago." I replied.
"Rose!" She scolded. "Shouldn't you be worrying about your own love life?"
"You mean the nonexistent one? Sure. But this is more fun." I teased. She gave me a knowing look but didn't push me further. The bus came to a stop, making me glance up at the front of the bus.
"Why'd we stop? We shouldn't be back at the school yet." Lissa stated, looking in the same direction.
"Hold on folks. This motorist looks like he needs some help." Mr. Alto replied, opening the door to the bus. It was dark out, and we were on some back road, heading back to the school after our meet, which was still a half hour drive away from here.
I sighed leaning back in my seat, knowing that I couldn't help the guy, but also I just wanted to get off this bus. Our wrestling coach, Mr. Croft, stood and stepped down the stairs following Mr. Alto, while, Ms. Ivashkov, the cheerleading head coach stood at the front of the bus, keeping an eye on all of us.
I was glancing around the bus in disinterest when I heard a bang. I glanced around looking for the source, and I could tell everyone was doing the same. Just as a second bang happened, the screams erupted. My gaze snapped to the front of the bus, where I could see both Mr. Alto and Mr. Croft lying on the ground by the other car.
When the third bang rang out, I realized it was a gun, as Ms. Ivashkov dropped to the ground. Three men entered the bus, all wearing ski masks, and the second and third man, began dragging Ms. Ivashkov off the bus and dumping her on the ground outside. The first man pointed the gun at us as we all sat in fear.
The adrenaline coursing through me was so strong, I probably could've climbed the empire state building without stopping, in that moment. Lissa clutched my hand tightly, and I could feel the fear radiating from her.
"Everyone spread out. One person to a seat. Now." The man with the gun, ordered as he gestured it around wildly. I glanced around as everyone filed into their own seats. I pried Lissa's hands off of my arm, glancing at her briefly before sliding in the seat across from her. "Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
I glanced behind me looking in the direction that the man was looking at. I saw Viktoria, Dimitri's sister, standing in the middle of the aisle. She looked petrified, and lost.
"I—I—" She stuttered, unable to speak coherently. I looked back at the man, who had focused the gun on her. Glancing briefly in Dimitri's direction, I watched as his eyes were giving off a hard gleam.
"Well?" The man continued, drawing my attention back to him.
"I—There's no more seats." She gasped out.
"Well that's no problem, is it boys?" Even through the ski mask, I could see the sneer on his face.
"It sure isn't." The second man piped in from where he stood on the steps.
"Come on up here, we'll keep you company, won't we boys?" The man said, gesturing with his gun.
"We sure will." The second man replied again. I turned back to look at Viktoria and saw her trembling in her place. She started walking slowly, but then stopped a seat or two from mine. Clearly the fear was overtaking her desire to survive.
"Well, come on then. We don't have all day." The gunman gestured tiredly. Just as I could tell Viktoria was going to break down, I stood up.
"She can have my seat." I stated, standing in front of her, blocking her view of the gunman.
"What do you think, boys? Is she worth the trade?" He asked.
"Most definitely. I would love to get my hands on her." The second one replied.
My stomach rolled at the thought of their hands on me, but I forced it down. I was not going to show them fear and I was certainly not going to back down from my offer to protect Viktoria.
"Well then let's get a move on." The gunman swung the gun wildly in the air turning and facing the front of the bus, while the third man moved into the driver's seat, starting the bus.
I walked quickly to the front of the bus, knowing that I didn't want to upset them. I didn't make eye contact with any of my teammates, because I was unsure of what I would find in their gazes. Last thing I wanted to see was their pity right before I died.
As I became in reach of the second man, he wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me towards him, making me stumble. I ended up facing the driver seat, standing on the top step, while the man held me pressed against his body.
"This one smells nice. And she's hot too." He stated, pressing his nose into my hair. I felt the distinct need to knee him in the balls but I refrained from doing so. His hands began to roam my body, and when they started to tease the edge of my sweats, I slapped his hands away.
"Don't touch me." I sneered.
"Feisty. I like it." The man chuckled.
The first man took notice of my actions, and he didn't seem as thrilled by them. Stepping in my direction, he put the gun on the dashboard of the bus before pulling a knife from his back pocket.
"What team are you on?" The first man asked.
"Excuse me?" I asked, appalled.
"Cheerleading or wrestling?" He clarified, curiosity gleaming in his eyes.
"Cheerleading." I responded without hesitation. I figured that if they underestimated my abilities, it may come in handy.
"No. I don't buy it." The man said, shaking his head. He glanced back at the rest of the team, before glancing back at me. "All of the other girls look the same. You don't fit. I think you, you are on the wrestling team." He stated, looking pensive.
I remained quite, not sure if continuing the lie would be beneficial to me or not. Within seconds, the first man, grabbed my arm, twisting me around to face the bus. He pulled me back, so my back was pressed against his front. He held the knife at my throat, pressing it against my skin. I swallowed hard, but that was the only sign of emotion or fear I was giving them.
I glanced around at my teammates, trying to show them that I wasn't afraid. But when I locked eyes with Dimitri, I knew that he didn't buy my facade. He knew I wouldn't back down, but he also knew I was terrified.
The man trailed the knife along my neck, probably trying to seem threatening but I maintained my resolve.
"Does anyone else have anything to say?" He sneered. He didn't wait for a response, before continuing. "No? Good." He turned me harshly toward him. "You will listen or next time I won't be so lenient." He snapped. He lashed out, swiping his knife across my cheek. I winced slightly but I'd broken enough bones to handle the pain. The man released my arm and I fell backwards in the aisle.
The bus started moving as I sat upright, trying not to slide further down the aisle. I don't know exactly how long we drove for, but I estimated about half an hour. When the bus came to a stop, the second man grabbed my arm, forcing me to stand.
"No funny business Missy." He said, pulling me down the steps.
He held me tightly pulling me off to the side as the other two men started moving everyone else off the bus. I could hear the two men inside the bus giving orders as they directed everyone off. They continued to move the group past me, as they directed them away from the bus. I was finally able to take in my surroundings.
We were standing in front of a large abandoned warehouse, fully complete with a chain fence surrounding the outside. The bus was parked at the gate, and the men were funneling us through the gate onto the property.
I took in my surrounds as the second man directed me to move, as we followed the rest of the group inside. We walked into the building, following many corridors, trying to memorize which ways would lead me out.
They directed us into a room, making sure we were all in before shutting the door behind them. The room was made of plain but dilapidated, beige colored walls and poorly maintained tile flooring. Against one wall, the only wall made of painted cinder block, was a nasty looking barricaded door.
The third man began unlatching the bolts on the door, as I looked for a way to escape. When the door opened, my stomach dropped. The room passed the door was dank, made with cement walls, high ceilings and a chain fence separating us from the majority of the room.
I stared into the poorly lit room, unsure of what was going to happen. When the men started filing us into the room my gut clenched further. After the rest of them were through the door, the man walked me up to the doorway before shooing me in. When my body had barely hit the ground, the door behind me slammed shut.
Everyone was silent unsure of what was happening. Muffled sobs were the only sounds you could hear for a few moments. I felt arms helping me up to my feet, and when I glanced back, it was Mason.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Don't worry about me." I exhaled, glancing around the room. Mason knew better than to push, and just started scanning the room with me.
"What's the plan, superstar?" He asked, his eyes still scanning.
"I don't know yet." I sighed.
"What? The Rose Hathaway doesn't have a plan?" He teased, looking at me.
"This isn't a game, Mase. I can't just whip up something out of the blue." I stated, turning towards him.
"No. But with your skills and knowledge, you should have some idea up your sleeve." He remarked.
"Thanks Mase. No pressure." I retorted, crossing my arms.
"It's a fact Rose. No pressure. I know who your parents are, remember?" He said giving me a look.
"I know Mase. I just don't know what to do. And that scares me." I sighed again, glancing around the room.
My eyes met Dimitri's, and I saw the mixture of feelings in his. The one I decided to focus on was gratitude. I knew he was thanking me for what I did for Vika, so I nodded at him, before focusing back on Mason.
"Don't worry. We'll come up with something. We just need to survive until your parents can find us." He stated, as if that was the simplest thing to do.
"Oh. Is that all?" I huffed.
"You know what I mean." He smirked lazily at me.
"How can you be so calm?" I asked annoyed.
"Someone has to be." He shrugged, as I felt arms throw themselves around me.
I barely registered a body hugging me, before I noticed Dimitri's presence in front of me. I glanced up at him, as he studied me. I wrapped my arms around the person I was hugging, realizing that it was Viktoria.
"Thank you." She exhaled, hugging me tightly.
"I—" I cut off, unsure of what to say. Viktoria released me, looking at me with gratitude. "It doesn't matter." I finally spoke.
"It does to me." My eyes shot back to Dimitri's, as he spoke up.