Chapter One: Taken
"Jerome, you've wasted all my time. I depended on you to get me the mask of Anubis, but you have failed me. And you will pay." Rufus said to me as he pushed my back into the cement wall.
"I tried Rufus, I really did. But those puzzles are more difficult than you think, and being a new member of the Sibuna club is hard. I don't have the same rights as them, and I tried my hardest." I replied, scared out of my wits. Rufus shook his head, sighing.
"I have waited much too long Jerome. My patience has run out. Give me your phone." He said, glaring at me with crystal clear eyes. I reached into my pocket but hesitated. Seeing my hesitation, Rufus hit me – hard – against the cement wall. My breathe was knocked out of me and my back stung from the hard ridges of concrete. "Hand it over Jerome." Rufus said, looking angry. This time, I did not hesitate but gave my flip phone over to Rufus, who stuck it in the front pocket of his leather jacket. He grabbed my arm and twisted it painfully behind me, pushing me towards a black van that I had never seen before. He opened the door with his free hand and pushed me inside, slamming the door behind me. He hopped into the front seat of the van and pulled out my phone, dialing my best friend, Alfie. Rufus put it on speaker phone as he picked up.
"Hey Jerome, what's up?" Alfie's voice sounded from the other end of the phone.
"Ah, Alfie. I am glad that you picked up." Rufus said, sneering at me as I rubbed my sore arm.
"Wait, who is this? Jerome, are you playing a joke on me?" Alfie asked, sounding concerned.
"No," I started to say, but received a hard punch from Rufus that knocked me back. My head hit something in the van and I slowly lost consciousness, feeling something warm drip down my face.
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As soon as a man's voice was heard from the other end of my phone I panicked. My first thought was that Jerome was tricking me, lowering his voice to make it sound deeper. But I heard Jerome say something in the background, and then heard a thump and a groan.
"If you ever want your precious Jerome back, you must give me the mask of Anubis. You have one week – or he dies." The voice said.
"Who is this?" I demanded. "What have you done with Jerome?"
The voice on the other end laughed. It sounded menacing, and I grew more worried. "This is Rufus. Jerome failed giving me what I asked for – so it is now your turn. If you don't get me the mask of Anubis within a week, I will have to dispose of Jerome."
The phone clicked and I realized Rufus had hung up. I shuddered in fear. The thought of my best friend taken by a man who had already caused too much trouble made me scared. I knew I needed to inform Sibuna, but I didn't know how to tell them. All of a sudden my phone buzzed. I had received a message from Jerome's phone, in the possession of Rufus. Taking a deep breath, I opened the message, turning white at what I saw. Rufus had sent me a picture of Jerome. He was slumped against something and there was blood dripping down his face and neck from a gash on his head. He looked pale – more pale than usual – and his blue eyes were closed. I jumped up from my place sitting on my bed and ran upstairs, calling a Sibuna meeting.
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I awoke to the sound of a door being opened. My head throbbed terribly and when I gingerly touched it I felt blood. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I was lying in the middle of a dark room. It had concrete walls, no windows, and a steel door that was being closed by Rufus.
"How are you feeling Jerome?" He asked, sneering at my with his cold eyes.
"I'm awful, no thanks to you." I said, spitting at his steel toed boots. I immediately regretted my action as his right foot swung towards me, hitting me square in the ribs. I was thrown backwards into the wall, gasping in pain as my lungs were squeezed by the sheer force of his kick. I coughed and braced myself as Rufus came closer; smiling when he realized the pain he had caused me. He kicked me again, this time in my stomach. My head hit the wall and my stomach screamed in pain. I squeezed my eyes shut as more kicks came. He kept kicking and punching, until he was satisfied. He stepped back and I slowly uncovered my face in fear. He pulled out my phone and took another picture of me. I looked at myself. My clothes were ripped and blood was seeping through.
"I hope you have sweet dreams, Jerome," his deep voice said as he picked up a wooden plank from the corner of the room. He lifted the plank over his head and brought it down on mine. My head exploded in pain and I knew no more.
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"Why the sudden Sibuna meeting?" Fabian asked me as we all sat down in a circle in Nina and Amber's room. I sighed, lifting my phone out of my pocket just as my phone buzzed again. I quickly opened the message – another one from Rufus. It was another picture. This time there was more blood on Jerome's face and I could see the pain and fear in his bright blue eyes. His shirt had multiple rips in it, and blood was seeping through his shirt.
"What's wrong Alfie?" Nina asked as she noticed my expression. I handed her the phone and she gasped, handing it to Amber. The phone was passed around until it came back to me. Fabian looked at his lap, Patricia stared at the ceiling, Nina had tears streaming down her face, and Amber was just plain out crying.
"Who would do this to Jerome? Why would somebody take him?" Fabian asked, squeezing the bridge of his nose.
I sighed, and clenched my fists. "Rufus," I said and explained the phone call I had received. When I finished telling my story, the members of Sibuna looked scared – even Patricia.
"We should tell Mara," Patricia said. "She needs to know."
I nodded, feeling helpless in the situation Jerome was in. Jerome would want his girlfriend to know, I told myself. "Who's going to tell her?" I asked, counting the stiches on Nina's bedcovers.
"We all should," Amber said, sniffling and wiping her nose. "Sibuna?"
"Sibuna," we all said in unison.