Thanks for all the follows and reviews so far :) Here's chapter 3, it might remind you of a past episode at the end of this chapter, so lets see if you recogise it :) Please review and give me a few ideas, I love to hear what you think about it so far :) Thanks and enjoy :)
"Casey, I want to see him." Ariel told Casey.
"Yeah, we'll find him, dont worry." Casey ensured Ariel.
They strolled into the waiting room where they met Brax and Heath.
"Is everything okay Ariel?" Brax asked as he and Heath both stood up from their seats.
"Yeah, fine." she said dully "Where's Kyle?"
"Surgery." Heath answered "They say he has a broken rib, but nothing the doctors can't fix"
Ariel let out a sigh of relief as she collapsed onto a chair.
"Who was it?" Brax asked Ariel.
"Who was what?" she muttered, leaning her head againt the wall.
"Who hit ya?"
"I dunno."
"What did he look like?"
"I dunno."
"Ariel, ya gotta remember what he looked like?"
"I dont know Brax. I can't remember." she lied "Why do you want to know?"
"So I can give them what they deserve." he said, coldness in his voice,
"Brax, no. I won't let you." Ariel said desperately, lifting her head from the wall.
"They can't just hurt ya like that, Ari. They cant just get away with it." he mumbled, staring into space.
"Brax, theyre not worth it. Please, I dont want you getting into trouble." Ariel pleaded, standing herself infront of Brax.
Brax stayed silent, not allowing his eyes to meet Ariel's. She gave Heath and Casey desperate looks but they knew they couldnt change Brax's mind even if they begged and begged.
Ariel sat there in her seat until the nurse came and informed them that Kyle's operation was a success and that they could visit him now.
Each one of the braxton's piled into the room in which Kyle was laying in a hospital bed, with machines hooked onto him. Ariel couldnt help feel guilty that she was the reason he was there.
"How ya feeling?" Brax asked, standing at the side of his bed.
"Eh, not so good." he replied sarcastically.
Ariel stayed silent the whole time until the nurse ushered them out. She was last to leave but Kyle called her back.
"I saw who hit you." he said.
Ariel couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
"Is that all they did to you?" he asked.
"What? Hit me?" she said not understanding the question.
"So, that guy only hit you once and nothing else?" he asked.
"Yeah. Why?" she asked, concerningly.
"Just stay away from them, they're bad news." he stated.
Ariel nodded before the nurse came back in, indicating for her to leave. She didn't really know how to react to Kyle. He was her brother and yet she felt so far away from him, like a stranger.
Once they arrived home, Ariel looked in the mirror to be greeted with an unpleasant bruise planted on her right cheek. Not bearing to look anymore she found it to be best that she just go to sleep and clear her mind and hope that everything would be better tomorrow.
The next day, Ariel caked her face with makeup that only daintly covered the gigantic bruise that had covered her left cheek bone. She just decided to wash it all off, admitting defeat.
She strolled into the kitchen where she was welcomed by toast and orange juice on the table.
"Whats all this for?" she asked, digging into her toast.
"You're coming to work with me." Brax said.
"What? No way, not with this gigantic bruise on my face. Everyones going to think I got into a fight!" she exclaimed.
"Well, you did, didn't you?" Casey joked, but quickly regretted what he had said once he got the death stare from Brax.
"Since when do ya care about what people say?" Brax asked, returning to his newpaper .
"Since I got this giant bruise on my face." Ariel mummered with a mouthful of toast.
"Well, I dont care, I'm not leaving ya on your own." he stated, crossing his arms.
"You know," Ricky chirped in "I may have something that can lessen the effect of that bruise on your face?"
"Really?" Ariel cried out, looking up from her toast.
"Yeah, if you want, I could work some of my magic on you and hopefully you wont be able to see it as much" she said smiling, then taking a sip of her coffee.
"That would be amazing!" Ariel grinned.
After around ten minutes of Ricky used various brushes and foundations the bruise was finally invisible.
"Wow! It's really gone!" Ariel smiled in amazement "Thank you so much! I really thought I was going to have to go around with a big black spot on my face!"
"My pleasure." she chuckled to herself.
Brax and Ariel drove down to the restaurant where Ariel sat there for 3 hours begging for Brax to let her go somewhere else. He finally gave in, allowing her to go downstairs to get a smoothie. But Ariel couldnt help notice the sun shining onto the ocean and the sand. Maybe Brax wouldnt mind if she just 'stepped out the door' for some fresh air she thought. Just as she was making her way down to the railing to watch the waves collapse over each other she was pushed aside behind the juice bar, where no one could see. It was the River Boy who punched her.
"What did you say?" he asked, his arm flat against her chest, making it difficult for her to move or even breath.
"Say what?" she squeaked, fear building up.
"To the police." he stated, his arm putting more pressure on Ariel.
"I didnt say anything." she lied as the River Boy looked around to see if there was any passer-bys.
"You better keep it that way, or else you better get your ass outta town unless you want one of your brothers dead." he snarled.
Ariel nodded in reply, tears springing up behind her eyes before one of the other River Boys shouted "Liam" and he released his arm from her and wandered off, as if nothing had happened. Ariel watched him until he was out of sight and fell to the ground, cover her face with her hands as she weeped.
She didnt know what she should do. She had put her family in danger, and she didnt know what those River Boys were capable of doing. The only solution that she could think of was to run away, like Liam had suggested and hope that he or his crew won't go near her family.
Although she was reluctant to go she knew it was the only way. So Ariel started speed walking away, trying to wipe the tears from her face with the back of her hand, so nothing looked unusual to anyone.
She decided that the best place to go was the bus stop, maybe she could go back to her boarding school in Sydney. She didnt care if she left her stuff at the Braxton's house, it would be better to get out of Summer Bay before the River Boys found out what she told the police.
After twenty minutes of waiting around at the bus stop, a hunky man arrived.
"Hey, do you know when the next bus comes?" Ariel asked him as he leaned against the railing behind the bench.
"Not sure, in half an hour, I guess." he replied.
Great, Ariel thought to herself. Not able to wait any longer, she decided to get up from the bench and put her thumb up to try and hitch a ride to the nearest city. Just to her luck, a car pulled over.
"Hi," she said as she opened the passenger door, however she was quickly interrupted by the man from the bus stop suffocating her with a clothe pressed against her noise and mouth.
Ariel screamed and kicked as she tried to let herself free from his gripping arms but the world started spinning around her and before she knew it she passed out, falling into the mans arms as he carried her into the backseat of the car.
