I told my friends what happened to me that night when they got back from the club. Needless to say, they were surprised to see me in such a state. My cheeks were tear stained, and my hair was a tangled mess. After I ran away from Louis, I gave up trying to find my way back to the dorms on my own and called a cab as soon as I could.
"I can't believe this..." Ellie mumbled, her head in her hands.
"You could have been killed. It's a miracle you're still alive," Ally input, her brown eyes shining with tears.
I sat numbly on the couch. I had long since stopped crying, but my nerves were running haywire. Justin sat next to me, an arm around my shoulder and my head leaning against his side.
"God. I'm so relieved you're okay," Ally broke down, sobbing as she shook her head in disbelief.
Ellie let out a heavy, shaky breath before standing. "It's been a really long night. Annabelle, you need to get some rest. Why don't you stay in my room for tonight? I don't like the idea of you being alone right now."
Ally sniffled, but rose to stand next to Ellie. "I agree," she started, wiping her nose with her sweater sleeve as she turned towards Ellie. "Can I stay too? I want to be with you guys."
Ellie nodded and moved to stand in front of Justin and I. "Justin, you come too. We should all be with Annabelle right now."
He agreed, and we all walked back to the dorms in silence.
"Hey guys," I began quietly once Ellie's door shut behind us. All three of them turned at the same time, and my eyes rose to meet theirs. "Let's not tell the rest of the group about this, yeah?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day passed slowly, and I found myself only half present during my lessons as my mind wandered to the events of last night. My friends texted me several times during the day, asking me if I was alright, saying they were just "checking in," and the closer it got to the end of my dance lessons, the more worried I became. I pool of dread filled my stomach as I watched the minutes tick by to the time when I would have to leave and walk back to the dorms alone for a second time.
It was 7:50. In only ten minutes, I would have to leave. I used all of my pocket money yesterday taking the cab, and wouldn't be able to get any more paper money until I had access to an ATM this weekend. Until then, all I had was a credit card, meaning a cab was out of the question for tonight. I shuddered, debating whether or not I should leave my class early for today, but nixed the idea when I realized my instructor had already put up with enough of my poor behavior for the day.
I felt awful. My dancing form, despite my best efforts, was terrible today. I was just too distracted. The teacher, Ms. Wood, had grown more and more frustrated with me as the hours dragged on. By the end of the lesson, she was shaking her head sadly. My shoulders slumped, and feeling dejected, I shuffled over to the corner of our studio where I picked up my duffle, slipping on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top over my leotard. As I tied my sneakers, I saw Ms. Wood's shadow standing over me, and kept my eyes lowered to the floor.
"Look," she said, putting a hand on my back, her voice gentle. "I know today wasn't your best, but that's no reason to be discouraged. It's only your second day in a new country. I know you must be anxious. Don't worry. I'm not angry, and you shouldn't be upset either."
She gave me a comforting grin, but it only made me feel worse. How could I let her down? She was such a nice lady...
I felt a lump rising in my throat, but pushed it back as I returned her gesture and forced a small half smile to grace my features.
Seeming not to notice my hesitance, her smile grew, and she waved as I walked out the door, saying that she would see me tomorrow.
The studio door closed behind me, and I paused, exhaling slowly as I slipped my hands into the pocket of my sweatpants and allowed my fingers to curl around the short, smooth object Ellie had given me the night before.
~~~~~~~~~~The Night Before~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone else was asleep. I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling as Ally breathed heavily beside me. I turned to my side, struggling to get comfortable, my mind still racing from the events of the day.
He didn't directly threaten me. The man who called himself Louis never caused me any physical pain during our short interaction, but his piercing gaze and complete disregard for my personal space left me feeling frightened and cornered. Then, there was what he said to me before I left… What I hadn't told my friends.
"I'm not going to do anything right now."
Right now. That's what he said. I shivered despite the warm blankets that surrounded me. He told me to remember him.
One thing was for certain, there was no way I was going to forget Louis Tomlinson anytime soon. I moaned softly as I turned to lay on my other side for what must have been the twentieth time that night. I rolled to face the clock.
4:30 AM.
I sighed deeply, and then closed my eyes, praying for a bit of sleep.
"Belle? Are you awake?"
My eyes flew open as a whispering voice drifted from the floor at the foot of Ellie's bed. I sat up and slid from under the covers, tip-toeing over to where I knew my other friend was sleeping.
Ellie and Justin agreed to sleep on the floor when we first sat down in the room. Ally argued for a while, but Ellie had insisted, and as I crawled into bed without another word of complaint, I saw Ellie setting a futon down on the floor.
Now, I made my way over to her, and sat down on the floor silently. Without another word, Ellie pulled something from her backpack and put in my hand. I looked at her, my eyes questioning as I regarded the bright red metal object with curiosity.
"Click the button on the side," she told me.
I did as she asked without question, and flinched in surprise when a blade shot from the top.
"Ellie… What is this?" My voice was laced with nerves as I tore my gaze from the lethal object in front of me, placing it on the ground and moving my fingers as far away from the jagged edges as possible.
"I think you know," she said solemnly. "It's a switchblade. My brother made me take it when he learned I would be studying abroad for the semester." She leaned back, placing her arms behind her. "But I want you to have it. Please. It'll make me feel better about you walking alone." Her eyes were pleading as she searched for some sort or response or recognition of her suggestion.
I couldn't say no. Instead, I gave a nearly imperceptible head nod in her direction, and picked the knife up, slipping it back into the hilt before putting it in my pocket.
"Thank you, Ellie."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clutching the knife tightly, I told myself I would only have to walk one mile today. Ally and Justin had given me a map this morning to take with me, and we had gone over my chosen route extensively, making sure I knew each turn by heart. In one mile, I would be safely in the dorm with my friends.
One mile. In the dark. Alone.
A chill ran up my spine and I whirled, sure that eyes were boring into my back. I shook my head vigorously; cursing myself for being paranoid as I finally left the steps and began my trek back.
About a block from the studio, my paranoia returned, and I could feel my body tensing as my pace quickened and my legs raced underneath me. I stared at the map, no longer wanting to take in my surroundings. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to go back home.
My body collided with another, and my mind instantly flashed back to the night before, horror stricken, I apologized quickly and turned to run. A hand landed gently on my shoulder and tugged me back.
"Oh thank goodness I caught you in time," Ellie's voice huffed and she stopped me from running away.
I turned back to her, relief flooding my body as the tension in my shoulders flowed away.
"You scared me." I stated, my voice an octave higher than usual as I swallowed and my heart rate slowed.
"Sorry, I had to rush in order to catch you. My class got out early, and I thought it would be safer if we walked back together."
I smiled at her, unable to suppress the immense relief I felt at her presence. We continued walking, not speaking, now more comfortable with each other's company.
We came to one of the last turns before we reached our dorm and were shocked by the scene in front of us.
The traffic was unbelievable. Cars moved at a snail's pace, bumper to bumper as they lined up down the street, forming an impassible barrier between us and the next sidewalk. Ellie and I stood, dumbstruck, as we realized there was no way to cross.
"There must have been an accident up ahead," she muttered, almost to herself as I strained to hear her.
"What do we do now?"
"We have no choice. We're just going to have to take a different route."
I cringed. "Ellie… I think. I think we're only a few blocks away from… that place." I shuffled uncomfortably as I awaited her reaction.
She paused, pensive as she seemed to wrack her mind for solutions to our new problem.
"Belle… I'm sorry. It really doesn't look like we have another option."
I felt dizzy, and Ellie's voice seemed to fade into the distance as I struggled to grasp what she was saying.
"It'll be fine… I promise. We're together now. Nobody will bother us. Plus, what are the chances of seeing the same person in the exact same place again? Right?"
I looked up, my eyes wide and brows furrowed. Ellie held out her hand for me to take.
"Come on. The sooner we get going, the sooner we'll be home."
I took her hand and followed behind her, my other hand grasping the hilt of my switchblade so tightly I could feel the dull side digging into my skin.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The street look just as deserted as it did yesterday. I surveyed the area as we walked through, both Ellie and I on high alert. Time seemed to stretch on painstakingly slowly, and the street seemed to lengthen the further we walked.
After what seemed like an eternity, I saw the end of the street, and the corner that should lead us to the next main road, Ellie and I quickened our paces, thrilled to be near the exit.
We only had to pass two more side alleys, and we would be there.
What I heard as we closed the gap between us and the next alley stopped my friend and I cold.
"Please. Please. I'll do anything. I'll get you the money. Please just- just don't kill me! Please, no!"
A man's voice was pleading from the alley entrance, and Ellie pulled me from my stupor so that we stood hidden behind a few crates near the exit. We couldn't go forward, if we did, and we passed the alley entrance to reach the end of the street, whoever was threatening the poor man would surely see us too. I choked back a sob, and Ellie leaned down to whisper in my ear.
"We have to turn around. Now. On the count of three, we run back the way we came. Don't look back." Her voice shook as she gripped my shoulder harshly, willing me to listen to her.
I didn't respond, my mouth hanging agape as I covered it with my hands, trying to prevent my oncoming panic attack. We couldn't just leave. The thought of someone being murdered, and me not being able to stop it sickened me. I lurched forward, trying to stop myself from retching and throwing up.
Ellie mouthed her next words to me.
One, two, three.
We both sprung up, turning to run, and as we made our way out from behind the crates, she tripped, knocking into one of the boxes in the process, sending it flying to the ground.
A commotion started from in the alley, and we listened in horror as men shouted to each other, having realized we heard their every word. Ellie screamed, and we both took off, our legs carrying us as fast as they could. I could feel my heart pounding as I struggled to keep my breathing stable as I ran. The voices of our pursuers tore apart my courage as I heard their feet pounding the pavement behind me.
"Stop!"
"You can't fucking escape!"
Neither of us were fast enough. I shrieked as a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me into the person standing behind me. Thrashing wildly, I tried desperately to rid myself of my captor. He laughed at my feeble attempts, purring in my ear.
"You're coming with me, kitten."
The voice behind me was sickeningly sweet. I resisted the urge to vomit as I sobbed, tears flowing freely from my eyes as I was dragged into the alley, seeing that Ellie had been caught as well. Her captor was tall, with deep, chocolate brown eyes and pitch black hair styled into a perfect quiff. He had an earring that glimmered from the single streetlight at the alley entrance, and a black leather jacket that almost hid the tattoos I caught peeking out from his sleeve. Ellie was screaming as she tried to kick him, but he only gripped her tighter, and I heard her cry out in pain. My captor wrenched both my arms behind my back, rendering me completely immobile. I had stopped struggling as I was faced with the scene before me.
There, standing in the alley in front of me was something that could only be straight out of a horror movie. A man lay crumpled on the ground, his back to a brick wall, preventing him from the possibility of escape. He was bleeding from almost every part of his body, and his legs were mangled and useless, contorted in unnatural ways that could only mean they were broken. He shot a horrified glance in my direction, clearly fearing for what was to become of me and my friend.
Standing over him was a man in his twenties. His head was covered in a mess of tangled brown curls, and his bright green eyes shone like a cat's in the darkness. His glare cut through the night like a dagger as his stare drifted between Ellie and I. I couldn't breathe. In his hand, a silver pistol lay limply at his side.
"What do we have here?" he sneered, regarding Ellie and I with contempt. I whimpered, still trying to wiggle free slightly from the iron grip that encased my arms.
The brunette snapped, head whirling to face Ellie.
"ZAYN! Would you shut that bitch up? I can't fucking hear myself think!"
It was only then that I noticed Ellie was still screaming. Her captor, Zayn, raised his hand, and I shrieked as I realized what he was about to do.
He brought his arm down, hard, his arm crushing into Ellie's torso. She gagged, doubling over in pain as her screams of terror were brought to an abrupt halt.
"Ellie!" I thrived back and forth, desperate to get to my friend. Blood trailed from her lips as she choked, trying to regain her breath. Zayn stood, emotionless, letting her fall to the ground. She didn't get up, still clutching her stomach.
The brunette ignored us both, continuing his original plans.
"So, why don't one of you tell me what the fuck you're doing here." He growled, eyes boring into mine.
Words came pouring out of my mouth without my permission. "Please. Please let us go. We won't tell anyone, I swear! Please we didn't do anything wrong. Please no… no…" my voice trailed off into a pathetic whimper as my entire body was wracked with sobs.
The brunette paused, thinking. A voice wafted out from behind me.
"Harry," it started, directing towards the curly haired man in front of me, and as he did so, I noticed his arm was covered with a black leather jacket, similar to the other two boys. "You know we're going to have a big enough mess to deal with because of that one."
He used his free arm to gesture towards the man lying crumpled on the ground. "Killing two more would take too much clean up time," he stated plainly.
Harry looked thoughtful, pondering what his companion suggested.
"I'm not just going to let them go." A horrible, toothy grin spread across his face, and he looked overjoyed with his decision. "Why don't we show them what will happen if they squeal before we let them go?"
A pool of dread filled my entire being as Harry did what I feared the most. I saw his gun being raised, and I drew in a sharp breath as he aimed it at the man's heart.
I acted on impulse. Wrenching one arm free from the man behind me, I bent my arm, swinging it forward before bringing it back and driving my elbow into my captor's ribs with enough force that I heard the wind leave his abdomen as he was knocked a few steps backwards. Before he or anyone else could react, I did the only thing I could in my state of wild eyed panic and dove, throwing my body in front of the pathetic man lying against the wall.
