My note….well, response to this story sure shot up with that last chapter. Yeah, I kinda scared myself with where I'm going. I thought long and hard about how far I was going to let Devon go and because this is such a delicate subject, and I wanted it to be compassionate, yet, genuine(or as genuine as I could be without actual experience)….so, I warn you, there will be sensitive material and some sexual situations detailed in this chapter.
HUNGRY EYES
CHAPTER 7: POSSESION
Ashley could barely make out where she was...it felt like her bedroom. There were the familiar scents of her shower gel and perfume evident in the air, soft sheets underneath her and the songs of her favorite cd coming from the stereo. She could tell she was dressed in her favorite nightgown, the light blue, cotton baby-doll with the little yellow star print, Paige gave her for her birthday...the one Jimmy said brought out the beautiful color of her eyes when he "accidently" caughter her in it after surprising her with breakfast one morning.
Ashley smiled hazily. She rolled onto her side, trying to snuggle deeper into her pillow, only to realize her head wasn't resting on a pillow, but a rolled up jacket...her jacket. Her eyes were heavy lidded, her mouth was as dry as the desert and she was cold...chilled down to the bone, way too cold for a humid summer evening. Something was very wrong.
Suddenly flashes of scenes, like from a movie, began to flip through Ashley head. The club, music, laughing, friends, drinks, food...Devon?
Ashley's eyes snapped open, with renewed alertness. She scurried up on the surface of the mattress, huddling up against the cool concrete of the wall, holding her knees up to her chest as her heart pounded wildly against it. She looked around the unfamiliar setting...she could tell she was in a basement of some sort, but had no idea where.
Just as her surroundings were starting to come into focus again, Devon stepped into her field of vision. "Feeling better?", he asked nonchalantly.
Ashley swallowed fearfully. "Where are we?", she demanded weakly. "You were supposed to take me home".
Devon smirked. "Look around", he advised disregarding her first question, waving his hand around the makeshift room. "Doesn't this look like your room?".
Ashley did what she was told and shivered...it did look similar to her bedroom, there were crates and boxes positioned to represent her furniture at home, many of the same posters that hung on her walls were surrounding her now, and the of course there were the likenesses she recalled from when she first began to wake.
Now she was terrified...and still a bit fuzzy. "Why are you doing this?", she implored. "What...how...?", Ashley looked down at the nightgown in question.
"I thought you'd be a little more comfortable in that", Devon aswered simply as he casually began to walk around the room. "Your clothes are over there", he added, nodding to a neat pile stacked on the chair sitting next to a desk.
Ashley slid off of the matress and rose cautiously. She took in the scene again, "But how did you...".
Devon stopped and smiled. "Your brother's a nice guy", he answered simply. "I was hanging out with Danny and Derek this afternoon, we happened to go pass your house...he let me use the bathroom".
Ashley's stomach lurched. "You were in my house...my bedroom?".
"Nice place", he nodded in reply.
"What do you want from me?", Ashley demanded.
"I think you know Ashley", Devon smiled. "And I think you want it too".
"How do you know what I want?", Ashley argued.
"The same way I know everything there is to know about you?", was the smug reply. Ashley crept sideways, toward the stack of clothes. Devon neared her. "I know your favorite color is pink...not bubble gum pink, darker, like raspberries. Your favorite food is pizza...with extra pepperoni". He reached out to touch her shoulder, Ashley stiffened. "How you dream about going back to Europe...specifically to Paris, with your one true love", Devon quirked an eyebrow and ran his hand down Ashley's arm.
Ashley seethed at him, "That would be my boyfriend...".
Devon's chuckle cut Ashley off. He took hold of her wrist and lead her to a small storage closet behind them. He opened the door and pulled an old hospital issue wheelchair from inside. Devon sat down in the chair, and pulled Ashley down onto his lap. "I can be who ever you want me to be Ash", he assured her as he softly caressed her cheek. Ashley tried desperately to pull away, but Devon's grip only got stronger. He slid them both down, guiding her back onto the mattress covering the floor, his leg draped across her torso, lightly pinning her undereath him.
Tears rapidly filled Ashley's eyes as Devon's hot breath hit her neck. She skewed her eyes shut and tried to swallow the wicked taste that was burning up her throat. The muffled sound of her cell phone could be heard ringing from inside her purse. Devon pressed up against her, he began kissing her, starting from behind her ear, across her neck then down her chest. The tears Ashley was trying to hold back, began to spill from the corners over her eyes and a small wimper escaped her lips..."Jimmy".
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"She still not answering", Jimmy growled, snapping his phone shut. "It keeps goin' right to voicemail".
"Man relax, she said she call you", Spinner insisted.
Ellie could hear the worry in Jimmy's voice and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Jimmy, Ash probably crashed right into bed as soon as she got home", she suggested.
Jimmy let out a sigh and shook his head. "That's just it El...I called the house already and Jeff said she wasn't home yet", he replied anxiously. "They shoulda been there by now".
"Maybe Ash puked in the back of Devon's car and they had to pull over to clean it up", Spinner joked with an amused chuckle. "She was lookin' pretty green when she left here".
"Which is exactly why I want to talk to her...make sure she's alright", he stated firmly, glaring at Spinner.
"Why wouldn't she be?", Alex inquired. "I mean, it couldn't be the food or anything, 'cause we all ate the same thing and none of us are sick. So it was probably what she said before she left...the drink had too much punch for her", she reasoned.
"Yeah well, Ash's never been much of a drinker anyway", Spinner pointed out, amused. Jimmy's eyes narrowed even further.
Alex put her beer glass down to take a sip of Ashley's drink and laughed heartily. "It definitely can't be the drink...", she stated as she slurped up another straw full. "...it's all watered down".
Jimmy was starting to feel more than anxious at this point. "You don't think they got into an accident?", he asked rhetorically...he really didn't want to think of the what if's of that senerio. "Maybe I should call the hospital...".
"Who's in the hospital?", Derek asked as he and Danny walked up to the table.
"No one's in the hospital stooge", Spinner declared, backhanding Derek in the gut. "Devon took Ash home because she wasn't feeling so hot and Jimmy's all worrwied about his pwrecious Ashwee", he added, mocking Jimmy's concern with exaggerated baby talk.
Jimmy was about one syllable away from strategically placing his fist into Spinner's jaw, when Danny put his two cents in, "He should be...that dude's had his eye on Ashley from day one".
"Whadda you mean?", Jimmy yelled, grabbing Danny by the shirt and bringing him down to his level.
"Easy man", Danny pled, pulling himself upright and adjusting his disheveled shirt.
"He's just sayin' that Devon seemed to have um...taken an interest in Ashley lately", Derek elaborated further.
"Interest?", Jimmy asked incredulously.
"Dude, I can believe you never noticed", Danny stated, disbelivingly.
"Noticed what?", Jimmy pressed.
"How he's always watching the two of you, always smiling when he looked at Ashley, how his game changed when she was watching...", Danny rattled off.
"Yeah and I thought it was kinda funny when he started asking all those questions about you guys...especially about Ashley", Derek interjected.
"Funny?", Jimmy hissed.
"Wait, you guys knew all of this and didn't say anything to anyone?", Ellie snapped.
Danny snickered, "What were we going yo say...".
"Guys?", Alex called out drowsily, over Danny's voice.
"You could've warned us that he was...", Jimmy started to say, but was interrupted by Alex.
"Guys", she pounded her fists onto the table. All eyes turned to her. "It's the drink...there was something...in Ashley's drink", Alex slurred slightly. "...and it wasn't the alcohol".
"Ash was drugged?", Ellie whispered fearfully, helping Alex steady herself.
"And now Devon's got her", Spinner cringed.
"We gotta find out where they are...", Jimmy pleaded desperately. "...now".
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The gang promptly called the police and Ashley's parents, before heading outside. Spinner called Jay to come and take Alex home, while they waited for the police to arrive.
They were barely outside the door, when Ellie noticed a crumpled napkin at her feet. She picked it up and opened it, then showed it to a curious Jimmy. "Well, now we know for sure that he never intended on taking Ash home", Jimmy stated painfully, shaking his head in distress.
Derek took the napkin and looked at it. "Not really, he probably didn't need it...", he offered, trying to still sound hopeful, even if the circumstances didn't seem that way. All eyes fell on him in askance. "He already knows whereAshley lives...we were just there this afternoon".
Jimmy pushed evenly, right up to Derek's feet. "He was there...and you just telling us this now", he yelled, his voice raising with every word. Spinner stepped in between the two and nudged Jimmy back before he could do any permanent damage. Danny pulled Derek away to give Jimmy some time to cool off.
It didn't take long for a small task force of law enforcement personel to assemble in the parking lot of the club, right next to Ashley's car. Jimmy held her keys tightly in his hand as the detectives questioned him about the nights events. Kate Kerwin stood next to Jimmy, her hand tightly bound with his free one, a gentle squeeze was given as a sign of encouragement and the hope that her daughter was alright.
The police sent a cruiser to the Riley house, in search of Devon and Ashley. Spinner and Kate defied the suggestion from a detective to go home and wait, and followed the cars to Devon's house.
"I was afraid something like this would happen again", Mrs. Riley sobbed softy as she sat on the front steps of her porch as the police searched her house.
"Again?", Kate asked, bewildered. "This has happened before?".
Mrs. Riley hung her head sorrowfully as the young detective standing next to her started to read off the paper he was holding. "In 2005, Devon Riley was charged with sexual harrassment...but those charges were later dropped. In late 2006 he was charged with physical assult when he forcibly grabbed his then girlfriend by the wrist and pulled her down a flight of stairs. Her parents then issued a restraining order against Mr. Riley, but he disobeyed those orders and continued to persue the young woman. That's why you decided to move Toronto this spring...isn't it Mrs. Riley?", the detective asked and the woman nodded slightly in acknowledgedment, but never looked up.
Jimmy was rocking back and forth, his version of nervous pacing. "All clear", an officer yelled from the front porch, meaning they hadn't found any signs of Devon or Ashley...but what they did find was disturbing in itself.
A pair of officers came out of the house carrying a piece of evidence... a display of items, almost a shrine of Ashley. Digital photos blown up, discarded drink cups, movie ticket stubs, a hair clip, a pair of earrings, a magazine from her room...a collage of miscellaneous items arranged around a focal point of sketches...sketches of Ashley taken from Jimmy's book, the book, he'd been searching for and feared he'd lost after one of his physio sessions.
The sight made Jimmy almost as sick as knowing Devon had her and nobody had a clue as to where they were. "My God", Kate cried out. The guilt was evident in Jimmy's eyes as the two made contact.
"I'm so sorry Kate", Jimmy apologized emotionally. "This is all my fault".
"Don't blame yourself Jimmy, you couldn't have known", she assured him with a tight hug. "There were signs I missed too", she added, berating herself for not realizing it sooner. "We've been getting all of these prank phone calls and I never thought anything about it".
Ellie placed a comforting hand on Mrs. Kerwin's arm. "Ash had this funny feeling someone was watching her, but I told her she was just being silly...", she trailed off guiltily.
Kate pulled Ellie into a hug for reassurance. "We'll find her", she insisted positively, forcing a smile at the two grief-stricken kids.
From behind them they could hear the detective ask Mrs. Riley more questions, but this time, with much more urgency. "Mrs. Riley, is there any place Devon might go...to hang out...",
The distraught mother shook her head. "He's never home", she cried. "All he does is hang out...that and play basketball".
Just then, the light bulb in Spinner's head turned on and the wanna-be detective kicked into gear. "What if he took her to the place where he feels the most safe", he suggested, using his wealth of television crime show knowledge to good use. "...the place where they first met".
"The rec center", Jimmy whispered questionably. With that information, the team was mobilized and moved on.
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The center was locked up and dark...all for a sliver of light coming up from the left corner of the basement. Within minutes of going in through the service doors in the back, the task force came out with a visibly shaken and battered Ashley and a screaming, thrashing Devon in handcuffs. "You'll see Ashley...you and I belong together", he yelled as the officers threw him into the back of the squad car. "We were meant to be".
Ashley broke down at the sound of his rant. As an officer escorted her, Kate ran to her side and held her weeping daughter...Jimmy was right behind her. "I was so scared Mom", Ashley mumbled into her mothers shoulder.
Kate caressed her daughters hair. "I know Ash", she replied shakily. "It's okay sweetie, you're safe now".
Jimmy looked up at Kate, a mixture of anguish, relief and anger covering his face. Kate softly nudged Ashley to turn around and when she did, she immediately crumpled into his lap and cried fresh tears.
"I'm so sorry Ash", he whispered into her hair. "I shouldn't have trusted him".
"You couldn't have known Jimmy", she insisted, crawling up into a ball, on his lap. "...none of us could".
Spinner put a comforting arm around Ellie as the watched the disturbing scene from afar. A female officer and a paramedic came up to Ashley. Jimmy looked between them and his girlfriend and dread filled within him. "Did he...hurt you Ash", he choked out, his voice seething with contempt.
Ashley half shrugged and looked away ashamed. Jimmy lifted her chin with his fingers, so she was looking into his eyes. What she saw was pure, unconditional, totally accepting love and that gave her the courage to address the two wome. "He grabbed me and...touched me", she paused, almost too emotional to go on. "...and he did some things...", she looked down again and some tears fell onto her lap and Jimmy's. The light embrace from him helped her to continue. "...but it never got...that far".
Both Kate and Jimmy let out audible sighs of relief. "We still need to take you to the hospital and have a doctor check you out", the paramedic advised.
Ashley nodded slightly and looked at Jimmy. "You'll come with me?", she asked softly.
Jimmy smiled slightly and kissed her forehead. "Of couse Ash", he assured. "I'm not going anywhere".
Ashley still felt unsure, as if this ordeal some how changed how Jimmy saw her or felt about her, "Promise?".
"I promise", he insisted, giving her one more squeeze before pushing her to the waiting ambulance.
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Okay, I'm not thrilled with it, but it'll have to do. I've worked sooo hard on this one, edititng and rewriting not only the outline, but the actual chapter too many times to count. I just can't do it anymore. I'm sorry if your not happy with it, I tried. To tie up any loose ends...Ashley was not raped, but she was assulted by Devon and yes, Devon was charged as an adult and sentenced to prison time.
I'd like to thank all of my reviewers...especially, havocmangawip, SammyWammy, modernxxmyth, lilfiftyfour and NickiHeartistheName422. I appreciate all of your kind comments and unwaivering support.
Degrassi is not mine.