Notice: The title to this story will be changed to "Vanish."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Father." I was watching as he worried over patient profiles. "What do you think about Bloody Face?"
He groaned. "Not this again, Madi. If you're really worried about him, I wouldn't be upset if you quit your job."
"That's not it. I still think Kit is innocent," I told him. "Say he's still hiding. What would be a good place or persona to hide as?"
"I really don't have the time for this – "
"You never do!" I protested. "Please. Just answer my question."
His dark eyes looked tiredly at me. "He could be a person of power – someone who could easily gain a woman's trust. He'd be charming. He'd be someone who could deflect the attention away from him or to someone else."
My mind began to race and I could suddenly feel my blood run cold. It couldn't be…
I raced up the stairs, ignoring my father's confused look. "Deflect attention to someone else… Oh, my God…"
Lana Winters was missing, presumably escaped, but what if she didn't? What if she was lured away with the pretense of freedom? Bloody Face could be right under our noses and it wasn't Kit. It had to be one of the staff.
Dr. Arden? He was a wise, introverted man who seemed overly obsessed with Sister Mary Eunice. Was she going to be his next victim? What would cause him to change his target to Lana?
No… No, I could see the way he continued to watch Sister Mary Eunice. He was still very much infatuated with her. Then, what?
What if Bloody Face was a woman? Women can still sexually harass other women. Sister Judith? Did she have the time or strength to do something like that?
I shook my head. "No, not her. Not at her age. Some of those women were much taller and heavier than her. She would never be able to subdue them.
Who else would have somewhere to hide a living person? The monsignor? He was rarely around and even if he was, he didn't stay for long. I hadn't seen him for a while, now. That didn't explain Lana's sudden disappearance. Perhaps he had come for a quick night visit and whisked her away?
The last person: Dr. Oliver Thredson. He was in the perfect position right now. His strong conviction against Kit was apparent. He could easily pin everyone on him with a stroke of a pen, but why? He had such a promising future. Why would he risk it all to kill a few women?
Could there be a possible connection with all of them? They were all dark blondes and in their early to mid thirties. Alma didn't fit any of those descriptions other than the fact that she was a woman. Bloody Face had never crossed the racial border before. Lana, however, fit the victim profile.
I sighed, wishing there was an easier way to dig into everyone's backgrounds. I'll need to head to the library one day. I could call in sick. Tomorrow or the day after… I had to get to the bottom of this no matter what.
"Madi, up! Up!"
I looked at the bouncing toddler who was far too energetic for his own good. "Madi's too tired. Madi needs sleep."
"No!" he wailed.
Groaning, I moved him into my lap and bounced my legs. The cries immediately melted into giggles. He was lucky that he ended up being so cute.
…
The next day, I had forgotten to call in sick and ended up walking into work like a zombie. I knew that my habit was just a little bit off, but I couldn't bring myself to care enough to fix it.
"Are you okay?" Kit had me in his arms as we tried to stay out of sight. It looked as if it was going to rain soon again and the courtyard was bare.
"Don't worry about me," I mumbled, burying my face into his shirt. I hated that smell of cheap body soap and bleach that is used for the clothes. "I might be on to something, though. I found a few things that I need to look into and – "
"I'm going to tell them."
I froze. "What?"
"I'm going to confess. Dr. Thredson is right. If I love you, I'd let you go, so you can live your life without having to obsess over this," he told me.
"Obsess over…?" You think I shouldn't be working hard for a future together? You think I should just keep over and let everyone trample over us? Do you not think we're worth fighting for?" Tears prickled my eyes as I struggled not to completely break down in front of him.
"No, but I don't think I'm right for you. You deserve so much more than me – "
I ripped myself away from his arms. "You think right if that's how you're going to proceed with this. Maybe you're not the man I think you are, after all!"
"Madi, please – "
"No!" I shouted back, no longer caring if anyone could hear us. "If this is what you truly want, then… Then so be it." I tried desperately to blink back the tears that were streaming freely down my cheeks.
He reached over to me, but I stepped back, shaking my head. I couldn't do this, right now. All the time I had toiled over this because I thought we were in the same situation. I thought he was willing to fight for this no matter how difficult it could get.
"I'm sor – "
I twirled around. My shoes clacked loudly as I stormed into the manor and tore through the halls. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was it so wrong for me to worry about him – to want us to have a future together? Had I been the only one to see it?
I ignored the odd and worried glances that met me while I tried not to bump into anyone. Eventually, I found an empty bathroom and sobbed as I relived the argument over and over again in my head. It had all happened so fast. I was going to lose no matter what I decided to do, now. How could he do this to me?
"I'm going to tell them."
"I'm going to confess. Dr. Thredson – "
My eyes widened. Him! He was the reason Kit had been having doubts. I was going to kill him! But not before I expose him for the fraud he was! By the time I was done with him, everyone would know that he was Bloody Face.
I knew that my father would never persuade his patients to confess like this. Never. Everything that doctor had done was suspicious from the start, but I was so conditioned to think well of these people who were supposedly trained to help us that I ignored it.
"You!" I was in front of him before I knew it. With my clenched hands, I swung at him, successfully clipping his left cheek and making him stumble back. "What have you been feeding him?! Better that he confessed? I know why you'd just love for that to happen, Bloody Face!" I spat at him.
He made no moves to retaliate, but I couldn't read his expression beneath the shadows that cloaked half of his form in darkness.
"You're not a doctor!" I continued in my ire. "You're nothing but a little boy with a mommy complex." His lips twitched and I knew enough about tells realise what that meant. "That's it, isn't it? The women you murdered was a representation of your mother!"
In blind rage, I never noticed that we were in a secluded location with thick walls. I had practically flown down to his office to find him. But now, as his eerily slow steps echoed in the room, my anger was quickly being overtaken with fear.
I tried to side step his larger form to leave the room, but his hand darted out and grabbed my arm hard enough that I knew there was going to be a dark bruise of his fingers there. "Madison, you really have no idea what you are talking about." His voice was low and showed strong restraint. If I hadn't been so frightened, I would've been impressed.
"Unhand me, you fiend!" I hissed with false bravado. It was the only thing I had left.
"Oh, no." He finally looked at me with his piercing coal-like eyes. They were void of any light. "I think you need to know the consequences of what happens when you don't listen to your daddy."
I watched in slow motion as his hand reared back before pain exploded down the side of my face.
"An eye for an eye," I heard before I knew no more.
…
Kit had been pacing his cell for the better part of an hour. His mind was entirely focused on the conversation he had with Madi. Over and over, again. Her voice and tears tore through him.
It made so much sense when Dr. Thredson had been discussing it with him. Now, he couldn't think of one good reason why he ever thought that it was a good idea.
"Stupid!" He tugged at his hair, shaking his head and hoping that today had been nothing but a nightmare. He needed to wake up. He needed her with him. Ever since he met her, he had wanted nothing more than to wake up beside her every morning
Tears stung his eyes at the thought of never being able to hold her again. What had he been thinking? How could he have been so foolish?
He needed to apologise to her. Nothing else could make it right again. Even if he did, he still wasn't sure if she would ever forgive him, but he had to try. She was right. There was no way he was going to give up on them. Never. Even if it hurt the both of them, he had to be selfish this time. Existence without her was no existence at all.
He had to have his Madi.
As he ran up the stairs, he ignored all the Sisters scolding him. His mind was on one thing and one thing only. He needed to find her.
His long legs carried him through the dark corridors. He even bumped into Sister Judith who swore that she was going to rip his legs off when she caught him. He knew that there were at least a handful of orderlies at his heel by now, but none of that mattered.
Around and around in circles, he looked h8igh and low for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Was she hiding from him?
The realisation made him stop and the orderlies finally tackled him down. Whatever they were saying, he couldn't hear a single word of it. All he knew was that terrible sinking feeling that told him he had probably lost the only thing that mattered in this God-forsaken place. She was the only thing that could ever matter in his dreary life.
He was brought to Sister Judith who looked at him with disgust. "When are you ever going to learn? I'll have to increase the caning until it gets through your thick skull. At this rate, you'll die here before your trials can even begin."
The pain was undeniable, but it was only something that he could use to dull the pain that was gripping his heart. He clenched his eyes shut and brought up the image of her in his mind. She always tried so hard. This was how he had repaid her.
By the time Sister Judith was done, he was only half conscious. He could feel two pairs of arms drag him out the office, down the stairs, and throw him into his cell. He laid there on the cold, feeling it seep into him – numbing him. He suddenly felt better. This was what he deserved. No, even this wasn't enough.
His mind drifted in and out of consciousness. He thought back to the last moments he had with Madi over and over, again, and he drowned in her tears.
"Get up!" a voice harped at him.
His eyes immediately snapped open and he let out a groan of pain. What had he been doing yesterday? His back and entire back side felt as if they were on fire.
"Get up!"
His bleary eyes looked up at the Sister towering over his prone form. She didn't look happy. He got to his feet and followed her like a robot, his mind trying desperately to fill in the void.
It wasn't until he was sitting down beside Grace did he had done something terrible the day before.
"What was that yesterday?"the redhead asked, looking at him with wide eyes. If she hadn't confessed the murders of her family, he would never have believed it. "You were screaming down the hall yelling for that Sister."
His mind raced. Yes, he had done that. Then, he was promptly punished. Why? Why? He was looking for her to tell her something. He was going to apologise. He had foolishly hurt her and he was going to apologise. He was going to do everything that she'd tell him to do – anything to make her forgive him.
Madi usually gave him his food and medication. He could do it then.
And so, when the trolley rolled over to their table, he turned his body and apologised… to the wrong person.
Sister Mary Eunice gave him an amused look. "Thank you for your apology, but I'm not sure why you feel as if you needed to do that. Perhaps the one you're looking for is currently missing?"
Missing…
"What?"
The Sister's face morphed into a feigned look of concern. "Oh, you didn't know?" A grin slowly appeared on her lips. "Sister Madison never arrived to work today. No one knows where she is."
Kit's heart sank. Did he cause that? Was he the reason for her absence? He quickly thanked the Sister and absorbed himself in his meal. Grace shot him frequent looks, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. It was as if there was a giant lump in his throat.
What if Lana didn't run away? Someone probably took her and whoever that is must have Sister Madison, too." No matter how much she hated the Sister for stealing his attention, it was worse that he was barely responsive. Grace didn't like seeing Kit like this. "It could be Bloody Face!"
That caught his attention. If Blood Face had Madi… "We have to find her!"
Grace's eyes widened. "We'd have to successfully run away first! I don't want to ever see those things again. I told you what they're like!"
He wasn't scared of them. He just wanted to find her.
Kit spent the rest of the day in a daze. He couldn't get his mind off Madi.
When he had his session with Dr. Thredson, he had half the mind to ask him for help. The doctor could find her for him, but what if she hadn't been taken? What if she was just avoiding him? He didn't want to force himself on her.
"I'm so sorry…" he whispered into his empty cell. His own voice resonated in his head.
Kit didn't get any sleep that night. He roamed around, hoping that with each turn of a corner, she was going to be there.
"Are you really that pathetic?" he heard a voice sneer at him.
He didn't bother turning around. It didn't matter.
"Oh, come on." Sister Mary Eunice appeared in front of him with an annoyed look on her face. "This is no fun if you're not wrecking a bit of havoc." He stared at her. "How about this, I'll give you a little hint and you'll owe me a favour."
He swallowed. "What kind of hint?" What was she talking about? It couldn't possibly be about Madi, could it? Why would Sister Mary Eunice know anything?
"Something regarding your precious Madison Harmon, of course." She rolled her eyes. "Let's say you just agreed because I know you will. She has been taken by someone working here – someone you trust."
There weren't a lot of people he trusted here and even less with the ability to take her anywhere. "Help me get her back. I'll do anything," he begged. "I just need her safe."
She chuckled. "You can figure things out yourself. Or maybe Madison Harmon is a lot stronger than you think. Perhaps she doesn't need you to find her."
Why did it feel as if he had just made a deal with the devil?
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Sorry that I had to break them apart like that! I think most of you already predicted that something would happen to Madi eventually, but what did Kit just agree to?
I've also decided to call this story "Vanish." I've given up trying to think of some human sense that will satisfy what I want. What do you guys think of this name?
Thank you lolobarn and anonymouscsifan for reviewing!
lolobarn: I've finally decided on a title!
anonymouscsifan: You were completely right! Poor Madi lost her temper and ran straight into danger!
Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.
I'd love to hear from all of you!
