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*Italic indicates thought
Chapter Twelve: Blame
A/N: greetings good people! I have another chapter done! Yay! Don't forget to review!
"Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone into a sea, but do you have an idea how deep that stone will go?" -Unknown
Antonio's head hurt so much he could barely even feel it. It had been a few hours since he'd seen Lauren. After that his sprits had gotten lower and lower with each passing hour he didn't hear anyone. He tried to move his arms again. The ropes were starting to dig into his wrists.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Bugzoid asked, tauntingly.
"Hhhh mmmmnn mmmm!" Antonio said.
"What was that?" Bugzoid asked. "Do you want me to take this off?"
"Mmmmmm!" Antonio said stringing against his restraints.
"Say please." Antonio shook his head. "If you don't say please I won't do it."
"Mmmm! Mmmm!"
"It's not nice to yell," Bugzoid said. He grabbed Antonio's throat and pushed it against the tree. "Maybe someone needs to teach you a lesson." He squeezed harder. "If you what me to stop, then say so."
"Mmmmmmmm! Mmmmm!" Antonio said.
"Don't forget to say please."
"Mmmm!" Antonio said, his lungs straining to breathe.
"No? Ok then." Bugzoid increased the pressure on Antonio's throat. The gold ranger started to feel light headed. "Pathetic," was the last thing he heard before the world went black.
The rangers returned to the house after spending the whole day searching. Lauren stood in the doorway. She looked over the wall at the setting sun. I'm sorry. She rested her forehead against the doorframe. "I'm so sorry."
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Jayden said from behind. He walked out and stood leaning against the house.
She sighed. "A lot of stuff. I haven't been there when he needs me."
"How?" Jayden asked.
"I wasn't there when he went missing," she said.
"Missing," Jayden said. "So you think there's a chance he wasn't captured then?"
"I think it's a small chance, but yes. There's a chance."
"You really want to believe it don't you?"
"And you don't?" she asked.
"I want to believe he's safe. That he's not in pain. That I'm not the reason he's gone."
"If the noghlocks have him then I don't think you have to worry about that last part."
"No, but then I have to worry about what they want with him."
"That's another thing. If the nighlocks did take him, then why?"
Jayden shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine."
"I want to keep looking, but I don't know where else to look."
"Well, assuming he was captured, he could be in a warehouse somewhere."
Lauren nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
"Am I coming too?"
She smiled. "I'll think about it. He might not come back with us if you're there."
Jayden nodded. "Sad and awful, but true." He sighed and stood up straight. "We'll find him Lauren," he said before going inside.
She remained where she was. Inside she was worried, but she also scared, something she would never admit. What if he's hurt and no is around to help him? she wondered. What if...what if I never see him again? She couldn't bare the last thought. "No! Stop!" she told herself. "I need to think positive. I need to think that wherever he is he's ok. That he's looking for a way to come back."
She sighed and went into the house. She found Emily, Mia, and Mike sitting in the living room. "Hey guys," she said sitting down with them.
"Hey Lauren," Emily said.
"Tired?" Mia asked.
Lauren smiled. "Just hard to sleep."
"We'll find him," Mike said.
"Hmmm,..."
"Lauren?" Emily asked.
"Yeah?"
"Do you really think he was captured by nighlocks?"
Lauren decided not to ask how they'd found out. "It's the most likely answer," she said. "After all, what are the chances he's lost in the woods or ran away?"
"Not high," said Mia. "Antonio loves us too much of leave."
"It'll be ok," Lauren told them. "We'll find him soon."
"I hope so," Mike said. "But, and don't take this the wrong way, Lauren. If we don't find him, I'm never trusting Jayden again."
"What?! Why?!"
"Because, it's his fault. I'll be the one to say it out loud. This is his fault. If he hadn't hit Antonio we wouldn't be in this situation."
"Mike you don't know that," Emily said.
"And," said Mike continuing like he hadn't heard her, "anything that has happened to Antonio, is going to effect him ten times worse. So yes, I do blame Jayden. No one else will do it but I will."
Lauren shook her head. "Mike, I know you're angry about what Jayden has done, but that doesn't mean every bad thing that happens to Antonio is his fault."
"It is," Mike said. "Because even if Antonio's still alive, he might think we're not coming to get him because Jayden could detour us. When the nighlocks captured Ji and Antonio, he had so much faith Jayden would save him. Jayden. He trusted Jayden more than anyone else in the world. Jayden violated that trust, so now who does Antonio have to believe in?"
Lauren wanted to say herself, but in truth, she knew part of what Mike was saying was right. Jayden and Antonio were best friends. Jayden was everything Antonio wanted to be. They had a special bond that not even Lauren could replace. "Mike," she said. "Whoever your blame for this is up to you, but just remember that Jayden is sorry for what he did. I know he didn't mean it."
"Sorry doesn't change the past," Mike said. "Sorry can't save Antonio now. Only Jayden can do that."
