Amelia PoV – somewhat earlier

I really, really hated having short legs. Why couldn't I be tall already, with long legs like Macy?
Right, because I'm seven. Nothing works when you are seven. Though the 'running aimlessly and slipping through a thick crowd without anyone getting angry' thing was nice. Yeah, I was that cute, Frankie taught it to me.

At the moment (long on six, little one in between seven and eight –… oh, half past seven) I was sitting in the drum-bed that belonged to Nick, with E– el… rockstar-dog's head draped over my lap.
My bestest buddy in the world (apart from you, of course, rockstar-dog) Frankie Lucas was staring at me, his feet dangling over the edge of the bed.

"So you saw my brothers…"
I nodded
"Going into some house after your sissy and Stella threw a weird hissy-fit?"
"Hmm Hmm." I nodded so hard my neck hurt.

"And you didn't see them go out of the place."
I popped my lips with a 'nope', startling rockstar-dog, so I had to pet his golden fur before I replied. "And there were a lot of scary men and some stráánge looking boys and girls."

"Downtown?"
More nodding and rockstar-dog licking my face because he thought I wanted to play. I pushed him away, on my turn looking at Frankie curiously. His face looked like he was thinking really hard. Like that one time he got us free ice-cream… Or that time where he sneaked us into the circus, where we saw lions with almost the same shiny golden coat as Rockstar-dog!
I hadn't really understood much of what had been going on at that scary house I followed Macy to. But Frankie was eight, after all. He would figure it out.

I kept petting E – el… Rockstar-dog and we both observed Frankie as he leaped up and walked to Nick's computer, touched it and opened it.

My eyes widened in fear and I pulled rockstar-dog close. Awaiting the wrath…
It didn't come.

Even curiouser-er, I walked closer, rockstar-dag whining because of the loss of my little hand. I peeked over Frankie's shoulder. I didn't understand much of what he was doing, though he promised to teach me. (I was smart for a seven-year-old, thank you very much)
But Nick's screensaver was something I remembered.
Macy's birthday –my dress had been so pretty– and Macy was holding me in the picture, laughing at something Kevin said, while Nick regarded them with amusement, petting rockstar-dog.
I had been leaning out of my big sister's arms to laugh with Frankie at Stella and Joe, who were leaning towards each other, smiling like idiots. It was one of those pictures where nobody was aware they were being photographed. I wanted to find Nick and ask him for a copy for Macy –my big sister would love this– but then I looked again, closer this time.

I felt like something was missing, like the picture was out of balance.
I frowned as it disappeared when Frankie opened the browser. I made a… what did Joe call those? Note to myself and rested my head on Frankie's shoulder; he was googling the place I saw the little group of friends disappear in.
He absent mindedly rose his hand (which he just yesterday had proclaimed to be sóóó much bigger then mine) and touched my cheek.
Then, as the results came in and El – Elf… rockstar-dog pressed his nose in my palm, Frankie jumped, making me pull away from his shoulder with an 'umph' as he turned around.
Rockstar-dog barked once and shook his blonde fur at the expression on Frankie's face.
"Amelia?"
"yeaáh?"
"They're in trouble…"

===

Jay PoV – present time

His hand on my shoulder, burning my skin. His eyes on my face, waiting for the pain to break through, but I wouldn't show. I wouldn't give him that last satisfaction, the knowledge that he, by simply taking me down this hallway, had reached his goal: breaking me.

One feet in front of the other, my body in such a state of shock I couldn't do anything but give in to the pushing hand, further and further away from my Nick. Somewhere deep inside I wanted to scream, to kick and yell and howl his name. Scratch out Matt's heart and preferably his eyes too, so he would feel a little of the pain I was experiencing. Another part wanted to just collapse, curl up in a ball and cry.
Both, however, would make Matt see how he had finally cracked me. Without any help of his master.
So I just kept on walking, my thoughts focussed on a face with hurt brown eyes and dark greasy hair.
Doing so hurt, but I had to. His face kept me sane, through the lingering taste of him on my lips, that made it so much worse. He kept me sane, like my mind had once done, only he did a better job. Though it hurt more.
I knew I had to, I had to make him the last thing I ever thought about. Even if it hurt.
It all would be over soon anyway.

Deeper, further, more into the place I had proclaimed to hell ages ago. Towards the room of no return. As melodramatic as it was, it was true.
Nobody returned, I wouldn't return.
And it was fine that way. As long as Nick lived it was okay. As long as he loved me. As long as there was one heart on this world that had honestly loved me.
He would remember me, I would live on with him.

"Have fun, my love." Matt muttered. "Always have fun."

Then he opened the pure-white door and pushed me in.

I saw Matt's master immediately. My best guess was that the master didn't feel the need to try and scare me with dramatic entrances.
The reason was quite obvious, because the second I saw Matt's idol; laid eyes on the creature, My heart went cold with fear. A question; "Did Matt ever actually see his employer?" flashed through my head.
Because what sat in the leather chair before me couldn't be… shouldn't be…

She had once been beautiful, but her previous peach skin was now a parchment pale and covered in tattoos and scars. Her eyes seemed to be made of glass, the flat grey irises larger then I'd ever seen them on a human being, leaving almost no space for the black pupil. Her head was bald and she only wore a loose pair of black jeans. The rest of her exposed
Her teeth, exposed in a horrific smile, were filed a razor sharp.

What scared me most, though, were the wrinkles of pure agony that were carved into her face. She had made no effort to hide them and her expression seemed hungry for my reaction to them.
She had learned the hard way…

Her hand rose. Long, black and broken nails pointed at me, waving me closer.

To my surprise and hidden fear, I complied. More afraid of what would happen if I didn't.

She smiled and that instant, I knew it was coming.
One last time, I closed my eyes and imagined him before me.

Then I screamed. Again and again and again.

=======

Stella PoV

Joe had to hold me back with force until Matt and Jay had disappeared, with one of his arms locked around my waist and the hand on the other covering my mouth.
I knew it was for the best, but I wanted to chase, attack and kill that man so badly it was hurting. I wanted him to rot away in jail, purgatory and hell.
At the same time, I wanted to run to the mahogany door and personally shred it to pieces for locking Nick within.
But most of all though, I wanted to go in there and hug Nick until I couldn't feel my own arms.

Giving in to the last urge, Macy barely an inch behind me, just because I had longer legs, I sprinted towards the door as soon as Joe's arms relaxed just that tad bit.
My nails scratched over the wood, almost giving in to the second urge, before Macy's hands found the knob. It turned and the door opened. How strange.

Macy looked at me once, but I couldn't pry my eyes from the darkness in front of me to gaze back.

Nick was in there.
Nick was in there and he was hurt.
Nick was in there, he was hurt and Jay just got taken away from him.
Nick was in there, he was hurt, Jay just got taken away and his heart was broken.
Nick was in there and it was dark.

It wasn't the darkness that scared me though. It was the pain that radiated from this very room. Ancient pain, decades of hurt, or so it seemed. I could almost hear the echoes of the screams that were released within this very room. The last scream the most painful of them all. I knew.

I reached for Joe and felt him squeeze my hand before he walked past me, straight into the dark.
I followed him without question. Anything now and anything for him.

My eyes only needed a few seconds to adjust to the shadows and before long I saw the hunched, pained and shaking shadow chained to the right wall.
That's why he didn't lock the door. Nick was chained to the freaking wall.

Macy and myself, as well as Kevin and Joe moved at exactly the same second, me and Kevin crouching down in front of Nick while Joe and Macy worked his chains. He pulled them once, without really believing. He still hadn't moved from his obviously uncomfortable position.
He was filthy. No, rancid was more descriptive. His shirt was shredded and his hair was almost flat on his head with grease. His skin decorated with a coverage of sweat, only here and there washed away by what must have been tears, the tracks running all over his body, but mostly his face.
He was a mess, a broken soul with a beating heart.

My hands reached for his face, forcing it to look at us and I almost sighed in relief. His eyes were still strong. They searched for mine.

"help her." He muttered. "She can't.. He can't.. It can't."

"Shh." I hushed him, stroking his face softly, though I knew it weren't the soothing fingertips he craved. "it's going to be fine. We got you. You're going to be fine."

"No, no!" He pushed against my hands with surprising force. "Hurt me, make me feel her pain, kill me. Just help her."

It was like the temperature dropped several degrees within that moment.

Then two dark hands, Kevin and Joe, reached for Nick.

"We will." Kevin said.
"We'll help her as soon as we get you out of these things." Joe finished smoothly.

"Almost there." Macy's voice added and with a click, the chains released Nick's wrists and he slumped to the ground for a second, before he was on his feet again, staring at us, then at the door and back. Indecisive and looking back and forth like a cartoon character.

"Let's go." I said. If Nick loved her, that automatically made her my second surrogate sister. And as said before, I'd do anything for the ones I loved.

We moved like we'd rehearsed it, in a perfect formation. Joe in the front, flanked by Kevin and Nick in their shadow. There was no discussion, because Nick knew they wouldn't allow anything to hurt him at this point. Macy and I closed the circle.

We ran through the hallways. Following both the trial of miniscule blood-drips and Nick's apparent intuition for Jay.

We didn't get very far.

A hand closed itself around Joe's throat, yanking him out of our reach and into a dead lock within long, tanned arms. Pale blue eyes looking down at him.

"What a beauty you are, in actual light." Matt cooed. "Wonder if you're just as stubborn as your little brother."

"No!" I shrieked. This time held back by none other then Macy. Sweet irony, how I hated the fact that she was a strong athlete now.

"Let go of my brother!" Nick growled, this time, pain evident behind his brown eyes. Reflecting the white of the walls.

"Let go of my possession." Matt growled back, smiling like the maniac he was.

I knew everyone but Nick was confused at his words. What possession, what could Nick possibly have that Matt wanted?

"Never!" Nick snapped, livid with hate.

Ah, of course. Jay.

"The choice is easily made, isn't it." Matt remarked, before he stepped back into the shadows, pulling Joe with him. The look on my loved's face was terrified, but not for himself. But for me, Macy and his brothers. I could sense it, just before he disappeared.

Nick's eyes grew even wider and I saw the cracks appear in them. Worriedly I watched him once again look from one side to the other. I could practically hear his brain cracking.
I could also feel my nails itching.

"Go to Jay. I got this." I seethed and dived into the shadows without a second thought.

=====

Kevin PoV

It was stupid, reckless, but something Stella needed to do. I just added it to the list of things I needed to worry about.
But with the way that woman could fury over just a pair of ripped jeans, it wasn't very high on that black list.
The thing at the very top though, Nick, obviously. Stared at the shadows for barely a tenth of a second more then I had, before he concluded the same.

So he ran, with me and Macy by his side. Because we knew he couldn't do this alone. Jay was in danger and I refused to expose my brother to that danger all by himself.

It was remarkably clear inside of my head, clearer then it had been for a while, especially since the blow I received to it.
I knew exactly where I was needed and right now, Nick needed me more then Joe did. Joe had himself, in shape and fighting, and he had Stella, hurricane all by herself. I would pray, but I couldn't leave my younger-er brother now.

So we ran, through the hallways, flanking Nick. I don't think Macy had a conscious idea of what she was doing. But she was going along with it just as I was. We didn't think, our intuition, instincts and love for the ones we loved had completely taken over.

We reached a door. It was so fluorescent white it hurt my eyes, but it didn't seem to bother Nick, though he was the one that had been locked in a dark room for several days, probably tortured and emotionally wrecked to the core.

He just slammed it open and came to a halt. Searching, thinking, because that was his strongest point.

I peered over his shoulder and a sense of déjà vu flowed my senses, staring into a dark room.

My instincts rose to a new peek, my intuition screaming for my to run, but the sight of a loved one in pain kept me in place as all shattered to pieces and everything was suddenly a different shade of clear.
I no longer knew exactly what I had to do, but I saw exactly what had caused that.
The monstrosity that was bowed over the lifeless body of a small, pale, red-headed girl.

======

Frankie PoV

"Dad?"

"hmmm…. Yeah? Oh, hello Amelia. What's wrong Frankster?"

"We got a bit of a problem."

And that my friends, is the understatement of the century. With what my brothers locked in a whore-house that was known for having several issues and running cases involving trafficking and slavery, just after I had seen both Kevin and Joe with major bruises and Amelia's sister (I had to start calling her Macy) with the first scared expression I had ever seen on her.
Not to mention my other idiot of a brother had been hanging around a very dubious red-headed beauty with a slave-collar.
Not good. Not. Good.

That is what I call, being deep, deep down in problems that I didn't even want to know how to solve.

Amelia's hand found mine. Trying to get comfort out of me, just because I was one year older then she was.
She didn't know this was even out of our pranking ways.

First of what I hope to be many updates… I have too much inspiration and too less time. But that problem is solving, since I'm practically, almost, on the verge of freedom.

second to last chapter, I think. Not counting epilogue.