Stolen In The Night
Her scream rang through the darkness of the girls' bunkroom. She sat up in bed, shaking, clutching the blankets, tears running rivers down her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell with each frantic breath that she took. There was a scuffling and a light came on. Instantly there was a group of girls huddled around her, each searching her face for an answer as to what was going on, what she was thinking. But she said nothing, and continued to cry.
"Silver?" "You ok?" "What's going on?" "Is it the nightmares again?" There were so many questions that they seemed to swirl around her head, the voices barely breaking through what she had seen. What she had been dreaming of, the horrible night that had shattered her.
The sound of someone running down the hall echoed in the night. The door burst open and a young man stood in the shadows. His eyes scanned the room and once they settled on the group of girls, he hurried over. The girls parted to let him through and he sat on the bed next to Silver. "Shh, it's ok, I'm here." He whispered. He wiped away her tears with his fingertips and took her into his arms. He rocked her back and until he could feel that she was beginning to relax and her crying slowed. "What happened?" he murmured as he smoothed her hair back to look into her eyes. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Everyone in the room knew what was coming next. The same words that followed her screams and tears in the night, every time.
"He was there." She said brokenly, and the tears came again.
~One Month Earlier~
The stairs creaked and popped as she practically bounced down them, on her way out the front door. "Where ya goin?" someone asked. Silver looked around to see her friend Chapter sitting behind the front desk, pencil in hand.
"Oh, just to the park. I found the perfect tree the other day to sit in. From the top you can see almost the whole city it seems." Silver said. Chapter smiled, knowing her friend's fascination with the city. Ever since Silver had arrived she had made it her mission to know New York City inside and out, as though it really had been her home all of her life. She'd come to Brooklyn Heights almost a year earlier and joined the ranks of the newgoils and boys. There wasn't that much known about her by anyone in the house other than Chapter, with whom she had become close. It was rare that she ever spoke of anything personal, but in no way was she unfriendly to the others in the house. She treated them all as family, since that was what they were to her.
Chapter looked out the window and thought for a moment. "Be careful, it's gonna get dark soon and you're out by yourself." She said. Silver laughed. "Now who's playing big sister? I happen to know for a fact that you go out on the roof, into the park or wherever...dark or not, when you want to write! " she said with a grin. A smile spread across the younger girls face as she said, "I know, but be careful anyway." Silver waved and said, "I will, I promise." Then she walked out of the lodging house and onto the streets of New York City.
Silver strode across the park in search of the new tree that she had found. It was close to perfect. The leaves were soft to recline in, and the limbs were strong enough to hold her and allow her to move without noise. Silver came to the trees for her own space, for some quiet time to think, and mostly just to get away from it all. She loved living in the house, but there came a point sometimes when she had to be alone. She needed time without Bandit, without Chapter, or anyone else at all around her. She knew that the others understood that and respected it. For that she was grateful.
Usually when she came out here, she reflected on what had brought her to NYC. A forced marriage that never was to a man that left her bruised and battered was never what she would have imagined for herself. Before she was Silver, she was Brooke...a slightly spoiled, middle class child who dreamed of the day she would be married, like most girls her age did. She had envisioned a little house, kids and maybe a dog. But what she got was far from it. So, one night she did the only thing she could think to do. She ran.
"But that's another story." She thought to herself as she reached her destination. She came up to the tree and rested her back against it. The sun was beginning to set, filling the park with glorious shades of pinks, purples, yellows, and reds. She sat in silence, watching as night fell over the city. The noise quieted and Silver found herself alone in the darkness. She took in the sounds of the city at night. Everything from the crickets chirping in the tall grasses to the bouncing of wooden wagon wheels on the brick streets. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Home--this was home. Where no one expected her to be anything but herself. Everything was better here than it had been.
She didn't know how long she'd sat in the tree when she finally opened her eyes again. She scanned the area around her, hoping to see Bandit walking through the moonlight to find her. But there was no one there.
Or so she thought.
He had seen her shadow moving in the cover of the leaves. He smiled to himself as he moved slowly in her direction, taking care to remain out of sight. Why couldn't she understand that he wanted her, that he was so much better than Bandit? It wasn't as though the two didn't resemble one another. He brushed his dark hair away from his face and sighed. He'd tried a million times to convince her. Done everything from buying her lunch to hanging around her selling spot like a lost puppy. But all the attention couldn't turn her from Bandit. God, the way her eyes lit up...why couldn't she look at him that way?
She moved suddenly and he slipped around to the back of the tree so that her back was to him. The moonlight danced through her hair, igniting the copper and gold tones. His breath caught in his throat. Tonight, he would make her see.
Silver slid down the tree, figuring it was long past time to head back to the lodging house. Chapter would worry and send out some of the guys if she stayed out too late. The last thing she needed was Bandit worrying himself sick over her. He was awfully protective, but she didn't mind. It was nice to be cared for instead of beaten. She shivered as thoughts of her would-be husband invaded her. For a moment she was unaware of anything around her as she tried to force herself not to think of what had been.
He saw her pause. Now was the time. Three quick steps and he'd wound his arms around her from behind. She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed a bit. "Bandit?" she asked softly. His jaw tightened. Again, the name of the one person he couldn't stand. He pulled her against him and said in her ear. "No."
There was a moment of pause then she began to struggle. "Let me go! Who are you?!" she cried out into the darkness. He managed to turn her around so that she would be forced to look in his eyes. Her sharp intake of breath made him realize she knew who he was. His gaze fell to her lips as they formed a perfect circle. "Oh...Morris." she hissed. She forced herself to keep still. Perhaps she could catch him off guard as well and escape. Her mind was racing. She had a vague idea of what he was wanting, but she never knew what would come of it.
Morris kept one arm wound around her as he used his other hand to tilt her chin up. Her eyes were an emerald shade of green. "Silver, you've got to understand. You don't want him. You and I are supposed to be together." he said under his breath, as much to convince her as to remind himself. Seeing her like this, with her eyes wild and her body close to his was quickly making him lose control of his thoughts. She shoved her arms out, pushing him away. But he was stronger and her efforts were useless. Then he started moving, backing her up. She felt the rough bark of the tree through her shirt. The weight of his body held her in place while his hands roamed through her hair and down her hips. Hot tears stung in her eyes. She would never cry in front of him, no matter what he took from her. She continued to try to fight, twisting and turning to free herself. Her foot connected with something and Morris doubled over in pain, cursing her loudly. This was it, her chance! She shoved him away and ran.
When she got back to The Bridge it didn't matter anymore that everyone was asleep. She burst through the door and ran up the stairs to the safety of her bunk and her only family. Her footsteps echoed through the dark of the house. She knew that the noise would wake the others, but she wanted them to hear her. She stumbled in the darkness to her bunk and flung herself down, the tears still pouring from her eyes. Somewhere off in the distance she heard several loud "thud" noises, which meant that Luna along with a few others were probably going to investigate what was going on.
"I know that sniffle. Silver, is that you?" Luna's voice cut through the darkness. She felt the bed move as Luna sat down. A moment later she felt Luna's hand on her back. "Silver. What happened?" She couldn't bear to say the words, and continued to cry. A few of the girls woke up and came over. They tried in vain to get Silver to tell them what had her so upset but no one was able to get her to speak. Not even Chapter. Quietly Key motioned for Blaze to go get Bandit. If there was anyone who'd be able to get to her, it would be him.
Her sobs had quieted down and all you could hear was the ragged sound of her breathing. The girls moved away to let him by and he crouched at the side of her bed and whispered in her ear, "I'm here." She lifted her head and the sight of her tore him to shreds inside. Her face was flushed from crying, her eyes were bloodshot-making the green stand out even more. There was pain there and he didn't know how to fix it.
She began to sit up and he noticed the tear in her shirt, the scratches on her arms and the bruise on her cheek. Rage filled him. She'd been abused once; this wasn't going to happen again-not while he was around. He sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "Silver, sweetheart, what happened?" he whispered.
She sobbed into his shoulder, "He was there."
His arms tightened around her and she whimpered. He realized she must be hurt elsewhere judging from the marks he could see. He swallowed hard and asked as calmly as he could, "Who?" A silence had fallen over the room, and Silver knew that everyone was listening. She pulled her face away from his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
"Morris." She said.
A gasp sounded through the room. Luna cursed under her breath and said, "What happened?" Not as though it wasn't obvious to the older girls. Perhaps some of the younger ones weren't quite sure, but they had all been on the streets. They all knew what could happen. Silver coughed a few times and tried to catch her breath. Her voice came out as a whisper. "He--I was in the park. In a tree, watching the sunset. I didn't know he was there. I was on my home and he cornered me and...backed me into a tree...he..." She gestured to her clothing as well as the scratches and bruises that colored her arms and face.
Key, South and Goosey shot out of the girls bunkroom to go alert the guys to the situation. The sound of the guys waking up filled the house, and the girls could hear Key making the announcement of what had happened. Much more cursing ensued and Silver faintly heard Race shout, "HE DID WHAT?!" Footsteps thundered down the stairs and everyone knew that the guys were on the hunt. It was common knowledge around the house that all the girls fell under the protection of the guys.
Silver wiped at her eyes and said to Bandit, "I'll be ok. Do you want to go with them?" He glanced around the room. He wanted to go and soak Morris so badly, but he knew that Silver needed him here. "I can soak the bastard later. I'm worried about you." A faint smile appeared on Silver's face. "I know you're itching to go. If you want to I'll be fine. The girls are here." With a sigh Bandit sat up and said, "I don't when I'll be back. But I'll take care of you, and of this." He turned and walked out the door.
As the door shut behind him the girls gathered around to console Silver. They sat up all night waiting to hear if the guys had found Morris, but mostly just to comfort Silver. No one was going to sleep another minute that night.
Things would never be the same.
NOTE: This story is continued in "Without You"
Her scream rang through the darkness of the girls' bunkroom. She sat up in bed, shaking, clutching the blankets, tears running rivers down her cheeks. Her chest rose and fell with each frantic breath that she took. There was a scuffling and a light came on. Instantly there was a group of girls huddled around her, each searching her face for an answer as to what was going on, what she was thinking. But she said nothing, and continued to cry.
"Silver?" "You ok?" "What's going on?" "Is it the nightmares again?" There were so many questions that they seemed to swirl around her head, the voices barely breaking through what she had seen. What she had been dreaming of, the horrible night that had shattered her.
The sound of someone running down the hall echoed in the night. The door burst open and a young man stood in the shadows. His eyes scanned the room and once they settled on the group of girls, he hurried over. The girls parted to let him through and he sat on the bed next to Silver. "Shh, it's ok, I'm here." He whispered. He wiped away her tears with his fingertips and took her into his arms. He rocked her back and until he could feel that she was beginning to relax and her crying slowed. "What happened?" he murmured as he smoothed her hair back to look into her eyes. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Everyone in the room knew what was coming next. The same words that followed her screams and tears in the night, every time.
"He was there." She said brokenly, and the tears came again.
~One Month Earlier~
The stairs creaked and popped as she practically bounced down them, on her way out the front door. "Where ya goin?" someone asked. Silver looked around to see her friend Chapter sitting behind the front desk, pencil in hand.
"Oh, just to the park. I found the perfect tree the other day to sit in. From the top you can see almost the whole city it seems." Silver said. Chapter smiled, knowing her friend's fascination with the city. Ever since Silver had arrived she had made it her mission to know New York City inside and out, as though it really had been her home all of her life. She'd come to Brooklyn Heights almost a year earlier and joined the ranks of the newgoils and boys. There wasn't that much known about her by anyone in the house other than Chapter, with whom she had become close. It was rare that she ever spoke of anything personal, but in no way was she unfriendly to the others in the house. She treated them all as family, since that was what they were to her.
Chapter looked out the window and thought for a moment. "Be careful, it's gonna get dark soon and you're out by yourself." She said. Silver laughed. "Now who's playing big sister? I happen to know for a fact that you go out on the roof, into the park or wherever...dark or not, when you want to write! " she said with a grin. A smile spread across the younger girls face as she said, "I know, but be careful anyway." Silver waved and said, "I will, I promise." Then she walked out of the lodging house and onto the streets of New York City.
Silver strode across the park in search of the new tree that she had found. It was close to perfect. The leaves were soft to recline in, and the limbs were strong enough to hold her and allow her to move without noise. Silver came to the trees for her own space, for some quiet time to think, and mostly just to get away from it all. She loved living in the house, but there came a point sometimes when she had to be alone. She needed time without Bandit, without Chapter, or anyone else at all around her. She knew that the others understood that and respected it. For that she was grateful.
Usually when she came out here, she reflected on what had brought her to NYC. A forced marriage that never was to a man that left her bruised and battered was never what she would have imagined for herself. Before she was Silver, she was Brooke...a slightly spoiled, middle class child who dreamed of the day she would be married, like most girls her age did. She had envisioned a little house, kids and maybe a dog. But what she got was far from it. So, one night she did the only thing she could think to do. She ran.
"But that's another story." She thought to herself as she reached her destination. She came up to the tree and rested her back against it. The sun was beginning to set, filling the park with glorious shades of pinks, purples, yellows, and reds. She sat in silence, watching as night fell over the city. The noise quieted and Silver found herself alone in the darkness. She took in the sounds of the city at night. Everything from the crickets chirping in the tall grasses to the bouncing of wooden wagon wheels on the brick streets. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Home--this was home. Where no one expected her to be anything but herself. Everything was better here than it had been.
She didn't know how long she'd sat in the tree when she finally opened her eyes again. She scanned the area around her, hoping to see Bandit walking through the moonlight to find her. But there was no one there.
Or so she thought.
He had seen her shadow moving in the cover of the leaves. He smiled to himself as he moved slowly in her direction, taking care to remain out of sight. Why couldn't she understand that he wanted her, that he was so much better than Bandit? It wasn't as though the two didn't resemble one another. He brushed his dark hair away from his face and sighed. He'd tried a million times to convince her. Done everything from buying her lunch to hanging around her selling spot like a lost puppy. But all the attention couldn't turn her from Bandit. God, the way her eyes lit up...why couldn't she look at him that way?
She moved suddenly and he slipped around to the back of the tree so that her back was to him. The moonlight danced through her hair, igniting the copper and gold tones. His breath caught in his throat. Tonight, he would make her see.
Silver slid down the tree, figuring it was long past time to head back to the lodging house. Chapter would worry and send out some of the guys if she stayed out too late. The last thing she needed was Bandit worrying himself sick over her. He was awfully protective, but she didn't mind. It was nice to be cared for instead of beaten. She shivered as thoughts of her would-be husband invaded her. For a moment she was unaware of anything around her as she tried to force herself not to think of what had been.
He saw her pause. Now was the time. Three quick steps and he'd wound his arms around her from behind. She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed a bit. "Bandit?" she asked softly. His jaw tightened. Again, the name of the one person he couldn't stand. He pulled her against him and said in her ear. "No."
There was a moment of pause then she began to struggle. "Let me go! Who are you?!" she cried out into the darkness. He managed to turn her around so that she would be forced to look in his eyes. Her sharp intake of breath made him realize she knew who he was. His gaze fell to her lips as they formed a perfect circle. "Oh...Morris." she hissed. She forced herself to keep still. Perhaps she could catch him off guard as well and escape. Her mind was racing. She had a vague idea of what he was wanting, but she never knew what would come of it.
Morris kept one arm wound around her as he used his other hand to tilt her chin up. Her eyes were an emerald shade of green. "Silver, you've got to understand. You don't want him. You and I are supposed to be together." he said under his breath, as much to convince her as to remind himself. Seeing her like this, with her eyes wild and her body close to his was quickly making him lose control of his thoughts. She shoved her arms out, pushing him away. But he was stronger and her efforts were useless. Then he started moving, backing her up. She felt the rough bark of the tree through her shirt. The weight of his body held her in place while his hands roamed through her hair and down her hips. Hot tears stung in her eyes. She would never cry in front of him, no matter what he took from her. She continued to try to fight, twisting and turning to free herself. Her foot connected with something and Morris doubled over in pain, cursing her loudly. This was it, her chance! She shoved him away and ran.
When she got back to The Bridge it didn't matter anymore that everyone was asleep. She burst through the door and ran up the stairs to the safety of her bunk and her only family. Her footsteps echoed through the dark of the house. She knew that the noise would wake the others, but she wanted them to hear her. She stumbled in the darkness to her bunk and flung herself down, the tears still pouring from her eyes. Somewhere off in the distance she heard several loud "thud" noises, which meant that Luna along with a few others were probably going to investigate what was going on.
"I know that sniffle. Silver, is that you?" Luna's voice cut through the darkness. She felt the bed move as Luna sat down. A moment later she felt Luna's hand on her back. "Silver. What happened?" She couldn't bear to say the words, and continued to cry. A few of the girls woke up and came over. They tried in vain to get Silver to tell them what had her so upset but no one was able to get her to speak. Not even Chapter. Quietly Key motioned for Blaze to go get Bandit. If there was anyone who'd be able to get to her, it would be him.
Her sobs had quieted down and all you could hear was the ragged sound of her breathing. The girls moved away to let him by and he crouched at the side of her bed and whispered in her ear, "I'm here." She lifted her head and the sight of her tore him to shreds inside. Her face was flushed from crying, her eyes were bloodshot-making the green stand out even more. There was pain there and he didn't know how to fix it.
She began to sit up and he noticed the tear in her shirt, the scratches on her arms and the bruise on her cheek. Rage filled him. She'd been abused once; this wasn't going to happen again-not while he was around. He sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "Silver, sweetheart, what happened?" he whispered.
She sobbed into his shoulder, "He was there."
His arms tightened around her and she whimpered. He realized she must be hurt elsewhere judging from the marks he could see. He swallowed hard and asked as calmly as he could, "Who?" A silence had fallen over the room, and Silver knew that everyone was listening. She pulled her face away from his shoulder and looked into his eyes.
"Morris." She said.
A gasp sounded through the room. Luna cursed under her breath and said, "What happened?" Not as though it wasn't obvious to the older girls. Perhaps some of the younger ones weren't quite sure, but they had all been on the streets. They all knew what could happen. Silver coughed a few times and tried to catch her breath. Her voice came out as a whisper. "He--I was in the park. In a tree, watching the sunset. I didn't know he was there. I was on my home and he cornered me and...backed me into a tree...he..." She gestured to her clothing as well as the scratches and bruises that colored her arms and face.
Key, South and Goosey shot out of the girls bunkroom to go alert the guys to the situation. The sound of the guys waking up filled the house, and the girls could hear Key making the announcement of what had happened. Much more cursing ensued and Silver faintly heard Race shout, "HE DID WHAT?!" Footsteps thundered down the stairs and everyone knew that the guys were on the hunt. It was common knowledge around the house that all the girls fell under the protection of the guys.
Silver wiped at her eyes and said to Bandit, "I'll be ok. Do you want to go with them?" He glanced around the room. He wanted to go and soak Morris so badly, but he knew that Silver needed him here. "I can soak the bastard later. I'm worried about you." A faint smile appeared on Silver's face. "I know you're itching to go. If you want to I'll be fine. The girls are here." With a sigh Bandit sat up and said, "I don't when I'll be back. But I'll take care of you, and of this." He turned and walked out the door.
As the door shut behind him the girls gathered around to console Silver. They sat up all night waiting to hear if the guys had found Morris, but mostly just to comfort Silver. No one was going to sleep another minute that night.
Things would never be the same.
NOTE: This story is continued in "Without You"