You Were Mine
Chapter 7
Missing
"Cuz without you I'm not okay
And without you I've lost my way
My heart is stuck in second place, oo
Without you...
I never thought I'd be
Lyin here without you by my side
It seems unreal to me
That the life you promised was a lie..."
Tidus smiled to himself as he drove to Lindsay's work. The lunch with Yuna had gone quite well, he had to admit, and he felt rather proud of himself for the things he said to her. He meant every word of it, and could only hope she'd seen that.
He pulled into a parking space, looked over at the doorway of the store, and felt immediately that something was wrong. Lindsay's new boss was standing with a policeman, looking worried and angry at the same time. Tidus quickly locked the car and rushed over, asking what had happened. Her boss, Darion Lido, turned to him.
"Excuse me, can I ask who you are?" he asked, looking on at Tidus as if he was something distasteful on the bottom of his shoe.
He was flustered at the time he was wasting, and the bad feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. "Is Lindsay in there?" he said, not bothering to answer the man's previous inquiry. Lido's expression fell, sadness moving across his face.
"Answer me!"
"No, she's not. She disappeared without a trace this morning on her break, but I must ask who you are before..."
Tidus heard nothing more. He shoved past Lido and the officer, into the grocery store, and began shouting Lindsay's name. He received nothing but looks from customers, and pitying stares from co-workers who knew what was happening. But he kept calling for her, each cry reaching a new level of panic and terror. He felt strong arms seize him, and balked as hard as he could against them, still crying out for her.
"Sir, please, if you'll just come with us, we'll get this all straightened out...please..." they pulled him back harder.
"Lindsay! No, get off me! Lindz! Lindz, it's Tidus!"
"Sir, hold still."
"What?"
Nothing but black came after a prick in Tidus's arm.
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He awoke in a cold room, nothing but bars surrounding the doorway . He opened his eyes in slits, light glaring down on him. What happened? Why was he in a cell?
Memories of Lindsay came flooding back to him, and he jumped from the stiff mattress to the bars, gripping them hard; so hard his knuckles paled. He searched for a guard nearby, and spotted one across the hallway. Attention was given to him when the abrupt slam on the bars was heard, and the guard began to walk toward him.
"Where am I?" he asked testily, his mood growing worse with every passing moment.
"Besaid Prison, son," the guard replied, chomping on a piece of mint gum like a cow on a blade of grass. "You was outta control in that store."
The store, he thought suddenly. That's where it was. Lindsay...they said she disappeared. "Where is she?" he demanded, still holding fast to the metal caging. "Have they found her yet?"
The guard raised an eyebrow. "Who? That girl you was screechin' for?"
"Yes! Are they looking for her?"
"Doin' all they can, I 'espect. No word on where exactly she gone off to, but they'll be bringin' you into the station for questionin' any time now."
He slammed his fist again, rage coursing through him. "Damn it! Who the fuck would take an innocent young woman from a damned grocery store!?" He fell back against the bed again, a whimper escaping his lips. His fury scared the drawling guard, and he back away a couple inches. This prisoner before him didn't look the part of a maddened boyfriend, but he sure acted it. He couldn't recall ever seeing one of the inmates this angry.
"Now calm down, boy," he said, his hands up in the air. "They'll find 'er. She's only been missin' for a few hours now. There ain't a cop this side of Zanarkand that gives up on a missin' girl. Trust me on that one."
Tidus's hands were clasped around his head, defeat showing in every motion of his body. He held back angry tears, knowing he'd probably be ridiculed for crying like a baby. Despite the guard's attempt at comfort, he felt none. He knew the consensus of missing people, and knew also that most of them never returned home alive; if they returned home at all. Their families never stopped looking for them, even after years gone by, and neither would he. No matter what it took.
He was thankful to the warden before him for the kind words, and offered a weak smile for them. He walked away from the cell with a nod, and as he strolled down the stretch of inmates, he began to whistle a tune Tidus didn't recognize.
A few hours later, while Tidus still sulked in the corner, hands over his eyes, he heard a key being jingled in the lock. The rusty door made a tired groan as it was opened, and a professional looking man stepped in. Tidus looked at him quizzically, but not at his face, and decided his identity before even seeing his facial features.
"You must be a lawyer," he said matter-of-factly, concealing his face again. "But I can't see any reason to think you would be my lawyer."
"Oh really?" his deep voice asked, "and why is that so unbelievable?"
"Because I didn't do anything. I was searching for my girlfriend, who happens to be missing. It's not like I killed anyone."
The unidentified man turned his eyes down toward the small figure, or at least it seemed a small figure to a man of six foot five inches, and seemed to have a twinkle of amusement in them. "So, you think you're in this shit hole prison for nothing?"
"That's how it seems to me. But you obviously don't agree."
He chuckled dryly, causing Tidus to look up. He found himself looking up at a very big shouldered black man who looked like he lifted 350 a day for fun. Tidus's eyes widened at the unexpected sight. "You assaulted two officers, Mr..."
"Please, just call me Tidus. Professional shit never did appeal to me."
"Alright then. You assaulted two officers, Tidus. You gave one a bloody nose with that bony elbow of yours, and you broke the other's wrist while you wriggled around like a fish out of water. Practically split it in two."
Shock entered his icy blue pools. He'd never been the violent type, especially toward authority, and couldn't imagine himself bloodying a cop's nose and breaking a wrist. He brought his hands out in front of him, looking at them in surprise, and noticed they did ache a little. So he really had done all that this lawyer said he did.
"I'm sick of not knowing you people's damn names. Do you want to introduce yourself, Mr...?"
"Ventrick. Dean Ventrick."
"Well, then, Mr. Ventrick, does that mean I have to have a trial? Is that why you're here?"
He sat down next to Tidus on the uncomfortable excuse for a bed, and winced at its non-existent support. Tidus felt a little inferior next to the huge man, but wouldn't let it show. "You can call me Dean. They have to ask you questions about your girlfriend first. You'll be put to trial in a few days, just a small one, and decide if they'll post bail for you. I think you have a good shot at it. From what I can tell, and from what the cops involved have told me, you weren't really thinking clearly, and witness reports show that. I think you'll be out of here in the next week or less."
Tidus looked mortified. "A week!? Are you kidding me?! Lindsay could be dead by then! I have to look for her! I can't sit around in a jail cell while some sick fuck does Fayth knows what to her!"
Dean made a motion to quiet him, and placed a hand on Tidus's shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay. Once someone comes to bail you out, you'll be out of here before you know it. The police will look for your girl, you know that. There's nothing you can do, Tidus. Nothing you can do but wait until something turns up. Until then...pray for the best."
Tidus had other plans, but wouldn't dare voice them. He sat silent, looking angry and frustrated. Dean stood, and offered a hand to Tidus. "They wanted me to bring you into the station, now. It'll be over soon, if you don't hesitate to answer. Just be honest, you have nothing to hide. Let's go, Mr. Tidus." He took Ventrick's hand, and headed out of his cell to face the questions of the police about his missing fiancee.