Chapter 10

Ann stared in shock at the man they had spent so many years trying to forget. They never should have come to Angel Grove. She would never forgive herself for putting them all in such danger. She prayed they would forgive her and Stephanie for leaving them on their own, especially Johnny.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your coach Kimberly?"

Ann looked at him, no longer in shock. How dare he ask that. "I have no coach, and last I checked, Kimberly Hart was still locked up in your 'training center'." She replied, saying the last two words with sarcasm.

Before she had a chance to breath, Ann flew back into Johnny's arms, her hand slowly raising to her cheek, that was quickly turning colors.

"What the hell?" Tommy asked in shock.

"How dare you hit her." Jason continued, quickly becoming angry.

"Stay out of this boy." Schmidt replied in anger before turning back to the five. "Now we are going to get your belongings and return to the center."

"No." Ann replied softly.

"What did you say?"

"No, we aren't going back to the center." She continued her voice louder, more confident.

Before anyone had a chance to react again, Schmidt had his hand around her arm in a death grip, far exceeding the grip anyone imagined a man his age would have. He jerked her towards him, and whispered low in her ear, his voice deadly. "I told you to never talk back to me."

Then he raised his voice, including the others. "We are leaving, now." He continued before turning around and dragging her with him.

"Let her go." Johnny said reaching out and grabbing Schmidt's arm.

Schmidt turned and looked at the hand on his arm, then up to Johnny. "So Stephen, the two of you started a relationship. I told you that dating was strictly forbidden. Especially among athletes."

"We don't belong to you anymore, we haven't for five years. Now let her go." Johnny continued his voice low.

"Let go Stephan."

"Let her go first."

Schmidt smiled at him, then turned Ann once more, capturing her hand and wrist in his hand, and began to press her hand backwards, against her wrist. Ann started to whimper in pain, and Johnny let go immediately.

"Are those tears Kimberly?" he asked turning back towards her. "What's the number one rule Kimberly?" he asked as he began to press harder on her hand, bending her wrist even more in the unnatural angle.

Ann fought the tears as he continued to bend her wrist. He wouldn't stop until she had. She swallowed the last of the tears then looked at him. "A gymnast never cries or shows pain." She replied softly.

"That's my girl." He replied before twisting her wrist one last time and letting go.

Ann fell to the floor after a pop resounded through the building and Schmidt had smiled in satisfaction. Carefully she cradled her now broken wrist, fighting the tears that wanted to fall. It had been five years since she had experienced this kind of pain. Her tolerance was no longer there.

"Get up Kimberly."

Ann looked up at him in shock. The man was insane, that's all there was to it.

"Get up." He repeated, his voice laced with growing anger.

Ann continued to stare at him in shock, still not moving. Once more exhibiting speed far beyond his years, he grabbed Stephanie and twisted her arm behind her back.

He looked at her, daring her to defy him again. Slowly Ann stood up, using only her legs. Once she was standing, she glanced around the room. Johnny glanced down at her wrist, then back to her face. He looked ready to kill, but wouldn't do anything as long as Schmidt had one of the girls. Robbie was keeping Rachel behind him, not letting Schmidt near her. And the others, they were staring at Schmidt in shock and slight horror. By the looks on their faces, they couldn't believe what they were seeing, and were more than likely frozen in shock. She knew that feeling all too well.

"Let's go Kimberly."

Ann turned towards the door, then stopped and turned back towards him. "Will you let her go?" she asked softly, not wanting to make him angrier. /-/ That didn't work /-/she thought to herself as she fell against the doorjamb, her other cheek starting to bruise.

Stephanie gasped in shock as Ann went flying against the wall once more, then collapsed in pain.

Ann watched as Schmidt kicked Stephanie in the back of her knees. She never should have brought them here. Stephanie tried to stand, but collapsed once more with a small yelp of pain, to which Schmidt smacked her over the back of her head.

"You've grown weak Michaela." Schmidt said shaking his head slightly. "Help her up Kimberly. Once we've returned to the center, we'll drill that out of both of you."

Ann closed her eyes as she walked over to Stephanie, and knelt. Wrapping her good arm around Stephanie's waist, Stephanie placed her right arm on Ann's shoulders, and they slowly rose, the majority of Stephanie's weight being carried by Ann. Carefully the two women stepped back from Schmidt as he turned to the group from Angel Grove.

"Thank you for calling me, I never would have found them without your help." He explained with a smile, snapping them out of their shock.

"What?" Tommy exclaimed.

"You aren't taking them." Jason continued.

"Yeah, you can't have my best friend again, and you aren't taking her friends either." Aisha exclaimed walking up to him.

Johnny closed his eyes when they heard the familiar sound of flesh against flesh. The girl should have stayed out of it. It was bad enough that he beat his gymnast, and worse, but why did the man have to go around hitting anyone, especially women, who spoke back to him. He opened his eyes and saw the girl in the hispanic man's arms, a look of shock on her face, and pure rage on his.

Schmidt looked ready to kill at being challenged, and Johnny laughed internally as the man's face turned an odd shade of red. Glancing further around the room, he saw that the rest of the girl's and Ann's old friends were varying between shock and anger, all glaring at Schmidt like they wanted to roast him on a spit. Robbie and Rachel were looking at the girl with pity, they all knew how much her face hurt, and how long it would hurt. He and Robbie had watched the girls suffer with the pain too many times.

Glancing at Ann and Stephanie, he did a double take. They were leaning against the wall, both playing with the lockets around their neck; the lockets that they never let anyone else touch. Something wasn't right. Ann looked up and caught his eye, giving him a look of apology. Then it clicked, earlier that day Stephanie had been going on about how she wouldn't go back.

"Ann no!" he exclaimed as they opened the lockets.

Schmidt turned towards them then, and looked at them questioningly.

"We aren't going back." Ann said softly.

"Yes you are." Schmidt replied walking towards them. "I own you."

"You can't own a dead person." Stephanie replied with a smile that chilled Johnny to the bone, one that was entirely too happy for the situation.

"Don't do it." Rachel cried as she realized what they were going to do.

"I'm sorry." Ann whispered looking at Johnny, then turned back to Schmidt as he approached them.

"For what?" Schmidt demanded grabbing her injured arm.

"Go to hell." Ann replied as she and Stephanie both lifted the small pill to their lips. She smiled as Schmidt's look changed to shock, then the world went black.