Anger surged through Charlie's body as his shaking hands laid the phone to rest on the cradle, he could hardly see straight. Rage, worry, frustration, it was all pent up inside him, swirling like a plastic bag caught in a updraft. His knees wobbled and his heart thumped like he'd just ran a 10K marathon. Just hearing Kory's voice made everything in him more desperate to find her, he felt frantic. She'd sounded so sick and scared, he'd never known her to be either of those things, it was unnerving and for the first time in his life Charlie felt powerless. With blood bubbling in his veins and fury coursing through his body, he charged out of his bedroom door, leaving the rest of the team looking after him.
"You guys, I'm worried about Charlie, I've never seen him like this." Julie declared chewing on the cap from a pen she swiped off of Banks' desk.
Guy nodded."Me either and I've known him since Pampers were fashionable."
"Where do ya'll reckon he went?" Dwayne
"From the way he stormed off, I'd say there's only one place he could've gone…" Averman answered trailing off at the end.
"Sonya Rhodes' room." Luis announced with a shutter, he hoped their captain wouldn't do anything rash.
His knock thundered through the hall as Sonya looked up from the sheet music she was diligently studying. Not only was she an expert violinist, but with Kory around to compete with, she'd taken to teaching herself the cello as well. Her roommate, a petite blonde glanced up from her homework with dark, nervous eyes. Neither had any clue why anyone would be pounding with such ferocity to get into there room, Sonya was scared. Gingerly she set down her instrument and strolled toward the door as the banging got fiercer. She turned the knob and swung the door open, putting her hands on her hips. Before she could get a word out though, Charlie forced his way through the doorway
"Where is she?" He demanded pushing the girl back into the room.
Sonya wheeled backward and fell onto her butt. "Where's who?" She asked in a bewildered tone, blowing her long black bangs from her eyes.
"Kory, where's Kory?" Charlie's jaw was clenched tightly, his face cast in stone and his voice so icy it could have frosted glass. "She's been missing for two days, now where is she?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sonya replied timidly.
"You're a liar!" The boy growled, staring down at her as she slid back across the floor.
"I'm not, I wasn't even here this weekend, I went to visit my family in New York, I just back this morning."
Sonya's roommate nodded. "She's telling the truth Charlie, I picked her up at the airport myself."
A chill ran the length of Charlie's spine as he dropped his right hand in the girl's direction. Sonya flinched and cowered away in fear, the appearance on the Charlie's face terrified her. When she opened her eyes again his hand was still there, hanging in the air, waiting to hoist her to her feet, with an apologetic expression sitting upon his brow.
"I'm… I'm sorry." He exhaled hard, realizing she couldn't have let in the kidnapper, if she wasn't even in the city. Then as swiftly as his emotions had changed from desperation to anger, they changed back again. Suddenly he knew he was no closer to finding Kory as he had been earlier that day and it gutted him. The conclusion was like running into a brick wall and again Charlie lost control of both his body and mind as his legs forced him out of the girls' room. At that point nothing he did was by choice, he was just along of the ride.
Kory opened her eyes in her dark, dank prison and wrinkled her nose at the musty smell. Two days without light, a shower or even food, she was weak. To weak to scream for help, to weak to fight her way free, it was hopeless. Each time the door opened she hoped to see Charlie on the other side, come to rescue her and never it was. The hours seemed to come together and with no day light to lend a indication of night or day, she had no way to tell how long she'd been held captive. Spending hours running through fairy tales in her mind, putting herself in the place of the princess and Charlie her charming prince, her rescuer.
She was still slightly dizzy and her head continued to ach. On closer inspection of the back of her head, she'd discovered a tender bruise and a small cut with hair matted in blood. Wounded, queasy, lonely and petrified she stared up into the pitch blackness, thoughts tumbling around her head like socks in a dryer. Did her parents know she was missing? Was anyone looking for her? Would anyone ever find her? Where was she?
Suddenly the door opened and light flooded in again, stinging her eyes. She clasped them closed and opened them again hoping her pupils would adjust, they did. And once her soft blue eyes focused, she saw her. The person who'd helped the Pirates kidnap her, someone Kory recognized instantly.
"You?" Her voice was to faint to sound accusing, she had no strength. In previous days she could've have throttled the girl, used some ancient martial arts move and knocked the girl out cold and escaped, that day she was useless. The worst of it all, coming face to face with the person that arranged it all made things so clear, she'd never get out alive.
"You guys, I'm worried about Charlie, I've never seen him like this." Julie declared chewing on the cap from a pen she swiped off of Banks' desk.
Guy nodded."Me either and I've known him since Pampers were fashionable."
"Where do ya'll reckon he went?" Dwayne
"From the way he stormed off, I'd say there's only one place he could've gone…" Averman answered trailing off at the end.
"Sonya Rhodes' room." Luis announced with a shutter, he hoped their captain wouldn't do anything rash.
His knock thundered through the hall as Sonya looked up from the sheet music she was diligently studying. Not only was she an expert violinist, but with Kory around to compete with, she'd taken to teaching herself the cello as well. Her roommate, a petite blonde glanced up from her homework with dark, nervous eyes. Neither had any clue why anyone would be pounding with such ferocity to get into there room, Sonya was scared. Gingerly she set down her instrument and strolled toward the door as the banging got fiercer. She turned the knob and swung the door open, putting her hands on her hips. Before she could get a word out though, Charlie forced his way through the doorway
"Where is she?" He demanded pushing the girl back into the room.
Sonya wheeled backward and fell onto her butt. "Where's who?" She asked in a bewildered tone, blowing her long black bangs from her eyes.
"Kory, where's Kory?" Charlie's jaw was clenched tightly, his face cast in stone and his voice so icy it could have frosted glass. "She's been missing for two days, now where is she?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sonya replied timidly.
"You're a liar!" The boy growled, staring down at her as she slid back across the floor.
"I'm not, I wasn't even here this weekend, I went to visit my family in New York, I just back this morning."
Sonya's roommate nodded. "She's telling the truth Charlie, I picked her up at the airport myself."
A chill ran the length of Charlie's spine as he dropped his right hand in the girl's direction. Sonya flinched and cowered away in fear, the appearance on the Charlie's face terrified her. When she opened her eyes again his hand was still there, hanging in the air, waiting to hoist her to her feet, with an apologetic expression sitting upon his brow.
"I'm… I'm sorry." He exhaled hard, realizing she couldn't have let in the kidnapper, if she wasn't even in the city. Then as swiftly as his emotions had changed from desperation to anger, they changed back again. Suddenly he knew he was no closer to finding Kory as he had been earlier that day and it gutted him. The conclusion was like running into a brick wall and again Charlie lost control of both his body and mind as his legs forced him out of the girls' room. At that point nothing he did was by choice, he was just along of the ride.
Kory opened her eyes in her dark, dank prison and wrinkled her nose at the musty smell. Two days without light, a shower or even food, she was weak. To weak to scream for help, to weak to fight her way free, it was hopeless. Each time the door opened she hoped to see Charlie on the other side, come to rescue her and never it was. The hours seemed to come together and with no day light to lend a indication of night or day, she had no way to tell how long she'd been held captive. Spending hours running through fairy tales in her mind, putting herself in the place of the princess and Charlie her charming prince, her rescuer.
She was still slightly dizzy and her head continued to ach. On closer inspection of the back of her head, she'd discovered a tender bruise and a small cut with hair matted in blood. Wounded, queasy, lonely and petrified she stared up into the pitch blackness, thoughts tumbling around her head like socks in a dryer. Did her parents know she was missing? Was anyone looking for her? Would anyone ever find her? Where was she?
Suddenly the door opened and light flooded in again, stinging her eyes. She clasped them closed and opened them again hoping her pupils would adjust, they did. And once her soft blue eyes focused, she saw her. The person who'd helped the Pirates kidnap her, someone Kory recognized instantly.
"You?" Her voice was to faint to sound accusing, she had no strength. In previous days she could've have throttled the girl, used some ancient martial arts move and knocked the girl out cold and escaped, that day she was useless. The worst of it all, coming face to face with the person that arranged it all made things so clear, she'd never get out alive.