Warning: Strong violence

Chapter Eighteen

Ezra let out the breath he was holding and relaxed as a car passed by his own and disappeared around the corner of the street. He was parked out front of Arias house, keeping watch to make sure Byron didn't come home. With each car that appeared at the end of the street, Ezra's heart beat furiously in anticipation, while his fists gripped the steering wheel tightly. He wasn't sure what he would do if Byron came home, but he had run over every possible scenario in his head. Maybe he would get out of the car and distract him and somehow send Aria a warning message.

The late morning sun was now rising higher in the sky, warming the day to a bearable temperature. A gust of wind sent a pile of leaves swirling around the asphalt, creating a eery chorus. The trees lining the street joined in, and Ezra took a deep breath of the crisp air, savoring the after taste of wood and moss. It seemed to help settle his nerves and he look another deep breath for good measure.

He was startled by the shrill ring of his phone and had to take a moment to calm down before he could answer. 'Spencer' flashed across his screen and he hesitated for a moment and then hit the answer button.

"Hey Spencer, what's up?" He tried to keep his voice neutral as he struggled with the informal greeting. Perhaps he should have used her last name, he was her teacher after all.

"Ezra," she stumbled over his name as well and he thought she may be having the same problem as he. "Sorry to bother you." She quickly added.

"Not at all," he offered. "What can I help you with?" He already knew what Spencer was going to say, but he humoured her anyway.

"Aria didn't show up for school today and she won't answer our calls. And then when a substitute came into English class well-" She paused, as she often did when she realised she was talking too fast. "Well we hoped she was safe with you?"

"She is with me, yes." Ezra heard her sigh of relief and then her relaying the information to the other girls. "Is everything alright?"

Ezra sat silently for a moment, deliberating what he would say. "Perhaps, that is something she could share with you when she is ready. But please know that I am looking after her."

When Spencer spoke again she sounded calmer. "Okay, could you please ask her to call me when she is ready?"

Ezra smiled to himself, "Sure Spence." And then he hung up the phone.

He had always admired Spencer the most out of all of the girls. He saw the way Spencer took care of Aria and he would always be grateful for her friendship with Aria. He had secretly hopped that Aria has spoken to Spencer about her father. The thought of Aria going through what she had, alone, broke his heart.

Ezra couldn't help but look at his watch again. Aria had only been gone for fifteen minutes at most, but something didn't feel right. He wanted to laugh; tell himself he was being stupid, but he couldn't shake the feeling that was settling in his stomach. He looked around the street again, but still found it empty. Glancing back at the house, Ezra pulled the keys from the ignition and made his way to the front door.

The feeling of unease only grew as he entered the house and he stopped dead in his tracks. A beam of sunlight shone through the living room window, illuminating the dust particles. The air was oddly still, and Ezra felt transfixed as he watched the dust suspend lifelessly in the air. The smell of stale alcohol drifted in from the kitchen and Ezra took a step in its direction. A crunch under his foot stopped him mid step and he lifted his foot gently off the photo frame. Arias smiling face stared back up from beneath the broken glass and Ezra knelt to pick the photo from the mess. She stood between Byron and Ella; a wide smile planted on her face as her arms draped around her parents shoulders. Aria was glowing. His heart ached for the happy girl who smiled back at him. It had been months since he had seen her genuinely happy and he wished he could have been there for her sooner.

As he looked around and surveyed the mess, Ezra understood why Aria hadn't wanted him to go with her. Empty whisky bottles lay scattered on the kitchen bench, photo frames had been ripped from the wall and furniture had been uprooted. She didn't want him to see just how bad her home life was. But he had seen the bruises and had let her tears soak his shirt. Nothing he saw would change how he felt.

Muffled voices filtered through the wood from above him and Ezra jumped slightly when he heard dull thud. His body moved and before his brain could register, he was making his way up the stairs. He couldn't say why he had reacted the way he had. There was nothing to indicate that Aria was in trouble. The thud sound could be attributed a dozen different things, but it all came back to that stick, heavy feeling in Ezra's stomach and he instantly new that something was horribly wrong. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed 9-1-1. His hand shook as he pressed the call button and he waited for the operator.

"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"

"301 Sunnybrooke Lane, Rosewood." Ezra whispered to the operator. He had always been taught to say the address first incase something happened. He could hear the operator typing away furiously.

"And what's the emergency?"

But before he could answer he heard another thud and then Aria pleading for help. He dropped his phone and burst into to room, unprepared for what would await him on the other side.

It was an image that would be burned into Ezra's brain forever; Byron, kneeling over Aria, his body rigid and large. Ezra could only see Arias legs peeking out from underneath her father, beating feebly for release. He couldn't see it, but he knew she was being choked. The sickening noises echoed in his ear and he struggled to keep down the bile that threatened to spill all over the floor.

The gruesome sight knocked all the wind from Ezra's chest and sent his stomach into a nauseating flurry. Ezra leaped forward, his body protesting from the sudden movement, and slammed into Byron with a sickening thud. They both landed in a tangle of limbs, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. Ezra felt a fist connect with the side of his jaw and he faltered, but soon recovered and rolled, forcing all of his weight on to Byron until he was sitting on top of him. Byron looked back up to Ezra, a look of horror widening his eyes, as if he knew what was coming. But Ezra felt no sympathy for the man. He pulled his fist back and drove it into the older mans face with every ounce of strength. And as he pulled back his fist once more, he could see every bruise, injury and heartbreak Aria suffered at the hands of her father; a man who was supposed to protect her and love her. Ezra's fist tightened, whitening his knuckles and he drove his fist into Byron once more. The older mans head feel back, either unconscious or dead, Ezra didn't care which.

He hopped of Byron and was beside Aria in an instant. She still lay in the same spot and her chocolate waves cascaded around her head like a halo. He knew instantly that she wasn't breathing and he faltered for a moment as he tried to remember his first aid training. His mind was swirling with information and he struggled to pick out the right information. His fingers sought out her wrist and the absent heartbeat confirmed his fears, he would have to perform CPR. His fingers probed between her breasts for the correct spot, and then he placed his palms flat and began to pump.

When he was doing his first aid course, the instructor had told them to perform the the chest compressions to the rhythm of 'Staying Alive' By the Bee Gees. So as Ezra began the one hundred chest compressions, he sung the Bee Gee's hit in his mind while he counted aloud, and he wasn't totally oblivious to the outrageousness of it all. As he neared the end of the one hundred compressions, he watched his tears fall helplessly onto Arias shirt and soak into the material.

"Come on." He sobbed and his finger gripped her nose and his mouth covered her lifeless lips. He breathed twice, and with each artificial rise and fall of her chest, he felt a piece of his heart blacken and die.

"Please," He begged. And then he started compressions again.

Ah ah ah ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...

"Please come back to me."

His arms began to ache and his lungs protested in overuse, but his determination never faltered. Just as he finished his third round of breaths, he felt Arias body jolt beneath him, and then she took a breath. Long and thirsty. It was the sweetest sound Ezra had ever heard and he felt the feeling of terror release his heart. She gasped again; her lungs desperate for air, and Ezra's training kicked in again as he turned her on her side just as she began to vomit.

A siren, the second sweetest sound in the world. It started out quite but grew closer at an alarmingly fast speed. And then there were two sets of footsteps running up the stairs. Ezra's world turned blurry then and he could only focus on Aria. The adrenaline had faded and his brain had turned fuzzy. He watched as the EMT's placed an oxygen mask over Arias face and he was surprised his was able to answer any of the questions thrown at him. A brace was wrapped around her neck when Ezra mentioned she was choked and then she was gently lifted onto a stretcher. A third EMT arrived then and began to tend to Byron. Ezra wanted to tell them not to bother, but Aria was being wheeled out and he had to follow her. But as they reached the bottom of the stairs he was stopped but a police office. He protests went unanswered and he was whisked away from Aria. From the woman he loved.

I apologise for the delay. My computer crashed and I lost all my work on the rest of the story. I was so upset that I didn't feel like writing for a long time. But I have had a sudden inspiration and I think this chapter is better than the original. Please let me know what you think. Yours reviews are so lovely and such a treat when I open my email of a morning!

Snellee