Elle sat on the low wall outside her and Mikey's school waiting for her mate Jess to show up. She pulled out Jess's phone and looked at it before sliding back into the inside pocket of her jacket. There was no way that Jess would fail to turn up because Elle still had her phone from lunchtime and Jess could barely go an hour without texting someone!

Just as Elle was beginning to get bored a silver car pulled up next to her and a man rolled down the window. "Elle, how are you?" He asked her grinning broadly.

"Um do I know you?" Elle asked in reply, sure that she recognised him from somewhere.

"Sorry yeah, I work with your Mum down at the station. She asked me to come and pick you up because she's taking you somewhere after school apparently, she forgot to tell you about it this morning and is in a complete flap now so I said I'd come pick you up." The man replied, still smiling at her.

"Sure." Elle replied, forgetting all about meeting Jess, as she was still concerned about her Mum. She opened the car door and got in, putting her bag down at her feet. Jess rounded the corner at that moment seeing a flash of blonde hair and Elle's distinctive trainers disappearing inside the car. She rolled her eyes, Elle had a brain like a sieve it was only natural that she'd forget to meet her.

"So what is it that you do at the station?" Elle asked him as he wound through the back streets of Canley.

"I was a Community Officer up until quite recently but I've just finished my retraining at Hendon so I'm a trainee PC." He said calmly.

"Hey wait…this isn't the way to Sun Hill!" Elle exclaimed as he took a back double. "Are you lost?" She asked again, seeing a wicked grin flash across his face as he locked the doors from the inside. "Let me out you creep! You don't really work with Mum do you?" She screamed at him.

They pulled up outside an old Victorian house and he dragged her kicking and screaming up the path. Unfortunately for her, there was nobody about, not a soul to be seen. He unlocked the door while still keeping a tight grip around her middle. Pushing the door open he shoved her roughly inside and followed her in, locking the door behind him. Advancing towards her, he pulled her with him down a flight of steep stairs to a dank and dark basement. Throwing her across the room towards a smelly mattress she cried out as she fell hard onto her side.

"You're going to pay for that little display now." He said menacingly, approaching her from the doorway. Elle backed herself up against the wall as he continued to move closer to her. He put his hand into his back pocket and produced a kitchen knife which he ran one finger down. It glinted in the little light that seeped in through a high window with bars in it and Elle felt her stomach drop several feet. Cowering against the cold wall, she began to cry softly.

"Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me." She wept softly as he arrived at her side and began to roll up her right sleeve. He continued to stay silent and Elle carried on crying. Picking up some rope next to him he tied her to a pipe that was sticking out of the wall and removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeve. Producing the knife again, he placed the tip on the edge of her skin and began to dig it in slowly, tracing a pattern that was unknown to her. When he was satisfied that he'd finished, he got up and left her alone in the darkness.

Who was he? Why did he want her? Where were they? Why were they here? Countless questions zipped through Elle's mind, the coppers instinct that she'd inherited from her parents began to kick in. Running a finger over the cut on her arm she felt sick to her stomach as a warm liquid dripped over her fingers. She continued tracing the pattern however and began to make out the outline of two letters…an H and then a W. Initials? Who did she know with the initials HW?

Emma stepped over the doormat to see Mikey hammering franticly on the Playstation controller. "Hey Mike, where's you sister?" She called from the kitchen and she put down the bags of shopping. She didn't hear his reply so she went and stood in the doorway. "She is home isn't she?" Emma asked again.

"Oh uh no she's not showed up yet. Jess phoned and said that they were supposed to meet after school so Jess could get her phone back but Elle never showed. I was gonna phone you but I thought it might make you more paranoid than usual, she'll probably turn up at tea time." Mikey said, going back to his game.

Emma stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes. Where was Elle? Hastily she picked up the house phone and rushed through into the kitchen, dialling Will's number as she went. "Babe, it's me I uh…Elle's not home. She was supposed to meet a friend and then come straight back but neither of those things happened. I'm worried about her babe, anything could have happened!" Emma cried down the phone.

"Hey…shhh baby. We all know what Elle's like, no memory for times and places or what you'll be thinking. Seriously honey, she's probably just forgotten to meet her friend and gone off with some boy. She'll be back by teatime, you'll see. Now stop worrying and make yourself a cup of tea. I'll be home at seven." Will said reassuringly before hanging up.

Emma laughed nervously and put the phone back in the cradle. She hoped he was right.

Emz was gonna kill me so i had to ud xxpip