Emma's eyes flickered open and in the dim shadows cast by the lamp in the corner of the living room she saw Will still sitting staring at the phone, willing it to ring. Elle still hadn't returned home and it was approaching three in the morning. Will turned to look at her, his eyes still filled with tears. Emma leant across and took the phone from it's cradle before turning and burying her face in Will's chest.
"If it rings we'll wake up. Go to sleep, Elle needs us to be ready for anything." Will said softly into Emma's ear before both of them dozed off. Will slept fitfully and every time his eyes opened, the VCR only showed the time having ticked over by about ten minutes. Finally he fell into a deeper sleep and was woken at 6am by Emma shaking his shoulder gently.
She left him to get up while she desperately searched the house for any signs of Elle having come home. When she returned to the living room with a defeated expression on her face Will pulled her into a hug and picked up the phone. "We'd better call Gina then hadn't we." He said softly before dialling in her number. Emma nodded and then walked through into the kitchen, not sure that she could bear to hear the conversation that was about to take place. It was every parent's nightmare and now it was their turn to live it. After dealing with so many of them, Emma knew the probable outcome and she dreaded to think of it.
"Hi Gina, it's Will and before you say it I know we should be in at work soon but please just listen to me, Elle's missing. She didn't come home last night and she didn't meet her friend after school like she said she would. I've phoned her mobile countless times but it just switches to answer phone. I know she's a bit of a tearaway but she's never done this before, it's like a whole new level for her and she's just getting back on track. We don't know what to do any more, can you help us please?" Will asked, the tears dripping off his cheeks and onto his arms.
"Of course look just come down to the station as soon as and we'll start thinking about the circumstances and any possible leads we could have before we issue an alert." Gina replied kindly. She knew how much the twins meant to Will and she hated to see him in this much pain. "I'll send two officers round to stay at the house while you're at the station, just in case she returns when you're out." She added as an afterthought.
Emma meanwhile had gone and woken Mikey and told him the news, or lack of it. Leaving him to get dressed, she showered and changed her clothes from last night before joining Will downstairs. "I'm ready, Mikey's getting dressed and then we'll be ready to go." She said, filling him in.
Elle woke with a start, her face pressed up against a cold stone wall. She looked around disorientated until she managed to recall all that had happened yesterday before she was brought here. The man's face flashed in front of her eyes, as though teasing her as she hadn't been able to work out who he was. HW? The only thing that she had been able to come up with was the school which she and Mikey attended, Harvey Wallace Comprehensive!
The mystery man walked in at that moment and smiled as he saw Elle tracing his initials on her arm. "Breakfast." He said shortly, placing a bowl of cereal and piece of toast in front of her. Then pulling a carton on juice out of his pocket he threw it at her. "I hope you like apple." He added gruffly before walking out of the basement.
She just couldn't work this bloke out. One minute he was attacking her with a knife, the next he was having a guilt trip and giving her a fairly decent breakfast. She frowned but began to eat the food all the same, she hadn't eaten since lunchtime the previous day and it was apparently approaching 10am according to the clock which was ticking loudly in the corner of the room.
A while later he came back into the room looking irate. "You stupid cow, you've told somebody we're here haven't you?" He yelled at her. She looked back in confusion.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about." She replied softly.
"Oh sure you don't, that's why there just happens to be a police car sitting across the street." He said in a softer tone.
"But…but how could I have, I don't have a phone, you took it off me last night." Elle whimpered. "Besides if they knew I was here don't you think they'd have got me out of here by now…why would they wait?" She added thoughtfully. The man stared hard at her for a few minutes before sighing and nodding. "Why are you doing this to me?" She asked tearfully.
The man turned back to her with a malicious look in his eye. "Like mother like daughter eh? She always used to ask that too." He said before storming out of the room. Finally it clicked. She knew who it was who had kidnapped her!
GAH it's so obvious who it is...isn't it? Thought I'd give you another chapter...although I haven't written any more of it! I will be writing more as soon as I've finished Biting The Bullet and the fic I'm working on atm which is called Never Happy :D please please please review as I'm in a semi writing crisis :'( xxxxpip