Please be warned there is MATURE content in this chapter. If you cannot handle that, then read no further.
Elsa.
"Fucking bitch, give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you!" Hans yelled over the stirring ocean.
"P-Please, I'll do whatever you want, Hans. Please let me show you." I slowly stood up from my crouched position. I felt something small by my hand and grabbed it, it was some kind of metal nut or bolt.
Hans was breathing heavily, his face twisted as he took my words into consideration. My heartbeat was so loud I thought it might explode from my chest. I felt a cool, clammy sweat on my forehead. Instinctively I wanted to wipe it, but I knew I shouldn't make any kind of movement.
"Get in the room," Hans stepped aside showing the dark passage. It looked strange now that my eyes were adjusted to the darkness outside, it looked like an endless abyss.
"Don't try anything, or I'll shoot you." Hans said as I stepped towards him.
I couldn't go back down there. Once I was down there, I really wouldn't have anywhere to escape. He would rape me and then most likely kill me. I had to think fast, but all of my options were blank. I needed to get off this boat. In the palm of my hand I felt the cool metal of the bolt and without making too much movement, I threw it to the far corner of the boat. It hit the ground and made a soft 'thump' noise.
Hans was distracted, his upper body spun around in the direction of the noise, the gun pointed into the darkness.
"Who's there?" I could hear the shakiness in his voice, but that wasn't my concern.
This was my chance. Without hesitation, I ran to the railing on the side of the boat and just as I went to pull myself up to jump I heard the hiss of the gun.
Everything moved in slow motion.
As soon as I heard the gun go off, I spun my neck around awkwardly to look at Hans. The gun was in one hand that he began to lower as he moved towards me. I suddenly thought, yes he missed!
Instantly, my mind was flooded with pain. My shoulder burned and I screamed out in agony. The force of the bullet pushing me forward. I snapped my head around and suddenly I was in the water.
It was just what I wanted. To be off the boat and in the water, but the ocean stirred violently as if sensing danger. It roughly pulled me under as I tried to fight with my cuffed hands. The waves tossed me against the boat and I gasped for air before the current swept me under again. The throbbing pain from my left shoulder never ceased, I screamed out and thrash as I was forced under by the current. I was gasping for air again at the top of the water before the waves towered over me again. I panicked and thrashed more, not only was I drowning but my bullet wound was most likely bleeding - which could attract sharks.
I screamed for help when I surfaced again, but waves crashed down on me. I swallowed mouthfuls of water, unable to hold my breath I let the liquid seep into my lungs that burned so much I had to cough it up.
When I surfaced again, suddenly I remembered what my mom told me when I was seven.
We were playing in the ocean when she said "Elsa, what do you suppose you do if a current gets you?"
"Try and call for help of course, you would be close by."
Mom giggled at this, "yes I would never let you out of my sight in the ocean, but suppose when you're older and I'm not around. What should you do?"
"I don't know, mommy."
"Never panic. Stay calm and in control. Don't try to fight the current, try to let it carry you and go with it. If you fight, you will get tired and -"
"Okay, okay, that's scary!"
The memory ended with my mom's laughter, it sounded so sweet. I took a gasp of air before another wave crashed down on me. And this time I didn't fight it. I let current pull me around, I felt like a rag doll, being pulled in all directions. Suddenly, as if sensing my ease it stopped. I lay motionless under the water, too exhausted to try to swim to the surface. I breathed in the salty sea, as it burned my nose and lungs.
Everything stopped around me and I could feel my consciousness slipping when suddenly the current picked up again. As if wrapped around my legs like hands, I was pulled deeper into the dark sea.
^.^
Jack.
Outside, I looked around the dark neighborhood. There were a couple of the partiers stumbling down the street, but no sign of Hans. Frustrated, I clenched my jaw when Rapunzel jumped down from the porch.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked.
"Do you have any idea what you've done!" I roared, stepping and towering over her.
She faltered under my rage, those green eyes staring at me pointedly.
"I-I didn't know what he wanted. He just asked for Elsa." She stammered.
"You don't know this guy." I clenched my teeth again, turning away from Zel.
"What was I supposed to do -"
"Not sell her out! What the hell is wrong with you?" I glanced back at her, glaring.
"Jack, I want to be completely honest, he asked me to get Elsa outside. I don't know why, I was drunk at the beginning of the night and I only remember him slipping me money." She stepped towards me and I took one back.
I palmed my throbbing forehead and groaned. "You don't know what this guy doe to girls like Elsa!"
-Jack age: 17-
Hans and I were sitting by the pool, staring off into the crowd of dancing girls. Hans spoke first, about a blonde on the left. She was cute, petite and looked like she was having fun.
"How do you think she is?" he nodded to her. I shrugged, and said she was hot.
"Damn, I like them blonde, what i'd do to get her out."
"It's your party, man." I cheers him. Mostly in hopes that he would stop talking about it. Hans not drunk was annoying enough.
"I like to get them out to the yacht. Get them real fucked up 'ya know?" He said after his long swig of whiskey.
"Then just give those fucking whore's what their looking for. Pound them until they -"
"Man, that's fucking sick. You're drunk," I laughed it off. So did he. He dove into another story about a girl, a blonde, and that's where he got the idea. That's when he found he liked it. I just listened along, thinking this guy was drunk and joking.
But later on I realized that it wasn't a joke. The next week, that blonde went missing and was found. Drugged and raped, but they had no idea who had done it and she had no idea either.
Every following year, a blonde would go missing and it was always the same story.
^.^
All those years, I knew Hans had something to do with all the woman and I didn't say a word. I suddenly felt sick, if anything happened to Elsa it would be my fault. It would be on me because I had a chance to stop this but I didn't. I was too caught up in myself and now Elsa was somewhere out there with that sicko. I swayed and tipped my head back in frustration.
Someone ran onto the porch and broke me out of my dark thoughts.
"Jack!" Astrid was on the porch suddenly, she was out of breathe and didn't give another second of hesitation, "Jack, it's Elsa. We found her, she's on the beach."
I was running after I heard 'we found her'. I cut through the back and I saw a small group forming on the far end of the beach. Must have been about 100 yards from the house.
Pushing past, everyone I saw my brother. He was crouched over her and maybe from another person's perspective, it might have looked like they were kissing.
But I knew better than that.
"Astrid, call the EMS!" I shouted pass everyone and fell to my knees. Without words, I positioned myself on the other side of Hiccup who continued the compression. I could hear him counting under his breathe. 26, 27, 28,29 and 30.
I gave the two breathes needed to finish the set. Opening up her airway, I blew in with all my might and noticed something sticky on my hands.
Blood. I located the oozing wound on her shoulder closest to Hiccup's side.
"Hiccup, I'll take care of this, find something for her shoulder." I got into position and I forced down with all my might for compression's. It was haunting, how pale she looked in the darkness. Her ribs cracked endlessly under my force.
I couldn't remember when the EMS arrived and pulled me away from her. All I kept thinking was 'come on Elsa, come on.'
^.^
Elsa.
I feel like I was dreaming. In a dream where it's ended and you're suppose to wake up. But I didn't, no, I couldn't wake up. I stood in an empty void, forcing myself to awake.
'There is pain,' a disembodied voice warned from the darkness.
'You won't regret staying here."
I couldn't speak, but I wanted to call out 'yes I will'.
As if my mind was released, I found reality slowly start to trickle in.
I felt numb, my body felt was cold even though I was wrapped in warmth. I could feel my eyelids slowly pry open as I took my first real look at the world of the living.
There was a beeping noise, white lights and curtains. My arm was hooked up to a machine and I was laying in a hospital bed. I groaned at the IV in my wrist, sitting up I wanted to try to pull it out. I hated needles.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hiccup chuckled from the side of the bed. His face was the first I had woken up to and he looked tired. His hair was greasy and flat on his head, those green eyes bloodshot.
"You know I hate needles," I groaned again and when I went to sit up my left shoulder stung. I yelped out in pain.
Hiccup stood up in response, holding my back. "Hey, hey watch it. You'll rip those stitches out."
He helped me into a comfortable position and sat back down, never letting go of my hand.
"Where is everyone?"
"Jack took mom to her radiation appointment. It's just across the wing."
"H-Hiccup, it was Hans." I sobbed as memories flashed through me. I held the blankets tighter to my chest and my limp hair fell over my face. Hiccup was by my side again, his hands on my shoulders.
"It's okay, Elsa." he repeated until Jack and Val came in. She took his place and drew me into her arms.
Memories kept pouring through me of Hans and how scared I was to have to see him again. I couldn't see him again and Val kept saying, 'you won't see him again'.
Much of what happened after my breakdown was pretty much a blur. My female doctor came in and out, along with a member from the police department in rape. I stared at them in disbelief.
"No, nothing like that happened." I tried to stay calm and thankfully the boys were outside in the hall. The officer, Val and the doctor were the only ones in the room.
"We just want to make sure you're okay, you said he took you to the boat but you don't remember how. And we don't want to alarm you, but similar accidents have happened. Plus, with all the time you lost from your story, well, we just want to make sure you were -"" he must have seen how shocked I was. I felt like I was missing a huge piece of my life, but I also wanted to defend myself and say none of that happened.
Right?
"He didn't. He - I think he was going to but I swear he didn't." I looked at Val helplessly. "Please, don't let them do this to me."
Val shot up from her chair. "This is ridiculous. You should be looking for this sicko, not interrogating an underage girl."
"If he's been known to rape others, we want to make sure it's a match to anything in our database."
"It won't be." A new voice said. Jack was in the doorway and I felt like I was going to vomit. "He's never been accused at a sex offender before."
"Do you know this man?"
"Yes - er, well - not in a sense. But I know his victims." Everyone was focused on Jack now and he didn't flinch at the attention. He kept his face solemn and continued.
"He's done this before. I only know about it because he once mentioned it to me when we were drunk at a party a couple years back. His victims are usually coherent and uh - the act is consensual in most of the sense."
The officer now only wanted Jack's attention and asked if he could take him to the police department for more questioning. Jack agreed and left a horrified Val and myself. She clasped a hand over her mouth and looked at me mortified.
"I'm so sorry, Elsa."
^.^
I was released finally a couple of days later - on my birthday.
Being eighteen didn't feel any different. I woke up in the same amount of pain and still felt like something was taken from me. I hadn't seen Jack since his interrogation with the detective and I grew worried. Of course, I was curious about how he knew but I didn't care as much as how much I wanted to see him.
Did he blame himself for what happened? He warned me about Hans in the beginning, and I didn't listen. Did he warn me because he knew? If so, then shouldn't I be furious. I should feel betrayed, or upset.
But I wasn't - at least not now.
I was sitting in the backseat of Vals SUV, Hiccup beside me and his arm around my good shoulder. We were both staring out the windows but I was suddenly caught up in my ordeal. I wanted to see Jack, I knew he had to have a reason why he knew and didn't say anything.
When we pulled up, I noticed more cars in the driveway than most days. I gave Hiccup a sidelong look and he grinned as he helped me out of the car. The air felt nice on my skin and I wished to stay outside longer after being in the hospital for so long.
And after my brush with death, I embraced any light that I could get.
When we stepped inside, I was greeted by a familiar, yet unexpected face.
"Dad!" Hiccup stepped aside as my father gently drew me in for a hug. Tears stung at my eyes, never had I thought would I be able to see him, least of all out here.
"Away for one summer and you get into all the trouble," Fin said from beside my father and I couldn't help but laugh. He reached for a hug and then dad was giving me another one.
"Happy birthday, my girl. I was so worried." He said as he pulled away and held my hands.
"I can't believe you guys are here, I thought you were camping."
"Uh, it's adventuring, and we still are. But we couldn't miss your big day." Fin said and actually sounded genuine. I smiled and look back at Val who was watching the whole exchange with a beautiful smile on her face. She was radiant, reminding me again of an angel.
"Well, let's get started." She said and there was no arguing.
Jack.
I knew her dad was coming today, and Fin. It would have been nice to see him again since he hadn't been here all summer. But I couldn't bring myself to go back home. I couldn't face Elsa after she woke up in the hospital and was crying - I knew then this whole mess was my fault.
I wanted to see her - wanted to hold her when she cried in that hospital room but all I saw was myself in her darkest memories. I could see how much she hated me, and after all I admitted to the detective, I knew she would put all the pieces together.
Emeralds had lots of places to get away. And that's what I did - but I couldn't bring myself to completely leave. Not yet at least.
"Hi there how can we - oh, Mr. Frost you're back." The receptionist at the local police department was getting use to my presence here. "He's not in right now, Jack."
She was talking about the detective, I heard his name was Hugh - the reason for me stopping by everyday.
"Did he find him?"
"I can't tell you that, you know how it is. I'm sorry, but I don't think you should come around anymore. This is still an open investigation."
"Thanks. I'll try and catch him tomorrow."
I left without listening to what else she had to say. I had to know that Hans was caught - that he was going to hopefully go on trial and rot behind bars. Maybe not, but I hoped he would get what was coming to him.
And then there was me. And I would need to find a way that I could pay Elsa back. Night was beginning to find the small town and i found my way back to the house. Inside, I could see the lights on and everyone sitting around the table. I imagined laughter filled my ears and I could only i it was from jokes being passed around.
I should be in there, but I couldn't move. I didn't want to see the disappointment on my mother's face, or the look of betrayal on Elsa's. Intent on going back to town, I found myself walking to the front of the house and staring at the outside, still not able to bring myself to go inside.
"I'm glad you finally came around."
Horrified, I spun around so fast I startled Elsa as she stepped out from my mom's car. She was holding a small bag, and I didn't even notice anyone was out here. She was in a sling and more causal clothes tonight.
"Where have you been?" Her voice was kind, but I could have sworn I saw judgment in her blue eyes. I felt delusional and worthless - like i wasn't worthy enough to be in her presence. I had no business here, standing before her.
"I've been worried about you." She stepped towards me and my guilt rose in my gut again. I held out my hands to stop her, unaware that I was shaking.
"Elsa, please just let me go."
^.^
Authors Notes:
We are one chapter away from the finale! So stay tuned and remember to review and favorite.
Cassie.