AN/ hello. I am so so sorry for the update. My computer has been messing with me and I had to rewrite the chapter... but at least I think that the chapter turned out better the second time, so something good came out of it... I also had a little problem with one of the characters in this chapter as he's a bit confusing (you'll see what i mean...).

Thank you so much RazMaster, IHopeYouDance101, QeenCupcake101 and .Possible for all your reviews on the last chapter, they mean a lot to me. And a special shout out to Maddy who's been reviewing on all my chapters. You're awesome;)

Hope that you're all gonna like this chapter, but I must warn you, things will get a bit rough...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own kickin it.

Chapter 10

Madness

Jack's pov.

I took a deep breath as the door started to open. Here goes… The person came into view, a sly grin on their face. I lowered my guard in surprise, my eyes wide.

"You..?" I looked at the tall man before me. "But how…?" It was the last person I'd expected it to be, but now as I was face to face with my captor the pieces started to come together. He was the same man who I've seen back at Falafel Phil's. It was the man whose coin I'd picked up from under the table… but he seemed familiar from somewhere else too, just as I thought he was when I'd seen him in the restaurant. He was dressed in a light blue overall that most likely was his working uniform and in one hand he held a broom.

His green eyes were gazing on me, although as he started to speak his words weren't meant for my ears.

"Look at this." He made a gesture towards me as if I was the 'thing' to look at, a mesmerized expression on his face. "Aren't you happy?"

I raised an eyebrow. Was he talking to me? If, so that was a stupid question to ask… I leaned over to the side -very carefully as my balance still wasn't back to normal- to see if there was anyone else behind him. It was hard to get a good view as he had opened the door just enough for him to get trough, and when he noticed me moving he pushed the door shut behind his back, never taking his eyes off of me, which was a bit freaky.

"Told you, you can always count on your daddy." He said a clear tone of pride chimed in his otherwise very deep voice, which I had started to recognize.

"Excuse me." I seemed to have gotten his attention as his eyes refocused on me. "Are you talking to me?" I tried to keep a friendly tone. He looked confused at me, almost as if he hadn't expected me to speak, before he smiled…oddly… I couldn't tell what kind of smile it was. Was it friendly or sly, real or fake…? I don't know…

"Oh sorry I haven't introduced myself." He said as he whipped his slightly long brown hair out of his eyes. "I'm Mark." He switched the broom to his left hand so that he could offer his right for me to shake. I hesitantly took it. I wasn't sure I could trust him, after all he brought me here or at least I think he did…

"Jack" I introduced myself. "Have we met before?" I asked suspicious. I was absolutely sure that we had met and probably more than once… I just couldn't remember when or where.

He hesitated as if he was thinking his answer through. It made me wonder if he didn't remember it either.

"Yes…actually I think we have met at the dojo once." He retorted. "Your sensei introduced us for each other." The scene at the dojo flashed before my eyes and in an instant I recalled him. I hadn't paid much attention to him then as I was too busy keeping an eye on Austin and Kim. The thought of them reminded me that I really needed to get going… but Mark continued to talk to me and his next words made me forget about Kim and Austin immediately (but only temporarily).

"I was there to sign my daughter Tess up for some karate lessons."

Wait…What?!

"You're Tess's father?" He stared at me, his expression that out of fear and surprise, like the face of a kid you just caught drawing on the walls… It almost seemed as if he was afraid he had said too much…

After several seconds of silence he finally said. "Yes, I am. You know her?" His attitude had quickly changed to more relaxed as he threw the last question out.

"No, not really… Hey, then we met at the tournament as well. You took that picture of us." I said "But didn't you have like ginger colored hair?"

"Hair dye." He simply answered. Well, that explains why I hadn't recognized him in the dojo as the guy back at the tournament, I thought.

My eyes lingered on his outfit as I recalled something vital. "Why are you dressed like that?"

He looked down at his clothes as if to check what he was wearing.

"I work as a janitor at the mall." He said as he once again let his green eyes focus on me. 'Something was't right about that' I thought, I was definitely on to something there. I wanted to see how much more information I could get out of him so I continued…

"Have you just finished your work for today?" I asked casually.

"No, I've just started." He said." I hate Monday mornings…"

"What…?!" I slightly panicked, but I tried not to show it too much. I had been out for like 18 hours or something…! Wonder if anyone noticed that I'm gone yet…

Mark looked at me after my exclamation that had cut him off. Trying to smooth it over I stuttered.

"Wha…what… kind of place is this?"

"It's the basement under the mall. This is my small 'hideout' so to speak. I use to spend my breaks here and sometimes I even sleep here." He smiled sheepishly. Ok so that kind of explains the interior of this room.

"Why am I here?" That was the question that I've wanted to know the answer to the most.

"We found you in one of the bathrooms on the floor unconscious, so we brought you here for you to rest."

"Then why did you place me on the floor and not in the bed that was practically right next to me?" I was a little upset by this whole situation and the words had come out harsher than I'd expected.

"You were too heavy for Tess to li…" He raised his voice in a defensive way.

"Oh so Tess was here too?" I cut him of.

He hesitated to answer me and I took the opportunity to let him know that I had him figured out, sort of…

"I actually got a note from her saying that you had a company of some sort which is kind of strange considering that you're working here as a janitor."

I could see the panic in his eyes as he tried to think of something to say but since he remained silent I continued.

"Why did you lock the door?" I was pretty mad about that, I must say... "And where's my phone?" Not to mention that…

"You had no phone on you when we found you and Tess must have locked the door by mistake when she left." He said, his gaze starting to go through me again, as if I didn't exist.

"Do my parents know I'm here?!" I said having a hard time not to lose my temper. Marks expression changed and I almost didn't recognize him anymore. It was as if his features were changing right before my eyes, weird huh?

"Parents…" he said softly as if he was yet again speaking to someone else in the room, addressing them instead of me. "Don't you like having me around, Tess?"

Ok this man seriously started to freak me out. What was he talking about?

"You know I'll do anything for you…" He continued as he picked up a small bag of pastilles. "You want one?" He asked after shoving a few of them into his mouth. I shook my head.

"Suit yourself." He shrugged as I finally realized who he was.

"You…! You were that guy I met behind the gym. I was waiting for you and your daughter… and you where there all the time?!" I exclaimed, ignoring the slight dizziness it caused, my body still affected by the drugs. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"No…not anymore…" Mark said the last words so quiet that I barely heard them at all.

"Look I don't have time for this. I've gotta get back." I made an attempt to go past him to the door, but as soon as he noticed what I was trying to do, he quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my way out. Feeling slightly threatened by his actions I looked up at his face, which was deathly serious. I took a step back not feeling comfortable standing so close to him.

"Excuse me." I tried again. "I really need to get back before…" he cut me of by taking a step forward closing the gap between us once again. His green eyes held madness within them that frankly scared me and I instinctively backed of again. He cleared his throat.

"You see…I can't let you leave. What would she think of me then?" I gave him a confused look when all of a sudden he swung the broomstick that he had been holding at me. I barely managed to dodge the blow. My head spun and I felt dizzy from the sudden movement, not fully recovered yet.

In the corner of my eye I saw him strike for me once more. I tried to move away but my body refused to respond the way it normally does.

The blow hit me in the stomach, forcing me to bend over in pain. Clutching my stomach I gasped for air.

I barely got time to comprehend what was happening before a striking pain shot through my back as the broomstick once again made contact with me. I let out a small cry as I fell to my knees, shaking from both pain and fear. I looked up at him in a silent plea for him to stop, only to see him aim a kick at me. Knowing that I wouldn't be fast enough to get away in this condition I shielded my face behind my arms and prepared myself for the blow. It came fast and strong, knocking me over.

I didn't dare to move, hoping that he'd stop now that I was lying on the floor, but he just started to kick even more. I curled up into a small ball trying the best I could to protect myself. I groaned in pain every time he kicked me. The feeling of such helplessness was something that I'd never experienced before and it scared the heck out of me. I had no control of what was going on, for all I knew he might as well kill me.

The beating felt as if it lasted an eternity, but in reality it probably didn't last more than half a minute.

I could hear Mark panting slightly as he finally stopped, my whole body aching. Not daring to do anything that might provoke him I kept as still as I possibly could. It wasn't an easy task as my body shook uncontrollably and I struggled just to breathe normally. The tears burnt behind my eyelids but I forced them back as I kept my eyes closed trying the best I could to ignore the pain that was pulsing through my body.

Mark started to pace back and forth next to me and I silently prayed that he would leave me alone.

"This is not good…"He muttered to himself nervously. "See what you made him do... why would you do that…?" Marks words didn't make any sense to me, but he sounded really upset.

"Now what will she think of me?" he whimpered. Curiosity finally took over and I opened my eyes, forgetting the pain I was in.

He was standing next to me, his whole posture showed insecurity and sadness. I almost didn't recognize him from just a few moments earlier. What was wrong with this guy?

There were tears forming in his eyes and if it hadn't been for the fact that he'd just beaten the crap out of me I would almost feel sorry for him.

"…what will she think…?" he whispered. "…what will she think… I'm so sorry…" The tears had started to fall from his eyes as he shook his head in thoughts. "I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, making me jump. He must have noticed me moving because his head whipped around, facing me.

"You…" He hissed at me and I instantly froze. "It's all your fault!" The accusation made me both confused and terrified. What did I ever do to him? "You've ruined everything!" He was shouting now, coming towards me. I tried to get up but only managed to push myself a bit further away before he was standing right over me again. The movement hurt so bad I had to bite my lip not to cry out. He looked at me as if I was his prey and I seriously believed that he was going to kill me. My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. I hid my face behind my arms and thought 'this is it'. I would never see my family or friends again. I would never train in the dojo again or skate at the park. Never go to another class in school and I would never see Kim again… I wouldn't be able to tell her how much she meant to me, to tell her I love her. I would never hold her or kiss her…

I felt a couple of rough hands wrap themselves around my wrists, pulling my arms away from my face. A pair of green eyes looked straight into mine, as he kneeled beside me.

"All the pain you've caused." He said bitterly. "I'm gonna make sure you'll pay it all back." He let go of me before standing up. When he was just about to leave through the door he turned to me one last time.

"Just wonder by the way…" He said. "Who's Austin that you were shouting at earlier?"

I didn't answer him.

"…And maybe more importantly, who's Kim that Austin wasn't allowed to touch?" He must have noticed my reaction at the mention of her name, as he smiled satisfying before heading through the door. I heard the door being bolted shut and I was alone once again.

I'd never been so scared in my entire life before and the relief I was feeling when the fear finally let go of its grasp of me made me overwhelmed with emotions. Unable to hold it together anymore I broke down and cried silently into my sleeve. I furiously wiped the tears away, but it just kept coming new ones. The pain was slowly wearing off and my body was starting to get numb. Still not moving, I lay thinking about what had just happened. Mark's unpredictably behavior was freaking me out, not to mention all the weird things he'd said. None of it made any sense… All the talk about Tess was really confusing, as well as all the talking to himself, although the most disturbing thing was the last question he asked… Why did he wanna know who Kim was? If he so much as thought about doing something to her I swear he's gonna regret it. Anger boiled up inside of me and I started to get up into a crawling position, but the pain came back tenfold by the movement and my arms and legs collapsed under me, unable to push through it. I couldn't help but cry out in pain.

As I lay on the ground the feeling of helplessness filled me again and a million thoughts went through my head, but the one that lingered the most was; what could I have ever done to Mark, for him to think that I deserved to go through this? And the worst part was that I doubted he was finished… I shuddered at the thought of what he might do, as new tears fell in silence down my cheeks.

It felt as if my whole world had been turned upside down and all because I had to help him with that coin. I should never had finished my soda or I could just have told Kim and Austin that I didn't feel well and they would've helped me and I wouldn't have been that easy for Mark to get.

I was furious with myself for not seeing this coming. After all Mark had been following me around for quite some time just waiting for an opportunity… I couldn't believe I hadn't recognized him from meeting him so many times. Note to myself: From now on, pay attention to the ones you meet…

I looked up at the small window. The sun shined through it and my lack of freedom became very concrete. My thoughts went to my friends. I wondered if they've noticed my absence yet and what they'll do when they realize that I'm gone. I wiped a few more tears away. I wasn't comfortable crying like this, I never do that and it confused me. Frankly everything confused me, the only thing I was sure of was that I needed to get out of here and back to the ones I loved as soon as possible.

What did you guys think? Jack had quite a hard time there...

The next chapter is in progress...

See ya'll soon;)

/MJ