Jenna wasn't sure how to tell Jade and the others.In art class, they surrounded her, faces smiling and friendly, and her heart sank in her chest. She wanted to cry."What's wrong?" Jade asked.When Jenna said nothing, letting her sad face do the talking, Jade nodded sadly and looked away. "Yeah, I thought this would happen," she said. "You know... you don't have to listen to Kai," Damien said."If I don't, he's going to take it out on Jacob," Jenna revealed. She was surprised when Damien shrugged."So let him," he said."I can't let a guy get beaten up because of me," she said. That was the truth. It wasn't because she couldn't get his face out of her mind or even because she was constantly having fantasies about being his girlfriend.'Nothing like that at all,' she lied to herself."You might regret that when you get to know what he's like," Damien warned. "But it's your life, Jenna."With that, they left her alone. Sighing heavily, Jenna looked around the room. Charlene was ther
Jenna wasn't sure how to tell Jade and the others.In art class, they surrounded her, faces smiling and friendly, and her heart sank in her chest. She wanted to cry."What's wrong?" Jade asked.When Jenna said nothing, letting her sad face do the talking, Jade nodded sadly and looked away. "Yeah, I thought this would happen," she said. "You know... you don't have to listen to Kai," Damien said."If I don't, he's going to take it out on Jacob," Jenna revealed. She was surprised when Damien shrugged."So let him," he said."I can't let a guy get beaten up because of me," she said. That was the truth. It wasn't because she couldn't get his face out of her mind or even because she was constantly having fantasies about being his girlfriend.'Nothing like that at all,' she lied to herself."You might regret that when you get to know what he's like," Damien warned. "But it's your life, Jenna."With that, they left her alone. Sighing heavily, Jenna looked around the room. Charlene was ther
"So... how long have you and Julian been dating?" Jenna asked Charlene in a desperate attempt to fill the awkward silence. She found it so hard to talk to the only other girl in the friendship circle--if you could call it that. They were more like a pack of animals than a group of mates."A while... why?" she shot back, curling her full lips in disdain."You seem like a really cute couple," Jenna said, trying her best to be nice despite the other girl's cruel mannerisms. "Looks can be deceiving, right?" Charlene said, making a sour face. This time the mean face was aimed at Julian. "He's banging so many girls on the side I have to double up on the condoms to not get chlamydia."'What a lovely mental image,' Jenna thought, trying not to make a face of disgust. "Why do you stay with him then?" Jenna asked."Jeez, mind your own business much?" the girl scowled and rolled her eyes as if Jenna was the rude one. She tried not to sigh, but it wasn't easy to hold it in.Thankfully, Kai app
Rachel Connell had not relaxed for one moment since 'the incident'.She tried her hardest to mark the mock GCSE papers, but every few questions, her mind would begin to wonder. Kai was all she could think about these days. What if he ignored his dad and reported her to the board?Even with relaxing music playing and a glass of merlot by her side, she couldn't make herself calm down.She knew how lucky she was that the principal was on her side. He wasn't willing to lose a good teacher over a scum bag like Kai. But if it came to it, and they had to appeal to the board, she would need her son to give evidence. Rachel glanced up from her work, pen lid poised in her mouth and thinking as she stared at her son."You'd be protected," she said, pressuring him yet again. "I'd make sure Kai got suspended...""Like that would stop him." Tom tutted. "He's a psychopath, mum! What about that are you not getting?"Rachel rolled her eyes. "He's just an overprivileged white boy who isn't used to not
Jenna trailed behind Kai and his friends. She still did not see them as her own friends. Julian had barely said a word to her, and Ray never spoke unless spoken to.Only Kenny made an effort to talk to her, and he talked at a million words a minute.He filled her head with pointless gossip about people she didn't know from Adam—people she would probably never get to know.There were very few people that the gang deemed good enough to interact with. A couple of the guys on the rugby team, a few of the bitchier girls from the remedial class and a girl whose brother was apparently some kind of criminal—Sofia. Of all of them, Sofia was the only one Jenna felt herself gelling with. The girl was tough but kind and was the only person who ever stood up to Kai. He ignored her, mostly, but he did not seem to mind her.As the group headed to the benches, Jenna caught sight of Sofia and called her over. Sofia seemed to be a drifter, floating between different friend groups and ready to leave at
Earlier at school, when she had concocted her plan, Jenna honestly believed she could rescue Jacob's work. She had it all figured out. She would wait until ai went out, as he had been doing for the past few nights, then, she would sneak into his room and replace the work with comic pages she had printed from the internet.It was foolproof.As Jenna stood at the top of the stairs, gripping the smooth wooden banister, she realised it wasn't so easy.It was fear that held her back.Fear that he would return earlier tonight. Fear that she would get caught in the act. Fear that she would figure out what she had done.Fear of punishment.Earlier she had witnessed Jacob pleading with Kai in a desperate yet futile attempt to get his drawings back.Kai wasn't willing, or able, to show any compassion.'But I am,' Jenna thought.She tried to convince herself that it was purely her kind nature forcing her to take action. That, or a sense of guilt and responsibility.And those things were true...
When Jenna didn't reply, Jacob turned to his mother. "Mum?" he asked, "Why are you sitting here talking to her like you're old mates?"The mum looked confused. She turned to Jenna."Are you not here to tutor Charlie in maths?" she asked.Jenna shook her head slowly.Another knock at the door prompted the dogs to leap up and start barking. The young woman picked up the baby and got up to answer it, leaving Jenna with Jacob. He grabbed her by the sleeve of her coat and pulled her into the kitchen, which seemed amazingly clean for a household containing two dogs and a busy mother. The work surfaces sparkled and there wasn't a pot or pan out of place. It made her think of her old house.Thinking about her old house made her sad, so she pushed it from her mind and concentrated on the here and now. She had come here on a mission, and she wasn't going to fluff it now."I have your artwork," Jenna explained. "Erm... your comic. The one... the one Kai stole..."She trailed off, feeling like
Kai grabbed her by the fabric of her coat and pulled her into the house. Once inside, he dragged her straight up the stairs, not giving his dad a chance to notice their arrival."Kai, I'm sorry," Jenna cried. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself—""Why?" Kai demanded to know. He spun her around and held her in place, pinning both of her shoulders. "Why could you not help yourself?"Dizzy and scared, Jenna couldn't formulate a response. She just stared at him like a trapped rabbit as he glared back angrily. "Tell me... what is it about Jacob that is so bloody special?" he demanded."Nothing!" Jenna cried. "Nothing at all aside from his face. He's awful. I never want to speak to him again."Tears welled up and burst from her eyes before she could even attempt to blink them back—like turning on a tap.Kai held her there as she sobbed, not comforting her but not hurting her either. He waited patiently for her to get a hold of herself.Eventually, she managed to stop the tears, but the hicc
Kai paused as he passed Miss Connell's classroom, staring in at her until he'd caught her attention. He gave her the creepiest smile he could manage before turning away.He hadn't decided whether or not to take out his anger on her or just Tom. She hadn't actually done anything, but still—messing with her would hurt Tom.But Tom could wait for now. He saw Gordon up ahead and he wasn't going to let that little weasel escape. "Get him," he whispered to the others."Kai," Jenna asked, placing a hand on his arm. "Do you really have to do this?""They almost killed me, Jenna," Kai said through gritted teeth. "I know what they did was wrong. But what you did to them in the first place was wrong too. If two wrongs made a right, then..." Jenna waved her hands in the air. "I don't even have the math skills to figure out who is right, who is wrong, and who is just a total psychopath."She was looking over at Damien as she said that last part."Just don't go after him," she said, pointing her
Jenna sat on the corner of the bed, her hand inside Kai's weak grip. It felt foreign seeing him so vulnerable. So weak. He gave her a thin smile as he looked up at her. "You can go home, you know? You don't have to stay here the whole time.""I want to stay," Jenna insisted. She felt like he would disappear again if she let him out of her sight.'I can't believe Jacob is dead," Kai muttered. "I've never seen anyone die before. It—""It was—" Jenna agreed, though neither of them could find the word.There were no words for the sinking, dark feeling that was creeping up inside her brain. It was always there, lurking in the shadows of her mind, even if she wasn't actively thinking about it. 'It will go away,' she assured herself. 'It can't stay forever.'The doctor had mentioned counselling, and while Jenna had been happy to accept the help, Kai had refused. He said he didn't need to talk about anything that had happened, or that he would find a friend to talk to about it. He wouldn't
Kai found it too hard to sleep inside his hole. It was uncomfortable and freezing since he'd wet himself.'I should have asked him to let me go toilet,' Kai realised far too late. He probably would have refused the request, but still, it felt weird to pee himself without even asking for a trip to the loo.He'd tried screaming again and again until his throat was raw but to no avail. 'This place has to be in the middle of freaking nowhere,' he realised.Still, it was his only hope, so he had to keep screaming in the distant hope that a dog walker would happen to amble by.When footsteps finally sounded outside—he knew it was Jacob. He could hear the familiar sound of his keys jangling as he dropped them. Jacob swore under his breath as he finally entered the shed. Then Kai's world was flooded with light. It was so bright. 'Maybe I'm already dead,' he thought, feeling dizzy. It had been a while since he'd had anything to eat or drink, so his blood sugar was all over the place. It t
Kai chewed the warm sandwich, not caring about the fact it was tuna and he hated tuna. It was food. And he was hungry. After he swallowed, he stared up at Jacob. "Why are you bothering to feed me if you're just going to kill me?" he asked. Jacob shrugged. "Honestly... I have no idea."Kai knew. Deep down he knew. Jacob had revealed his secret to Kai. He would keep him alive so he had someone to talk to about it. Someone who would listen and not judge. This theory was confirmed when Jacob took a seat beside him and opened up. "I was just a child," he said. "I never even understood anything about death. The permanence of it. The... consequences.""But you do now," Kai pointed out. "Just let me go. I swear I won't tell a soul. Like I said... I'm not a snitch."Jacob ignored his request."I sometimes dream about it. I dream about killing all the time," Jacob went on."But you don't have to do it," Kai said. Jacob passed the sandwich to his mouth, letting him take a bite. Kai did so
After spending the morning at the police station, Jenna was no closer to finding Kai. They had listened to her statement and said they would take Jacob and Gordon in for questioning. But questioning them was all they could do without any actual evidence.Harry was pacing the waiting area when she got out of the interview room. He turned to face her so fast he spilt the paper cup of coffee in his hand over his jacket."What is all this?" he asked. "Who is this Jacob guy, and why do you think he has something to do with Kai going missing?"The barrage of questions—questions she had just spent hours answering—made her brain hurt."I honestly don't know. All I know is, Jacob pretended to shoot Angel, Kai chased after him and I haven't seen him since. Jacob is... weird. He's obsessed with Kai," Jenna said. She was trying her best to explain it, but it was hard to put into words. Jacob was an enigma."Do you know where this Jacob lives?" He asked. "The police said they were going there no
Jenna waited with Kenny, both of them huddled behind a wheelie bin on the corner of Jacob's street. "He's not usually late," Jenna whispered. "Hmm." Kenny nodded, his face taut with worry. It was strange to see him without a silly grin. He had to be really worried about Kai.'I'm worried too,' Jenna thought. She was deep in thought, imagining the worst when Kenny pounced out from the hiding place and landed on Jacob.Jacob's things spilt from his bag, splattering his lunch and notes over the pavement. He lay there underneath Kenny, looking shocked for just a second.Then he smiled."Hello, Kenny," he said in a creepy voice."If you don't tell me where Kai is, I'm going to break your arm," Kenny told him. He already had his arm cranked into a position that his arm did not usually want to bend.Jacob laughed. Even as Kenny pulled at him, he continued to laugh. "Go on," he taunted. "Break it. I'd break it myself to get a week off school if I had the body strength."As Kenny pushed h
It was dark. So dark. Charlene thought that her eyes had to adjust eventually. She waited and waited.The world remained pitch black.It was terrifying and disorienting, but it was not as bad as the cold. She was colder than she had been in her life. Here, on the hard, damp stone floor, she looked back to her days in the manky old shed with fondness. It had been like a holiday camp compared to this.After Damien had left, she had felt about her surroundings. Inside her box-shaped room, consisting of three stone walls and one metal bar wall, was nothing but a metal toilet. She couldn't see it, but through the sense of touch, she had a mental image of something like she'd seen in prison dramas.Was this place a prison cell?'How long have I been here?' she wondered. She had not needed to use the weird toilet, but then, she also had not had anything to eat or drink.There was nothing inside the room. Not even a bottle of water and stale bread. When she heard a lock click, a light fl
Kai woke in a dark, groggy state. It took him a moment to realise it was daytime and that his eyes were covered. Tiny slants of light became visible as his eyes focused. His headache intensified as he concentrated on them."What the heck?" he mumbled, recognising the familiar situation he'd found himself in.He'd been tied up here before, many years ago. That was before he'd started working out on a daily basis. Before he'd learned self-defence. Before he'd been a 6 foot 4 guy with an eight-pack and virtually zero body fat. 'And yet... here I am again,' he thought, pulling at the knots around his hands."Damien?" he asked, hearing the shuffle of a footstep. "I promised I'd leave you alone and I did, right?"He sighed, hearing only silence. "I never touched you. I never spoke to you. Hell... I never even looked at you," he argued. "So why?"He felt a blinding flash of pain as the blindfold ripped away from his face. Squinting in the sunlight, it took him a moment to make them out.
Jenna and Kai were walking the dog later than usual—specifically to avoid Jacob. But there he was."For fuck’s sake," Kai hissed under his breath. "It's like he knows when we are leaving the house.""Maybe he does," Jenna muttered in return. "It wouldn't surprise me if he planted a bug in your bedroom."Jenna was half joking. The guy was clearly a little bit disturbed and completely obsessed. People like that did crazy things.Kai was obviously thinking the same thing. His face screwed up as he muttered, "It's just too often to be a coincidence."Today, Jacob did not have his mother's pair of dogs in tow. He wasn't even pretending to be out there for a particular reason. That, coupled with the fact he was staring them down, made Jenna nervous. Even though Kai was a lot bigger, stronger and faster. Even though there were two of them and one of him. Something about the line of his lips and the steely cold in his eyes made Jenna nervous. Eyes that she once found irresistibly gorgeous