Under My Protection

Chapter 22

(Immediately following kidnapping)
Rain felt a vague awareness returning as his mind slowly tried to wake and he worked to push himself to the surface from his current location, deep in the recesses of his brain. His body felt heavy, as if weighted down, glued to the surface below him. He struggled to open his eyes which were stuck shut, crusty and thick with fatigue. Beneath his fingers, he felt a soft, almost silky fabric, beginning to realize he was not on the floor but, perhaps, a mattress? Sofa?

Gradually, Rain was able to move his body, his arms, his legs, slowly coming to the realization that he was not tied up or restricted in any way. Using all his strength, he pushed himself up to a seated position, peeled his eyes the rest of the way open, and looked around, shocked by his surroundings.

He tried to remember how he'd gotten there. He could remember going to bed after hearing from Bun Ma that Phayu had returned from his trip and having spent another day ruminating on his conversation with Sky. Trying, through the pain of being ignored by Phayu, to explore all the ways he was also at fault. Trying to create the most love-filled apology speech, so he'd be ready in the morning to open his door, drag Phayu inside, and deliver all the words he had so carefully pieced together.

After that, everything grew fuzzy. All his memories between then and now, hidden behind a thick haze. He vaguely remembered hands. Around his eyes? His mouth? Grabbing his hands? Maybe all of that? Rain shook his head, giving up, and instead scooted to the edge of the bed, placing his feet on the floor. He wasn't entirely sure his legs would hold him up but he pushed up from the bed anyway, taking the risk. After a few shaky moments, he carefully shuffled his feet across the carpeted floor as he investigated his surroundings.

Turning, he looked back at where he had been laying, trying to understand, as he was met with a four poster bed draped in a wispy, white fabric, piles of pillows, and a silken bedspread. To the left of the bed was a huge curtain, hanging from the high ceilings down to the floor. He pushed it aside to find two tall glass doors that when opened, ended in dark, wooden planks that had been nailed across the opening.The wood was so tightly affixed that not even the smallest sliver of light snuck through, hiding whether it was day or night from Rain.

Rain turned his back to the door, leaning onto it as he scanned the remainder of the room. If it weren't for the covered door, Rain would've thought he was in a luxury hotel. His eyes continued to dart around the room trying to rectify what he was seeing with the knowledge he had been kidnapped again. He had been kidnapped. Right? His fuzzy memories and the door certainly supported this theory but the rest of the room did not. Who would kidnap him only to put him here?

Exhaustion hitting him, Rain crawled back into bed, leaning against the headboard and closing his eyes to combat the throbbing beginning to overtake his head. He tried to relax, thinking maybe he'd remember more of the night before. Well, what he thought was the night before. But, really, he had no concept of how long he'd been unconscious. Hours? Days? If it had been only hours, would anyone even know he was gone? Would Phayu and Bun Ma have discovered him missing yet when they brought his breakfast? Or had they found out days ago? He tried not to focus on how they must be feeling, finding him gone. Would Phayu blame himself again? Probably. Well, not probably. Definitely. Tears came to Rain's eyes at the thought of Phayu discovering him gone again while under his watch and the guilt and fear he was most likely drowning in. Rain knew on a deeper level that even though they weren't speaking at the moment, they still loved each other and he was certain that if Phayu knew of his absence, he was surely already looking for him.

Trying to relax and push aside his growing panic, Rain continued to try and piece together how he'd come to be there, focusing on the feelings of hands on him. He couldn't picture anything but he could remember how he felt. He vaguely remembered being startled from sleep as he lay curled up with his back to the glass doors in his room. He had been woken by a hand pressing tightly across his eyes, the feel of a person against his back, and a cloth across his mouth, gagging him with the force and the chemical smell. With the cloth still pressed to his face, two new hands had moved under his arms, dragging him from the bed. The last thing Rain could recall was his feet hitting the floor as he was being pulled from his bed and along the carpet in the direction of the doors to the garden. After that, nothing. It turned black.

Rain now felt confident that he had indeed been kidnapped again but by who? And why? Although he had been kidnapped, he was unsure if his kidnappers actually meant him any harm. What other explanation was there for the room he was in? Was he being held for ransom? Someone wanted money from his father but didn't intend to hurt him? He figured it wasn't likely revenge or he would probably be in a more dire condition than at present.

Feeling a sudden, overwhelming fatigue return, Rain curled under the covers, falling back to sleep, questions without answers flickering through his mind.

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(Back to current time)
Phayu looked up from his position in the control room to find Bun Ma at the door, tray in hand. She walked towards him, set it down on the table, and placed a cup of tea in front of him. Before turning to leave, she slipped a piece of paper into his palm, then quietly exited the room. Phayu waited a few moments, making sure no one was watching him, before opening the note.

Find a reason to leave. Come find me in the kitchen.

A cold chill settled across his heart, feeling the intensity of the request despite it being delivered with such few, seemingly calm words. His hand shook as he sipped his tea for a few moments before excusing himself from the room saying Bun Ma had forgotten to put milk in his tea. Phayu walked slowly through the hallways, forcing himself to maintain a normal pace, fighting the urge to run. Several drops of sweat ran down his forehead and into his eyes as his stomach roiled with anxiety. Why had he been summoned by Bun Ma? What would be waiting for him when he arrived? Bile pushed up the back of his throat, as he repeated a silent prayer it would not be bad news. Please, not that.

He pushed open the door to find Bun Ma seated at a small table in the corner, her sympathetic eyes trained on him, gesturing for him to sit in the chair across from her. As he sat, she slid her hand along the table, palm open. He placed his hand in hers, frightened by her immediate need to provide him a source of comfort.

"Bun Ma, why am I here?" he quietly asked, voice trembling, matching the shaking of his hand in hers.

"Phayu, dear boy, I can finally tell you that I know Rain is safe, unharmed. I can't tell you where he is yet but soon, someone will have instructions for you and you'll know everything. I pray that our trust in you is well-placed and you will help us," Bun Ma explained, stroking his hand softly, pleading to him with her eyes.

Phayu's heart exploded in a confusion of overwhelming relief coupled with a growing rage. Bun Ma had known all along where Rain was? That he was unharmed? He wanted to grab her in his arms and kiss her forehead for delivering this amazing news. He also wanted to press his hands around her throat until she couldn't breathe, for keeping this from him and allowing him to suffer all this time.

Voice venomous and deep, Phayu pulled his hand from hers and began to ask for answers to all his questions. "Bun Ma, did you know all this time? Why would you not tell me? How could you not tell me?" He tried and failed to keep his voice from rising.

Bun Ma simply shook her head and answered calmly, "Please know that I couldn't, but things will change soon. You'll know everything soon, once it's safe. I promise."

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Rain pulled his head from under the covers, stretching his arms upward as he woke from sleep. For the past week, every morning, a tray of food would be waiting for him. It unsettled him to think of someone entering his room each night while he lay asleep, unprotected, and unaware.
He suddenly sensed he was not alone in the room. Jerking upwards, he looked to the chair in the corner, to the two people sitting there.

"Good morning, Rain."

Notes:

Thank you for your continued patience with me. So, as usual, I left it on a cliff hanger. I promise that I will reveal the captors/plot next chapter. Hang in there!