Dignified

Chapter eight

"Dom?" Ryan called out, looking around in the garage. There were dozens, maybe hundreds, of cars parked underneath the building and he had no clue were Dom was. He walked around for what felt like hours before giving up. He headed for the front of the building but then changed his mind. He was worried that creepy guy would be there again. "Better take the back entrance." He said, heading in the opposite direction. He sighed as he walked down the alley, disliking the amount of trash that lay on the ground. He was lost in thought when he felt someone grip his hair and pull him back. He yelped in pain as someone pressed what felt like a knife to his throat, clutching his neck with his hand. Ryan gagged, the person's hand digging deeper into his throat.

"Give me your money." An icy cold voice demanded.

"I...don't..HAVE...any!" He yelled, grabbing at the person's hands.

"Don't you LIE TO ME!" The man yelled as he turned Ryan around and pressed him against the wall, lifting him off the ground by his throat.

"I...told you..I don't HAVE ANY," Said Ryan through gritted teeth, his face going red as he saw the cloaked person clutching at his neck. He fought, struggling as he tried to release the man's grip. He looked past the man, eyes widening as he saw a large pipe connected to the wall.

'C'mon,' he thought, willing any water to come to his aid. 'Please. C'mon, just help me.'

The man pressed into his throat harder. "I know you do. Your the son of that overly rich guy in the penthouse." He said, pressing the knife into Ryan's cheek. He yelped, the tip of the blade cutting a thin line into his face.

As if on cue, the pipe burst open releasing a bunch of water onto the street. 'Yes!' Ryan thought, forcing the water into a wave. The man turned, releasing Ryan a bit as he saw the wave stand up to about his height. Ryan yelled, the wave smacking into the man. He fell back, dropping him and sliding in the water. The man got up and turned to run, but turned back around throwing the knife at Ryan. He yelled in pain as the knife collided with his leg, looking down and gripping his injured leg. When he looked back up, the man had gone. He fell onto the floor, crying as the pain grew stronger. He knew he had to remove the knife, but he just couldn't will himself to do it. He wrapped his fingers around the knife, trying to take a deep breath before ripping it out. He screamed, leaning back against the wall. Ryan stared intently at the water on the floor, making it come to him. He lifted the water, splashing it onto his cut. He yelled through gritted teeth as the injury began to heal. The water closed it, but it was still painful. He dabbed some water onto his neck to stop the pain, and ran back into the building. As he was stepping around the corner to his apartment, he ran into someone knocking them over. "Ow!" He said, gripping his forehead. "Ow, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He asked, looking towards the ground. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he realized who he'd run into.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." A short, brown headed girl said, looking up at him. "Ryan!" She said, grinning as she reached up and hugged him tightly. He blushed, returning her embrace.

"Hey, Peyton. What's up?" He asked, smiling nervously at the girl he'd had a crush on since sixth grade.

"I didn't know you were back!" She said, her green eyes bright with excitement. "When'd y'all get back?"

"Er, about an hour ago."

"It's felt like forever since I've seen you guys!" She said, hugging him again. He grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "Let's go back to my place. I bet the rest of the guys will want to see you too." Peyton smiled widely, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the penthouse. "So how was your summer this year? And what did you do to your hair?" She asked looking back at him.

"It was great! It was great..." He said, thinking about the crystals. "Oh, and um...I dyed it." They arrived at the door and he let them in, still rather nervous with her. She gasped as she saw Clark and Trace sitting at the counter. They grinned, getting off to hug her. "Tracey!" She said, hugging him and ruffling up his hair. "Clark! What did you do to your hair?!" He smirked at her.

"I dyed it. Duh." He said, smiling slightly.

"Oh my god. It's been forever! You guys need to stay here this summer!" She said, looking around. "Where's Zach?" She asked lowly. Peyton had always sort of disliked Zach. He was utterly convinced that she liked him, and he was constantly trying to flirt with her.

"Damn. We just got back and already she's trying to get with this." Said Zach smirking, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hands as she saw him. "What...did you do...to you HAIR?" She asked, bursting into laughter. Zach's face expression hardened as she laughed at him. "Ha. Ha. Funny." He said sharply. "I had to dye it, and I, uh, grabbed the wrong color."

"You look like a completely different person!" She looked around at them, her smile fading a bit. "Actually...all of you do.." Peyton looked back at Ryan, pressing her eyebrows together in thought. "Ryan...what happened to your eyes? And Zach...I could have sworn your eyes were blue before.."

"Contacts. We're um, wearing contacts, that's all." Ryan stammered. Clark walked over to Peyton and began pushing her towards the door.

"Hey, um, we just got here and it's pretty late and all, so we'll see you tomorrow, alright?" He said, opening the door and pushing her out.

"But it's only ten-"

"-Alright! Haha, uh, have a goodnight!" He said, closing the door on her. Trace laughed, sitting back down on a stool. "Kind of rude, don't you think?" He said, smiling at his older brother. Ryan sighed, clapping his palms together as he stood in front of them. "Uh, guys. I have to tell you something." He explained to them how he ran into the very mysterious man and how he couldn't find Dom. He told them about the attack outside and how his powers saved him and healed him. Clark's eyes widened as Ryan talked, thinking hard about it all.

"They'll find you? They'll end you? Who the hell is 'they'?" Zach asked, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't know, but I'm worried." Ryan said, leaning against the countertop. "Alright, guys. We'll discuss this some more tomorrow, but for now, let's get some rest." Said Clark, heading towards his room.

"But it's still early." Zach complained.

"Doesn't matter. School starts next week. We've got to get used to going to bed early anyways. Lights out." Clark said, turning out the lights in the penthouse. Ryan sat on a white sofa, staring out the large windows. He couldn't understand who those two guys were and what they wanted. Was the man who attacked him just a regular robber, or was he 'they'? He sat lost in thought late in to the night when the sound of a door unlocking startled him. He stood, facing the front door as it opened, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Dad?"