[Okay, HI GUYS!!! Sorry it has been such an uber long time since I updated! And I'm really sorry it's short! In my defence, I've had university (college to all you Americans) and that has been totally overloading my senses. And everything else (>.<). So please forgive me and comment! I LOVE the comments I get and I love that people bother! Happy Reading! ^_^]
It was the next morning that the bad feeling started again. It was only a small tingling now, nudging her and making it impossible to eat breakfast. She had woken up next to Keith again, his warm arms solid around her. She could feel his heart thudding through his thin t-shirt. She was grateful that he kept her company but she wondered if she could really keep expecting him to help.
She made herself unwind, sipping at her tea. She watched the sun rising through the window, trying to pull her thoughts away from the coming day. If she had to leave Maggie alone, that was what she would do. Keith was back and he knew what he was doing - she hoped. She hadn't forgotten that last time he had tried to do something on his own he had ended up trapped in Andrew's world for three months.
Maggie was the next person to wake up and Belinda smiled gently at her, hoping that she wouldn't feel too left out when Keith and Belinda disappeared for the day. They chatted briefly about school and whatnot before Keith stumbled down the stairs at around ten o'clock. He kissed Maggie on the head before making himself some tea. His gaze kept flickering to the clock before flickering to Maggie and then back again. It made Belinda nervous just to watch him.
"Hey, Mags, me and Belinda are heading over to Jack's today, to help catch Belinda up on her schoolwork. You can keep yourself busy for the day, can't you?"
"I guess," Maggie mumbled, looking slightly put out. "Can't you hang around today and do it tomorrow?"
"I think Jack's busy tomorrow. We can be around the house tomorrow I think. You could always take the chance to get the cat used to the rest of the house if you want."
Maggie's eyes lit up and made no more complaints, not even when Belinda and Keith left, her bright smile doing nothing to ease the panic currently taking hold of Belinda's body. It didn't lessen as Keith wrapped an arm around her shoulder, although the gesture definitely distracted her momentarily. She looked up at him, smiling.
"See, she'll be fine," Keith soothed, sounding confident enough to at least let her let his confidence override her hyper senses. She sighed, deliberately ignoring the constant nagging somewhere in her midriff. She refused to let the feeling pester her until they reached the bus stop. Slowly, as though it was a living thing, it grew until it was smothering her. When the bus pulled up in front of them, Keith got on first, not doubting that Belinda would follow.
But even as she took that first step to the bus, it felt wrong. And then she was running back up the street, her feet pounding on the pavement. Her bag was heavy on her shoulder, biting into the skin as it rocked back and forth. She had to get back, had to be there in time for-
For what? part of her quizzed, though not loudly enough to stop her mad dashing towards the house. It took an agonisingly long time to unlock the door, her fingers fumbling over the different ones attached to her key fob. When she finally managed to slip inside, it was dangerously quiet. She could hear someone moving around the kitchen and she stepped gently, trying not to make a sound as she went.
As she rounded the corner into the kitchen, she could hear a soft 'miaow'ing and she very narrowly avoided stepping on Tammy. Her stomach took an instant drop. If Tammy was in the kitchen...where was Maggie?! Losing any carefulness, she started to search recklessly.
"Maggie?! Maggie, where are you?! Maggie?! Mag-!"
"Looking for something?" Andrew's cold voice cut through Belinda like a knife. She whirled to see him standing, completely aloof. "I'm afraid she's not here at the moment. Can I take a message for you?"
"What did you do with her?" Belinda demanded, ignoring the waver in her voice. "Give her back, now."
"Now, now, Bel, don't be irrational. I can't just hand her over! What would be fair about that? And I caught her, fair and square."
"Kidnapping isn't the same as catching. Now give - her - back."
Andrew smirked, flicking forward faster than Belinda would have believed possible and gripping her by both forearms. She gasped as his harsh brown eyes bored into hers, freezing her into place.
"No, and now I think I've caught you fair and square as well. And we shouldn't wait too long before we go - we wouldn't want Keith interrupting, would we?"
Belinda was having difficulty concentrating past the grey spots clouding her vision. And then she knew no more.
