𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍// 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟏

Time flew by. In no time at all, more than three weeks had gone by since Will had escaped.

During those three weeks, Will tried his best to stay out of his siblings' way-- tried to stay out of everyone's way. He stayed in his room and wouldn't dare step foot outside Cabin Seven, keeping to himself as he desperately tried to adjust to normal life.

Tried-- and failed.

He found himself unable to go near his office, the place where he'd been kidnapped from. Every time he was close to the place, the memories would come rushing back, and he would find it difficult to breathe.

The rare times Will left his room, people would instantly pounce upon him like a pack of wolves on a weakened elk, demanding details of his kidnapping. Austin and Kayla would immediately come to his rescue and tell them to quit, which Will was grateful for... but it didn't make it easier for him.

And so he isolated himself, not wanting to come in contact with those people.

For now, Will was peeking through the door and scanning the hall for signs of life. When he saw none, he rushed out. It was absurd, sneaking around his own cabin, but he felt that he had no other choice.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out. No sooner had he walked around the corner before he bumped into someone. They were male and around Will's age, with dark hair and green eyes.

The stranger cocked his head, taking in Will. "Were you the one that was taken?"

Will swallowed, nodding weakly. The stranger gave a low, impressed whistle. "That must have been pretty wild."

The world stopped. Every thought went out of Will's head as that single sentence sinked in.

That must have been pretty wild.

Before Will knew it, he was shaking with rage, his hands furled into loose fists at his sides.

Since when was getting kidnapped wild? Will had been tortured, had been locked away in a cell. He had feared for his life those entire two months, and this person-- this stranger, who knew nothing...

The guy gave Will a surprised look, green eyes full of confusion. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Will shoved him aside and stormed away, ignoring the stranger's shocked cry. He tried to think past his rage, trying to take deep breaths, to justify why the young man would say such a thing.

Perhaps the stranger hadn't thought he would offend Will when he said that. Maybe he had thought that the comment was harmless.

So Will closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to forgive-- all the while holding back tears.