Broken Strings

Not over yet

I could see his perfect features slowly coming to. His lips quivered and I wished to wipe the spilling blood from his lip and nose. His left eye black from Simon’s second uncanny hit. His limbs twitch and an evil laugh erupts from my left where Simon and Nicole stand. Peter sits upright across from me in much the same style chair as they have sat me in. His eyes flicker open and Simon leans in too close to his face, “Awake are we? I didn’t realise you were so weak Pete.”

“Shut up!” Peter hissed his eyes widening.

“Don’t get nasty with me Grey,” Simon spat. “I’ll do it again,” Simon motioned toward the cuts and bruises painting Peter’s face.

“It’s good to see you again,” Nicole smiled. With a wave of her hair she knelt before him. “You should never have left me Pete.”

“Seeing you like this, I’m glad I did,” Peter moaned. I can tell he’s in pain, I hate to see him like this.

“You’re delusional.”

“No I’m not. You are! Why are you doing this? What is this supposed to achieve? Huh?” Peter was fired up, “Look around you Nicole. Look where we are. A butcher? C’mon. You have to learn that things can’t always end well for everyone. You have to take what life gives you and carry on. This,” Peter paused and motioned to the room surrounding us, “Is all way too much. You have blown this all out of proportion. It’s one thing to bring me into your troubles but bringing the people I love into them as well. C’mon Nicole, you’re better than this.”

“How dare you speak to me like that?” she roared. “I was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

“I trusted you Nicole!”

“Yeah and I trusted you! I thought you were the one. You know what? You deserve everything you get! From you’re Mother, from your Father! From everyone!” I could see the wounds rip open in Peter’s eyes as her words sunk deep into his mind. “For you to involve anyone in your problems in horrendous! How could you bare the guilt of dragging someone else down?”

“It’s not like that! We’re good for each other,” I feel as though I am talking to Peter rather than Nicole. Looking into his eyes I can see he needed to hear what I am thinking. “He’s helped me so much, without him I don’t know where I’d be.”

“Can we stop confessing our love now? If you are going to confess it should be to me,” Simon drawled. In your dreams, I thought.

“Don’t speak to her like she’s nothing!” Peter snapped, “She’s everything, if not to you then to me!”

“Mate! Shut up! I’m so over the frequency of your voice,” Simon groaned realising he’d been shown up. “Look we’re only going to be outside so don’t try anything funny alright?” I nodded secretly crossing my fingers behind my back. They both walked out muttering small words quietly under their breath.

“Hey, ‘Lee. Are you okay? I’ve missed you so much, I’ve been so worried.”

“Don’t worry about me, we need to get out of here!” I whispered back.

“I thought I had lost you,” his face was still and sincere.

“You haven’t. You never will.”

“You don’t realise how good that is to hear right now,” he sighed, “So what’s the plan?”

“There is a knife on that steel bench,” it isn’t far from us and with little movement we could get to it but our restraints are quite impossible. “We get the knife and cut the rope, we pretend to still be tied until they leave again and run for it.” It’s all I could think up.

“Sound good, we’ll have to run though. I mean really run.”

“I know. We can do it.”

“Amelia?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Peter hushed me as Simon and Nicole made their way to our sides. “What have you lovebirds been talking about?” Simon asked. I watched as hairs stood on end upon Nicole’s arm.

“Nothing, what is there to talk about?” Peter replied smartly.

“Well I figured you two would have a lot to speak about. Don’t think up any smart ideas okay?” Simon yanked Nicole by the wrist and headed for the exit but stopped short of it. “One second,” he stood one finger up toward Nicole signalling her to wait. He jogged back over to me and knelt by my feet. “Say you love me,” I saw Peter squirm in his seat. His eyes burning holes in the back of Simon’s head. “Say it!” he stood again and took the butter knife Nicole had left lying on the concrete floor. “Say it or else he gets hurt!” my breath became rapid and my brain thought through the possible outcomes of the next few seconds.

“I love you,” I said with a saddened regret.

“Thank you. I love you too.” With that Simon turned on his heels and fled with Nicole in toe.

“It’s okay Amelia. I know you didn’t mean it,” he smiled when I began to correct myself for Peter’s benefit.

“I really do love you, you know?”

“I know. I love you,” he smiled. “Okay, just wait a second.” I watched Peter squirm in his chair until his hands became free.

“How did you-”

“I did it when he was threatening you. He is a pretty distracted man,” he chuckled. He untied the rope on his feet before scuttling to me. “Hold tight,” he whispered in my ear. I felt his ice cold fingers caress my burning wrists as they were cut free.

“Thank you,” I moaned talking my wrists in my hands and encircling them in my palm. From what I could see in this pathetic light my wrists were rubbed raw, skin chaffing from them with the slightest touch.

“That looks sore. I need to get you to a hospital. How long since you’ve eaten?” he asked.

“Since the night I was taken,” I reply.

“Same,” he huffed with disappointment. He untied my ankles and hugged me tightly.

“Why didn’t you eat?” I ask.

“I couldn’t. I’ve been worried sick ‘Lee,” silly boy.

“I’m fine now. Quickly, let’s go.” Peter felt the walls for a door or opening. It felt like hours looking for that opening until Peter pulled me from my doubt. “Here!” he huffed, sighing in relief I followed him until the sun’s light burned my eyes.

“We’re out!” I smiled. Peter threw me a worried look.

“It’s not over yet, ‘Lee.”