Secret // Calum Hood

30

Calum

I spent what felt like forever in my room trying to come up with a plan that wouldn’t fail.  All I could think about was the look on Elena’s face.  It was so heartbreaking.  Mom came home and asked what I was doing.  I quickly explained to her that Elena was in danger and that I needed to go save her.  Needless to say, Mom was confused about my sudden plight, but she didn’t argue as I rushed out the door and into my car, not having one single idea, just thinking that Elena needs me.  As soon as I pulled up to her house, and saw her mother’s car in the driveway, my stomach jolted.  I parked the car in a dark spot and stood on their front lawn, scared of what could happen.  Muffled screams broke my worried thoughts.  They were coming from inside Elena’s house!  I knew that I had to do something now or never.

Not thinking at all, I went up and rang the doorbell, and then ran really fast to the side of their house, where I would be hidden by the shadows.  I bumped into something that I hadn’t noticed before.  It was a trellis. It looked sturdy enough.  I suddenly got an idea.  I started climbing the trellis, and pretty soon, I was on Elena’s roof.  I didn’t know which window was her bedroom, so I just crawled around until I found one that was unlocked.  It was her mother’s room.  I prayed that her mother wouldn’t be in there as I climbed inside.  The room was messy, dark, and stunk of sadness and neglect.  I quietly made my way to Elena’s room, listening for any activity.  Once I was inside, I hid in the shadows again, in case Elena’s mom came upstairs.  I was getting worried as to why everything was suddenly so quiet, when I heard muffled footsteps and a whimpering cough.  Elena came into the room, shaking and standing in a position that let me know she was in a lot of pain.  She couldn’t even stand up straight!  What happened to her?  She swayed, and then she started to fall.  I quickly jumped out and caught her just in time.  

“Calum!  What are you doing here?” she asked.  I gently lifted her back up and placed her on her bed.  She was in the light now.  She looked awful.  Bruises were already forming, and I saw blood on her hands.  Rage filled up inside me.

“I’m getting you out of here Elena, and you can’t do anything about it,” I said.  We both paused, and I assumed she would say something like her mother needs her, or she can’t leave because her mother would find out and kill us all.  She looked sad, and then determined.

“There’s a duffel bag in my closet, all of my shampoo and stuff like that are in my bathroom on the ledge by the shower, don’t forget my backpack,” she said quickly.  I paused, trying to process her words.

“You’re not going to fight me?”

“It’s time I leave here,” she said, and I smiled, happy that she made the right decision.  I went to her closet and grabbed the bag and then went to her chest of drawers, pulling all of them out and grabbing anything I could find, even the embarrassing stuff, like panties.

I then went to her bathroom and took shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, her toothbrush, her hair brush, and hair ties.  Something else then occurred to me, and it made me extremely uncomfortable, but I had to ask.  I popped my head out from the bathroom.

“Elena?” I asked, my brow wrinkling.  This is going to be so awkward.

“What?” she asked.

“Um...do you need...um….uh...eh…”