the photographer. [zdh]

seven

the show was starting now. the boys had already finished the preshow meet and greet a few minutes before, and eben was getting ready to go onstage.

wishing them good luck, i grabbed my camera and went to my tripod to finish setting up. the venue was already filled up, except for some empty seats. the people who bought tickets for those seats were probably late; after all, this show was sold out.

after adjusting the ISO, apeture and shutter speed of the camera, i sat down on the stool at the corner of the stage to wait for the show to start. the videographer, joseph, was already in position to capture the whole show.

joseph and i had both watched the same performance countless times before, yet we never grew tired of it. every concert was a new experience for us.

the time flew by quickly, like it always did. no matter how good the location i set up the tripod beforehand was, i would always be dashing around the venue, capturing pictures from different angles.

ethan was pushed to the back of my mind. but it didn't stay there.

after the show ended and the boys stepped offstage, i was about to head over to join them when someone cleared their throat softly from behind me.

that would not have been a problem, except for the fact that i recognised the sound. i had heard it many times before.

ethan.

my heart quite literally stopped for a second. trying to calm my racing thoughts, i took a deep breath before turning around slowly to face him.

my breath caught in my throat when i realised that he was not alone.

standing next to him were two of his best friends from pittsburgh. connor and jay. they had a reputation for being players in high school, and i didn't think much changed.

i didn't say a word. there was silence until ethan started clapping.

the sound of each clap reverberated through the now-empty venue. it only made me fear him more.

though i'd never seen it, i knew when ethan got angry or made up his mind, there was nothing that could be done to stop him.

"very well played," he whispered. that voice sent chills down my spine.

"i didn't think that oh-so-pathetic leah gray, who has no parents and no siblings to rely on, would one day come this far."

apparently connor and jay were instructed to remain silent, for all they did was smirk at what ethan said.

"going on a world tour with the famous why don't we, hottest boy band, rising stars! i didn't believe it until the day my dear sister emma came back home to tell my parents the news. emma's happy for you, by the way, but she misses you a lot."

at this, he leaned closer to me, and put his hand on my shoulder before pulling away. i had to stop myself from flinching.

"but imagine," he whispered, "how happy she will be when i bring you back to dallas, where an untalented soul like you belongs."

**

backstage, zach was getting worried.

"leah's not back yet?" he asked corbyn worriedly, for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"no, zach," corbyn replied patiently. "but neither is joseph, so they're either talking to each other, or they've went to starbucks for a caffeine fix. you know how those two like to get their videos and pictures edited on the same day. they probably needed their coffee immediately after that show; broomfield went so hard."

zach nodded, but he wasn't convinced by corbyn's words. nevertheless, he continued packing up with the boys and crew, getting ready to load everything back onto the bus.

**

leah wasn't safe, yet she wasn't in danger.

not at the moment.

**

as ethan said those words, my blood turned to ice.

"what do you mean?"

ethan smiled triumphantly, as if his aim was to get me to talk.

"she speaks!"

then his expression hardened.

"but you're too late."

at that, jay grabbed both her wrists and connor stuffed a cloth into her mouth.

"no more talking."

**

"zach? zach!"

zach snapped out of his trance and looked at jack.

"huh?"

"we're leaving. leah and joseph are probably meeting us back at the bus."

zach nodded, but as he stood up, his feeling of unease remained.

"jack-" he began.

the older boy turned around. "hm?"

"i know this is gonna sound stupid, but can we go by the back exit? i have a bad feeling about leah and joseph," he said jack. as soon as those words left his lips, zach felt his cheeks turn a bright red. "never mind, that was a bad idea."

jack looked at zach seriously and shook his head. "no, it's okay. if it makes you feel better, we'll go by the back. we could ask jonah to come along, if you want."

zach smiled. "thank you."

jack nodded, and the two of them, including jonah, walked out via the back.

only to see three hooded figures pushing a bound girl who looked exactly like leah towards a black van with tinted windows.

✎

a/n ooh