Where is Louise Bauman? + Original, Book 1 ✔

42

- Somewhere Only We Know; Keane -

"Renfrow!" Jade shouted as Charlie didn't hesitate to push past Trystan, running into the boys' locker room.

She ran straight to the boy - who was sitting in a metal chair, tied up and bound so he couldn't move or say anything. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she knelt down next to him, her hands shaking as she began moving her fingertips to untie him as quickly as she could. "I'm hurrying, Renny." She whispered, looking up to see him looking down at her with a sad expression.

He touched the back of her palm with his fingertips the best he could, catching her attention and causing her to stop her frantic movements, and Charlie looked up to see him staring at the wall next to the locker room doors.

Charlie's eyebrows bunched together as she looked at Ren in confusion, but looked to see what he was looking at anyway, her jaw dropping as she fell to the floor in shock. "Oh my God," She mumbled, causing Trystan and Jade to enter the locker room.

Trystan walked in, his eyes fixated on the wall as he read the words painted in blood-red paint. Shaking his head, he then turned to the others who were just as shocked as he was. "This has to be some sick joke."

"This isn't a joke anymore," Jade whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"It was never a joke, Jay," Trystan spoke as he pulled his phone out, snapping a photo of the wall before turning to see Charlie still frozen in shock. He walked over, bending down in front of her. "We gotta get Ren out of the chair," He softly told her, his tone quieter than before. "Charlie." He reached his hand down, but as soon as he touched her hand she snapped up, moving away quickly as if she were scared of him.

"Don't-" She quickly said, her eyes snapping to Ren who was sitting in his chair, moving around under the rope that was tying him down. He was trying to get himself out of it, wanting to move to Charlie to comfort her, but he couldn't.

She got up on her knees, beginning to frantically untie the rope that held Ren down. At first, she began to get the rope untied but eventually only made it worse, and pain flashed across her face as Ren winced when she accidentally made the knot tighter instead of loosening it.

"Here, it's okay, I'll do it." Trystan gently moved her hands to the side, sending her an assuring, soft smile. "I'll get the rope undone." He added, nodding lightly as Charlie nodded back, moving back to the locker room floor.

She knew that it was dirty, and in any other situation, she knew she wouldn't sit on it. But she couldn't think. She kept staring at the wall, at Ren sitting in the chair unable to move - to speak - thanks to the rope, and her mind became jumbled. Her hands were shaky, her lip trembling, knees weak. Things were too much, she couldn't handle it anymore. She could only imagine how Ren felt sitting in that chair for who knows how long.

Trystan quickly got the biggest knot untied, making the rest of the untying easy for him. Soon enough Ren was completely free from the uncomfortable chair, and he wasted no time in jumping out of it and running over to Charlie.

The moment his hand touched hers, she glanced up, realizing Trystan managed to get him out of the chair. Charlie wrapped her arms around Ren's neck, pulling him in for a tight hug as if he'd died.

"It's okay, I'm okay." He smiled into their hug, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"That was horrifying to see," Charlie murmured with a giant sigh, her eyes shut.

"The look on your face was scary to see," Ren breathed out as he rested his head in the crook of her neck, squeezing his own eyes shut.

"You guys hugging like this makes me sick," Jade said from the other side of the locker room, her comment showing she wasn't as scared anymore.