Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
10
Rowan’s life fell into an easy pattern then. Lane, always the klutz, woke her up every morning completely accidentally. Luke and Evan would show up and they would all go to breakfast, where they ate with Edwin, Livy, and Izzy, as well as Ash, more often than not. Then, Luke and Evan would go with Rowan to wherever she wanted- usually, the recording studio.
When she was there, they left her alone in the room, always staying out in the hallway. Rowan was grateful. She didn’t know if they could hear through the door or not, but as long as she was able to pretend that they couldn’t, she could ignore them.
It was fifteen days after Rowan’s arrival at Clement Academy, and Luke and Evan were waiting patiently for her in the hallway. Both were sitting comfortably against the wall, knowing that she could be in there for hours. She never seemed to run out of things to play, songs to sing. She had the loveliest singing voice.
But then the comfortable pattern they were accustomed to broke. There was a crashing noise from inside the room, and Rowan’s playing broke off.
Evan cursed, throwing himself against the door and fumbling with the knob. “Why did she lock this?” he demanded. Luke was already on his feet, listening intently to the room. There was no sound. Rowan had stopped playing, and she wasn’t responding to the ruckus that Evan was creating.
“Let me,” Luke said. If she was hurt in any way, it would be his fault, he thought as he charged the door shoulder-first. It burst open, revealing a deserted room. Several pieces of equipment were lying broken on the floor, completely unidentifiable. The piano bench was knocked on its side. Luke ran to the window and looked out. No one was there.
Evan swore colorfully, then said, “We lost the princess. Good going.”
Luke repressed the urge to hit him. “Blame me later. Now, we just need to find her.”
The two of them ran out of the building and sprinted across the grounds. “Where are we going?” Evan asked.
“We’re going to get help.” Evan followed Luke into the science building and they came to a stop outside of a door on the second floor. Luke gestured for Evan to wait at the door and went in.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Proctor, but Delaney and Braden need to come with me, and they need to come now.” To Lane and Braden, he said, “Don’t bring your things. Someone else will take care of them. It’s an emergency.”
They exchanged startled glances, but left the classroom without asking any questions. Luke was glad. He didn’t have time to explain beyond, “Rowan was kidnapped,” which he called over his shoulder as he sprinted down the hallway again with Evan hot on his heels. Shocked into motion, Delaney and Braden managed to keep up.
They reached the garage where the school’s vans were kept. They all piled into the nearest one and Luke panted, “Braden, look for her.” Braden shut his eyes and concentrated.
“She’s… I think she’s being taken to an abandoned restaurant. There are grease stains on the floor- which is red and white checkered tile. It looks like a diner.”
“I know that place!” Lane exclaimed. “It’s Polly’s. I used to go there with…” she trailed off, remembering her last boyfriend. He was hardly important now.
“Great! Can you give me directions?”
Meanwhile, Rowan was just waking up. Disoriented, she automatically went to brush her bangs out of her eyes, only to realize that her hands were tightly bound behind her back. She opened her eyes and everything was dark. More awake now, she realized that it was a blindfold.
What was going on? The last thing she remembered was playing on that piano…
And the window had shattered. Someone came sailing through, sprayed something sweet-smelling into her face, and everything had gone dark.
So… she’d been kidnapped?
Where were Luke and Evan, she surprised herself by wondering. And how was she going to get out of this?
Rowan opened herself up to any emotions that might be nearby. There was satisfaction coming from somewhere in front of her, and impatience coming from somewhere to her left. She could feel that there were more, lots more, nearby, but not close enough that she could get a good read on them.
So she was being guarded, Rowan concluded. But why? What was so special about her that people would bother kidnapping her? No one would bother paying a ransom. No one would come looking. She had no one to worry about her; she was alone.
Rowan caught herself on the brink of giving up trying to come up with a plan, and mentally slapped herself. Rowan Connor was no quitter. Besides, she did have people now. She had friends. They would know she was missing, and the police would look for her.
Would they be quick enough?
When she was there, they left her alone in the room, always staying out in the hallway. Rowan was grateful. She didn’t know if they could hear through the door or not, but as long as she was able to pretend that they couldn’t, she could ignore them.
It was fifteen days after Rowan’s arrival at Clement Academy, and Luke and Evan were waiting patiently for her in the hallway. Both were sitting comfortably against the wall, knowing that she could be in there for hours. She never seemed to run out of things to play, songs to sing. She had the loveliest singing voice.
But then the comfortable pattern they were accustomed to broke. There was a crashing noise from inside the room, and Rowan’s playing broke off.
Evan cursed, throwing himself against the door and fumbling with the knob. “Why did she lock this?” he demanded. Luke was already on his feet, listening intently to the room. There was no sound. Rowan had stopped playing, and she wasn’t responding to the ruckus that Evan was creating.
“Let me,” Luke said. If she was hurt in any way, it would be his fault, he thought as he charged the door shoulder-first. It burst open, revealing a deserted room. Several pieces of equipment were lying broken on the floor, completely unidentifiable. The piano bench was knocked on its side. Luke ran to the window and looked out. No one was there.
Evan swore colorfully, then said, “We lost the princess. Good going.”
Luke repressed the urge to hit him. “Blame me later. Now, we just need to find her.”
The two of them ran out of the building and sprinted across the grounds. “Where are we going?” Evan asked.
“We’re going to get help.” Evan followed Luke into the science building and they came to a stop outside of a door on the second floor. Luke gestured for Evan to wait at the door and went in.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Proctor, but Delaney and Braden need to come with me, and they need to come now.” To Lane and Braden, he said, “Don’t bring your things. Someone else will take care of them. It’s an emergency.”
They exchanged startled glances, but left the classroom without asking any questions. Luke was glad. He didn’t have time to explain beyond, “Rowan was kidnapped,” which he called over his shoulder as he sprinted down the hallway again with Evan hot on his heels. Shocked into motion, Delaney and Braden managed to keep up.
They reached the garage where the school’s vans were kept. They all piled into the nearest one and Luke panted, “Braden, look for her.” Braden shut his eyes and concentrated.
“She’s… I think she’s being taken to an abandoned restaurant. There are grease stains on the floor- which is red and white checkered tile. It looks like a diner.”
“I know that place!” Lane exclaimed. “It’s Polly’s. I used to go there with…” she trailed off, remembering her last boyfriend. He was hardly important now.
“Great! Can you give me directions?”
Meanwhile, Rowan was just waking up. Disoriented, she automatically went to brush her bangs out of her eyes, only to realize that her hands were tightly bound behind her back. She opened her eyes and everything was dark. More awake now, she realized that it was a blindfold.
What was going on? The last thing she remembered was playing on that piano…
And the window had shattered. Someone came sailing through, sprayed something sweet-smelling into her face, and everything had gone dark.
So… she’d been kidnapped?
Where were Luke and Evan, she surprised herself by wondering. And how was she going to get out of this?
Rowan opened herself up to any emotions that might be nearby. There was satisfaction coming from somewhere in front of her, and impatience coming from somewhere to her left. She could feel that there were more, lots more, nearby, but not close enough that she could get a good read on them.
So she was being guarded, Rowan concluded. But why? What was so special about her that people would bother kidnapping her? No one would bother paying a ransom. No one would come looking. She had no one to worry about her; she was alone.
Rowan caught herself on the brink of giving up trying to come up with a plan, and mentally slapped herself. Rowan Connor was no quitter. Besides, she did have people now. She had friends. They would know she was missing, and the police would look for her.
Would they be quick enough?