Their Violence, Your Silence.

Winter was late.

I'd been waiting at the car for nearly ten minutes now and checked at the gym twice but there was still no sign of her. Did that mean Marley was hurting her again? Inside the locker room where I wasn't allowed?

Making up my mind I rushed back to the gym. Ready to break down the door, to hell with the consequences. When I got there however I spotted Marley just leaving and I grabbed her by the arm, I don't think I was very gentle about it.

'Where is Winter!'

Marley had the nerve to throw back her head and laugh loudly. Her gaggle of look alike friends copied her almost immediately.

'Why would I know? What does a silly little nerd matter anyway?' she said turning around and stepping in close to me so that her perfume swirled up into my nose and burned my nostrils. The scent wasn't bad but so sweet and strong that it hurt.

'Is she still in the locker room?' I forced out semi polite.

Marley pretended to think as she tapped a finger against her lips. Lips that were pouting a little too much to be cute. Her nails still a scarlet that I'd probably hate forever.

'No I don't think she is...'

A growl escaped my throat, 'No games! Where is she!'

A smile came to Marley's face now and it gave me chills. She flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder and said then: 'I believe she went of with Damien... They looked cozy.'

Then she ripped her arm out of my grip and sashayed off with her gang, all of them laughing evilly although some had sympathetic looks in their eyes.

It confirmed my worst fear, if Damien had her there was no way Winter would escape unscathed on her own...

I ran back to my car and started searching all the places I thought Damien might have taken her. Calling my friends and Damien's friends while doing it to ask them if they had seen him. I even tried calling Damien himself but he never answered.



It was nearly five pm.

My thoughts running endlessly in circles...

I'd been looking for nearly two hours without finding a trace. I kept seeing pictures of Winter lying somewhere in an alley, with lifeless eyes. Or her struggling to get home while attempting to look normal despite injuries.

I was desperate.

That's when I spotted Damien's car. Parked outside his own house, which was quite a sizable mansion. I'd been there a few times before and knew Damien's room was at the back of the house.

I parked and got out of my car jogging to the front door. I doubted he'd taken Winter here but if he was home he was going to tell me where he left her.

Damien's mother opened the door and it was hard to act normal as I asked her if her son was home. My fists clenched at my side. I think she noticed something was wrong because she didn't say much, just nodded and told me to wait.

I waited five minutes until the door finally opened and Damien came out. It was almost a relief to see he looked horrible.

Scratches ran over his face all an angry red and his throat and arms were covered with them as well. He'd obviously cleaned up when he got home but it didn't make it look much better.

The scratches meant for sure he'd been with Winter and that made me nervous and mad. On the other hand I felt a little proud too, she'd put up one hell of a fight if he looked like this.

When Damien saw me he tried stepping back inside the house quickly, obviously his mom hadn't told him who was at the door.

I grabbed his shirt in my fist and yanked him outside though, slamming him mercilessly against the door jamb.

'What did you do to her!' I growled out and I felt the satisfaction of seeing Damien cower back. He tried playing dumb and shrugged his shoulders, 'Don't know what you're talking about man...'

Anger bubbled hot and furious in the pit of my stomach and I slammed him against the door jamb hard a second time.

'You know damn well what I'm talking about! Where is she?'

Damien's hands clasped over mine which were holding his shirt so tightly I was nearly strangling him. I didn't care.

'Construction site... left her... there,' he finally panted out. 'Near school.'

I released him with a last hard shove, then I punched him hard in the jaw just to vent some of the anger. He fell with a strangled cry but I was already running back to my car.

Within ten minutes I'd reached the construction site, found the gap and searched the place. I'd been calling out her name but she didn't respond. I knew she wasn't there when I found the bloodstains near the bonfire spot.

Had she gotten up and tried to go home on her own?

*~*~*~*~*

With screeching tires I parked in front of Winters house. Jumping out and running to her front door took me barely any time and I was already ringing the door bell when I remembered to lock my car.

Jared opened the door and stared at me in surprise.

'Caleb... what are you doing here?' he said and just by looking at him I knew he hadn't seen Winter yet and didn't know she was missing. He was way to calm and collected for that.

'Is Winter home? Have you seen her?' I asked, finding it hard to refrain from grabbing Jared and shaking him with all my strength.

Jared frowned then, 'Didn't you drive her home? I just got here myself...'

I was already pushing him aside and running for the stairs, taking them two at a time. I didn't know which room was Winters because I'd never been upstairs but it wasn't hard to guess. Seeing the pictures she'd stuck on her door.

Any other time I would have stopped to look at them but not today. I pushed open the door without knocking and then froze.

She was there. The relief that flooded me was only temporarily, quickly replaced by worry and anger. She looked a mess.

'Caleb what the hell!'

Jared was coming up the stairs behind me and I kicked into action again. Digging in my pocket I found the keys to my car, I tossed them to him as he reached Winters door.

'Get in and start the engine! We're taking Winter to the hospital, now!'

Jared took one look inside Winter's room, nodded and disappeared down the stairs.

I stepped inside Winter's room slowly, I didn't want to startle her and I wasn't sure if she was conscious or not.

She'd curled up underneath her blankets and all I could see was the torn clothes on the floor that she'd obviously taken off in a rush. There was a lot of dirt and bloodstains on them. The top of her head with it's fiery red hair stuck out but I couldn't see her face.

Her hair was matted with blood though.

'Winter?' I said softly, straining to keep my voice soft and gentle through all the anger flooding my system.

I sat down carefully beside her on the bed and pulled back the blanket slowly a little so that I could see her face.

She had her eyes closed and her forehead was a mess of dirt, glass and blood. But she was breathing and tears were making tracks in the stains on her face.

'Winter?' I asked again, this time gently touching an unmarked spot on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open unseeing. But at least I knew she was conscious now.

'I'm going to lift you up okay? Wrap you in the blanket and take you to the car? I'm sorry if it'll hurt,' as I said the words I moved my hands to smooth the blanket around her before slipping my one arm underneath her knees and the other under her shoulders.

She moaned in pain then and I nearly stopped and put her back down. But once I had her securely I started walking out of her room slowly, careful to keep my balance.

She moved then for the first time, one hand reaching up to latch onto my shirt tightly. Her head rolling a bit to the side to rest against my shoulder.

Jared was at the door holding it open for us and locking it behind us. His face grim as he rushed ahead to open the car door helping me slide in with her still securely in my arms.

He ran to the other side without a word and got into the drivers seat. The car which had been idling raced off into the direction of the hospital with a soft purr.

'What happened?' was all he said then.

And I told him about my hell of an afternoon in short clipped words as I tried to make it as comfortable as possible for Winter.