Trapped

"I'm right here"

My breath caught in my throat as the feeling of my heart stopping and dropping into my stomach hit me. "I heard you gave mommy a little call. Why don't you just make this easier and come home instead of making things worse on yourself by playing this little game of hide and seek? now that I've got your phone number you know it's only a matter of time before I find where you are" He said in a cocky and amused tone and then paused before continuing, now sounding much more serious, "and when I do, I'll make sure there's no way you can ever leave me again." I dropped the phone from my ear and tried to hang up as quickly as possible. My hands trembling badly along with my whole body. I start struggling to breathe, I feel like I can't get enough air into my lungs even though I'm breathing as much as my lungs can hold. My chest feels tight, my vision starts to get hazy, and my mind is beginning to feel foggy, like I can't think straight. "Am I having a heart attack?" I think to myself for a moment. "No, no, I think I'm having a panic attack." My thoughts continue. Before I even knew what I was doing, I began to climb out of my bed, painfully aware of every achy muscle, every spot I've been hit or hurt that is bruised or broken, the heaviness in every limb that I struggle to move forward but some how manage to do. Feeling almost like I'm drunk, I stumble my way to my door and unlock it. I make my way down the hallway, feeling like I might collapse at any moment with every symptom becoming stronger as I walk past Noah and Eli's doors. I don't know why, but I feel like I just need to make it to Zane. When I finally make it to his door and knock, the hazy vision and foggy brain fade ever so slightly while everything else seems to hold on for dear life. Zane cracks his door open to see who knocked and I walk in, pushing past him without waiting for him to say anything. "Alethia, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" He asked as he shut the door behind me. Now that I'm here, I don't really know what to say. I'm scared that whatever I say next will be the wrong thing. Every ounce of safety and security that I was beginning to feel here has seemed to vanish into thin air. Even though theres a part of me that feels safe with him even now, there's also a part of me that is waving red flags and screaming in my ear about all the bad things that could happen if I even just tell him that Michael called me. "Is he going to see me as too much of a hassle or too complicated and abandon me?" That voice in my head whispers. I want to turn back and go back to my room, but it's too late to leave now. "Alethia! Hey, what's wrong?" Zane asked as he slightly shook me to get my attention. I looked up at him, unable to hide how scared I am and unable to steady my breathing. "Nothing, I'm fine." I try to lie in a very unconvincingly shaky voice. A look of worry washes over zanes face, and then a look of shock suddenly takes its place. "Alethia, what happened?! Who did this to you?!" He questioned as he lifted my chin up to get a better look at the bruises covering my neck that I forgot would be there until now. I push his hand away and cover the bruises with my own two hands, trying to hide them as I back up into the wall. "Oh God, what do I do!?" I screamed in my mind. "I... just... nevermind!" I yelled as I went to grab the door knob and turn it but he quickly placed his hand on the door and held it shut before I had a chance to pull it open at all. "No, tell me who did this to you. Tell me what happened." He demanded, but I could also hear in his tone of voice that he was scared of what happened to me. I stood there, frozen. Afraid to look at him and unable to say anything at all. The panic attack feeling growing stronger. I reach my hand up to my chest, hoping that the pressure would help somehow, but it doesn't. Suddenly, I feel like I can't breathe at all, like my lungs won't expand to hold any air. "Alethia--" Zane begins to say before I cut him off. "Zane... I can't... I can't breathe. " I managed to choke out between attempted breaths. He picks me up and quickly walks over to his bed and sits down with me in his arms, holding me. He pulls my face closer to his chest, holds my body tightly to his, and uses his thumb to softly stroke the side of my face near my temple. Softly, he whispers to me, "You're safe, I'm right here. Everything will be okay, I promise, Take a deep breath with me." It took a while, but he was finally able to help me calm down some, and soon I was able to force myself to take a deep breath with him and catch my breath slightly. The panic attack symptoms are still holding on, but I feel so much safer in his arms. His voice is calming and so comforting. "Alethia, please tell me what happened. I need to know." He asked again now that I had calmed down some. I thought for a moment but still was afraid to tell him anything. "I can't tell you." I said through tears. "You can tell me anything. Please, Alethia..." He pleaded as he attempted to wipe my tears away. He lifted my chin up to where our eyes met, and I could see the worry written all over his face. I lost all willpower and couldn't take it anymore. I started sobbing into his chest as I explained, "Noah tried to kill me. Eli stopped him, but then Eli begged me not to say anything and told me I had to keep it a secret, and then I was woken up to a phone call. It was Michael, Zane. I don't know if he got my number from my mom or how he got it, but he's going to find me now. He said he's going to make me regret this and make sure I can never leave him ever again. I told you it was only a matter of time before he found me. I think Noah broke one of my ribs, and my whole body hurts so bad. I'm so scared and I don't know what to do." Zane looked shocked for a minute. "Noah tried to kill you? And Eli wanted you to keep it a secret? And Michael, as in your abusive husband, Michael called you?" Zane asked, as if he was trying to clarify that he heard me right. I looked up at him again and barely got the word out, "Yes." Anger washed over him like a massive wave crashing down. Not just any anger, but the kind of anger that noah had when he looked at me earlier. He began to move like he was going to leave, but I grabbed him by the shirt and said, "No, please don't go. Please don't leave me." He stopped for a second, and I could see his mind racing, but then he leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. "At least let me go get you something for the pain." He said, sounding defeated. I nodded my head in agreement and watched as he walked out the door. I could see that it took everything in him not to break down Noah's door as he started walking past. He stopped just outside Noah's door for a moment and looked back at me. Clenching his fists tightly and then he continued down the hall to Tara's room. He came back with two pills and a bottle of water. Locking the door behind him and sitting on the bed next to me. He helped me sit up to take the medicine easier. "This one Tara said will help with overall pain and this one will help any inflamation, and don't worry I didn't tell her what happened", He explained as he handed me each one and then opened the water bottle. I swallowed them both and handed him back the bottle so he could set it on the nightstand. "Please don't tell Eli that I told you. I'm scared of what might happen or what they might do if they find out." I said. "Why would he want you to keep that a secret anyway?" Zane asked, confused. "Because it's not the only secret and knowing the why to one leads to the other secrets." I tried to explain simply. "Please tell me everything. You don't need to deal with it all alone, I promise you that I can handle it." He said. I thought for a minute about whether or not I should tell him. I decided I didn't have much of a choice and then I explained how Eli warned me about Noah before and told me not to tell anyone then either and explained why Eli and Noah really had such a hatred for me and what really happened to his mom and the whole chloe story. He just sat there listening as I explained everything, not saying a single word. When I was done, he just calmly nodded and said, "I think it's time we tell everyone about Michael so that they can help." I moved to look at him better."Why? He's going to find me... maybe I should just leave now... I'm putting all of your lives at risk by being here, and me dying by the hands of someone else is just inevitable..." I explained and then sat up. He sat up immediately after me and turned my face to look at his, "Over my dead body, you hear me? I will die before I let any of that happen. Don't you worry, Noah will get what's coming to him, and so will Eli, for asking you to keep what happened a secret. As for michael, I will kill him if he ever tries to touch you again. We will figure this out." He explained, and then he leaned forward slowly, almost as if to make sure it was okay first, and then the warmth of his lips met mine. Our lips like magnets when he finally pulled away. "You should get some sleep," He said and pulled me down with him gently to cuddle. The medicine had started to work, and between getting a break from the pain and cuddling up close to Zane, the adrenaline was replaced with exhaustion, and I fell asleep in no time.