SORROW WOODS (36 page)

“Hello?” I call out. “Is anyone there?”

I feel like I’ve been run over by a big truck. My head is banging, my arms feel like lead, and I

can’t even feel my feet. Not feeling my feet makes me immediately worry about my spine. Has she

broken my back? Am I paralysed? I can hear my ragged breaths echoing off the metal walls. The

sound of my panicked breathing makes all the hairs on my neck and arms stand on end. I don’t think I’ve ever really been scared in my whole life, but right now I feel terrified, and it’s not because I’m injured or because I don’t know where I am. It’s because I don’t know what’s happened to Serena.

Her Mother, or whoever she is, told me she was going to take her and I didn’t stop her.

The fear of her being taken again and me not being able to do anything about it sends shots

of anger through my body. I kick, scream, and shout as I bang my heavy arms onto the metal, trying to ignore the pain that splinters and shoots through my body.

“Help!” I call, “Hello? Is anyone there?”

I bang some more, feeling the trickle of blood down my face. I don’t know how long I’ve

been out cold, but judging by the size of the egg on my head, I’m guessing it might have been a few hours. That woman could be miles away by now. I might have already lost her.

A pain fires up the back of my leg and zooms up my spine. A tingling, hot feeling covers my

head from the base of my skull and flies right over the top, until it forces sweat to drip down my forehead. I feel my eyes rolling towards the top of my head and then it’s black again.

I see Serena’s face. I see her green eyes and how they twinkle when she smiles. I think about

how easy her life used to be and how she could do whatever she wanted all day, and how different

her life is now. Her Mother, or whatever she is, won’t be as stupid this time. If she’s taken her, then she’ll make sure that she’s never found again. I can feel it in my heart. I can feel how much I already miss her.

When I open my eyes again, it feels warmer. I shuffle around until I’m finally sitting up. I close my eyes and ignore the pain that thunders through my body. When I look around, I suddenly realise that I’m inside an industrial trash can. I tilt my head and sure enough, there’s a black plastic lid. I grit my teeth and push myself to standing until I feel my hands touching the lid. I have to stop and take a few deep breaths to steady myself. I’ve never felt so ill in all my life. I’ve gone seven rounds in the ring before and haven’t felt this bad.

It worries me that I can’t see my injuries. Once my heart stops hammering in my chest and my

eyes stop rolling about in my head, I slowly lift my arm, ignoring the pain in my shoulder and push the lid. It opens just a fraction, letting a sliver of light in but then it bounces back down. I don’t even have the strength to lift a trash lid. I’m pathetic. I curl my hand into a fist and think about the bitch that beat me up like I was a little boy and hear a deep growl erupt from my throat. I suck in a breath and slam my fist into the lid above me.

Within seconds, I’m surrounded by salty, swirling air that sticks and clings to my sweaty skin. I stagger and collapse against the back of the bin, making metallic noises echo out all around me. I look down at my feet and thank God that the bin is empty of trash. I let my eyes trail up my

bloodied, ripped trousers and over my shredded shirt, staring at the patches of dried, dark red

blood. I try to focus my mind on the fact that I need to get to the Scott’s, instead of concentrating on how much I’m hurting right now.

I will not be beaten by anyone, especially not a wicked witch. When I look out of the trash can,

I see a boat floating across the calm sea in the distance and realise that I’m on the beach near the diner. I curl my fingers over the edge of the bin and jump over the side.

The force of the impact makes my knees feel like they’re going to vibrate right off, but I

ignore it and start to hobble towards Serena’s house. It’s still early. Maybe she hasn’t gone

anywhere yet. Maybe she’s still asleep in her bed.

I lower my head and jog with a limp towards their house that towers over the beach. I loop

around the side, past the fence and the deep green bushes that hang over the edge, until I get to the end of their wall. I pull on the fattest branch that I can find and pull it down so I can climb up it. Once I’m half-way up the branch, I lift my feet off the ground until my spine bends and my feet land on the wall. I can’t imagine how ridiculous I must look as I shuffle and slump over the wall, but I don’t care.

As soon as my feet hit the Scott’s perfectly mowed lawn, I tear across it and run straight through the double doors and into the kitchen.

I hear Angela scream before my eyes finally locate her standing at the refrigerator.

“Serena?” I puff.

Angela pulls her silk dressing gown around her and frowns at me. “She’s sleeping. What’s

happened to you? Have you been fighting again?”

I can’t stop myself from staring at the orange juice that she’s holding. I didn’t realise how

thirsty I was until I saw the orange juice slipping and sliding down the glass jug. I swallow hard and look up at her, shaking my head. “Serena,” I pant, “where is she?”

Angela blinks at me. “She’s still sleeping.”

I shake my head at the same time that Auden barges into the room, half naked with

toothpaste all over his chin. “What the hell?” he roars. “I heard a scream.”

Angela nods towards me. “It was me. It was him.”

I can’t be doing this. I don’t have time. I pull myself along the kitchen counter until I start to stagger out of the kitchen. “And where are you going?”

My eyes snap onto Auden and I watch the colour drain from his face.

“Serena,” I huff. “She’s gone.”

He spins on his heels and runs up the stairs two at a time. I’m too tired to keep up with him,

but I follow as quickly as I can. I hear the doors bang against the wall and then I hear him groan. I feel sick. Everything that’s happened over the past few weeks whirls through my head. When I finally make it to her room, Auden is already on the telephone, pacing up and down her carpet.

I stare at her perfectly-made bed. She was in bed last night, so the fact that it’s made must

mean that Serena has woken up and made it herself. Maybe her Mother hasn’t taken her. Maybe

she just woke up early and went for a walk or something.

Angela barges into the bedroom and grabs me around my shoulders. Her big, scared eyes

start to blur as she shakes me. “What’s happened to her? How did you know she wouldn’t be here?”

With every shake, my muscles and bones groan inside me. I know she’s not trying to hurt me

on purpose, but she’s really making me feel sick.

“Angela,” snaps Auden when he puts the phone down, “he’s already hurt.” He nods towards

me. “Let him go.”

She stops for a moment as tears start to stream down her face. She blinks at me and slowly

removes her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“No…I’m sorry.”

“The police are on their way.” Auden turns towards me as he slumps down onto the bed,

looking up at me through watery eyes. “Tell us everything you know, Kaiden.”

As I walk into my house, I hear my Mom moaning about the massive mess. I’d completely forgotten

that I had a party last night.

“Hey,” I sigh. I walk into the kitchen and notice my Mother at the cooker. The smell of bacon

and eggs fills my nostrils. Zak turns the page of his newspaper that he’s reading and glances up at me. The second he sees my face, his mouth drops open.

“Kaiden Matthews,” huffs my Mother. She doesn’t even bother to turn around. “I don’t want

to know where you’ve been, but you had better get this house cleaned up before your Father comes

back.”

“I’ll clean the house,” offers Zak.

At the offer of help, my Mother spins around. When her eyes fall onto me, she throws the

spatula down and rushes over to me. “Oh my God. What happened?”

She brushes her hands over my face and glances nervously at Zak.

“Have you been fighting again?” she asks.

My voice catches in my throat. How am I supposed to tell her that the girl I love is missing? I

shake my head. I notice her eyes scanning all over me, stopping on the dark patch of blood on my

shirt.

“Put the news on,” I say.

She frowns at me and slowly lifts my shirt before she gasps. “You need to go to a hospital.

What have you been doing?”

“I need you to patch it up, Mom,” I tell her.

Her blue eyes flick up to my face. “You’re going to the hospital.”

I don’t have the energy to argue with her. “Mom, just patch it up.”

“Kaiden, I swore I wouldn’t do this again. You promised me you wouldn’t come home like

this ever again. You promised.” Tears start to sneak out of her eyes and slip down her cheeks. I know what this looks like, but I don’t have the time to explain.

“It’s not what you think,” I mumble.

She sucks in a deep breath and unbuttons my shirt. I want to tell her that it feels too weird

because she’s my Mom, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get it off myself so I clamp my mouth shut.

When she pushes my shirt off my shoulders, she gasps again. “What are those?”

I glance down at the black and purple bruises that are scattered across my chest and

stomach. “Footprints,” I say with a shrug.

“And this?” she asks, pointing towards the slash above my hip.

“Knife.”

She starts to sob. “I can’t just patch this up, Kaiden. You really need to go to the hospital and get it stitched.”

I can’t go to the hospital. I need to get out there and look for her. “Please, Mom.” I hobble

over to the table and sit down on a chair. I can see the indecision running all across her face.

“Oh shit.”

My Mother glances towards Zak and then the television. Her eyes widen as she walks

towards it. The news reporter is showing pictures of Serena. People are being urged to come

forward if they have any information. They show a short video that was picked up from the cameras in the diner’s parking lot, showing Serena being slapped across the face by a woman wearing a head scarf and huge sunglasses, who then pushes her into the back of a car. I can’t watch it again so I look away.

Zak steps back from the screen that hangs on the wall above the fireplace and sits on the

sofa looking confused. “Who’s that woman?”

“Her Mother. The one that stole her when she was two. The real child snatcher.”

He shakes his head. “I thought they’d already arrested her?”

“The police think she’s a twin.”

“A twin?” he asks.

I nod. “An identical twin.”

My Mother turns around and covers her mouth with her hand, clearly in shock. “Poor

Angela,” she almost sobs, “and poor Auden.”

Zak frowns. “Why would her identical twin confess to a crime that she didn’t commit?”

“I have no idea,” I answer, getting annoyed. I’m tired, hungover, and in pain. I just want to

get patched up so I can get out there and look for the girl that I’m in love with. “I’m going upstairs to get changed, and then I’d like you to patch me up please so I can go and look for her.”

She doesn’t want to, but she nods at me anyway.

I have to ignore the pain. I have to grit my teeth and think about something other than how

much it hurts as I pull my black jeans up my legs. I shove my feet into my black boots and head bare-chested back down the stairs, where I find gauze, medical tape, and numbing spray on the table. I sit myself down and stare at the bowl of warm water. This is really going to hurt.

Zak places a cup of steaming coffee and a slice of toast in front of me. “Drink and eat. She’s

just gone to get some more tape, I think, because there’s not enough there.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

The coffee tastes delicious as it skims and slides down my throat. My Mother rushes back in

and looks at my chest and huffs. She dips the cotton ball into the water and raises her eyebrows at me, silently checking that it’s okay for her to go ahead.

I nod.

“So tell me what happened, Son.”

I wince as the water trickles into my cut. “Serena and I had a fight at the party, so I went to

her house. When I was outside her bedroom on the balcony, I saw someone in the Scott’s garden. I

chased her down the beach, but she hid and then hit me over the head with something.”

Her eyes flick up to my skull.

“She beat me up. I woke up a few hours ago in one of the big trash cans behind the back of

the diner.”

“How did she put you in the bin?” Zak asks.

I throw Zak a look. Now is not the time to laugh at me. “Shut up.”

“I’m being serious,” he says with a shrug. “She’s tiny!”

I shrug. “I don’t know. She’s really fast and really strong.”

Whilst my mother is cleaning my wounds and taping up stomach, I finish off the rest of the

coffee and the toast. I hadn’t realised just how hungry I was until I started to eat.

“Here,” says Mom, as she passes me a clean, black t-shirt. “Where are you going anyway?”

I slowly pull the t-shirt over my head and roll it down. “To find her.”

“Kaiden, let the police do their job.”

“I can’t, Mom.”

“Why not?” she asks, as a frown takes over her forehead.

“Because she’s my…” I stop and glance at Zak. “I just have to find her, Mom.”

“Are you going on your bike?” asks Zak, as I grab my leather jacket and sunglasses.

“Yeah.”

He throws his keys to me. “Take the Blackbird. It’s quicker.”

I stare at the keys in my hand and then look back up to Zak. The blackbird is his pride and

joy. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “Go find your girl.”

“Your girl?” my Mom repeats, blinking at us.

I push my sunglasses up my nose and kiss my Mother on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”