c a l u m:

It's been a week. 

An entire week since I've last seen Gwen and my stomach hurt every time I thought about it. She wasn't answering any of my phone calls or text messages. I really hurt her and it was understandable, but when Gwen stopped coming to school, that's when I knew something was wrong. Was she sick with the flu? Did I break her heart to the point that she got sick? All I wanted was to see Gwen; to deeply apologize for everything I've done in the past. I just wanted her to forgive me, because even though this heart isn't my own, it still fúcking hurt.

"I'm sorry but the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected,"

Fúck me. I groaned, rubbing my face in frustration. I kicked the passenger side tire of the car I was conveniently leaning against.

"Hey! What the fúck are you doing Hood?!" Charlie stomped towards me with furrowed brows and a displeased expression on her face. Didn't blame her - I'd be pissed too if someone kicked my car.

"Charlie Sarmiento - just the gal I've been wanting to see," I folded my arms across my chest.

"What do you want?" Charlie rolled her eyes, opening the car door to throw her backpack inside.

"Have you spoken to Gwen at all?" My tone was desperate and made me sound like a complete bitch wipe, but at that moment I didn't give any fúcks. I just wanted my baby girl back.

Charlie shook her head with sadness, "no. I'm sorry dude, I haven't been able to get in contact with her."

"No emails? Tweets? Weird Snapchats? Anything?" I was practically begging Charlie at this point, "you're not keeping me from her, are you?"

"Even I can see how messed up this is making you," Charlie sighed, sympathy laced in her eyeballs, "and if I knew where Gwen was, I'd tell you. Have you tried the Outreach Center at all? Maybe Evan Schneider knows where she is?"

I scoffed, my eye twitching at the thought of trying to have a humane, civilized conversation with fucking Even Schneider. The last I saw the asshat was about two months ago when I decked him in the face. Best day ever.

"Look, I gotta go Calum," Charlie began, opening up the driver side door, "but I promise to let you know if I find out any information on Gwen."

"Thanks,"

"Good luck," Charlie sent me a smile before backing out of the parking stall.

I gave her a wave back before begrudgingly treading to my car. The Outreach Center wasn't my last bet though. There was still the Hemmings household. Every time I'd drive by though, it seemed to be empty. But I really doubted it was. Ass wipe Luke has been missing from school around the same time Gwen went missing and unless the entire family went on some vacation to the Bermuda Triangle, those two are definitely connected some how.

I drove to the Outreach Center and as I did my mind was getting bombarded with intricate flashes of Gwen and I. I still remember trashing the place with Michael and Ashton - dropping my wallet somehow and receiving it back from Gwen the following day. It was that day did my curiosity for the good girl in the plaid skirt grow. I didn't know back then of the magnitude of her soul and the power of her smile. I didn't know back then that I'd fall in love with her, but I did and it was the best thing Ryan's heart could ever do for me.

The Outreach Center was brimming with kids of all ages. They ran through the lobby like a stampede of jungle animals and while their high-pitched shrieks would normally bother me, I had other things on my mind. I marched right for the front desk where Evan sat behind it. His eyes were glued to the computer screen, aimlessly hitting the keyboard.

"Evan," I spoke.

Evan looked up from the screen, took one look at me and jumped. His entire body catapulted off of the chair and he took long strides backwards.

"There are cameras everywhere," Evan warned, pointing to the black devices hanging from the ceiling.

"Calm your tits, I'm not going to beat your stupid ass," I scoffed. Evan glared at me with both curiosity and caution. When I raised both my hands in defeat did the boy finally ease up. I chuckled in his expense.

"Why are you here Calum?" Evan questioned, "I really doubt you're here to complete your volunteer hours."

"I'm here because I'm asking about Gwen," I went straight to the point.

"What about her? Did you need to send her something?" Evan asked.

I was taken aback, "send her something?"

"To San Diego?" Evan raised a brow, as I continued to stare at him in utter confusion. It was then did Evan realize I knew absolute shit about Gwen's whereabouts. He sighed, "you don't know do you?"

"Fill me in quickly before I break your jaw," I threatened. It wasn't a real threat, I just enjoyed watching the color drain from Evan's face.

"Gwen went back home to the states," Evan revealed, and my stomach dropped.

"Did she say why? This term isn't even done yet," I reasoned.

"Apparently she was real home sick," Evan shrugged, "Mrs. Hemmings said she left a note that sounded like Gwen was deeply broken about something."

I lost equilibrium and suddenly the entire room was spinning. The images around me were blurry as they spun faster and faster, their colors blending in together with no fine line. The breath in my lungs seemed to slowly disappear, making it harder to breath as the seconds went by. My head hurt, my bones felt like they were on fire, and just like that my world was crumbling to pieces. I didn't even realize I collapsed to the floor until I saw Evan and a few other volunteers hovering above me.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Evan held a hand out in my direction.

I ignored his attempt to help me out, but I didn't need it. I stood up without a word, though I still felt dizzy, and made a B-line straight for the door. Evan called after me but I wasn't in the mood to stay back. I ran straight to my car as anger and disappointment filled my veins at rapid speed. I kicked my car, punched the door, and screamed at the brick wall. I was so fúcking done with this life and I just wanted everything to end. I needed to not feel for just one moment, and I knew exactly how to achieve that.

I drove for several miles with the music blasting in my car. I may have drove past a couple of red lights and if I had died, I wouldn't have complained. I would've been numb, and in that moment that's all I wanted. About ten minutes later I pulled up into a familiar driveway, putting the car on park and stepping out. The Clifford household was clearly abandoned at this point. The grass was overgrown, newspapers piled at the end of the driveway, and dirt caked the windows.

Jumping over the fence that led to the backyard, I made my way to the glass door. The spare key was right where I left it last and with no difficulty, I opened the back door. I welcomed myself inside of the home like I did so long ago and strolled straight for the kitchen. Bottom left cabinet near the stove was where the Cliffords stashed their alcohol.

"Found you," I smiled cynically to myself, snatching the bottle of liquor by its neck.

I took the glass bottle out of the kitchen and went up the stairs, towards Michael's room. Pushing the door open to the vacant room, went straight for the floor. I kept the blinds closed, not wanting the daylight to seep in. With my back against Michael's bed, I looked up a the wall to find old photographs still tacked up on the wall. All happy moments with him and Ashton - moments I wish I could have back. Moments I hoped to dream about as I twisted open the whiskey bottle, and took a long swig. The alcohol burned my throat as I winced at the terrible taste.

I told myself to keep going, to keep drinking because I knew soon enough that feeling would be nonexistent. I could be numb and escape this reality and into one where it was just Gwen and I. I wanted to drink till I fell asleep and hoped that my slumber would not betray me. I hoped that I'd dream of Gwen, so I could see something beautiful for once.

But it never happened.

I was out dead for several hours, because when I woke up, Michael's room was pitch black. All that was next to me was a half empty bottle of whiskey, the rest of its contents dripping onto the carpet. My head was killing me and my vision was still burred. I sat up, rubbing my head and all I could think about was Gwen. I needed to keep myself busy; I needed to occupy myself with something. And I knew exactly how.

I pulled out my phone and began dialing a number I never dialed. It was a number that sometimes popped up on my screen, but until that night, I had never took the initiative to call it. I pressed the phone to my ear, waiting for a response, and after several seconds, I felt a chill stroke my spine.

"Calum," the deep, raspy, eerie voice spoke from the other end.

"Sir," I responded, swallowing the growing lump in my throat.

"How may I help you this fine evening," the way Fiora spoke had the ability to make you feel so cold and so vulnerable. Fear itself was fearful of Fiora, and for good reason.

"I want to work, sir. Please give me a job," I didn't want to breath because I was too scared the sound would irritate Fiora, so I breathed slowly instead.

There was silence on the other end for what felt like several minutes. I waited in anxiety, twiddling my thumbs for a response. What was Fiora thinking? Was he angry with me? Annoyed? He could pin point my location so easily that maybe he was sending over his men to come beat the shit out of me.

Cackle.

Fiora's laughter rang in my ears, causing my entire body to shiver. I held my breath for what was to come, hoping that Fiora could give me something to do. And then he did.

"You've called at the right time Calum," Fiora broadcasted, "come to the docks at exactly 1:00 AM. I have a special task for you Mister Hood."

"Thank y--"

I was cut off by the other end hanging up, but it didn't matter. I had a job tonight that I had to prepare for. I looked down at my phone, noticing that I had about five hours till I was needed down at the docks. That was five hours to prep myself for the horror that was to come. Fiora said special, and knowing him the more special meant the more wicked something was. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I had a gut wrenching feeling that I was once again, going to be face to face with Fiora's imports. But that was okay.

I was finally numb. 

//

g w e n:

I wished someone could kill me.

I didn't know if we were ever going to be saved. I was in Hell, a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up. I didn't know how long I've been down here; I didn't know if it was day or night, or where I was. I didn't remember how I got in that dark, damp, dirty concrete room. I just remembered waking up half naked in a pool of my own vomit. I was surrounded by other girls - some around my age, some younger. As I cried, trying to figure out where I was, a small girl came to my aid.

She cleaned me up using the shirt on her back. She held me close and tried to comfort me as my screams disappeared into the concrete walls. And as she hugged me tight, I saw familiar charm dangling from a dainty, silver chain. Her eyes were identical to Dara's, and that's when it hit me. I kept crying in realization; disturbed with the idea that I was never going to see my family, my friends, or Calum again. I was probably in the middle of an unknown world with no future in sight, and for that, I wanted to die.

"Eat Gwen," Isra's tiny voice and tiny hands surrounded me.

I opened my eyes to see the young girl holding out a piece of bread in my direction. She nodded in assurance and without another second of hesitation, I took the sustenance. My stomach hurt so bad from hunger pains and my throat dry from thirst. I was barley conscious half the time, and losing my strength as each minute passed.

"Line up against the walls!"

The strong, domineering voice echoed in the room, causing me to jump in fear. Suddenly, more lights turned on and I squinted my eyes in attempt to adjust. I was met with a gruesome scene - it was a small, rectangular room with about forty girls crowded inside. Urine and feces sprinkled the concrete floors and when I turned to my left, I was eye to eye with the Devil - Fiora.

"I said line up against the walls!" A man in all black screamed at the top of his lungs, storming through the room with anger all around him. He stopped in front of me, seizing me by the arms with great strength that I whimpered in pain.

"Ow," I cried, biting onto my already dry lips to keep from crying.

"Follow direction," his voice was spiked with evil as he forced me to stand up to my feet. He slapped my face and I cried out loud. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Calm down," Fiora suddenly spoke, a stillness to his voice. He stood by the door with an unnerving opulence and I felt myself getting sick all over again.

The man let me go, joining Fiora and another man at the door. Isra grabbed my hand, squeezing it with care. I was so surprised by her behavior - nothing seemed to faze her and she had been in this room far longer than I. It was that necklace of her's with the broken charm. Whenever I saw fear caress her face, she'd hold onto it. She was thinking about Dara, her sister who was at least safe in the care of Charlie. Isra had hope, but I seemed to have lost all of mine.

Fiora, their guard, and another man in an expensive suit stepped into the room. I watched in silence as the suited man darted his head back and forth, his eyes examining every girl in the room. I held my breath as he inched closer and closer to me, and when his black shoes met my bare feet, was I met with a malevolent glare. He chuckled carelessly in my face as he reached up to touch my cheek.

"Aren't you a pretty angel?" He spoke, his tone low and condescending.

I felt the tears begin to trickle from my eyes and I tried my best to stop it, but I couldn't help it. I hated being looked at like a doll on the shelf, ready to be bought like I wasn't human. I wanted to go home.

"I like her," he smirked as he loomed before me and I swore his pale green eyes turned black for a moment. The man turned his attention back to Fiora, "I'll take any five, you may decide, and this," he paused to kiss my forehead, "precious angel right here."

"Of course," Fiora nodded with a pleased smile, "anything for you Mister Kendall." 

//

Oh no.

So we know where Gwen is. She was captured by Fiora's men to be sold, and the first buyer is none other than PJ Kendall aka Charlie's dad (yes, they have different last names for a reason). Things are in full force and it's going to get freaking intense! We've got about 4 more chapters left.

Also, yes, I have updated three chapters in the last two days. I've got a little time to write in between taking Midterms and I'm on a roll. Also, I've been dying to get this story completed so I can move onto the next. Not that I'm tired of this story - because it's one of my favorites - but I'm ready for you all to read the conclusion! :)

Thank you.