"We're surprised you went back home." Minny was the one the start. He was wrestling with his tie, loosening it and pulling it from his neck to free himself. He unbuttoned his blazer and yanked it from his shoulders. Then, he turned back to Polly.

"I needed closure. I needed to know whether or not they missed me." They didn't miss me at all. The truth stung worse than she thought it would. She always knew her parents didn't care for her, but she was still trying to hold on to the belief that they would welcome her with open arms. That they would accept her for who she truly was.

She was wrong.

"Tanner was the one who knew you left town." Minny's voice grew soft, and he placed his hands over hers. His heart yearned for her, but not in a romantic way. His heart yearned for Polly to open up to them. To tell everyone what had been happening in her life, from the very start.

"I have an insider." Tanner's voice was low when he said it. He turned to look at Polly, but she refused to make eye contact with him. Her hatred for Tanner ran deeper than anything he could fix, and she refused to allow herself to accept his apologies. He had abused her for years. He had abused others like her. He was the scum of the Earth.

But, he was scum that had saved her. "My insider saw you get a bus ticket, and where you were going. I knew where you lived, from church. But I knew I couldn't come alone, because you wouldn't have listened to me. So I asked everyone to come."

"Did it occur to you that maybe I didn't want to be saved?" Of course, Polly needed to be rescued. But that didn't mean she wanted it from Tanner. Her private life was separate from Kenzie. It was separate from Tom, from Minny, and even from Tanner. Now, everyone knew her parents had moved on an abandoned her. She wanted to option to tell her friends about her past, and the ugliness that lived there.

"Polly, I'm sorry. But I didn't come for you with malicious intent. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

Polly flinched in her seat, her eyes blazing with anger. "Safe? Why would you want to keep me safe? All you've done to me is hurt me! You don't care about me at all!"

It was the truth. Polly felt like the person in the passenger seat, looking back at her, could care less for her wellbeing. She was a game to him. Some girl he couldn't turn straight, so he punished her for it. She was a toy. A guinea pig. A puppet.

"That isn't true, Polly. I get that what I did to you was horrible in every way imaginable. I get that. But I'm not that person anymore. I love you, and even if you never love me back, that's okay. Because I want you to be happy! I want you to move on. I want you to show your parents that you're better than them in every way imaginable, because you're full of love and happiness and you're a genuinely good person. I didn't follow you here because I want to torture you. I followed you because I need to know you're okay. I need to know you're safe."

Polly's voice was venomous as she leaned forward, in Tanner's face. "Tell me then. Who wrote that note in my locker?"

Tanner hesitated, and it was enough to make Polly yank her face back, her mouth twisted into an ugly scowl. She crossed her arms, and thought for a moment about slapping him. He deserved it, so badly, but she refrained.

"My insider did. But, it had more to do with Minny than it did with you."

Polly's body went stiff. "I thought you said you had nothing to do with this?" Her question was aimed at Minny now, who looked forlorn and confused, like a young child who had been caught in a bad act.

"Polly, I have no idea what Tanner is talking about."

Tanner waved his hand dismissively. "He doesn't. The note was for both of you, but for reasons I don't even know. But, that doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're safe and you forgive me so we can move on."

This time, Polly did slap Tanner across the face. Polly felt powerful doing so, not because she inflicted pain, but because she was finally in control. Never again would Tanner be hurting her physically.

"I will never move on. You're a horrible person. The worst kind of person imaginable."

Kenzie placed her hand on Polly's knee, and Polly relaxed under her touch. For a moment, she'd forgotten Kenzie was in the car with her. Kenzie, the girl she liked, was right there beside her. Kenzie, the girl she kissed, was right there beside her, not running away or hurting her. Because Kenzie was the same as she was.

She placed her hand over Kenzie's, squeezing the hand tightly. Her heart was pounding in her chest from anger and fear, but she wanted to calm down. Despite her hatred for Tanner, she needed to be thankful that her friends had rescued her. Because while she hated Tanner, she loved the rest of the people in the car.

When Tanner turned around to look out of the windshield, the rest of the ride grew quiet. It was a long drive, and Polly felt incredibly anxious, but there was excitement running in her veins. She saw her parents, and while the sight had burned her, she had closure. She could move on. And now, it was time to move on with other things in her life, including Tanner and his insider.

The moment the crew got back to town, she demanded to talk to Tanner when Tom dropped her off. Minny was against it, but he had little to say that would change Polly's stubborn mind. Polly had things to do, and Minny's protectiveness wasn't going to stop her.

As soon as Tom drove off, Polly squared up with Tanner. "Take me to your insider." It was a demand, not a question.

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me," Tanner said in a soft voice that was cautious and weary, "so why do you want to meet my insider?"

Polly was done playing games. She was done with the messages in her locker. She was done with becoming a slave to her fears. She was going to get answers, and she was going to conquer every obstacle in her course.

"I want to meet your insider. So you can either bring me to them, or I'll find my own way to them. Your choice." It was an ultimatum that she knew he wouldn't pass up. He wanted her forgiveness, and while she wasn't outright giving it, she was giving him a chance to help her. To redeem himself.

She didn't trust him. She needed to use him.

They had no vehicle, so they traveled on foot. She kept her distance from him, not afraid but cautious. Since the first time she had met him, Tanner had grown. He was once a lanky teen with moderately good looks and a charming personality that was ridden with lies. He was the son of a rich politician, and so naturally he was a smooth talker as well. But, as the years passed, Tanner had grown into his skin. He was tall, well-built, strong.

Polly didn't like these attributes. The stronger the foe, the harder it is to escape. Not that she thought Tanner was going to pull something on her, but she was weary. Just in case. His muscular arms could pin her down. His muscular legs could outrun her.

She was not prepared to defend herself against him if she had to. It saddened her to think about these things, because she didn't have the luxury to trust him. He was attractive and a smooth talker, but he was dangerous. A snake in the grass. A man of illusions and tricks.

He seemed to know what she was thinking about. "If you're worried about me attacking you, you can relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

She still didn't trust him. Polly was smarter than that.

As the two of them walked through the woods, the sun in the sky was sinking lower. It would grow dark soon, and Polly wanted nothing to do with Tanner in the woods at night. She wanted nothing to do with him in the daytime, when she could see him. Nevermind when she couldn't.

"Where is this person living?" She was reminded of the story of Hansel and Gretel. The two children travelling alone in the woods with nothing but crumbs to lead them home. The only difference was that Polly had no crumbs to lead her home. She was alone and could very well become trapped if she wasn't careful out here.

"They're close. You see that fox?"

There, standing by a group of pines, was a small fox. Polly had never seen the animal before, but Tanner seemed well acquainted with the creature. "He will lead us there."

Polly let out a snort. "A fox? A wild fox will lead us there?" This really was becoming some sort of fairytale, with evil witches in the woods that ate children. That, or Tanner was going crazy from a lack of human connection.

Tanner ignored her disbelief, and followed the fox he knew to belong to his insider. He hadn't visited him in a while, but he knew the signs. The fox was one. The girl was another. He would take either, and today, he was graced with the fox. Which he decided was easier for Polly to stomach. He couldn't picture her following a naked girl through the woods willingly.

By the time the sky grew nearly dark, the two arrived at a wooden cabin. The fox scratched at the door, but made no sound. When the door opened, Polly stumbled back when she saw the girl on all fours.

"What is that?" She whispered, her voice shaky. The girl looked straight from a horror movie, looking at her on all fours like an animal. She knew meeting the insider was dangerous, but not this dangerous.

"That is my insider's pet. Now, c'mon."

Polly followed Tanner inside the house, and she was pleased to find it spotless. Not a spec of dust in sight. It was clear the man who lived there was rich and took care of his belongings, even if a fox and a girl lived there.

As the two walked further into the house, against her better judgement, she spotted a familiar looking book on a side table. When she got closer, she realized with icy dread that it was her own sketchbook on the table, looking like it belonged with the decor.

She stopped short, her heart pounding in her chest as she picked the sketchpad up, her hands shaking as she opened it. Sure enough, she saw her drawings of Kenzie slip between her fingers as she scanned the pages.

"What?" Tanner asked, but Polly felt sick to her stomach. Not only was she in the lion's den, but she was the prey. And Tanner lead her here, and she had trusted him. If only a little bit, she had put trust in a person she shouldn't have.

"You knew he had this, didn't you?" Her voice was furious as she waved the book in front of Tanner's confused face.

"What is that?"

"My sketchbook!" Polly's voice sounded shrill to her own ears, and she hated sounding like that. Sounding out of control and crazy. She took three deep breaths, then held the book to her chest. She willed herself not to cry, then looked Tanner in the eyes, but his gaze was focused on something behind her.

A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, and Polly flinched against the weight of the hand. The fingers curled into her shoulder in a threatening way that made her heart slam against her rib cage. "Welcome to my home, Polly. I've been waiting for you."

* * *

Hello my skeleton children. It has been too long.

Sorry I've been away. Hopefully I'll be back long enough to finish this story.

what do you think of the insider? What do you think of him working with Tanner?

Do you think he's going to hurt Polly?

I love you all, and happy holidays!! XOXO