Near the place where Kyla lived was Graves Park. Not as scenic or aesthetic as Hyde Park, but it was still a rather nice place to aimlessly wander about sometimes. The park stretched into a wood that merged with the countryside before opening into the city again. 

The park was where Kyla and the others were heading. They had left Dana's on Mrs. Walker's suggestion ("All you're going to do otherwise is laze around on your mobile phones. Why don't you take a walk around the park?") 

Kyla had visited Shay and his mother the previous evening, on Shay's request. Mrs. Heather's wasn't doing much better, but this time she didn't cry when Kyla was leaving. And she hadn't been skipping any of her medication. Shay had cried after dinner. 

He was fine now, joking around with her and Maisie, and poking fun at Jack.

Jack had, in spite of his words of a few days ago, turned up to Dana's birthday carrying a small bag of rock-hard orange candy that tasted nothing like oranges at all. Of course, Dana had only thanked him and transferred all the candy into a jar. Kyla fancied that she had seen a flicker of regret pass over Jack's face. 

They walked around the park, talking and laughing. Some people turned to look at them when they walked past. Maisie found an abandoned kite on the way and had her mind set on flying it. 

"It has a rip on it, it'll never work."

"Silence, Griggs. I earned the kite flying championship when I was six."

Kyla held the kite while Maisie fiddled with some string that she found in her pockets. 

"I'll throw it," Shay offered, "You're a bit short for the job, Kyla."

Kyla gave him a 'Really?' look and handed the kite to him. Grinning, he tossed it into the air. It fluttered dismally for a few seconds just above their heads, then caught Dana in the face. 

"Buggering—"

Dana struggled with the string that got tangled among her fingers, mumbling a string of curses. 

"For fuck's sake—" Jack pushed her hands away and deftly untangled the string, "Was it really that hard?" 

"Thanks," Dana muttered, having turned a light shade of pink. She handed the kite back to Maisie. A little exasperated, she said, "Please put that away."

Maisie giggled and put the kite on a bench nearby. 

They stopped again to wait for Shay, who broke off from the group to join a group of younger boys in their game of soccer. 

Shay had always been into the sport. Kyla had actually seen him growing into it, having been friends since they were five years old. His was the only friendship that had lasted for nearly twelve years. Kyla had moved to Wales for two years in between owing to her Father's job, but when she got back to Sheffield they had fallen right back into their routine. 

"Good game!" Shay shouted over his shoulder as he came running back, face flushed and eyes shining. 

Kyla loved seeing him like this. Happy and satisfied. 

As they went on they wandered off the path onto the grass. 

"Watch out, Kyla. Acorn."

Kyla stayed away from the few acorns on the ground. She was allergic to all kinds of nuts and honestly sometimes it was very bothersome. 

Slowly, the sky began growing darker. It was by no means a problem because the day after was Sunday. After having finished two hour's worth of math problems the day before, Kyla was not very willing to head back home. 

The trees of the woods grew closer. Dana snapped a picture of all of them, catching them all by surprise. 

"Not fair, Walker, hand it over!" Shay made a grab for her phone but missed. 

"Come on, you know nobody else is going to see it," Dana said comfortingly, "Except my parents. And probably my cousins."

"Right, nobody at all," Maisie shook her head. 

A rustling amongst the trees caused them to glance to the right. The trees stretched on for a mile or so and in the darkening surroundings they began losing their charm.

However, being used to encountering hares and stray cats, the sound wasn't paid much mind. 

Kyla picked up the sound of heavy breathing, and that was what stopped her. 

"Guys, stop," Kyla pulled Shay back by his sleeve, "Listen."

Everyone fell silent to listen. It was clearly heard. The quick, heavy breaths of what could be a wounded animal or a person. 

"Do you think someone's hurt?" Maisie looked around at the others worriedly. 

"It's probably an animal," Jack said, a tinge of discomfort in his tone, "Let's go, I have to get home."

But then there was a strangled cry from amidst the trees, clearly a cry for help.

"Oh my god."

Kyla fished out her phone from her pocket and turned on the flashlight. Everyone did the same. 

Stepping into the eerie shadows of the trees wasn't very consoling. Although none of them believed in superstitions.

It was Shay who called all of them over. 

He was crouched over something, and his phone lay face-down on the ground, "She's hurt."

Kyla barely restrained herself from making a sound of horror. 

Sprawled on the ground was a girl who looked to be around their age, twitching and bleeding from a large cut on her forehead. The front of her shirt was ripped and soaked red, and her eyes flickered continuously. 

"We need to help her," Dana said frantically, "I'll call someone, hang on—"

"No!" The girl shot out a hand and grabbed Dana's wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. Dana tried to get away, and her hands came away covered in blood. Dana recoiled looking horror struck and very green in the face. 

"They won't believe you," The girl said, her voice rasping painfully, "They won't. They'll kill all of you if you—if you say….anything."

Kyla looked at the girl's bloodied face, "But we can help you if we can call someone from a hospital. If we can just—"

But the girl's eyes rolled back, and her heavy breathing stopped. 

There was a profound silence. 

Then they were all running out of the trees. They shot across the park at breakneck speed. Jack was spewing curses, leaving a trail of horrified parents and old people in his wake. 

A steady panic began building itself up in Kyla's chest, and her head throbbed each time her foot came in harsh contact with the ground. 

That girl had just died. 

Right in front of her eyes. 

And they hadn't done anything. 

They burst into the nearby supermarket, startling the man behind the counter and causing the customers to look at them. 

"Good grief!" The shopkeeper bounded out from behind the counter. 

"There was a girl in the woods—"

"We don't know what happened—"

"She was covered in blood, someone hurt her—"

"We tried to call a hospital—"

"She didn't say anything—"

"Speak one at a time!" The man bellowed, looking positively anxious, "What's the matter?" 

~

"Mum?" 

"Kyla, where are you?" 

"I, uhm...something happened...I think it'll be a while before I get back."

"It's half past seven—"

"I know, I know, just— I'll be back. I'll explain when I get home, promise. I'm not doing drugs, I haven't been kidnapped."

"Were you mugged?" 

"Mum. No. I'll explain later, okay?" 

Kyla hastily hung up. 

They were standing in the very empty and very grey waiting room of the Kenyon Street police station. 

The shopkeeper had taken one look at Dana's blood-covered hands and had a meltdown. 

It had been half an hour since the incident and Kyla's heart had turned to lead ever since. She hadn't ever seen anyone die before. 

Jack was rapidly tapping his foot on the floor. Shay kept his head bowed while clenching and unclenching his hands repeatedly. 

"They'll think we had something to do with it," Jack said, speaking so fast that his words were nearly unintelligible. 

"Jack, that's not important right now," Maisie said severely. Her naturally curly hair had gotten frizzier. 

The door of the waiting room opened. A tall, stern officer walked in with his face looking like he had eaten an entire lemon. His hawkish eyes took in the sight before him, and a look of smug amusement stole over his face. 

Kyla instantly disliked him.

He walked with the air of someone who held themselves above all others, with an annoying swagger. He had a very precise mustache and eyebrows that made him look permanently angry. 

"You have five minutes to explain yourselves," the man sat down on the only chair behind the only table in the room, "Five minutes before I call the others."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Kyla said, almost sub-consciously. 

The man's eyes bore into hers, sending a shiver down her spine. Shay's hand wrapped around hers in a silent warning. 

"Officer Arwen," The man said after looking over all of Kyla, making her skin crawl. 

Sometimes she loathed men. 

"Now," Arwen leaned backwards and pushed his chair a little away from the table. He raised a leg to place on his other knee, exuding arrogance, "Speak."

"We were only out for a walk," Kyla began when nobody else said anything, "We were near the woods, and I heard heavy breathing, so we went to see if anyone was hurt."

Something about the way Arwen was looking at all of them made Kyla shift closer to Shay and Dana. 

"There was a girl on the ground," Kyla went on, her voice lower than before, "She was bleeding from her forehead. There was a wound on her torso."

"So you had time to observe all of that?" Arwen cut in, running a finger over his chin, "In the dark?" 

"Flashlights," Kyla raised her eyebrows, "Ever heard of them?" 

A slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face, "You're bold."

"And you're unprofessional," Kyla snapped back. 

"Shut up," Jack hissed near Kyla's ears. 

"Go on then, finish your story," Arwen still seemed amused about something. 

"We wanted to call an ambulance," Dana took over, "I— I was about to, but she stopped me."

Dana shuddered when she raised her arm. The blood had dried. 

"What did the girl say to you?" Arwen rested his elbow on his knee.

"She said nobody would believe us," Maisie said, "That if we told anyone they'd kill us all. What was she talking about?"

"Who was she afraid of?" Kyla added. 

Maisie was the only one who looked as suspicious as Kyla felt. 

"Can you give me the exact location?" 

"In the Graves Park woods," Shay said, gently tugging on Kyla's hand, "I think there was a huddle of benches nearby, and a water fountain."

"Time?" 

"It was almost seven," Jack said. He had moved to cover Dana's form. 

Arwen 'hummed', evidently unimpressed with the information they had given him. He unfolded himself from the chair and walked around the table with slow, deliberate steps, "You know that I find it hard to accept your words for being true."

The hairs on the back of Kyla's neck stood on end, "What do you mean?" 

"Is it not a bit shady?" Arwen asked cynically, "That you all happened to be at the exact same location? It's not very coincidental, don't you think?" 

"So we can't even go out for walks now?" Kyla was speaking with much more confidence than she felt, "We stopped to help because we thought we could do something. We couldn't just leave her there. Some people have humanity." 

"My, you're a fiery one, aren't you?" Arwen laughed and shook his head, "Good for you."

Arwen leaned against the desk, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the edge, "The girl—what did she look like?" 

Kyla squeezed Shay's hand so that he wouldn't say anything, "We weren't paying attention to how she looked. She was bleeding, did I mention that?"

"Hm," Arwen said thoughtfully, then pulled a notepad and pen toward himself, "I'll need your names."

"What for?" Jack asked defensively. 

"Well, since you witnessed her death," Arwen said, a tinge of impatience in his voice. 

When nobody spoke, Arwen's expression darkened, "Names. Now."

"Jack Griggs," Jack said, glancing repeatedly between Arwen and the others. 

Arwen noted down all their names one by one, then clicked his pen, "Brilliant."

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you going to do about the situation?" Dana gently pushed Jack aside, "The girl is still there, in the woods. Shouldn't we be doing something about it?"

"Indeed," Arwen said while nodding, "Quite right. However I think it best to leave her to the woods, if you can understand my meaning."

Kyla's throat constricted, "No we don't. Explain."

"Look, Kyla, as long as you don't learn to behave yourself you'll be facing trouble," Arwen said darkly, "More trouble than you're already in."

Kyla looked around herself, "Since when did people start getting in trouble for reporting someone dying?" 

Arwen laughed. It was a deep, throaty sound that made Kyla want to hit him on his face with a brick so that he would shut up. 

"I was right, you do need behavioural classes," Arwen's smile vanished. 

A sharp pain exploded on the side of her neck. Shay's hand was wrenched from hers, and the room tilted sideways before her head hit the floor and her vision dissolved into darkness. 

~

Her senses were vague. 

She was resting on a hard surface and the dull rumble of movement caused vibrations to pass through her entire body. Her dry throat made it hard to swallow, and her head hurt from where she had hit it.

She was going to kill Arwen. 

It was hard to move her hands or her legs, for they felt as heavy as lead. Somewhere above her, she heard people laughing and mocking. 

Something cold touched the side of her face and turned her head to the right. 

"Told you, this one's tough."

Through the grogginess, Arwen's voice sounded faraway and gravelly. Kyla somehow realised that the thing that was turning her head was the nozzle of a weapon. 

"She was the one who grew suspicious first."

Kyla struck out at random, and her hand came in contact with someone's leg painfully. 

"Told you." 

She was on the floor of a car. Panic surged through her. 

Where were Shay and the others? What had happened? Why was Arwen with her?

"Hit her again, she can't be awake before we get there."

There was some rustling movement and the crinkling of plastic. 

"Derek, no, just use your hands. You'll punch a hole through her neck if you use the gun."

"Thought it would be cooler."

Kyla snarled and bit the hand that appeared in front of her face. The man swore violently. 

"Bitch!" 

"Calm down, I expected nothing less from her," Arwen's face appeared in front of her eyes. He was grinning, "Hello."

"Where are the others?" Kyla asked as loudly as she could, "Where are they, what did you do?" 

Arwen sneered, "You'll be difficult to control once we reach. Go on Derek, hit her."

Someone forced her head to the left, exposing her neck. 

Kyla screamed when a needle broke through her skin. 

"Your friends are safe, you stupid girl," Arwen said. His face was cruel as it sneered down at her, "Don't know if they will be for too long, but now they're safe."

It was becoming impossible to keep her eyes open. Her eyelids drooped and threatened to close. She began losing feeling in her legs. 

"You moron," Kyla slurred, wanting very much to claw at Arwen's face.

Her head lolled to the side. Sleep called her into its inviting embrace and she was barely holding on to consciousness by a string. 

Hadn't she been worrying about math homework just yesterday? 

~

"Up, up! Get up!" 

Someone was roughly shaking her by her shoulder. Her vision swam in and out of focus, creating a swirling, blurry vortex of colours. She was dragged out of the car by the scruff of her shirt. Her feet wobbled when they came in contact with the hard concrete, and sudden bright light assaulted her eyes and caused the build-up of a strong pounding at the base of her skull. 

"KYLA!" 

Kyla's head snapped up and all her senses were online at once. 

A few feet to her right, Shay was struggling violently against his two captors. He kicked and punched and shouted bloody murder. 

"ARWEN GET YOUR HANDS OFF YOU F—"

"Shut up!" One of the people keeping Shay in place, a sour-faced woman, snarled. She wrenched Shay backwards and around a car. 

Kyla struggled against Arwen's hold on her to get away and see where they were taking Shay. 

Arwen dragged her along with him. Kyla thought she heard Dana somewhere, but it could be anyone and Kyla wasn't sure. She looked around frantically, trying to make sense of what was happening. 

They were in some kind of basement. Concrete floors and walls stretched to every side, ending some way away. There were no more cars save the one Kyla knew she had been in, and three others. 

Kyla stumbled when they reached a staircase. Arwen pulled her up, briefly cutting off her airway and causing her to sputter for breath. 

They climbed up a long, stone stairway. The walls had changed to dusky brown stone. Yellow bulbs glowed in holders placed at regular intervals. 

The rest was just a blur of long, stone hallways, empty rooms, several other people, and a glimpse of Shay. 

Then she was pushed into an extremely small tiled room. The door slammed shut, keeping out all the yellow light except that which entered from the small pane of glass near the bottom of the door.