Short and Lost

Chapter 26 ~ They found us...

Sicily

When I woke up, a hand was grasping my knee. I screamed and the hand jerked away, to reveal the boy, Connor, startled. I scowled at him and sat against the wall of the cage. My thin nightdress wasn't enough to keep me warm, and I shivered against the frozen bars.

"Look, I was just trying to wake you up. Trent's the oldest and he'll...well he-"

"Why did you kidnap me? Why? What did I do!?" I asked, as tears leaked out of my eyes. What did I do to these men? I knew none of them, but maybe I'd said something on television they didn't like. Connor's brown eyes, identical to my own, flashed with an emotion. But they were as empty as I first saw them, seconds after the emotion flashed behind them.

"Connor? Connor! What are you doing in there!?" asked an American voice. I cringed away and lay down, the mattress squeaking beneath me.

Connor's voice turned ice cold. "Waking the brat up. She slept in. We've got work to do kid..." I swear, I saw guilt in his eyes, as the blanket lifted from my cage. Trent, stood towering over, as he clapped his brother on the back. He sneered down at me, shoved his hand inside the cage and pulled me out by my knee. I screamed and tried to grasp the bars, as my dress was grabbed as well. The fabric ripped down my back and the hand let go. I scrambled back inside the bars, against the back of the cage. Trent growled and instructed Connor to go get some of his clothing.

Connor nodded and Trent got down onto the balls of his feet. "Kid, get out of there right now before I get in there with you. You know..." his large hand reached inside my cage, and I flinched as his cold hands came into contact with my skin. His lips pulled up into a smirk at the reaction. "you'll be pretty when your older." his hand dug into my hair behind my ear, making a tears leak out of my eye. "If you knew the things I could do..." He pulled my head forwards, and his alcoholic breath fanned my face. I almost gagged. "you'd learn to listen to commands, kid."

Connor's footsteps pounded into the room, an over sized t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts a few sizes small for him, lay in his arms. Trent smirked at me, before dropping his hand, trailing it along my shoulder, towards my elbow and too my thumb, before throwing my hand away, sending me backwards. My stomach growled silently, making him grin.

Connor passed the clothes to a crouching Trent, who was trying to have a staring contest with me. He passed the clothes to me, making me jump as he raised himself from his feet quickly and flipping the cloth over the top of the cage in one quick movement. His palm landed heavily on the top of the cage. "Get dressed. We're going out and we want you ready." with that, all I could hear slapping the wood were the soles of his shoes.

I heard a faint knock on the bars. "What was he doing?" asked a hesitant Connor. My heart constricted and a tear leaked out of my eye again as I pulled the shirt over me. It was a bit long, a plaid button-up and long sleeves. I curled the cuffs up, fingering the soft silk and letting the memory of Liam soak into my mind, as I remembered he loved plaid.

Another tear leaked out at the memory of Liam, and the boys. I took in a deep breath and let their smiles, their eyes, their features and kindness flit over me. I missed them, even if it had only been one night. I wanted to know if they were looking for me, thinking about me.

"Sicily?" Connor's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, as Niall's guitar flew through my mind. I shook my head to get rid of their faces, and slid the shorts on.

"H-he said he'd rape me...b-because I'm pretty..." I whispered, not recognising my own voice. I pushed the blanket, signaling him it was OK to lift the blanket. It was pulled up from the top and Connor flung the door open. I stepped out, and he held out ballet shoes. Red.