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Post by Kitty Allen on Aug 25, 2010 13:14:33 GMT
Kitty and Chris emerged from therapy as they had from every therapy thus far. Wanting to punch something and very, very annoyed. Chris in particular felt that the walls were in danger of becoming ex-walls if he didn’t get out of therapy soon. Still holding Kitty’s hand they left the therapy building and wandered towards the dorms. Maybe they’d just sit for a while. Sometimes that worked. They wouldn’t have to put up with that therapist or Rio any more.
It sounded blissful.
Chris was heading back to his usual section of ‘fairly content’ as he held Kitty’s hand. At least one person could stop him doing stupid things. Apparently Rio needed someone like that as well. Chooses not to talk…
Kitty was still annoyed over Rio’s phrasing of… what she did. She didn’t choose this. It was chosen for her and she couldn’t find her way back out of the maze. Besides, she was fine really. Chris could read her like a book and they helped each other out… what was wrong with all these people who wanted them to let go of each other? They were twins. They were all the family the other had. What was wrong with being close?
Winding their way through the corridors, Kitty was, although still frustrated with the therapy, occupied. She was thinking about the story she’d write when she got back to their room. It involved a princess and a goldfish, but she wasn’t quite sure how the two were linked. Kitty squeezed Chris’ hand, the motion as familiar and comforting as sucking a thumb.
Chris squeezed back, his mind still on not smashing Rio’s face in. Smug bastard. And he thought they were the troubled ones. Chris itched to see how troubled Rio thought they were with Chris’ foot up his arse. Chris shivered. He knew Kitty hated therapy as much as he did. He could always feel himself tumbling into the pit of old memories as he left, no matter what the topic. And there were things he never wished to relive. Why did everyone harp back to the past?
Turning a corner, the twins were still lost in thought, entirely oblivious to the other students, if there were any, the closed doors on their left and right. All that mattered to them was that they were together, and that they could slink away somewhere to lick each other’s wounds before they had to face the world again.
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Aug 27, 2010 12:15:12 GMT
Riordan followed the twins out of the therapy room. He had wondered whether it was worth staying behind and talking to Jo for a bit, but in the end, decided against it. Apparently, something he'd said had wound them up, and he wondered what it was. Well, there was no time like the present. Walking fast to catch them up, he tapped Chris on the shoulder. "Hey, Chris. I noticed back there that something I said annoyed you. I just wanted to say sorry." He was lying; it was obvious and he knew it. He meant it to be. These two presented opportunities he hadn't had in a while, and he planned to grab them. Both literally and figuratively.
He walked along beside them, on Chris' side. Don't give him a reason to get all protective of Kitty: except the fact that he was there, of course. He probably couldn't do them that much harm, to be honest. His arm was in a sling, after all, and there were two of them. But Rio prided himself on his ability to hurt people without touching them; that is, emotionally ripping them to shreds. So he strolled along beside them, hands dangling loosely at his sides.
He wondered at the hand-holding. Separation anxiety, almost definitely, but not for sure. He'd find out soon enough/ And... what was it? Elective mutism and conduct disorder? Well, those he could believe. The boy was prickly, touchy and hostile to the point of aggression, and the girl... well, she hadn't said a word since entering the room, and he could easily believe she wouldn't. Not without persuasion, anyway. He wondered what had caused it; the likely one was post-traumatic stress disorder, and as far as he knew, the only cause of selective mutism, bar personal choice. |
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Post by Chris Allen on Aug 27, 2010 15:47:45 GMT
Chris jumped a little at the sound of Rio’s voice, and turned. He was set to say something rude, probably about where Rio kept his brains, but Kitty squeezed his hand, reminding him they were trying to be nice here. They wanted people to like them, so they could… get on in life mainly. Or prove they were fine, whatever.
“It’s fine.” He said, shortly. That was the best he could do. He couldn’t really be civil any more. Kitty looked at him warningly and he tried to get a handle on his temper. If he was apologising that was fine. Absolutely fine. As Rio began to walk beside them, Chris and Kitty shared a look. He didn’t seem to mean any harm. Maybe he was just going the same way. At least that’s what they hoped. Neither twin was on red alert yet, but they both kept a vague eye on Rio. Neither was sure what they were looking for, but they were still together, still holding hands. They’d be fine.
Kitty tried to return to her other thoughts, but they wouldn’t come. She felt a slight prickling beneath her skin, the assertion that all was not well. Something was wrong. Or was it? Kitty doubted her own instincts. It was one thing to hurl insults at a person, and another to actually hurt them. Even if their parents hadn’t made the distinction, Kitty, and to some extent Chris, had learned since they’d been in care that most people did.
But how did they know Rio did?
Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, Kitty focussed on the contact between her and Chris, the gentle pressure on her hand that made it just easier to do everything. Why did other people see it as such a problem? She shook her head, took one last glance at Rio and pushed her mind towards her stories again. She sort of wished she and Chris could talk about this out loud – well, him out loud, but they didn’t often do that with other people around. They either began to take notes or looked at them oddly.
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Aug 29, 2010 18:57:44 GMT
Oh, not very friendly. He'd have to teach these two some manners. Maybe Chris would get the message after Rio was finished with them. A plan was already fully formed in his mind, and thankfully, it didn't involve any pretense. For once. He'd kept it simple, as there were two of them, and therefore two to fool, which meant double the effort. So, no pretense, no acting. Just plain, unadulterated Rio. What you got when he was bored shitless.
He strolled along beside the two, wondering whether it was time to do something. He probably ought to reply to Chris, first. "Yeah, good. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't taken offense." They passed a door. They were getting close to the classrooms now, and most of them were empty. Perfect. They passed yet another one, and he began to drop back, walking along very slightly behind them, slightly out of line. Then, with a few steps, he walked straight behind them, grabbed Kitty's arm, and twisted up behind her back. "So, like I said in there. Can't talk, or won't? I want an answer. A proper one, none of that 'doesn't' bullshit. Or I'll break her arm, got that?" He twisted it a little further behind her, wondering if he'd get a scream, or at least a few tears. The boy seemed more likely to scream than Kitty did, which presented a challenge Rio willingly accepted.
He stepped back, knowing the classroom door was right behind him. As long as it was unlocked, he knew it didn't matter if Chris charged at him; he could duck in there. And from the way they clung to each other, that would cause monumental terror for them both. He wondered if they had separation anxiety disorder, but it was too early for him to be able to tell. Once he got her out of Chris' sight, then he'd know. Probably because one or both of them would have a panic attack. |
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Post by Kitty Allen on Aug 30, 2010 8:27:23 GMT
Seeing Rio grab his sister was, apparently, one of the many things that made Chris really see red. “Give. Her. Back.” It didn’t matter that he sounded melodramatic, that an intention of stopping and counting to ten had gone way out of the window or that isolation was a viable punishment for clocking him one. Chris was furious. Lunging, he made a grab for her, or him, or anything which came into reach. Chris wanted Rio to pay dearly. Now.
The look of abject terror on Kitty’s face was evident, even to people who weren’t him. However, what he could tell is that she wanted him to take a deep breath and tell Rio it was none of his fucking business. And then grab her and run away really really fast.
Kitty was trying not to show exactly how terrified she felt. This was bad, this was… really bad. Even if it wasn’t her writing arm or anything she didn’t want to have an arm broken simply because this idiot was interested in things that were none of his business. And they were suspiciously close to a door…
Trying to stand on his toes, Kitty hoped the odds would work the way they were supposed to, what with there being two of them and one of him, struggling, she heard Chris tell Rio it was none of his fucking business. She almost smiled. Slamming her foot down as hard as she could, Kitty hoped she’d got his foot.
Chris inched closer to the bastard holding his struggling sister. He shouldn’t just jump on him, he might hurt Kitty, but the temptation to do so was… glaring, he would have snarled if he hadn’t thought it would make the kid laugh. Mind you, the kids at their old school had stopped laughing after he knocked the first one out. First day, first knockdown, first sit outside the headteacher’s office with Kitty all bruised up, first time hearing it was unacceptable for him to help his sister…
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Aug 30, 2010 20:03:05 GMT
So, apparently protectiveness featured heavily in their mentalities. Rio considered the fuming boy in front of him with a mixture of condescending amusement and curiosity. What was it like, to feel that way about someone? As far as Rio was concerned, saving people was reserved solely for when you wanted to get in with them, and he couldn't see that happening. He could feel her heart beating hard as he wrapped his free arm around her chest and pulled her closer, and he would have been able to hear her breathing even if he wasn't holding her close to him. That was good; he could bend her arm, but it was easier to avoid attacks from her feet. Even so, his toe throbbed where she'd stamped on it. The girl had guts, at least. That would make things more entertaining.
Smirking at Chris, he backed away slightly. "Don't come any closer, or I'll break it," he threatened, wrenching her arm back for emphasis. Rio didn't do empty threats. "And you didn't answer my question properly. So, seeing as you won't tell me, I guess I'll just have to find out myself, right?" He smiled nastily at Chris, hoping his message came across loud and clear. He would break her arm happily, but if Chris simply did as he was told, he'd get his darling sister back none the worse for wear. Well, mostly. Rio wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself: the look on kid's face if he thought he was getting her back unharmed and didn't... it would be precious. But possibly not worth the effort. Chris looked perfectly willing to kill him, and early death caused by angry boy wasn't on Rio's to-do list. Come to that, nor was late death, but it was infinitely preferable. |
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Post by Chris Allen on Aug 31, 2010 9:06:26 GMT
As Kitty felt Rio’s arm tighten around her chest, she began to panic just a tiny bit more. And a tiny bit more than a tiny bit more. She struggled harder, trying to stamp on his toes again, attempting to elbow him in the stomach. This was far too close to past experiences, this wasn’t supposed to happen any more…
Working hard to not freak out entirely, Kitty tried to wrestle her arm free of Rio and tried to remember to breathe normally, failing entirely. She wished she could scream. Chris looked as panicked as she felt and it was pure willpower by which he was not whacking Rio over the head with a chair. Well, willpower and the fact Kitty was in the way. Head butting Rio would do no good, she was only chest height. She kept struggling, more and more violently. She knew, even if Chris didn’t there was no way Rio would let her go without something off the deep end of bad happening.
Chris’ fists curled and uncurled with the desire to smack Rio, every instinct telling him it was a good idea to do it immediately, if not sooner, before the bastard hurt Kitty. But if there was even the slightest chance… No. There wasn’t. The twins had met people who made those kinds of demands before, and neither of them believed for a second that Kitty’s arm would be making it out of this intact.
“Doesn’t you fucking bastard.” Chris snarled, realising the rest of Rio’s words held a more sinister meaning. “What the fuck do you mean find out for yourself? What, are you so hungry for attention because mummy and daddy hate you or something?” Nice one, genius. Insult his parents. Let joy be unconfined. He hadn’t moved again, though. Kitty was struggling, and he was staying still. They were too close for comfort. Let Rio make of that what he would.
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Sept 1, 2010 9:25:05 GMT
She started struggling desperately, and he sighed, pulling her closer, locking her against him. He gave Chris a grin, and took a step back, dragging Kitty with him. "Something like that, yeah. But it's kind of irrelevant now, don't you think? Mummy and Daddy aren't here to stop me, so don't drag them into this." Let him go on believing he had parental issues, Rio didn't really care what Chris thought. And that would keep him from touching on subjects that really did get on his nerves. Not that there were many. Thinking it through, Rio realised there weren't really any personal things that got him worked up, and even if there were, bringing them up would only make it worse for the kids anyway.
Smiling nastily at Chris, he took three long steps back, dragging Kitty, opened the door, stepped inside and slammed it shut, pinning Kitty against it and using her body as a makeshift barricade. Pressing himself close up against her, pinning her legs down with his own, he smirked down at her, wondering if this alone was enough to elicit a scream. Probably not, he'd have to work a little harder than that. But he'd get his results eventually, unless he got bulldozed by the boy, or stopped by a member of staff.
"OK, sweetie. Like I said, I'm fairly certain you can talk. And if you don't want me breaking your fingers, I would. Just a few words, and I'll let you et back to your precious brother." He hoped she refused. It was always so much more fun when he had to work hard to get what he wanted. It was like people always said about men: in it for the chase, not for the catch. Although the catch could be pretty damn good, and it was nice after all the hard work he'd put in. |
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Post by Kitty Allen on Sept 1, 2010 14:21:50 GMT
Kitty fought Rio – as much as that was possible – for every one of the four steps it took him to drag her to the door. She was hoping he hurt in as many places as possible, but that was unlikely. He was holding her arm so tightly she was beginning to lose the feeling in her hand. What she would have been even more mortified about, had she been worrying about it at that moment, was the fact that her heart was thundering so violently against her ribcage that Rio could probably feel it. Hear her panicked, disastrous breathing, feel her beginning to shake… the symptoms of a panic attack in the making. Bastard.
As the door slammed, Chris threw himself at it, hammering on the wood, swearing loudly. He could feel his own heart begin to accelerate, breathing going awry. He needed to be in there, he needed to get to Kitty, who knew what that creep was doing to her? He banged harder and harder, making the door move inwards slightly before it was countered by the two people leaning against it. Come on! Where were all those adults when you needed them? In abject terror of what would happen, Chris’ voice rose in volume, echoing his empty threats and curses along the corridor.
Kitty could hear Chris, but that didn’t do any good at all, it was all too similar, too real, too like before, they’d promised never again, they promised-
Trying to wriggle free, Kitty barely heard Rio’s words, in all honesty she wasn’t entirely paying attention to him, all she wanted was to leave, get out, be safe. Her chest rose and fell at an alarming rate as she fought to suck in air and ended up hyperventilating. Just a few words. Did he have any idea what he was asking? Did he have any idea she couldn’t speak? It wasn’t that she wouldn’t, she couldn’t everyone had tried everything, didn’t he think if she could speak she would have done so in the other hospital? They told her the same thing, she’d be able to see Chris again if she spoke to them, and she’d tried so hard and it hadn’t worked, she couldn’t make a sound. It all depended what Rio meant. There was no medical reason. They said it was all in her head. But she couldn’t talk.
Kitty pushed hard against him, trying to get him to let her go. If she could do it herself, she didn’t have to worry about Rio and his stupid conditions or what he thought or what he was about to do. She hadn’t properly spoken since she was six years old, for all she’d tried. Still hyperventilating, feeling tears prick the backs of her eyes, she tried to move, to get free. This couldn’t be happening again. This was wrong.
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Sept 1, 2010 15:28:55 GMT
He was having an effect, he knew. He could feel her heart beating wildly against his arm where he held her. Unfortunately, he was after far more than a mere effect. His leg hurt where she'd kicked it, but he ignored the throbbing and concentrated on staring at her. She wasn't even paying him any attention: how rude. Sighing, he grabbed onto her wrist, lifted it up to where his other hand pinned her to the door by the neck. Repositioning himself, using his arm to pin her down and holding her little finger separated with his newly freed hand, he wrenched the finger around, feeling the bone break with a satisfying snap.
Rio had never had any of his own bones broken. He wondered idly how much it hurt. From the reactions he'd got in the past when he broke people's bones, it hurt quite a lot. It depended on the fracture, he supposed. One like this was probably excruciatingly painful: he'd bent the finger out and back, in a way that it was most certainly not supposed to go. Looking down at the pathetic little girl, he smiled at her, waiting for her to recover before
he spoke again. It wasn't likely he'd get a reply if she was busy fainting in pain or anything.
After counting patiently to thirty in his mind, Rio spoke again. "Now, I'm willing to bet you have a fairly good reason for not talking. From what I've read, most elective mutes think they can't, or that something will happen to them if they do. But I'm telling you, something's going to happen to you either way, and to be honest, I'm not stopping until I get something. I'm happy to carry on breaking your bones." After a moment's consideration, he added, "And once I've run out of bones, well... I'll just have to think of something else to do with you, won't I, sweetheart?" |
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Post by Chris Allen on Sept 1, 2010 17:11:27 GMT
Kitty was too focussed on panicking and the assurance that she knew what was going to happen and she had to get out to take advantage of her captor’s changing position or notice Rio taking hold of her wrist. It wasn’t until he peeled her little finger away from the rest of them that she began to take notice. In fact, as he cruelly wrenched her little finger a way God had definitely not intended, he had her full and undivided attention. Which – a voice muttered in the back of Kitty’s mind, just audible through the screaming haze of pain – had, of course, been the entire point.
Wrenching her hand back towards her instinctively, Kitty almost doubled over in pain. She’d got softer in the past year. Before she wouldn’t have done that, she’d have… stood still and waited for whatever came next. Perhaps it was best she’d not been the same. Kitty tried once again to stand on Rio’s toes, knowing this wasn’t getting her anywhere good. The initial shock faded slightly into an insistent throbbing and Kitty gritted her teeth. Ow. Ow-fuckitty-ow as her brother would say.
Chris didn’t hear the snap, that was one thing he felt he should have later. He knew something bad had happened to his sister, he knew his own fists were turning red and that his kicking the door was doing no good, but he hadn’t known Kitty was being tortured by that… utter utter bastard of a prick son of a bitch. It was one of those things that redoubled his desire to stick to his sister like they’d been born Siamese.
Kitty listened, eyes wide. No. No, he wasn’t doing that again, it was too much, and she couldn’t and wouldn’t speak to this prick. No way. Even if she’d been able to she wouldn’t, simply because he was demanding it. Kitty didn’t do well when people demanded things from her. His threats made her shiver but she was determined not to show him she was scared. Apart from the erratic hyperventilation and a heartbeat they could use to make the slaves row in double time, of course. In a move she would later grade herself as brave yet stupid, Kitty glared at her captor as best she could while still freaking out. She began to fight again; a little stronger than before, wondering if there was any bit of him near enough to bite. She had to get back to Chris. This wouldn’t happen if he was here. Why wasn’t he here? Anything could have happened to him. Kitty’s heart leapt into her throat. She wanted her brother. Now.
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Sept 2, 2010 16:11:43 GMT
Rio looked contemptuously down at the girl. She had guts, that was true. Most people would have talked to him by now, if only to beg him to let them go. Sighing, he grabbed her next finger, holding it tightly as she tried to pull her arm towards him. "You've got nine more, honey. Or maybe I'll get bored and try something other than bone-breaking. Either way, I'm sure to enjoy myself over the next half an hour. You're less likely to, unless you ask me, really nicely if I'll let you go. So, it's your choice, but in case you refuse..."
He wrenched the next finger back, breaking it, and pinning her arm against the door. She wouldn't be able to pull it back towards her. Rio knew that was an instinctive reaction to pain: you curled yourself around it to protect the injured body part, and when you couldn't do that, it made you feel very vulnerable. He had experienced both sides point of view, having had it done to himself, and of course, he'd done it to more than a few people before.
He removed his elbow from her neck and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. He wanted to see her face when she felt her second finger go. Maybe he could do her other hand as well, just to make sure he got the writing hand. "What's it to be, love?" He held her jaw tightly, so his fingers dug into her neck, causing maximum discomfort and probably making it hard to breathe. That was what he was aiming for, anyway. Bending his head so that their foreheads were touching, he growled into her face, "Better pick fast, sweetie. I'm running out of patience, and big brother's going to come in here with an army of security soon, if he's got any sense." |
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Post by Kitty Allen on Sept 2, 2010 20:31:54 GMT
Kitty tried hard to drag her hand back when Rio took hold of her second finger. No. This wasn’t fair! Nobody had ever been as systematically cruel to her before, all attacks on the twins so far had been frenzied, hot headed, not to mention still horrific. But this was different. They’d only been separated more than momentarily when they sent her to the nuthouse, and nobody had broken her bones there, although she was sure some of the people had wanted to after the fuss she made.
Her breathing accelerated as he broke her second finger, fighting with all her strength to pull her hand in closer to her body. Just a little closer… Maybe I'll get bored and try something other than bone-breaking... Kitty shuddered as she tried not to imagine exactly what it was those things were. She wanted to beg him now, she had a pretty good idea what would happen if she didn’t, but she couldn’t.
Feeling his hand at her throat, underneath her chin, she couldn’t breathe, she was going to die this was bad this was bad this was bad Kitty slammed her eyes shut as soon as Rio made eye contact. She was hyperventilating, not a clue what to do about it any more. This was what the fight or flight response was for… and neither would work now. Neither would work and he was going to kill her, she was going to die, she felt his forehead touch hers, his too-hot breath on her face, his growled words… panic overtook every pore, even if she could speak normally now that would have gone, a tear rolled down her cheek and dripped off her nose. She didn’t want to die.
A small, isolated, calm bit of her brain – much like the eye of the storm – clicked when he called Chris her big brother. He’s not much bigger than me, she wanted to tell him, there’s only twelve minutes between us. But the second bit… surely that meant all she had to do would be to stay here and someone would come. Someone would save her.
Kitty opened her eyes and resumed trying to bite Rio. She just had to convince him not to kill her until Chris managed to get in. That was all. She tried to kick, tried to wrench her injured hand back towards her, tried to pray. Anything that would save her was good.
Chris was still pounding on the door, bellowing. He’d have to get an adult, but they couldn’t do anything more than he could. If one came along, then he’d ask. He wasn’t going any further from Kitty than he already was. He kicked at the door, hard, swearing with a ferocity never seen before. He was scared. She must be so scared…
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Post by Riordan Shonski on Sept 3, 2010 18:16:16 GMT
The repetitive banging on the door was beginning to get to Rio. He could almost hear the door creaking under the strain of it, and he pressed Kitty into the wood a little harder. He could feel her breath on his face, warm and heavy as she cried in pain. Her eyes were shut: he didn't want that. He wanted to look into her eyes. Grinning savagely at her, he let her wrist go. It was time for a change of tactic... He pulled her head up even further, pushing her head back now, so she was staring at the ceiling, and rested his other hand lightly against her throat.
When she still didn't speak, his hand formed a claw, nails digging into her neck, half throttling her, but leaving her enough air to survive. Just about. There would be nail marks on her throat for the rest of the day, maybe even the next few days. Bending his head so his lips were by her ear, he purred, "I'd suggest you talk to me. Right now. Or you're not of any use to me..." he let the unsaid threat linger in the air, wondering how she'd react to that. Just to make sure she got the point, he increased the pressure on her throat, just enough to make her panic. Maybe she was more likely to speak if she was panicking. Well, panicking more than she was already, anyway.
Keeping one hand on her throat, he reached down and grabbed her left hand, the unharmed one. Her right was probably in too much pain to do any damage, but she could probably hurt him quite a bit if he left her uninjured hand unattended. He forced it up above her head, pinning it to the door, his mouth still down by her ear. |
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Post by Chris Allen on Sept 4, 2010 11:24:23 GMT
Kitty felt vulnerable with her eyes closed, feeling his breath on her face, and not being able to see. When he dropped her wrist her eyes opened in surprise, folding her injured hand against her tummy to protect it. Kitty stared at the ceiling and could feel her breath ever more panicked, growing. His hand clawing at her throat…
Let me go. Say it you stupid bint! Let. Me. Go. Three words, that’s all you need and you can’t say them! Stupid bitch. You deserve this, you stupid, worthless waste of oxygen… Another tear rolled down Kitty’s cheek, dropping onto Rio’s hand. They continued to fall, as Kitty opened her mouth and tried to make sounds. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. Instead, balling up what remaining courage she had, she kept kicking. Or trying to at least.
Trying to wrestle her left hand out of his grip, she wondered if her fingers really had swollen to twice their normal size or if they only felt that way. It hurt more than she’d admit to, and he was scaring her more than anyone but Chris would ever know. His cold, calculated manner scared her more than the actual bone breaking. More tears.
Chris’ yelling reached a new record volume. Someone had to come. They were in a hall for goodness sake! People passed through all the time! His sister could be dying and nobody was fucking here. Man, he hated Murphy’s Law. He kicked harder at the door, bruising his toes. Come ON!
Kitty kept struggling against Rio’s hold, although it was more of a token resistance now, than an actual escape attempt. Flinching in pain, she tried to punch him with her injured hand and accomplished nothing but more pain.He was stronger than her, and she didn’t honestly stand a chance. But he would let his guard down… there was always something. Always. Always. Please let somebody come…
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