April's POV

I was walking to the park for some quiet time when I got kidnapped.

It was a bright Saturday morning and despite the sunlight streaming through the clouds, the air was still crisp and cold. Blowing out puffs of air that condensed to form dewy bubbles of cold, I rubbed my hands together, willing them to be warm. I wanted to get out of the house for many reasons:

Quiet time. I was in desperate need of some peace and quiet; my roommate, Elena, was bickering with her boyfriend and I'm fairly certain she kicked him out quite literally. Also, the walls of my apartment were beginning to distort into the walls of a prison in my mind — during weekdays, I was like a robot – my daily routine was go to school, come back home, do homework, eat dinner and then go to sleep. Okay, I'll admit, maybe I'm not like normal teenagers – but maybe going to parties, hanging out in the mall with friends, lazing around at drinking sessions and getting high

totally stereotypical, I know

aren't my type.

Thinking of school, I was dreading Monday. I know it's only Saturday but the weekend has an evil tendency to go really fast and voila, before you know it, it's back to school. Socially, I was deciding to appear in the world tomorrow by going to the movie with my friends, Nina and Kayla. Admittedly, having only two constant friends isn't the best of situations, especially when they're not in school... But I'm content with what I have. Anyway, the people who did decide to use their eyes in the school corridor simply put me down to another unidentifiable face in the crowd.

I'm not part of a labelled category of high school; I suppose people would consider me as 'smart' because I actually do my homework whilst the rest of the class hasn't, but that's only because doing that homework is a step closer to me leaving that place. But hey, everyone seems to enjoy giving people labels and I've given myself one, which is simply a face in the crowd, a seventeen year old, a shadow on the street.

Looking down at my hoodie, I realized I had it on backwards. Groaning, I reached over to pull it up over my shoulders and twist it around my neck. The hoodie in question was a splendid one; David and Goliath, 'Spork I am your father' – it never failed to put a smile on my face every time I pulled it from my cupboard. Scuffing my converse on the ground, I wiggled my shoulders around awkwardly, struggling to get the hoodie to sit properly on my frame; my headphones dangled out of my pocket carelessly, nearly grazing the autumn leaves on the floor. Piles of golden, auburn and orange leaves gave of an ombre glow in the tawny light. It looked beautiful — I loved autumn with its quiet days and sombre leaves.

I was nearly at the park and my brain was buzzing with thoughts of the random things that just seem to pop in to my head. Images of cupcakes, pandas, the ocean, broccoli, China and sharks swam into my mind. Weird? I know. Let's just say my train of thought works in a weird way. Let me care to explain: so say I was drinking water, then I'd think of blue, then I'd think of whales, then I'd think of endangered animals, then tigers, then tiger skin, then about that book I'd read on how those evil hunters collected wild animals skin and then how my mum had thrown that book away because she'd though it was too inappropriate for a 7 year old girl at the time. And that my friend, is how I went from thinking about whales to a dustbin. This was precisely the reason why people tended to avoid me.

The rumble of an engine was a faint sound in my spectrum of hearing, but as it gradually becomes louder and closer, I peeked over my shoulder curiously. But by that time, a matte black van had pulled up beside me. Then, everything happened in a rush – a bodiless arm slipping out to grab me and pull me inside the darkness of the vehicle.

******

Aiden's POV

I woke up with a throbbing headache. Groaning, I forced my eyes open, adjusting them to the dappled light that was filtering in through my half—open window. Damn. This hangover felt worse than usual.

I turned around in bed to see a blonde passed out next to me, her unruly curls spread across my pillow, lips slightly parted. A small groan escaped my lips and I shut my eyes, rubbing my palm across the closed lids.

Shit Aiden, if Dad finds out about this I'm screwed — this time, he'll make true to his threat and kick me out — permanently. Climbing out of bed, my fingers searched for aspirin in the semi—darkness. Instead, my hand found a few small pills and a half—open bottle of water. Shrugging, I swallowed both in one go. Upon staring at the blonde again in my bed, I pinched the bridge of my nose and contemplated what to do. In the end, I decided to cover her body lightly with the blanket and left her.

"Aiden? Is that you, son?" My father's voice resonated across the polished, cherry wood panelling.

I didn't bother replying and instead, strode into the kitchen, yawning. Much to my dismay, I saw her sitting next to him, one blue—veined hand resting in his. Swallowing my frustration, I turned my back on them and exerted my efforts onto finding something in the drawers instead. Opening the right one, I found my stash and lit up a cigarette, taking a drag to wash me into reality before replying.

"Yes?"