Love, Cinderella

Twenty-six:

Khanya had always been Prince. He had always been there for me. But he did not have green eyes, did he? Not the last time that I had checked anyways.

I walked through the park and to the other end of town. The address was (typically) an old abandoned building. I knew that going there without actually telling anyone would be a terrible idea. So while I was walking I sent a text to the one other person that I knew could track me down very quickly.

Nae Jae Hwan.

He was one of Charles's smart friends. He was Korean. He had died his hair a chocolate brown colour. He wore contact lenses and even at school, looked classy. He was, as people would call him, a genius. I knew that if I sent him the message and I did not come back home, he'd be able to track where it had come from in seconds. I did not even need to think too long to figure out what I wanted to text.

-I'm in trouble.

I simply said and then put the phone on silent and then in my pocket. I was still wearing my school uniform, so luckily the phone was not visible on me.

I looked at the dark building in front of me. I remembered Khanya's smile. It's was a fifty, fifty chance that it could have been him. The photo could have been photoshoped for all I knew. But I couldn't take the risk of not going and then Khanya dying. He did not deserve it. I was the one that they wanted, I was the one that should be hurting and not him.

The building honestly looked like the place that I would be dying at. It was dark and most of the windows were broken. The large garage in the front was open. It did not look like there was an actual door. Without even thinking about it I walked in.

I wasn't thinking about how there could be a serial killer inside the building. Or the fact that the sun had already set, it was getting darker. I did not think about how dangerous it could have been. All I could think about was Khanya. How his parents must have been worried about him. Had he been gone long? For how long had he been suffering...because of me?

Truth is I did not want to know. I just wanted to find Khanya, get him out and then go home. But that wouldn't be easy.

The place was dusty and it was too dark inside. There were spider webs everywhere. It was a horror movie worthy scene.

I did not get to go far, because even in my silence I was found.

"Hello Bella," It was a male voice. The male voice that spoke to me a while ago. I turned around to face the person. I took a step back as I gasped.

The guy had ebony skin and thin dreadlocks. He had on a clean looking T-shirt and denim pants. It was not the look that I was expecting from my killer. That was not why I gasped really. The reason that I gasped was the large scar on his face. It went from the top of his left eye, over his nose and cut his upper lip.

"I know, I'm horrifying." I shook my head. No need to upset a psychopath.

"No of course not. I just got scared." The guy smiled a sinister smile. That scared me even more than his face.

"You should be baby girl, because after she sees you, she said that I could do anything that I want with you." His statement made me shiver. I hoped that Jae Hwan was quick to figure out the location.

"Who is she?" I was hoping that he'd tell me her name, but he didn't. "Is it Sandy? Whatever she is paying you, I can double." I could, but in a couple of months. I was just trying to buy time. I needed to buy myself time before that guy decided to do whatever he wanted to me.

His dreadlocks fell on his face, casting a shadow over his features. He took steps closer to me. I was able to take one before my foot got stuck on something and I fell on my back. I tried to get back up as fast as I could, but I was too slow. He held onto my leg and pulled me towards him. I screamed. He was looming over me. His dreadlocks brushed over my forehead and cheeks.

"Sweetheart, she is paying me you." He smelt like cigarette smoke. I felt so uncomfortable and so scared. I should have called the police first. "Can you really pay me double?" He smirked as he leaned closer to my face and took a whiff of my neck. He looked into my eyes and smiled. "You smell pretty nice too."

"I have money." I lied as I tried to shove the fear away. I needed to save Khanya.

"I know that you don't." He chuckled. His body went even lower and our fronts touched. I almost cried. I tried to move away. "Want to know everything that I can do to you? I can tell you, in detail too."

"Please," I cried out. "I'm just here for Khanya."

"He's fine. You'll see him soon." The guy's eyes scared me to bits. He seemed insane.

He looked into my eyes as he put his hand over my mouth and nose. I couldn't breathe. I tried to fight him off, but my arms were under him, also stuck. I wiggled and I fought as hard as I could, but it was almost like the guy could not feel me as he looked into my eyes, his seeming dead. He watched me wiggle and squeal until I couldn't anymore. Until I felt that my body couldn't take it anymore and my eyes closed as I was plummeted into darkness.

~*~

I opened me eyes slowly. It took my vision a while to adjust. I remembered what had happened and quickly sat up. I was in the small room that I had seen in the picture. I looked around and when I saw Khanya on the ground seeming unconscious, my eyes started to water. I scrambled towards him and sat next to him as I put my hand on his cheek.

"Khanya?" Tears slid down my cheeks when he did not respond. His face was bruised even worse than in the picture. He was wearing his school uniform as well, but his was bloody. That caused me to cry even more, even louder. "I'm sorry." I said as I hugged him close to me. "I'm sorry. I came to save you, but instead I ruined everything." I felt him move in my arms and I looked at him. "Khanya?"

His eyes opened, well one of them did. The other was swollen shut. His one eye was bloodshot.

"Bella," His voice was barely audible. Even though he was badly hurt, I still noticed his frown. "I told you..." He took in a deep breath. "Not to come." He was breathing very heavily. The tears were still coming out. Seeing Khanya like that hurt.

"I couldn't leave you. I couldn't let them kill you." Khanya couldn't say anything else. He looked like he was gonna say something until his eyes shut and all of his efforts seized. "Khanya? Khanya!" He was still breathing, that much I was certain of. I needed to help him, I needed to get us out. So instead of carrying on sobbing I gently put Khanya on the ground, because there was no bed or blankets on the floor. There was nothing in the room except a small can in the corner. I ignored it completely knowing what it could have been used for.

I walked towards the wooden door, but froze when I realised that there was no handle. I was freaking out. I tried to pull and push the door but nothing helped. The window was too high for me to reach and the door did not have a handle.

I went back next to Khanya. I sat next to him as I used my hand to wipe away the blood on his eyebrows and cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Khanya was still breathing as I repeated the same words over and over and over. I did not even manage to help him. He couldn't die. I couldn't lose him forever. He was always there for me. He had always helped me in times of need. He probably thought that I still hated him, and that was why he never told me who he really was.

And he still had brown eyes.

The door banged open and I looked up. I gasped when I saw who was standing there. I looked at the person almost like I had witnessed murder. She smiled at me, and not in a friendly way either.

"Cari?"

"The one and only." Cari laughed, seeming to be enjoying my suffering.