Love Within

Chapter 10 - Jade

I peered up at the gaping hole, seeing the sky, looking farther than it usually was. I hurt all over. I didn't think anything was broken, but I was in pain.

A shadowy figure leaned over the edge, peering down at me. I would recognize that silhouette anywhere, and this was no exception. My eyes followed the curves of his arms and shoulders, the lines of his neck and head. "Jade," Connor breathed, and my heart leapt at his voice. It really was him.

"Connor," I croaked, hoarsely. "Help, please help me," I begged him. My phone wasn't on me. I didn't know where it had gone. Cassandra and her crew had probably taken it from me before they dumped me here.

"Of course," Connor said, his voice a low, reassuring murmur. "Just hang on, everything will be okay." His silhouette vanished, and I fought the urge to cry out for him, squashing the way my heart skipped a beat from panic as I sat there.

Voices and footsteps came from the top. More than one. There was even a female's voice. Surprised, I stayed quiet, trying to hear who it was. That wouldn't have done me much good, considering I never paid enough attention to most people to truly know what their voice sounded like.

The voices faded a bit, and I could hear scuffling. The voices started again, one further away than the others, but then it disappeared. The people above me were engaged in a heated discussion, but in tones low enough for me to be unable to hear. Before long, though, Connor's silhouette appeared at the edge of the hole again.

"It's okay, Jade. We'll get you out of here," he said, fierce with determination. I blinked up at him as a rope uncurled, falling gracefully until one end hit the floor in front of me with a thud. "Hold on tight!" I did, grasping the rope with both hands in a grip so tight, my fingers and knuckles were whitened. Sharp tugging came from the other end, and I was pulled up with jerky little yanks. I tried not to panic as my feet left the ground, telling myself that this was the only way I was to be rescued. Soon, I was out in the open air again, the cool wind caressing my skin, with frozen, hard grass under my hands again. I looked up, examining my surroundings.

Connor knelt at the other end of the rope, along with a tall, well-built boy next to him, who looked vaguely familiar. A girl stood behind the boy, a petite brunette, and that was when I made the connection. Reluctantly, I spoke.

"Ashton?" The name sounded so foreign from my lips, like a forbidden word. At the sound of my voice, Ashton's girlfriend made her way to me, kneeling next to me and resting one hand on my shoulder, putting her tiny hand over one of my mine.

"Hi, Jade," he said, softly, almost as though he were talking to a scared baby animal. "Care to tell us what happened to you?"

I told them about my encounter with Cassandra, her scathing remarks, and then the appearance of her crew. I told them how I had lost consciousness, how I had been lost in the world of nothingness, but that I had woken up shortly before I heard Connor. Ashton was gritting his jaw, looking outraged. Connor looked ashen and sick. Ashton's girlfriend--whose name turned out to be Rose--tightened her hold on my shoulder and my hand, offering me a measure of comfort. I turned and offered her a genuine smile. She smiled back at me, urging me to continue. "I'm not sure how long I was out for, though."

Connor bit his lip. "You were gone for three days."

I touched my head, feeling the beginnings of a dull ache. Three days. I had been out for a good three days, and no one had been able to find me. Not until Connor had come along. I sighed, deciding it was irrelevant. I was okay now, and I was safe--or so I hoped.

"Thank you all for saving me," I told the three of them, barely able to keep the emotion from my choking me. My voice cracked, breaking on the last word. Even though I didn't deserve it, these people had saved me.