hiding away in my shell.

[Sarai Montgomery]

---sarai is the ultimate of my characters by far. she's kind-hearted, innocent in more ways than one, and reserves judgment no matter who it is she comes across. her past is a huge part of why she is who she is today, and the biggest reason why she's trying so hard to change who she is. this is why.

[Sarai Montgomery]

SARAI JORDANA MONTGOMERY
CAESAREA, ISRAEL , DEAD SEA , APRIL 26, 2007

[/font][/center]

-----waves danced across sarai's legs as she knelt at the fringe of the beach where the waves met the shore. her fingers effortlessly brushed through her hair as her ears caught the faint sound of the shudders and clicks of the camera just in front of her. surprisingly, sarai didn't mind this kind of life. what with lounging around in exotic places all day in really comfortable, yet skimpy, clothes, and simply surrounding herself with nature. truly if she hadn't been raised to completely hate this showy kind of thing, and if she hadn't been pushed into it from the very beginning, sarai might have actually enjoyed this lifestyle. of course it was embarrassing, and these pictures were bound to be strew throughout her high school just like the others had, but in from of the camera was one of the only times sarai could ever recall feeling beautiful. but sarai didn't choose this. she didn't choose to be flaunted in front of a camera like this, to be disowned by her father because he was so embarrassed of her. no, she'd been pressured into all of it by her mother, pulled into a contract illegally with her mother as her signer. she hadn't been of the legal age to sign for herself, so her mother let herself sign for her daughter, molding her into whatever she so chose to.

-----"how's it going fernando." any semblance of sarai's gathered courage and ease had completely crumbled the moment she heard the grating sound of lucille montgomery's approaching voice. sarai immediately shut down, her arms falling to her sides, her notable 'playful pout' disappearing from her lips as she shrunk in on herself. one stern look from the oily italian photographer in front of her had sarai clamering to get back her pose as lucille montgomery walked up, placing her hand on the man's shoulder. "well it was great, but now all the magic is just...gone. it's all gone. i think we're done here. this model's useless now." sarai sank back on her legs, her brow furrowing together as she fought back tears. she watched as the photographer stood, passing his camera to someone as he walked off with lucille. her mother shot a glare back over her shoulder, catching sarai's self conscious eyes as she spoke, "don't feel bad, she's always useless." sarai watched them walk off to another part of the beach where all of the technology had been set up, leaving her alone on the sand as the crew quickly followed behind them.

-----sarai heaved a big sigh as she flopped backwards, sitting into the water and letting it course back and forth against her body. her gaze fell to her lap, her fingers gently playing over her unnaurally tanned flesh as she spoke. "happy birthday kiddo." sarai whispered to herself fighting back tears. no one remembered her birthday, and at this point she hadn't expected them to. her mother wouldn't. she cared about herself far too much to be concerned with anything special going on in someone else's life, even if it did in part involved her. sarai doubted her father would remember it, or if he had he certainly wouldn't call her. after seeing what it was lucille montgomery was forcing sarai into, he'd gotten very angry and tried to get sarai to stay home. she'd refused, partly because she was somewhat enjoying modeling, and partly because she had hoped that she could somehow please her mother. neither of which had worked. she'd only succeeded in pushing her father away. her father who was right now taking care of sarai's two year old sister. the sister that he'd paid lucille montgomery off for so that she'd divorce him and make their life an all around much happier place. as of right now, this moment, sarai had no one. she was on her own.

-----"sarai!" sarai jumped as she heard her mother's ever familiar, angry voice. "get your ass in this van or you can walk back to the god damned resort!" she quickly picked herself up off the sand, her body dripping from the waist down. she ran across the sand, making her way to where the tend had been located that held all the technology. everything was gone, packed away and being stacked in the back of the resort van. she was just about to step into the van when her mother stepped in front of her, cutting her off. she grabbed sarai's arm, hard, and tugged her away from the crew. "you're lucky we actually got a decent shot off before you pulled that crap back there. don't. do. it. again."

[/b] lucille let go of her arm and turned away on her heel. sarai watched her mother slid into the passenger's seat, making sure the door was safely closed before she approached the van, stepping inside just before they shut the door. she seated herself in the third row, crammed up against the window, watching the pristine beach fade into the distance as the van wove it's way down the dirt path and back to the resort.[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sarai Montgomery]

SARAI JORDANA MONTGOMERY
CAESAREA, ISRAEL , DEAD SEA , APRIL 26, 2007

[/font][/center]

-----wisps of steam curled around her head as sarai montgomery moved to the mirror that hovered above the sink in the tiny little cabana that she regrettably shared with her mother. sarai had excused herself the moment the van came to a stop and the crew unloaded, giving her just a moment of time to herself. she snuck away to the cabana her mother had rented for the two of them, making a point to get in the shower and do anything she needed to before her mother came barging in with her demands and her offensive words. after what happened today on the beach sarai was sure that her mother would have something to say about it, it was only a matter of time. so she'd hurried into the cabana and allowed herself a little time to linger in the shower, the hot water coursing over her body and washing away the makeup, the hairspray, the body glitter, the sweat, and the salt of the ocean water. it felt so refreshing, sarai actually starting feeling like herself once more. with the scratchy terry cloth towel wrapped tightly across her body, sarai scrubbed her hand over the fogged mirror, revealing a familiar face behind the misty haze. sarai quickly dried herself off, quietly counting down the days until she could go back to familiar territory and towels that actually were treated with fabric softener. she felt as though she was drying herself off with sandpaper and it made her wince every once in a while but she made quick work of drying herself off and wrapped herself up once more.

-----quietly sarai opened the bathroom door, sticking her head out and surveying the room. once she was sure there was no sign of her mother, sarai heaved a sigh of relief and let the door swing the rest of the way open. she shivered as the air-conditioned air enveloped her, sending a wave of goosebumps across her skin, and crossed the room to her luggage. her mind didn't even register the exotic-styled decor anymore. she'd seen room after room on the tour of places she was shipped to for these pictures and after a while each resort, each hotel, and each suit started to look the same. it was always the same, floral prints, bamboo finished furniture, sand and shells. no originality, but then again how original could you get about a beach theme? sarai had endured almost two years of this off and on, having been roped into it after her mother had given birth to ainsley and practically sold her to she and sarai's father for a divorce and the starting bankroll to her company. it was sick, and sarai despised this woman she unfortunately had to call her mother. for two very long, very tedious years, sarai had spent summers on beaches, stuck in bikini after bikini for her mother's line. the fall was her sane period, school. no one looked forward to school like sarai montgomery did. school meant a bit of a break, but not a long one. sarai missed a week here and there as her mother had her appearing in other lines. it hadn't effected her schoolwork, yet, but sarai was waiting for the day when it all just fell on her too hard and she just couldn't juggle it all any more. this wasn't the life she'd planned for, or wanted, by far.

-----sarai quickly pussyfooted across the room, crouching before her opened luggage as she dug out a lounge-able outfit, a simple tank top and pair of pajama boxer shorts. she slid the clothing onto her body, tugging down the tank top just before the front door to the cabana burst open, forcing a frightened squeal from sarai. there stood lucille montgomery in all her glory, a smug grin on her face as she realized she'd caught her daughter off guard. sarai recognized that look. it was the "i'm on the prowl and spotted my target" look that sarai often feared. it meant she was in a world of trouble and the verbal lashing was going to knock off another substantial chunk from sarai's remaining self esteem. sarai nervously ran her fingers through her damp and tangled hair, her gaze falling to the floor automatically. "that was a cute little stunt you pulled today." her mother's sweet as sin voice carried across the room, the sound of complete innocence while her words were practically poison. it was lucille's specialty, to come across as the sweetest thing in the world, smiling at you as she plunged the dagger into your back, front, or wherever she saw fit to stab you. she was absolutely cutthroat and conniving, perfect for the business, horrible as a mother. "don't think that just because it's your birthday you can try and fuck me over like that." sarai turned to face her mother, surprise written on her face at the fact that her mother had even remembered. "oh yeah, i remembered. you think i'd forget the day i gave birth to someone as pathetic as you? never."

-----sarai swallowed hard, remaining ever quiet as her mother continued on without fail, tearing her apart until her self esteem was in shards on the floor. her mother knew her weakest of weak points, not that there weren't a variety to choose from, and exploited every single one. though she'd endured this day after day, every round still stung sarai. she just couldn't close off her ears and shut out her mother's words when they'd been beaten into her head as the truth. she was this pathetic, she was this useless, and she always would be. "...but i've got a way for you to try and make it up to me, and don't embarrass me again like you have today." sarai watched her mother as she walked to the front door and opened it, revealing the photographer from earlier that day with an evil glimmer in his eye. "you kids behave, and remember..." sarai's shocked gaze locked with her mother's torturous return glare, "don't you dare embarrass me."

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sarai Montgomery]

SARAI JORDANA MONTGOMERY
CAESAREA, ISRAEL , DEAD SEA , APRIL 26, 2007

[/font][/center]

-----sarai stared at the woman standing in the open door, absolutely not recognizing her anymore. this was ridiculous. her gaze shot from the photographer to her mother trying to catch the joke she'd missed out on. did lucille actually expect her to sleep with this slimeball? sarai watched in horror as her mother slipped out the door, a smirk on her face. oh hell no. there was no way in hell this was ever about to happen. sarai shook off the shocked expression on her face, her hands absentmindedly tugging the fabric of her shirt further down. she suddenly felt extremely self conscious as she saw the look on the photographer's face. he was practically undressing her with his eyes and it completely bothered her. there had to be some way around this. if there was any chance in hell that sarai could get out of this with her body and her dignity intact then by god she was going to. "would you like some tea or something mister..." she trailed off, trying really hard to remember his last name. she couldn't. she would need it if she had to file some kind of report after this. "got any booze?" he said in a gritty voice that sent nervous shivers down her spine. sarai had never been with a man before and this greasy, malodorous man was not her idea of her first. "i think lucille has something around here. just, um, sit down, in a chair, and i'll go find it."

-----sarai hurried off into the small kitchen alcove, whose walls thankfully shielded her from the bedroom. nervously she looked around for something, anything. there was no way sarai was about to let her mother force her into doing this. no. hell no! there wasn't a window in sight so sarai opened up the small fridge and dug out her mother's stash of grey goose. this would have to do. suddenly an idea clicked in her head. she'd get him overly drunk and run when he was too inebriated to chase after her and successfully catch her. yeah. that was a great idea. alright so in truth it really wasn't but what other choice did she have other than fighting him off, a situation in which sarai would come up awfully short, or let him have his way, something that was absolutely NOT about to happen. she grabbed a small eight ounce glass from the cabinet and reappeared in the lobby/bedroom of her cabana to find that the photographer had settled himself onto one of the beds, hers. "i promise you, the chairs are much more comfortable." she said in a shy mumble as she walked over to her nightstand and sat down the glass, pouring vodka until it filled half of the glass. she set the bottle down on the nightstand and picked up the glass, offering it to him. the sneer on his face had sarai quickly rethinking the close proximity to which she stood next to the bed. she watched as the photographer reached out, grabbing instead the large bottle from the nightstand. "that one's for you."

-----crap. sarai set the glass on the nightstand and shuffled away, seating herself in the chair that sat about as far away from the photographer as she could get without alerting him to anything suspicious. "thank you but i don't drink." she said in a hushed voice, her gaze falling to the floor. sarai stopped looking people in the eyes long ago. it was pretty much a self-conscious thing she'd picked up after one too many verbal beatings from her mother. it was just a lot easier to hear the horrible words and not see the hate in her eyes as well. the eyes and the words was just a little too much for sarai to stand. since then she'd stop looking people in the eyes completely, even if they were paying her a compliment. she didn't want to hear those hopeful words only to see a complete contradiction in the eyes. hell she didn't even hear compliments anymore. they were just words of hate in disguise and she knew it. sarai heard a shuffle and looked up to see the portly italian man jostling himself off the bed, setting down the bottle as he walked over to her. "is there anything else i can get you. i think we have some pretzels, maybe even a box of cookies or something." sarai started to get up, the desire to bolt out that front door growing louder and louder in her mind. the photographer reached her, clamping a massive hand on her shoulder and shoving her back into the chair. his hands propped himself up on either side of her body, caging sarai in.

-----sarai had never been claustrophobic before, but this was one time when it overwhelmed her anyways. the heavy smell of cologne wafting over her and practically choking her to death. "please. i don't know what my mother promised you, but i'm not giving it to you." her voice was shaking, betraying the first few words that she'd spoken that ever had some semblance of strength to them. "she said you'd say that, but i was promised a little something something and i'm not leaving here until i get it. now strip." sarai's eyes widened in horror and shock but instead of obeying him, sarai kicked out, her feet connecting with various tender parts of his body. the man groaned and knelt to the floor, reaching out for sarai with anger and hatred in his eyes. sarai kicked out again, kicking him in the face, but the force of her kick sent the chair back on it's back two legs, toppling sarai over as it lost it's balance and fell to the floor. sarai scrambled up, rushing to the kitchen alcove because she didn't have the nerve to hop over her attacker and make a run for it. she searched through the cabinets and drawers until she finally found the stash of culinary knives for those guests who liked to cook for themselves instead of paying a fortuned to eat in the restaurants. sarai grabbed the first two she could find, a boning knife that looked like something a person would be holding in some psycho killer horror flick, and a heavy butcher's knife. it looked a little more frightening that it would be useful, seeing as how it was so heavy that sarai wouldn't be able to swing it effectively, but she didn't care. sarai gripped the weapon anyways.

-----she turned back toward the entry to the kitchen in time to see the photographer settle in the open space, his hands gripping the walls so that he barred her exit. "get out!" sarai screamed, debating on whether she should rush the guy or just throw the knives at him. she had a pretty decent arsenal in that drawer but if she missed in the throws she probably wouldn't reach the drawer in time to fetch another. "mmm feisty are we?" he asked as he faked a lunge, his hands still holding him back, but seeming as if he were about to attack. sarai swung at the air anyways. "get back!" sarai surprised herself with how much she was willing to fight this guy, but he was under no circumstances about to lay another hand on her, least not until he tasted a blade. it was without a doubt the most daring sarai montgomery had ever been. "not until i get what i want girly." he lunged, and this time his hands didn't hold him back as he flew within inches of sarai and her knives. she closed her eyes and stabbed, unsure and uncaring as to what in the hell would happen next. she heard yet another chilling bellow as the boning knife she had wielded plunged into the guy's meaty thigh. she fell to his knees and sarai took a few steps back, still holding the butcher knife high over her head, ready to strike again if she had to.

-----sarai could hear the sound of the front door of the cabana opening and her heart skipped a beat. finally someone heard her and was here to step in. but her hopes were dashed when instead of some resort employee or passing tourist her eyes settled upon lucille montgomery as she appeared in the doorway behind the stuck photographer only seconds later. "sarai you idiot! what the hell are you doing?!" her mother screamed as she stepped past the groaning man and slapped her daughter across the face. stunned, sarai dropped the butcher's knife and it fell behind her and clattered to the floor. "you can't force me to do this you bitch!" sarai screamed, finally taking a stand for herself. lucille took a step back, shock dawning her face for the first time in about since three years since she'd discovered she was pregnant once again. "you're gonna pay for this." she said with a sneer, the shock leaving her face as soon as it appeared. lucille helped the photographer to his feet, leading him out of the cabana with the knife still embedded in his knee, closing the door on a shaking sarai.

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sarai Montgomery]

SARAI JORDANA MONTGOMERY
CAESAREA, ISRAEL , DEAD SEA , APRIL 26, 2007

[/font][/center]

-----sarai's legs shook so completely that she set herself fall to the ground, her body precariously leaning up against the wall, her hands lay shaking in her hands. what had she done? what had she had to do? she was in shock, that much was obvious. lucille had used her as a bargaining chip with the photographer, probably getting a deal or discount in return she gave over her daughter for his pleasure. she shook her head, damp little ringlets falling in front of her face. this was what lucille had dwindled down to, what she'd resorted to. this was the absolute end. sarai couldn't take this any more. the verbal abuse, the anger glares and the utter hatred sarai could deal with. she didn't like it, but it wasn't like it was really harmful. this? using her daughter's body as a bargaining chip? this was more than sarai had ever signed up for. who was she kidding, she'd never signed up for this to begin with. sarai had agreed to come with her mother purely because she did not want another fight between her parents. it had taken ainsley and a handful of money to create a ceasefire those three years ago. sarai didn't want more fighting on her account so she'd gone with lucille. if she'd pleased her mother than she wouldn't need to fight for a thing. had sarai chosen her father lucille would have done something stupid or brought in the lawyers for a ridiculous custody battle. sarai figured that by going with her mother, and unfortunately hurting her father in the process, she could keep one more fight from happening. the less bloodshed there was between lev and lucille the better, but sarai was now at the end of her rope.

-----she couldn't trust her legs enough to stand so she crawled on hands and knees over to her open luggage, tucked the remainder of her clothes inside. she groaned as she realized her toiletries were in the bathroom where she'd left them. using her bed as a crutch, sarai pulled herself up, walking on shaking legs into the bathroom where she collected her things and packed them away in the little bag she used to travel. she was walking out of the bathroom when the cabana door burst open once again scaring sarai into dropping her bag. sarai could swear that her mother could never just open a door. it always had to fly open. god forbid anyone was in the way. lucille looked around the room noticing the lack of sarai's clothing splayed around her side of the room. with the toiletries bag in her hand, lucille's assumption was probably very correct. "where the fuck do you think you're going you ungrateful little rodent." lucille practically growled through clenched teeth as she crossed the room in three short strides coming up face to face with her daughter. sarai's gaze fell to the floor once again and she quickly crouched and gathered her spilled things back into her bag. she had to stand up for herself. she had to do what she knew was right. standing up sarai could swear her mother was even closer than she'd been just a moment ago. sarai swallowed hard, this was not going to be pretty. "i'm leaving." she said sternly as she turned and walked back to her luggage, stuffing the bag inside and zipping the luggage shut.

-----fingers curled in her hair, picking sarai up off the floor and bringing her back up to her mother's height. "you aren't going anywhere. unpack your shit right now." wincing in pain, sarai reached behind her and dug her nails into the flesh of her mother's hands, making her let go. "i'm not unpacking a thing. this is the absolute straw lucille." sarai couldn't even bring herself to call her mother anymore. "i'm leaving and you can't stop me. god you tried to use me as a form of payment! i'm not your hooker! i'm your daughter!" she screamed bending down and grabbing the handle of her luggage, heaving it up to her hip. "you think i would really actually go through with that?! you really think that i would sleep with that slimeball just because you gave him the okay?!" she was fuming as she screamed at lucille. she was beyond her breaking point. this was what it really took to get sarai to stand up for herself. one heartless mother and one ruthless pervert with grabby hands and no scruples. it was more than sarai could even stand anymore. "you think you're going to go out there and model for someone else? you're out of your fucking mind. no one will work with you. no one will want you. you're ugly and you can't take a picture to save your god damned life!"

-----laughter filled the room, bringing a second shocked face to lucille montgomery. oh that was just rich. sarai was happy to leave on that note. "you think i actually want this? you think i actually want to model? you are so fucking delusional you hag!" sarai said continuing to laugh. "i came with you before because i felt sorry for you. you had to sell your own daughter for the money for this stupid business because you couldn't get up off your ass and make the money yourself and you wouldn't put your head on the chopping block for a loan. you had to go and get pregnant just for leverage over my father! and i'm the pathetic one?" sarai let go of her luggage letting it fall to the floor. she was on a roll, nothing was going to stop her now. "see the one good thing about this horrible day is that it is my birthday. how old am i lucille? how old?" she crossed her arms over her chest and listened to lucille mumble and stutter over number after number trying to figure out how old her daughter was. saving herself, sarai spoke up for her. "i'm eighteen. you know what that means? because i do. the minute you dragged me into this business i did as much research as i could. the contract you signed for me, is null and void now. i'm no longer you stupid servant. you can't shove me in bathing suits anymore and take pictures of me! it's means that i'm freed from you and your stupid excuse for a fashion business!"

-----lucille broke into another fit of stutters as she tried to figure what her daughter said out only making sarai laugh more. "it means, you stupid raving bitch, that i quit. you hear that?! get it through your thick, thick skull. i quit! i quit! i quit!" sarai chanted until her mother flushed a shade of red that should only be seen on fat men in the middle of a heart attack. sarai still chanted the words as she watched her mother turn angrily on her heel and storm out of the cabana, most likely headed up to the bar to drink away her sorrows or to find a phone to go and call her lawyer so that he could confirm everything sarai had just said. sarai's ears still rung from the bang emitted as lucille slammed the door but she didn't care. she was free. she was alone in an exotic, and wholly foreign country, but she was free. tears sprung to her eyes, streaming down her face. she was finally free. sarai ran to her luggage and tore it open, digging into the bottom compartment where sarai had stolen her mother's cellphone. she turned on the device, hearing the joyful chime as it sprang to life. she almost couldn't see the numbers there were so many tears brimming in her eyes but she dialed the familiar number anyways, begging her father to actually be home instead of off on a trip to a hospital somewhere across the country. someone picked up on the third ring, sarai's heart raced as she waited for a response. "what do you want?" sarai sucked in a reverent breath as she heard the familiar, angry voice. of course he was angry. the caller i.d. told him that his horrid ex-wife was calling, little did he know who was on the other end. "daddy?"

-----sarai clutched the phone against her ear as she heard a sigh on the other end, "don't hang up! please!" she begged into the phone, sniffling. "sarai?! what's wrong baby? sarai what's wrong?!" she burst into tears once again. at least her father wasn't completely damning her as he had her mother. "she...she wanted me to do something i just couldn't..." sarai said between sniffles, gaining up the courage to finally say what she needed to say. "daddy i want to come home."

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sarai Montgomery]

SARAI JORDANA MONTGOMERY
CALIFORNIA, GIOVANNI MANSION , JULY 2003

[/font][/center]

-----sarai paced her room just the slight bit frantic. it had been three days sine she last heard from tony. in their world that was damn unheard of. two nights ago had been one of the best of her life. she's spent it hanging out at the park with tony way past the sunset when the world around them got dark. needless to say that the pair were the best of friends despite all of the hardships their friendship had endured. sarai's main problem was her family, her father in particular. tony's issue was with his mob, literally, of a family. that was only one of the factors trying to keep them apart, but that had also been their connection to one another. sarai's constant battle with her father was the one underlying problem in her friendship and brewing romance with tony. lev, sarai's father, had never appreciated how close the two children were to one another and more importantly just how much they relied on one another for comfort. it was the kind of comfort no one else could give. sarai needed tony because he was the one person she could confide in and completely trust no matter what the subject was or what her opinion entailed. sarai could actually talk to him when she found it hard to talk with anyone else. if it hadn't been for her friendship with tony, it would have been likely to assume that sarai would have grown up as a mute. he was that important to her. tony on the other han, he had needed sarai to keep himself sane. sarai was his one view of the good in this world. she was his one light at the end of the tunnel. he lived in a world of constant corruption, illegal activities, and turmoil. it wasn't the kind of life tony would have chosen for himself if he'd ever been given the chance. but around sarai he almost forgot about all of the bad in the would. almost.

-----regardless of their past, it was unnerving to not have at least heard from tony recently. the two had kept in near constant contact with one another since they'd first become friends. whether that meant meeting up with one another or calling when a parent wasn't home, they still talked on a daily, or hourly, basis. it wasn't the most convient of methods but after sarai's father had blown up and forbidden her from seeing tony, what other options did she have. give up? throw in the towel and call it quits on the best friendship she'd ever have? no way in hell. sarai didn't want to say it out loud for fear that she was completely and utterly mistaken, but she was sure that they had feelings for one another. she was sure of it. though she knew what she felt, sarai's emotions scared the hell out of her. they weren't feelings she had ever expereinced before and something so new, so unexpected, had overwhelmed her and frightened her to no end. was she the only one feeling this? was tony aware of her feelings and avoiding her to keep from hurting her? was this his way of turning her down? t]hese questions running through her mind were the first bits of self doubt that sarai had ever felt. little did she know that it wouldn't be the last. but sarai knew that her "what if's" were wrong. tony was kind and best of all she'd always known him to be considerate. she knew that if tony had figured out what she'd felt and wanted to turn her down, that he would have done it and would have done so in a gentle manner. right? as if she were answering her own question, sarai remembered the last words she'd heard him say the last time they'd seen each other. "'night sarai. i'll see you tomorrow." those had been his last words to sarai under the lamp post just at the top of her street. it was always where they parted ways seeing as how they couldn't be together anywhere remotely near sarai's house. tony had a thing for 'walking' her home. it was endearing to say the least. it was all because of sarai's strict and unforgiving father. tony was the first and only thing sarai had ever kept from her father and she couldn't be happier that she had.

-----panic swept her as tony's last words to her finally sunk in. he was intending on seeing her yesterday. she should have heard from him by now. the worst part was that she hadn't. sarai had always known tony to keep his word. when he promised her something he'd always come through. this wasn't like him at all, and it scared sarai. she finally realized that something was wrong. no matter what had happened before tony would always find some way to talk to her, even if he was grounded. that boy would scrounge up a phone and call her. she had to do something. sarai shucked her pajama's and quickly changed into a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. with her shoes laced on her feet and her hair tucked back into a neat little ponytail, she was out the front door so fast that no one had a chance to ask her where she was going. sarai had only seen the giovanni monster of a house once before but she knew that she could definitely point it out on the street. no one could not recognize that thing. even if she hadn't recognized it immediately, sarai's photographic memory still allowed her to remember the street address. she stood at the street corner staring down the stucco monstrosity and building up the courage to walk up to that front door and find tony. with a final deep breath for courage, sarai pushed off the curb, walked across the street, and up to the front door. her hand shook as she reached out to press the doorbell. tony specifically told her never to come here, that is wasn't safe. after finding out who tony was, her father had been quick to tell her the same thing as well as forbidding her to see her best friend again. he'd told her horror stories in an attempt to scare her out of even considering to see tony again. it obviously hadn't worked.

-----she heard the sound of footsteps behind the massive front door and not moments later a big, burly man answered the door. this man made a point to step into the door frame and sarai was quick to point out just how completely he filled the wide space. this man was huge and to a fourteen year old he was only that much bigger. sarai gulped, audibly, as she stared back at the man, the desire to run away vivid and screaming in the back of her mind. still she knew that she couldn't leave. she had to find tony and figure out what was going on with him. was he safe? did these people know where he was? sarai finally spoke up after giving herself a chance to swallow her fear. "i-is tony h-here? i'd like to s-speak to him please." her voice shook, but she held her own and said what she needed to say. the man before her gave a menacing grin that had sarai quaking in her sneakers. the grin may not have been intended to be menacing, sarai wasn't quite sure, but regardless of his intention it still scared the crap out of her. "please?" she squeaked once again, looking up at this skyscraper of a man. "stay." was all the man said before he closed the door in her face and walked away. sarai shook where she stood, unable to move even if she tried to.

-----the sound of the door opening had sarai looking up once again. she hadn't even remembered looking down. her gaze traveled to the face of the giant man just as he boomed out in his raspy voice, "you can't see him." his voice was like a jackhammer, slamming into her little body and rattling her rib cage. still that wasn't enough to stun her. she had to know about tony. "oh please sir. i'm so worried about him. i haven't seen him in three days..." she rambled as she watched the front door begin to close. all her hopes of finding out what had happened closing as that wooden door did. "ENOUGH!" she heard shouted from inside. "open the god damned door!" sarai took a slight step back as the door opened once again, a smaller man falling into her line of sight. sarai had no idea who this guy even was but she hoped maybe he could tell her. "please.." sarai began again, her voice nothing but a whisper. the smaller man's hand shot up and sarai immediately silenced. she stood there quietly as the man sized her up, fidgeting slightly under his criticizing gaze. "so you're the 'little friend' who's been keeping tony so preoccupied." he said finally after an agonizing two minutes. sarai nodded, opening her mouth to speak but she was quickly interrupted. "you're beloved little tony isn't here." the man's words made sarai's shoulders slump but she asked anyways, "will he be back?" the booming laugh of the man's response practically made her jump out of her shoes.

-----"that ungrateful little bastard isn't welcome here anymore...and neither are you for that matter." he took a step toward sarai and she immediately mirrored his step. "he's gone. he's never coming back and he's DEAD if he ever shows his face around here again!" he bellowed as he took another step forward. sarai stepped back off of the front porch and onto the sidewalk. "now you're my little problem. you see i don't need some little snot-nosed kid hanging around in my business. you got that?" sarai didn't have time to respond before the man started up again. "so this is what i'm gonna do with you. you're going to leave and never step foot around my house ever again because if i see you around i'm going to make you disappear, and i'm not going to make it a pleasant experience. understand?" after a moment the man knelt to one knee, beckoning sarai forward with a flick of his finger. despite her growing fear, sarai obeyed the man. she stifled a scream as the man's hand shot forward and clamped down on her ponytail, holding her captive in his grasp. then he said words that to this day sarai would never be able to shake from her mind. "if i catch you, you're dead, and i'll make sure of it personally. if i ever, ever, catch you and him together, you're both dead. you tell a single person what happened here today and i will personally make sure that tony, and anyone that you care about, suffers. and i'll make sure that you're watching when i do. got that!" sarai nodded as best she could despite the man's tight grip on her hair. "now...get the fuck off of my property before i change my mind. and don't forget about this little talk because i won't be so nice if i have to remind you again. get out of here before i change my mind." with those final words the man let her go with a bit of a shove, making sarai stumble backwards and onto her hands.

-----she quickly scrambled to her feet, bolting across the street and jsut dodging an oncoming car. still she kept on running, not stopping until she couldn't breathe anymore and was forced to plop down onto a swing in the park. the same park that had been sarai and tony's favorite place to meet. she sucked at the air for breath her lungs protesting from the run and the fear and making her hyperventilate. sarai burst into down, hot tears pouring down her cheeks. she cried until she could cry no more, well into after the sun set and the world was swept up in darkness. nothing phased her as she made that slow walk home. not even the street lamps as they popped to life overhead. not even the huge doberman on the corner who's bark always made her jump. it was as if sarai couldn't feel a thing. nothing but the shock of the day and the realization that tony was gone. her best friend, her first unrequited love, was gone without a trace. sarai walked into her house unnoticed. she could hear the yelling coming from the kitchen and knew that her mother and father were fighting once again. they probably hadn't even heard the front door shut. sarai walked upstairs to her room and silently nudged her door closed. just like every night she changed into her pajamas brushed her hair, and slid herself under the covers. only tonight was different. no matter how hard she tried, sarai couldn't close her eyes without seeing the day's events. little did she know that those images and that traumatizing day would haunt her for years to come.

[/font][/blockquote][/blockquote]