The Voice

                                    

                                          
RILEY'S POV
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I absolutely cannot believe that Chloe was trying to break James and I up. I thought we were friends... Really close friends. Obviously not.
Like yesterday. A girl had come to the studio. 
She was pretty. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She walked straight up to James. 
"Hi, James," she said flirtatiously. "Remember me?"
"Uh, no." He said uncomfortably. 
"Cassie? From your hometown?"
His eyes widened with recognition. "Oh my god! Cass! Hi!"
Something hit me. I was jealous. 
"What's up?" She sits down next to him. They begin talking about their past. 
"Oh, by the way, I think you know my  best friend?" She asked. "Beth?"
"Beth. Yeah, I know her." 
"Yeah, she was talking about how perfect you are and what a cute couple we'd make! So of course, I had to check you out." She winks at him. How come everyone is trying to break us up?

•••


I wake up at 6:00 in the morning and realize that we have a day off today. I was sick a while ago, though, and I don't know a bit of the Regionals routine. I text Michelle. 

TO: MITCHIE

WANNA GO 2 THE STUDIO WITH ME? I NEED HELP WITH THE REGIONALS ROUTINE. 

A few minutes later, she texts me back. 

FROM: MITCHIE

COURSE! MEET YOU THERE IN FIVE. OH, AND YOU CAN BRING SOMEONE TOO. 

I quickly dress in dance clothes and scrape my hair back into a messy ponytail. Then I swallow down some mushy Cheerios, brush my teeth, and phone James. 
"Hello?"
"Hi, James, it's Riley."
"Oh! Hey, Riles! What's up?"
"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the studio with me..."
"Sure! When?"
"Be there in five minutes."
"See you there, cutie."
I blush as I hang up the phone. He called me cutie! Then again, he does flirt with tons of girls.... But he's mine. All mine. 
I drive to the studio, mine and James' conversation running through my head. I reach the studio before Michelle or James, but James pulls up seconds after me. 
"Hey," I say awkwardly, but it comes out like I'm asking a question.
See, our "relationship" is still unknown. I mean, we've kissed before. Definitely. But we haven't dated yet... Not officially. 
"Hi," he says, avoiding my eyes. "Is Mitchie here yet?"
"Since when did you call Michelle 'Mitchie'?" 
"I don't know."
"No, she isn't here."
"Okay. Wanna wait for her in the studio?"
"Fine."
Awkward conversation, I know. He grins down at me, though. And I know we'll be just fine when he takes my hand. 
"Hello?" I call out. Seems like no one else is here. 
"Michelle should be here by now!" I groan as I fiddle in the pitch black to find the lights. Nothing. 
"Maybe we can find some lights in the studio," James suggests. We blindly head up to the studio and attempt to find the lights. 
I hear a very faint gurgling noise. 
"James...."
"What?"
"I want to go."
"Now? We haven't even rehearsed!"
"Please. I....I hear something."
Oh no. Maybe it's a chicken! If you must know, I'm terrified of chickens. 
He laughs softly and takes my hand. When he does, it feels like zaps of electricity cursing through my veins. 
We start to leave, but I hear the noise louder by studio J. 
"Stop," I say suddenly. "You hear that?"
"Yeah," James murmurs. "Hello?"
He enters studio J, and I think an axe murderer is going to fly off the handle and kill him. 
Instead I see Michelle. 
She's tied up with thick barbed rope, tied to a metal pole. Her mouth is tied with a bandanna. I realize the gurgling sounds were Michelle trying to rid of her gag. I see a puddle of juice on the floor. Was Michelle drinking juice when she was captured?
Captured... Oh god. 
"James, no!" I scream. "Beth is here!"
"Pretty and smart," a rough voice murmurs from the shadows, dripping with sarcasm. 
James protectively wraps his arms around me. He doesn't look confident. In fact, he looks even more scared once he protects me. 
"Wonder what happened to little Melody here," the gritty voice whispers. This time it sounds like the voice is coming from behind me. I whip around and face the shadows. 
"Show yourself," I say, trying not to shake with fear. 
"As you wish," says the mysterious shadow. 
I hear almost inaudible footsteps, a clunk, and a bang. James drops to the floor, unconscious. I feel like crying. 
Then my stomach churns. That wasn't juice. 
It was blood. 

•••

Beth is standing there, looking mad. When I say mad, I don't mean angry. I mean loopy, nutty, off-her-rocker, crazy mad. 
"Hello, Riley," she grins, very creepily. 
She's covered in blood. In her hand is a butcher knife. The floor is scattered with bricks. 
"What do you want?" I say, practically paralyzed with fear. 
"What I've wanted all along. I want you to back off of James! He's mine!" She shrieks. Her eyes widen and roll. 
"P-Please go away."
"P-p-poor little Riley." She mocks me. "No. You don't get it. I don't understand why he likes you. You horrible, ignorant, untalented jerk of a lunatic! Now, I'm going to end this. He can't like you if you're. Not. Alive."
She lunges at me with the knife. I knew Beth was insane, but not this mental!
Right before the knife's blade touches me, James leaps from the ground and tackles Beth. She screeches and drops the knife. 
James holds her down. "Call 911! Riley! Now!" He yells. I whip out my cell phone and with shaking hands I dial. 
"Hello, 911 operatives, how may I help?" A friendly voice comes over the phone. 
"Help." I say, honestly shaking. "Please. Help! She's going to kill him! She's going to kill me!"
"Where are you, ma'am?" the operative's voice asks. 
"The Next Step studio. Please hurry. She's going to kill hi"- 
The phone clatters from my hand. The room is silent. James is lying on the floor, blood coating his brow. I feel Beth connect with my ankle and I collapse. 
The last thing I see before blacking out is James. 

•••

I wake in the hospital. 
"Help!" I shriek. "She's going to kill us!"
"Miss, you have suffered severe traumatic physical and emotional abuse. You're safe now, you'll be fine." A nurse carelessly tells me, then walks away. I can hear her talking to another nurse. 
"What happened again?" One nurse says. 
"This is her second time being hospitalized because of this one girl at her dance studio who was severely mentally damaged. The attacker has been transferred far away to a mental hospital. The victims, two girls and a boy, are here in the hospital."
"Yeesh. What's wrong with them?"
"The blonde girl, few cuts, bruises, she's very traumatically upset. Nothing serious. The boy? A deep cut over her forehead, a mild concussion, bruised ribs, twisted ankle, and many bruises. The other girl, brown hair, is the worst. A horrible concussion, several deep cuts, infections, broken ribs, broken ankle, fractured arm, black eye."
I roll over in my hospital bed and wince. My ribs really are broken. 
An IV is plugged into my wrist. I'm relieved when I see James next to me. 
"James?" I whisper. "Jamesy?"
His eyes flutter open. "Riles? What? Where are we?"
"The hospital. Oh my god, I'm so happy you're okay!" A tear of happiness drips down my cheek. 
"Don't cry, Riles. Don't worry about it. We'll be okay." 
I grab his hand. 
"Why did you protect me?"
He smiles weakly. "Because I love you. Besides, we were all protecting you."
"What?"
"We knew Beth was going to hurt you eventually. So all the A-Troupe dancers, minus you, of course, got together and planned to do whatever it took to keep you safe. Chloe and Emily? They weren't really trying to break us up. Michelle volunteered to be the one to be captured tonight, all so Beth wouldn't capture you. West, Eldon, Stephanie, and Tiffany have hung out with Beth so often so that they wouldn't hurt you."
"Why?"
"Because we're a family."
I grip his hand as tightly as I can without it hurting. 
"James?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."