FACE DOWN Ch18- A New Life

The sun was out at last after days of gray clouds, and it reflected down onto the snow, making everything seem absolutely magical. Kristen skipped through a particularly large snow drift, scattering glittering particles in all directions. "Isn't snow great!?" she cried happily.

Jonathan plowed along behind her, hands in his pockets, and couldn't help smiling at her as she danced around. "Watch out, you might slip," he said.

"Me? Slip?" Kristen gave an exaggerated scoff as she twirled in placed, "I don't think--"

Her feet suddenly slid right out from beneath her and she fell flat on her behind with an "oof!". Jonathan skidded over to her and knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Kristen groaned slightly. "Yeah, just a tender tailbone," she said as Jonathan helped her to her feet, "I'll be fine."

Jonathan stared at her as he held her. The cut on her head was just beginning to heal and other traces of bruises and beatings were disappearing as well. Jonathan blinked, trying to erase those horrible memories from his mind. She was here, safe and with him, away from that monster.

He realized he was still holding onto Kristen, arms wrapped around her. Funny how things like that can escape your notice. But she did not even seem to mind as she gazed up at him, the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips. Suddenly her face dropped. "Oh!" she cried.

"What? What happened?" Jonathan asked, concerned he had done something.

"I'm supposed to meet Annalise in a few minutes," Kristen said, "I was going to take her to lunch."

Jonathan raised and eyebrow. "You convinced her to come to lunch?"

"Yeah! I know, isn't it great?" Kristen said enthusiastically, grinning. She grabbed his hand and began to pull him along, "Come on!"

She was actually quite strong and very fast for one so small. Jonathan found himself stumbling over his feet several times as he trailed after her. They reached Annalise's apartment in good time though. Kristen promptly knocked on the door.

After a moment, they heard it unlatching and it opened. "Kristen?" came Annalise's voice.

"Yes! Anna, you promised," Kristen said, "Come on, let's go!"

Annalise sighed. "Alright," she said after a moment, "Just... give me a minute to grab my things."

She shut the door, leaving Kristen and Jonathan standing in the doorway. A minute passed... then two. Jonathan glanced at Kristen. "Are... are you sure she's coming?" he asked.

"Of course!" Kristen declared optimistically, "She said she was and I believe her!"

Although feeling skeptical himself, Jonathan was glad to see that Kristen was healing from the dark pit she had fallen into. She was returning to her old ways of boundless optimism and enthusiasm, and it was wonderful.

Finally, the door opened and Annalise appeared, wrapped up in her trench coat and holding a small bag. "Ready?" she asked.

Kristen grinned. "Yep! Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"See? That wasn't so bad," Kristen said as she, Annalise, and Jonathan exited the restaurant.

"You threw your mashed potatoes at that guy across the aisle," Jonathan said.

"Well he was being provocative," Kristen said crossing her arms and sniffing.

"You screamed at the guy sitting behind us about being a porno freak," Annalise pointed out.

"He had it coming!" Kristen said, "None of those guys should be treating you like that! I'm determined to turn your life back to normal."

Annalise smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said, "But you don't..."

"Of course I do. Just because that sleazeball scumbag ruined your life, it doesn't mean it can't be fixed," Kristen said, "I know we can do it together."

Annalise gave a wide smile and wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulder in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Speaking of that sleazeball scumbag," Jonathan spoke up, "I haven't even seen him around since, you know... that night."

Annalise smiled smugly. "I know. He may be getting what's coming to him at last... I contacted his father."

Kristen and Jonathan looked at her, shocked. "What?" Kristen asked, "How did you do that?"

"I told you, I did my research while I've been locked away," Annalise replied, "I found out Ambassador Leskov is a real stickler to social graces and making a good impression for their country. We'll see how he takes it when he finds out what his youngest son has been doing. However, he's been going back and forth between Russia and other places for the past couple years and it's been difficult to know when he would be around. So I haven't been able to get ahold of him, but now..."

She smirked, almost devilishly. Kristen and Jonathan glanced at each other, impressed. They continued walking.

They reached campus and immediately they heard a voice calling them. "Kristen! Jonathan!"

They saw Sam coming towards them. He stopped beside them. "Oh hi, Annalise," he said.

Annalise gave a small wave and Sam looked back at Kristen and Jonathan. "What's up, Sam?" Jonathan asked.

"I was wondering if any of you knew why David was packing up all his stuff into boxes?" Sam asked.

"He's what?" Kristen cried.

"Yeah. I was just walking back from downtown and I passed by his place. There's a whole bunch of boxes in front," Sam continued, "I mean, yeah, they could've been someone else's, but then I saw him carrying another one from out of his apartment."

Kristen frowned. "Come on," she said to everybody and began to march off.

Everyone shrugged at one another and followed after her. She headed all the way down to David's apartment, where sure enough there were stacks of boxes piled in the front. Kristen stood, staring in confusion until her friends caught up with her. She spotted David stepping out of his apartment and beginning to come down the stairs, a large box in hand. She felt her blood begin to boil at the sight of him.

"You know," she said, "I never really did get to give that guy a piece of my mind."

She began to move forward, but Jonathan grabbed her shoulder. "Whoa, wait," he said, "Are you sure? I mean, you've seen how nasty he can get."

"I know," Kristen said, "I can handle him."

"Alright, but I'll be standing right here," Jonathan said slightly uneasy, removing his hand.

Kristen marched towards David who had reached the bottom of the stairs and was now setting his box beside some of the others. She approached him and he looked up at her. "Kristen?" he asked confused, standing up straight in order to face her, "What are you doing here?"

Kristen just frowned at him. Then without warning, she drew back her fist and sent it straight into his face, hard. "That's for me!" she shouted. He stumbled back, groggily. Before he had a chance to recover, she reared back and pounded her fist into his face once more with even more force than the first time. "That's for my sister!" she cried.

As he moaned in pain, clutching at his nose as it gushed blood, Kristen picked up her knee and shoved it firmly into his crotch with as much vehemence as possible. He collapsed to the ground, now practically wailing in pain. "And that's for everyone else, you piece of dirt," Kristen told him softly.

She held her head high and simply turned away from the moaning, pitiful mess on the ground and headed back towards her friends. They were all staring at her, wide-eyed and jaws dropped.

Kristen cleared her throat and brushed some hair out of her face. "Well uh, I think his nose is probably broken and um... he'll definitely not be the same downstairs anymore."

They continued to gape at her, then all of a sudden, one by one they each broke into grins.

"Oh my... can I just kiss you right now?" Sam asked.

"Back off, slick. She's taken," Jonathan said, smiling and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"But a hug will do," Kristen said, raising her eyebrows and smiling.

At that, Sam came towards her and they met halfway in a hug, giggling. They suddenly felt another pair of arms joining them. Kristen looked and saw Annalise with her arms wrapped around her, smiling equally large. Kristen beamed and then turned to look at Jonathan who was standing off to the side, watching.

"Jonathan," she said, "Group hug!"

Jonathan raised his hands slightly. "Oh no, I..."

"Come on, ya big grump!" Sam said.

Before Jonathan could react, Kristen had reached out, grabbed the front of his coat, and pulled him into the circle of arms. He went with it and even began to laugh himself.

"Ooh! Group hug? Let me in!"

They all became aware of another small set of arms pushing their way into their hug. They all turned to look and saw Petey standing in the midst of them, happily. Everyone stepped back.

"Petey," Kristen said, smiling at him.

"Hi, guys!" Petey said, "What are we doing?"

"Oh well, we were just watching a marvelous performance by Kristen as she beat the crap out of jerk-wad David over there," Sam said, pointing gleefully.

Petey looked and saw David struggling to his feet, still clutching his groin with one hand and wiping at the blood that was flowing from his nose with the other. Petey gasped. "Kristen, you did that?" he asked.

Kristen nodded. "Yep."

"What are all the boxes for?" Petey asked.

"He's moving back to Russia," Kristen replied.

"What?" everyone asked simultaneously, looking at Kristen.

"I saw it written on the boxes," Kristen replied, "They're all addressed to somewhere in Russia, I can only assume it's his home. And I saw some suitcases over there too, not just boxes. He's leaving as well, not just his stuff. He's moving back to Russia to his family."

"Hmm," Annalise said, looking at David once more as he limped up the stairs into his apartment and disappeared, "Well I'm sorry for Russia."

Everyone was so distracted with David that they did not even notice that Petey had someone else with him. A girl to be exact. Kristen was the first to notice her, however.

"Petey?" Kristen asked, nudging her friend and gesturing to the girl standing awkwardly to the side.

"Oh!" Petey cried and he ran over to the girl, "Everyone, this is Celia. The lovely girl who's going with me to the Masquerade Ball." He grinned proudly. "I told you I could find somebody. And this girl is wonderful!"

"Hi!" Celia said, giving a little wave and smiling. She had intense blue eyes and chubby red cheeks framed by bright, golden hair. She wasn't really any taller than Petey and had the same childish look about her.

"Hi, Celia! It's great to meet you," Kristen greeted her, then she paused as she remembered, "Oh yeah, the ball. That's this Saturday... and I guess my date is kind of moving to Russia." She looked up and Jonathan with a half a smile and hopeful eyes. "I don't suppose you know anybody who could help me out with that?"

Jonathan looked down at her and smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow, look at this place!" Kristen declared.

She and Jonathan entered the dance, arm in arm. It was like an actual ballroom. Nothing cheap or overlooked about the decorations anywhere. Although the place was beautiful, Jonathan was more blown away by the girl at his side. She had managed to get her hands on a dress in time, a simple, olive green, off-the-shoulder one with golden trimming and a matching golden mask, and her hair hung beside her hair in perfect ringlets. The cut on her forehead was barely even visible and all other cuts and bruises were gone save the gauze that was still wrapped around her wrist, but it was hardly noticeable. She could easily be the most stunning sight in the room... and she was his date. He could hardly believe that.

"There you guys are! We were beginning to wonder."

They both turned to see Annalise, Sam, and Petey and Celia approaching them. Petey's bowtie and waistcoat were color-coordinated with Celia's pink dress and mask. Sam actually made an attempt to tame his wild mass of mangled hair and almost looked dapper in the tuxedo that he managed to get his hands on. Annalise was breathtaking. With her sparkling sky-blue dress with loose, sheer white sleeves and a matching white mask. Her multicolored hair was twisted into an elegant system of knots behind her head.

“Wow! You guys all look really great!" Kristen said to them.

They all smiled at her. Annalise suddenly sniffed the air. "Mmm, what is that amazing smell?" she asked.

Kristen sniffed as well. "That, my dear sister, is chocolate fondue!" she declared, grinning.

"I don't know about you, but I am going to go get some of that chocolate," Annalise said.

"Okay," Kristen said, "Hey, bring me some!"

Annalise headed over to the refreshments table and found it covered in all sorts of goodies. She reached out to take one of the truffles, but someone stepped in her way. A boy about her age. He grinned down at her.

"Hey, aren't you...?" he began, then he nodded as he looked closer at her, "You are!"

He called to a couple of guys standing nearby. "Hey, guys! Look, it's the Rainbow Queen."

Annalise felt her stomach drop at the mention of that name. The two other boys approached her and peered at her. "Are you sure?" one of them asked, "It's kind of hard to tell from this angle."

He suddenly grabbed her and forced her to turn around. Annalise cried out, but was unable to fight back. "Yep. That's her," the guy said.

He released her and Annalise straightened up. She held her head high and tried to walk away. "Wait! Queeny!" one of them called after her, "We want to ask you something!"

"Yeah, about your technique!" another one said as they caught up to her, "You looked pretty solid for most of it, but if you want you practice a little more on me..."

Annalise just curled up against herself and tried to keep walking, but the boys's taunts just kept coming. She shut her eyes, trying to shut it out.

Suddenly, it all stopped. She opened her eyes and looked around. She saw one of the most enormous boys she had ever seen in her life holding not one, but two of the harassing boys up off the ground by their collars. He was scowling at them ferociously.

"You leave her alone, you hear?" he boomed in a deep voice, "You come near her again and I'll rip your limbs off one by one ending with your puny heads!"

He dropped the boys onto the ground. They immediately scrambled to their feet and took off running into the crowd of people. Annalise looked up (like way, way up) at the boy who had saved her. "Thank you," she said.

"I don't like to see anyone get pushed around like that," the boy replied, “Especially a lady.”

"Yes... Well, thanks again," Annalise said.

"I'm Marshall," the boy said, "But most people call me Marshmallow."

"Marshmallow?" Annalise asked.

He leaned down to her level. "I'm really not as scary as I look," he muttered, "But don't let that get too far."

Annalise smiled and stuck out her hand. "Okay. Glad to meet you then, Marshmallow. I'm Annalise."

"Do you often get bothered like that?" Marshmallow wondered.

"Um, well..." Annalise stammered, "I suppose. Erm... a bit. Yes."

Marshmallow straightened up. "Miss Annalise, with your permission, I would happily like to fend off any miscreants that come your way and try to bother you."

"Oh no, really you don't have to. I can cope," Annalise said, "I have my sister and..."

"I can help you. It would be my pleasure," Marshmallow said, "I can just stand in front of you and glare at any suspicious character that comes your way."

He demonstrated the move, putting his hands on his hips and putting on his best menacing glare for her. Then he looked at her hopefully. Annalise smiled. "Oh alright, you've convinced me," she said, "But only if you really want to."

"Sounds like a deal, Miss Annalise." And they shook on it, smiling.

Meanwhile a slow song had started on the dance floor. Kristen enthusiastically dragged Jonathan into the center claiming "I've never had a slow dance before!". Although Jonathan could have sworn she had once been raving about David taking her dancing before and he suspected this was only a ploy to get him on the dance floor.

However, he would have come out with her, ploy or not, because it was Kristen. Despite the fact that he himself had never had a slow dance before (at least with no one outside his family), he made a valiant attempt to not trip over his own feet. But soon, he managed to find his footing and they were spinning slowly round and round, arms around each other.

Kristen had her head resting against Jonathan's chest. She let out a small sigh. Jonathan looked down at her. "What?" he asked.

"We can start our new lives now," she said softly.

"Yeah," Jonathan agreed.

They continued to spin in silence for a moment. Then Kristen spoke up again, "We can start over with school, we can start over with people. We can have a whole new life... with deers!

Jonathan chuckled. ""deers"?" he repeated.

"Yeah. Don't you want some deers?" Kristen asked.

"It's deer," Jonathan said, "No "S"."

"You started that!" Kristen declared.

"And now I'm ending it," Jonathan said, smirking.

"You can't do that! It's part of your identity now, sorry," Kristen said, sticking her nose in the air.

Jonathan smiled, amused at her determined resolve. "So are you," he said.

Kristen looked up at him and he suddenly realized how that sounded. "What I mean is... if you want. Er... if you're ready. No!... It's not like I'm asking you to marry me or anything!... Not that I wouldn't want to. Not that I'm thinking about that already... What I'm trying to say is..."

"You are too."

Jonathan stopped babbling and looked down at Kristen. "What?"

"You are too," Kristen said again, her eyes glowing, "A part of my identity now. You are too."

The corner of Jonathan's mouth tweaked up. He never would have thought when he met this amazing girl just a few short months ago that she would actually end up being one of the most important things in his life. She had been through so much, suffered so many hardships, but now like she had said, it was time to start a new life.

Jonathan bent down and planted a kiss firmly on her mouth. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer. A new life she has found.

See previous

See summary

FACE DOWN Ch17- Confrontation

Kristen wrapped her arms around herself as she marched away from Annalise's apartment. She couldn't believe it. She could not believe! How could she have let herself get mixed up in this? She shook her head. She knew exactly why. Because she was young and ignorant and David was handsome and charming. How could she not fall for him?

She noticed that the snow that had been falling when she had first walked over to Annalise's had now stopped, leaving a thin blanket of white everywhere. She would have loved to revel in the beauty of it glistening in the moonlight, but she was too angry to stop.

She headed downtown towards David's apartment. Late night movie? She'd give him a late night movie in the face! ...That made no sense, but that was what she was going to do.

She passed by the sandwich shop. Their first date where she had been blinded by his flowery words and dashing smile. She knew he had to be too good to be true! She suddenly recalled something Jonathan had once said to her: "if you find someone who is smart in all areas, they're probably a fake". He had been right all along. Kristen had just always supposed that she had been lucky enough to find an exception. David had seemed so good with people, in life, and was very intelligent. Too bad he was a fake after all.

As she passed the sandwich shop and rounded the corner onto the street that headed in the direction of David's apartment, she found it empty except for one person casually leaning against a dumpster outside a closed restaurant. It was eerily quiet, especially for a Friday night. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself and marched on.

"Kristen? Is that you?"

Kristen stopped and looked towards the person leaning against the dumpster. She recognized that voice. "David?"

He pushed off of the dumpster and moved out of the shadows. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Kristen stared coldly at him, although he probably could not really see it since there weren't many streetlights around. "I was just over at Annalise's," she told him.

"What? I thought you gave up on that," he said.

"I did, but then I got a text from her actually inviting me over."

"Really? What did she want?"

"Oh she had a lot to say..." Kristen replied slowly.

There was silence for a moment while David just stared at Kristen. Kristen looked at him, her rose-colored glasses removed and finally able to see the monster that lurked underneath.

"How could you do that to her!?" Kristen cried out, "To all those poor girls? Just... how could you!?"

The look on his face told her he knew exactly what she was talking about. "What?" he asked, folding his arms, "I gave them a choice. They didn't have to go that route. Most of them usually took my deal for at least two or three more times if not more. Your sister was the only one to refuse it right away."

Kristen shook her head. Had he no shame? "And what? You were just going to do the same with me? Get me in bed so you could film me, and then blackmail me with it until I finally couldn't take it anymore, and then turn me into a porn star?"

David smirked. "Well, as soon as I found out you were Annalise's little sister, I knew you had to be my next project. I figured since I had your sister by the end of the year, I would easily have you by midterms because you were so desperate to be loved, you bowed to my wishes no matter what I did."

That was like a knife to the gut. Kristen remembered everything her friends had been warning her about David's dominance in the relationship, the beating, etc.

"So it was all just a game to you?" Kristen asked, "Nothing was real?"

"Please," David scoffed, "I have perfected the art of seduction. I know all the things that will make a girl fall all over me." He smirked, "I cannot believe everyone falls for that grandmother story crap. Every time. Let's see, my grandmother has died five, six times now?"

He was so smug about all this. Kristen could just imagine, if he had a mustache, he would be twirling it evilly. He made her completely sick. "You are absolutely revolting!" she said, glaring at him, "You know what? I've had enough. You can just go and live your pitiful, disgusting life on your own without me. I've had it!"

She turned on her heel to leave. However, she suddenly felt fingers wrapped around her wrist, yanking her back around. David grabbed her other wrist and held her close to his face. "You think this is over?" he hissed, "You think it's that easy?"

Kristen fought against his grip, but he tightened his hold. "You may have escaped my original plan with the tape and everything, but I have worked too hard for too long to not get something out of this," he said, "All your endless chatter about chocolate and sandwiches and everything. And your constant clumsiness! I was going to nickname you Princess Tripster when I got your tape. I deserve something for all I put up with!"

Kristen's eyes widened and she struggled against him again. She was going to go for a scream, but it was cut off by David smashing his slimy lips against hers in a heated, hungry kiss. There was nothing Kristen could do. He had her hands pinioned against the wall behind her and her sound source was cut off by passionate kissing. She still squirmed against him, but her resistance was met with a hard smack across the face.

The hit momentarily stunned her into submission as her cheek stung, and David moved on to sucking at her neck. However, she could not let David have his way! She tried fighting once more. She kicked him and actually managed to get a scream in. However, this time in response, David actually shoved her backwards forcefully.

She stumbled and fell, hitting her head against the dumpster. A sharp pain shot through her head. She reached up the spot where she had been hit and felt blood trickling down the side of her face.

David was moving towards her once more. Everything seemed so fuzzy, Kristen could barely register what was happening.

"David!" a voice called from behind them.

David slowly looked back and Kristen managed to lift her head up enough to look as well. Annalise, in the flesh, stood wrapped up in a long, purple, billowing trench coat that waved in the gentle breeze. She had a look of forced confidence about her.

David turned towards her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Well, well, well," he hummed, "Look who's out of hiding."

"Leave her alone!" Annalise said.

"Why should I?"

"Because... because I know you're only doing this to get back at me," Annalise said, "I'm the only girl who said “no” right away and that hurt your ego. Please, don't take it out on my sister. She's not worth your time."

David raised an eyebrow. "Not worth my time? I've worked too hard to not get something out of this. I need my compensation and this is it." He pointed to Kristen still lying on the ground.

"I have a better offer," Annalise said.

"Oh really? What?"

"Me."

David peered at her. "Be careful what you wish for."

"I mean it. Leave Kristen alone and you can have what you always wanted," Annalise said.

David stared at her a moment longer, considering. "Deal," he said and then pounced.

Kristen had had been lying on the ground during the entirety of the conversation between David and Annalise. After the blow to her head, she could barely even sit up or move any of her limbs. Everything about her just seemed so heavy. Not to mentioned everything around her looked like one giant fog. Despite all this, she had heard the deal made between her sister and David.

She didn't care what kind of deals were made, nobody deserved what David was doing. And she couldn't let Annalise sacrifice herself like that. Especially not for her. She had to do something.

It took all of her strength to get herself into a sitting position, but she managed. Then she used the dumpster to hoist herself up onto her feet. She looked over at David and Annalise. David was all over her and Annalise was just standing there, taking it. Kristen had to look away.

When she did, her eyes fell in line with the dumpster she was leaning against and she saw its contents. A glass bottle was just within grabbing distance. She picked it up and turned back around.

David was pulling at Annalise's sweater now and working at her neck. She had her eyes closed, like she was just trying to shut everything out. Kristen struggled to move forward.

David spun Annalise around and pushed her against the same wall he previously had Kristen pinioned to. Kristen clutched the bottle tightly and crept closer. Neither of them even noticed her. Kristen raised the bottle above her head and brought it smashing down right onto David's head.

He immediately froze up, and Annalise opened her eyes, confused. Suddenly David teetered in place for a moment before crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

Kristen stood clutching to the broken bottle while Annalise stood still flattened against the wall with her rainbow hair falling loose from her braid, both staring down at David's unconscious figure, stunned. Then they simultaneously looked up at each other, both sets of eyes brimming with tears. They fell into each other's arms, hugging each other tightly.

"Kristen!"

"Annalise!"

Annalise saw the blood flowing from the cut on Kristen's forehead. "Oh, Kristen," she said softly, "I am so sorry."

Kristen reached up to it. "It's not so bad... is it?" she said, "The real question is, are you okay?"

Annalise took a deep breath, wiping at her eyes. "Yeah. I'll be fine," she said, "I mean, just give me a little bit to get my breath back and... whatever dignity I may have left."

Kristen raised her eyebrows. "Anna, that was one of the bravest things someone could do. I think you have plenty of dignity just for that."

Annalise gave a small, appreciative smile.

"Is that you, Kristen?" a voice interrupted.

Annalise and Kristen turned to look towards the voice. Jonathan and Sam stood not too far off. Kristen waved them over. When they approached, Kristen questioned, "How did you guys find us?"

"Oh, I texted them when I decided to follow you after you left my apartment," Annalise answered for them.

"How did... oh," Kristen began, but then remembered that Jonathan had visited Annalise earlier that evening and they probably exchanged phone numbers.

Sam noticed David laying on the ground nearby. "What happened?" he asked.

"It's a long story," Annalise replied, "Right now, I need you to take care of Kristen. She might have a concussion and she just needs general care and comfort. She's had a pretty traumatic night."

Annalise handed Kristen over to Jonathan and Sam and then turned back to David on the ground. "I've got something to take care of," she said darkly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kristen sat on the sofa in Jonathan and Sam's apartment, waiting patiently while Jonathan heated up water to soak a rag in. Sam had gone out to buy more hot chocolate upon discovering they were completely out when he had gone to make Kristen a nice cup to make her feel better.

Jonathan finally came back, rag in hand, and sat next to her. He reached out and gently began dabbing at the gash on her forehead.

"I don't think you'll need stitches," he said after a moment, "It's really not that big. It's just been bleeding a lot."

Kristen just watched him while he dabbed at the cut. There was such genuine tenderness and concern in his eyes. Something she never saw with David. With the knowledge she had now, David had never been genuine in anything, but even before she knew that, somehow looking back on the way he handled her, the way he spoke to her... there was just something lacking. Something truly tender. They never really had that true love connection.

But Jonathan, he had always treated her so nice and he was always so concerned about her. He even went and got her sister out of hiding for her. Why would he do that? Was he truly in love with her like Petey had said?

"So you went to see Annalise?" Kristen asked.

"Yeah. I got her address from Petey," Jonathan replied, "You needed help and I thought that the one person you might listen to would be your sister. Of course, I had no idea she had a history with the slimeball, that was just a coincidence, but that just motivated her even more to come on our side."

"Did she tell you the whole story?" Kristen asked.

"No. She just said that he had used her and that the same thing would happen to you if it wasn't stopped," Jonathan replied.

Kristen sighed. "I've been so stupid."

"No. He's been stupid," Jonathan said, "No, I take it back. He's been a dirty rotten scumbucket. You were just a victim here, it's not your fault."

Kristen repressed a smile. "You're so sweet," she said.

Jonathan smirked. "Don't over-estimate me."

"No I mean it," she said, "You've always been so nice to me. You help me in math, you make me feel better when I'm sad, you take me out for milkshakes..."

She looked up into his eyes. "Why are you so nice to me?"

He swallowed hard and stopped dabbing at the cut for a moment, but still keeping his hand resting on her forehead as he tried to form his words. "You're a great person," he answered, beginning to dab once more, "You deserve to be treated properly."

Kristen sighed. "I'm not sure that I do," she said, "I've just been bowing to his wishes for months. Just doing exactly what he did, doing everything his way. I never did anything on my own or for myself. I've got no real personality of my own."

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan asked, incredulous, "You are wonderful, and fun, and smart, and caring, and funny, and beautiful, and..."

His words were suddenly cut off because Kristen leaned forward and planted a kiss firmly on his lips. He froze, processing what exactly was happening. After a moment, she pulled back and he could clearly see tears in her eyes. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"No. It's just..." Jonathan looked down, his hand still holding the rag to her forehead. "I uh... I know you're upset and you've been through a lot tonight," he said, quietly, "But I don't want you to do something you may regret."

"No, Jonathan," Kristen whispered back, resting a hand on his shoulder, "For the first time in forever, I think this is something in my life I won't regret."

He looked up at her again, eyes round. She leaned forward once more and gently kissed him again. Jonathan's eyes shut and he gave into her kiss. For weeks he had dreamed of kissing her, to take her in his arms like this, but now to actually, finally be doing it... it was too good to be true. Her lips felt so perfect and soft against his, he never wanted it to end.

She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and he responded in kind by resting a hand behind her neck and the other around her waist, pulling her closer. The rag fell to the floor, quite forgotten, as they fell back against the couch.

They did not even notice Sam open the door with a grocery bag in hand, see the spectacle on the sofa, and then slowly back out again with a small smile on his lips, quietly closing the door behind him.

See previous   See next

See summary

FACE DOWN Ch16- The Truth

There it was right in front of her. The blue door of room 53, The North Ridge Apartments. Kristen could hardly believe this was happening. Had Annalise-- the one who had not spoken a word or even acknowledged her for months-- actually called and asked her to come over? What was going on? Was this all just a weird dream?

Kristen took a deep breath, raised her fist, and knocked. Immediately, she heard the lock unlatching and saw the doorknob slowly turning. Then, she saw one blue eye, undeniably Annalise's peering out at her. "Kristen?" Annalise's soft voice spoke.

"Annalise? It's me," Kristen said, leaning closer, "You... called?"

The door quickly closed and Kristen felt her spirits drop. Why would she call her over just to slam the door in her face again? However, she heard the chain over the door unlatching and soon the door was opening once more, this time much wider so that Kristen could see Annalise in full.

This is what I imagine Annalise's hair
looking something like

She was just as stunning as Kristen remembered. Her long hair, dyed all the colors of the rainbow, was pulled into a thick french braid. She wore a thin, blue sweater that brought out her bright blue eyes even more. Her skin was snowy white, like she hadn't been out in the sun in months, which come to think of it, she probably hadn't. But the complexion was beautiful on her nonetheless. Kristen had always felt like the less attractive one next to her, but she didn't mind. She had always been proud to call Annalise her sister.

"Come in," Annalise said, moving aside so that Kristen could enter.

Kristen took a step inside. The interior of Annalise's apartment had not been what she had expected at all. Based on Annalise's reclusive nature, she had expected it to be dark and drab, with bare walls and plain furniture, and hardly any lights, while she would just sit in the corner huddled up like a frightened animal, alone in the dark. However, once she stepped inside, she was greeted with soft classical music playing in the background. The walls were painted a light turquoise blue. Also hanging on the walls were... Kristen wasn't sure, but they were thin purple and pink glass decor of some sort, kind of shaped like waving streamers. The many lamps around the room reflected off the glass and made the walls look like they glimmered. The walls' many hues shimmered down onto her white sofa and chair.

Kristen stared in awe. "Whoa, Annalise. This place, it's... whoa." She didn't know how to describe it.

"Thank you," Annalise said, closing the door and locking it behind her.

She moved over to a small set of speakers and quickly shut off the music. Then she turned back to Kristen. "Do you want to sit?" she asked.

"Oh um, okay," Kristen said.

They both moved over to the couch and sat down. There was a short silence. Kristen wrung her hands together. What was happening? She cleared her throat. "So..." she began awkwardly.

"Kristen, you have to break up with David," Annalise said quickly.

"Why did you want me to come over here?" Kristen asked at the same time.

Kristen stared at her sister. "What?" she asked.

Annalise took a breath. "I said, you have to break up with David," she repeated.

"What? Why?" Kristen asked, caught off guard. This had not been what she had been expecting.

"Because he's a no-good, manipulative, sleazeball, scumbag, spawn of the devil," Annalise responded.

Kristen lowered her eyebrows. "What are you talking about? How do you know? You've never even met him! You wouldn't meet him! You slammed the door in our faces after shouting at us! After shouting at me! Calling me a monster."

Annalise blinked. "I never called you a monster," she said.

"Yes you did," Kristen said, "I remember it clearly. I brought David over to meet you and when you opened the door, you began shouting and you said exactly: "Stay away. I've told you, you monster.""

Annalise's face dropped. "And you thought I said that to you?"

"Well, didn't you? You did tell me to stay away before that. Who else would you be talking to?"

"David!" Annalise said.

Kristen stopped. It was a moment before she spoke again. "Why... why would you say that to David?"

"Because he's a no-good, manipulative, sleazeball, scumbag, spawn of the devil," Annalise repeated herself.

"But... how do you know him?" Kristen asked, "He said he had never met you before."

Annalise scoffed slightly. "He would say that," she said, "Well, that's a long, brutal story."

Kristen stared at her, confused and inquisitive. Annalise closed her eyes and took a deep breath as though she were calling back all her memories. "It was back in my freshman year," she began, eyes still closed, "I didn't really have any friends or anything. I just went to class everyday then went home."

She finally opened her eyes. "No one really ever paid any attention to me... or so I thought," she said, "One day I had to go to Student Services. The boy at the desk told me that he had seen me come into the building everyday and always noticed me. He told me he thought I was one of the most gorgeous girls he had ever seen in his life. Well, of course I soaked in everything that he said. I had never been noticed by anybody in my life and here was this boy-- this older, amazingly good-looking boy-- who told me I was pretty."

Annalise sighed. "He asked for my number right then and there," she said, "And within the week he called me."

Kristen leaned forward. "David?"

Annalise nodded. "David," she said, "As you probably know, he was the most charming, perfect guy. The ultimate dreamboat, prince charming, Casanova, whatever. I was completely swept off my feet by the end of our first date."

She shook her head bitterly. "Little did I know," she mumbled.

"What?" Kristen asked.

"Well we dated for a while," Annalise said, "A few months. It was a very passionate relationship. I was convinced I was in love. Then it got to midterms and that was the first time he asked me." Her face hardened.

Kristen immediately understood. "To...?"

"Yeah. He told me he loved me and I couldn't have been happier. I was so in love with him that I returned the sentiment without question," Annalise continued, "That was when he asked me. Actually, he more told me. He said it as a matter of fact, like "since we love each other, we should seal our love in the most tender way possible". I was caught off guard by it, but I actually considered it. However, I decided against it. It didn't feel right."

She sighed. "But that didn't stop him," she said, "He kept asking and asking and asking. But I stayed firm in my answer... for the rest of the year."

Annalise leaned against the arm of the sofa and covered her face with her hand. Kristen leaned closer to her, concerned. "What? What happened?" she asked gently.

"I gave in," Annalise said, "He broke me down, piece by piece and finally I said yes. Just two weeks before finals, I went over to his place and we did it. Sealed the deal. Made love."

Kristen could hear her voice cracking slightly. She sounded so sick when she said it. Kristen scooted closer to her and reached out a hand. "Anna..." she said, softly.

"But that wasn't the worst of it!" Annalise cried, "Oh no, there's so much more!"

Kristen pulled her hand back as Annalise sat up straight and looked her straight in the eye. "After our little night together, he came to me and wanted me to do it again," Annalise said, eyes narrow, "Well, I just felt so wrong about it and didn't really want to. I told him I thought one time was enough for the time being. He got upset and insisted on it. "Don't I mean anything to you?" he said. I got upset as well and told him that love is not all about having sex all the time... And that was when he showed me the tape."

Kristen's eyes widened. "The... tape?"

"Yes. The video tape he had taken of us in his room," Annalise said, her eyes beginning to brim with tears, "He had filmed the entire thing and threatened to put it up for all to see if I didn't do as he said."

Annalise shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "You can imagine, I didn't want to sleep with him then. The dirty tramp," she mumbled, "But I didn't want that tape up for people to ogle at either. But what could I do? I weighed my choices and finally decided that I'd rather put up with the humiliation of the sex tape if it meant David was out of my life."

She took a deep breath. "So that's what happened. At first it was fine, but gradually, people began to look at me different. I would randomly get wolf-whistles from creeps on the street. Then, I started getting notes left in my bag and coat pockets about my "technique" and stuff, and I was starting to get harassed everywhere I went. Soon, it got to be too much and I had to leave. I got my own apartment out here and started taking online classes. It was good for a couple years... until David found me. Now I've started getting knocks from some of my "fans"."

Kristen reached out to her once again. "Annalise, I am so sorry," she said, "I was the one who brought David here. I had no idea."

"No, Kristen. I'm sorry," Annalise said, "I should have told you about him sooner. I was afraid though. I thought by distancing myself from you, he would leave you alone. But, I forgot how malicious he actually is. I mean looking at all the other girls..."

"Wait, what do you mean "other girls"?" Kristen asked.

Annalise reached down beside the couch and pulled up a white laptop. "Oh I've done some research since I've been locked away," she said, opening the laptop, "I wasn't the first girl David has targeted."

Kristen scooted over so she could see the screen. Annalise pulled up a website. Leskov’s Ladies. It wasn't very extravagant, just a giant gaudy title at the top and a few videos listed below it, each with their own smaller titles.

"Six girls he's got so far," Annalise said, gesturing to the videos, "He's been at this for a while. At least once a year since he was pretty young, he picks out a girl and then just manipulates them until he gets them to sleep with him. Then he films it and hangs it over their head, threatening to put it up here unless they continue to do so. He gives each of them a nickname. See?"

She pointed to each video. "Golden Dream, April Flower, Sweet Valentine, Arabic Beauty..." She swallowed and pointed to one. "Rainbow Queen."

"That's you?" Kristen asked quietly.

Annalise nodded.

Kristen leaned forward onto her knees. "I can't believe this," she whispered, "How could he do this? I mean, I really thought..."

She felt tears brimming at her eyes. Annalise noticed and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I know," she said.

Kristen leaned into her shoulder, the tears now coming freely. Annalise wrapped both her arms around her and hugged her close. "I know," she whispered again, rocking her back and forth.

"That no-good, manipulative, sleazeball, scumbag, spawn of the devil," Kristen muttered into her sister's shoulder.

Annalise gave a slight chuckle. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Kristen sniffled. "So what made you suddenly decide to tell me all of this?"

"Well... tonight I got a knock on my door," Annalise began slowly, "I thought it was just going to be one of my "fans" come to bother me, so I ignored it. But then a voice came after it, calling my name. It said that they needed to talk to me right away, something about you being in trouble. It was enough to capture my interest. No one had ever come around mentioning you before, so I opened the door for him. He told me he was a friend of yours then explained your entire situation to me."

Kristen gave a small nod. Annalise continued. "He said he needed my help because he was worried about you and didn't know what else to do."

"Which friend was it?" Kristen asked.

"Um, big guy," Annalise answered, "Jonathan? I think."

Kristen stared ahead. Jonathan. The sound of his name sent a warm feeling through her body. Jonathan, her tutor, her friend. Jonathan... who was in love with her?

Kristen took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, then she sat up. "I just remembered, I'm supposed to go meet David in a little bit," she said, suddenly frowning.

Annalise saw the dark look come into her little sister's eyes. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Kristen stood up. "I'm putting the spork in this," she said, "I mean... you know what I mean. I can't think when I'm this mad!"

She marched over to the door and unbolted it. She opened it and then turned back to Annalise. "This ends now."

See previous   See next

See summary

FACE DOWN Ch 15- Ultimatum

"...So she's not at the library either?" Jonathan asked.

"Nope," Petey responded into the phone as he stood just outside the library.

"You know, this could be a long shot, but try looking in the room where we tutor," Jonathan suggested.

"Okay!" Petey agreed, "Where's that?"

"The Barnes Building, room 23," Jonathan answered, "I don't know why she'd be there, but it can't hurt to look."

"Yeah, I'll go," Petey said.

"Okay. And thanks for the info," Jonathan said.

"You're welcome. Good luck! Hope it works!"

"Me too. See ya." And with that, Jonathan hung up.

Petey stuck his phone into his pocket and immediately headed for the Barnes Building. It was far, but not too far from the library. He didn't mind walking to it though, especially if Kristen might be inside it. It was snowing all around, which just made him want to prance. But the issue at hand held him back.

He reached the Barnes Building in good time and quickly found room 23. He opened the door. "Kristen?" he called.

Inside, huddled up in the far corner of the room sat Kristen, arms wrapped around her legs, and face buried into her knees, her shoulders shaking with sobs. Petey immediately rushed inside to her side. "Kristen!" he cried, crouching down beside her, "What's wrong?"

"Petey?" she asked, looking up at him, "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," he said, "You weren't home or at the library or with David or anywhere and we were worried."

""We"?" Kristen repeated.

"Me, Jonathan, and Sam," Petey said, "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

Kristen wiped her eyes. "I just... its a good place to be alone, this room."

"Why do you want be alone?" Petey asked.

"I... can't," Kristen choked.

"What?"

"I have to do it. It's the only way."

"Do what? What are you talking about?"

"I've been given an ultimatum," Kristen said, "Just a couple hours ago, David called me. He said... he said..."

She sniffled, attempting to hold back more sobs, only to fail miserably and continue crying into her knees. Petey scooted closer to her and put both his arms around her in a tight hug. "What? What did he say?" he asked gently.

"He told me that if I didn't... ifI didn't... sleep with him, we were over," Kristen finally choked through her sobs, "He said that if we truly meant something to each other, I would go through with it."

Petey's jaw dropped slightly. "He's just giving you this ultimatum now?" he asked.

Kristen sighed, burying her face into her hands. "No! I mean he's just giving me the ultimatum now, but he's been trying to get me to do this for a while now," she cried.

"Like how long?" Petey asked.

"It first started the day he told me he loved me," Kristen replied, wiping at her red, puffy eyes, "That was the day I got mad at you guys, you know?"

Petey nodded, encouraging her to continue.

"That was the first time he told me he loved me and I decided that I loved him too," Kristen went on, "After we, you know... kissed a bit, it started to get really, erm... passionate? But I stopped it before he managed to go too far. He tried to coax me into it, because it would be the “perfect way to seal our love”, but I just couldn’t do it. He seemed understanding enough, not happy, but he let me go. I felt so bad and stupid after I left, and that's when I met you guys."

"And he's been asking you ever since?" Petey asked.

Kristen nodded. "Almost every day," she said, "But I just haven't been ready for it. I've been telling him that and I thought he understood, but now..."

She let out a tormented sob. "I don't want him to leave me!" she cried through her tears, "He's the only one who loves me, I can't let that go. I'll just... I'll just have to sleep with him."

"Kristen, you don't mean that," Petey said.

"It's true," she said, "I thought Annalise loved me, but then she ran off and shut me out. David is all I have left."

"That's not true. Don't say that," Petey insisted, "There are so many people who care about you! Like your parents must, right? I mean, they're your parents!"

Kristen didn't say anything and just stared ahead at the ground, clutching her knees to her chest. Petey continued. "And I know that I do," he said, "You're my best friend, I'd do anything for you. And then there's Jonathan. I mean, he's basically completely in love with you. And then Sam..."

"Wait, what?" Kristen interrupted, lifting her head and facing him.

"You know Sam? How he's always so happy to see you?" Petey said, "You know, sometimes he kind of reminds me of a giant puppy."

"No," Kristen said, "About Jonathan being in love with me."

Petey stared at her, tilting his head and furrowing his brow. "Wow, you really haven't noticed?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

Kristen looked back ahead, comprehending this new information. Petey was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Kristen... what exactly has been going on with you and David lately? Really?"

Kristen glanced at him briefly. "I suppose you've already heard about our little incident the other day?" She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the gauze wrapped around her wrist. "And this?" She turned her head so that Petey could see a bruise on her cheek.

"That wasn't first time he was rough with me though," Kristen said, "That was just the first time it really showed. If anything was really visible before, I just put on a little makeup and it was like it was never there."

Petey's eyes widened. "No," he said quietly, "How could you let someone do that to you?"

"I just told myself it wouldn't happen again," Kristen replied, "It wasn't like it happened everyday or anything. He didn't mean it, really. It wasn't on purpose. And it didn't hurt that bad anyways."

Petey didn't respond, thinking. "Have you even done anything you've wanted to do since you started dating him?" he asked after a moment.

"Well... no not exactly," Kristen responded, "But he's more experienced than me. I just always figured that he knew best. I didn't want to do anything wrong."

"But... but that's the great thing about life," Petey said, "Making mistakes and learning from them. It makes you a better person! If you always follow someone, you're not becoming a new and better person, you're becoming them. How boring would the world be if we all did the exact same things the exact same way? Besides, how do you know that the person you're following is really the best example?"

Kristen shrugged slightly. "He always has seemed so nice... and perfect."

"Does he still?" Petey asked carefully.

"Well... I just... he's..." Kristen stammered, "Maybe?"

Petey exhaled. "Look, I may not know a lot of things, but if there's one thing I do know, it's love," he said, "And love is not making someone do something they don't want to do."

Kristen rested her chin on her knees once more, sighing softly. "I don't know," she said hopelessly.

"Sure you do," Petey said, hugging her again, "You just don't know you know. But you will. You'll figure it out."

Kristen sighed, sniffling slightly. Then she glanced at the clock. "Don't you have a curfew?" she asked finally.

"You are more important to me than angry apartment managers," Petey replied, smiling warmly, "I'll climb the wall to my complex any night for you."

Kristen looked at him and almost smiled. Suddenly the silence was broken by a loud buzzing. Petey looked around, confused, while Kristen reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. When she looked at it, her face dropped and her eyes widened.

"What? What is it?" Petey wondered.

"It's a text... from Annalise," Kristen answered in numb shock.

She slowly looked up from the phone and at Petey, an expression of pure incredulity and tension written across her face. "She wants me to come over to her apartment right away."

See previous   See next

See summary