Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 97

The others had gathered and all four stared at the locker in question. Laurent tapped it with his knuckles as he leaned in again. “Hello?” The muttering on the other side paused for a split second before picking up again.

“…do you think it’s Vivian?” Miriam asked, putting their fear into words.

“How are we supposed to get her out?” This time it was Theo who spoke, looking worried.

“The maintenance staff has access to bolt cutters,” Reagan began, but Laurent was already halfway across the room and out the door.

There was a utility closet near the boys’ locker room. Laurent grabbed the door knob only for it to be locked. Undeterred, he pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out the lock picks he carried everywhere. All three of the Devreaux boys had been taught how to pick locks from a young age; something to do with getting out of bad situations and needing any and all skill sets that could be even remotely useful.

Laurent had used this particular skill a number of times over the years, usually ending up in trouble, but today it was for the greater good.

Within five seconds the door was open and he stepped through, eyes travelling over the shelves until they found what he was looking for: the bolt cutters. Grabbing them, he marched back to the girls’ locker room.

If Vivian was the one trapped in that locker there would be hell to pay. Actually, no matter who was trapped inside there should be hell to pay; that was just a shit thing to do to another human being.

The lock was tough, but it didn’t stand a chance when Laurent put some real muscle into using the bolt cutters.

Dropping the tool to the ground, he stepped forward and pulled the lock off in a single, smooth motion. There was hesitation as he went to open the locker, his heart pounding as he hoped it wasn’t Vivian inside.

His hope was crushed when he opened it and saw her inside, hands covering her ears, eyes tightly shut as she continued muttering something under her breath.

“Shit…” Reagan whispered.

Theo made to step closer but Laurent put out his arm to stop him. “No, just… wait.”

“Vivian…?” Miriam’s voice was muffled by her hands as they covered her mouth in horror at what she was seeing.

“Vivian,” Laurent called out, keeping his voice soft, his eyes taking in the fact his sister still wore her gym clothes. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to clean up after practice before getting shoved inside.

Suddenly angry again, Laurent had to work at keeping it from entering his voice when he spoke again. “Vivian… Hey, Vivian. It’s me, Laurent,” he said, slowly reaching a hand out. The moment his fingertips brushed her elbow Vivian recoiled, slamming herself against the back of the locker as her eyes flew open.

Her pupils were huge as she stared at Laurent, seemingly without seeing him. Her hands still covered her ears but she’d finally stopped muttering.

“Sorry,” he told her, hoping he sounded as sincere as he felt. “I’m not going to hurt you. Let me help.” This time when his fingers brushed against her elbow she didn’t recoil, though her eyes flinched. Slowly, he wrapped his fingers around her forearm and gave her a gentle pull.

The first thing that happened was her hands falling from her ears, then she allowed him to pull her from the locker she’d been trapped in. Quick math told Laurent it’d been a minimum of four hours — far too long.

He could feel her beginning to shake as she took the first step, which was why he was prepared when she suddenly collapsed, her legs giving out.

Four hours spent standing in a cramped space; it was miracle she’d managed a single step.

“I got you,” he murmured to his sister as he caught her, lowering her to the floor where he ended up sitting with her for a few seconds in silence. “Vivian?”

“Mmm?” She hummed, sounding as though she were far away. Using one of her trembling hands, Vivian rubbed her face for a second.

“Vivian, are you alright?” Miriam crouched on the floor next to the siblings, looking at her friend with concern.

“I’m fine,” was the reply, but not a single person in the room believed it.

“You’re not fine,” Theo countered, keeping his voice gentle even though his face was pinched with worry. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”

Vivian seemed surprised by this declaration and held up the hand she’d used to rubbed her face to watch it shake. “…guess I am…”

“We should get help,” Reagan told the others. “She probably needs to see a doctor.”

“I’m fine,” she said again, but no one was going to believe that any time soon.

Reagan had a point and Laurent wasn’t looking forward to what he had to do now. Taking out his phone, he made the one call he’d never wanted to make.

It was answered on the second ring, and the voice on the other end sounded like it’d resigned to accept whatever was going to come from the call. “Do I want to know?” Samuel asked, causing Laurent to click his tongue in frustration.

Yes, he had a penchant for getting into *some* trouble and most calls to his dad weren’t that great, but this time was different so he didn’t have to answer the phone like *that*. “You need to get to the school ASAP,” he began, taking a breath to deliver the part he dreaded the most. “Something happened to Vivian.”

Three long seconds of silence passed before Samuel spoke again. “What happened?”

Laurent glanced at the others before his eyes settled on the locker. “She says she’s fine, but she’s not.” How could he tell his father Vivian had been trapped in a locker for hours? That he hadn’t even noticed she’d been missing until others had forced him to face the facts? Even then, part of him still hadn’t believed it.

Sound came from the other end of the phone as Laurent assumed his father was now on the move. “I’ll be there in… ten minutes.” The call was disconnected without a good bye, something that didn’t bother Laurent in the least as he did the same thing all the time. It drove Reagan crazy but it was a habit he couldn’t seem to break.

The next call was to inform Tyrell that their father was on his way, and it’d be best to meet him at the front gate. Laurent didn’t answer any of the man’s questions on what had happened, choosing instead to end the call without notice. “Reagan…”

“I’m on it,” the redhead nodded. “I’ll get the principal, too.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m fine,” Vivian repeated for a third time.

“If you’re fine, then you should be able to stand up on your own.”