M is for Missing

[Simon Montague]

Kendra Martin, Trina Nivens, Colette Borgin, Kassia Burke, Evelyn Turner, Erica Raines, Leilani Evetts, Lilac Drake, Alyxandria Rye, Christine Montgomery

“I dream of a red-rose tree. And which of its roses, is the dearest rose to me?” Simon’s voice was chilling, detached, and hollow. The gleeful malice that dripped from his tongue in quiet breathless tones, seemed to echo and crawl through the dampened hallway of cells dimly lit by candlelight.

Round and round, like a dance of snow
In a dazzling drift, as its guardians, go
Floating the women faded for ages,
Sculptured in stone, on the poet's pages.

He circled the main room passing by each cell, taking the time to peer inside, and smile at the treasures he kept locked away.

Then follow women fresh and gay,
Living and loving and loved to-day.
Last, in the rear, flee the multitude of maidens,
Beauties yet unborn. And all, to one cadence,
They circle their rose on my rose tree.

He left the room then, his roses would awaken soon, and he wanted to freshen up for them.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine didn't know how long she had been there, but it felt like weeks. There was no light, no way of telling the passage of time. She didn't have her wand. She had tried wandless magic and was getting better at it, but M kept her pretty well drugged preventing her from thinking clearly. She was getting better at pushing through the veil of drugs, but was still incredibly slow.

Today however she heard him. She had been awake as he brought in the other girls. Classmates of hers. Friends. Even Erica! Her aunt’s cousin. Christine watched from the five by eight barred opening as he dragged each girl into a cell like the one she was in.

“Oh God…” she whispered.

She waited for Simon to leave, though his poem made it hard for her to keep quiet as the words sent shivers down her spine, but once he was gone she called out, "Hello...are any of you awake...Hello?!"

[Evelyn Turner]

Evelyn's head felt heavier than it had ever felt before. As she slowly opened her eyes a searing pain shot through her, grounding her to the spot where she lie. Her cheek was cold against the stone floor, but she didn't recognize where she was. From her position on her stomach she could only see a dingy corner made of stone, met by an even dirtier floor of stone. This wasn't the Gryffindor Common Room, she was somewhere else.

Evelyn forced herself to roll to her side, requiring much more strength than the action normally called for. The pain shot through her again and she realized it was coming from the back of her head. She slowly brought her hand up to her hair and touched something warm and sticky. She was bleeding. She tried to scream but the sound stuck in her throat. She didn't know where she was but she could see now that she was trapped, iron bars blocking the only exit from the small cell.

She heard a voice. It was familiar but she couldn't place it. It was a girl's voice, she'd heard it before. She was certain of that. "What...what happened?" Evelyn replied, wincing at the pain the words caused.

[Alyxandria Rye]

Alyx groaned. She was going to be late for work. It was only her second week on the job. Ricki and Milo were going to be disappointed. Alyx hated disappointing anyone. Godric her head hurt. Why did her head hurt so badly? The last thing she could remember was telling Evie that there had been some news on her parent's. Her mother. Ricki was going to check it out and they'd have more information soon. She was in the Gryffindor Common Room, but as her friend had quickly realized, Alyx knew too that she wasn't in the Common Room anymore.

Her eyes fluttered open weakly, and she was grateful for the dim lighting, until she realized she was in a cell.

She heard something then, a voice. "Evie?" she called out, "Evie is that you?"

[Christine Montgomery]

"Evelyn!" Christine gasped. She knew the girl as they were in the same house together. Alyx's voice soon joined and Christine felt a strange sort of relief and terror at not being alone anymore but being joined in so terrible a situation.

"Alyx!"

"Christine? W-What's going on?"

"Thank god you two are alright." Christine said her heart pounding, but they weren't alright, they were very far from alright.

[Evelyn Turner]

The second voice she definitely recognized. "Alyx? Yes, it's me!" The first voice belonged to Christine Montgomery, a girl in her house a year ahead of her. "Christine? What's going on?"

Evelyn grasped at the edges of the stones that made the wall and pulled herself into a sitting position. The view did not improve. "Are we at the school?" She already knew the answer but as tears began to well in her eyes she prayed for a miracle. She hoped this was all a joke. A cruel prank by the Slytherins for beating them at the last quidditch match.

[Colette Borgin]

She must've fallen asleep in the common room, as she stirred she was greeted by the chill of the dungeon and the firm stone of the common room floor. She had a headache. "Ow," she grumbled as she sat up, rubbing her temples. Why was everyone yelling? She wanted to scold them for being so loud so early, but her head throbbed and she realized it was the headache amplifying the sounds.

Colette rubbed her eyes and blinked, looking around and realizing she was not where she thought she had been. The yelling became clearer, she could understand what was being said. "Thank God you're alright." "What's going on?" "Are we at the school?"

Colette looked around. "This is definitely not Hogwarts," she said, clambering to her feet and trying to peer past the bars.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine closed her eyes as she heard more voices. This was a nightmare.

"No. It's not." she said her voice low and brittle. "We've been taken underground somewhere." She told them, as though they didn't know.

"Do any of you know what day it is?"

[Erica Raines]

"Christine?" Erica's voice was harsh to her own ears. During the first few moments of consciousness she tried to piece together what had happened to her. She had been at the school walking through the gardens. She saw someone in a dark cloak. She followed them to a carriage. She saw the girl the masked man had hid inside. She pulled her wand out to confront him, but he was too fast.

Now she heard voices and one stood out.

"Erica!"

"Christine, Godric is it really you? You were taken. I was just speaking with your aunt. Are you alright?" she heard the other voices too, "Girls, are any of you hurt?"

[Evelyn Turner]

Evelyn's heart sank as she heard Colette Borgin answer her question. They weren't at Hogwarts and this was not a Slytherin prank. Colette bullied Evelyn quite a lot about Evie's marks and the fact that she was always studying. But Evie knew that even this was far too inventive for the Slytherin girl, she would have never been able to plan and pull a joke like this off. She also seriously doubted that Colette would risk her school career and family's reputation by physically attacking another student.

Miss Raines asked after the girls. Oh Godric, how many of us are here? "My head," she managed to say in response. "It's bleeding, but I think I'm okay. Alyx, are you okay?"

[Alyxandria Rye]

Alyx shivered as she realized their guidance counselor was with them, her fear increased with each new voice. Whoever had taken them was clearly quite capable. The more she listened the more her head cleared. She remembered Samantha at school being upset. They weren't close by any means, but the girl had helped Alyx out once and they had been cordial since. She was closer to Christine, who hadn't been at school in a while. Had she been here all this time?

Where was here?

"I'm fine." she answered Evelyn, "A little bruised. I'll live. How many of us are there?"

"He brought nine of you in today that I saw..." Christine answered her. "Erica...how long have I been Missing?" she asked swallowing over the knot in her throat.

[Erica Raines]

"You've been gone for ten days." Erica answered, "We all thought..." she took a deep breath, "It's good to hear your voice."

"I wish it was under better circumstances." Christine swallowed.

"What do you know about the man who took us? Are you alright? Has he...done anything to you?"

[Colette Borgin]

There were ten girls in this dungeon. Each locked in their own cell. Colette swallowed hard, the pressure in her temples increasing as she did so. Her mother had warned her of how cruel some men could be. Ten girls in a dungeon - Colette was expecting the worst.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine was silent. M had terrified her. She had seen what he had done to Lex, but what he did to the girl who occupied the cell before her, made Lex's attack look like a high end massage. He made Christine watch, and he blamed her for making him want her so much. He said that he had to make room for her, and that it was only fair she watch what she was making him do.

Other times he would come into her cell after ensuring that she couldn't move. He'd be wearing Dorian's skin and stroke her hair backwards lovingly. He'd read to her. It chilled Christine that he had known what Dorian and her had done in the hotel, and that he would imitate such intimacies. But Christine was careful to play along and to keep him complacent. So far she had only been terrified, but she knew Simon was capable of worse. Much worse.

"Christine?"

"I'm fine Erica." though she was worried about what this recent attack meant.

[Colette Borgin]

Colette was scared and the other girls' constant questions were not helping. "The family reunion is marvelous and all," she said harshly, "but does anyone actually know what the bloody hell is going on?" Her voice rose as she spoke and her throbbed again.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine didn't blame Colette for her question or her fear, and while Christine knew what was going on she was hesitant to make the girls even more frightened.

"He goes by the initial M. He brought you all here. He...He's responsible for what's been happening lately, Sophia Stark, Penny Young..." and the girl who had been killed as Christine came.

[Evelyn Turner]

"Keep your voice down," Evelyn hissed at Colette. Shouting would only draw their kidnapper back quicker. She was just as scared as Colette was, but there wasn't any reason to lose her head.

Yet.

Christine explained who the kidnapper was. Evelyn read to Daily Prophet every morning at breakfast. She knew exactly who Christine was talking about. Evelyn started to cry.

[Christine Montgomery]

Christine wished to spare the girls, but thought it best that they could prepare themselves now. She hoped. But hearing Evelyn cry, tore at Christine's insides.

"Don't cry Evie." Alyx said with surprising strength, "We'll make it out of this."

Christine admired Alyx's words, even if she didn't believe them.

[Evelyn Turner]

Evelyn tried to hold back her tears as Alyx urged her to do, but Evelyn read the paper enough to know better. "How? I've read all about this guy in the Daily Prophet. Only one person managed to escape, and she was an Auror. How are we going to make it out of this?" She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. They weren't getting out of here alive.

[Christine Montgomery]

"She's alive?" Christine perked up, "Lex is alive?" it was the first news she had heard of her friend and she had been so certain that Lex was gone. Tears came suddenly, as her entire body shuddered with relief.

She knew Evelyn was right, she knew better than they did what Simon was capable of, but at that moment she had hope.

****

Erica was looking at the cell and then through the hole in the door, she was looking for any weaknesses that could help her escape, or help the girls escape. Erica wasn't afraid for herself, but she realized with a startling clarity that she would do whatever it took to get these girls home.

"This was a bold attack for him. If he took ten of us. He can't manage us all, and he has to know that the ministry is looking for him. Try and be brave girls."

****

Alyx wasn't afraid, well she was, she was terrified but beyond being scared she was royally pissed off. Who did this jackass think he was? She was this close to finding her mother, to learning who she was. Yes she was afraid, but fear was fuel for her anger. She had no idea how well she mirrored her real mother at that moment.