When Mark arrived in school the next morning it seemed like all anyone would talk about was the previous night's rescue. Rumors were flying around and he could hear the students discussing them as he made his way to class, but very few had any real information.

"Hey, did you hear the news?" Zeke called out to him when he entered. Mark noticed that all the girls were already there, standing in a group and chatting animatedly. The only guys who were in were the ones who came by bus from out of town. He walked over to where they were standing.

"Yeah, I saw it on TV last night", he answered softly when he got close.

"We can't all go together!" Cassandra's voice suddenly rang out.

"Why not? It's not like we'll all go into the room together!" Mia countered.

"We need to think about what's good for Beth. We shouldn't put pressure on her like that!" Cassandra argued.

"Or maybe having all of us there to support her will make her feel better!" Mia argued back.

One of the guys leaned forward and whispered "catfight?". Mark shushed him. He wasn't interested in seeing any action, but in what they were talking about.

"You really think that she'd want a crowd coming to stare at her after that? Would you want it, if it was you?" Cassandra answered quietly. Mia settled down and wore a thoughtful expression. "No, I wouldn't, but she's not just your friend, you know. The rest of us care about her too".

Mark thought about it too. Although none of the news said it, he could already surmise what she must have suffered. As a guy and her ex-boyfriend, would Beth even want to see him now? But if he stayed away, would she think he blamed her or was disgusted by her? He didn't want that either. He'll have to talk it over later with Cassandra.

The girls relaxed, and the battle-lines formed by the two groups dissolved as they resumed their discussion about the best way to care for Beth. Mark heard some sighs and murmurs of disappointment from behind him. He sat silent, thinking, while the guys broke off into some discussion he didn't pay any attention to and the rest of his classmates trickled in. Then the bell rang and the school day started.

Friday was a little bit shorter than a regular week day, but nevertheless Mark would have usually been impatient for it to end and for the weekend to start, just like anybody else. Today, however, he welcomed it as a distraction and an opportunity to take some time to think things over. He even paid some attention in class, finding the mind-numbing sensation of listening to the teachers' lectures to be relaxing.

Now that Beth had been rescued he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and that he'd probably no longer play as badly as he did yesterday, but he could feel that there was considerable weight still there. He worried about the best way to go about treating Beth, and he worried about the girl from the hole. At least, he hoped it was a girl. The alternative bothered him too. If he wanted to perform well in soccer he needed to clear his mind and resolve the issue regarding Beth.

During the break the guys were discussing Jake's new console again.

"So how about today?" Steve asked.

"We said tomorrow! There's homework!" Jake retorted.

"Homework can wait. Checking out your new hardware is more important", Steve lectured.

"No way! My parents will kill me!" Jake shook his head vehemently. Steve and Zeke exchange a glance, the two big guys sharing an understanding.

"So tomorrow?" Zeke asked.

"Tomorrow maybe", Jake answered. "Depends on if I finish my homework".

"So around 2?" Steve proposed. "That way you'll have plenty of time to finish up in the morning".

"Yeah, fine, whatever" Jake mumbled in resignation.

Mark was disappointed. He was hoping to get some relaxation that day. At the same time it would give him the chance to try to visit Beth first which would help resolve his worry and tension, so maybe he could enjoy hanging out in Jake's house more.

Toward the end of lunch break Mark managed to catch Cassandra alone.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

The tall blond girl regarded him coolly. "What is it?".

"It's about Beth, obviously. I want to go see her".

"What for?", she eyed him suspiciously.

"What do you mean, what for? I'm worried about her, okay?". Mark felt offended by the question.

"If you think you can use this to get back together with her, I'm not going to let you". Mark could see the resolve in her eyes. He chose to answer her directly.

"Beth and I are over, and nothing is ever going to change that. I just want to make sure she knows that what happened to her doesn't change how anyone thinks of her, that's all".

Cassandra studied his face carefully, searching for any sign of deception or hidden intentions. She didn't find any, because there was nothing to find.

"Alright, you can come with us when we go, but you'll have to wait outside. We'll check first if she's ready before you go in".

"That's fine. When are we going?". Mark inwardly sighed in relief. He didn't need Cassandra's permission to see Beth, of course, but she could make his life very difficult if she chose to, and her agreement meant that Jessica and Stephanie would go along with it too, and Cassandra would be the one to deal with Mia if she made a fuss.

"I'll send you a message when I know". Cassandra decisively turned and walked away, her long, straight hair fluttering behind her.

When school was over that day Mark still hadn't received any message from Cassandra, so he went to kick the ball around as usual. He kept it up for about an hour after the hockey practice ended, but nothing special happened, so he gave up and left.

Before going home he went to a bakery. He bought a box full of pastries and had them tie it with a ribbon as a gift. Then he waited in his room for the promised message. He supposed he could have tried to do some homework, but he realized that he was too distracted to achieve anything except frustrating himself over his lack of progress. He also didn't feel like he could enjoy playing any games, never mind reading a book. So he just lay in bed staring at his phone, waiting for the message while thoughts swirled in his head.

He tried to imagine what was about to happen and what he should say. He came up with various scenarios and options, but none of them seemed right. He didn't want to sound like he was trying to come on to her, or make her feel week and needy by being too direct with his message. Perhaps just acting normal would be enough, but after what happened to her, could he really act normal? Especially given their past relationship, and that they've hardly ever spoken with each other since they broke up.

His phone lit up. It was the message he was waiting for.

Get ready. I'm coming to pick you up.

He didn't need to get ready since he'd already showered and changed, so he just continued waiting. About 15 minutes later he heard a car pull up to the driveway and his phone lit up again, showing another message.

We're here. Come out.

Mark took the box and went down. There was a gray sedan in his parent's driveway. It looked it was at least a decade old. Cassandra was sitting behind the wheel with Jessica in the passenger seat. He went to the back door on the driver's side and saw that the seat was empty, so he opened it and put the box in the middle of the back row. Stephanie was sitting on the other side, holding a bouquet of flowers. He sat down and closed the door, and they were off.

"What's in the box? You're not bringing her chocolates or some other stupid thing, right?" Jessica demanded.

"It's just some pastries. Do you really think I'm trying to get back with Beth? Now?". Mark was a little exasperated with Jessica's hostility. What kind of a lowlife did she think he was?

"I already had that talk with him when he asked to come. I don't think he's trying to cause any trouble, so leave it for now", Cassandra said lightly, but with authority. Jessica turned to face forward again, her tiny stature almost completely hidden from view by the back of her seat.

Cassandra turned on the music, and the rest of the ride passed wordlessly, all of them being too solemn to chat.

It was late in the afternoon, almost evening when they arrived, but it was well within visiting hours. Cassandra parked in the visitor parking lot. It was expensive, but she didn't seem to pay it any mind. Then she led them directly to Beth's room. Mark idly wondered how she knew the way so clearly. All he could say was that she always seemed to be well prepared.

Cassandra knocked on the closed door.

"Who is it?" The voice of Beth's mother rang out.

"It's Cassandra, Jessica, and Stephanie", Cassandra answered. A few moments later the door opened and Beth's parents stepped out, closing the door behind them. They looked haggard.

"How is she doing?" Cassandra asked.

"The doctors say that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her, so they're releasing her tonight", Beth's father answered. His voice cracked a little.

"Can we go in now?", Cassandra asked delicately. Mr. Turner nodded. Cassandra turned and looked Mark in the eye. He smiled wanly and went to sit in the recreational area at the end of the corridor. It had padded chairs, a TV, magazines, and a drink counter with coffee and tea. He set near the entrance so that he could keep an eye on Beth's door. Beth's parents left the department, perhaps to finally catch a bite to eat.

Mark waited for a long time, and just when he started thinking that they had forgotten about him Stephanie came out of the room, crying, and hurriedly walked over to him.

"Cassandra says you can go in now", she choked out, then ran to the visitor's toilet, her long, wavy, copper-colored hair fanning out around her head as she turned sharply, hiding her face. He could hear her sobbing from behind the locked door.

Mark went in to Beth's room. Beth Was lying in her bed. Her thin body looked so small and frail inside the large hospital bed. Stephanie's flowers were in a vase on the floor, since there was no real place to put them. Cassandra and Jessica were sitting beside her. They turned toward him as he entered, and he could see that all of the girl's faces were wet with tears.

Mark forgot whatever he had planned to say. All that came out from his mouth was a simple "hi".

"Hi", Beth answered wanly.

"Um, I brought you this". He raised the box toward her. Beth took the box and opened it.

"I didn't know you'd be going home tonight, and I figured all you're getting to eat is just boring hospital food", he mumbled while looking at his feet.

"Thanks"

Mark sat down on an empty chair, on the opposites side of Beth's bed from Cassandra and Jessica. Mark didn't know what else to say.

"When are you coming back to school?", he ended up blurting out.

"I don't know". Beth kept her eyes on the content of the box.

He spouted out the next thing that came to mind. "Lot's of people in school were worried about you. Everyone's happy that you're safe now".

Beth was clutching the box tightly, crumpling its edges. "I don't feel safe". She whispered.

"Well, you should. You're here with us and the scumbag was caught, right?"

"That's right", a new voice said. Mark turned to look, and saw a brown-haired, round-faced girl in a hospital gown standing in the doorway. It was the other girl who was kidnapped with Beth. He recognized her from the photos on the news. "I just hope I managed to neuter him properly. They still won't tell me".

"What are you talking about?" Mark was slightly puzzled.

"Just that I kicked him really hard in the nuts, and I'm trying find out if I managed to permanently crush them or not", Amber answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mark raised his eyebrows in appreciation. This girl certainly seemed tough. For a moment he felt pity for the guy before remembering what he had done.

"So who is this guy?" Amber pointed her chin toward Mark.

"I already told you about him", Beth answered reluctantly.

Amber looked Mark over again. "You really messed up, huh?"

The comment made Mark uncomfortable. "I wasn't right for her. She deserves someone who can put her first".

Amber nodded and moved into the room. Mark was acutely aware of her presence as she sat down beside him. Somehow knowing what she had just been through made the pretty-looking girl strangely alluring.

Mark faded into the background and listened as the girls chatted, trying his best not to pay any undue attention to the girl sitting next to him. He already accomplished what he had set out to do: to show that nobody thought badly about Beth for what had happened to her. He didn't want to create any complications or make a jerk out of himself. In any case, it wasn't like he had any feelings toward Amber. His attraction was fueled by something that was more like a morbid curiosity. However, the fact that Amber was wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown didn't provide any aid to his efforts.

Amber did most of the talking, entertaining the guests on Beth's behalf. It was like she saw herself as Beth's protector. Cassandra and Jessica seemed oddly defensive, as if they felt they were at fault for not being in that scum's basement together with Beth.

They stayed until visiting hours were over. The girls hugged and kissed and promised to see each other again soon before leaving the room. When they stepped out they found Stephanie waiting out of view near the door. Her face was clean but her hair was a little wet. She must have washed up in the bathroom.

"I couldn't...I didn't want to cry in front of her again", she whispered. Jessica wrapped her arms around her friend. They stood there for a long moment in each other's embrace.

Beth's parents came over from the recreational area to thank them for coming to visit their daughter. Once they finished saying their goodbyes and well-wishes Cassandra led the group back to the car. They sat in the same places as before, but with a lighter load now that they had delivered their gifts.

"She looked better than I expected", Mark remarked.

Jessica turned around in her seat to shoot him a sharp look.

"I just meant that I thought she would be all beaten up", he said defensively, shrinking in his seat.

"Give it a break. It's what I've been thinking too", Cassandra said.

"Still, she looked...bad", Stephanie commented softly.

Cassandra sighed. "I know. I don't think it's a good idea to let Mia's group come and see her tomorrow, but if they really want to, we can't really stop them".

Mark listened intently as the girls chattered. It was somewhat fascinating to him to learn of the politics that were going behind the scenes, something which the guys were usually unaware of unless they had a girlfriend who was involved.

Before long they reached Mark's house and he got out. He waved goodbye as the girls drove off, then went inside.

It was well past supper time, but his place at the table was still set. His mother got off the couch to serve him the food and sit with him while he ate.

"How was it?", she asked him delicately once he had eaten a few mouthfuls.

"She didn't look too great, but I didn't see any injuries". He stared down at the food on his plate and played around with it with his fork while answering. Beth looked so frail. He never saw her that vulnerable before, even when she tearfully broke up with him.

"Did they say when she could go home?"

"Yeah, she's going home tonight".

Maria could see that her son didn't want to talk any more, so she sat and watched as he ate, trying to silently convey her support. When Mark finished he went up to his room. He sent a text message to Jake while lying on his back in bed.

Are we on for tomorrow at 14:00?

He stared at his phone, holding it up in the air above his face while waiting for a reply. It was a few minutes later when it came.

Yeah. How was Beth?

Mark typed his reply.

Not great. See you tomorrow.

Mark put his phone on silent and tossed it on his nightstand. He didn't want to talk about it with Jake either, or even to move. Whatever else he needed to do could wait for tomorrow. He stared at his ceiling motionlessly until finally sleep took him.