"Students and staff, pardon the interruption. Would Austin Perspex and Allisun Vorhees come to the office?"

I froze in my seat when I heard my name. Everyone around me in my history class stared as I grabbed my bag and made my way to the door of the classroom. My feet dragged me to the front office, where Austin stood, muttering to the man next to him, who had his back turned to me. I opened the door, and Austin looked at me, his eyes wide and pleading. He shook his head frantically, motioning for me to leave.

The receptionist looked at me and smiled. "Allisun!" Austin froze. "You're not leaving, don't worry. But your uncle stopped in to take Austin to a doctor's appointment, and he wanted to see you!"

My breathing staggered as the man turned around. I saw his face- the same scarred face from before, with its same smirk that hid something sinister behind it. "Allisun." He said cooly, looking me up and down. "It's great to see you. How long has it been? Four years since I came to visit?"

I stepped back, placing my back flat against the closed office door. Austin was at my side in an instant, whispering quietly. "Alli, I'm so sorry- I didn't know he was coming-"

"Allisun, come here." He gestured me closer. "Come give me a hug." I refused to move, my feet staying firmly planted where they were. He turned to the receptionist. "I know I can't take her with, but is there somewhere we can just spend a few minutes together, just to talk?"

She nodded. "We have the meeting room, it should be empty." She pointed to the door on her right. "Go on in!"

He stepped forward, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along. My feet dragged along, and my hands were in fists. He pulled me inside the meeting room, shut the door behind us, and immediately pushed me against it. His smirk turned into a scowl. "It's your fault I was locked in that place. Do you know what they did to me in there? Do you know what I had to do to get out of there?"

He grabbed my hair and pushed me down onto my chest. My eyes stung as tears fell out of them. He placed his foot on my back, pressing hard until it was almost too hard to breathe. "You're lucky I can't take you out of here, or else you'd be seeing much worse than this."

He lowered himself onto his knees, straddling my back. He reached forward, wrapping his hands around my neck. He squeezed tightly, choking me. I gasped for air as my vision became more blurred from the loss of oxygen. I choked on my sobs. I prayed for someone to help. He grunted, squeezing more. My vision started growing black until-

The doorknob turned. He quickly got off of me and to my side, putting his hand on my back as the door opened. "Allisun? Can you hear me?"

I heard him grunt, then felt someone pick me up. "Get your filthy hands off of her!" The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't tell who it was in the state I was in.

They took a few steps, leaving the room with me in their arms. "Is she okay?" Another, quieter voice asked.

"I don't know, but she's a mess."

"What happened in there?" A female asked.

"We were just talking, and she started crying and breathing heavy." He said. "I tried to help, but she wouldn't stop."

"Likely story." The person that held me muttered. "Katie, that man is never allowed to see her on these premises."

"Who are you to say that? I'm her uncle!" He asked.

"I'm her father."

I finally started to breathe right, with the pressure relieved from my throat. My eyesight started to clear, and I took in the sight around me. He stood at the door to the meeting room, staring aghast at me. Austin was at the door to the office, looking sullen. The receptionist had a scared look on her face as her eyes flickered from me to him. I looked up, taking in Mark's angry face as he glared at him.

At once, Mark spun, leaving the office with me in his arms. He practically sprinted down the hallway to his empty classroom, where he closed the door behind him. He brought me to his desk, sitting me gently in his chair before grabbing tissues and wiping my cheeks gently. "It's okay, Alli. I'm here. You'll be okay."

I choked on another sob, bringing my knees to my chest. He sighed. "I wish I knew what was going on. I didn't read the chat earlier, I was teaching. I wish I did, now, so Sean didn't have to come in and tell me to go get you from the office."

The bell rang, and he held his hand out. "Come on, let's go to the prep room. This room's about to fill with kids." I took his hand, following him to a closed door on the nearest wall. He opened it, letting me in first. "Will you be okay in here for a little bit so I can go get Sean?" I nodded, and he gave a small smile before closing the door.

I sat in silence in the room for a minute, before the door opened again. Jack barged in, worry evident in his face and Mark behind him. He scooped me up, hugging me tightly. "Oh, Alli! Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?"

"Sean, give her some room to breathe." Mark warned. Sean let me go, and Mark was at my side, rubbing my back comfortingly. "I'm gonna take her home. She can't stay like this."

Jack stared. "What? Mark, you can't-"

"You don't agree with me? Sean, just look at her!"

"I do agree with you, but you can't take her. You have a meeting after school. I'll take her."

Mark sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong." He kissed Mark's cheek, then turned to me. "Come on, Alli. Let's go to my room, then we can go." He held his hands out to me, and I took them, following him out of the room.

"I'll see you both later, okay?" Mark called out. I turned back to him and nodded. He smiled, hesitating a moment, before turning and leaving for his class.