Found - From The Author of Destination Unknown

It hurts. A lot. Dad had never beaten me this hard before, I don't even know why he was so angry, what compelled him to take his feet and fists to me in a blind rage. I imagined that my rib was broken, another injury to go with the bleeding lip and sliced hip he had given me. I sighed and tucked my raven hair behind my ears and shimmied into my school skirt. I dressed quickly and quietly and packed my bag with books and two apples before I left the house. A lot of people dreaded school, but it was my only escape.

I felt small at school, it was as if I didn't matter to my peers, it made me feel unrecognized and safe. Opal was the only friend I had, and she was always getting in trouble, I was her sidekick. Robin to her Batman, Patrick to her SpongeBob. I liked it like that. Opal met me by my locker, her dirty blond hair in a high pony tail and her jumper pushed up over her elbows. Her nose ring was a sapphire blue today. I smiled.

"Hey limelight." I grinned at her, she nudged my shoulder.

"Hey shadow." She linked her arm through mine as she said this, slamming my locker shut with a grunt. She leaned in closer near my ear. "Your dad?" she asked in a barely audible whisper, my head bobbed softly, my eyes down cast. I could imagine her expression, her gray eyes raging like a storm, her teeth clenched, and jaw tight as she tried to rid the frown from her face. I peeked up. I was right.

"I think my rib is broken." I admitted with a small wince, she narrowed her eyes and said nothing. She led me to the front office and I froze. She couldn't, she wouldn't make me. Would she? There was a tension inside her that frightened me. I grabbed her shoulders and held her tightly. "You promised." I whispered "You promised you wouldn't do anything no matter what, please don't be mad." I said trying to hold my emotions in check. I think she saw it and her face softened. She pulled me into a quick hug.

"I can't stand seeing you like this." She whined gesturing to my face, I looked down ashamed. She sighed and tilted my head up. "I'm not making you talk to anyone, I just want the school nurse to check you out ok?" I closed my eyes for a long moment then let them open while I nodded.

She had her hand gently on my arm as she brought me into the white walled room that was the schools infirmary. The nurse smiled at me and told me to sit down, saying she would only be a moment. I sighed and shot Opal an evil look.

"So, what's the problem girl?" I looked at opal when she opened her mouth.

"Eve fell off her bike this morning and her rib has been giving her grief, I wanted you to make sure she was ok." Opal was good, real good, a born liar. The nurse nodded and told me to remove my school shirt, so I sat in my bra while she poked and prodded. I winced and let out some gasps when she found the soft spots. I tried to ignore the suspicious looks she gave as she noticed the other bruises in various stages of disappearing. Opal watched with solemn eyes. I let out a small moan of pain when the door opened. I closed my eyes and didn't look at the persons face; I didn't want to see their reaction. But when I did open them, the boy wasn't even paying attention to me he was ruffling around in the cabinet looking for a bandage.

"Jasper." The nurse sighed. "I rearranged it; bandages are on the third shelf." Jasper grunted and I watched his muscled back as he searched. His hair was rumpled and almost black, his profile sharp with a straight nose and high cheek bones. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. One of the bad boys then, didn't wear the uniform. The sleeve was red with blood. He made an exclamation of triumph and stood up running a hand through his hair while he looked at the bandage a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He tugged his shirt off and rolled his shoulders with a slight wince. I couldn't help myself from looking at his muscled torso. He sat up on the bed next to me and handed the bandage to the nurse.

"Thanks." Was all he said as she sighed and began wrapping up the deep slice in his shoulder.

"What happened this time?" she asked with a resigned tone.

"Science, Blake and a scalpel." He tapped them off on his fingers and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

"You really should stop baiting him Jasper." She said with a sigh and Jasper laughed.

"That reminds me," he pulled a note out of his pocket and handed it to the nurse, "Blake needs you more than I do." The nurse rolled her eyes.

"Jasper, can I trust you to help Eve out and get her cleaned up while I go fix Blake?" he nodded and she left with a first aid kit. Jasper looked at me curiously.

"Um, Eve, I'm sorry but I have to go, I've got to do a maths test, and if I don't do it Reynolds will put me on suspension again...." I rolled my eyes and she grimaced apologetically before taking off. I sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Jasper looking at the bruising on my rib.

"I have a feeling its broken." I said with a shrug. He tutted sarcastically and waved his finger like Miss Mutton our principle does.

"A broken rib! A broken rib gives you the excuse to go wandering around topless does it?! Grace my child, and poise, not wearing a shirt is a very unladylike thing to be doing." His voice was the perfect high-pitch nasally tone that Miss Mutton used. I snorted with amusement. He sighed, ran a hand over his face and began looking for an icepack. I let out a deep sigh as he placed the ice gently against my rib. He saw the bruises but didn't comment until he saw the ugly state my hip was in. "Want me to fix that up as well?" he asked eyebrows raised. I looked down ashamed.

"Yes, please." He began rubbing a mint smelling balm on the bruise surrounding the cut.

"So what happened?" he asked putting antiseptic on the cut. I drew in a sharp breath at the sting.

"Fell off my bike." I said softly. I was as good at lying as Opal, unless it was about my injuries. Jasper could basically smell the falsehood that tinged my words. He placed a large patch over it and tilted my head up. His eyes were angry, but his touch was gentle.

"Is someone hurting you Eve?" he asked softly, his voice laced with concern. I didn't realize I was crying until Jasper brushed a tear away. "Who?" he asked gently cupping my face as I turned my head down. "Trust me." He whispered. My eyes were welling as I looked at him.

"My Dad." I said hoarsely a sob breaking from my lips. He sighed and hugged me. I felt warm and secure in his arms. The tears stopped and I was glad, I hated crying. He pulled away and threw me a white t-shirt from a cupboard, he grabbed one for himself.

"Come on." He said taking my hand and pulling me off the bed after I tugged the shirt over my head.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he dragged me out of the school.

"You are in no state to be listening to lectures and learning how to use calculus to find a curve." I stood dumbstruck as he unlocked his car.

"We're going to truant?" I had truanted before, being best friends with a daredevil usually led to disappearing from school for an hour or so. But I had only just met Jasper. But I felt safe with him. I took one last look at the school before sliding into his car.

It smelt like freshly mown grass inside sitting against the leather seats. A hint of mint wafted through the air and I was comforted. Such mundane things could put me at ease. Jasper looked at me, a small smirk playing at the corners of her lips.

"What?" I demanded my eyes wide.

"You look so comfortable in my car." He stated his smile fully evolved. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks and I bit my lip.

"It is a very nice car." I defended and he laughed. And started it.

"Glad you like it."

"Hmmmm."

"Really glad."