Evelyna’s POV

I faced my friends. For once, I needed them more than ever. We had to figure out where Tyler was. As much as he annoyed me to no end, I did have a soft spot in my heart for him. (However small that spot in my heart actually was...) He had been a Boston Bruin and had helped to bring the Cup back to Boston, one of the greatest places and cities on Earth. Whenever the Blackhawks went to Boston, I felt at home. The passion and energy from the crowd at TD Garden was similar to Chicago’s and it made me happy. And Tyler Seguin, as much as I disliked to believe it, had been a major factor.

Now that was Reilly Smith.

But I did and do care about Tyler. And we had to find and save him. I looked hopefully at the others, who were still in shock. Nathan and Christina held one another close, while Jonathan and Patrick hadn’t realized that they were holding one another close as well. They shared a look of horror between themselves.

I decided to read the clue again: “You’ll find him locked away in a tower, as the time ticks by. One second closer to Tyler’s horrible death. Find him quickly and he lives, but the longer it takes, the greater chance he has to die.”

“Why does this sound so familiar?” Christina spoke up.

“Yeah. It sounds like something similiar to what you might view in a movie or TV show?” Patrick chided.

“But what?” I pressed, hoping that I didn’t sound too desperate.

My brother gave me a curious look and I sighed. I would have to explain my rather complex feelings about the Dallas Star superstar. “You care about Tyler now too?” Jonathan questioned.

“No, well yes. I have an extremely small spot in my heart for him...it’s only ‘cause he is talented and friends with Kaner. But I do NOT love him anymore than that. And we can all agree that no matter how obnoxious he is, he’s a human being, a nice guy and doesn’t deserve to die by the hand of Sidney...right?”

“Right…”

“So, where is he?” I pressed.

“Well Sid said something about a tower?”

I thought for a little bit, repeating the clue to myself, as everyone else thought too. It took a little while, like five or ten minutes, before the silence was broken.

It was Jonathan who pipped up first. “I’ve got it!”

I looked at him, curiously. “What?”

“Sidney said something about a “time ticking by”...I’m thinking that maybe this “tower” is actually a clock tower!”

I nodded my head. That was plausible and made sense. There was only one thing that bothered me. And I couldn’t help but think of TV Shows and movies with clock tower perils. I knew this was fantastical, but not Hollywood. It was still technically reality, but could Sid have really pulled something so dangerous off?

“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout there, Eve?” Patrick asked.

I faced the three hockey players and my friend. “Well, you know how in movies when a villain character kidnaps someone and it involves clock towers…”

“Yeah.”

“I have a REALLY bad feeling that Sid may have done something similar and Tyler is in terrible danger if that is the case!”

“You said that about Kinny...or Nathan...and look? We saved him!” Christina stated, nuzzling up against Nathan, who flashed an awkwardly innocent smile. Not quite Reilly Smith awkward, but close enough.

“But what could he do with Tyler?” Nathan asked, after having a moment with my friend.

“That’s a good question Kinny. I propose we get to Dallas and find out. I’m almost positive that bastard put Tyler’s peril there!” I remarked. “And we can drop Patrick off in Chicago on the way.”

Patrick made to protest, but Jonathan purposefully showed him how wrong he was, by smacking him over his bad shoulder. “Ow! Dammit, Jonny! That hurt!”

“You’re not carrying on, Kaner.”

“Fuck you!”

“Hey, watch your mouth, young man.”

“Fuck you!”

“Kanerboo, don’t make me!”

“What, Jonny?”

“I’m your Captain, Kaner....I’m Chicago’s Captain and I say you are going to stay with Sharpy, Saader, and Shawzy and the others and heal up. Chicago needs you!”

“And as your sister, Patrick, I agree completely. Don’t whine and just listen to us. For once don’t be a brat and just listen, okay?”

The blond nodded, reluctantly.

With that, we all piled into the car and zoomed off from Vail, Colorado. Christina insisted that Nathan join us and take Patrick’s spot, which only riled the blond man up again. But he was soon dropped off at Sharpy’s place, where Brandon and Andrew were hanging already and they agreed to take him in.

With Patrick, unhappily, being cared for by a prankster, pest and snake-bitten man trio, Jonathan, Christina, Nathan and I launched off to Dallas.

We weren’t entirely sure what we would find in Texas, but I knew it wouldn’t be pretty. We asked around, trying to figure out what clock tower the clue could possibly be talking about...if it was even a clock tower. Luckily though, there was only one clock tower and it was in the middle of the Dallas metropolitan.

The four of us entered the tower and took the elevator up to the top. We got out and stepped into a place filled with mechanisms and gears. I felt my heart race in my chest and for some reason I began to suddenly care.

“Tyler!” I called out. “Tyler Seguin!?”

Of course there was no response and chances were that once more, the bastard known as Sidney Crosby had gagged another of his hostages. I was officially saying that Sidney Crosby was a psychopathic man who had a fetish for tying people up and gagging them. Sick.

I quickened my urgency and looked around. I dodged the maze of gears and crossed over a small bridge. I could see the big circle where the clock sat in its place in the frame. Through the loud ticking and light it gave off, I spotted Tyler weakly struggling in place on a stone sacrifice table.

“TYLER!!” I screamed and darted forward.

Jonathan, Christina and Nathan were right behind me. I skidded to a halt by the table and saw the pendulum inches from touching the poor man. I spun around. “Jonny, the pendulum!”

He rapidly located the level and with all his strength, jammed the switch and shut it down...just in the nick of time. I reached over the table and turned Tyler’s head to me. I was horrified to see that he was deathly pale and had his nose and mouth covered. He was super weak and I wasn’t sure he’d make it.

I had to try though. We hadn’t lost anyone yet and, even though this was the obnoxious Tyler Seguin, I was determined not to lose him. I climbed onto the table and gently and carefully peeled away the tape. Then I untied the knot in the washcloth.

“Oh God, Sidney…” I hissed, as his head lolled to the side and his mouth opened. I saw the wadded up undergarment that had been shoved inside of his mouth. I gritted my teeth, looked away and reached into his mouth to remove the object. “Eww...dammit Sidney.” I tossed it to the side at once and wiped my saliva-drenched hand on the cloth.

This was so gross, my friend and brother decided to push things.

“I think you need to give him CPR,” Christina laughed, burying her head into Nathan’s shoulder to stifle the laughter she had coming.

“Yeah, put your mouth on his and blow…”

“Alright, first of all, hell no and second of all, hell no. I’m not kissing Tyler Seguin!” I interrupted sending him a scolding look. Then I turned back to Tyler and saw that the color was remaining the same. I silently begged him to come back. “Come on, Seguin, come on...don’t make me…” I felt for a pulse on his neck. It was still faint.

I turned back to the gathered trio. Jonathan looked from me to Tyler. “You’ve got to do it, Evelyna!” He was right. Unfortunately. There was no other way. If I didn’t Tyler would die for sure.

“Okay, fine, but nobody take any pictures or anything! You all never mention this again and Jonny, you owe me big for this. I get to kiss Nichy BIG when we save him!”

“Fair enough, now kiss Tyler or he’ll die.”

I took a deep breath, lowered myself over him, and like some kind of sick, reversed fairytale, placed my lips onto the Dallas forward’s. I blew a puff of air into his mouth, three times, before he convulsed and gasped for air. I drew back, spitting and wiping my mouth off.

“EWWWW!! I kissed Tyler Seguin!!!! Ew!” I jumped off the stone table and stumbled over to the railing that concealed a set of gears, by the bridge and doubled over it, hurling. “I NEVER WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN!!”

“Now you know what happened when I kissed Patrick accidentally!” Jonathan called.

I spun around from the railing and saw Tyler gasping for air still. His eyes were wide open. I decided to busy myself, trying to get the awful kiss out of my head. I gave my brother a stern look, as I brushed by. I went over to the lever and scanned the area, looking for any kind of button that could release Tyler from his restraints.

“Jonathan Toews?” I heard Tyler croak out.

“Yeah. Don’t worry Tyler, we’re here to help you out.”

“Thank you.” He twisted about, still trying to control his breathing and get to a normal state.

I stormed back up, standing at the end of the table and hovered over his bound arms, which were red and pale. “How did Sidney trap you like this?”

He looked back at me, “He pressed some kind of button or something!”

I spun back around and went back to trying to find it. I didn’t see it and that worried me. The clock rang with the next hour and almost scared me senseless. It distracted everyone though, drawing our attention to it.

When it rang the last stroke, an ear-splitting scream followed immediately. I whirled around to Tyler and saw him bleeding at his chest. Blood welled from the wound and he gave a violent jerk against the restraints on him.

He’d been shot by a bullet and I was pretty sure it was Sidney Crosby who had shot him. Whether it was the fact that my feelings had somehow shifted or that I genuinely cared about Tyler or whatever, I yowled with pain.

“TYLER!!!!!”

I launched onto the table and snatched up the cloth, immediately sticking it over the wound, trying to stop the blood at once. But it wasn’t doing anything. “Jonathan, help me! I need to stop the bleeding, now!”

My brother jumped up to join me. He slapped the Dallas Star on the face, “Stay with me, Tyler, stay with me!”

“I…” He howled in pain and convulsed violently. “I can’t!”

“Tyler dammit, stay with us!” I barked at him. “You can’t die!” I shifted position and switched with Jonathan. I smacked Tyler across the cheek, while my brother took over dealing with the wound.

“Tyler, please…” I whispered, shocked that I felt sympathy for him like this. He was losing his breathing again and turning deathly white, like a ghost. I smacked him again. “Stay with me!”

“So, you’re Evelyna, eh?” Tyler whispered.

“Yeah.”

“You have beautiful blue eyes.”

He was dying and all he could say as his last words were something sweet to me, like he was hitting on me or flirting with me? I managed a smile...that was so Tyler Seguin!

Notes

Haha...I feel like that would be Seguin...if he were to die in the arms of a girl, any girl, I think he would be nice or try to hit on her. Oh Tyler Seguin.


Next up: On to Nichy!! Let's the classic and cheesy train track rescue commense!