Forlot: Welcome to the Dummy House - Book Forty-One

Chapter Thirty-Four

Standing in my doorway was a tall figure. I was unable to see who it was because the blackness covered him or her. But I knew that it was him. Jack had come for me. He came for his prizes. Turn me into a doll and kidnap me and Alexis. I frowned and kicked the covers off me. I would not go to the Dummy House without a fight.

I managed to hold in my cries. I said nothing to Jack. I wanted to act before it was too late. My muscles tensed as I grasped my sheets and threw them. Threw them as best as I could. Jack did not have a chance to react. He uttered a cry as they landed on him. Now he resembled a ghost. He stumbled into my room and tugged on said sheets.

I growled and scrambled off my bed. "How does it feel, Jack? You are helpless because you cannot see. That is how I felt. I was helpless whenever I saw you. I figured that you were a gentleman. Kind and caring. I believed that you had nothing to do with my sister's vanishing. I could not believe that you would do it. I still cannot. I-I was betrayed by a boy whom I thought loved me. B-but you are like the others."

I gasped when he pried the sheets off him. I recognized the boy. It was not Jack. It was Owen. Remember him? I met him in the gym. Him and Anita. I forgot all about them after they disappeared. I let out a long whoosh of air and walked to Owen. I was relieved that it was him, not Jack. But why was he in my house in the middle of the night? And how did he get in? So I asked him.

Owen tossed the covers on my bed. "Janice?"

"Yes?"

"It is easy to get in when your front door is unlocked."

I was stunned. "The front door was unlocked?"

"Yeah. I was surprised. You should keep your windows and outside doors locked because you never know who will barge into your home."

I ran my hands down my face. "Goodness gracious. My parents must have forgotten to lock it. It has been such a crazy night."

"You can say that again."

"I do not want to because I want to forget. I would like to awaken in the morning and pretend that tonight did not happen. I was not stupid. I did not do what I did. It was a dream. A nightmare. I want to put it behind me." Tears formed in my eyes as I sat on my bed. I could not hold back the tears no matter how hard I tried. "I...I do not think that I can forget. It will forever be part of me. You probably do not know what I am talking about."

Owen motioned to my bed. "May I?"

I sniffed and patted the bed. He sat next to me and put a hand on my shoulder and asked why I was sniffing.

I wiped my nose with my sleeve. "I am sad. Frustrated. I am so frustrated that I want to punch something."

He grabbed my pillow and held it in front of him. "It is healthy to let out your anger. Just do not hurt anybody - or me. Anita never wants to see me hurt."

I gritted my teeth and started to punch. I imagined the pillow as Jack - Jack's face - and punched it with every strength left in me until I was wiped clean. I laid on my back with my arms spread out and breathed hard. Now I was tired. I could finally fall asleep. But not yet. I had a question for Owen. I looked at him. He put my pillow back on my bed and patted it. He said that I did a great job flattening it and added that I will need to replace it.

"I would like to throw that pillow in Jack's face," I said. "Give him a taste of his own medicine." I forced myself to sit up and tucked my legs under me. "Owen. You are probably wondering what Jack has to do with this."

Owen shook his head and scooted close to me. "I knew that he had something to do with your frustration now that Anita and I know the truth."

My eyes were so wide that they hurt. I brushed my hair away from my eyes and almost fell off the bed. I played back what he said in my mind and bit my lips. "You are not kidding - are you? 'Cause it would be nice to not be the only crazy person around here."

He chuckled. "You are not crazy. I can assure you. Jack is the only one who is crazy."

"Can you say that louder for the people in the back?"

"I would, but I do not want to awaken your family. I do not want your parents to assume that I am an intruder. I would like to be alive, thank you very much."

I clasped my hands in my lap. "So where were you?"

"It is a long story."

"Does it connect to Jack in some way?"

"Yep."

"Then I must know now."

Turns out that Owen and Anita were kidnapped by the mafia dummy and his pal. That is why they were not in the gym. Although that he did not know why they were kidnapped, Owen had a theory. He and Anita asked me to spy on Jack. They were suspicious of him.
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"It is a recorder. A special recorder that I was given on my birthday. It comes with its own tape, earplugs, and microphone. You need the recorder for your initiation. You will record someone."

"Who?"

"I do not know his name, but he is the most handsome guy that you have ever seen. You will see."
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But where was Anita?