Kidnap

Six

Percy had fallen into a routine with the girl hiding out in his closet. He'd wake up, deliver food to her. Eventually she'd wake up and devour the meal, placing the empty plate in front of the closet doors. Around lunch they'd do it over again. And then at dinner too. When Gabe left in the evenings, the girl would climb out of the closet for a while.

Two days into the kidnapping, Percy told her his name. She just crept back into the closet without a reply.

The next morning Percy got up as usual. Made breakfast, enough for him, Gabe, his mom and the girl, and left the latter's portion outside the closet door. Percy brought his mother's meal directly to her, placing it on the bedside table as she slept. He was slipping out the door, when a soft whisper pulled him back.

"Percy."

He turns around, seeing the word die on his mother's lips. Her eyes are squinted and her mouth is turned upwards at the corners. She says it again. "Percy."

Instantly at her side, Percy grips her hand in his own. "I'm here Mom."

"Percy, I love you," she whispers quietly, squeezing his hand weakly and trailing her other along his cheek. "I don't tell you that a lot anymore."

Confused, Percy responds, "I love you too, Mom."

"Percy. You're such a good boy," his mom tells him. "And I love you so, so, so much. You are so strong. Remember that. I'm sorry about Gabe. I'm so, so sorry, Percy. And I wish you could have known your father. He was a great man. And I know you're going to turn out just as amazing."

Understanding floods Percy's face as the blood leaves it. "Mom. No. Mom. Please, no."

But his mother takes both his hands in her own, weak and frail, her chest hardly rising at all now. "Percy. Get away from Gabe. I know what he does to you. I'm sorry I can't be there for you anymore. But now you have nothing left to tie you to this place. So go, Percy. Do me proud in the world. I love you. Be brave."

Percy's eyes widen, his throat tightens. "Mom! No!" Whimpering, "Please, Mom. No. I love you. Please don't leave me. Mom."

Percy kneels on the floor, still gripping her hands, tears running down his cheeks and sobs racking his chest. "Mom." Resting his head on the bed, Percy shakes his head. He turns and looks back up at her. His cheeks still wet and his mind still a puddle, he kisses her forehead and watches how the blood seems to drain from her face and how her chest won't rise. He drags his fingers over her face, closing her eyes.

"I love you, Mom. And I will get away. I'm going to be brave for you. So goodbye." Percy leans over to kiss her one last time before walking out of the room, the bacon and eggs breakfast still steaming hot on the bedside table.

Outside the room in the hallway, Percy slumps against the wall, sobs racking his body. It doesn't matter that Gabe will hear. In fact let Gabe hear. Gabe killed her. Let him hear, so then I can leave.

After what seems to be hours, Percy's sobs dissipate and he is left staring emptily at the blank white wall of the hallway, trying to decide what to do. He makes a list on his fingers.

Thumb: Mom's gone.
Index finger: there's some random girl — who, incidentally, I don't even know the name of — hidding in my closet.
Middle finger: I don't know where the hell Gabe has pranced off to.
Ring finger: Gabe's a bank robber
Pinky finger: Gabe's an addict.
Other Pinky finger: Gabe's not my legal guardian.
Other Ring finger: Mom's never coming back.
Other Middle finger: I can leave.
Other Index finger: I don't know what the hell the girl's name is.
Other Thumb: I have to get out.

Percy sits up against the wall, tears gone and a hardness washed over his face.

I have to get out.

The words play in a loop through his mind.

I have to get out. I have to get out. I have to get OUT.

With a new resolve, Percy pushes himself in a standing position. He walks briskly through the apartment, checking to see if Gabe is here or not. Ending with the latter possibility, Percy quickly enters his on room and opens his closet.

In retrospect he should've knocked.

The closet is flooded with sunlight, and the brilliant gleam of gold glints off the girl's hair, fanning her head as her chest rises and falls in slumber.

Percy knows that the girl'll kill him if she knew he saw her in her sleep. For a split second he reaches for the sliding door to pull it closed, before remembering that Mom's not here any more and,

I have to get out.

His mom wanted that as much as he wanted it.

And so instead of shitting the closet door and pretending nothing had happened, Percy shakes the girl's shoulder, the first time he's touched her since the bank.

She jerks awake, eyeing the space around her in panic. Then her eyes fall on him, and she glares. "Why'd you wake me up? What was that for?"

"We're leaving," he announces, turning back into his room and pulling out a back pack.

Behind him he hears sputtering. "What do you mean 'we're leaving'?"

Without looking at her, he responds, "Exactly that. We're getting out of this shit hole."

"B-b-but my brother..."

Percy whirls on her. "I get it, okay? I get it! But for two seconds would you be quiet and listen? My mom's dead. My — no, Gabe's an abusive bank robber who I happen to live with. So be quiet for one second. We'll find this shit-ass murderer, I promise. Fuck it, I swear it on my dad's grave. But right now? Right now might be are only time to ever be able to get out of this dump. So we're going."

The blond is stunned into silence.

Percy keeps packing, throwing random clothes and loose change into his back pack before slinging over his shoulder. He catches the girl's gaze and gestures to the door. "Come on, we got to get some food supplies."

The grey eyed girl nods and clambers to her feet, following Percy out of his room and into the tiny kitchen.

The frypan still sits in the middle of the stove, where Percy forgot to clean it up. A jug of orange juice lies open on the counter. The tap drips.

"Find all the non-perishable food items you can, and shove 'em all in there." Percy thumps his open bag onto the counter and bends to get a good look at the cabinet containing granola bars. He empties its entire contents, deciding he can go through it later to see if they really are all good or not. He dumps them into the half of his back pack that isn't crammed, and turns to find the girl with a stack of cans in each arm. As the two set the cabs inside the bag, the girl turns to Percy and with only the slightest hesitation, tells him,

"My name's Annabeth."

Percy starts, accidentally dropping a can on his foot. "Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit!" he exclaims, holding his foot up off the ground.

"Oh, fuck it. I'm so sorry," the blond — no, Annabeth — apologizes.

"Just put it in the bag...Annabeth," Percy replies.

Annabeth's lips quirk slightly upwards at the corner. "Whatever you s—" she's cut off by a door slamming.

Percy's back goes rigid, his eyes widen, the hair on his neck reach upwards in fright.

"Gabe's home."

Guys, I'm sooooooo sorry that took so long to right. I'm also soooooooo sorry that that was freaking horrible. The whole death scene was waaaaaay overdramatic, I apologize. In my defence though, this is much better than what I attempted to write before.

I've had really bad writer's block. (Like everything I write literally turns to crap.) so that's why I haven't updated anything in forever. Really sorry about all that. Really I am.

Anyways, if you liked this chapter, vote/ comment and always fan!
—Omgitshappenning 😳