Kidnapped

Adjustments

She nodded understandingly. My appetite was gone, and as I looked at my half full plate I felt ashamed to leave so much untouched. Joyce's dinner was delicious, but memories of my dad left a sour taste in my mouth and a slow churning in my stomach. Conversation was light, with long pauses between replies. All of us were beating around the bush, trying to find something else to talk about, but failing at keeping the subject away from my past wrongs. I tried not to answer, and Joyce respected my silence. Earl, however, was very suspicious, his warm greeting now faded into a cold stare. I understood why. He was the protector of the home, even though he was confined to a wheelchair.

"Thank you for letting me stay here." I said softly. "I'm very tired now. I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay," Joyce kissed my cheek as I stood. "Sleep tight."

The quaint bedroom I had liked now seemed too foreign. I didn't deserve this. Despite the internal battle of worth, I slept.

The night was cruel. The third time I woke up in a cold sweat, panting like a dog, was when I resolved that I was going to spend the rest of my life being punished for my sins. Nothing could rid my mind of what I had done.

Nothing but Ashley.

Hers was the only clean, pure thought that I could use to chase the fear away, if only for a moment. I couldn't help but think that she was my light in the dark nightmare of my dad's world. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have even ran away from my dad. I would still be there, caged in the house, assisting him in his horrendous deeds. She saved me.

Hours before the sun would rise, I silently made my way through the house to the home computer they kept in the corner of their living room. Facebook was just getting its start when my dad snapped, so I knew enough to find it and create my own account. Ashley's picture was a dream. She was laughing with another girl, her blonde hair mixing with her friend's red strands as wind blew it back. Her smile was frozen on the screen, and I spent too much time just staring at her. She was beautiful.

The spell was finally broken when I heard a noise behind me. It sounded like it came from the ceiling, but my heart leaped into my throat at the thought of my dad creeping up behind me. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. I sent her a friend request and held my breath. I didn't know how all of this worked. This wasn't exactly what I spent most of my time doing in the last three and a half years, I was nowhere near expert at it. Moments later, a little red square with a white 1 in the center popped up in my inbox. Ashley sent me a message.

"Andrew???" It read. I slowly typed my reply, using a method known as 'hunt and peck.' I felt ridiculous.

"Yes"

"Your dad is here!!!!! Demitri came to my house!!!!" I froze. Another chat bubble popped up. "I don't know what to do! I'm scared!!! The police can't find him!!!" Another bubble. "What do I do?"

How was I supposed to know? My dad was unstoppable. There was no way we could get away from him unless he died. Thirty, maybe forty years of running might keep us safe, but that's no way to live. That's being alive. Not living.

"I don't know." I pecked out. "When did you see him?"

"Yesterday! He came to my house and threatened to take me and kill my boyfriend!" Another bubble. "*exboyfriend"

My selfish heart leaped with joy at the news that she was single. I suddenly realized that the villain of this story could turn into the hero. I could save her. Or at least try.

"Where do you live?" I typed. "I can be there today."

Her response didn't come for a while. Every second she took made me nervous enough to want to smash my fist through the screen. She had every right to distrust me, especially with information as sensitive as her home address.