I Promise

Chapter Three

I anticipated the bell ring and was at the door when it began. I hurried down the hall, down the steps and out the double doors to the main drive. I stood on the curb as students loaded buses and piled into cars then hurried out of the parking lot and onto the main road. The constant sound of dad's voice repeated in my mind, stay away from normal. I looked left and right. My heart thumped into my ears and my breath felt as if it were frozen in my throat. I wanted to obey him to never do something that could put him in danger. By lying, I was afraid he would see the same fate as Mom.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped off the curb and headed left but when I got in the middle of the street, I stopped. I have to see him. I had to know why he didn't show up.

Exhaling hard, I ran right, to the street I always walked. With each step, I regretted my decision because of Dad but if I hurried he wouldn't know.

I rushed down Cidar Avenue in a pace that resembled a speed walker. I was excited to see Dante, to talk to him but at the back of my mind, I was worried Dad would find out.

At the intersection, I paused, glancing left and right. When it was clear, my eyes fell on the road that was filled with new construction. Dante's dad was a big deal in the county. He had built most of the homes and remolded the older ones. Dante signed out at 1:00 pm each day so he could work for him. When he graduated, he would run his own crew.

When I neared the road, I noticed a van pulled into the driveway of an older house. The weeds in the yard were grew up and the windows looked as if no one lived there. Slowing my pace, my eyes worked over the white van with a faded plumbing logo on the side. Hall's Plumbing, I thought. I stopped. The name didn't ring any bells. But they could've come from a different county.

I took a few more steps as the hairs raised along my arms. Something didn't feel right so I paused and then I slowly turned around. My heart picked up. My mind constantly went to bad thoughts and I wanted to punch myself for not doing what Dad had asked. Am I just being paranoid?

The sound of a door sliding open filled the bright day. No, I screamed at myself. I took off. Running back toward the main road, I weaved across the grass to get there faster. The sound of feet stomping into pavement grew behind me. My heart raced, thumping into my ears. Faster, I told myself. Dropping my backpack, I pushed harder.

When I thought I couldn't run any faster, arms enclosed me. I screamed as I was picked up. My feet swung out, kicking. I screamed again as a hand gripped my mouth. I bit down. The taste of salt, sweat filled my mouth. He jerked away and I got a good look at a man in a black mask and then another. The van pulled up next to us and he pushed me into the other man's arms. I kicked at him but the one holding me squeezed his arms around my body. It felt as if he would break me into. Tears filled my eyes as they bound my feet and hands. To make it worse, they slipped a black hood over my head, blinding me to the world.

I tried to catch my breath and stay calm but my heart thumped into my throat making it hard to hear anything other than myself. The hood smelled of musk and old gym socks. It made me breath out of my mouth so I wouldn't get the urge to puck.

The van made a few left turns and a couple of stops so I wasn't one who could count my paces or feel the sun on my arms to know what direction we were headed in or how far we traveled by the sound of the motor. I wished it were as easy as they portray it to be in the movies. The only thing I knew for certain, there were three people in the van with me. They knew what they were doing and that scared me more.

I relaxed into the metal floor, feeling each bump and thought about Dad. I was worried about him getting hurt because of my decision, not like this. If I got out of this, I would beg for his forgiveness until I was blue in the face.