Her Guardian Angel

11. EMMA

Sadie and I have driven the extra hour out of Gainesboro to Lebanon. There is a mall here so we are walking around looking at the stores. It is December and Beau is working since it is a Saturday. Because Beau trusts me with his sister, he works more Saturdays.

Sadie and I are shopping for Christmas. My brother is done so now she is helping me find something for Beau. “What about clothes,” I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulders and keeps moving forward. We have walked around the mall about fifty times now. “Maybe we should try somewhere else. We aren’t finding anything that he would like here,” I say.

“Can we come back another time,” she asks me. I nod my head and we start towards the parking lot. Since my dad has taken my old Chevy hostage, I have recently gotten a new truck. Actually, Beau got it for me but I’m working a little again so I’ve paid him back little by little.

As we head for the red truck, I notice someone standing next to it. I stop short recognizing him. Sadie looks up at me confused. I take my phone from my back pocket. “Sadie, go back inside and call my brother David. Tell him where we are and that he found me,” I say pushing her back towards the store.

“Emma what about you,” she asks. I see a hint of panic in her green eyes.

“I will be fine. Go inside and hide in the bathroom until David gets here or until I come find you,” I say bending over slightly to look her straight in the eyes. Then she nods and runs back towards the building.

My heart is pounding in my chest. The man that I escaped from is standing right in front of me. I walk towards him and cross my arms over my chest. “Hey Dad,” I say casually.

“Don’t ‘hey Dad’ me,” he says. His arms are folded across his chest too. “You are coming home with me,” he says stepping away from my new truck.

I take a step back and he grabs my forearm. Is he really this stupid to grab me in public? He pulls me towards him and makes me stand in front. Then I feel a pointy object press into my back. A sharp pain follows the pressure. “Scream or try to run and I will cut you into a million different pieces,” he hisses. I smell the alcohol on his breath. He then takes his hand to my throat. At first, I thought he was going to be brave enough to choke me but then I feel my necklace being pulled.

“No,” I gasp as I feel him pull on the necklace. The chain breaks against the pull and falls into his hand. He then drops in the little gap I left in my window.

He guides me to his truck and makes me sit down. I could easily make a run for it but I’m scared he will try to find Sadie. I don’t want him to pull her into this mess too.

BEAU

“Beau,” my boss calls. I’m stacking a few CDs. I turn and he holds the phone up. This indicates that someone is calling me.

I walk to the counter and take the phone. The only person who knows my number at work is Emma and Sadie. “Hello,” I say. A customer walks in the store and my boss Lewis walks to help him.

“Beau,” a male voice says. I’m quite shocked at who would be calling me at work.

“Yes,” I say confused.

“It’s David. I’m at the mall with your sister. Emma is gone.” I almost drop the phone at this news.

“What do you mean she is gone,” I ask.

“She came Christmas shopping with Sadie and her dad showed up here. She instructed Sadie to run into the bathroom and call me. I’m with your sister now.”

“Where are you? I’m coming down there,” I say determined.

“It’s no point. Emma is gone. My dad probably took her back to Gainesboro. She won’t be here.”

“What about her truck,” I ask.

“It is sitting in the parking lot. Emma didn’t give Sadie the keys so I can’t get into it.”

“I have a spare. Come pick me up at my house and I can drive it back,” I say to him. He agrees and I stay at work for another hour. Lewis lets me off because I rarely ever take days off.

David’s truck is sitting in the driveway when I get there. I climb in the cab with him and my sister. Sadie looks to be almost in tears when I open the door. After we get on the road, I pull her into my arms. She starts sobbing into my chest. “It’s okay Sadie Bear,” I tell her.

“I should have stayed with her,” she cries.

“Sadie if you had stayed with her we wouldn’t know she is missing,” David says. I nod in agreement.

An hour later, we arrive at the mall. We pull in next to Emma’s truck. I get out and open the driver’s door. Lying in the seat is the necklace I gave to Emma when I asked her to be my girlfriend.

David came around the truck and saw the necklace as well. He must have recognized it because he cussed and kicked the back tire. Sadie took the necklace off the seat and examined the chain. “It’s broken,” she says.

A fire of anger pulses through my veins. That monster took my girlfriend and ripped her necklace right off her neck. “We better get back,” I say looking at the sky. It looks like we are about to get a storm. Sadie climbs in the passenger seat of Emma’s truck and I follow David’s truck back home.

EMMA

“You are worthless,” Dad yells as he kicks my stomach. My stomach is badly bruised because this is probably the tenth time he has done this. The only thing stopping me from turning around is I can’t afford a broken spine.

He is about to kick me again but he stops short. “You are a piece of trash just like your mother. Too bad you weren’t smart enough to leave town,” he spats.

I cover my face with my hands afraid my nose would break my nose again if he decided to kick me in the face. He doesn’t which surprises me. “I’ll deal with you tomorrow,” he says.

When he is gone, I sit up slightly to look around the room. It is dark so I’m not able to make out much. The light coming from under the door gives me a little light. It seems that he has locked me in a storage room.

I take a sniff and I smell metal. It smells like I could be in a factory of some sort. I look over at my brown cross body purse. Dad looked all through it checking for my phone. It seems that Dad didn’t even see Sadie walking with me. I could have run inside with her and waited in the bathroom.

I try standing up but immediate pain shoots up my right ankle. Either he made me twist this ankle or he broke it. I hobble towards the door ignoring the pain as best as I can. The door is locked just as I figured it would be.

I then hobbled towards the only window. Pulling the curtain back, I see that I am in the abandoned factory just outside of town. I’m on the second floor and I probably will never be able to make the jump even if I wait for my ankle to heel.

I sit on the crates that sit abandoned in the corner. Looks like I’m gonna have to come up with a plan to escape. Dad blindfolded me on our way up here so I have no idea what lies on the other side of that door. It could be a straight shot to the stairs we came up or it could be a confusing maze to the stairs.

I hear thunder and jump at the sound. Thunderstorms are some of the worst things ever. At least Dad is decent enough to leave me somewhere with a roof.

Beau then crosses my mind and my eyes feel with tears. I pray that he and David will find me. I know God will work a miracle and let them find me or at least give me the strength to escape.

With it being one week before Christmas, I don’t have to worry about missing school. In a way, I wish it wasn’t this close to Christmas. If I’m absent for more than one day my teachers will be suspicious.

The rain comes pouring down on the roof and I finally let my tears roll down my face. I can’t hear my own sobbing over the sound of the rain on the tin roof. I find an old tarp lying in pile. I use it as a pillow. My jacket that I am wearing is pulled off and used as a blanket. The sound of my sobs and the rain put me to sleep that night.