Surviving High School

Be Strong

"Oh, my sweet Isabella. We're going to have so much fun together."

"Let me go, James!" I hissed at him.

He let out a harsh laugh. "Oh no, Isabella. I'm not letting you go. I've wanted you for too long. Watching you throw yourself at that pathetic loser, Cullen. I couldn't believe my luck when Victoria's parents brought her to me."

I sat there stunned but knew that the longer I kept him talking, the longer I stayed alive.

"She couldn't stand you. Hated you for taking Cullen away from her. I saw that as my chance. She was so easy to play. Jumped at the chance to date me and show up all her little friends. In doing so, she got me closer to you. You see, Isabella, I've been watching you for a while now, biding my time, trying to come up with a way to approach you. You were always with your friends or your father. I couldn't risk doing anything with the Chief of Police around. But your daddy's not here now. You're all mine."

He was freaking delusional. I struggled against the bonds holding me captive, but it was no use. He'd tied them too tightly. He seemed amused at my struggle. He got up and went over to some bags that were lying on the floor. Digging around, he pulled out a bottle of water and brought it over to me. He uncapped it and allowed me a little bit. He set the bottle down next to me, and then went back to the bags. He scrounged around and brought out some fast food. He sat down in the chair next to me, holding out a burger for me to take a bite from. As much as I didn't want to, I knew that I would need my strength.

After we ate, he stretched out on the cot, listening to an old police scanner. The cabin was getting colder, and I could see my breath puffing out in front of me. A while later, James went outside and brought back in some wood. He started a small fire in the fireplace, allowing the cabin to quickly warm up, and I watched as James began to fall asleep.

If I could get close enough to the fire, perhaps I could burn off the rope that was binding my arms. I risked burning myself, but at that point I didn't care. Keeping a close eye on James, I waited until I heard him snoring. For a kidnapper, he wasn't very smart. As quietly as possible, I scooted over to the fire. Holy shit, that was hot! I flinched as the flames licked at my skin as well as the rope. I kept my hands over the fire for as long as possible, before pulling them away. I tugged at the rope and noticed that it seemed a bit looser. Maybe this would work after all. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands over the open flames once again.

"What the fuck are you doing, you stupid bitch?" James roared at me, jumping up from the cot.

He came over and shoved me away from the fire, causing me to tumble over. I hit my head on the wall as I fell to the floor.  Pain radiated through my head, along with the pain in my wrists from the fire and the rope.

"Jesus! Are you fucking stupid or what? What was your plan? To burn the rope off? God, you are a fucking idiot!" he yelled at me, causing me to cower on the floor. He was thoroughly pissed off, giving his eyes a wild, manic look.

"Sit in the fucking corner and don't fucking move! I mean it, Isabella. If you so much as sneeze, I won't hesitate to hurt you. Is that understood?"

I nodded. Obviously, I needed a new plan. I tugged gently on the rope on my wrist again, and found it to be a bit looser than before. I bid my time, working my wrist against the rope, breathing through the pain. I kept a careful eye on James, afraid of angering him further. I remembered what Charlie had told me about the girl who James had put in the hospital.

My arms were sore from being tied behind my back and my wrist and hands hurt something horribly. My eyes started to droop, and I was hit with sudden exhaustion. I briefly wondered if he had drugged me before my eyes slid shut.