Her spine tingled and goosebumps rose on her skin as the chill autumn wind brushed past her. Melora pulled the sleeves of her red hoodie down to her palms and wrapped her arms around herself in order to stay warm as she peered curiously over her right side, into the woods that stretched out from the roadside she stood. She wondered whether she could find something mysterious and magical in there; but she was forbidden from going—as did all of them.
Her two best friends, Leanora and Evelyn, stood by her on either side, taking in the scenery around them. They were on a leisure trip, conducted by the owners of the Twickenham—Children's Home—in California they were under care. And as everyone around them seemed to be enjoying their time, these three girls stood stiff by their picnic bus, hiding their anxiety.
On their way here, they discovered something strange.
They were being followed by a group of men in a black SUV that happened to be trailing behind their bus in every turn they took. And now finding that same SUV parked on the other side of the road, further behind their bus, sparked their suspiciousness.
At first, they decided to ignore it; but seeing two men out of the car, wearing black suits and leaning against it, glancing in their direction made it hard for them to let go easily. One of the men seemed to be in his early thirties while the other, a bald guy, seemed to be in his late; their eyes glued in their direction.
Melora felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach suddenly and gulped in dread as she noticed this. She tried to calculate the meaning behind this strange scene; a group of creepy men trailing behind their bus all the way and now stopped behind them—because they had stopped for a break—and looking nowhere but at them! Even when they had moved away from their previous standing position, to go ahead with Mr. Twickenham's permission, they could see the men's eyes on them.
"Guys, I think we should head back and inform the Twickenhams. We need to get out of here as soon as possible!" Leanora gushed in an alarmed tone. "They're literally stalking us!"
"But... for what exactly, do you suppose?" Melora murmured, bewildered. "I don't get it..." She expressed awkwardly, aware of being watched.
"They seem so rich," Evelyn added, clasping her hands together in front of her. "But why on earth are they looking at us? Us! Not attracted by our charms, definitely."
Melora withheld the urge to snort at her best friend and rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Eve,"
"Or... what if they're some bodyguards the Twickenhams had hired for the day?" Evelyn guessed.
Melora exchanged a glance with Leanora; they couldn't deny that; it could be true somehow. Melora slowly plucked up her courage to look back at the creepy men, to see if they could really be bodyguards as her friend had guessed. She craned her neck and looked back at them—only to find their eyes already planted in their direction; at her.
Her heart hustled.
The bald guy glared at her when he caught her eyes and that was enough for her breath to catch in her throat. She quickly turned away with a pounding heart. "Oh no, I don't suppose they are any sort of bodyguards at all." She informed her friends anxiously, "And, they're still looking at us. If I'm right, they're up to something."
"I suggest we inform Mr. Twickenham and confirm if they are bodyguards or not," Evelyn suggested, not ready to drop her guess yet.
"Right! I told you, didn't I?" Leanora said suddenly, stepping forth from her friends' side to stand in front of them, with a smirk teasing her lips, careful not to let her gaze travel to the creepy men. "Reading a fantasy... and walking through the woods... oh, isn't that going to be wonderful? I think we should ask their permission first!"
Melora blinked.
For a moment, she didn't understand what her friend was talking about. But Leanora was cleverly moving them on from the subject; she didn't want those men to think they were discussing them.
"O-oh...um... definitely, I assume, you're right." Melora composed herself and played along, in forced enthusiasm, before the three of them walked back to the bus.
They walked past their fellows who sat on the road and a few who attempted to walk near the forest and got cautioned by Mrs. Twickenham not to do as such.
Melora and her friends immediately got to Mr. Twickenham and informed him about their creepy stalkers. Without even having to look at them, Mr. Twickenham confirmed to the girls that they haven't hired a bodyguard at all. He saw for himself to see if the girls' suspicion was right and immediately announced they were leaving right away.
Melora got inside the bus and let out a full breath she didn't realize she was holding. She, Leanora, and Evelyn took the last seat behind everyone and Leanora shut their side windows close, almost sticking out her tongue at the men who were still watching them. Though Melora had always preferred to sit close to the window side, the unsettling feeling in her stomach made her choose the seat between her friends.
"Gosh, I wish to know what on earth are they up to," Leanora mumbled faintly as she sat down.
"I wonder if they're any kind of child kidnappers though..." Evelyn let her confusion slip, and Melora's eyes snapped to her in shock. "I-I mean... I was just wondering. Sorry, perhaps we shouldn't stress over that yet."
Melora tried to calm down herself, but failed as her thoughts wandered about what the creepy men could be up to—they were probably watching them even now, she was sure of it without having to turn back. She tried to think of something good, but there was no happy thought for her to get lost in. She was, after all, an orphan from a Children's Home like everyone else on the bus.
The bus took off and Leanora tried to draw Melora and Evelyn into a conversation, seeing them strangely quiet. Five minutes passed like that, and suddenly the bus jostled, coming to an abrupt stop with a blasting horn. Many gasped in horror, many screamed, and Mr. and Mrs. Twickenhams jumped up to their feet.
"It's them!" Someone gasped from the front side of the bus.
Melora gulped in unrecognizable fear and froze to her seat, exchanging glances with her friends. What was happening? Dread assumed control over her body.
"What's going on here?" Mrs. Twickenham asked in a murmur, more to herself.
"Excuse me, what's the meaning of this?" Mr. Twickenham, the man in his late sixties, poked his head through the window and yelled to the men. "Get out of the way!"
Melora held her breath and peered ahead as Mr. Twickenham demanded the men to move their car from the way. She assumed the car might've blocked their way. She wanted to stand up and go ahead to see what exactly was happening but found no courage to do so. And then suddenly, making many gasps, the door of the bus flung open.
Entered in all his monstrous self was none but the bald guy who had glared at Melora previously.
Everyone shrank to their seats at the sight of him; he was so tall and muscular with a merciless, stone face and dark eyes that held a deadly glare. He stood before all of them, hands clenched into fists on his sides and his glaring eyes swept past everyone before him.
Melora gulped even harder; he was looking for someone. She shrank to her seat, just recalling the way how he and the other man had looked at her previously.
"Hey! What in the world are you doing?" Mr. Twickenham yelled at the bald guy, masking his fear but shaking with anger. "Who are you and what do you want?" he seethed, seeing all the kids drenched in fear. "What is the meaning of this?"
Mrs. Twickenham grasped onto her husband as the bald guy looked at all of them with a dangerous look. "I'm here for a girl." He spoke in his cold, rough voice.
Everyone gaped at him in utter shock. Melora's stomach twisted into knots; a girl? She began to panic, something telling her it was her he was referring to. Fear consumed her, leaving her weak and she held onto her friends' shaking hands for solace.
Mrs. Twickenham gasped at his words, and her eyes widened more. "I beg your pardon?" she murmured, while Mr. Twickenham literally exploded.
"What?" his irritated voice roared as he could. "This is an excursion from the Twickenham Children's Home! Leave now! Right away!"
"I will, once I get the girl!" The bald guy seethed back dangerously, his voice shuddered every one of them, including Mr. Twickenham. His glaring eyes swept past each teenage girl in front of him, gaping at him in fear. "I'm looking for a girl in a red hoodie," he revealed.
Melora froze.
She was the one in the red hoodie.
The only one.
A few girls gasped and their heads turned automatically to Melora. Mr. and Mrs. Twickenham's eyes widened like saucers as their eyes too, traveled to her.
Melora's heart dropped to her stomach, she wished this was some stupid nightmare and waited till she'd wake up to find herself in the safety of her shared room with her best friends in the Twickenham Children's Home. But no, luck wasn't on her side. This was real. She was stuck in a cold reality.
But why?
Why her?
Why would they want her?
How do they know her?
A hundred questions like that roamed in her head, hurting her temples.
At that moment, the narrowed eyes of the bald guy met her gaze. And her fear had no words to be described with.
A pleased smirk lifted the corner of his lips. "Are you Melora?" he questioned calmly, not moving his eyes from her, not even blinking.
Melora blinked; he knows my name?! She squinted at him, wondering if he was someone she knew and wasn't recognizing; he wasn't anyone familiar to her. He was an absolute stranger, and how come he knew her name? She was, after all, just an ordinary girl, an orphan, from a small Children's Home in California.
She looked over at Mr. and Mrs. Twickenham for help and saw them completely stunned. But Mr. Twickenham managed to compose himself from his shock, "What? For heaven's sake, you man, get out of here!" He demanded to save Melora from the creepy stranger.
"Are you Melora?" the bald man was no longer calm; his voice shook the whole bus in irritated impatience and rage—or was that what the sound of his voice was like?
Melora found herself more consumed by fear and she failed to find her tongue, driving her terrified of testing the man's thinning patience. She continued swallowing the lump from her throat, and her friends were squeezing her hands in solace—lost in dread.
"I said; get out of here this instant! Get out now!" Mr. Twickenham tried again but the bald guy ignored him, his eyes boring into her.
"Don't you hear me, you idiot?!" The bald guy thundered. "Are you Melora?"
Melora shuddered, her whole body set ablaze. She strained wildly and every bit of her trembled as she tried to find her tongue.
"Are you deaf?" on the other side, Mr. Twickenham yelled again. "Get out immediately or I'll call the police!" He threatened. The driver joined the fight, but none of their demand or threat was working.
Fed up, the driver picked up his phone to call the police, but the bald guy turned at his warning, narrowed his eyes at him, and pulled a gun out of his pocket that caused everyone to gasp. Now, all of them were under threat and the driver and Mr. Twickenham raised their hands in surrender.
"Say it again," the bald guy challenged, and no one dared to open their mouths.
His grave eyes then turned to Melora, who couldn't stop shaking, especially to see the gun in his hand. Her eyes were wide than ever and her friends' jaws dropped to see that the man had a weapon. He was undoubtedly monstrous.
"Are you Melora?!" He roared.
Melora blinked away the tears that filled her eyes and nodded slowly, "Y-yes," she could barely hear her voice with her pulses banging in her ears.
"Come with me."
"What?" Melora and her friends exclaimed in unison, their grip tightening on her hands.
"Come with me."
"If-if you're taking her, then take us too!" Leanora's words stunned Melora and everyone.
But the bald guy only glared at her and set her at his gunpoint. That caught Melora off guard; she quickly jumped onto her feet and stood before Leanora and the gun. "Please... please don't do anything to her—not my friends!" She pleaded.
"Then come with me! And don't make me repeat it!" He demanded impatiently and turned to walk out, pointing the gun at Mr. Twickenham who opened his mouth to yell something. "If you tell this to anyone, old man, anyone, that'll be your end." He threatened. "Is that clear?"
Melora stood helpless, tears filling her eyes more and more. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand. But she had no choice; if she won't go with him, he would harm any of her friends. And she couldn't let that happen.
"Mel—" Evelyn grabbed her arm when she took a step forward to follow him out. Evelyn was crying, and seeing her tears Melora lost control of hers too. No one knew if they'd see each other again, or what would happen to Melora.
The bald guy waited for her at the door, watching as she turned to her friend and embraced her. "I'm sorry, but I have no choice! I can't let anything happen to you because of me..." She immediately pulled away from the hug to hug Leanora who was in tears too.
"Mel, please, don't... I can't let you—" Leanora's words were interrupted by the roaring voice of the bald guy.
"Melora!"
Melora flinched at his voice. "I-I'm sorry, Lea, I-I don't know what's going to happen but I've gotta go..." She couldn't say anything more as the bald guy lost his total patience with her.
Breathing heavily and with her heart fiercely thundering against her chest, she stepped forward. Her knees trembled, she felt so weakened but made it to the door and turned to Mr. & Mrs. Twickenhams who stood completely helpless.
"Mel, we're so sorry..." Mr. Twickenham apologized, guiltily. Mrs. Twickenham was crying on his shoulder helplessly. All of them were helpless.
Melora followed the bald guy out of the bus and walked to the front, where the SUV waited. Her heart rose faster, her whole body trembled and tears streamed down her face. She feared for her dear life. What will become of her? What were they going to do with her? Each question that passed through her mind in alarm.
The man in his early thirties, leaning against the car with another man beside him, steadied himself as the bald man took Melora to him. "Ah, Melora, at last!" He grinned at her.
She exhaled a shaky breath and stared at him through the tears in her eyes. He was handsome and nicely attired in a black suit, but the wicked smirk on his lips made him appear creepy.
"I'm Jim Minzberg," he offered her a handshake jovially, but she ignored it. "It's so good to see you closely finally, Melora... the last time I saw you... you were only a baby."
Melora's eyes immediately snapped up to him, widening in shock. He had seen her when she was a baby? Who was he?
"How do you know me?" her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for Jim to hear.
He laughed, shaking his head, finding her question amusing, "How do I know you? What a question, Melora! But anyways, I think you should wait to get your answer to that. I'm not the right one to tell you."
She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Now, please get in, we have to get somewhere," he turned to the car and opened the door of the backseat, gesturing inside.
She gulped, "W-where are you taking me to?" her voice couldn't hide her great fear.
"Get in first,"
"What do you want with me?"
"I said, get in first,"
"I'm not going anywhere—" Melora gasped and paused immediately as the bald guy pointed his gun at her.
"Get. In." He threatened with the gun.
Gulping, she nodded helplessly and got into the car without another word of protest. Throwing one last glance at the bus behind, Melora saw her friends and others watching them through the windshield. Her heartstrings tightened, and she swallowed the lump from her throat.
Jim instructed her to move to the middle of the seat as she got in, and the other man with him helped himself in next to her and shut the door. The bald guy came around the car and opened the other door and sat on her other side, smirking at her wickedly. Jim got into the passenger seat and the driver started the engine.
"Where are you taking me to and what do you want with me?" Melora asked to no one in particular.
"Answers later," Jim dismissed her quickly. "Oh, and Melora, I would like to warn you not to make any sound on the way. We'll be reaching our destination soon."
This was totally confusing; she was just an ordinary orphan and what business would these sorts of people ever want or have with her?
Melora waited, sandwiched between the two men with a thumping heart. Wherever their destination was, there would be all her answers.