The thought of Curtis hurting me again is like walking up the stairs in the dark. You get to the top and your foot falls in a horrific moment of fear. That's what happens every time that door opens, I get a bad feeling in the pit if my stomach, my mind goes blank and my heart races... then your foot hits the ground- or in my case... Jay walks in. The ground saves you and you catch your balance in such a way that nothing is bad anymore and you move on as if all those feelings of fear never occurred.That's Jay to me, the ground beneath my feet. He keeps me from falling and saves me. He pushes away all those feelings of fear and the world is right again. I don't know why, he never said things that were particularly wonderful and he didn't try very hard to impress me at all but he did. The simplicity of the way he talks because he is so calm, the casual way he dresses, the qualities he has.
I was laying on the ground of my room with Jay. We put three duvets on the floor and four pillows then a large blanket to go over us and were now laying on it with each other talking. I had my head resting on his hard chest and his arm around me as we looked up at the ceiling and whispered to each other so Curtis wouldn't hear us. We did this every night, we just spoke about what life was like and what it was going to be like and just the other usual things you talk about really. He tries to make this as normal as possible for me, it doesn't work. We can act like I am here willingly but at the end of the day I'm not. I was taken. I don't have a choice. I'm trapped.
"what happened the day you were kidnapped?" He asked me with no tone or emotion in his voice but in his large brown eyes, I didn't speak about it much and he had noticed. I always lead the topic away from that night.
" I umm well he pulled up in his car and-" I began before being interrupted by Jay.
" No, the whole day " He explained looking down at me, his voice was calm and soothing. It made me feel tranquil and peaceful in the last August night.
BACK IN TIME....
I woke up to the smell of food cooking; scratched my head as I sat up in my bed and looked around my room to see my sister sitting on the chair looking at me. She was already dressed in her jeans and striped top with large fluffy socks on her feet and her dark micro braids pulled into a pony tail.
"Well that's not creepy" I said to her as I flung my feet over to side of my bed and put them into my slippers.
" I was wondering when you would wake up" she said walking over to me and smiling, I turned to look at her and tilted my head before rolling my eyes playfully.
" Whatever, good morning SoSo" I said standing up and putting my arm around her before walking out of my large bedroom with her. Our house was much larger than a few houses on the street ((mtv cribs destiny's child)) and I was always very thankful for that.
" Morning BB" We walked downstairs and in to the kitchen and saw my mom cooking breakfast with my dad sitting at the table reading a news paper.
" Morning mama" I said walking over to her and kissing her on the cheek as she flipped a pancake then I walked over to my dad and kissed him too, " Morning daddy" I said smiling at him then sitting across from him at the table.
"Baby, will you go and wake up Kelly. Tell her the food is done" Mama said walking over with a stack of pancakes and a pile of bacon. I smiled up at her then walked out of the room then ran toward the guest room and barged into Kelly's room before jumping on her bed and and laughing as she woke up.
" C'mon get up, there's food!" I shouted as I jumped on her.
" Bey, get off" She moaned pulling the duvet up to her face.
" You need to wake up" I told her as I got off and pulled the duvet off her body.
" Okay Okay" she said getting up and walking out of the room dragging her body as I laughed and walked behind her. As we walked to the kitchen I looked out of the window and saw Mrs Parsley walking home with a lot of bags and decided I would help her because she is really old and shouldn't be carrying that much.
" Kelly, tell my mama I'm helping Mrs P with her shopping" I said running out of the house in my Pyjamas and across the road to where she was. Mrs Parsley was an Old white lady who was very skinny and fragile. She was so sweet and caring It was unreal.
" Beyonce?" She asked looking up at me, He vision isn't all that since the fire. A while ago her house caught fire with her and her husband in it, he died and she survived but a lot of her face and arm was burned so her vision wasn't as good as it used to be.
" Yes it's me Mrs P, would you like some help with your bags?" I asked her kindly, she smiled up at me and nodded her head before handing some of her bags over to me and we walked toward her house which was only a few doors down. I took her to her house and she thanked me before I began walking away back home. I was walking past the Carter house when I heard someone call my name so I turned back.
" Beyonce!" They called, I turned around to see Mr Carter walking up to me smiling.
" Hello Mr Carter, how are you this morning?" I asked smiling at him. He wasn't the nicest man in the world and according to everyone else he was dangerous, I didn't see that in him. He had never done anything to me to make me think badly of him. They all said to stay away from him because he was involved with some bad operations but he honestly didn't seem that bad, its not like I'm in his house or anything.
"I'm great what about you?" He asked smiling at me, He was wearing his usual baggy jeans and black top with a gold chain and snap back. Not very suitable for a man his age but who am I to judge?
" I'm good sir" I said so desperately wanting to go home and eat.
" Please call me Curtis" He said before putting his hand on my shoulder then moving it off swiftly as he stepped closer to me and smiled. He had a reasonably nice smile, it could have been nicer.
" Alright, I had better get going. I need to get back before all the food is gone" I said chuckling slightly.
" Oh yes of course, Shawn eats a lot too" He laughed, I didn't know Shawn very well but had seen him around. I waved and turned to walk away until he called me again, "will I be seeing you at Choir practice at 7pm today?" He asked laughing slightly. He always saw me walking to choir practice every week. I'm not sure why he is always near the church because he doesn't even go but he sees me. He sees me very often if I'm honest, its like he always knows where I am and what I'm doing. But then again its a small town.
" Oh no, I'm actually going out tonight" I said to him as I walked away slowly in attempt to get home before all the food was gone. The thing about this neighbour hood is that everyone knew everyone so If there was a party everyone knew and If anything happened everyone knew.
" Oh really?" He asked raising his eyebrow and smiling.
" I'm sorry I don't want to be rude but I really need to get going" I said awkwardly, I didn't like being rude to people or being the one to say bye but in this case if I wanted food I had to.
" Oh yes, of course sorry. I will see you later" He winked then turned to walk away and I jogged home then ran into the house.
" Don't run in my house!" Mama yelled at me as I walked into the kitchen.
" Sorry" I said, I took my seat at the table and smiled at everyone before sticking my tongue out at solange causing her to giggle and my mom to laugh.
" Bey, you have an audition for Columbia tomorrow, I hope you didn't forget" My dad informed me, I grinned up at him hard and he laughed slightly.
" How could I forget, It's the moment where all my dreams will come trued. Thanks dad" I said to him, Ever since I was little I wanted to be an entertainer. My dad has become my manager in a way and he was training me with boot camp and vocal lessons and I was in competitions and heels. He has really helped me so much, I was on star search but I uhhhh I didn't win. But that's okay because I needed a lot of work anyway. I'm really excited.
" I'm proud of you" My mom said placing her hand on my cheek and smiling at me.
" Me too" Kelly said smiling at me, everyone looked at Solo but she just had bacon hanging out of her mouth looking oblivious to our conversation. We all laughed and-
NORMAL TIME
"So you were really gonna be famous?" Jay asked, I heard remorse in his voice. He really felt bad for me.
"yeah, I'm three years late to that audition" I joked but he didn't laugh. He just looked down at me sadly, I smiled at him to show him it was all okay but he couldn't smile back.
" I uhhh i" He said pulling me closer to him struggling to find the right words to say but I knew what he meant.
" It's not your fault" I told him but I could tell he wasn't happy about me being here now and technically he could very easily let me go but he doesn't want to. He can't.
" I really hate Curtis" He said angrily. I sat up and looked down at him.
" He's your uncle, no matter what your going to love him. He raised you, he helped you with all that street stuff and he looks out for you. Don't hate him" I told him, He looked up at me and I sighed. "Please" I said to him. He sat up and rubbed my back.
" I get it"
" Thank you Jay" I said to him. We spent the next few hours talking about what happened that day and Jay's plans for the future. He is making his own record label with a few of his friends because no one else would sign him but he wouldn't stop. I really like that about him, once he gets an idea in his mind he follows though. He really loves his mom and wants to buy her all the things she never had when he was younger and lived with her before moving out here with his uncle. He is already planning his first album reasonable doubt and is really excited about it, I think he is gonna be great. I wonder what he does during the day because he doesn't go college, so I asked him and he said he goes to the studio and sells drugs. He wants to stop all that drugs stuff but he doesn't know how to tell Curtis, for that I feel bad for him but what can I do about it.
If he does become famous, I know this may sound very selfish, but what happens to me? Is he gonna leave me with Curtis? I don't know. Today is August 31st 2001, I've been her for over three years. Wow.
I woke up in the morning and saw a TV propped up in front of me. Jay really does some crazy things, I turned it on and didn't see a remote but I didn't want to change the channel.
"So am I the only one who thinks it's a bit strange how the Knowles' next door neighbour spoke on TV about how the daughter was such a lovely girl then a few days later his nephew finds a piece of her jewellery in New York?" the woman said, It looked like some kind of talk show and I was a bit confused as to what she was talking about because Jay Isn't in New York. "so this Eric kid was just walking in the streets and finds a bracelet and immediately thinks of her? aaaaalllll the way in New York, because he saw it in a picture?" She laughed a little and sat back in her chair. "How is that believable at all? how are the police baying that?" She laughed. She has a point. "they need to go back to that next door neighbour and check him out because that's just so silly" She laughed a little and the audience laughed with her while I watched hopefully. I sure do hope police are watching this. "okay, so, this Shark attack thing is everywhere" She began before I turned off the Tv and sat at the table looking down at my journal. So far I had written a few songs, Daddy, Work it out and gift from Virgo with a few more. I really miss my family and Jay is helping me but I want to leave. I often think that If I got the choice to leave would I take it? I could leave and be happy with my family but then Jay wouldn't have a family. I told him that if he called the police they would arrest his uncle before he could do anything but apparently his uncle plans things like that. He has a lot of friends who are willing to do his dirty work. This is all really complicated.
" morning " Shawn said walking in to the room with my food as usual.
" Hey" I said turning around and smiling at him, he put the plate down in front of me on the table as I moved my journal out of the way and looked up at him.
" Today you have a treat. Bacon" He said sitting on the bed and smiling at me.
" Wow, for once it's not just scrambled egg but Bacon too" I said happily as we both laughed.
" Appreciate it, that bacon was on my plate but I didn't eat it just because I wanted to save it for you" He laughed and looked away while I just smiled at him.
" Really?" I asked shyly.
" Yeah" He said not looking at me, I took a bit of bacon in my mouth and ate it feeling like I had just been blessed then put another piece on my fork and held it up for Jay. He looked at me so I nodded my head and looked from the bacon to him and he shook his head.
" Nahh you eat it" He said to me, I raise my eyebrows and he laughed. "I don't need someone to feed me, what if you poke my eye out or something?" he laughed and I just raised my eyebrows further.
" Do you trust me?" I asked, He opened his mouth and I fed the bacon to him and smiled before laughing slightly then continuing to eat.
Jay left to go to the studio and do whatever else it is he does so I was alone for the rest of the day. You get used to it after three years. I heard Curtis walking around the house with people so I knew to be quiet. Without Jay here if he got angry he would hurt me. I sat in the corner quietly as I heard someone walk past the door.
" why is the door metal?" A woman asked chuckling.
" I have dogs" He said laughing slightly. Oh so now I'm a dog.
I'm scared.
I don't even want to breath because if anyone hears me I'm dead, My family is dead.
Dead.
Be quiet.
Don't move.
" Awww I love dogs can I see them?" The woman asked.
Don't move, don't make a noise.
" Oh no there very vicious, I'm getting rid of them" He said before walking away with the person so I could breath.
That was close.
NARRATOR
Curtis walked slowly past the Knowles' house and glanced in through the window. There were a number of people all sitting around in the living room with photos and sharing them with smiles on their faces, bitter-sweet smiles. He looked at the second Knowles daughter, analysing all of her features the same way his did Beyoncé as she grew up. Curtis always liked the Knowles children, he found then to be well mannered young ladies. That's why he made sure that neither of them were ever kidnapped in the past like the rest of the girls, the many many girls who went missing over the years. He made sure it was never Beyoncé or Solange and then when he almost got caught he stopped it all. He had been taking young girls and selling them into the sex market. He stopped and thought that was the end of it, he had already made his money but then his admiration for the Knowles children escalated as he watch Beyoncé change from a little girl to a young woman, she grew breasts and her hips widened. Her ass filled out and she wasn't pretty any more but beautiful, hot and sexy. More sexy than she knew. He couldn't help but study her over the years and in this moment as he watched Solange he wondered if she would grow the same way too. From the age of 15 Beyoncé was beautiful and that's when this all started, Curtis learned her time table and spoke to her regularly just so that the kidnapping would be easy.
His eyes drifted to Tina Knowles who sat between her two brothers, the Tina Knowles Curtis had once lusted over. He then looked at Mathew, a man he thought didn't deserve the family he had. Then finally Curtis continued walking and went about his business.
He walked past a poster with a picture of the 17 year old Beyoncé on it and sighed, why were they still looking? How much hope did these people have? He didn't understand it. They had been looking for so long and still nothing, yet they continue looking. He looked at the pile of flowers laid on the ground beneath the poster and noticed how they were mostly tulips. Tulips. Her favourite flower. He picked one up and read the message on it,
For my dearest Beyoncé
God told me that you would be back, so I trust you will. I have laid all my faith in God so I know nothing bad will come to you. If you die I will find you and bury in a white coffin to match the purity in your heart. If you live I will hug you tight and never let you go again. Either way you will be fine. Remember that, God loves you. The best things come to those who wait. Trust god and wait. I will see you again.
Yours, Tina.
Curtis ripped the note off and shoved it in his pocket before continuing to walk to wherever he wanted to go.
Thank you for reading, Sorry my friend is very persistent when it comes to votes and comments.
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