Kyle grabbed my wrist and at first I thought he was leaning in to kiss me, but then he started pulling me back to the door. I fought to free my arm, but he wouldn’t let go. Tears sprung to my eyes as the realization sunk in that I was so close, but it didn’t matter, because in the end, I failed.
When we got to the car, Kyle opened my door and I sighed in resignation. I sat down and buckled my own seatbelt, and before I knew it, Kyle was back on the road. We drove in silence, not even turning on any music.
I looked out the window, pretending that the trees were moving, and that the car was still in the road, and I wasn’t going back to that Hell house.
But like all dreams, this one didn’t come true.
I made sure to watch street signs this time though, hoping that I would find something telling me what town we were in, but unfortunately, all I got were street names. In about twenty five minutes we turned onto Water Spring Drive, and were at the old country house in five minutes, which I noticed didn’t even have a street number. I walked inside without Kyle grabbing my arm or anything. When I walked through the door a wonderful smell attacked my nostrils (I know, what a picture.) and Kyle called out that we were back. Jessica came running up to me and gave my legs a huge hug. It was strange how she was the best thing about my day.
I bent down and returned the embrace. “Lainey, where did you go? I woke up from naptime and you weren’t there! Irena said you and Mommy were at the store, but Mommy came home without you and….” She kept babbling on and on while I wondered who Irena was.
Kyle seemed to read my mind, because he answered, “Irena’s Jessica’s friend’s mom. We have a bunch of werewolf families living here. This is a pack house.”
So that was why there were all those people at the door to greet me. “So where are all the kids?”
“They all went to the mall for their back to school shopping. And speaking of shopping, Mother!”
He went to the kitchen to find Mrs. Wolf, probably to yell at her for taking me shopping. Jessica grabbed my hand and pulled me up to her room. “What do you want to play? We can play dolls, or have another tea party! Or you could read me more books!”
I thought back to my childhood and remembered when I was about her age, my parents got a babysitter for me and Luke, and we had a small dance party in my bedroom. I smiled at the memory and then added onto that idea.
If I could get hold of a computer, maybe I could find the address to this house, and I could get onto facebook or my email and tell someone to come save me.
“Jessica, why don’t we play dance party?”
She looked at me with a bright smile. “Yeah! I want to play dance party!”
“Okay, but I need a computer so I can play music.”
She ran out of the room without a word and came back a few minutes later without a computer in sight. “Kyle says you can’t use a computer unless he’s watching you. Boys are so silly!”
I sighed. “Well, why don’t I go find something to use? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I went down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Kyle and his mother looking at each other like they were trying to yell at each other with their eyes.
“Kyle, why can’t I use a computer? We need youtube for something.”
“You can use a computer. Just not without me making sure you don’t try to get help. And speaking of…” he smiled, “I know you have that phone.”
I frowned. “So what? It’s not like I could get help even if I tried. I don’t even know where we are.”
“No, but you’re still going to try, aren’t you?”
I shook my head. “No. Are you going to try to take it away from me now? Because I’m not giving it to you.”
“I figured. And I’m too much of a gentleman to try and take forcefully because of where it is.”
“Well we still need music, so at least give me an iPod and speakers.”
“Hold on a second then.” He went upstairs and when he wasn’t back for a few seconds, I went over to the stove where Mrs. Wolf had turned her attention.
“Dinner’s in half an hour. We’re having chicken parmesan. Why don’t you help me make a salad? The lettuce is in the fridge, bottom drawer. We need a whole head, just rinse it and put it in this bowl. I’ll cut it up later, and you can go back to playing with Jessica.”
I nodded as I turned and opened the fridge. I got out a head of lettuce when Kyle walked in. “It’s all set up in Jessica’s room. Just pick a song and you’re good to go.”
I tossed him the lettuce and as I walked out commanded him, “Rinse.”
I ran back up the stairs to Jessica’s room and she jumped up off the bed. “Finally! Now pick a song!”
I turned on the IPod and chose the radio setting. I went through the stations until I found the local pop station and it was playing Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. She grabbed my arms and towed me to the middle of the room. She started jumping around and dancing like most little girls in the world.
When the song was over, the DJ on the radio took a call from caller number nine and then, as if my prayers had been answered, he turned it over to traffic and news. That didn’t answer my prayers. What answered my prayers was when a fast voice informed the listeners of “an attack to the police force of LexingtonVirginia. The young man got away and the officers came to a while later. He took a young woman away with him and the officers report that she had come in to report this man’s attempt at kidnapping her. He came in accusing her of being drunk and then assaulted many police officers…”
I smiled. I now had a street name, and a town!
“Jessica, I have to use the bathroom.”
She frowned. “Okay.”
“Where is it?”
She grabbed my wrist and pulled me through a door across the room from her bedroom.
I closed the door and locked it. I pulled out my phone from my “pocket” and started a long detailed text to Katie.
Katie, have u herd da news? I was kidnapped and am in LexingtonVA, Water Spring Street, no number. Bring cops and hurry! These guys are strong, but im not tied up or anything. These ppl r crazy! Save me, Insane Elaine!
It took me about three minutes to type all of that and then I flushed the toilet to give the illusion that I was really using the bathroom, before walking out.
We went back to Jessica’s room for about ten minutes before Kyle walked in to get us for dinner.
We went down stairs and sat at the long table where there were at least two dozen people, half of them kids around Jessica’s age, and then a few teenagers. I sat between Jessica and Kyle, and scooted my chair closer to the direction of Jessica’s chair, unwilling to be close to Kyle. Mrs. Wolf came in with dishes of food. It smelled delicious and I couldn’t help but smile.
When all the food was in the middle of the table, we all just got to eating, and I was glad that they didn’t say a prayer or anything. I was raised in a Christian home, but fell away from religion when my life started falling apart, and I never pulled myself back together.
I put food n my plate, but refused to eat until Kyle and Mrs. Wolf ate some, just to make sure it wasn’t poisoned or anything.
When I took my first bite, I smiled to myself. It was the most delicious food I’d had in months. With my parents working so much lately since Luke left, my mom is never home long enough to cook a good meal, and my father isn’t the chef of the family.
When Luke left, my parents blamed themselves for fighting with him, just like Katie blamed herself for the arrest in the first place. My mom started working extra shifts, too guilty, I guess, to spend a lot of time at the house, and y father had always worked late nights, but since Luke disappeared, he stopped taking days off of work to spend at home.
I missed my parents. Most people have to wait to move out of the house to see their parents this little, but I guess I did something to piss off the powers that be or something, because they ruined my relationship with my parents. My parents and I used to talk about everything. My mom used to be my best friend, even above Katie. I told them everything, except What happened when I was sixteen with Cody. I mean, how do you tell your parents you’re-
“So, Elaine, tell us about yourself. What do you do in your spare time?” I was a little shocked when a random woman at the end of the table pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked across the table to see a rather mousy woman, about twenty five, with big eyes and a tiny nose. She looked really proper, and to tell you the truth, ugly.
I picked up my fork again after realizing I had dropped it. “Um, I like to…” I stuffed a mouthful of food into my mouth to give me time to think. “Eat.” It came out as more of a question, but everyone at the table laughed.
“Well, so do I, dear.” And with that she stuffed a huge piece of chicken in her mouth, and I wondered how it all fit.
I killed off all my food at about the same time as Jessica, and unfortunately Kyle. All the little kids finished their plates soon after, and they all started asking the adults if they could go swimming.
“There’s a pool on the property,” I asked, because this didn’t seem like the kind of house to have one.
One teenage girl, about fifteen, stood up and replied, “no, but there’s a pond.”
Jessica started pulling me out of the room saying, “Come on! We need to get our swimming suits on!”
I stopped. “Jessica, I don’t have one here.”
“That’s okay! You can borrow one of mine! I have a pretty princess one!”
I laughed at that. “I’m sorry sweetie, but I don’t think it would fit me.”
One of the older teenage girls stood up then, too. “No problem. You can borrow my dark blue one.”
She looked about my size, so I didn’t have an excuse this time, so I followed her up the stairs into a smaller bedroom with black walls that had neon green, pink and blue splashes scattered all over.
When she closed the door, she walked over to her dresser and started digging through her doors. “So, you’re Kyle’s mate, huh?”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying.”
“Everyone but you, huh? I’m Kelly, by the way.”
“Lainey. And yeah, everyone but me. Besides, kidnapping a girl, is not the best way to pick her up, you know?”
“Well, let me tell you now. Kyle’s a great guy. You’re lucky. You could have been stuck with Kyle’s older brother, Mike. He’s a bit of a creeper, and he went totally insane. But now he’s off wherever, doing whatever. He comes to visit sometimes, but doesn’t stay long. Not since his mate died in a vamp attack. We lost two great people that day.”
I gasped. “That’s horrible.” She nodded and tossed a dark blue bikini my way.
“But we’re all over it by now. Well, except for Kyle. He almost died in the attack, too. That’s why he has all those scars on his neck.”
I felt so sorry for him. “Scars? I hadn’t noticed any scars.”
“Well, you haven’t been looking then.”
And with that she turned her back so I could change.
[A/N: hey guys! Thank you so much for anyone reading, and the one person who’s voted! I’m so grateful for all the readers out there.
Now, I have an important message for all of you. I met a guy at a church dance on Saturday, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about him since. The problem is, I don’t know his last name, so I can’t find him on facebook or anything. What have I learned from this? Don’t ever wait! I may never see him again! And if I do, it won’t be for at least a year. If you ever feel something for someone, tell them, because if you don’t, you’ll regret it, because you’ll run out of time, and never get the chance.]