07

« Ow ! Ow ow ow ! » I yelled, jumping around and shaking my hand.

I glanced down at it and saw it was all bruised and purple, my knuckles were all swollen.

So that’s why they wear big gloves while boxing….

Realizing there was no time to celebrate over knocking out a boy with my first punch ever or to wallow in pain over my hand, I told myself to get it together and get the hell out.

I turned on my heel and made a break to the door but was stopped abruptly as I saw the cutest little boy standing there, staring at me with a teddy bear dangling from his hand by his side.

Wait, what ?

Oh don’t tell me he kidnaps cute little kids too !

I’d make sure to add an extra six years in prison for him when we would take this case to court.

I stared into his confused bright blue eyes. He had soft black hair and looked no older than eight.

« How long have you been here for ? » I asked him, crouching down on my knees and trying to appear calm.

The last thing I want is for him to think I’m part of that crazy psycho’s mafia-kidnapping-gang.

« Um, my whole life… » He trailed off, looking at me strangely.

I gasped and suddenly embraced him in a hug. This boy probably needed one, considering he’d been here his whole life !

« It’s okay. We’re gonna get out of here now. It’s okay. » I whispered into his ear, rubbing his small little back.

« Who are you ? » He blurted, pulling away from my hug and taking a few steps back, looking a little scared.

He thinks I’m on the bad guys side ! What do I do ?

« No don’t worry ! I’m not on his side ! I’m good like you ! I was kidnapped here too and now we’re gonna get out of here ! » I exclaimed quickly, glancing over at our captor.

I sighed in relief at the sight of his still limp body.

« Kidnapped ? » The little boy spoke, making my eyes snap back to him.

« Yes, kidnapped. Now lets go before he wakes up ! » I said, struggling to keep my voice calm.

The little kid was holding me back, even though he was adorable, we needed to get out of here. Now.

I snapped my eyes to my crazy kidnapper’s body once more, feeling anxious.

I looked back and saw the boy tilting his head to the side to see what I kept glancing at.

His eyes widened and he stared back at me.

« Why’s my brother on the ground ? » He asked, taking more small steps away from me.

« Because I knocked him- wait, your brother ? » I froze.

I heard a soft groan and turned my head to see my kidnapper sitting up now and rubbing his cheek where I had hit him.

You’re kidding.

My life is officially over.

Here come the waterworks…

I let out a strangled cry and fall to my knees, sobbing into my hands.

I had lost. It’s over. I was going to die at the young age of seventeen.

What was even more sad was that I hadn’t even gotten my first kiss…

Why did I have to go buy a smoothie at Orange Julius ? Why didn’t I just stick with my friends and go inside the shop, where it would’ve been safe ? Better yet, why had I even gone to the mall in the first place ?

Because of your friends.

My friends. I knew no matter what, I would’ve still gone. Because they were my friends and I loved them. I shouldn’t be here regretting this and blaming it on my friends.

And knowing them, they’re probably at home blaming it all on themselves. Especially Landon.

Landon… The thought of him made me cry even harder.

I missed him so much right now. Who knew if I’d ever see him again ?

No. I can’t think that. I won’t. I need to think positive if I’m going to escape this place.

I forced my breathing to come out steady and wiped away my tears.

I stood up all of a sudden and faced my kidnapper who was just standing there with a hand in mid-air as if he was about to help me up.

He was the reason I was here. It wasn’t my fault, it was his. The thought suddenly fueled my anger and I couldn’t stand the sight of him.

I gave him the a resentful glare, before stomping off. I don’t know where I was going, definitely not out the door since he was blocking it, and I didn’t need a repeat of what happened last time.

I briskly made my way down a short hall, roughly pushing open the door at the end of it.

I stepped inside and swung it shut with all my force.

It caused a loud bang which caused my ears to ring and a few empty frames on the wall to shake.

I let out an angry scream and turned around, finding myself in a bedroom.

A guy’s bedroom to be exact.

The walls were painted a midnight blue, with a few empty frames and some paintings hung up on the wall. There was a king sized bed with black comforters accompanied by a night stand against one wall.

Just like the living room, this room was also neat and organized, no boxers and dirty socks on the ground, no pictures of half naked girls on the walls, no dirty dishes.

I walked towards a window which was facing a wide backyard. Behind it, was a breathtaking view of the mountains and sunset.

I would’ve stood there and admired it more if I hadn’t been so upset.

I suddenly felt exhausted and collapsed onto the inviting bed.

It was just as comfy as it looked, so I snuggled underneath the covers and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Maybe I would never wake up, or maybe my kidnapper would come in and start having a tickle fight with me. Who really knew at this point ? All I knew was that I had had a long day and could not be bothered to deal with anything more right now. Not even my horrible traumatic fate.

Just as I dozed off, a thought crossed my mind that struck a bit of alarm in my half-dozed off state. I had too much on my mind to notice that this was most likely, ironically enough, my psychotic-Abercrombie model-kidnapper’s room.