and some
may have thought we were too young to even be thinking about marriage, but we
both just knew.
“Yes!” I shrieked. “Ash, yes! Yes, I’ll
marry you!”
He stood up and slipped the ring on my
finger, and I wasted no time in admiring the simplistic beauty of the diamonds
that dancing reflections all around us. I wrapped my arms around him and then
kissed him. The longest, sweetest kiss we’d ever shared was that day.
“I knew I was going to marry you,” he
said. “I knew since we were eight years old.”
“How’d you know?” I asked, unable to take
my eyes off my ring.
“I just knew,” he said with a half smile.
“I couldn’t live without you then. I couldn’t imagine ever living without you
in the future either. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
My eyes opened and I was thrust back into
reality – into the cold, cinder block cell walls that surrounded us. It
was a far cry from that sunny day by the fishing pond and from the arms of the man
I loved more than anything.
I rolled to my opposite side and
readjusted Tuck, but I couldn’t get comfortable. Something was poking me in my
pocket. My phone! I’d completely forgotten that it was in there.
I popped up and turned it on. One bar
left on the battery. Signal floating in and out. I
walked around the room, trying to find an area where the signal would hold.
Below the window, the signal seemed to be the steadiest. I quickly composed a
text message to Ash, my heart racing. It was the first time I’d had so much as
a glimmer of hope since we’d been made captives.
My fingers trembled as I typed in a
message:
KIDNAPPED. WAREHOUSE. COTTONMOUTHS.
I wished I had more information for him,
but that was all I had. I pressed the send button and waited, but a red “x”
next to the message told me it didn’t go through. I attempted to send again.
Nothing. Before I went to try again, footsteps came from down the hall and grew
louder. Someone began to unlock the heavy metal door. I jammed the phone back
into my pocket and rushed over to lay down on the bed,
feigning that I was still asleep.
CHAPTER 12
The metal door slowly creaked open and
there stood Mary Jane with a bag of fast food in her hands. Her once perfect,
smooth bob was pulled back into a low ponytail. Not a speak of makeup graced
her face besides some jet black eyeliner and gobs of
black mascara. She wore cut up jeans and a faded t-shirt and sneakers. Mary
Jane had vanished and a stranger named MJ had taken her place.
“Here’s some food,” she said. She could
still hardly look at me, but the second we locked eyes, I could see her
searching for a sliver of forgiveness. “Don’t tell anyone. I wasn’t supposed to
give you anything. When you’re done, shove the wrappers under the mattress.
I’ll pick them up later.”
“Why’d you do this to us?” I asked her,
tears welling in my eyes. “I thought you were my friend.”
She shrugged. “Everyone has to atone for
their sins, Marina.”
I was confused.
“Are you being forced to do all this?” I
said. “They’re just using you like some puppet aren’t they?”
She bit her lip before looking over at me
with her big brown eyes. “Tripp Cotton was my kid brother.”
My heart stopped, and I felt sick. I
wanted to throw up.
“Look,” she sighed. “I’ve long forgiven
my brother’s killer, but my family hasn’t. I have to do what I’m told.”
“Are they going to kill us?” I asked. My
eyes pleaded with hers for the truth, but she stayed silent. “You have to tell
me, Mary Jane.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what
the plan is. I just know what I was told to do. I was supposed to get you here.
I did my part. I know nothing else.”
I didn’t quite believe her. “Do you have
children?”
She
may have thought we were too young to even be thinking about marriage, but we
both just knew.
“Yes!” I shrieked. “Ash, yes! Yes, I’ll
marry you!”
He stood up and slipped the ring on my
finger, and I wasted no time in admiring the simplistic beauty of the diamonds
that dancing reflections all around us. I wrapped my arms around him and then
kissed him. The longest, sweetest kiss we’d ever shared was that day.
“I knew I was going to marry you,” he
said. “I knew since we were eight years old.”
“How’d you know?” I asked, unable to take
my eyes off my ring.
“I just knew,” he said with a half smile.
“I couldn’t live without you then. I couldn’t imagine ever living without you
in the future either. I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
My eyes opened and I was thrust back into
reality – into the cold, cinder block cell walls that surrounded us. It
was a far cry from that sunny day by the fishing pond and from the arms of the man
I loved more than anything.
I rolled to my opposite side and
readjusted Tuck, but I couldn’t get comfortable. Something was poking me in my
pocket. My phone! I’d completely forgotten that it was in there.
I popped up and turned it on. One bar
left on the battery. Signal floating in and out. I
walked around the room, trying to find an area where the signal would hold.
Below the window, the signal seemed to be the steadiest. I quickly composed a
text message to Ash, my heart racing. It was the first time I’d had so much as
a glimmer of hope since we’d been made captives.
My fingers trembled as I typed in a
message:
KIDNAPPED. WAREHOUSE. COTTONMOUTHS.
I wished I had more information for him,
but that was all I had. I pressed the send button and waited, but a red “x”
next to the message told me it didn’t go through. I attempted to send again.
Nothing. Before I went to try again, footsteps came from down the hall and grew
louder. Someone began to unlock the heavy metal door. I jammed the phone back
into my pocket and rushed over to lay down on the bed,
feigning that I was still asleep.
CHAPTER 12
The metal door slowly creaked open and
there stood Mary Jane with a bag of fast food in her hands. Her once perfect,
smooth bob was pulled back into a low ponytail. Not a speak of makeup graced
her face besides some jet black eyeliner and gobs of
black mascara. She wore cut up jeans and a faded t-shirt and sneakers. Mary
Jane had vanished and a stranger named MJ had taken her place.
“Here’s some food,” she said. She could
still hardly look at me, but the second we locked eyes, I could see her
searching for a sliver of forgiveness. “Don’t tell anyone. I wasn’t supposed to
give you anything. When you’re done, shove the wrappers under the mattress.
I’ll pick them up later.”
“Why’d you do this to us?” I asked her,
tears welling in my eyes. “I thought you were my friend.”
She shrugged. “Everyone has to atone for
their sins, Marina.”
I was confused.
“Are you being forced to do all this?” I
said. “They’re just using you like some puppet aren’t they?”
She bit her lip before looking over at me
with her big brown eyes. “Tripp Cotton was my kid brother.”
My heart stopped, and I felt sick. I
wanted to throw up.
“Look,” she sighed. “I’ve long forgiven
my brother’s killer, but my family hasn’t. I have to do what I’m told.”
“Are they going to kill us?” I asked. My
eyes pleaded with hers for the truth, but she stayed silent. “You have to tell
me, Mary Jane.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what
the plan is. I just know what I was told to do. I was supposed to get you here.
I did my part. I know nothing else.”
I didn’t quite believe her. “Do you have
children?”
She
Similar Books
