PROLOGUE:
Everyone thinks I'm dead. But they don't really know that I'm alive. They don't know that the person they found in the woods isn't me. And that guy they put in jail? He didn't kill me, he doesn't even know me. Well I'm sure he does now, because I'm pretty famous around town as the girl who was kidnapped and killed.
But like I said - I'm not dead. I'm fully alive, I'm healthy, and I am in love. You're probably wondering with who, because since I've been kidnapped, whoever sees me will automatically go to the police, right? Well let me tell you. I'm in love with my kidnapper.
ONE: November 12th, 2004 (Past)
I was eight years old when I was kidnapped. Dad had just left for work and Mom was teaching Nicholas, my older brother, how to use the washing machine. I couldn't take the noise, so I decided to go outside. I will never know if my Mom heard me when I said that I was going outside, but I did try to tell her. I was playing with my little doll that I got as an early birthday present; my birthday was the next day. Anyway, while I was playing I saw this beautiful dog walking down the street. My mother had told me many times before not to leave the yard, but there was something about this dog that made me just block that thought out and follow it.
Every time I would get within a few feet of the dog, it would turn around and look at me for a moment before walking even faster. Finally, we reached the park. The dog ran back down the street minutes later, leaving me behind, all alone in the park. Not completely alone, though. There were a few mothers, maybe a father or two. I decided to go play on the swings since I was already at the park. Suddenly I had firm hands of someone pushing me on the swing. I hadn't thought anything of it at the time. I let him push me until I was so high I could touch the tree branch that was resting just above the swing set.The man who was pushing me, who I now call Nathan, took hold of the chain that was connected to the seat. Him doing that sent me flying off of the swing, nearly breaking my arm. I remember him shouting,"Oh, sweetheart! Are you alright? C'mon darling, let's go home and get your scratches cleaned up."
I thought he was really going to take me home to help me. He didn't. He held my hand, walking me far away from my home. We went off of a road and into the country. I tried at least three times to take my hand from his, but his was too big and he kept his grip. We soon arrived in a very big field, a large SUV parked next to a small, withering tree. Nathan tightened his grip and began to kind of drag me toward the tree. By now I was crying, unaware of what could happen. A little boy, ten at the time, walked out from behind the tree with a rope in one hand, and duct tape in the other.
They tied me up and stuck layers of duct tape over my mouth, causing me to hardly be able to breathe. "Aiden," Nathan spat,"this is the one you wanted, right?" Aiden smirked at his father and nodded his head. He thanked his father, and did the "honor" of throwing me in the back of the car. I tried to scream, no noises escaping from my mouth, but tears streaming down my face. I soon ran out of energy and to my surprise fell asleep. When I woke up Nathan was hauling me into a small cabin. The grass there was, and still is, slowly dying. I've lived in this cabin most of my life and have never seen that grass a beautiful green like the grass at my old home.
The woods that the cabin was located at was far, far away from where I had lived, I soon learned; not that I was able to go to town many times. Nathan lead me to a small room in which walls were painted pink, my favorite color at the time. There in the corner of the room, lay a twin bed, - something I still have - a purple comforter with pink butterflies neatly sitting on top of it. A small bedside table, a lamp upon it, was right next to that twin bed. And finally, a small dresser on the opposite side of the room. The only toy I had was my little doll I held tightly on to.
But on that bed there was a little girl who looked like me.
She had wavy brown hair, hazel eyes, and was tall, exactly like me. I was afraid at how much she looked like me; we could have been related. She had tears in her eyes as she said,"W-what are you doing with her? Are we going to be friends - there will be two of us? I - she. . .you're not getting rid of me, are you?! Where will I go?"
Tears began to stream down her face as Nathan nodded his head at Aiden and pulled out a small pocket knife. "Follow me, Hannah," he said, holding his arm around her chest and the knife to her throat.
"Now." He pulled the doll from my hand and I cried and hollered.
She followed him and that was the last I ever saw of her. A few months later, the police found her in the middle of the woods behind a little grocery store. They called my parents thinking that she was me. My parents took one look at the doll and just assumed she was me - no DNA tests. Nothing. And that was that. I was dead to them. Gone. Vanished. The entire crime was over. The man who people saw lingering around the grocery store was a butcher and apparently my killer. His hands were bloody. Hannah's body was bloody. So was my doll.
~`~`~`~
As days, weeks, months, and years have gone by, I found myself feeling as though Nathan was my father and this was home. I developed a crush on Aiden that is now a healthy relationship. At first, I must admit, I would do anything to get away. If he took me out to town, I would try to scream and do anything to be noticed, unless Aiden's hand wasn't clamped over my mouth. But as the days went by, I noticed something: I'm never going to be able to leave. I'm here forever; not that I mind. Although I wouldn't mind going to visit my parents and telling them that I'm safe, okay, and well... alive. I hope to do that on my sixteenth birthday, with my new identity as Erica Blackstone, daughter of Nathan Blackstone. And Aiden as Nathan's ex-girlfriends son whom he got custody of after her death.Everything, as Nathan would say, is going to turn out perfectly.
~`~`~`~
Present (November 12th 2012)
I laugh uncontrollably as Aiden stands over Nathan, re-dying his orange hair. Earlier today Aiden was asked to dye Nathan's graying hair brown. But they rinsed it too quickly and it turned bright orange. Now, after spending a while looking up how to get newly dyed hair color out of your hair - on our very, very slow internet I might add - we're finally re-dying it. This is the only solution we could find that wouldn't involve bleaching his hair."Stop laughing, Erica," Nathan says, trying to help himself from laughing.
"Sorry," I reply sheepishly. "It's just hilarious seeing you with orange - I'm sorry, red - hair!" I manage to lower my laughter to just a giggle. Nathan shakes his head, letting everything go like he always does. He takes everything so smoothly; he is a very mellow person. I stand up and walk over to Aiden, saying," I told you you should've let me dye his hair. Now see what you've done?" I kiss him on the cheek and walk back over to the uncomfortable couch I was just sitting on.
"I can fix anything I mess up, Erica." He mumbles, smiling in my direction.
Now let me tell you something about Aiden: he's one of those quiet people that don't really talk much. But when they do everyone listens, whether or not it's important. If he's talking about school, dinner, or his friends - anything. Everyone always listens. He doesn't really have a problem talking around me, though. No, really. He won't stop talking when it's only me and him. He's like one of those little house toys that I used to have. You press a button and it just won't shut up, asking you a bunch of questions until you answer. But Aiden's cuter than an annoying house toy so I enjoy listening to him. I grin watching his movements which are almost elegant.
Just thinking about Aiden makes me smile. I look at him, studying his amazing features. He's tall, probably six-foot-three. He has straight brown hair that falls over his eyes in that lazy, not-even-trying way. Speaking of his eyes, they're the most intriguing eyes I've ever made contact with and they're dark blue, almost black. You see them and just can't stop staring. Plus he's mine. I seriously still can't get this wrapped around my head. He's mine. I'm his. We're dating. We have been for three years now. Sometimes when I get angry at him(which is rarely), I want to run away. I get so angry that he chose me.
He chose me.
He was the one who pointed me out to his father; he wanted me. So what if we fight sometimes? He's never hurt me and I doubt he ever will. It's an hour later when Aiden's done with Nathan's hair, much longer than the internet said it would take. Aiden told me that he wanted to take me out for ice cream since my birthday is tomorrow, so I'm back in my room changing my clothes. Nathan gives me fifty dollars every month for clothes, so I have too much to choose from. I sigh in frustration and dig through my closet. I find a cute tank top with a pink, brown, and red flower pattern on it. I pull out a light brown cardigan too. It's probably a bad thing that I don't remember buying any of these things or getting them as gifts.
I pull the camisole over my head with a huff.
It has gotten tighter since who-knows-when I last wore it, I think to myself. I dig out a pair of dark blue denim skinny jeans to go with the rest of my outfit.
"Erica," Aiden calls out,"ready to go yet?"
I tell him that I'll be down in a minute and fish through a basket that's full of shoes. I dig out some strappy light pink sandals and quickly shove them on my feet. I walk out of my bedroom and into the hallway, looking on the walls to see the pictures on them. There are a few of me and Aiden on a beach. Me and Nathan, with Nathan's arm around my shoulders. Then as I walk down the hallway closer to the living room, the pictures change and I'm younger. Nathan's holding my hand and I'm staring at something with my mouth open slightly, gleam of fear in my eyes.
A sudden feeling - I'm not sure what - runs through me. I try to think back to that day. My breath catches in my throat and my eyes fill up with tears. I remember I was looking at three people. A woman, a man, and a little boy. I can't quite remember what they looked like, but I thought they were my parents. I'm not sure why I thought they were my parents, but I did.
Suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around to see Aiden."You okay?" he asks me. I can't read his expression.
I nod and sprout a smile at him."Yeah. Just looking at good times."
We walk outside and head to the car. Not much later we arrive at a small soft serve ice cream joint called Icey's. My feet hit the hard, rocky gravel as I step out of the car and shut the doors. Aiden walks over to me and takes my hand in his, holding it firmly like he always does when we're in public. My heart still flutters whenever he holds my hands. He guides me to the door and opens it for me, still not taking his hand from mine. It's chilly in the ice cream shop, causing goosebumps to cover my pale skin. My gaze bounces around the room, noticing the cute baby blue walls and white tiles with blue specs in them. Along the walls hang black and white pictures of an older man and his son, I'm assuming from the resemblance. The store has little gray, round metal tables with matching chairs lining the walls and napkin holders on those. A smile escapes my lips as I feel like I've just taken a step into the 1950's.
I step out of my daydream and look at Aiden,"I'll have a va-"
Aiden cuts me off,"-nilla cone with colorful sprinkles? I know." He winks at me and lets go of my hand as I grin and excuse myself to go use the bathroom. On the way to the bathroom, you have to go through this little hallway, directly in front of me are two old-fashioned water fountains and above those are a bulletin board. On it there's a white paper with the word "MISSING" written on it in black ink. Below the word, there's an aged picture of a girl.
And she looks just like me.
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How did you like it?! Too short? Too Long? Let me know below! Also, the rest of kidnapped is available
here! Some of it may or may not be revised depending on when you read it. I can't believe I'm almost 30,000 words into it! I'm hoping to finish it at about 60,000 or 80,000 words depending on how many pages that is.. my goal is about 280+ pages. Anyway, thanks for reading!
