My original plan was to include it in book 2, however there just wasn't a place or space for it. Too much else going on. So I decided to share it with everyone on here. I hope everyone enjoys it!
There was a breath on the other
side. “Um…”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Yeah? Say
something or I’m hanging up.”
She winced as there was another
breath on the other side of the line. In her mind, she started to count,
thinking if she reached ten she’d hand up, knowing all along she would really
only give it to five.
At three, a small mousy voice
finally spoke.
“Is Drew Duncan there?”
Ashley closed her eyes and sighed.
Great, some idiot bimbo Drew’s probably been banging got the home number.
“He’s not here,” Ashley said. She
heard the impatience in her voice, but didn’t care. She wasn’t in high school
anymore and she wasn’t about entertain some dimwitted girl on the line just
because she’d gone and fallen in love with her idiot brother.
“Um…” the young voice said again.
Ashley physically winced. She sounded like she had the emotional maturity of a
thimble.
“You want to leave a message?”
Ashley said.
There was a hesitation and Ashley
seriously thought about hanging up.
Finally, the girl spoke.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice
was shaky, nervous. “I know this must be a hard time. I just wanted to tell
Drew… Well, I just felt I should thank him…”
Ashley pushed her hair back and sat
down at the kitchen table. God, if this chick wanted her to thank Drew for
banging her brains out, she was going to be sick.
“Uh huh,” Ashley said.
“I uh… I just meant,” the girl
stammered. “He saved my life and I never got the chance to say thank you.”
“Yeah… wait, what?” Ashley said.
“He did what?”
Ashley could hear the girl swallow
at the other end of the line. “He got me away from those men. Got me back home.
I tried to find him the next day, but they said he had to leave. A family
emergency.”
Understanding finally dawned on
Ashley. This was the girl the General told her about. The one who had been
kidnapped.
With a much gentler voice, Ashley
started to talk. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Jen,” she said.
“My name’s Ashley. How are you
doing?”
There was a hesitation on the other
end of the line and Ashley imagined the girl was probably wondering if she was
still talking to the same person.
“I’m alright,” she said. “It’s hard
to sleep. I’m still worried they’ll come back, even though I know they won’t.”
Ashley nodded. “That’s right.
You’re safe now. I know that can be a hard thing to adjust to. Just give it
time.”
Jen sniffled. “I know. I’m trying.”
“Are you sleeping okay?” Ashley
said. When Jen didn’t answer, she guessed the answer.
“Nightmares?”
“Not really,” Jen said.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,”
Ashley said.
“I know,” Jen said. “I’m not really
having nightmares. Just problems falling asleep. I think I hear them coming for
me. Every time I close my eyes, I’m scared they’re gonna grab me. Last night…”
Ashley heard a muffled sob from the
other end.
“What happened last night,
sweetie.”
“My brother,” Jen said. “His name
is Jake. He came into my room and crawled into bed with me and told me he’d
stay awake all night so I could sleep. And he did.”
Ashley smiled. “That’s sweet. He’s
your brother and he loves you. He wants to protect you.”
Jen let out a sound that was half
sob, half snort. “He’s only eight, but he’s taking care of me.”
“He’s your brother,” Ashley repeated. “That’s what they’re there for.”
Jen laughed. “Do you have a
brother?”
Ashley cringed, less at the painful
memory of Drew letting her crawl into his bed when she was afraid to sleep, and
more at the fact she’d refused to think of that memory for so long. Nothing
could seem to stop the images of Drew holding her when she was scared flooding
her mind.
“Yeah. I’m Drew’s sister.”
“Oh,” Jen said. Her voice got quiet
again. “Someone told me he had a death in the family.”
Nodding, even though she knew Jen
couldn’t see her on the other end of the phone, Ashley took a moment to wipe
away a tear. “Yes. Our sister died. He found out just a little while after he
helped you ran back home. I’m sure he would have checked on you if he hadn’t.”
“He called,” Jen said. “I wasn’t
here, but he spoke to my mom. I just wanted to thank him and say that I was
sorry. I should tell you too. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said. “Tell me
about your family.”
Ashley pictured a young teen girl,
twirling her hair nervously as she spoke. She could see the scene of her curled
in bed with her little brother, but as she did, the faces changed to hers and
Drew’s.
As Jen continued to talk, memories
flooded back. Fleeting images of Drew coming into her room. The room that
always had a light on. Drew would often act like it was a hardship to be there
with her and Kelli.
Jen continued to describe how life
was different now that she had been rescued. It wasn’t just that she was scared
all the time or worried she’d go to sleep at night and wake up to realize the
rescue was a dream and she was still being held captive.
“I feel different,” Jen said. “I
think about everything I used to think was important, music, celebrities, and I
think most of it is just silly now. I’ve talked to my friends since I’ve been
back. Seen a few. And they’ve been nice, but they just don’t… I don’t know…”
“They don’t get it,” Ashley said.
“You were sheltered before. Now you’ve seen a very ugly part of life and you
know it’s there. You lost something, and you have to accept there’s probably no
way to get it back. You can still enjoy movies and music, but you know what’s
out there. What you need to understand is, even though there’s a lot of
ugliness out there, there are still a lot of wonderful things. And some silly
things. And it’s okay to be silly. It’s fine to enjoy being with your friends
and watching a movie, but you know the ugliness you saw is out there. You lost
your innocence in a way, but in the end, you’re stronger for it.”
There was silence on the end of the
line. Ashley could imagine Jen thinking about what she’d said. Maybe even
wiping away a tear.
“I don’t feel stronger,” Jen
finally said.
“I know,” Ashley said. “But you
are. You just have to believe that.”
