Childish

13

"I picked the wrong day to wear these heels." Monica mumbled. She stopped her pacing in front of me.

I looked up at her with wide eyes. It didn't take her long to figure out what course of action to take. I noticed she shared the same intelligence Alex had only she used it better.

"Lyla, I need you to do something for me and you're not going to like it."

"What?"

"You can't go out into the hallway until we know what steps to take next. I need you to stay here while I go find Alex."

I crossed my tiny arms over my tiny chest, trying to appear intimidating. "How do I know we can trust you? I thought you would help when I called you but that turned out to be a bust."

She sighed and knelt down in front of me. "That's up for you to decide. I fully plan on helping you... and my brother. But if you don't believe me then..."

"The only thing left for your father to do to me is to kill me. I'm sure he wants to after everything I've done.

She took my shoulders in her hands and squeezed lightly. "I won't let him kill you. If anyone opens the door, hide. The phone lines are still working in here so you can call for help but I'm not sure who is on our side here. Just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"I can't promise anything."

She gave me one final look before she left the room, leaving me in silence and fear.

---

I wasn't going to just sit around while I waited for someone to save me. I knew I couldn't leave the room but I wasn't going to just sit on the couch and stare at the walls.

I slid off the couch and to the floor. I crawled to the desk and grabbed the leg of the computer chair. I pulled it with me as I worked my way back to the couch.

Once at the couch, I lifted myself back onto the couch then climbed into the chair. Then I kicked against the cushions to work my way back to the desk. After several minutes, I made my way back to the desk and in front of the computer.

I clicked the buttons to boot the computer up and waited for it to load onto the main screen.

After it finished loading, I opened up the browser and stared at the white screen. I wasn't sure that I could do much but no knowing much left me at such a disadvantage. The entire time I was in Alpine, I knew nothing and it made me vulnerable.

I typed Alpine into the search bar and hit enter. Over a thousand results appeared on the screen though it didn't show the town we were in. I clicked on the location button and the results slimmed.

A welcome message was posted under the first link and I clicked on it. The screen loaded and light pink appeared, words slowly filling the screen. A logo for Alpine appeared at the top.

Alpine, a wonderful community where play is encouraged and family is held at the forefront. Parents are encouraged to befriend colleagues and neighbors and form lifelong bonds.

I rolled my eyes as I looked at the tabs on the left side. Contact Us, Testimonies, Schools, Job Opportunities.

They were promising a better life. It was how mom and dad got roped into moving. It was how they were able to trap me and torture me and ruin my life. I wasn't sure how mom and dad ever found out about Alpine in the first place. Were they recruited to move to Alpine?

The more I thought about it, the more my stomach turned.

"We saw her on the security cameras, sir. Yes, we'll continue searching."

I quickly slid out of the chair and crawled under the desk. I stared at the opening to see if someone walked in but no one walked any further than the doorway.

The door opened and there was silence for a few seconds before it shut once more.

I exhaled and crawled out from under the desk. Something grabbed my arm and I screamed.

A man in a fitted black shirt and black cargo pants lifted me off the floor. A walkie-talkie was clipped to his pocket.

He lifted it and held it to his mouth. "I found her, sir."