The London Paradigm (book 4 of Adopted by the Josephs)

30. Samantha

I ran. Into the blinding and freezing cold rain. Through the streets and into the woods. I came across a stream and ran through it. I was soaked.

I came to a fence in the middle of the woods. I was able to climb it easily. I ran through the trees on the other side but I was stopped by a bright light turning on. I looked around and saw I was in a small back garden. There was a smaller gate ahead, so I ran through it. I could hear him behind me.

The gate led me to a little lane and I ran up it until I came to a park. There were people in the park. Maybe they could help me. Why people were in the park in a thunderstorm was beyond me, but there they were.

I ran. I ran as fast and as hard as I could towards the people at the park.

"Help me!" I cried as I got closer. "Please! Help me!"

As I got closer I was able to make out who it was. Taylor, Brittany, Emma and Benji.

"Hi Sam!" They said.

"You have to help me," I pleaded.

"With what?" Emma asked.

"He's chasing me. Do you have a phone? Something?"

"Hold on, who's chasing you?" Emma asked.

I realized I wasn't actually sure who was chasing me. I was sure it was Stanley, but now, I wasn't so sure.

"I don't know," I said.

"Then why would we call the police if you don't know who is chasing you?" Brittany said.

"Because whoever it is is still chasing me," I exclaimed.

Taylor shrugged.

"You'd think you'd be happy someone is chasing you."

"Why would I be happy?" I asked, confused.

"Because it means they want you. Isn't it nice to feel wanted?"

"I'm already wanted. My parents want me. My sister wants me."

"Ha!" Emma said. "Why?  I mean, my mum and dad want you, too. And you're our real family. They're not. They just took you in."

"They are my real family," I said. "They chose me. They've been better parents than Stanley ever was."

Taylor laughed.

"If they love you so much, how come they sent you to England? And let you stay an extra week?"

"Because Mark lied to them. And to me,"

"Because they know you belong here. With your real family," Emma said.

"Yeah," Benji interjected. "That's why I took your passport. You don't belong with the Josephs. You belong with us."

"No, I don't. I belong in Ohio. Where my family is. Where my mom is buried. Where my friends are."

"Aren't we your friends?" Brittany asked.

"Of course you are!" I exclaimed.

"So why would you want to stay in Ohio?  Aren't we good enough?"

"One thing has nothing to do with the other. My life is in Ohio."

"You know you're just a publicity stunt, right?" Emma said. "Tyler and Jenna don't care about you. They just care about how the media sees them."

I frowned.

"I am not a publicity stunt," I insisted.

"Yeah. Okay. Sure. You think they're going to keep this out of the media?" Emma said.

"Are you afraid of the media finding out how cold and callous your family is?" I asked.

"We're not cold and callous. We care about you. You belong here. With your real family. We can give you a better education and show you real love. Not that fake love Tyler and Jenna pretend to show you."

"If Tyler and Jenna didn't love me, then why would they fight so hard for me?  Why would they sit in the hospital with me when I'm sick? Why would they not dump me when Rosie was born?"

"Because, how would that look? The media would have a field day and twentyone pilots would cease to exist. At this point, you're just a meal ticket."

"That's not true!" I cried.

Emma looked at me with a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Sure," she said. "What have they ever done for you. Really?"

"What do you mean?  They saved my life!"

"Pfft," Emma said. "Right. Saved their own asses more like it.  How would it look if you'd died in their backyard?"

This was getting ridiculous.

"Look, are you going to help me with whoever is chasing me or not?"

"No need. He's already right behind you."

I turned around to face my worst nightmare.

"I told you, I'd always look out for you," he said, his grin melting as the flesh rotted off his face.

I screamed as he put his hands on my shoulders.