Wren

S. Part 15

Eden tore through the tall grass that stretched between the building she'd just escaped and the road in front of her. 

She made it to the highway and looked back, relieved that no one was coming after her, but worried about Sophie. She was too far away to be able to see anything. 

She walked until she caught her breath, then started to run again. She glanced back again, taking mental notes on the building. It looked like an abandoned school or something-- maybe a warehouse?

A car slowed and pulled off in front of her a little ways, forcing her to stop. A lady opened the driver's door and peeked at her, concerned. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Eden kept her distance. "My dad--" she lied, "I have to get away from him. I need to get to my uncle's house." 

The woman got out and flung open the backdoor of her car, motioning for Eden to get in. "Come on, I'll take you." 

Eden would normally never get in the car with a stranger, but she figured she'd already been kidnapped; what were the chances of it happening again? This was her only option.

She told the lady the address of the mansion, and tried to politely urge her to drive faster. 

"Do you want me to take you to the police station?" The woman asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. "Or do you need to eat anything?"

Eden shook her head. The police was the last people she wanted to involve, and although she was starving, it felt wrong to eat. Sophie was still in danger-- perhaps more now than they had been-- and she just wanted to get her out. She had to get to Sophie's dads.

It felt like they were crawling along. The woman was driving over the speed limit, but nothing felt fast enough for Eden. Her anxiety and fear were gnawing at her. 

"Do you have a pen in here?" Eden asked, and the woman nodded. 

"Glovebox." 

Eden leaned over the seats and tugged it open, digging for a pen. She found one and pulled the cap off with her teeth, spitting it down into her lap. She scribbled furiously on the palm of her hand. 

The woman glanced at her again, concerned for the girl's mental state. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" 

"I'm fine," Eden lied as she finished writing. She swept her hands around the seat for the pen cap, sticking it back on and putting the pen back in the glovebox. 

"What-- what did you write?" the woman asked.

"My dad's address." She'd written down the street names she'd seen on the sign, and the number she'd spotted on the side of the building. She didn't want to forget them.

"Are you sure you don't want to report him or something?" the woman prodded, eyeing the girl in the rearview. She was disheveled and her face dirty and sunken in, circles under her eyes and clothes mottled with dirt and little specks of what she assumed to be blood. Should she just take the girl to a hospital?

Eden could see the thoughts of betrayal swirling behind the woman's eyes. Luckily, she recognized the surroundings and realized they were almost to the mansion.

"Here, turn here!" Eden pointed to the turn that bled into the long driveway to the house. The woman turned, a little startled at Eden's sudden change in demeanor.

Eden was relieved. She was here. She'd made it. She had information to help Sophie.

She practically threw herself out of the car before it had even stopped moving.

"This is your uncle's house?" the woman shouted after her, clearly surprised by the grandeur.

Eden ignored her. She was of course grateful for the woman, but she had bigger priorities right now. She grabbed the handles of the front doors and flung them open, charging inside. 

Maids and guards stopped in their tracks, their faces frozen in disbelief. (They'd been shown a picture of Eden, so they could rescue her, too, when they found them.)

Eden staggered towards the nearest guard. "Matteo-- I need Matteo."

* * * 

Ten minutes later, Eden was brought to a bedroom, where Matteo and Wren had been pacing the room, talking with two other men. The moment they laid eyes on her, Wren's arms were around her. Her last bit of steeled nerves caved, and she sobbed into his arms. 

"Sophie, I know where she is." She held out her hand and Matteo took it, the other men scrambling to find paper and pen to write down the notes. 

Wren cradled her head on his shoulder, stroking her hair and whispering that everything was going to be okay. He sank to the floor, bringing the exhausted girl down with him, pulling her into his lap.

Matteo crouched and took her hands in his, tears welling in his eyes too. "Are you okay? What did they do to you?" 

Eden let out a heavy, quivering breath, pulling herself together. "We were locking up the cafe-- they came out of nowhere. We woke up in a room, and they separated us-- took me to a room where they asked me a bunch of questions about you guys. Then they put us in a room-- she-- Sophie had been hurt by the time we were able to see each other, but we were tied up. That woman-- she-- touched me to make Sophie upset, and Sophie provoked her, but when the woman was about to hurt her, I got free and knocked her out, and we ran--" Eden was gasping for breath, trying to keep calm while recounting what had happened. "But Sophie's legs are hurt and she couldn't run-- she told me to go to you. Told me to take notes on the street signs--" Eden broke down crying again, unable to continue.

Matteo wiped his eyes and Eden felt Wren's chest heave behind her head. "I'm so sorry, baby." Matteo whispered, wiping tears off Eden's cheeks. "But you're safe now. We'll take care of you, and we'll get Sophie. Thank you." And he stood and rushed out of the room, followed by the two others.

Wren held her for what felt like hours, both of them crying. 

             Part 16 Coming Soon