Kidnapped

Chapter 1

(Lucy's POV)

After school, I walk to the parking lot, looking for Jason. Jason is my boyfriend, also my best friend. He's been there for me through a lot of things; including my hard life at home and the abuse I go through. But sometimes he can be a bit hard to deal with. I haven't seen him and I'm having a hard time staying calm. Anxiety can be crippling in the worst ways. It's already been a hard day and I definitely don't need to be waiting on him right now. But I end up waiting there for a good 30 minutes after school before I realize Jason left me. I decide to call him.

"Hello?" Jason's voice comes over the phone, slurred.

"Jason, where the hell are you?" I snap.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Lucy. The guys wanted to go out so I went. I totally forgot about taking you home. I'm sorry, Lucy," he says. I roll my eyes even though he can't see. This isn't the first time so I'm not even surprised.

"I'll see you when you get back. Have fun, Jason," I say as nicely as possible. I know I can't force him to be around me all the time, but I just wish he'd tell me some of these things.

I hang up and look around. I'm startled when I hear a voice behind me. "Lucy, what are you still doing here?" I turn to see Mr. Bogers behind me. Mr. Luke Bogers is my English teacher. He's a bit too friendly for my liking, but he's one of the more laid back teachers. Still, I often catch him staring at me.

"Mr. Bogers, uh, I don't have a ride," I say, completely embarrassed. Of course he'd be here to witness this.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like me to drive you? I could take you home or to my place, or whatever, really. Who was supposed to drive you home?" he asks. He says so much so fast that I nearly miss the fact that he offered to drive me home. Or to his house. What kind of teacher offers something like that? I need to get the hell out of here.

"Uh, no, I'll be fine," I snap. "My boyfriend, Jason was, but he went with the guys to hang out. I'll walk, thank you," I snap again. Mr. Bogers stares after me, a seemingly angry look on his face. What the hell was that all about? It's my choice to walk home and surely shouldn't bother him. He's so much more than just creepy.

I begin the walk to Jason's house. I've been staying there for a while. Jason doesn't want me back at my house. I'd recently gotten a bit of my dad's rage. He always hits me, making sure to tell me just how big of a mistake I am. I haven't heard anything about my father these past few days and in all honesty, I don't think I will. He couldn't care less where I am. I can't believe Jason left me here, though. At least he admitted that he forgot about me.

Along the walk home, I see a van creep by. It's really strange and scary, too. It feels like I'm in a movie and I do my best to remain calm. If I take off running and it turns out to be nothing, then I'll really look stupid. Still, I feel like I see it several times, but then again, it could be many different vans. Nonetheless, my pace quickens towards Jason's apartment.

When I get there, I'm thankful that Jason's mom let him get an apartment so close to school. Sure, it wasn't a long walk, but I was in no hurry to be alone. I would have been perfectly okay taking my sweet time, but I wasn't planning on figuring out what those vans were really there for.

I open Jason's apartment door and step inside, immediately locking it behind me. My breathing goes back to normal. Eventually I realize it was because I was actually scared. I set my things down and turn the television on.

When the news comes on, I lean forward when I see something about a kidnapping. I don't recognize the girl, but the fact that it was a kidnapping nearby scares me. Especially after what just happened. I change the channel to ION and grin when Criminal Minds comes on. It's not the best idea, but crime shows still calm my nerves in a way. It requires a thinking process so it's distracting.

This is probably no better than watching the news, but at least I know this stuff didn't actually happen. I sit back and begin watching.

Jason doesn't come home until two hours later. It bothers me that he's here so late, but I can't keep him from hanging out with his friends. That's just not right. I meet him in the hall, forcing a weak smile. "Hey," he says, breathless. Did he run or something?

"Hey," I say back.

"Sorry about earlier, Lucy. I should have at least taken you home," he sighs, shaking his head at himself.

"It's fine. You'll remember next time," I say, giving him a pointed look. He chuckles, nodding. "Anyways, where did you guys go? I mean, did you at least have fun?" I ask, smirking. I suppose he makes mistakes and I'll just get over it.

"We went to the arcade, actually." Jason laughs, shaking his head again.

"Really?" My face lights up. Drunk? He's lying.

"Yeah, really. We just played games the entire time. It really took me back. Remember you and I used to go there almost every day after school? We would blow our money on shaved ice and games, nothing else. It was really fun," he says, grinning.

"Well, maybe we should go the next time we go out together," I suggest, grinning like I'm clueless.

"Yeah, that'd be fun. It's changed so much, Lucy. There are so many more games and more food. Just, it's amazing, Lucy," Jason says, grinning, too. We're definitely going to have to go there, I think sarcastically. I do my best not to roll my eyes at him and his terrible lying skills. My mind wanders as I think back to what Luke said earlier and decide to keep it to myself.

"We'll plan something, alright? I'm going for a walk, though. I think some fresh air will help me wipe away today's events," I say, chuckling. The van's scare me, but I shake the thought away. It was probably nothing. I'm always so overly worried about things. Jason nods, coming towards me. He kisses my head and then walks off. The stench of alcohol floods my senses.

I walk outside and begin my journey down the road. I walk slow, my hands swaying at my sides. Strolls like this are my favorite. The sun is setting behind the trees and the air is warm. It's the perfect day.

Ten minutes into my walk, I spot another white van. My eyes go wide, so I turn around, fully prepared to go home. I walk the same pace, at first not thinking too much of it. When I spot another van ahead, just sitting there, I become worried. What the hell is going on?

I speed up a little, my breaths becoming labored as panic sets in. Maybe I'm just being paranoid? I'm definitely being paranoid, that's all.

I almost instantly cross that off when I turn to see the first van creeping behind me slowly. I begin practically jogging down the road, instantly feeling regret for deciding to take a walk at a time like this. There was a recent kidnapping. What the hell was I thinking? I'm such an idiot. Jason just frustrates me so much.

I glance behind me, watching the van for a few seconds before turning around. I stop in my tracks when I see men in masks approaching me. They have guns and I turn to run the opposite way. I get a little ways down before a pair of arms jerk me up, stopping me.

I go to scream, but a hand covers my mouth. I try to bite the man's hand, but I can't. I'm thrown into one of the vans and instantly begin crying. One man gets in and I stare, tears flowing down my cheeks. The van doors slam shut and we speed away.

A few moments into the bumpy ride, I speak up through my tears, "Who the hell are you?"

The man removes his mask and I gasp.