abducted [s.g. + z.m. au]

3.

The day went by in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, the night had taken over, the moon settling in the dark sky, taking the previous place of the sun. Dinner had just finished and my brother and sister finally managed to tire themselves out and fall asleep after their day filled with playtime and giggles. I watched as their eyes closed slowly, drifting off to their dreams. I grabbed the soft purple blanket they shared from the end of the bed and covered them, tucking them in. I ran my hand through my hair exhaustingly as I thought about the stress I had been stuck with the past few days, which, no matter how hard I tried, never managed to go away. My mind reminded me that I just needed to remember to slow my train of thought, take a breath or two, and stay calm. If I kept up that cycle, things would eventually get better and everything would be okay, right? I closed my eyes and eventually drifted off into slumber.
I woke up suddenly, the darkness still in place outside. I was unsure what time it was, but I figured it was pretty late. I rose up from my spot, before glancing around the room, my eyes landing on my siblings, just like always. They always looked so cute while they were sleeping. It brought a smile to my face. I had so much love for them and I hoped that they were aware of that. My stare shifted from my brother and sister to the direction of the door, prompting me to get a quick drink in the kitchen before heading back to bed. I began walking towards the door, about to grab a glass of water when suddenly I heard the sound of my parents voices, trying to keep quiet, speaking just above a whisper. I was so confused. Why were the up so late...or so early, I guess I should say? I could have sworn they were asleep, but I was obviously proved wrong. I pressed my ear against the door, but had little success in eavesdropping on the conversation. It was none of my business, but I could not contain my curiosity, anxious to hear what they were talking about. I opened the door very little with a small push, a hushed creak sounding. I wanted to be able to hear them better.

My father was sitting down at the kitchen table with his head in his hands as he groaned. "I don't know, Natalia. I'm not sure what else I can do. If they let me go, I can't do anything about it," my father spoke as he began rubbing his forehead, the aggravation evident in his facial features.

I was dumbstruck by the words coming out of his mouth. What the heck was he talking about? I told myself that maybe I should just head to bed and avoid eavesdropping on the rest of their conversation. It wasn't my place to hear it anyways. But of course, my curious side wanted to know what was happening, pulling me in to stay right where I was. I then heard the sound of my mother's voice, her hand beginning to rub my father's back at an attempt to comfort him and calm him down before replying.

"Are you sure," she questioned reluctantly before continuing. "I'm positive there's other jobs out there if anything happens. And if worse comes to worst, we'll just cut down on spending. Don't stress out so much, sweetheart. It's not good for your health." Was I really hearing this right now or were my negative thoughts getting the best of me? Was this all a nightmare coming to life right in front of me? This could not be real, could it? Had my family not suffered enough?

I was convinced this was reality at the sight of my distraught father, his hand beginning to rub the back of his neck, the sign of his stress evident. "We're already doing that is it is!" He spoke quite loudly as he stood up from the wooden chair. My mother brought her hands to his shoulders, giving me a case of deja vu at the sight. It was just like Alejandro and I earlier. She began quieting my father down, reminding him of his sleeping children in the room only a few feet away. He calmed down after a few moments before continuing his rant. "I hate to put us in a situation like this, but I can't prevent it from happening. I'm only concerned about my family's future, here." My mother hugged my father in a warm embrace as tears gathered in his eyes, each one slowly coming down his dark but rosy cheeks. It broke my heart to watch the scene in front of me. My father was the strongest person I knew. To see him falling apart in front of me broke me. It shattered my heart into a million pieces and the universe was taunting me by stepping all over it. I wanted to scream out in anger, but I couldn't. I had to act as if I knew nothing and go on about my regular schedule like nothing out of the ordinary just happened, all for the sake of my parents. Then, I heard my father's soft voice speak once again. "Please, just promise me that you won't tell Veronica about this, she's already stressed as it is." That was all it took. That was the last heavy step to crumble the rest of my broken self into dust, topping it all off.

I walked to my bed quickly as a few tears began to gather in my eyes. I knew it. I knew that things weren't getting any better. I should've just listened to my instincts. Why didn't I? It always worked out for the best when I listened to my better judgment, but I figured this time I would listen to everyone else and ignore my paranoia. Well, now look where that has gotten me. Yes, it was for all the right reasons. My parents were only trying to protect me, but that doesn't change anything. It doesn't help us one bit. Instead of having a pity party and wallowing in sorrow, I decided it was better to push my emotions aside. I was determined to find work, any job available. It was my responsibility to make sure my family was okay. I needed to bring in any money I could. I didn't even care if it was a part time job, because I knew that anything would help at this point. I just needed to do all that I could for the sake of my family. Sure, it was a long shot, but I couldn't just stay back and watch the worst play out. I knew I was fully capable of helping them. My parents and Alejandro would either tell me once again not to worry or that I was simply ridiculous, but after the scene that I just witnessed, I honestly did not care. I needed to do what was best for my family and I would be damned if anyone tried to stop me.