Kidnapped (Book 1)

Epilogue

              Life was a struggle from the day of the funeral and on. My doctor had referred me to my own therapist that I saw at least once a week, sometimes more. They tried to put me on antidepressant medications but I refused. I wasn't going to be taking a bunch of medications that may get rid of my depression but also cause a lot of other problems. My depression wasn't severe, just some days were better than others. But I was slowly recovering from everything that happened.

           Ethan and I officially started to date each other. He was always by my side and helped me through the terrible year that would follow. He went to every doctor's appointment with me, he came over whenever I needed him, and he was totally understanding about everything, even when all I wanted to do was lay in bed all day. I could talk to him about my kidnapping and he could understand some of it because he was kidnapped and held captive too. He was an excellent listener at the parts he couldn't even imagine going through, like being shot. He was doing everything my dad would have wanted for me. Between Ethan and Maddie, I was rarely alone.

          I hadn't heard anything about Kyle except that he was sentenced to have his death penalty at the age of fifty, so about thirty years in prison before his ultimate punishment. I wanted him dead. I hope you don't think that's too harsh but I do and I'm sticking with that. At his death, I will be seated in the observation room, right in the front row so that he can see me right before he dies. I want him to see the very person who caused his death and I just hope everyone else who was taken by him will be there too.

           I was able to catch up on my school work from when I was kidnapped so I managed to pass all my classes before the end of freshman year. Then that summer went by in a blur and so did my sophomore year, well most of it anyway. There are only a couple more months left of my sophomore year. Thankfully my grades are perfect; I refused to let this ruin my school GPA.

             Sure, I have struggled but I have also gotten stronger by what had happened to me. Haven't you heard the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" That saying is like my life motto because that is what exactly happened to me. I will never forget what happened to me but I will take my experiences and make myself stronger because of them. I have many people who care about me and that will keep me safe. I know that they will help me whenever they can. I refuse to think of myself as a victim anymore. I am going to live my life to the fullest because I have the chance too, unlike some of the other people who lost their lives. I want to live so that the others who died didn't just die for nothing. I am living for my mother and father who died trying to save me.

               As I'm ending this story of mine, it is the one year anniversary of the day I was kidnapped from my life. It is the same time in March and I am thankful that I am alive. I will visit many graves of the people who died. I will thank them for everything and also grieve for them. There will be smiles and tears but that just means that I'm alive to have those tears and smiles. I will see Officer Robbins and Officer Dole and thank them for saving me from the hell I was living in.

           Every second I was with Kyle, I was in my only living hell and I am just grateful that I'm away from him. I'm extremely overwhelmed by how much I took for granted. When it was all gone, I knew that I didn't appreciate it. It's like Helen Keller, she didn't have her hearing or sight, yet she lived and did everything to the best of her ability. Most of us who can hear and see take our sight and hearing for granted. I bet most of you take your parents for granted but when they are gone, you will know it.

           I just want everyone to know that they need to see what you have right now, before it's gone. When it's gone, it will not come back. That is why you need to see that what you have is amazing. Sadly, I learned the hard way about this and now my parents are gone forever and I will never be able to see them, talk to them, or hear their voice for the last time. They are just gone.