YouTube's Princess (Westheeditor)

Stephanie

The next evening, while I was writing a song in my bedroom, I heard a loud knock at my front door. Sandy followed me out of my room. I looked through the peep hole and my heart stopped. He was there. He, the definition of my fear. He was standing behind the landlord with a creepy, almost cheerful-looking smile on his lips. He was terrifying, "She must not be home today." I heard the land lord say and Sandy barked loudly. My heart jumped and I stepped back from the door. I looked back through the peephole once more to be sure, then tip-toed to my room.

I didn't know how he could have found me. I changed my name, moved away, and completely changed my appearance. There was nothing left that connected me to that small country farm in Tennessee.

I called Wes in a panic and he said he would come right away. I went back to the door to see that they were no longer there. The thought of being in a room with him made me feel sick to my stomach. I took deep breaths and focused my mind on the fact that Wes was coming. It was making me calmer.

When there was another knock on my front door I felt panic run through my entire body. I looked out to see Wes standing there. He knocked again and I unlocked the door quickly. I pulled him inside and shut the door, locking and deadbolts. He pulled me into a hug and I felt myself wanting to cry. I was terrified.

I held back my tears as he held me tightly against him, "He doesn't know you're home, does he?" Wes asked me and I shook my head, "How did he find you?"

"I don't know," I forced myself to speak. My head felt heavy and I felt myself beginning to panic, "I did everything I had to." I said as I stepped away from Wes. He moved towards me, but I kept moving away, "I changed my name; I changed my look; I got away; he wasn't supposed to find me. He wasn't supposed to get out."

"Stephanie," Wes said and I feel back onto the couch. The name no longer meant anything to me. My name used to make me feel free from my horrible past. It was a name that he didn't know about. It was something new that separated me from my heartless father, and now he knew.

Wes quickly moved towards me and sat on the couch. He took my hand in his and lightly pressed my knuckles to his lips, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." He said. I looked into his light brown eyes and felt calm. He pulled me towards him and I wrapped my arms around him, "I'm here for you." He said.

After a few more minutes he let me go and we called the sheriffs office together. They said that they would look into it and thanked me, not giving me anymore information on what was going to happen, "I'm scared." I said, leaning my head on Wes' shoulder.

The room fell quiet as he rubbed his hand up and down my back, "Why don't you stay with Joven and I for a while?" He asked hesitantly, "Until the police find him."

"I don't want to intrude," I said honestly.

"What if I stay here with you for a few nights?" He asked and I looked up at him. He smiled shyly down at me and lightly kissed my temple, "It would be fun." He was adorable, "We can play video games, sing, and do a bunch of other fun stuff." He told me with a bright smile as he rubbed his hand over my back.

"Would you mind?" I asked him as Sandy got up and ran towards us.

"Of course not," he said, lifting Sandy into his lap, "I'll get to spend more time with this beautiful gal." He said, rubbing Sandy's belly. He looked up at me and paused. I lightly laughed as he placed Sandy back on the floor. He leaned towards me and began to tickle my sides. I erupted with laughter and begged him to stop. He ignored my yelps and continued to tickle me until I escaped to the bathroom, "You're a mess." He told me when I walked back into the living room.

"I'm not." I said happily as I approached him. I fell onto the couch next to him as he placed Sandy in his lap. The room got quiet.

"If you don't mind me asking," he said, slightly clearing his throat, "What is your birth name?"

"Sara Konner," I told him. I knew that I was going to tell him eventually, "My grandparents owned the Konner Farm in Tennessee. I spent most of my time there as a toddler."

"Did they have horses?" He asked, facing me. I began to smile and slightly nodded.

"There was a pony for each of us," I said, thinking back to before the torture.

"You have siblings?" He asked me hesitantly and placed my hand in his.

I hesitantly nodded and avoided his eyes, "I had two brothers and a sister."

"My father murdered my oldest brother when he turned eighteen," I told him and felt my heart fall into my throat as I forced myself to speak, "He tried to rescue my brother, sister, and I, but my father caught him before we could escape. My younger brother ran away when I was fourteen. He was ten. I've never seen him since. My little sister-" I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, "She was four when Kyle died and Joseph ran away. She lived with our parents on the back property of the farm until my father got taken away. There was an article in the news about her. I think she moved into the farm house with my grandparents, but I have no idea where she will go. She is turning eighteen next month, I believe."

"What were they like?" He asked me and I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"They were perfect." I said, wiping the tears as they fell, "When my parents would lock us in the house there was no way for us to leave. We would always hide in the bottom of a closet and talk about what we would change our names too when we got out of that house and what we would want to do. Emily said that she would call herself Minnie, like the mouse, and she would teach people about animals when she had her own farm. Joseph said that he would go by the name Hunter and he would become a sheriff to help kids like us. I always stuck with the name Stephanie and I had big dreams, but I just wanted to get out. Kyle always said that he would stick with the name Kyle." I told Wes, "He said that it was a strong name and would never change it. He never told us what he wanted to be when we escaped. He would just say that he wanted to be free."

"Kyle was your older brother?" He asked me and I nodded.

I wiped my tears and leaned on to the back of the couch, "That's why I chose the last name Kyle." I told him, "I wanted to keep my original initials and remember him."

He leaned towards me and kissed my forehead, "Come here." He leaned back on the couch and pulled me into him. I cuddled on his chest and felt him running his hand through my hair, "You're an amazing girl," he told me, "I am so thankful that I met you."

I slightly tilted my chin up and he pressed his lips against mine, "Thank you for being here." I said as placed my head back on his chest and tried to relax.