Kidnapped

Chapter 4

  Standing in the doorway was a beautiful woman. She was just over five and a half feet tall and had a smile that could brighten anyone’s day. “Mom?” Rebecca said in disbelief. The woman look puzzled, and then disappointed.

    “No love” she said. “It’s your Aunt, Karen” Rebecca had nearly forgotten her mother had an identical twin sister. She had barely ever spoken to her once they moved out into Tennessee when she was five. Rebecca turned her head and looked out the window. Her eyes started to water. She couldn’t even look her Aunt in the eye. It just seemed strange staring at a woman who looked exactly like her now deceased mother. “I’m so sorry sweetheart. I know how hard this must be for you.” Aunt Karen finished.

    “No, no, it’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Rebecca lied. She was upset that she even allowed herself to think her mom could have come back like that. Her mom was gone, and was never coming back.

    “How are your wounds closing up? Are you feeling any better?” Aunt Karen asked.

    “I don’t really know. I just woke up not too long ago. I guess you could say I am okay... as okay as anyone would be after losing their mother...” Just then, her Uncle John came around the corner.

    “Hey! It’s about time you woke up!” he said loudly. He dark, blonde, hair that would have slightly covered his forehead had he not gelled it up. He wore a big smiled, baring his perfectly aligned teeth, a blue button up shirt, khaki pants, and dress shoes. He must have came straight to the hospital from work.

    “Oh, and guess who else came to visit?” he finished while motioning someone else into the door. It was Sarah. Her hair was pinned up in a make shift pony tail and bounced from side to side with each stride she took.. When she walked into the room she smiled, and ran up to Rebecca.

    “I missed you” she cried as she buried her face into her sister’s arms. Rebecca could see the toll their mother’s death had taken on her. Her once big and childish smile seemed a little forced. It was as though she had been robbed of her innocence. This experience changed her in ways Rebecca couldn’t even imagine. Rebecca tried to picture image Sarah hiding in a room as she heard her mother being murdered in the other room. “Stop it,” she told herself, interrupting her own train of thought. She could feel the tears piling up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She needed to be strong for her sister. She had to.

    “I missed you too” she said at a lost for words. She tried to think of something uplifting to say but she drew a blank. Luckily, Uncle John spoke up.

    “Have you talked to your father?” he questioned.

    “No, but the cops came here and started asking a bunch of questions and—”

    A few hours later, Aunt Karen decided it was time to go home. It was almost midnight and Sarah was exhausted. One by one they went up and kissed Rebecca goodbye before heading home. The next couple of days went by pretty smoothly. The doctors said that Rebecca’s stab wound was healing nicely and that she would be able to go home later on in the day. Rebecca couldn’t get out of there quick enough. When Aunt Karen and Uncle John finally arrived to pick her up, she was already dressed, and was standing in the parking lot waiting for them. She had on a pair of all-white vans with navy blue slim fit jeans. Up top, she wore a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up.

She got into the car quietly and listened to her favorite songs on her MP3 player. She found herself gazing peacefully out the window, counting each car as it whirled by. After about an hour or so, they had arrived. They were home. Or at least what was left of it. Visions of that unforgettable day slowly found its way into Rebecca’s head once more. She looked over at Sarah and could see the pain on her face. As though reading her mind, Sarah nodded her head saying she would be okay. Aunt Karen looked back at them in the rear view mirror.

    “Are you sure you don’t want us to get go get everything for you? We’d be more than happy to,” she suggested. Rebecca opened her mouth to speak but she was cut off by Sarah.

“It’s okay...we can handle it” she assured as she opened the car door. It was something about this experience that had changed Sarah. It was like she lost a piece of herself when she lost her mom.