Asher~~
I push the orange metal cart through the store, wondering if I did something to make her mad. Alice hasn't texted or called me since yesterday afternoon when she left to go get changed. Something in me tells me to worry but the other part of me tells me that she is okay and her phone probably died or broke or something.
"Asher, would you please stop driftring off and help me look for the tool?" London says, intruding my thoughs by snapping his fingers in my face.
I look back at my phone and check the text from Dad telling us what size screw driver he needed. Once I scan the details of the text I look through the cases of tools in front of us and find the box with the right label on it. I reach in and grab on of them, throwing it into the cart along with the screws, nails, other home repair items.
We are about to head up to the check out aisle when I get a call from Ali. So much happier I grab the phone and eagerly click the answer button.
"Hey, Ali!" I exclaim
"Asher? This is Mrs. Daily." Alice's Mom says over the speaker
"Is something wrong?" I ask, presuming Ali just got grounded because of something. Then I remember who Ali has for a Mom and I start to panic.
"Asher, where are you." She asks
Confused I reply "I'm at the home repair store."
"I need you to make your way to somewhere private." She says
"No, just tell me. What is wrong? What's happened?" I say, trying to keep the shaking from my voice.
By now London is watching me with a concerned look in his eyes. I've stopped moving completely and with my free hand I am holding on to he cart so tight my knuckles are bright white.
"Asher, I went to the store yesterday, and when I came back home, Ali wasn't there. We have reason to believe that her father may have kidnapped her." Tara explains the situaton to me and I try not to fall onto the ground. I stay silent because I don't know what to say "Asher? Baby boy are you there?":
"I'm, I'm here." I say, choking on my own words. London is standing beside me now and I have never seen him look that worried before. "I-I need to go." I say
The last thing Tara says before hanging up is "Don't do anything rash, you are welcome to come over anytime, child."
I shove my phone into my pocket and look over at London. The tears that were building up flow over and I don't even care about being embarrased. London puts his hand on my shoulder, obviously seeing the pain in my eyes.
"Asher, are you okay? What is wrong? Who was that?" London ambushes me with questions. "Let's get out of the middle okay?"
We move to the back of the store and all of my emotions flood out of me.
"That was Ali's Mom. You know how I told you about how her Dad escaped? Well she was kidnapped and they hav reason to believe that he took her." I say
"Oh, God, Asher I'm so sorry. At least you know her Dad won't hurt her. I mean, he wouldn't hurt his little girl. Just remember this isn't some random stranger who took her. Sh e knows him so it will be okay." London comforts me. If only he knew.
If only he knew what he did to her and what he is capable of now.
"You go on out to the truck and I'll go buy this stuff." London dismisses me so I can express my emotions in privacy.
I trudge through the store and it seems like time is molasses, only itching by. Visuals of Alice battered on the floor of a dirty warehouse strike my mind and plague my emotions. If I had stayed with her all night long and into the morning I could have protected her but I was too worried that my dad would get on to me. Since when have I cared what my dad thinks of me?
When I get to the truck I decide that it would be a good thing to call the guys. I put them into a big group call and when they answer Max is the first to talk.
"Okay, Asher I know you are practically head over heels for Ali but if you are calling us again to brag about how amazing she is and how beautiful she is I am going to hang up right now so please tell me why you are calling us." He says
"No, guys," My voice breaks as I try to get the information to them "Alice was kidnapped yesterday."
"Christ," Chandler says
"Oh no," Adam whispers
"What man?" Brady says
"What the crap, stop joking with us." Max snarls
"He isn't joking man, did you not hear his voice break? Since when does a seventeen year old guy's voice break?" Chandler yells
"Crap no! Ali can't.. no!" Max breaks "Man I don't know, man what is going on? I-I can't even. Dear lord."
When I try to tell them it's okay I break again and the tears start to stream down my face "I need to go." I choke out, hanging up the phone.
I need to go to Ali's house. By now London is walking out of the store and when he gets to the truck I tell him to drop me off at Alice's house. He doesn't object so in about ten minutes I find myself grabbing the spare key and staring at a gaping hole in the screen door that has been covered with masking tape. I open the screened door and then unlock the front door.
"Mrs. Daily it is me. I'm going to Alice's room." I say, going down the hallway to Ali's room.
On her bed is a change of clothes, probably the ones she was going to switch into when she hung up with me on the phone. I blink away my tears and kick off my shoes at the base of the bed. Slowly I climb onto the mattress and visualize Alice propped up on her dresser, telling me about something that happened last week or squatting on the ground, petting her puppy.
Libby jumps up onto the bed and curls up right next to me. In a way it seems like she knows what is going on and that I need something to comfort me. I drift off to sleep and my dreams haunt me.
Alice sits accross me at a blank table in a blank room. She has chains linked to her wrists and there are bruises all over her arms and her face is bloody. Her dark hair is matted and sticking to her skull with grease and sweat. Underneath her eyes are dark circles and traces of black mascara runs down her cheeks.
"Ali, baby, are you okay?" I ask looking at her seriously
"He did this to me and you could have saved me." She says with an empty voice
"I know I could have saved you. It is my fault and I am so sorry." I reply, trying to touch her hand
"Go away."
Then the scene changes and I am in a park, sitting on a red and white checkered blanket. Ali is sitting across from me and she is smiling.
"Ash, isn't this just marvelous!" She yells, throwing her head back in laughter. Her hair blows in the wind and covers her face with a red-brown blanket
"It is amazing. I wish you were here with me." I say
"I know but at least I can be here with you in your dreams. It will be okay, Asher. I will be okay." She says and then everything disappears and I am left with dark, dreamless sleep.
