day 3
3rd pov
all day, rachel had dread even accepting that she couldn't leave. peter had stayed all night, answering her questions and asking some of his own.
rachel was beginning to believe the things peter was telling her, but she was still cautious of what he was saying to her. she wanted to play her cards right. she couldn't always believe what he was telling her.
but she also couldn't take up the chance of leaving, a way to escape with him.
on the third night she had been in the room, she started to miss peters company. it's been around 63 hours since he last saw her, according to her watch, which peter had given her before he left.
she climbed up on a chair, and stood, looking out the small window. the house in front of her was dark, but she could make out a small light from the back door. maybe it was a tv.
her watch said 8:00 pm. just as she looked back out the window, a light had turned on. there wasn't any curtains it drapes in this room, but all the others did.
she looked as best as she could. the room has blue walls, like the color of the sky. she saw a guitar hanging on a hook by the window. she could also see someone moving around.
it was peter.
she thought it was kinda weird at first. almost as if she was invading someone's privacy. she continued anyway. even if he looked over at the shed window, he wouldn't be able to see her though the darkness.
he was wearing a white shirt. he threw on a jacket, looking in a mirror on the other side of the wall. he touched his hair a bit, making sure it looked ok. it was like he was getting ready for a date.
that made her stomach turn. yes, he had a life, and no, he wasn't ugly, but the thought of him leaving to talk to someone other than her made her have a ping of jealously. shouldn't he be helping her get out instead of going on a-
the door clicked. it was peter.
he smiled at her as she looked up from the chair she sat in by the window. she hadn't even realized how much time had passed. her watch read 8:05.
"sorry i didn't come last night. my, uh, dad didn't crash until i was already asleep."
she shook off his excuse as he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. a pen was hooked to the paper as he sat down on the chair next to the table.
"i'm here to make a plan to get you out. are you going to help me?" he asked in a soft voice. his voice. she could listen to him all day. it wasn't like she loved him for his voice, no not at all. it was because his voice seems to give her a sense of peace, like she still had hope.
she slowly moved her chair over to the table, the closest she's ever been to peter. she was hesitant about siting close, so she was still a good foot away from the table, but all the way across from peter.
"on sunday, my dad will leave around six pm. about an hour after that, and i mean an hour just to make sure he doesn't come back if he forgot something, i'll grab a backpack for you. it's gunna have water, uh, some food and vitamins. have you been taking those by the way?" he looked at her. the lamp in the corner made his eyes a golden color. she shook her head.
he got up and walked to the counter. he opened the white bottle and took out two into his palm. he slid the across the table.
"grape flavored," he said. when she didn't touch them for a minute, he sat down and looked at her.
"its a vitamin c pill. it's so you don't lack iron. being in here without red meats could throw your body off," he looked at her like it was totally ok to take. she felt fine and that she wasn't lacking anything except fresh air. he sighed and continued writing.
"anyway, i'll come down and give you the backpack. you'll have to take the bus stop by riverside park, which is a mile away."
riverside? from where rachel lives, riverside was about an hour away. where was she?
"there's a map in the backpack, too. then, you'll take the bus to maplewood square, the closest you'll get to a police station."
this surprised rachel. a police station? did he want her to turn him in? what was she supposed to say to a police officer? the son of the man who kidnapped her helped her escape?
"i don't know what you're going to say to the police about me, but please make sure my dad gets locked up. make sure he gets what he deserves. he's done this too many times," peter looked red. his face was hot and his jaw was clenched. it's almost like he forgot how to breathe.
"promise me you'll get as far away from him as possible, and that you'll tell them what he's done to you," he looked rachel in the eye. the gold was no longer woven into his perfect hazel eyes. only darkness.
"i promise," rachel paused. "what will happen to you?"
"i don't know. it's up to you, really. um, you could throw me in some juvenile detention center, or don't even mention me. just make sure i never see my dad again." he scoffed at the fact that i decided his future. he knew that i could throw him in jail, yet he's helping me.
"why are you helping me?"
peter looked at her. flecks of gold rushed back into his eyes. his cheeks were a shade of pink.
"it's the right thing to do, even if it gets me killed." he paused, "the risk is worth the reward."
the reward was her being free. he would risk whatever his dad would do to either of us so i could be free. this made her smile. not a big funny grin, just a slight movement of her lips. it wasn't because it was a joke, it was because he was giving her the hope she needed.
<>
that night, rachel laid in bed, under a thick blue blanket. her head rested on a pillow that smelt of fresh laundry. the lamp was still on and peter had left about ten minutes ago. they worked out a plan and she would be out of here.
she was playing with the lamps cord when she looked at the ring laying on her nightstand. she lifted her head up, and gazed at it, almost like it appeared out of nowhere.
she placed the ring in her hand and laid back down. she held it out in front of her, looking closely at the engraving.
live to fight another day
she remembered that his mother gave him this ring before she died. although it wasn't, she couldn't help but feel like these words were meant for her.
she slid the ring onto her right ring finger. it was a perfect fit. she remembered that it was on his pinky before, thinking how could this big of a ring on her fit on his pinky.
she turned off the lamp, drifting off to sleep, only to realize that she never took the ring off.
