Taken

Chapter nin

Chapter nine

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POV: Felix

I paced around my living room, waiting for a call from Melonie. She said she would try to call with updates, but it might have slipped her mind. Once her parents got home she asked that we all would leave. As much as I hated leaving Melonie alone, she needed some alone time with her parents.

Personally, I could use some alone time too. I looked at the ticket stubs from the concert. "Come on Melonie! Ramona can walk home alone."  I groaned as the memory came flooding back. The heartbreaking realization hit me like a brick. Could this be my fault? Melonie would have never gone with us if it wasn’t for me! I can’t believe this… what have I done?

My knees gave out, and I fell hopelessly to the floor, throwing my hands in my face. In front of me was my phone, but I couldn’t bring myself to call Melonie, she would be so mad at me for what I’ve done. Would she talk to me again after she knew it was my fault? Would she hate me?

Yes, the answer is yes. She would probably hate me.

I’ve watched so many crime shows, that I know exactly what kidnappers do; all that wouldn't have to happen to poor Romona if it weren’t for me.I shook uncontrollably. I was hyperventilating, I couldn't breath. No, oh no. I was struggling to breath right and stumbled into my bedroom, yanking open the bottom drawer for my inhaler, I had gone so long without it. Everything was blurry and I kept dropping it.

I cursed in my head as my vision was covered in white and black dots. I finally got the inhaler in my hands and breathed in deeply. The medicine tasted awful. I shook as I slumped against the bed, trying to remain calm and steady my breathing again.

POV: Ramona

I hated Melonie. That all I could think when I woke up. I hate her and her stupid friend. The taco wrappers were gone, so was everything else. I was in a new room, but the walls were the same colored wood. Weird. I tried to stand up and cell to my knees, shaking and weak. I reached for my phone...it was gone! No no no no! He must know by now I called Melonie, what was he gonna do to me?

I cried, no, sobbed. Tears water falling down my face. I didn't want to be hurt. Would he hurt me? He would hurt me if he was Melonie's friend would he? I didn't notice the door open till it slammed loudly shut. Melonie’s friend was standing by the door, glaring at me angrily. “Don’t hurt me, I’m sorry!” I cried and hid my face in my hands. He only stood there staring at me, contemplating what he would do next. The room got colder as the quiet moments passed by. Neither of us said anything.

“Romona did you call Melonie?” he demanded, holding my phone in the air. I backed into a corner.

"Ramona," He dropped his arm and shook his head. "why would you do that?" He came over and sat a few inches away from me. "I've been kind to you haven't I?" I nodded. He was crazy, he drugged me, that's not kind! I whimpered as he inched closer. I wanted to cry.

"shh. It's okay. I wont hurt you I promise. I just," He lifted my chin to see him. "I need you for something." My eyes widened in terror. He got up and left, much to my relief he didn't return. I let out the breath I had been holding.

I scanned the new room, empty, barren. I crawled over ti a corner and curled into a ball. I was still wearing my school uniform, that's a good sighn right? "Mommy." I whispered as darkness closed around me and I drifted to sleep...never wanting to wake up.

when I actually did wake up there was a plate of my favorite, ---------. Yum. I gobbled it up. not caring about drugs right that minute. I was content with my full stomach and just laid back and waited. I was surprisingly calm about all this...maybe I had been drugged.

The door opened bit I kept my eyes closed, pretending to sleep.

POV: Melonie

That night I had a nightmare: It was cold. So cold. and I could feel the thick fog on my skin, and the mud below my feet. The trees around me were nothing but dark shapes, lit by the dim moonlight. What was I looking for, this late at night? Hours pass by, but the moon stayed in one place. Wherever I was, there was no morning. There was only night.

I began to run, faster and faster, and soon I could feel my heartbeat in my chest. The shadow that swallowed up the trees behind me began to catch up with me. If I didn’t go fast enough it would take me. Then everything stopped. “Melonie!” I heard a blood curdling scream from somewhere in the distance- it was Romona.

“Romona, I’m coming!” I promised, running in the direction I heard her voice.

“MELONIE!!!” she screamed in terror. I began to cry, and sob, begging for my sister to be okay. Almost as suddenly as the screaming began, it stopped, leaving me bewildered and lost in the forest. Where is Romona? Where is Romona? I repeated to myself, pushing past branches that were in my way. I don’t know how long I was running, but I came to know the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. Hard and cold.

I stopped running, finally, to catch my breath. I no longer thought of the shadow monsters lurking around the forest or the darkness that swallowed everything in its path- I thought about Romona. I was hysterical, sobbing and wailing, falling to the ground and picking myself up, only to fall again.

I fell to the ground, on my knees, and began to dig. My fingers felt the hard ground break into smaller dirt clumps between my fingers. I don’t know what I was trying to find, but I kept clawing at the dirt. My hands stoked something soft, and warm. At first I couldn’t see what I had stroked because tears blurred my vision but once I wiped my eyes, a terrifying image scarred me.

Romona was buried, dead, hidden by her murderer in the ground. I screamed and cried, hugging her.

I shot awake. My heart was racing and I was sweaty. “Melonie, wake up! its okay, its only a dream!” My mom was saying, standing over me. “Sssh, honey, sssh”. My cheeks were sticky, with sweat and tears. My mom pulled me into a hug, and I cried into her shoulder.

“mom, I’m sorry” I muttered, my face buried in her scarf.

“I know, Honey” she said, holding me while we both cried. “We will find her, I promise."