When All Hope Is Lost

-chαptєr fívє: thє nєws-

Chapter Five- The News

It was the next morning- nine a.m. to be exact -when my family hovered around the wide screen television we had placed in our living room, watching the news. My school picture was on the screen, with the title 'Missing' linked above it, which soon the tan skinned, black haired news reporter turned to 'Found' and smiled largely.

"Hope Anne Charsity was found last afternoon around three in the afternoon by Toby Montomer, a passerby on Highway 29 who had stopped to pick her up on the side of the road. She has been brought to safety and now resides with her family. We are all so glad that she has been found," the news reporter by the name of Sallie McTellens said over the air. "Police have been notified that Hope had been boarded up with other girls by the names of Laura Lenburg and Elizabeth Jennings, which they are now trying to find and rescue as well,"

"Darling, you don't have to watch anymore if you don't want to," my mom said, looking over to me as I sat with my Scooby Doo shorts, and white T-shirt on, my usual pajamas.

"It's okay, I want to," I said once more, listening in to what they were saying next, as they showed the two girls pictures on the screen. They looked much different than the scared girls I was with before.

Laura had beautiful, not at all dirty, blonde hair in her picture, with bright blue eyes, and a glorious dimple free smile; a smile that I never once saw. Elizabeth looked about the same, with the long blonde hair, and blue eyes, yet had freckles everywhere, along with a slightly crooked nose.

"These girls have been missing a year and two months to this date, and we still will keep them in our prayers to get home saf-" Sallie said, as she stopped what she was saying and listened closely to someone off screen.

"Just in, the police have raided into the kidnappers abode and have found two of the victims noted from before named Laura Lenburg and Elizabeth Jennings. They have been hospitalized and are being examined as of now. The police are, due to this discovery, concluding their search in that area as the kidnappers and possible other victims have retreated elsewhere," Sallie said with a smile, as she ended the newscast.

"I wonder where they had gone," my dad said in a whisper, as Ethan, and Curly beside him slept soundly. I shrugged, before pushing myself up from the couch and heading back to my room, not wanting to talk about anything regarding what I just heard on the news.

I was more than glad that Laura and Elizabeth were found, but it made my stomach churn horribly inside of me knowing they had given up on their search in that area for now. It just meant that I now possibly had to help Toby find his sister...

--

"I can't! I just can't!" I yelled at, Toby, who came over for a bit to talk to me about what had happened on the news earlier. "I can't go back there, I'm scared! They did everything imaginable to us... and I can't go back there," I said, shaking, as I made my way to the basement where I usually always went when my dad was gone for his job in the afternoon.

It didn't look at all like the 'man cave' everyone made it out to be, yet looked like a nice carpeted, dark blue serene room to go to. It had a large T.V. on the wall, along with a dainty little brick fireplace underneath it, and toy chests for Ethan everywhere, considering this was also where he came to play every now and then.

"Hope, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. I promise," Toby told me, as he followed me down and sat on the brown couch in front of the fireplace, which I adjusted myself onto too.

"You can't promise anything, I just met you," I said back, tracing patterns into the couch with my fingers.

"I know, because you obviously don't know me that well," he replied, standing up and pacing behind me. "I am the most trustworthy person in this whole town. So when I promise something, I definitely mean it," he said, propping his elbows against the back of the couch. "I promise, nothing bad will happen to you as long as you are with me,"