Sticky Notes ~ Ashton Irwin

~Intro~

It was now 4:00am and I found myself lying awake again with nothing to do but stare at the cold, concrete ceiling. I thought about everything possible. I thought random thoughts, like what colorblind people actually see, and how many people can actually lick their own elbows. Mostly, though, I thought about home. This had been happening every night for the past two weeks, and I was getting a bit frightened. I hadn't told anyone, let alone had anyone to tell, though I knew it would stop if I spoke up. It had only been three weeks since I was kidnapped. Naturally, I knew I would never be completely over it, but I definitely didn't realize I'd be having flashbacks. Of course, being myself, every time I built up the courage to confront him to the authorities, I would freeze up and "If all of this ends, nothing ever happened to you." Played through my head over and over and I shut down and stopped trying.

All I remember is that that night was possibly the best night in a few years; that night was the one night that I forgot my surroundings, drowned out the danger, and had fun. Unfortunately, I let the freedom get to my head, and here I am with a new name, a new home, and a brand new family. As I forced myself to sleep I tried not to think about everything that'd occurred over the past few weeks, but that was only wishful thinking.

"Kelsey!" he shouted down the hallway at the crack of dawn. His voice was full of pure venom, as always. "Get out of your room and take a shower! As happy as I am to say this, you've been in your room so long I've forgotten what you look like!" As I heard his angry footsteps hit the hardwood staircase, then the concrete floor of the basement, I knew he was getting close. He hadn't told me his name since I'd been there and it was really a pain because I couldn't speak to him unless my sentence started with "Um". After all, my name wasn't Justin, it was the name he'd given me upon our arrival. I couldn't recall my true name as I heard the door swing open. To my surprise he didn't lash out at me like last time I needed a shower. Instead, he threw me a towel and a new change of clothes; my first one in days. I was actually quite pleased at how kind he was being; usually by now he would've hit me a few times. I felt a rush of bravery as I decided to speak to him, ask questions.

"Uh, could you let me close the door this time?" I asked, my voice trembling. The second I saw his expression I knew what I was asking from him was too much. He opened the door fully this time and in seconds I was on the ground, wincing. He left after three blows to the ribs and a scream or two because I guess that was what I deserved for asking practical questions. Great to have the old you back, I thought to myself.

As I undressed, I took it upon myself to look in the full body mirror next to my mattress. My mattress and my mirror were all that were in my room, or should I say cell? There was a small connecting room where the shower and toilet was. I had bruises all over my stomach and ribs from the my horrible life in the middle of nowhere. My hair was a long, curly, blonde mess, and my initial pair of clothing was almost so filthy it was rotting. I threw my new clothes aside onto the bed as I stepped into the bathroom.

"Where are we? What did I ever do to you? My family probably thinks I'm dead! I hate you! I don't even know your name!" I shouted as the cool water ran down my back. I was unsure if he would hear me over the rather loud shower or not, but apparently he did because he walked into my room moments later. He looked extremely calm, but other than that, I noticed some of his features. He had short, black hair that was sloppily cut and definitely not natural, which led me to believe he does it himself. His eyes were emerald green, darker on the outside than the inside. When he walked he took smaller than average strides, I assume it was because of his abnormally short legs. I made a guess that he was around twenty nine years old, give or take.

When he approached me I felt a surge of confidence. I wasn't shaking like I normally did when he was near. I was, however, completely naked and to be honest, a little embarrassed. He didn't seem at all phased by the situation. Instead of hitting me like I expected him to after saying I hated him, he decided to pick and choose a few questions to answer. With a thick accent he told me that I was meant to be taken at some point since, he said, God doesn't make mistakes. I had absolutely no interest in listening to his thoughts on God. He then told me that his name was Joseph and muttered something about his ex wife. I didn't think I was meant to hear it so I definitely wouldn't ask about it. We stood there in silence for about a minute before he spoke again. "Our world is a dangerous place, Kelsey, a very dangerous place." I thought about his words for a moment before deciding that I shouldn't answer.

As I expected, he didn't leave without kicking my shins first, screaming if I ever hit back it would be bullets to the shins instead of feet. The man left the door wide open for me to finish showering. The end of my shower consisted of ice cold water running down my back as I thought of his words to me minutes earlier. Our world is a dangerous place, Kelsey, a dangerous place. Like a conveyer belt, Joseph's words looped my brain over and over, searching for a clue.