Sticky Notes ~ Ashton Irwin

~Part Four~

///Kelsey's POV///

I am only shocked after Jus- Ashton, leaves the conversation unfinished. He looked terrified as the sound of the engine grew closer. He left and shoved the block back before I even go back to my mattress. He was definitely not trying to harm me, so I think it's clear to say that Ashton is not in agreement with Joseph. Just as I am getting out of my luxurious bed and pulling off my royal bed sheet I hear a noise. The noise I hear is the sound of something sliding. It seems to come from the side of the house, just around the hole Ashton and I spoke through. Curiosity gets the best of me as I quickly get up and skip to the now-filled hole. Nothing seems to be different, but just then I hear footsteps leaving me, stepping away. As I take the block out once again I try to avoid getting caught since Joseph was still home. I quietly slide the cinderblock out of place and before it is even out all the way, a small square piece of yellow paper falls from the underside of the cement. I look at the paper, then at the block, and back at the paper, and I put the block back without completely messing with everything. The small note sticks to the ground and with the block back into place I can see that there is scribbled writing on the anonymous yellow note I received. After all, how anonymous can it be when there is only one friendly person who knows of the secret in the basement?

The note reads in rushed handwriting:

This may be the only way we will be able to communicate because Joe questioned me after kneeling to the ground on Monday. Suspicion is rising.

P.S. We're in upstate New York

- Ash

Attached to the sticky note were at least twenty or so more blank notes. If he'd tried to slide any more under the block I think they would've bent backwards. I decide to stick the paper to the underside of my mattress where hopefully Joseph won't look. I don't have anything to write with, and as soon as the thought crosses my mind I hear stomping upstairs and then a scraping sound near the block. A blue pen falls to the ground below the block and I smile at myself. I walk over and grab the pen, and when I turn around to walk back the door to upstairs swings open.

"Get the hell out of there, someone's coming in ten minutes, which means I have ten minutes to get you and your shit up and out of this basement! I hope you'll cooperate so I won't have to drug you again, now go!" He shouts.

I quickly run to the mattress and shove the pen, paper, and Ashton's note into my shirt. Not having pockets wasn't really a problem until now. If I was going to escape, these few minutes would be my chance. My heart seemed to beat out of my chest as I silently rushed to the stairs.

"Kelsey, are you waiting for an invitation? What do you not understand about 'Get out now'? I don't think you would want another surprise, now, would you?"

He was talking about a beating. He calls them surprises so that if one day his neighbors hear him being so loud they won't become suspicious. That's my theory, at least. I practically sprint up the narrow staircase and am grabbed on both arms by two people. One of them was Joseph. The other, to my surprise, was Ashton. For a moment I wonder whose side he is really on but I can only hope he's rooting for me and is only "playing along" with Joseph. I looked at him with wide eyes, seeing now his full body instead of bushy hair and deep dimples. He is a lot taller than I thought he would be, even after seeing him next to Joseph so many times while I was spying on them.

We walked through Joseph's old house and surprisingly, it didn't look as I'm-a-psycho-killer to me now as it did happy-business-man. There were photos on the wall of other families. The thought of how well he'd planned all of this sickened me.

"Justin, lock her up in your room, the man should only be a few hours. Tie her up; there's a folding chair in the closet you never use and you'll find rope next to the chair." He says.

"Okay, what after that?" Ashton asks.

"Keep watch on her, make sure she doesn't make a move."

"Yes, sir, Should I-" A knock on the door.

"I don't care! I came and did all of this for the girl, not you! So get my child upstairs or I'll lock you down there with her!" He screams. The whole neighborhood probably heard that one. He does know I'm not his child, right? I shake my head at how messed up this man must be.

Ashton tightens his grip and begins to pull me upstairs. The stairs are creaky and old so each step we take makes me feel like the staircase will cave and we're going to fall underneath the steps. Ashton quickly scurries up the stairs with wide eyes, and if I've never seen fear before, that was it. When we get to the top his bushy hair stops bouncing and we both look down at the man in Joseph's house.

Neither Joseph nor the man he let in care to glance up the stairs, where Ashton and I watch from. The man walks into the house and Joseph immediately calls him Jesse, they give each other a friendly hug, and the two men continue to talk about how Jesse lives in the neighborhood and he was the only one to trust since they've been let out of high school, West Wood High.

I whisper "That's my high school..." and so does Ashton.