The Meeting - SMii7Y

Captured

trigger warning: abuse

I immediately unbuckled my seat belt and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, I hit the locks but it must have been child proof.

"Oh, come on, Miki," Eric said. "It's just me, I'll take you home."

"No thanks, I'll just call another driver," I pulled out my phone. He was too fast though. He ripped my phone from my hand and threw it in the glove compartment.

"Now," he said in a low, soft voice. "Put your seat belt back on."

Seeing as I had no choice, I put my seat belt back on and sat quietly.

My mind went completely blank. I didn't know what to do or say. So I accepted what was about to happen.

He drove to an apartment building, and started explaining to me that he split with his wife and lived here now. It's hard to remember much from there.

He brought me inside, put me in the spare bedroom and locked the door from the outside.

I don't know how long I was there. I dissociated a lot and so I couldn't remember much. But I knew bad things happened. Sometimes I would look in the mirror and notice that my eyes would be black, or when I washed my hands I would see purple marks out of the corner of my eye. I never looked too much. I just existed for him.

While he was home, he would leave the door unlocked and let me do whatever I pleased. But I just sat in my room and stared at the wall for the most part.  When he left, that's when he would lock the door.

Everytime I thought about Smii7y I would start to cry, and Eric didn't like when I cried so I tried not to think about him. With the rest of my free time I would read the books in my room, or watch the birds out the window.

Eric would also make me watch movies or TV shows with him, but I never really liked them. I also had to make meals for us from time to time.

I lost track of the days quickly and my hope was gone since the moment I first stepped into the car. It started to seem normal, and there was a routine to it all.

The same thing happened everyday as far as I could tell, and it didn't seem too bad.

I still didn't have my phone or internet or anything. No one knew where I was either. Which left Eric as my only companion.

One weekday when Eric had left for work, I did the usual.

I never knew what time it was, as there were no clocks in my room, but based on the sun outside and the traffic on the road, I could tell when it was about time for him to get home. When it had reached that time, he still hadn't came.

I was confused at first, but after another half hour I started to worry. I started thinking about trying to break open the door and get away, but just as the thought crossed my mind, I heard the front door open. I sighed in relief.

But then a voice called out, "Miki?" A female voice.

I was scared. I didn't know who it was, or how they knew me. I froze in place, not wanting to give away where I was. I heard footsteps walking around the apartment, and it was more than just the female. It had to be at least 3 people.

Was Eric testing me? Seeing if I would try to escape? It must have been, so I stayed silent.

The footsteps came closer and closer to my door and somebody tried the handle.

I waited for Eric to walk through and congratulate me on passing his test, but instead a lady walked in. A police officer.

She gasped as she saw me, and yelled to the others that she had found me. I stood silently still, I didn't know what to do.

"We're going to get you out of here," the officer said, gently reaching for my arm. I flinched but let her take it. "Eric is in jail, you don't have to worry about him anymore.

Jail?

The lady kept talking as we walked down the stairs to the bottom floor, explaining how they tracked my phone that was still in his car.

"You're friend is waiting outside for you, he was actually the one who reported you missing too, just about a few days ago. But you've been here about 13 days is that right?"

Friend? 13 days?

As we finally got outside, the cop told me my friend was waiting in the car for me, but soon Smii7y was right next to me.

"Oh my God, Miki," he said examining my eyes and pushing my hair back from my face. "How could anyone do this to you?"

"Smii7y?" I asked. Finally the whole situation seemed to sink in. I realized I had been kidnapped, I realized I could have died. And now that I was here with Smii7y, I knew I was safe and I finally let myself realize it. I fell to the ground and cried while Smii7y held me the same way he did just a few weeks ago. I cried as the cops drove us to the station. I cried as the cops questioned me.

I only stopped crying when Smii7y had brought me home.

Now it was his time to cry.. He told me everything. How at first he thought I was just ignoring him because I changed my mind about living with him. And how he thought he needed to give me time to get used to it. He cried as he said sorry again and again that he should have done something sooner.

I couldn't say anything, because what do you say in this situation? So I just held Smii7y the same way he had done with me so many times, as he thanked every higher power he could think of for keeping me safe.

-

A week later, Smii7y had moved in. He didn't want me to be alone, and frankly I didn't want to be alone either. He took me to a therapist every other day, and by time school was about to start, I was  ready to get my life back on track. It had been about 2 weeks since everything had ended, but being with Smii7y (and the therapist) healed me quickly. Of course I wasn't completely ready, but I knew I had to go back to school at some point, and I told Smii7y I would be moving with him to the new house.

He packed up everything again, and I packed too.

I was scared still. I didn't want to be alone. But with Smii7y by my side, I felt safer than I ever had before.