THE STARKS ALLEY

36

KRISTIE'S POV
"Hey guys!!" I said. For some reason. I just felt like saying it. I was nervous about meeting everyone else and I was practicing. I was scared but happy to get out. I remembered the events of the night I disappeared vividly and it was traumatic but the psychologist had taught me how to remain stable once these thoughts came to mind.

The doctors had already cleared me and I was ready to go home; wherever home was. My parents and I pushed our way through the ever present journalists and got in their rented car. They were living together at some apartment and I was still getting used to that as we drove there. They had a bad fight that no one could forget and no matter how much I wanted to ask about Keshun, I couldn't.

It was a very nice apartment, better than the one I used to live in. I had a nice room and couldn't wait to enjoy everything about it. It was filled with teddy bears, chocolates, jewelry and fresh roses all from Charlie Higa who was officially back in town. He had over done it in my opinion.

"You will be leaving tomorrow," my dad said, taking off his coat.

"No," I said.

"What?" He asked to be sure of what I just said.

"The hell I'm not leaving. I want to stay here."

"The people here aren't good for you. They tried to kill you!" My mom pleaded.

"That was Monic. She was the one who picked me up at the night of the party at Hotel Sankara and I know she's imprisoned now."

"That still doesn't make you safe," my mom said.

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I say I'm not going anywhere!" I yelled and felt a sharp pain in my head that made me fall. Both my parents ran to me but I pushed them away, "I need a break and both of you are not making this easy for me. Just leave me alone." I went to my room and that was followed by silence in the house.

The detectives came later in the day to question me about what happened and Charlie accompanied them. He had been so nice to me and he took care of me so well at the hospital.

"That night I left Hotel Sankara and I was walking to my apartment which was crazy because that was miles away. I was clouded by the confusion of pain and heartbreak. That aside. Monic found me and she offered to give me a ride. I woke up in her apartment." I left out some parts because I was quite embarrassed by them.

"How is it that we found your blood at your former apartment?" Detective Jones asked.

"They once extracted some blood from me but it wasn't much."

"They?" Detective Kala asked.

"People working for Monic. She has men at her command and she is dangerous," I trembled as I narrated my last encounter with them, "They forced me to swallow some pills then knocked me out. I believe that's when Izzy found me under a bed."

Izzy...

"We will get our professional artist here as soon as we can so you can describe them," Detective Jones said before they left.

Charlie was talking to my dad and they seemed to be getting tighter everyday.

"I'm glad to see you out of that miserable hospital bed," he said hugging me, "You seem happier."

"I am. By the way, thanks for the presents in my room. You really didn't have to."

"It's the least I could do after the way I left." We had never spoken about since his mysterious return and I had been avoiding the subject. I was heart broken by his departure but had moved on from it. I couldn't help but get angry at the thought of him leaving so suddenly.

"You could have at least said goodbye," I said.

"I tried to but you banged the door in my face!" He defended himself, "Did you at least get my letter?"

"I did." I looked away, trying to hold back my tears, "It broke my heart, Charlie. You didn't even give me a chance to explain!"

"Explain that you and Dale were actually dating while you led me on?"

"It wasn't like that," I said.

"It was, Kristie. But I'm not here to remind you of what happened back then."

"Why are you here?"

"To take you to Japan with him," Kristie's dad answered.

WHAT!