Mean Girls Missing

4

March 22

6:37 am

Stephanie

Huddled together in a springy twin bed, Sammi and I waited for any sign of movement from above. We had been trapped here for an entire week now. In my imagination, I assumed getting kidnapped meant being sold to the sex slave industry or getting brutally murdered by a wacko in the woods.

This... whatever this was, it was a lot different than I had in mind. And that's not to say I enjoy it in the slightest. Every hour, every minute – no, every second I was stuck down here my stomach was tight with knots and that feeling before you puke was my constant state.

So far we had learned many things. First, the scary, largely-built men who had stolen us weren't actually keeping us. As in, they were just the transporters of our kidnapping. They didn't want anything to do with us. Well, hopefully. My blindfold wasn't removed until I had already been dragged down the stairs into this underground mini house so I never saw if we were right in the city or on someone's farm.

Someone built this. No real contractor would have built an home like this, especially underneath the surface. It was solid cement. I'm talking the ceilings, walls, floors, everything was cement. It was also set up for us, as if he had been planning our arrival. There was one bedroom, a bathroom, a small kitchen that connected into a living room and dining area. There was another room next to ours, but it was always locked. We didn't know what was in there. The place wasn't much but even I had to admit it was impressive to build something without anyone knowing.

How did nobody see or hear this being built? Or if they did, no one asked questions.

Sammi and I shared the bedroom. There were two twin beds, both equally as squeaky, but we were still squeezing into one. The room had posters up of pop culture bands, most of which we didn't even listen to. Our bedspreads shared the same shade of cotton candy pink. I think the absolute craziest part about everything was the clothes.

I never would have expected to be kidnapped and brought to a place that offered new, expensive clothes to wear. Half of it sounded like a dream come true. We opened our closets to Louis Vuitton, Prada, Armani Exchange, and the entire fashion mall. Even our pajamas in the dresser had some sort of pricy brand on the tag.

Arnie was the man who wanted us. This is his home for my sister and I. He told us that he built it himself and he furnished everything. That included buying the food, clothes, even makeup. The first thing he said to us once the paper bags had been removed from our heads was, and I quote:

"You girls are even prettier in person."

It was enough to chill my bones. Arnie didn't explain much about how he found us, why he wanted us, or anything like that. He simply said he received an opportunity and after seeing candid photographs, he knew he couldn't resist us. Arnie told us if we ran out of anything – toothpaste, eggs, you name it – to write it on the grocery list for him to buy when he went to the market.

I mean, it was unreal.

Arnie had reddish-blonde hair. It was somewhat short but definitely growing longer on the top. He was average size, only a few inches taller than me. His arms were large and muscle-y, but his chubby tummy and skinny chicken legs didn't match.

When he was talking to us, he spoke in a very calm voice. Like he was choosing each word individually before he spoke it. Arnie basically told us we had to obey orders and if we did not follow directions, consequences would ensue. It felt like I was back in elementary school being scolded about sneaking cookies. It was terrifying too because unlike my parents, I didn't know this 'Arnie' man and how serious he was about following through with his threats.