Little Kendra ran around the dense grass, chasing the little Yorkie puppy around in circles. She giggled and smiled as she ran across the yard, barefoot, enjoying the cool summer day without a single care in the world. "Kenny!" A voice said from the porch, "Come on honey, your lunch is ready! I made your favorite Dino Nuggies!" Kendra stopped, turning to see her mother smiling at her. She smiled mischievously, taking a step back from the porch. Her mother sighed, knowing what she was trying to do. Her mother got off the porch and before she knew it, Kendra was running around, trying to avoid her mothers arms. Her mother chased her around the yard, laughing and chittering to her, "I'm gonna get you! You can't run away from Momma Bear!" They laughed and ran playfully, until Kendra was swooped up into her mother's arms. She laughed and fidgeted as mother showered her with kisses and little tickles. Finally, she was carried inside there home for lunch time.
Her mother settled her in her favorite booster seat, where a small glass of orange juice sat waiting for Kendra. She smiled, excitedly clapped her hands for her lunch. Her mother smiled turning to plate her nuggets, and her sweet potato fries. She stopped suddenly when she heard a knock on the front door. She set down the plate, walked over to her daughter and whispered, "Give mommy a second, okay?" She smiled. Kendra nodded her head and watched as her mom walked to the front door. She watched as her mother opened and the door, and her father rushed in the home, beaten and bruised. She could hear her mother was panicked, but she could not hear what her parents were saying. Her mother then comes to her and scoops her up from the booster seat and takes her to her room. She sees her father follow them to her room and lock the door behind them. Her mother then takes her into the closet where she pulls off a piece of the wall, revealing a hidden room. She takes Kendra and places her within the room, then crawls in herself. Kendra grips onto her mother, frightened and confused and can see her father exchange a few words before giving her mother a long and deep kiss and closing the entrance to the room. She shook, crying softly into her mothers chest, unaware of what was happening and why they were in this room. She could not see anything but could feel her mother hold her tight within her arms...she was unsure if her mother was crying or not but could only feel little wet droplets on the top of her head.
It felt like days they had been in that room . It was so quiet and so still. The only comforting thing Kendra had was the warmth of her mother and her steady heart beat against her. She can't remember when it happened, but at some point the door to the room had opened. She was blinded by the bright lights beaming into the room. A man with a deep voice called to Kendra and her mother. Kendra's vision was very fuzzy and blurred, due to all the bright lights, that the only thing she could make out was the silhouette of the man and of multiple people within her room. She then felt her mother shift and start to come out of the room. Her vision started to adjust slightly to the room and the people around her. Before she has a chance to get a good look at the room, a blanket was placed over her body, and the two of them were ushered out quickly by two other people. "Who are these people? Why are they rushing us out of our home? Why did they put this blanket on me?....Where's my papa?...", All these thoughts rushed through her all at once. She heard what sounded like a car door open, then her mother shifting around again. She realized they were in a vehicle the moment she heard the door close next to them. Kendra was finally able to remove the blanket from her head but was shocked when she saw through the window her home surrounded by police cars and yellow tape. She looked at her mother, who only stared forward with a frightened look plastered to her face....
"Kendra!"
Kendra fell off the bed, taking the blankets and sheets with her to floor. She sat up sluggishly, trying to get herself free from the tangled mess she was in. Her mother sat on her bed, with a worried look on her face. "Honey are you okay? I heard you talking in your sleep again." Kendra stood up, still in slight daze from the scare and the sleepiness slowly settling out of her. She groaned as she rubbed her eyes, "Good morning to you too." Her mother sighed, "I'm sorry sweetheart, I didn't mean to be so aggressive, but you've seemed restless lately and you started talking in your sleep again." Kendra rolled her eyes, "Mom, how many times do I need to tell you I'm fine? I don't need you watching me 24/7." Her mother frowned,"I just don't want you to have hard time. I know you're not a baby anymore, but if there is something wrong..." Kendra didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence,"I'm fine. Now can I please go back to bed? It's 3 in the morning." Her mother gave a half smile, and stood from the edge of her bed." Okay sweetheart." She gave Kendra a hug and a kiss on the forehead," Finish getting rest, I'll have breakfast ready in the morning." She smiled as she walked out from the room but before she closed the door, she took another look at her daughter, the worry and regret both visible behind the love she tried to put forward. The door finally closed, leaving Kendra by herself to replay the entire memory again. She knew she couldn't stop thinking about that night the older she got. Her curiosity and her longing to know what happened to her father were the only things that kept that memory singed into her mind. Nothing was the same since then....and she didn't believe they would ever become the same again.
Kendra tried to shake the thoughts from her head, just so she could at least get some proper sleep. She picked up the sheets and blankets, slipping them over her body as she laid back into bed. She stayed awake for a little while longer, staring at the ceiling, trying to settle her restless thinking. After awhile, she finally felt the sleep begin to take over again and slowly returned back into the dark abis of her imagination.
"...Why do I feel like there's more..."
YOU ARE READING
A Savage Set Free
Mystery / Thriller"Most things we don't understand, are best left within the dark." Those were the words Kendra's father had always told her growing up. She always had this feeling that there was more to the world hidden amongst the shadows, waiting to become known...
