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“Fine,” she snaps as I climb up the shoddy ladder to the makeshift treehouse. It’s just a bunch of wooden planks stuffed between the trunk and some curtains hanging from the branches, but it’s my house now.
“Here!” I say as I pick up the clothes I brought here from home and throw them down to her. “Put this on!”
“Why?”
“Because you’re the prince, of course,” I say with a cocky face. “Why else?”
She rolls her eyes but does it anyway while I put on the pink dress I brought. Mom doesn’t exactly know I took them from the dress-up box, but she won’t notice. I’ll bring them home without a scratch, and if they have smudges, I’ll wash them out myself. I’m a big girl.
I pat down my dress and twirl. It looks so pretty.
“Ready yet?” I yell down as I wait for my prince to come rescue me.
Except when I peer over the edge of the treehouse, no one’s there.
Suzie’s gone.
“Suzie?” I yell.
It’s quiet. Too quiet.
I wonder where she went.
I step to the other side of the treehouse and look down there. She’s standing near the road just a few steps away from the trees … and she’s talking with a man.
A man I’ve never seen before.
A tall … no, a big guy with a beard and scary looking scars. His face is dark as he speaks to my sister.
I wonder what they’re saying. I think it’s something I should hear too.
I try to listen to their conversation from where I’m at up high, but I can barely hear anything. Except for a couple of words …
“Will you be my friend?” the stranger asks.
“Sure,” Suzie says.
She keeps talking to him even though Mommy told us not to talk to strangers. Did she forget? Or doesn’t she care? Either way, I’m worried, so I start climbing down the ladder.
“Ella?” It’s Suzie, and she sounds like she’s in trouble.
“Who is that?” I yell, but she doesn’t respond, and I can’t see her anymore as the trees block my view.
But I can clearly hear her scream.
Accompanying Song: “Joyce And Lonnie Fighting” by Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein
I immediately jump down the last few steps and run to her. The man has grabbed her hand and is dragging her to a car.
“Ella!” she screams as he pushes her inside and closes the door.
“No!” I scream, my lungs barely able to handle the force of my voice.
The man gets into the car, and before I can get to her, he drives off.
Within a second, I’ve grabbed my bike and jumped on it to race after them. I don’t care that I’m wearing a pink dress or that I’m crying my eyes out. I have to get to her. I promised Mom I’d look after her. I promised Mom I’d take her back home. I have to.
I have to bring Ella home.
The car’s right in front of me, but I can’t seem to catch up, no matter how hard I push the pedals of my bike. I’m out of breath, out of energy, but I won’t give up. However, the longer it takes, the more I’m left behind.
I can’t keep up.
The car disappears, but I keep going. Keep biking. I’ll go on forever if I have to. Because I have to get her back. I’ll get Suzie back. No matter the cost.
It’s almost sundown, and I’m supposed to be home by now, but I can’t go back. Not without my sister. My mom would kill me. I promised. I promised.
Tears run down my cheeks as I follow the only road the car could’ve gone.
And then out of nowhere, it appears.
My heart skips a beat, and a hopeful burst of energy makes me bike harder to get to the car. Parked on the side of the road, it’s near the forest my mom told me not to go near because it was way too big and we could get lost.
But getting my sister back is more important than rules.
So I dump the bike between the fallen leaves on the ground and make a run for it. Through the woods, I follow the trail. Tracks in the earth and leaves show me where they went. It can’t be far.
The salty tears on my face have dried up, and determination has taken their place. I keep going and going without knowing where I am, but as long as I find Suzie, I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.
Thick branches push me back, but I don’t stop wading through the darkness of the forest. I don’t stop for anything. Not for the pain I feel in my legs. Not for the monsters that could lurk in the dark.
Except for a cliff … right in front of my feet.
I barely manage to stop in time before I fall.
That’s when I see it.
A body lying down there on the cold, muddy ground. Hair tangled with twigs, face bloodied and twisted.
