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ChapterOne
Hallie
Age Thirteen
Suddenly I’m jolted into the air and cry out, my head coming in contact with the hard floor. My eyelids feel heavy, and as I struggle to lift them, a wave of nausea washes over me. Taking a deep breath, I concentrate on trying not to throw up. It’s dark, but not too dark to see. As my eyes adjust, panic threatens to overwhelm me as I realize I’m in the back of a moving van.
I hear voices coming from the enclosed section of the cab, and I force myself to sit up. My body screams out in protest, every part aching from being tossed in the air. I’ve no idea how long I’ve been unconscious, but I’m guessing from how my body hurts after lying on the uncomfortable floor, it’s been a while.
Dragging myself to the front of the van, I press my ear against the cold metal. Although the voices are louder, they are still muffled, and I sit back unsteadily on my heels, wondering what the hell is happening. The last thing I remember is leaving Jess’s house a little after curfew. I was late, so I cut through the park to make up some time. As I exited the park, I felt someone grab me from behind. I tried to scream, but my cries were muffled when something was pressed over my mouth. The next thing I know, I’m waking up on the van’s hard floor.
Panic washes over me again as the realization of what’s happening hits. I want to bang on the side of the van, make them stop and let me out. I don’t, though. I’m terrified at the thought of coming face to face with whoever is driving. Instead, I sit with my back pressed into the corner and my knees drawn up to my chest. My head is pounding, and I squeeze my eyes closed as I will the pain in my head to stop.
It’s hard to know how long we’ve been driving, and I must have fallen asleep because, when the van finally comes to a stop, I jolt awake. My breathing accelerates, and I scramble as far away from the door as possible.
A million thoughts race through my mind.Why has someone taken me? Are they going to hurt me? Kill me?
I’m pulled from my erratic thoughts when the cab door opens. Seconds later, it’s slammed closed, making me jump. A cry escapes my lips, and I press a hand over my mouth, muffling the sound. A few more seconds pass, and I watch the van’s doors with wide eyes as I wait to see who’s there.
When they swing open, I’m temporarily blinded by the sunlight that floods the space. I squint against the brightness, raising my hand to shield my eyes. Apprehension bubbles in my stomach as I wait for my eyes to adjust. When they do, I’m surprised to see a woman standing in the doorway. She’s beautiful. Her long blonde hair is swept up in a messy bun on top of her head. She has a kind face, a face that erupts into a smile when she sees me. I can’t help but feel a little relieved. A woman wouldn’t hurt me, right?
“Sweetheart…” She gasps. “You came back.” Her hand reaches for me, and I try to push myself back, but there’s nowhere to go.
“What do you want?” I croak, tears rolling down my cheeks. “Please don’t hurt me.”
Her face fills with surprise. “Hurt you? We’re not going to hurt you. We’ve missed you so much.” Her voice breaks, and I can’t help but feel confused. It’s obvious she thinks I’m someone else, and hope erupts in my chest at her words. Surely, once she realizes I’m not who she thinks I am, she’ll let me go, and I’ll be able to go home.
“We’re home, Cora. Your room is waiting for you.” I frown, not knowing how to react.Should I play along or tell her I’m not Cora?Before I can come to a decision, a man appears beside her. “Oh, Matt, I can’t believe she’s here.”
He puts his arm around her and pulls her into him. “Go inside, Amanda,” he coaxes, kissing her head before moving her backward away from the van. “I’ll bring Cora inside.”
She gives me a small smile before turning around and disappearing out of view. He watches her go before turning to face me. It’s the first time I’ve gotten a good look at him. A thick beard covers his face so it’s hard to see his features, but his eyes are dark and cold, and suddenly, I don’t want to look at him. A feeling of dread washes over me as I drop my eyes. The back of the van dips as he climbs in and crosses the short distance to reach me. I think he’s going to grab me, but instead, he sits down.
“Right, here are the rules. I don’t care what your name was back in Savannah, you’re a long way from there. Here, you are Cora, and that woman…” he gestures with his head to outside the van, “… she’s your mother.” He must see the look of confusion on my face and exhales loudly. “Look, I don’t want to hurt you, and I won’t as long as you don’t cause me any trouble. Understand?”
I nod, but I don’t understand.
“You’ll have your own room, and you’ll only be locked in at night. Our house is in the middle of nowhere. There’s dense woodland for several miles in every direction. The nearest town is even farther. I promise you, sweetheart, if you try to escape, Iwillfind you, and Iwillkill you. Are we clear?” He opens his jacket, and I gasp, seeing a gun in a holster at his side.
I nod frantically, my eyes wide and my stomach churning, but I hold back a sob as a single tear slips down my cheek. I want to go home. I want to see my parents and my annoying older brother. Right now, that seems impossible.
Scrambling out of the van, I’m unsteady on my shaky legs. Taking my time, I look around at my surroundings. Despite what he’s told me, my eyes can’t help but scour the area for an escape route. He’s watching me, but maybe I can get away when he’s asleep. It turns out what he said was true. There is a fairly small house set in a large yard, and a thick dense forest fills my eyeline as I whip my head around, taking in every inch of the plot. The only section without trees is a small dirt track beyond the van. My eyes linger there, wondering where the track leads to.
“Cora,” a voice yells.
I jump, and it takes me a few seconds to realize he means me. I drag my eyes off the track, turning to where the voice came from.
Matt’s standing on the wraparound porch, his face like thunder. “Come inside.”
Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry,I chant in my head over and over again as I make my way across the lawn. After slowly climbing the steps, I stop in front of him. Keeping my eyes on the ground, I wait for him to say something. After a minute or so of silence, I gingerly raise my head and look up. He towers above me, a good foot and a half taller. His eyes are still dark and cold, and a scowl covers his face.
“There really is nowhere to run, sweetheart.” His hand comes to my face, his thumb caressing my cheek. I turn away from him, recoiling at his touch. His hand drops, and he smirks as he moves to one side, allowing me to pass and enter the house. Desperate to get away from him, I quickly go through the open door, finding myself in a short entryway.
There is a door to the left that’s slightly ajar, so I glance inside and see it’s a small office. A stairway is directly in front of me, and the kitchen is beyond that. A door to the right leads to what must be the living room.
The walls are covered with picture frames, and I move farther into the entryway to get a better look. Three smiling faces stare back at me from multiple pictures. I recognize the man and woman in the picture as Amanda and Matt. A young girl with shoulder-length blonde hair, similar to mine, is with them. I can’t help but notice how alike we look and wonder if she might be Cora. They look happy. The cold, empty eyes that stared at me a few seconds ago are nowhere to be seen in these photographs, and I wonder what happened to change them. I also can’t help wondering where Cora is now.
“Cora, sweetheart, you must be hungry? I’m making your favorite.” Looking away from the images, Amanda’s standing in the kitchen doorway. She’s smiling, and I stare blankly back at her. Matt clears his throat behind me, and I glance over my shoulder at him. He nods slightly, his eyes boring into mine. I want to cry and run as far away from here as I can. Remembering the gun under his jacket, I turn back to Amanda, slowly walking toward her.
