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Fuck this day. Earlier this morning, my biggest fear was not having any friends, but now, I need to get past my anxiety and anti-socialness to save my and Willa’s lives. Nothing to worry about at all, right?
“Yes.” My entire body trembles as tears stream down my cheeks.
The silence on the other end of the line tells me they’re looking for something besides a simple yes. “Yes, I love my sister.”
“That’s good for both of you.” The dark voice filters through the phone. “Willa is now staying with my family and will remain here as our… guest until you can get us the information we need.”
“Us? Who’s us?” I question, hoping for a mistake or some small detail that can help me make sense of everything that has happened in the last few hours.
“The people in control of whether your sister lives or dies.”
“What information do you need?”
“I need any information on Salvatore Genovese’s business.”
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew these people had plans for Willa and me, but I was hoping it would be something easy, like money, not that either of us has any. It isn’t easy for someone to get their hands on a large sum of money, but at least it’s something you can work towards.
These people want me to befriend a person, someone that probably won’t be easy to get close to, let alone get any information from. Whatever this man has done to anger these people is bad enough that they’re willing to kidnap someone to get what they want.
“Is that a name I should know?”
“No, but both of your lives depend on you getting close to him.”
“How do you expect me to get close to him?”
I wish they understood how much I hate interacting with people. There’s no way I’m going to pull this off. I’ll end up getting my sister and myself killed because of my inability to interact with people like a normal human being. On top of all that, they want me to get information from someone and not get caught. Someone I’m sure who’d skin me alive.
Willa’s voice pops into my head, reminding me I can do anything I put my mind to. I can only imagine the look on her face as I try to make excuses about why I can’t do this and how I’m sorry for getting her killed. She’d tell me to put on my big girl panties and start living life. She’d also tell me to stop being afraid of the world but grab it by the horns and make it my bitch.
“Are you listening, Celia?”
“Yes,” I respond immediately, shaking my head at my own crippling anxiety.
My mind needs to remain focused on the task at hand, discovering who is keeping my sister and how I’m going to get the two of us out of this situation. Anxiety be damned. No one is going to get either of us out of this mess. It’s up to me.
“We’ve taken care of everything. All you need to do is to be standing in front of your dorm room in ten minutes.”
My entire body continues to shake as my shoulders pull back, and I push to my feet. This isn’t the right time for me to freak out. I can do that later. Right now, I need to make sure I get as much information out of these people as possible.
“But I have classes, a life here. I can’t just pick up and leave. Someone will notice when I don’t show up for class.”
The blood immediately drains from my face and hands. I’m full of shit. I only have one final at the end of the week, but I doubt anyone would notice I’m missing. Anyone at the school wouldn’t notice until I don’t show up for classes that start next semester, causing my attendance to drop, but how long will that take? I used to believe that my lack of attachment to everyone on campus would be something I could fix eventually, but it made me the perfect target.
“It’s taken care of.”
“How?”
“That’s none of your concern. Just get in the car, Celia.”
I have no idea where I’m going or who’s sending me there. This is a bad idea. I’ve read more than enough thriller novels to know that’s how people wind up in a ditch on the side of the road or in jail. No one really cares about why you did what you did. They only worry about proving that you did it.
They’re toying with me, but there’s nothing I can do to stop them. I’m completely at their mercy, knowing that no matter how badly my mind is screaming at me to run straight to the police station and beg them to protect me, I’m going to follow every instruction I’m given because Willa’s life depends on it. She spent most of our childhood doing everything she could to help me be more normal and fit in. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor. I’ll do anything to protect my sister, even if it costs me my life.
“I can’t pack and get everything I need in that amount of time. I can’t make it that quickly.” I panic, unsure of how long it’s going to take me to pack up my entire life, especially when they haven’t given me a single clue as to where I’m headed.
“You only need the phone in your hand. Seven minutes.” The distorted voice hangs up the phone without another word.
I shove the phone into my other pocket, grab the photo of Willa and me off my bedside table, and take one final look around the room. I planned on spending the next two years till graduation attempting to become the person Willa always pushed me to be—a better version of myself that wasn’t afraid of their own shadow—but I’m being thrown right into the deep end.
