Chapter Four
Lacey sat on one of the dusty desks by the window. It was her only form of entertainment, and watching the activity below kept her mind off her predicament. She had brought up one of the thick tarps a few days ago, so she was able to get a few hours of sleep in.
The stairwell sound caught her attention, so she jumped off the desk and hid under it.
She heard a few sets of footsteps, growing more afraid the closer they got.
“Lacey,” Kinley whispered loudly.
Oh, my God, her friend had come back. She scurried out from under the desk. “I’m here.”
Kinley turned toward her. She stiffened when she saw the other girls.
Kinley wrapped her hand around Lacey’s. “Don’t be afraid. These are my good friends. They came to help.”
Lacey’s gaze bounced between the three. She wanted desperately to believe they would help her, but she hadn’t had anyone she could trust besides her father.
“Hi, I’m Sienna, and she’s Bella.”
Lacey nodded. All three were beautiful, and she could tell they all tried to make her feel safe, so she tried to relax. “Hi, I’m Lacey.”
Bella came forward and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. We’re here to help, and we brought some things. Are you hungry?”
Lacey nodded. “I’m starving.”
All three opened their backpacks and started pulling things out and putting them on the desk she’d hid under.
Tears stung her eyes at the number of things they brought. Food, juice boxes, wet wipes, clothing, coloring books and crayons, a few books to read. And a few other things.
“You guys, this is so much. I can’t thank you enough.” She burst into tears and was quickly surrounded by three bodies holding her tight and crying with her.
It almost made her smile. She sniffed a few times and stepped back. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“Oh, we’re not done,” Sienna said and handed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “You eat and tell us what’s going on so we can fix it.”
“I don’t think anyone can fix this.”
Kinley sat on the top of the desk. “Let’s figure everything out first.”
Lacey’s and Sienna’s heads jerked toward the doorway when they heard something.
“Someone’s here,” Sienna whispered.
Kinley glanced at her. “Go hide, Lacey. Hurry.”
Lacey rushed to get under the desk again and then listened to several pairs of feet get louder. Oh, God, what if the people tried to hurt her new friends? She knew she’d do whatever she needed to help them.
She relaxed a bit when she heard one of the people talk.
“Kinley?”
“Hi, Daddy.”
Lacey heard Sienna and Bella curse under their breaths.
“What are you girls doing here?” another male voice asked.
“Having a picnic,” Kinley said.
Lacey heard the nerves in Kinley’s voice and cringed. Oh, no, they were going to get in trouble because of her. She didn’t know if it would be best for her to show herself or not.
“I think you’re lying to me, Bella,” a deeper voice said.
“I…”
“Sienna?” yet another voice said.
“Yes?”