A lone tear slips down my cheek as sadness overtakes me. Once I leave this room, there is no doubt in my mind that I belong to the voice on the other end of the line. I’ll get the information that they need if I want to protect my sister. I only hope that I don’t end up dead, but if I’m being honest with myself, none of that matters. Getting Willa away from the people holding her captive is my only priority. With my mind made up, I drop my cell phone, school ID card, and everything else I used to find important onto my bed and head out the door.
CHAPTERTHREE
CELIA
You’d think seeing someone standing outside a dorm room with nothing but a cell phone clutched in their hands would set off alarm bells, but nothing. No one says a word. Hell, most of them don’t even notice I’m lurking in the doorway. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve made it my life’s mission to blend into the background. Why would someone notice me when I need it the most?
Rocking side to side on the balls of my feet, I scan every face that comes out of the building across the quad. They made it clear that they have eyes on me, but surely, they aren’t looking right now. I could duck into a group of students as they walk by and disappear into a building before anyone would notice.
Coward.I shake my head at my naïveté. If I run, Willa dies. If I don’t run, we both might die. But if I do nothing, we could both end up dead, too. I know that it’s not that simple. You can’t disappear and be forgotten. People like the ones holding Willa captive make plans and have contingencies for every outcome. There’s no way I’m going to get away from them, and if I do, I’ll probably never see my sister again.
Suddenly, a large black SUV comes to a stop right in front of me, and the passenger side door swings open. My head cranes back, and a man built like a brick house towers over me. He cocks his head to the right, motioning me toward the back door, but I hesitate.
“Where are you taking me?” I question, hoping there’s someone human hiding behind those dark glasses.
Instead of any form of response, he reaches forward, pulling open the door and standing beside it. My shoulders sink in defeat as I slide into the back seat, and he closes the door tightly behind me. I barely have time to buckle my seatbelt before the vehicle moves, slowly at first and then picking up speed.
My entire body is on high alert as I attempt to peer out of the window, but it’s no use. The windows are heavily tinted, making it almost impossible for me to see anything through them. So, I focus on the inside of the car, searching for anything that may give me a clue as to where I’m headed, but nothing is sticking out to me. I should’ve known that I wouldn’t find anything, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.
I know nothing about cars, but this doesn’t seem like your average SUV. Instead of being able to see through to the driver in the front, there’s a panel of dark glass, cutting me off from the other people inside. There is a small mini bar built into the left side of the vehicle, eliminating the possibility of anyone exiting the car other than the same way I came in. The bar is full of brightly colored liquors, a bunch of snacks, and bottles of water.
I briefly consider flinging open the door and making a run for it, but I nix that idea. If the fall to the ground doesn’t kill me, I doubt I get far before they catch me. I don’t have many other options right now besides waiting patiently to arrive at my destination. I doubt we are going to be stopping anywhere in town, judging by the plethora of items provided in the bar.
“If you think I’m going to touch anything in here, you’re mistaken,” I say loudly, wanting to ensure that they can hear me through the thick black glass.
However, my stomach has other ideas, growling loudly in response to my words. “Can’t you just be quiet for a little while?” I lament, knowing damn well my stomach won’t answer me.
I can’t possibly trust anything I find in here. It could be drugged or poisoned, and I’d like to be awake if something happens. I bring my thumbnail up to my mouth and nibble on the end, another habit I planned on kicking before the end of my college adventure. I need to remain alert and on guard, ready for anything that these people might throw at me, not worrying about what I’m going to have for lunch.
My head drops back onto the seat as I try to think of anything besides the light cramping in my stomach, but it’s a losing battle. Licking my lips, I slide across the seat toward the minibar and grab a bottle of water. Turning it from left to right, I search for any signs that someone tampered with it. After a few moments of scrutinizing the bottle, my brain deems it safe to drink, and I crack it open and take a small sip.
My skin flushes and is hot to the touch while my heart pounds inside my chest. Every sign is pointing toward me having another panic attack. Not wanting to spiral downward for the second time today, I pinch my right leg hard and close my eyes tightly. Not the best way to get my mind to focus, but it’s what I have at the moment.
You’re panicking again, idiot. I chastise myself mentally as I note everything else going on in my body. My stomach isn’t as angry with me anymore, my head isn’t spinning, and I’m not disoriented.
“It’s just water,” I reassure myself before bringing the bottle to my lips again and drinking down almost half the bottle in one pull. “Guess I needed water more than I needed food.”
I finish the entire bottle before tossing it on the seat beside me and diving into the food. If that water isn’t drugged, then I doubt they took the time to do anything to the sealed bag of chips. Digging my hand into the stack, I search for something appetizing as my vision blurs for a few seconds.
I blink my eyes quickly to clear them, and everything goes back to normal for a few seconds before it happens again. I blink my eyes a few times, but this time, I can’t seem to get them to focus on anything. My stomach cramps tightly, causing me to topple over, barely missing hitting my head on the bar.
I lie on the floor as my eyes become heavy, and a disorienting feeling overcomes me. I guess they drugged the water, after all.
“This won’t end well,” I whisper to myself as I lose the fight to keep my eyes open and drift into darkness.
CHAPTERFOUR
CELIA
Why the fuck is it so bright in here?Iclench my eyes shut tightly to hang on to the last remnants of sleep.
I’ve always been a morning person, but after the dream I had last night, I deserve an extra few minutes of bliss before heading off to class. I roll over and bury my nose in the pillow, hoping to fall back asleep. My body sinks deeper into the fluffy mattress as I try to make sense of my dream.
My professors repeatedly pressed the fact that dreams have meaning. Even the ancient Egyptians believed dreams were a different form of seeing and that trained dreamers could see the future. By no means am I saying that I’m a seer, but my dream was terrifying.
Everything about it was too far-fetched to be true. Kidnapping, stalking, drugging, and lord knows what else my mind would’ve conjured up if it had the chance. I miss my sister and how safe I feel when she’s around, but am I seriously that worried about her that my mind is working overtime to force me to contact her?
Giving up on any chance of falling back asleep, I open my eyes and realize that I’m not safely tucked away in my small dorm room. Instead of finding my sparsely decorated beige walls, the room is bathed in bright, warm light coming in from a picture window to my right, but the only thing I can see is a few nondescript office buildings off in the horizon, making it obvious I’m no longer in rural New England.