a story by [dekoda]

Why are they doing this? It’s not fair! All I did was try to kill my ex with a fork. I know what you’re thinking, “This girl is crazy,” but he was really abusive! He deserved it!

So right now, here I am grounded because the police officers called my mom. I had been ignoring her for three days now, which has been hard because I got suspended for ten.

“Lapis?” my mom asked in a shakey-like voice. But I’m still ignoring her. “Honey, can we talk?” I just twist my dark blue hair around my finger. My mom sighs then slowly backs out of my room.

Tonight is the night the hottest boy in school, Ryan, is having his party, and I HAVE to go. So right now I’m in the middle of packing my things, because I might not come back.

As I am walking down the street, a police officer slowly drives up to me and rolls down his window, “Hey little girl, you might want to go home. It’s not safe this late at night.”

“I’m not a little girl. I’m 16!” I protested, putting my hands on my hips.

“It’s still not safe! Unless you want to be a murderer’s next victim … I suggest you go home now!” he yelled, a little taken aback by the tone of my voice.

“Alright,” I lied. As I walked along the side of the street, I saw another cop. I ran into the nearest alley. Right when I turn the corner, I saw this big brown haired man holding a gun. He’s pointing it right at my ex! My ex, Joey, looks at me with horror. His face is all blue! Just ny looking at him you can tell he is completely terrified!

I am so scared right now, I think I might be hyperventilating! Then Joey’s body goes down with a bullet in his head! I turn to see if that cop was still there, and when I turn back I see the gun in my face! I scream but it is stopped when duct tape covers my mouth. I feel hands go around my waist picking me up after putting a bag over my head.

The next thing I knew was waking up, handcuffed to a table. As the door opens, that same brown haired man entered the room and came up to me.

“Hello, darling.”

“W-what do you want f-from me?” I saw as I cry silently. He comes up closer to me, cups my cheek with his hand, and stares into my eyes.

“I don’t want anything but to protect you.” Then he puts another bag over my head, and I fall into a deep slumber.

This time, I wake up and I’m on a bed. I’m not tied up, but I’m definitely in a room. There’s a clock on the dresser that says 11:45pm. Oh my gosh … I’ve been here for five hours! I left my house at 6pm. I need to find my way out, my mom is probably worried sick! As I stand up out of the bed, the door opens and that man enters the room.

“Goodmorning again.”

“Can I go home?” I plead.

“Not yet.”

“Why? My mom is probably looking for me right now! She is probably scared. I NEED to leave! Now!” I yell, not understanding where that strong burst of courage came from.

He stands there and stares. He stares for what seems like hours. Finally, he speaks.

“No, you can’t, it’s not safe. They’re looking for you.”

“Who? W-what do y-you mean?” I sit in a corner with my knees up to my face. “This is just a nightmare … it can’t be true! You’re lying! … You have to be.”

“Your mom knows you’re here, don’t worry. I am not here to hurt you, but the people looking will … and they will not hesitate or think twice about it. That is if they can find you.” And with that he leaves the room.

I don’t even know what to do or think anymore. Has my whole life been a lie? It is time I got answers. I walk over to the door and turn the knob. When the door opens I see a hallway. I’m following the hallway and when I get to what I’m pretty sure is the living room, I see that man that was talking to me just twenty minutes ago. He seems to be watching a basketball game on the TV. I come up next to him and sit down. He looks at me as if he knows I was gonna say something.

“Do you mind if I ask for your name?” I ask.

“No, not at all. The name’s Michael, but you can call me Mike if you wish.”

“Okay, Mike. I was wondering if you could tell me what you meant when you said, ‘They are trying to find me’? I also wanted to know why you killed my ex, Joey.”

“Listen, I knew he abused you, and so did your mom. Did he ever tell you why he did it?” he asked me kind of uneasy.   

I just stare at him. I don’t know if I can speak. Finally, I gathered up the courage to speak once more.

“Uh, um, no. No matter what I said, he’d refuse to tell me. If my mom knew, why didn’t she ever do anything about it? But most importantly, who are you, and how do you know my life story?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, first of all, it’s because he was working with the people trying to kill you. Second of all, she was trying to find a safe place for you. She didn’t know how to keep you safe.” He looks at me. “I want you to understand she did in face try her best. Last but not least, as I said before, I am Michael. Michael Kettlesberg, to be exact. I knew about you since you were born. But you couldn’t come with me until you were of age, and now you are!” he says proudly, as he stands up nice and tall.

“What can you do … that my mom can’t?” I look around. “…And why isn’t she here now? Will they attack her, too?”

My head is starting to get dizzy thinking about what they could do to hurt her. I smack my head over and over with my hands.

“Stop thinking like that, Lapis. She will be fine.”

I try to convince myself. Then I feel hands wrap around my wrists and pull them down to my sides.

“Lapis, it’s okay. Stop. Everything will be alright.” He releases my wrists and I stand up, and pace in frustration. My head is spinning a million miles an hour.

“Will you explain to me why these people are after me in the first place?” I sream, with tears running down my face.

“They want you because a while back, before you were even born, your mom took something deep from them. So they want to take something deep from your mom … you.” He speaks as his gaze drops to the floor.

I hold my forehead to try and stop my head spinning from all the confusion and frustration.

“So what happens now? We just sit and wait for them to give up and stop looking for me?” I didn’t mean to say that, well at least not that harsh.

“Uh – yeah, actually. I didn’t really think of what to do when you became of age.”

“Well that’s not what I had in mind at all,” I say as I kick my feet up onto the coffee table, and put my hands behind my head. Then, I tilt my head back and smirk at the ceiling.

And that’s how we got here today. Now to clear things up … when I say ‘we’ I mean me, Michael, and my two best friends from high school, Josie and Jessica.

We are in the middle of a fight. We have come to fight the enemy that I had once freaked out about three days ago. We’re fighting against five other people, they all have guns. Mike knows karate, I have a machete, Josie has a sniper rifle, and Jessica is using her firsts. I had never seen the guns they’re using. So I don’t know what kind they are.

Oh my gosh! One of the guys just shot Josie! All I notice now is me dropping my weapon and running over to her body on the floor. Everything starts to blur as tears form in my eyes. I look up and see Michael and Jessica running after the man that shot Josie.

I couldn’t move. I was frozen to my spot next to her.

“Josie!!” I scream. This can’t be happening. I see Michael and Jessica killing the last man alive. Then I hear sirens.

“Come on! We need to leave now!” I heard Michael scream.

“No! I’m not leaving her! You can’t make me!” I hold onto her even tighter, crying into her chest. The sirens are getting louder.

“Actually, I can!” he screams, starting to get angry. He comes up to me, picks me up, and carries me bride-style. I scream, kick and claw, but nothing is making him loosen his grip.

“I’m sorry, Josie!” I whisper. Then, I hold onto Mike and cry into his chest. I look over and see Jessica crying as she walks next to us. As a cop turns into the alley we were in, we run down the alley and down the corner before he sees us.

Now it’s five years later, Josie’s dead, Mike is in jail because he told the police he did it so we didn’t get in trouble, Jessica is in foster care because her parents disowned her, and I’m depressed, after the whole event that had happened to us five years ago.