I was laid down in my bed and moments later a bottle of water was pressed against my lips. I didn’t want to drink. I was too afraid that I would throw up again, and this time, I was in my room. The senator would probably throw me back in the basement if I got sick in my room.
“Come on, you have to drink,” the gruff voice said. I peeled my eyes open and saw one of the senator’s guards sitting on the edge of my bed. He was one of the nicer guards, but I didn’t trick myself into thinking that he cared what happened to me. If he did, he would have come for me sooner. He was probably concerned that I wouldn’t look okay for the next time the senator needed me.
I took the drink he offered, but I only took a few small sips. The guard tossed a small loaf of bread on my nightstand, along with a few bottles of water and headed for the door. That was the last time I saw him.
✯✯✯✯✯
I stayed in my room for three days. I had a bathroom attached to my room, so I didn’t have to venture out to see anyone. Someone had knocked at my door on that first day, and when I got up to answer, I saw a tray of food waiting for me. That was how I got my meals ever since then. I didn’t leave the room for fear that the senator would have me thrown back in the basement. I didn’t want to be alone down there. It was hard enough when I was down there not to let the darkness get to me. It was even worse when I woke up in my bed in the middle of the night. Down there, I could make myself believe that everything was okay. Up here, I dreaded the thought of being thrown back down there. It didn’t make sense. I should be more scared when I was down there, but for some reason, being up here was even worse.
Curiosity got the better of me on the third day and I decided to leave my room. I wanted to see my mom, thinking that maybe this time she would see me and decide that we couldn’t stay with the senator anymore. I cracked the door open to see if anyone was in the hall, but it was empty. I slipped down the hallway, making sure I stayed close to the walls. I was just outside my mom’s room when I heard the senator’s voice. I should have turned around and left, but I heard my name and needed to know what he was saying.
“That kid is more trouble than he’s worth, and the mother isn’t any better.”
“Sir, we need to work with what we have. Your support has increased by twenty percent since you married. We can’t afford to waste that on a divorce.”
“Who said anything about a divorce?” the senator snapped.
“What are you thinking?”
“I know someone who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.”
“Okay,” the man said hesitantly.
“Reid will disappear one night-”
“Wait, is she going to be in on this?”
“Of course not. She would never go along with it. Reid will disappear and she’ll be distraught over her missing son. We’ll make sure that he’s missing for at least a few months. That should get a huge sympathy vote for me. Then, one day, we’ll catch a lead and the boy’s body will be found in the woods. His mother will be so out of her mind with grief that I’ll have to put her in a mental institution. That way I get rid of both of them, but I gain even more support.”
“That’s really fucked up,” the man said.
“I have to do what’s necessary. They’ve both become a liability.”
I held my breath the whole time I backed up to my room. He was planning on getting rid of me and my mom. As soon as I was back in my room, I started to pack up my backpack. I thought about going to talk to my mom, but if she hadn’t helped me yet, what were the chances that she would do anything now? I shoved a change of clothes in my backpack and the small bag of bread that was still on my nightstand. I had one bottle of water left that I also shoved in. I didn’t have any money, but I would rather run and live on the streets than stay here waiting for someone to come for me.
I ran to the window and shoved it open. The guards were on a tight schedule around the property. I watched them many times when I had nothing else to do at night. I knew that in ten minutes there would be a guard that walked past my window to the other side of the house. But if I hurried, I could get down there and run to the tree line before he moved my way. That was pretty much my only chance of getting out before tomorrow. And I didn’t know if I would still be here tomorrow if I didn’t try and run for it.
I crawled out the window and grabbed onto the drain pipe. I thought it would be easy, but I quickly lost my grip and fell to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me, but I pushed myself up and made myself move. I didn’t stop until I was in the trees on the edge of the property. I stopped to catch my breath and watched
