There had to be a phone somewhere downstairs, so I went searching. I didn’t bother to search the second floor, because I figured there were probably just bedrooms on that floor anyway. So, I skipped it and went directly to the first floor. Pretty quickly I found a large room that must be the library, because there were thousands of books lining every shelf and wall in the room. I loved reading and would have to explore the room later. I spotted the telephone on the desk in the corner of the room and walked quickly over to it. I picked it up and dialed my grandparents’ number. Grandma answered on the second ring.
“Hello?” She sounded a little hesitant. People didn’t usually call her so early.
“Grandma, it’s me,” I said quietly.
“Oh Madison, it’s good to hear your voice. Why are you whispering?”
“Because it’s early and I don’t want to wake anyone up.” I didn’t want her to know that Sarah and Adam might not like me calling.
“I see. How are you, dear? Leland, come here. Madison is on the phone,” I heard her say to Grandpa.
“Maddie,” Grandpa said, “we miss you already.” He had picked up the extension in the living room.
“I know, I miss you too. I wanna come home.” I started to lose my calm composure.
“We want you home too. But please try to make the best of it. They are your parents, after all. Maybe you will grow to love them,” Grandma said. I doubt she believed it, but she was trying to make me feel better. It wasn’t working and I was trying really hard not to start sobbing.
“Madison, what are you doing?” I jumped and spun around to see Adam standing in the doorway to the library. He started walking toward me.
I quickly covered the phone receiver. “I’m just talking to my grandparents,” I told him.
He snatched the phone from my hand and put the receiver to his ear.
“You are to have no contact with my daughter from now on. Do I make myself clear?” he said into the phone. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t stammer. Nothing. He meant business. Then he hung up the phone before I could say another word.
“You had no right to do that!” I wailed, and ran up the two flights of stairs to my room. I threw myself on my bed and cried. About an hour later, I decided I was getting nowhere up there by myself and it was time to have a talk with my new parents.
I took a shower, selected a nice, new pair of jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. How Sarah knew my exact size was a mystery. Everything fit perfectly. When I went downstairs, I ran into Annabelle in the hallway who told me they were in the small dining room, just off the large one we ate dinner at the night before. I found it pretty easily. I was always good at directions. When I stormed into the room, Adam and Sarah both turned in my direction.
“Look, I understand that I’m your daughter and all, and maybe my grandparents aren’t my ‘real’ grandparents, but they have been there for me my whole life. What is the problem with me talking to them on the phone?”
“Madison,” Adam said while I was catching my breath, “we love you and want only the best for you. But, you will not have any contact with those kidnappers. And, that’s that.” He turned to finish his omelet. “Now, come sit down and have some breakfast.” He motioned to the waiter, or whatever he was, to bring my plate in. I could tell that he was done with the topic.
“Stop calling them kidnappers,” I demanded.
“Fine, I won’t call them that if you will agree not to contact them.”
I didn’t say a word in response to that. I couldn’t agree to something that I knew was a lie. I would try again to call them. I picked at my breakfast in silence. My new situation was going to be hard, and it was just the beginning.
After breakfast Sarah took me on a tour of the ranch. They had lots of horses, corrals, stables and a bunch of people working there. I lost count. She didn’t introduce me to anyone. She said that if you fraternize with the help then you lose your edge with them. They must always know their place. According to her, they all knew exactly who I was, and that was all that mattered. She was a snob and I wasn’t sure I was going to like her much, mother or no mother. I wasn’t used to treating people that way. I wasn’t better than anyone and neither was she.
Chapter 6
I made the best of things. Did I really have a choice? Sarah took me shopping to buy even more clothes that I really didn’t need. I guess we got along okay. I didn’t really feel much of a connection with her. But, that could just be from not seeing her for thirteen years. Adam, on the other hand, was really nice, most of the time. We got along pretty well. We still butted heads, but it didn’t seem to last long.
A few days after arriving, Adam called me into the library. “Come in here, we have something we want to show you.” As he motioned me toward the library door, I followed him in. I was still in awe of the room and hadn’t had a chance to really explore all the books. I was looking forward to it when things calmed down a little.
“Sit down, please,” he said, as he pointed to a nearby chair. I sat.
“Madison, we want to talk to you and show you what we went through to get you back, after you disappeared,” Sarah said.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” I replied. They ignored my statement.
“Take a look at all this stuff.” Adam pointed to a large pile of newspaper clippings and ‘Missing’ posters with my young face on them.
I started looking through everything. There were several articles about me and my family and what happened the night I disappeared. I read all of them. They said that I was two years old and had been put in my crib for the night. They were awakened the next morning by the nanny who said I was not in my crib. It also said that Abbey was a suspect in my disappearance, because she had recently been fired. But, no one could find Abbey, because she had given them a fake last name when she was hired.
One of the things that intrigued me most was that I had never seen any baby pictures of myself. Well, aside from the photo on the website. It was pretty cool, after all these years. I was awfully cute, if I say so myself. I had a lot of blonde hair, was chubby, and I seemed really happy. I asked my parents if I could keep some of the photos. They said it was fine. They had copies of all of them.
The ‘Missing’ posters had a $100,000 reward for my safe return. Adam told me that they were posted all over the area. But, no credible leads ever came in. They also told me about being on the news and the massive search effort that ensued. There were hundreds of volunteers looking for me. They even listed me on several of those missing children websites. I told them that is where I found my photo. They had tried everything. They said they never gave up looking for me, but life had to go on. That’s why they were elated when the social worker called them and said they had found me and I was fine.
“We never were positive that Abbey was the one that took you, but we suspected,” Sarah added.
I told them all about Charlie and me seeing my picture on TV and then on the website. Then about how I called the number and was terrified that I had done something wrong. I also explained how the police and social worker showed up at my door and took my grandparents and me from my home with no warning. My parents really did seem sorry that it all happened that way, but it changed nothing. I was still in a strange place, with strange people, and wanted desperately to go home. To my real home, to the people that raised me and I loved. Back to my friends and my school and everything else I knew. I didn’t want to be there and never would.
I was overwhelmed by it all. How could Abbey do this to me? And, why would she take me, just to drop me off with her parents? I hoped that I would find out all the answers at some point.
“I’d like to go for a walk. I have a lot to think about.”
I was preoccupied as I walked out of the library, and I ran into Annabelle, the maid. I mean I literally ran into her, and almost knocked her down.
“Hey, watch out!” she shouted. Then she made a big show of smoothing out her uniform and frowning at me.
“Sor
ry, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I guess. You should watch where you are going.” She was clearly annoyed.
I burst into tears and ran out the front door. I heard her following me.
“It’s not that big of a deal,” she said, catching up with me. “I’m fine.” It sounded a lot like she was terrified of getting into trouble for making me cry.
“No, it’s not that. It’s my parents, and all the stuff that is going on. I hate it here!” I cried.
“Come on, let’s go sit down.” She took my hand and led me over to the garden and we sat on a bench. It was a beautiful garden with so many flowers everywhere; roses, lilies, carnations, you name it, and a large grassy area. I hadn’t been at the ranch long, but it was one of my favorite spots.
“It can’t be all that bad. You’re a Tyler. Everyone wants to be a Tyler. You’re a very lucky girl,” she told me, sincerely trying to calm me down. “I’ve lived here a long time and always wished I was a member of the family.”
“How long have you lived here?” I asked, curious to hear more about her.
“Since I was 8. I’m 16 now. My mom got a job as a cook and we moved in. My parents were divorced when I was little and getting a job like this with free room and board was fantastic for my mom. I always loved it here. I would pretend like I was rich and this was my house. So don’t go feeling sorry for yourself. At least you aren’t the cook,” She said bluntly.
“Oh, I thought you were a maid. You cook with your mom too?”
“Yes. She is the head cook and I assist her. It’s not so bad.”
“I know I should be grateful, but I don’t want to be a Tyler. I want to go home. I miss my grandparents and my friend, Charlie. I miss my school too. I just want to go back to the way things were.”
“I know. But, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. I think you’re here to stay,” she answered back. I didn’t hear any sympathy in her voice at all. But, she was being really nice to me when she didn’t have to.
“I can’t even call my grandparents. When I tried, Adam had a fit and hung up on them.”
Annabelle was thinking for a moment. I could see it in her face.
“I have an idea. Come with me.” She got up and started walking toward the house. I followed her. We walked through the foyer, past the stairs and the kitchen. Then we passed a back staircase that I didn’t even know existed, and down a short hallway into a small room. The house actually seemed to be getting older and danker the farther back we walked.
“This is my room,” she said as we walked in. It was a very small room with just a bed and a dresser. Not much else. It was way smaller than the one I had in the trailer back home. The walls were dingy and it was kind of dark.
“This is your room, really?” I think the astonishment came through in my voice.
“Yeah, I know. It’s nothing compared to yours. Not all of us can be born rich.” She seemed upset by my response.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised that with this huge house, you have this tiny room. There are tons of bedrooms upstairs that no one is using.” I was trying my best to sound sincere, because I really did mean it.
“Well, us servants aren’t allowed to live upstairs. We have to stay in the servants’ quarters.” She sounded sarcastic that time.
“I see, sorry.” What else could I say?
“Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “there is a reason I brought you here.” She reached into her dresser drawer and pulled out a cell phone.
“Here, call your grandparents.” She handed the phone to me.
“Oh my god. Thank you!” I said as I reached for the phone. She just smiled and walked out of the room.
I sat on her bed and dialed the phone.
“Hello?” I was so overcome with happiness to hear my grandma’s voice on the other end that I couldn’t get words to come out.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” Grandma said again.
“Grandma, hi,” I finally choked out, almost in tears.
“Madison! Are you okay? We’ve been worried about you since your father hung up the phone on us the other day.”
“I know, I’m sorry. He thinks you kidnapped me, or at least knew about it, and he has forbidden me to talk to you.”
“Then how are you calling me?” she asked. She knew I could be sneaky. So, I don’t think she was entirely surprised that I found a way to call them.
“One of the girls that works here let me use her cell phone.”
“Well that’s really nice of her,” Grandma replied.
“How’s Grandpa?”
“He’s good. He talks about you a lot. We really miss you, sweetheart.”
“I miss you too. I don’t want to be here.” I was choking back tears.
“I know, sweetheart, I know.”
“Have you seen Charlie?”
“Yes, just yesterday. He asked if I had talked to you. He really misses you too.”
“Please tell him I will try to call him as soon as I can.”
“Of course I will. Your grandpa ran to the store to get some bread. He’ll be really sorry he missed you.”
Annabelle stuck her head in the door. “Madison, your father is looking everywhere for you. You better hurry.”
“Grandma, I gotta go, sorry.” I could hear her saying good-bye as I hung up quickly.
I ran out into the hall and handed Annabelle her phone back. Annabelle told me to come with her. I followed her up the back staircase and down a long hall. It took me to some bedrooms on the second floor. I hadn’t even been there before.
“Just walk down this hall. He’s almost here.” She turned and ran back down the stairs toward her room.
“There you are.” I spun around when I heard Adam’s voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I, I was, just exploring. Is that okay?” I stammered.
“Of course. I just wanted to show you something. Come on.”
He turned toward the front stairway and I went with him. He didn’t seem to notice that I was uneasy or looked really guilty when he found me in the hallway. He didn’t suspect a thing.
As we walked out the front door, he said “Come on. You’re going to love this.”
“Where are we going?” I asked with curiosity.
He didn’t respond, just kept walking. I was having a hard time keeping up. He was almost jogging by then.
“Wait up. I can’t walk that fast,” I pleaded. It was a warm day and I was starting to perspire a little.
“Oh come on, you’re young and spry. You should be able to keep up with and old man like me.”
I saw that we were heading toward the stables.
“Here we are,” he said.
At that moment, Sarah walked out of the stables leading a solid black horse. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He was very tall and glistening in the afternoon sun.
“Wow, he’s beautiful,” I exclaimed as I walked toward him.
“This is for you,” Adam declared.
That caught me completely by surprise. “What? No, you don’t have to do that,” I said, and I really meant it.
“We want to,” Sarah chimed in. “We have a horse farm, you should learn how to ride.”
“I don’t know. I’ve never ridden a horse before. I might fall off.” I was actually terrified and excited at the same time.
“Don’t be silly,” she replied. “We have some of the best trainers in the country here. They’ll teach you how to ride.”
I walked over and touched the horse on his nose. He moved just a little and snorted. It made me jump. Adam and Sarah both laughed.
“Don’t be so jumpy. He won’t bite,” she smiled.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked, uneasily. I was a little afraid. I had never been around horses before.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“What’s his name?” I asked.
“Jett,” Adam said. “Do you like him?”
�
�Yes. That’s a great name. Can I really keep him?” I asked, uncertain. I looked from Adam to Sarah, and back again.
“Of course. He’s yours. But, let’s go get some lunch now, I’m starving.” With that, Sarah handed the reins to one of the stable boys and we all went in. I really wanted to stay and get to know Jett a little, but that would have to wait.
After lunch, Adam and Sarah left to get some work done, they said. I was the last one out of the room and saw Annabelle starting to clear away the dishes.
“Annabelle, guess what?”
“What?” She stopped with an armload of dirty dishes and turned toward me.
“My parents gave me a horse. His name is Jett,” I said excitedly.
“Oh, that’s nice,” she replied and walked toward the kitchen with the dishes, without saying another word.
I followed her into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” I asked. It was clear to me that something was bothering her.
“Nothing.” She was scraping leftover food off the dishes into the sink.
“Yes, there is. Please tell me,” I pleaded with her. “Please. I want to know.”
“Okay, fine. Since you asked.” She hesitated, then came a flurry of words. I could hardly keep up. “I have lived in this house for a lot of years. I work hard and make very little pay. I understand that’s how things are and I deal with it. But, then you come along. You didn’t do anything to earn being the rich daughter or getting a horse. I hear you don’t even know how to ride. It’s just not fair.” She was out of breath when she finished.
“Oh,” is all I could say. I was stunned.
“You know, I don’t really blame you. It’s not your fault, I guess. It just isn’t fair, that’s all.” She was obviously upset and I felt responsible.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea you felt like this. I shouldn’t have come in here.” I turned to leave the kitchen.
“No, I’m sorry. You don’t have to go. I was just venting, I guess. I am happy for you. Really. I hope you enjoy your new horse.” She seemed really sincere.
Then it dawned on me. “Do you know how to ride horses?” I asked her.
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