PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “We’ll find her. Don’t worry,” my mother said before giving me another hug.

  I KNEW he didn’t have the balls to kill her, I thought as I made my way back to my room.

  Plopping down into my bed, I pulled my comforter up to my chin. Don’t worry, MamÁ . They won’t be able to find Abriana’s body once I’m done with her . . .

  I heard Detective Lock’s voice, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. The conversation became muffled again. Shut up! I grabbed a pillow and shoved it over my head and went back to sleep.

  ***

  I woke up several hours later to a familiar voice floating up from downstairs. My heart raced and blood rushed to my cheeks. He’s here!

  Jumping out of bed, I sprinted to my closet and picked out a pair of jean shorts and a coral tank top. Hopping on one foot, I slide the shorts on and pulled off the t-shirt I had been sleeping in. After I slipped on the tank top, I went to the bathroom I used to share with Abriana.

  I pulled open a drawer and reached for a brush and some mascara. After freshening up, I added a touch of lip gloss. Pressing my lips together, I smiled. What’s that, Abriana? Oh, yeah, that’s right. I’m totally stealing your ex-boyfriend.

  Forcing a grim look on my face, I walked down the stairs with slumped shoulders. I totally deserve that Emmy . . .

  “Alexa?” a voice said that brought goose bumps to my arms.

  “MatÍ as?” I asked with fake surprise in my voice.

  “Hey,” he said standing. “How are you holding up?”

  My stomach fluttered as his concerned eyes met mine. As I got closer, his cologne made my knees weak. Mmmmmmmm! “It’s so hard,” I whispered, my voice full of emotion. “I miss her so much.”

  MatÍ as wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his rock-hard chest.

  Why would Abriana ever give this up? She’s such an idiot!

  The embrace ended before I wanted it to. Stepping back, I let my eyes wander across his features. Light brown eyes that shimmered in the sunlight, dark brown hair, a strong jawline, and full lips that I needed on my neck, like yesterday!

  MatÍ as sat down in an overstuffed recliner and rubbed his face. When he looked up, tears were falling from his eyes. “Are there any leads?”

  My father shook his head. “The detectives are looking into someone she was meeting out the night she disappeared. But they haven’t been able to find . . . ” he paused. “They haven’t been able to find him.”

  Pain ripped across MatÍ as’ face. “Oh . . . ”

  Don’t worry. I would NEVER leave you, MatÍ as, and once you’re mine, you’ll never want to leave me . . .

  “They did find a body,” I admitted. “But thanks heavens it wasn’t Abriana’s,” I said.

  MatÍ as wiped the back of his hand against his wet cheeks. “How can I help? What can I do to help bring Abriana home?”

  I hated listening to the way her name rolled off his tongue. Abriana, Abriana, Abriana! It made my blood boil!

  “We’re going to hang more signs today near campus,” my mother said.

  “Maybe you and Alexa could stop by some stores downtown? Most businesses are allowing us to hang our posters in their front windows.”

  MatÍ as nodded. “Of course!”

  A small smile crossed my face. A whole day with MatÍ as? Um, yes please! “Let me go grab my purse,” I chirped. “Then I’ll be ready to go.”

  My mother nodded. “I’ll gather some posters for everyone.”

  MatÍ as blinked hard. “Thank you for allowing me to help.”

  “You’re like a son to us,” my father said.

  As the two stood and embraced, I took a deep breath and tried to hold back a huge smile. Don’t worry, Dad. He’ll be your son, well, son-in-law, soon enough . . .

  ***

  The day with MatÍ as flew by and before I realized it, the sun had set.

  “Want to get something to eat?” I asked innocently.

  MatÍ as gave me a sad smile. “Sure.”

  Taking advantage of the moment, I gave his hand a quick squeeze. “It will be okay.”

  He pulled me in for an embrace. “How can you be so sure? I mean, what if she’s gone, Lex? What if we’ve lost her forever?”

  What if? More like we HAVE lost her forever!

  Rubbing his back with one hand and keeping the other firmly around his waist, I took a second to enjoy the shared moment.

  “Seriously, Lex,” MatÍ as pulled back and looked deeply into my eyes, “I don’t know what I’m going to do without her. I mean I know we broke up, but-”

  Before he could say another word, I reached up and pulled his face toward mine. Our lips met for a brief second before he pulled back with a hurt look on his face.

  “What are you doing?”

  My jaw dropped and anger flowed through my core. “I thought you wanted me to kiss you?”

  He held up his hands in a surrender position and took a big step back. “Why would you ever think that?”

  “The way you looked at me,” I spat.

  “What?” he gasped.

  I crossed my arms across my chest. “You were looking into my eyes. You couldn’t have been any more obvious!”

  “Alexa, look, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression,” he apologized. “Sometimes, when I look at you, all I can see is Abriana.”

  I exhaled loudly through clenched teeth.

  “It’s okay,” MatÍ as responded with crimson cheeks. “Honestly, it was just a silly mistake.”

  My brain tried to process the words tumbling out of his mouth. Mistake? It wasn’t a MISTAKE! I’m in love with you and whether you realize it or not, we WILL be together!

  I plastered a hurt on my face and shrugged. “Sorry,” I apologized. “I- I- I just,” I stammered, my voice choked with emotion, “I just miss her so much and being around you makes me feel so much better!”

  This appeared to appease MatÍ as. Taking a deep breath, he managed a smile. “It’s okay, Lex. Being around you makes me feel a lot better too. Now, let’s just pretend like it didn’t happen.”

  My cheeks burned. “Sure. I mean, okay. That’s fine.”

  “Look, I think we should just call it a night,” MatÍ as said, shifting his weight from one side to the other. “Is that okay with you?”

  I looked away to hide my crimson face. No that’s not okay with me, I thought. What’s okay with me, would be hopping into your backseat and making you forget all about stupid Abriana! Biting my tongue, I resisted the urge to blurt out my thoughts and replied, “Yeah, that’s fine. I should get back to my parents anyways.”

  ***

  MatÍ as pulled his car into our driveway. “Will you please call me if you hear anything?”

  I nodded. I’ll call you once they find her dead body!

  He reached over and put his hand on top of mine. “Thanks, Alexa. You’ve always been like a little sister to me.”

  I pulled my hand away, perhaps a bit too quickly, but I didn’t care. Little sister! Shut up! You’ll love me soon enough, MatÍ as, and if you don’t, I’ll kill you too!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Abriana

  Three days had passed since my last escape attempt. Easton hadn’t made me wear the blindfold again, but he did keep my hands cuffed. I was allowed to have them off once a day, when I took a shower.

  That all changed when his cell phone rang during the middle of the night. I strained to hear his voice, but I still managed to hear most of what he said.

  “Don’t bother coming,” snarled Easton.

  He paused.

  His voice got significantly louder, “So, you’ll go to the police and say what?”

  He paused again.

  “That’s what I thought! Now tell me, when are we letting her go?”

  Does he really want to let me go?

  “You know what? You’re not the only one with evidence! I’ve got stuff on you too!”

  He let out a loud laugh.

 
“Yeah right.”

  Then silence.

  “Wait! Don’t you dare-”

  Before he could finish he cut himself off and let out a shout of frustration. A moment later, I could hear his footsteps stomping down the hallway. My door swung open, causing me to flinch.

  “Get up,” Easton demanded.

  “Huh?” I murmured, trying to give him the impression that I had been asleep.

  He crossed his arms and scowled. “I said, GET UP!”

  “Jeez,” I mumbled as I got out of bed and lowered my feet to the freezing cold floor.

  Easton grabbed me by the arm and pulled me roughly toward him. I bounced off his chest and stumbled backward.

  “Come on,” he said firmly. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?” I asked in a quavering voice. Time? Time for what?

  He ran thumb over his lower lip. “Look, I can’t tell you what’s going on, just that you need to hide. Otherwise, someone is going to try to kill you.”

  My knees gave out and I hit the floor hard.

  “Get up! I need to get you out of here NOW,” he urged with panic in his eyes.

  I pursed my lips and followed him out of the bedroom.

  “There’s a storage room under the cabin. It’s small and there aren’t any lights.”

  Nodding, I tried to calm my breathing. I hate small spaces and I’m afraid of the dark!

  “You’re going to have to stay quiet. Seriously, once you’re down there, you cannot move or try to escape. If you do, you will die. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes,” I whispered in a shaky voice. A million thoughts raced through my mind. Who is going to try to kill me? What if they hurt Easton instead? Will I be safe under the floor?

  Easton tugged me into the kitchen and pushed a small rug out of the way. He dug his fingers in to a small opening and pried open the crawl space. A musty smell filled the air as the trap door swung open.

  I looked into the space and bit my lower lip.

  “It will be okay. You just have to trust me,” said Easton.

  My eyes met his for a brief moment. “Trust? You really think I am going to trust you?”

  Easton reached in his pocket and pulled out a small key. “You’re right. You shouldn’t trust me. But please, promise me you’ll stay hidden. I won’t let her kill you.”

  Her? It’s a her?

  Easton unlocked my handcuffs and slipped them in his back pocket. His eyes pleaded with me. “Promise?”

  “Promise,” I replied before heading into the small, pitch black, space.

  Our eyes met one more time before he closed the door and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Abriana.”

  ***

  The dark enveloped my body and my heart immediately started racing. Why did he apologize? Does he care about me in some messed up way? Maybe it wasn’t his idea to kidnap me after all . . . I tried to picture the person he had been speaking to on the phone. It’s a she . . . That blew my mind. What type of woman would arrange a kidnapping? What did I ever do to her?

  Thoughts continued to race through my mind as I crouched down in the small dank smelling space. A moment later, I heard Easton slide the rug out of the way and walk out of the kitchen. Feeling around my surroundings, my hands brushed against something sticky. My breath caught in my chest as I yanked my hand back quickly. Gross. I eased down into a sitting position. Clasping my hands in my lap, I blinked, keeping the unshed tears in check. Stay alert!

  A few minutes passed. The silence combined with the pitch-black surroundings overwhelmed my senses. My mind went into overdrive. Should I try to run? I don’t have any handcuffs on? Was he serious about some “her” wanting to kill me?

  Before I could decide to run or stay, a door slammed shut and I heard two feet stomping across the hardwood floor.

  The voices were muffled, but I could tell Easton was shouting.

  A few moments later, a loud thud caused dust particles to fall from the floorboards and tickle my nose. Instinctively, I held my breath, terrified at the thud from upstairs. I had no idea what was happening or what the noise was, but dread pumped through my veins in anticipation.

  The shouting got louder and another loud thud shook the floor. What’s going on? Are they fighting?

  My body quaked with fear.

  “You liar! You were NEVER going to let her go!” shouted Easton.

  I bit my lower lip to stop my teeth from chattering. They’re right above me!

  Easton’s voice, full of rage, rang out, “I never should have gotten involved in any of this! You’re crazy!”

  Why isn’t she talking?

  Suddenly, a scream erupted and the sound of bodies crashing to the floor.

  “No! No! No!” shouted Easton. “Don’t kill me!”

  My jaw dropped open. Oh, my God, she has his gun!

  A moment later, a deafening bang followed by a painful cry, caused my hand to fly to my mouth to stifle a shriek.

  My body shook as drops of a sticky substance I could only imagine was blood made their way through the floorboards and splashed on to my face and hands.

  Everything started to spin and my mouth went dry as my body became coated in a crimson mess. Unable to cope with the sheer terror, my body shut down, and everything went black.

  ***

  “Abriana,” shouted an unfamiliar man’s voice.

  Huh?

  “Abriana,” shouted a different voice.

  Forcing open my eyes, I instantly panicked. I can’t see! I can’t see!

  Feet stomped on the floorboards above my head, forcing a warm sticky substance to drip on my face.

  Oh, my God! It’s someone’s blood! Whose blood is it? Is it Easton’s or the other person’s blood? Oh, my God! Is someone dead?

  “Abriana, where are you? It’s the police,” boomed a deep male voice.

  I held my breath in fear as I heard the voice again. Easton had said he wouldn’t let her kill me and the voice above me definitely belonged to a man.

  My heart slammed in my chest and my hands trembled.

  “Abriana, we’re here to help you. Please if you can hear us, say something!”

  What if it’s really the police and they leave because they can’t find me?

  The footsteps left the kitchen and headed into another part of the house.

  Deciding it might be my only chance, I stood up and pushed on the small door. As a sliver of the kitchen appeared, my eyes focused on a pair of black shiny boots.

  Without warning, someone pulled the door the rest of the way open, blinding me with a beam of light focused directly on my face. “Abriana?”

  Letting out a shrill screech, I covered my eyes and crouched down back into the small space. “Please don’t kill me!”

  The light moved from my eyes to the small hole I had shrunk into. “Abriana? Is that you?”

  Knowing that this was either the end of my kidnapping or the beginning of the end of my life, I gathered enough courage to look up at the person holding the flashlight.

  “It’s her!” shouted a man with a thick southern accent. “It’s her!”

  He dropped the flashlight and offered me a hand. Extending my own, he grasped on to me tightly and helped pull me from the crawl space.

  As soon as I emerged from the darkness, my eyes immediately landed on the badge of the police officer pulling me to safety. A wave of relief crashed over me as tears filled my eyes. “You found me.”

  He nodded and gave me a warm smile. “We’ve been looking for you for quite awhile.”

  Unable to speak, my eyes scanned the room in disbelief. A small group of officers stood by the entrance to the kitchen. Looking down, my heart sank. The floorboards were covered in blood, as were my hands, arms, and my tattered dress.

  “We need a medic,” shouted one of the officers in the background.

  The detective gently placed his hand on my shoulder. “My name is Detective Lock. I’m here to help you. Are you hurt?
We have another ambulance on the way.”

  Still struggling to process the situation, I repeated, “Another ambulance?”

  “Yes,” said Detective Lock with a grim face. “We took a man we believe to be your kidnapper to the hospital with a life threatening gunshot wound to the head.”

  My stomach lurched and bile crept up the back of my throat. “She shot Easton?” I asked in disbelief. “He’s dying?”

  The detective looked into my eyes. “Excuse me, but did you say, she shot Easton?”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly as the room started to spin. “The person behind my kidnapping. Didn’t you find her?”

  One of the police officers standing near the kitchen sink raised his radio to his mouth and walked out of the room.

  “Abriana, how do you know there’s another person involved and why do you think she was here?” asked the detective.

  As the room continued to sway, I swallowed and tried to fight off the nausea. “Easton told me,” I whispered. “He told me to hide in the crawl space. He even unlocked my handcuffs.”

  His jaw dropped opened and then he quickly closed it. “Abriana, are you saying that you didn’t shoot Easton?”

  “No,” I answered, shaking my head quickly. “No, the other person did it. She did it!”

  A moment later, a medic rushed in and covered me in a blanket. “She’s going into shock! You’re going to have to finish the questioning later.”

  Detective Lock nodded. “I’ll ride with her to the hospital. Her family is going to meet us there. One more thing, what does she look like, Abriana? What does your other attacker look like?”

  The unsettled feeling in my stomach worsened. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I never saw her. I had to wear a blindfold when she was here the last time.”

  He pressed his lips together and inhaled.

  “I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “I-”

  “Now,” interrupted the medic. “We need to get her out of here now!”

  As the medic helped me out of the room, I heard Detective Lock bark out orders to the nearby police officers. “Call in the K-9 team! Search this house and the woods! If there is someone else out there, find them NOW!”

  By the time we made it outside, I collapsed into the arms of the medic. “Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you so much!”