Kaylin “BEEP! BEEP!” an alarm blares in my ear. I awake groggily to realize that the alarm is not my own, but an unfamiliar sound in a room that I do not recognize in an unfamiliar bed with odd blue covers. I look at the fresh bruise on my knee under my ripped party dress and all the memories come flooding back until a certain point where my mind goes blank. I was talking to Hannah,we sat in the strawberry field, swam at the beach and then there was a party. But what happened at Holly’s party, the last thing I remember was dancing with Josh so why am I here? I look around for my phone in my purse but it’s nowhere in sight. As I’m looking around the lamplit room I realize something odd, the room has no windows only an oak door with a lock and a closet. I get up and go to the door, I pull on the door’s handle but it won’t budge.
Suddenly a voice crackles to life over a loudspeaker “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” it says in a voice that is auto tuned so much I can’t quite put my finger on who it is. Then it hits me, I’ve been kidnapped, I mean why else would I be trapped in an unfamiliar room? I realize whoever just talked over the loudspeaker might be planning to kill me. I immediately look around for cameras because I am terrified of being recorded. I spot one right above the closet door I find the largest and heaviest book on the bookshelf called “The Girl.” I shrug at the title because it doesn’t seem to be something I’d read and decide to knock down the camera with it and smash it into hundreds of glass and plastic shards.
I think about the crime novels I’ve read, what did those people do? Well most of them didn’t realize what was going on as fast as me, but then again most of them don’t read as many crime novels as me. Those people always find a window to get out of but as I said there isn't one. Maybe the closet has one? I open the closet to find it fully stocked with clothes just my size, which is amazing. Then I remember that whoever stocked this kidnapped me, so no it isn't amazing. Wait a second if they stocked it they were either planning to kidnap me for along time or they came into the room while I was sleeping to stock it. I know that there hasn’t been someone stalking me for the past week at least, because recently, Hannah has been really paranoid and we are almost always together, so they must have snuck into the room while I was sleeping. Come to think of it why has Hannah been so paranoid lately? We were perfectly safe or so I thought…
So whoever this person was had a way of getting in but and oak door in the middle of the night with metal hinges being opened definitely would have woken me up. So they must have had a different way of getting in, but what? I take a closer look in the closet to see that there is a small sunroof that was hidden by the clothes, I try to pull it open but it burns my hand. “Alright” I say hoping whoever kidnapped me can hear me “You got me I don't know how to get out of this.” I continue pretending to be defeated. Suddenly I hear the latch of the door clicked open and see a man who I know all too well “Hello Kaylin” he says “Miss me?”. He then pulls out a knife and puts one gloved hand over my mouth to stifle the scream and the last thing I hear is him whispering “This is what happens to those who are too defiant” before it all goes black.
Hannah When I wake up I'm in Kaylin’s room with ten missed calls from her parents. I open the phone and check the voicemail. “Hannah please notify us immediately if you have seen Kaylin. I need to find my baby!” her mom said tearfully. I texted her mom, “What do you mean? I’m in Kaylin’s room I don't know where she is.'' I think back to yesterday, the last time I saw her we were at the party, her wavy blonde hair gleaming in the moonlight as the wind blew it around. She had been laughing by the fire, what if that was the last time I would ever see here laugh? We had been best friends since birth, we went to preschool,elementary school, middle school and even two years of high school together, Kaylin and Hannah, Hannah and Kaylin.
That was the way it’s always been, without her a part of me is missing. I hope she is found or comes home, maybe she’s with her boyfriend Josh? But then again she’s never gone off like this or gone off with him without telling me first.Think Hannah think, where was the last time you saw Kaylin? I continue to wonder where Kaylin is,if she’s ok and if she’ll come home. I go home and hug my mom who tells me in the voice she uses when she’s not sure but wants me to feel ok “it’s alright honey i’m sure Kaylin’s fine”. Kaylin has always been like my mom’s second daughter in fact they even look more alike than my mom and I do. You see I have two younger brothers Harry and Henry because my mom always loved the “H” names and always wanted two daughters so Kaylin has been that second daughter to her.
My dad is a soldier for the U.S army but I'm sure if he were here he’d tell me everything will be alright. But no matter how many times they tell me that I can't help thinking whatever happened to Kaylin is my fault. The party was my idea, and I was the last person who saw her. If she's hurt I’ll never forgive myself. I decide to text her phone, maybe she won’t answer her parents but she’ll answer her best friend? I send a text asking where she is, there’s no reply at first but then the phone lights up with the words “Hannah please help I was kidnapped and I got my phone help”. I’m overwhelmed with the feeling of shock, my best friend got kidnapped,my best friend got kidnapped,oh my lord my best friend got kidnapped!!! What do i do!? Could she be joking? I send a message “Are you joking”, it says read 1 minute ago, then five minutes ago, then ten minutes ago. Suddenly the phone lights up with her response “I wouldn’t joke about this han”. A second message chimes through“I'm trapped in a room with no windows and my kidnapper is tjrerthhuurhuhelpppp”. “Tjrerthhuurhuhelpppp”??? What does that even mean?
Kaylin As soon as I regain consciousness, I’m lying on the floor and my kidnapper is talking on the phone. He says ”No I didn't leave her phone on her it’s hidden in the book she’d have the least interest in, the girl, we’re fine.” He then hangs up and looks at me, “You were so pretty, it’s such a shame.” he says ominously, almost sadly. He then picks me up and carries me to the room i was previously in. He lays me down on the bed with a little tray of food and picks up his phone again. “Have you sent out the ransom note yet?” he says into the phone, there’s a garbled reply “WHAT WHY HAVEN'T YOU?!” he growls, another garbled reply comes through. Struggling to keep his cool he replies ”Of course, the police.” and walks out of the room locking it behind him.
I find the book “the girl” on the shelf and flip through the book before I find it. My phone seems to glow I open it there's 50% charge left, I open messages and see one from Hannah. I smile at the sight of her name, I’ve missed her so much. She asked where I was. I texted her that i’ve been kidnapped and 5 minutes later she replies with “Are you joking?” for a moment I wonder what to say, even my best friend doesn’t listen to me. I say “I wouldn't joke about this han” and I tell Hannah that I’m in a room with no windows and my kidnapper is. Speak of the devil, my kidnapper burst into the room , I throw my phone under the bed and pretend to have fallen. He glares suspiciously but shrugs it off.
He grabs my arm and says angrily, “You’re coming with me”. “And why is that T-Bear?” I say calling him his hated nickname. His face contorts with rage as he grabs my arm and pulls me out the door. “Why did you do this?” I ask, he looks at me surprised “You mean you don’t know?” he asks. “No how would I predict you would kidnap me?” I yell, he shrugs “Well because of what happened with Lisa.” he reveals “Oh come on you can not possibly blame me for that, YOU cheated on her, YOU told me you were single, YOU asked me out, YOU broke up with her, and I have moved on and so has she.” I say annoyed. “What makes you think she moved on? You don’t even know her.” he spits “Well because I called her and talked it out with her, it such a shame you let her go, she’s really nice.`` I say in a singsong voice. “ I didn’t mean to cheat” he says sadly, i laugh “I dIdNt MeAn tO cHeAt”how stupid does he think we are..
Hannah I have no more time to wonder because i have to go to school I get in my car and drive down Elm until I reach it ”Redwood Academy” as I walk in I see them my “friend group” Emma looks at me and waves laughing, she was probably telling all the secrets I ever made the mistake of telling her. I let myself look at them, trying to ignore the empty spot in the corner where kaylin always sat. I wince knowing that the last time she sat there could have been her last. I stayed up all night thinking about what the last text she sent me could mean, she was cut off somehow maybe by her attacker. I sit down next to Valerie a girl who I trust almost as much as I trust Kaylin. She looks at me worried, “Any news about Kaylin?” she asks her ponytail swishing as she turns her head. I tell her what kaylin texted me and she hugs me with a look of despair on her face. “It’s going to be ok” she repeats over and over into my ear as she looks at me sadly. I cling to her hoping to get a sense of security that I lost when Kaylin went missing.
Bri looks at me and tells me a joke, hoping to get my spirits up. Bri is the kind of girl you know you can count on to keep your secrets and be a loyal friend. She gives me a smile acknowledging our shared past, and then looks over at Alyssa and goes to talk to her. Jaylyn comes out of nowhere and screams “HANNAH WANNAH! What’s wrong?”I blink at her unfazed, having gotten used to her after riding the bus with her everyday since sixth grade, and now driving home with her. She looks at me and says in a genuine voice “Kaylin is going to be ok, but not if you mope around the whole time she’s gone, try to be happy like them.”.
She points to where Lisa, Megan, Sabrina and Cleo sit around a phone laughing. I shrug, knowing that I can’t be happy while I’m worried. I look over at them again but this time something is missing suddenly I feel a hand on my shoulder, I turn around my senses alert and Cleo is standing there with Rebecca. She looks at me and throws a cupcake at me “What the heck cleo?” I say she just rolls her eyes and says “Eat the cupcake…”. I eat the cupcake and lick the buttercream frosting off my finger, “Thanks.” I say in gratitude to her. “No problem just next time I’m hungry you’re getting me dip and dots.” she demands, I laugh ”Alright.”. The bell rings and we all split up to go to class, my first class is chemistry but first I drop off my things in my locker. As I walk through the hall to my homeroom, a group of freshman in the corner start to talk. One of them whispers “Isn’t that the girl whose friend is missing?”, the other one replies “my dad says she’s probably dead.”. I turn around and glare at them”well your dad doesn’t know her does he?.” I bite back. They scurry away, terrified.
I walk into class late but the teacher ignores it, out of pity I can tell, they know Kaylin is my best friend. The classes go by quickly before I know it it’s lunch time. I sit down where I usually sit but Bri sits next to me, where Kaylin usually sat. Lunch goes by quickly, I distract myself from Kaylin by talking to Bri. She’s right it feels good to try to be happy and act normal. My next class is gym with Bri so we walk together and talk while we run laps around the track. She makes me laugh and tells me about her year so far, I tell her about mine and we talk for the whole hour long period. I then go to History and sit down trying to ignore the weird looks my classmates are giving me and the empty seat next to me. After history I walk to my car with Jaylyn and we decide to get ice cream.
When we get to the local ice cream shop, she picks out a scoop of silver dollar cookie dough, the exact color of Kaylin’s hair and her favorite flavor. I pick out a scoop as well as a sort of tribute to Kaylin. When I get home I lie down and am about to write a message to Kaylin when suddenly Lisa bursts in through the window,her face pale as a ghost. “ Hannah, I know who’s got Kaylin.” she says out of breath, “It’s Him” To be continued