Abducted (Amber Alert Series Book 2) (2 page)

Chapter 2

Houses flew by as James sped toward my house to take me home. The party broke up when I was arrested for the third time this year. The first time was the new curfew law. A few days after it was established, I was out twenty minutes after curfew because Mark and I had been together, and I was arrested while walking home. The second time was for breaking the supervision law, which stated everyone under the age of eighteen was to be watched by an adult at all times, unless written permission was granted. I had ditched school. A teacher noticed and had to report it to the police in case another kidnapping had occurred. They picked me up from a McDonald’s and arrested me for it; it was almost as serious as a bomb scare to them now.

I couldn’t believe it when the laws passed, and I can’t believe that they were actually enforced. Who's going to keep track of how old I am so I don’t need written permission to leave an adult's line of sight? Why does it matter if I choose to date before I’m of age, anyway? The rules were meaningless, they did nothing to help our safety—they made us weaker, in my opinion—and only officers and parents cared about them. Everyone ate it up. Too bad parents didn’t know that their rules would make a generation of total rebels and sneaky kids.

"I can't believe I'm the one who has to tell your parents this," James said, as he pulled me out of the car so I wouldn’t try to run again.

I swallowed nervously as James knocked on the front door of my house. I could just imagine what my parents were going to say when they saw the flashing police lights. James bringing me home yet again—only this time would be worse, because he caught me with my legs spread waiting for Mark to give in to my primal needs. 

I cringed as the door opened, and I saw my mother wrapped in my father's arms. Their faces were sullen with disappointment, and I could see the tears in my mom's eyes. It made me feel bad, but I didn't regret what I did. I actually wished that I could do it again, but this time get dressed before James broke the door down. Maybe then I could have faked that the door had just locked behind us, or at least jumped out of the bedroom window to escape.

"What did she do now, James?" Garrett asked, as he attempted to sooth my mother’s tears.

"She was found on a bed with her dress pulled up her around her waist, a young man holding her underwear, but she was arrested for breaking three laws at once. Underage drinking, breaking curfew, and resisting arrest—for a while there she tried to run away," James said, as he pushed me lightly into the house. "If we catch her again, she goes to jail. I'm sorry, Anna, Garrett. I wish I could come over on better circumstances," James finished. He turned around and walked back to his car. 

"Come inside, Audrey," I heard my father say, as he held the door open for me.

I actually contemplated running, but I knew that wouldn't work. I would eventually have to come back home, so I took a deep breath and walked inside. My mother was already sitting at the kitchen table with my six-year-old sister, Kate. I sighed, knowing exactly the direction this discussion was going to take. Maybe I should run, then I could avoid this conversation for just a little longer, but I could feel my father's presence close behind me. Running was no longer an option.

"Audrey, what were you thinking?" I heard dad ask as I pulled out a seat and sat down at the table.

"I wasn't," I stated, knowing that if I played along this would go by faster, and I could hide in my room so I could wallow in embarrassment. Arrested three times, police walking in on us after the act, Mark wouldn't even think of dating me now, and his birthday was three days away. I was so close!

"You're just telling me what I want to hear," my father said smartly. 

"You're right," I said with a sigh.

"You're eighteen now, Audrey. I thought this would stop once you turned eighteen; you're above some of these laws now. You're no longer affected by most of them, that’s probably why it was only three offenses this time, but it's gotten worse!" he said. He raked his fingers through his short hair, but his hair just snapped right back into place as if it had never been disturbed. 

"Then why was I arrested?" I asked stupidly—I needed to learn to think before I spoke.

"You mean besides breaking curfew, which you can’t do until you’re in college, where they have their own rules, underage drinking, and resisting arrest? James caught you about ready to have sex with someone. Do you even know the meaning behind that?" 

"Yes, it's a beautiful thing, and it's between two people who love each other. Wasn't mom like this when she was younger?" I asked turning to my mother, all the color quickly drained from her face. Her face was blank, but she on the verge of tears. I must have really upset her this time.

"Your mom's childhood was different than others’, Audrey."

"Why?" I asked. My mom seemed to be fighting to hold down her dinner.

"That's not important right now. Right now, we have to worry about your behavior. You're supposed to be setting an example for Kate, but instead you're acting like a common criminal. You need to straighten up, and no more seeing this kid that was ready to take advantage of you while you were drunk," my father said as he got up to take Kate back to bed.

"I've been seeing him for over a year! You can't just tell me to stop!"

"You've been what? That's illegal, Audrey if he’s younger than you!" Dad spat at me.

"It wouldn't be if Anna Cowles hadn't been so stupid to get herself kidnapped!" I yelled back at him. “She’s the reason these rules even exist!”

"It wasn't just Anna, Audrey!" My mother said forcing herself from her chair. At least now she had color returning to her face, too bad for me that color was red from anger. "There were twelve other girls before her that were taken! She's the only one that escaped and made it out alive."

"If she had died-" I started, but my mother quickly interrupted me.

"Then another girl would have gone through what she did, and maybe even a few more after that! Eventually he would have been found, and these rules may still be in effect. These regulations were made to protect you, and whether you like them or not they are here to stay! Now go to bed—I don't want to see you for the rest of the night!" my mother yelled, shouting at me for the first time in my life. I knew I had disappointed her, and it crushed my heart, but I didn't regret the choice. 

"Fine," I said sourly, as I briskly walked out of the room and upstairs to my bedroom. 

I didn't look back when my father tried calling me back downstairs. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. He would take my mom's side like always, even if she was wrong.

They had showed me just how much love can mean in a person's life while growing up, because they always stood together. They had been together for almost twenty years, and their love had never died. I had watched them every day when I was little, just praying I would find someone who cared for me like they cared for each other. They were both so overly cautious, though; I'm amazed they even decided to date each other by how guarded they were.

Their childhood must have sucked, but I wouldn't know since they didn't talk about it. I couldn't get my grandparents to tell me about them as children. It was as if their childhood years, my father from the age of ten until he was nineteen, and my mother from sixteen to twenty, was a total blank. I couldn't find pictures or get anyone to talk about them; it was like it never happened, but everyone would tell me how happy they were together. It was easy enough to see just by the smiles on their faces and the sparkle in their eyes when they talked about each other. They truly loved each other, but I didn't think that love was passed onto me. They hated that I didn't follow the rules; they were too over protective and overbearing when it came to me. 

What had I done wrong? Nothing. So why were they punishing me by preventing me from being with friends and having a boyfriend like a normal teenager? It wasn't my fault. It wasn't any of our faults; it was Anna Cowles' fault, but my mom was right. If Anna hadn't been the one to escape, then someone else would have been taken, and eventually one of them might have escaped. The rules would have been made either way, one day, or Steve Bennett would still be out there. That thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I realized how wrong I was. I was acting out against the laws because they were unfair to teens, but it wasn't Anna's fault. She was just the push for it that people used so the laws could pass. She was a front, not the reason.

"Fine, I'll just apologize, and everything will be okay again. Then I can go back to hating these stupid laws and Anna Cowles," I said to myself as I forced myself out of bed.

I glanced at Kate's closed bedroom door and sighed. I did need to be a better example, but once she grew up she would realize why I was acting like this and probably react the same way. The laws were unfair, overbearing, and insane! They didn't make any sense as to how they would protect me. Most didn’t seem to connect to the string of kidnappings, they were just another excuse to box teens in. They should have known that strict laws make for sneaky kids.

I was careful to avoid any of the squeaking stairs as I made my way back downstairs, just in case they had fallen asleep after they took Kate to bed. I lightly curled my toes into the carpet and let a small smile tug on the corners of my lips. I loved the carpet, it was warm and soft, unlike the tile or hardwood flooring that covered my friends’ houses. My mother was always adamant about not having hardwood floors, I'm not sure why, but at this moment I didn't care. The carpet was welcoming as I took a deep breath to gather my courage.

I was about to step out to see my parents when I heard my father talking. “We can't tell her what happened. It won't change her mind about the laws, and it will only change her perspective on us. Anna Cowles has been the fall guy for years, and used to push for these laws. Even our daughter blames her for the laws that others claimed would help, but they haven’t. These laws don’t make any sense, but if we tell her that, she will think it’s okay to keep getting arrested. She will continue to put herself in danger, and that will cause something bad to happen."

"I didn't support those laws though, Garrett," my mother responded. There was an edge in her voice that made me cringe, she was about to cry again.

"I know you didn't, but your recovery was the push point. My name doesn't come up nearly as much because of how long I was gone. You were the one that told the story, so subsequently, you are the one that is well known for it."

"You should have told it," my mom said with a sad sigh.

"I was only a witness, you were the main individual that was needed to put Steve behind bars."

I poked my head around the corner to see him holding my mother. The mention of the Steve Bennett case increased my curiosity. They were talking as if they had been there for it, but they had always told me they didn’t live in Virginia, and they didn’t know Anna Cowles either.

"I'm glad you were there through it all. I couldn't have done it without you. I love you, Garrett."

"I love you too, Anna, but I think you could have done it if I hadn't made it through the beating. You were stronger from the experience, and while my loss would have hurt, you could have done it."

"Maybe, but then no one would come within ten feet of me. No one would want to date me after being kidnapped and defiled,” my mom said with a light laugh in her voice.

"They wouldn't know what they were missing then, because you're an amazing person and an even better wife. Even if you wouldn't let me name one of our daughters Kelly," Dad said with a laugh as my mom slapped him on the back of the head.

"That's not funny," Mom stated with a giggle.

"It made you laugh, so I think it's funny."

"You always made me laugh, even when I was trapped in that house and we were screaming down each other's throats." 

They laughed about old memories as I started to connect the dots. Did she say she was kidnapped and trapped in a house? My father had said she was the main witness. She said that she didn’t advocate for these laws. I shook my head trying to get rid of the thoughts that my mom was Anna Cowles. My mom's name was Anna Williams until she married my father, then it became Anna Thomas—unless she changed it so she could move out of the area undetected. Why else would she have been the reason Steve was put behind bars? Could my mom be 
the 
Anna Cowles?

"Are you Anna Cowles?" I asked, emerging from behind my hiding spot.

"Audrey, we thought you were in bed," my mom said, avoiding my question.

"Are you Anna Cowles?" I asked, repeating my question. 

"Audrey, we didn't want you to know because it would affect how you saw us. We wanted you to have a normal childhood, one that we didn't have. In this case ignorance was for the best,” my father said, taking over the conversation. 

"You lied to me?”

"We did it in your best interest! Did you want to know that Steve Bennett took your mother from a public park in broad daylight and shot two people? Did you want to know she was tortured and there was nothing anyone could do about it? What good would that have done you?"