Murder Streak

Murder Streak

Chapter 1

Secora was looking around her room when it happened. She was almost 6, and yet she felt if she tried, she could, maybe, have done something about it. Just looking back on that night makes her stomach churn with guilt. On that fateful night, someone broke into her parents house. She was upstairs, and they were downstairs, but her favorite room was the basement. It was where she kept all of her toys, and art projects, and where she slept when she had a nightmare. Her mom had called to her only 5 minutes before, saying dinner would be ready in about 10. She remembered how her clothes felt, as if they were shoving splinteres up her back, how the hair on her neck was standing up, how she was feeling sick to her stomach, how her feet felt when she was reading on her chair, she remembered the smell of her book, and the title. It was Percy Jackson, her favorite. Then things started going wrong. Someone broke in through the kitchen window, while her parents were setting the dinner table. There was screaming, so much screaming. Then it stopped, replaced by a few gunshots. Soon, there was a metallic sort of smell, and Secora could barely hear anything other than her own heartbeat. She was so scared of whatever was coming. Then she heard heavy steps on the stairs. The footsteps were loud, as if the murderer didn’t care who heard them. She darted toward the window and jumped out, landing on the willow tree. She clambered silently to the top, when she saw a figure come into her room, he looked under her bed, in her closet, and in her favorite hiding spot, under her reading chair, which was tucked into the corner with just enough space for her to crawl under with a stuffed animal. Since she was only 6, she didn’t think about how they knew about her spot.

That was when she saw him. The stranger looked male, and tall, but that wasn’t what she was looking at. What she was looking at was the blood dripping from his clothes. She knew it belonged to her parents and turned her head in the opposite direction. She heard the footsteps recede, heading back down the stairs. Moments later she saw the bloodstained figure walking down the street to a parked car. Immediately, she looked at the license plate. It read 7TYP290. She only had to look once, and knew she would never forget it. After the car was out of sight, she climbed down from her willow tree and ran to her neighbor, Mrs. Munchinsky’s, house. When she got there, she was greeted by a very startled middle aged woman. Secora told her everything. After she was finished, Mrs. Munchinsky looked terrified and called the police. The police told her to stay with the horror-stricken woman for the night, and they would find her a foster family to live with unless her Aunt and Uncle wanted her. They didn’t.

Chapter 2

It was Secora’s 15th birthday, and her latest foster family, the Dominions, had thrown her a party. Mr. and Mrs. Dominion had gotten her a phone, so she would have a way to call for help in emergencies. Their 3 children, Laura, who was 8, Max, who was 7, and Lacy, who was 6, had gotten her new clothes. There were other people at the party, but only friends of the family, since Secora didn’t have (or want) any friends of her own. It had only been 9 years since her parents had been brutally murdered. Before she could think about it, the Dominions brought out a cake and started singing. As always, she wished she was able to see her parents' bodies. This year, if she asked the police, they would let her. She wanted to see the bodies because she wanted to finally say goodbye. For 9 years, all she wanted was to finally get to say goodbye.

After the party was over, she asked Mr. and Mrs. Dominion if they could drive her to the police station. As always, they looked rather uncomfortable, but drove her. It was weird, today they looked more uncomfortable than ever. Perhaps they knew what she was going there for. They seemed as if they could read her mind most of the time. It was rather annoying.

Secora was nearly bursting with excitement when they pulled into the Denver Police Station parking lot. It was almost noon when she asked the police about her parents. They said the body was a little bit gory, but if she really wanted to she could. “What do they mean by body? Shouldn’t there be two?” Her foster parents looked about ready to puke, so Secora sympathized and said her goodbyes to the officers and went to her caretakers’ house.

When they got there they were welcomed with hugs and “I love you’s” from the younger kids. The two adults said it was time to get ready for lunch, so she took the kids to go wash their hands. After they finished, Secora asked what was for lunch. Mr. and Mrs. Dominion simply replied “It’s up to you, birthday girl.” As soon as those words were said, Laura, Max, and Lacy started shouting suggestions, the most common being Wildflower. After about 5 minutes of shouting, Secora caved and chose Wildflower. The kids jumped with delight and ran toward the car.

Once at Wildflower, they all ordered the grilled sandwiches and ate. A little while later, waiters and waitresses came and sang Happy Birthday. They gave her a coupon, and chocolate cake. Secora was starting to feel stressed and overwhelmed, so she gave her cake to the little kids so she wouldn’t puke.

Once the family got home, it was around 2:00pm, so Secora asked if she could go for a walk before dinner. The Dominions said yes, so she took the family dog Cheeko, a german shepherd, with her. Since she was finally alone, she started to think. “What if I regret seeing my parents' bodies?” she thought sourly. “NO!” she said aloud. “I have to see them. I need to see them one last time.”

When her parents' bodies were finally ready, she was met with a surprise. The police said the murderer must have taken her fathers body at the crime scene that night. There was one issue on that theory that she didn’t tell the police though. She had seen the murder walk out of her house and drive away, and all he was carrying was a gun.

Chapter 3

Secora got a sick feeling in her stomach. Was it cannibalism? Was there more than one murderer? Did her father survive and forget about her due to the traumatic experience? There was one more possibility, but it was too unbearable to think about. It couldn’t be true anyway.

On their way home (again) the Dominion adults said they were sorry about how this came out and thought it was for the best. “I don’t think a 15 year old should have to see her dead mothers body anyway.” said Mrs. Dominion. “And I agree, '' stated Mr. Dominion. Secora had been living with this foster family for about 7 years now, and had started calling them mom and dad. “But what if I want to see my parents, just one more time?” Secora countered. “Well, then that would be the only exception.” Mr. Dominion said, looking rather uncomfortable at the moment. “But, you should know that they were very gruesomely murdered, and you might not even be able to recognise them as your parents. After all, by now they would just be a pile of bones.” Mrs. Dominion said rather savagely. “I don’t care!!!!” Secora was getting really mad, and her foster parents weren’t making any attempt at calming her down. “I guess they’re used to all my mood’s, great.” Secora thought grimly. She was sick of them acting like her birth parents. She got where they were coming from, but the attempt to make her feel like she had a family was hollow. Almost nonexistent. They were just fosters, not real. No one could ever love her like her real parents did. She could never love anyone in return. She was destined to be without a family, and she was alright with that. She missed her real parents, and always would, but they were gone now. She had to take care of herself. She couldn’t afford to hurt like that ever again.When they got home, she took Cheeko into her room and stayed there till morning.

Secora was still mad at her “parents”, so instead of eating the pancakes they made, she grabbed some cereal and ate in her room. It was a Monday morning, so she didn’t have a lot of time though. She got dressed and then left for the short walk to school. When she got to school, everyone was looking at her. It was no mystery though, today was the anniversary of her parents murder. She hated the attention. Every year for the past 9 years she had gotten these exact stares. It was a mixture of sympathy, and disgust. She was the only person at her school who saw her parents' blood the way she did. Secora would always only be known as “the girl who watched her parents die”. What the rest of the school didn’t know was she felt responsible for their death. She would always blame herself. She would always be alone. No one could understand her. Only her parents could have ever understood her, but they were gone. No matter what, she was the only one she could trust. She would never “fall in love”, never have a friend, and worst of all, never have a family that loved her, truly loved her.

Chapter 4

After school was over, Secora decided to go to the cemetery for some quiet. She texted her foster parents and headed toward the cemetery. Whenever she said she was going to the library, she went to the cemetery instead. No one else was ever there, so she knew she would have some peace and quiet.

When she got to the cemetery, she was met with an awful surprise. There was a boy there. He was tall, and looked vaguely familiar. She immediately thought of her parents murder and backed away, sucking in breath for a scream. The boy was looking at her with a sort of playful curiosity. Before Secora could scream, she realized something. The boy looked about her age, so he couldn’t have been the murderer. She still couldn’t figure out why he looked familiar, and that spooked her. She knew who everybody was, though people barely knew of her existence. About 3 seconds had passed since she’d decided not to scream, and the boy was still looking at her with odd fascination, but he looked kind of sad, as if he was sorry for something.. Nobody had ever looked at her like that. Secora was around 5’9, with dark, long brown hair, almost to her waist, stormy gray eyes, pale skin, and small freckles across the bridge of her nose, but she never thought of herself as pretty. After a few more minutes of staring, she turned and walked away. She could feel the male stranger staring at her, and then she heard him follow her. As she was about to turn around, she saw her parents' graves were only a few more meters away, so she decided to ignore the boy following her. After a few seconds, the footsteps receded, and were gone.

When she was finally in front of the graves, she stopped and stood in front of them. “Hey mom and Dad, I miss you guys” she began before she was interrupted. “You picked the wrong day to come and visit mommy.” A chillingly familiar voice said behind her. Where had she heard that voice before? She couldn’t seem to figure it out, and it frustrated her. And why did he only mention her mother? Like the police station, the answer was too sickening to think about. Secora heard the snap of a twig, and breathing, not heavy, but not light either. She turned around thinking it was the boy who had just followed her, but it wasn’t. Before she knew what was happening, she was hit over the head with something- a rock maybe- and everything went black.

When she woke up again, she was in a familiar place, too familiar. Surprisingly, absolutely nothing had changed. She was back in the bedroom her parents bought 9 years ago.

“What am I doing back here?” Secora thought. She hadn’t been back here since her parents murder. When she went to live with her first foster family, they had to buy her all new things because she was too terrified to even think about coming here for her stuff. It was only then that she realized she was tied up, and not alone. The familiar voice said “Hello Secora.” Secora’s mouth wasn’t taped, so she firmly replied “Hello Dad” emphasizing the last word with endless amounts of vexation. “You don’t seem surprised about my appearance suddenly, why?” All Secora had to say was “They never found your body.” Suddenly he laughed. It was a psychotic laugh, barely human. That was when Secora realized why the boy at the cemetery looked familiar, and the stranger at the window those 9 years ago. The stranger was no stranger, but her own uncle. Of course he had helped with the massacre. And the boy at the cemetery looked a lot like her father, and herself. Same hair and eyes, same smile and teeth. “Same face shape too” Secora thought dazedly. Of course, the one person she thought she might be able to talk to was her step-brother. The only issue was, she didn’t know who the mother was. That would have to wait till a little bit later. With a jolt, Secora felt she was being hit. She was so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t realize she had been tuning her father out. He looked at her with pure burning hatred. “DID YOU HEAR ME!” he asked, clearly outraged. Secora meekly shook her head. “I said that you should have gone to the library like a good girl”. She didn’t know how he knew about that, and didn’t want to know. Secora was about ready to kick him when she made a life-saving realization. The ropes that bound her wrists behind her back were extremely loose. As long as she kept her father talking, she might be able to slip free and run before he could catch her. The only question was, where could she go? Surely not the Dominions, as it would put her entire foster family at risk. No, not her fosters anymore, her real family. With a sudden lurch of her stomach, she realized she had nowhere to go. To keep him talking, Secora asked “How long have you been watching me?” Her father replied ”Always.” Secora knew she couldn’t keep him talking, so she skipped that and burst through the ropes. She ran faster than ever before towards the window, to the willow that had saved her life once before, only to be caught by her father. He grabbed her hair and pulled her back, away from the window, and safety. “Stop trying to run, you little brat! I wish your Uncle had done his job right and murdered you the first time!” her father screamed. “Then kill me now! I dare you!” Secora retorted back. At the exact wrong time, her Uncle walked in, and looked as though he had heard her demand. “Finally, something I want might actually happen,” Secora thought, slyly. “WHy would I fulfill your wish, if it makes your pain end?” her uncle said, a little to smug for Secora’s liking.

Chapter 5

Secora was so grieved, she nearly burst into tears on the spot. She thought she was saved when she saw lights pull into the dark driveway, until she saw the figure that came out. Her uncle was wearing the same bloodstained outfit he was 9 years ago. Her stomach lurched again and her heart dropped, but she couldn’t show any weakness, not now. Not when it really mattered. Her fathers grip loosened when he saw his guest had finally arrived, so Secora took another chance at the window. This time, her father grabbed her hair by the roots. She felt a pain so deep she thought her scalp was on fire. “Not as easy as you thought, huh?” her father said mockingly. It was then that her uncle came into the room. “I told you you needed to work on your tying skills. She almost got away again, didn’t she?” Her uncle said haughtily. “She couldn’t have escaped, not without pulling out all of her hair,” her father said. She hated them. It was such a burning hatred, she was surprised at herself. She had never had any type of feeling like this, not even when her foster parents wouldn’t let her see her parents bodies. But even then, she still loved them almost as much as her real parents. “My real mom,” Secora thought grimly. She didn’t have a dad anymore, besides her foster dad. Her real father was dead to her.

The next morning, Secora woke up on her old bed, bound to the mattress by unfortunately tight ropes. “I guess Uncle Sam tied me up,” Secora said aloud. Speaking of her uncle, where is he? Secora was starting to remember all the events that had happened the day before. She recounted the cemetery, the kidnapping, and her father and uncle. She remembered the burning hatred she had never felt before, and feeling as though her foster parents were more her parents than her father was. “Mom was always loyal, though,” Secora thought. Just then, her uncle burst through the door, her father trailing not far behind. For a second, she thought they were frozen. Then they located her and started walking haughtily toward her. “They’re clearly bragging about this” Secora thought, getting scared. They had killed her mother before, just so her father could legally have a new spouse, without the trouble of a divorce. Who knows what they would do to her to get what they wanted. “Anything,” Secora accidently said aloud.”Anything what,” her father and uncle said in unison, clearly annoyed at her speaking. “Oh, nothing.” Secora quickly replied. She didn’t want to give them any ideas they hadn't thought of already. “Alright,” her uncle said skeptically. “I just have one question.” Secora said. “For my father,” she added. “What is it?” he asked resentfully. “Who’s Joshua’s mother? The woman you killed my mother for.” Secora asked reproachfully. “LIKE I’M GOING TO TELL YOU!!!” he said clearly. “Shut up!!! The neighbors will hear you!” Uncle Sam chided. Then the doorbell rang, and everything descended into chaos. Her father, who everyone presumed dead, hid somewhere in the hallway. Her uncle tempestuously ran down the stairs and yelled “Coming!”, and Secora heard the door open hastily. Everyone knew that after her parents died, her uncle got their house. He only stayed there a few weeks out of the year though. Her hand reached under her pillows, as she was trying to get into a more comfortable position. Her fingers grazed something sharp, and Secora gave a little yelp of excitement. Her uncle must have hid a weapon to kill her with, so the gun didn’t make enough noise to wake the neighbors. She unbound her ropes, and climbed out the window, and scaled to the top of her favorite willow tree. Once there, she heard steps on the stairs.

“Secora, we have a guest for you!” her uncle said. Then she heard a new voice. This one was muffled. Secora saw him through the tree branches and accidentally made eye contact. The male was a stranger, and had his face covered. “It appears our captive has found a way out, how Sam, did you let this happen? And where is her father, what’s his name again?” “James” Her uncle replied coolly. Secora knew she wouldn’t make it, but she tried to get away again anyway. She jumped from the tree as her uncle was jumping into the tree. When Secora had started running, her uncle was already down and gaining on her. Before she knew what was happening, her hair was grabbed and pulled back. “I’m surprised you’re not bald yet,” her uncle said, teasingly.

“Just let me go home! I promise, no one will ever know about any of this! The police will look for me here once everyone knows I’m missing!” Secora was edging into hysteria. What her uncle said next sent shivers down her spine. “You won’t be missing, you’ll be dead.” Secora could barely hide her discomfort. ‘I’ll be dead?” Secora asked. “Before anybody realizes you’re missing, your body will be found in the center of town, where everyone can see it.” her uncle said with a smug grin. “I hate you,” was all Secora could say.

Chapter 6

After Uncle Sam brought her back to her bedroom, and tied her up again, this time on her old (or new?) reading chair. Their 'guest' had left to grab something. Secora didn't know what, but she was sure she didn't want to find out. Right now, all she was worried about was getting away. "What should I do?" Secora wondered aimlessly. No matter what, her father and uncle would find her. Secora was sure of it. "What's the point if they're going to find me anyways?" Secora was starting to wonder. "I mean, if they'll stop at nothing to get me, how will I ever be safe?" With realization so sudden Secora was dizzy, she knew the only way she would finally be safe was if they were both dead.

After the 'guest' got back, he took Uncle Sam aside and showed him what he grabbed. It was a very small gun with a silencer. Secora was nearly dead with grief. "What a coincidence" Secora thought. She would be dead, and her body would be found in the center of town. Secora could only imagine what that would do to her foster family. Especially the little kids. “The kids!!!” Secora screamed in her head. It was Lacy’s 7th birthday, and she was missing it. Secora was being torn apart with dread. “I wish I could be there,” she said aloud. “What did you say?” her uncle asked, infuriated. “Oh, nothing.” Secora was bored of just being there. She wanted to go home, if she even had one anymore. “I wonder if the police are looking for me yet, Mrs. Dominion would have noticed if I was gone, right?” she asked herself, out of hope. Then she remembered the phone her foster parents had gotten her. Then she realized what she was thinking. “Why would they kidnap me without checking for a phone?” Secora said, disappointed. She was starting to wish her uncle would shoot her so she would be done suffering. But of course, he and her father were going to make this as brutal and slow as they could. “My God, this is torturous.” Secora said aloud again. Her uncle replied, “Good.” She hated him, with all her heart. Secora would never feel differently.

Chapter 7

It was early in the morning when Secora woke up. It was raining, and she noticed a stinging in her arm. There were small cuts and scratches, and Secora was grateful. This was her Uncle’s way of reminding her what was to come, but she was happy to still be alive. Even though it wouldn’t be for long, it was better than dying now. If she had a choice, she would at least want to say goodbye to her family. It had been a few weeks now since she’d been abducted, and Secora realized how strong she really was. Every other kid her age would’ve tried to kill themselves to make the pain go away, but not Secora. She was trying to get away alive. Just as she was in the middle of thinking what she would do if she managed to escape, there was a light falling of footsteps going up the stairs. Secora knew it wasn’t her father or uncle, for they always stomped to her room. There was a knock on her door. “That’s weird, they never knock, who is it?” Secora wondered. “Who is it?” She said aloud. The door opened, but no one walked in. Suddenly her Father was speaking from the doorway. “You might want to get ready to leave, as our plans are finally coming to a closure, and you want to look your best when the town see’s you! And don’t forget to wear what your uncle oh so generously brought you!” She couldn’t move, breathe, speak, or even blink. All she wanted was to not be here anymore. Her wish was never going to come true though, no matter how many shooting stars she wished on. They were finally going to kill her. That meant no more sleepless nights, no more fear of eating food, no more suffering. She was ready to die, but she didn’t want to. Secora didn’t need a shooting star, she needed a plan. “How am I going to escape this time?” she wondered solemnly. “For starters, I need a distraction. Oh! I know! I’ll throw something at the window, hide in my closet, and when they look out my window, I’ll sneak downstairs, and just walk out the front door. From there, I’ll go to Mrs’. Munchinskey’s, and she’ll call the cops and help me.” Secora was looking around her room for something to throw, when she realized her plan wouldn’t work. First of all, she was tied up. Second, She didn’t have anything to throw. Third, her uncle and father would run to the front door if they thought she’d escaped. Lastly, Mrs. Munchinsky was a few houses down, so they would chase her when they saw her, and then kill the possible witnesses. “That’s just how life is I guess,” Secora said meekly. She got up from her bed, and changed into the clothes her uncle had given her for “When the time was right,” AKA her murder. She took the clothes out from the box and was horrified. It was the same outfit her mother was wearing the day she was killed. Her mother was a small, dainty woman, and was about the same size then as Secora was now. The flower printed shirt was splattered in red, and had a couple small holes, with blood and leftover flesh sticking to the edges. The jeans were from American Eagle, her mothers favorite brand. They too were splattered with blood, the jeans just didn’t have bloody holes, like her Louis Voitton shirt. Secora didn’t know how she was supposed to put the clothes on with tied hands, but she didn’t dare make a sound. The ropes around her wrists were leaving marks, and the blood dripping from her wounds were mixing with that of her mothers. She was ready to burst into tears, and couldn’t put the shirt on. She had no ropes on her legs, so her jeans slipped on easily, but the ropes on her now bloody wrists made it impossible to put the shirt on. By now her eyes were gushing water and the blood was mingling with tears. She was finally going to get to see her mom again. Hear her, feel her, and be touched by her. All she wanted right now was to hear her mother say it’s alright. All she wanted was for her mother to hold her like she did when she was young and had just woken up from a nightmare. “Unfortunately, I’m not going to wake up from this nightmare.” Secora was getting sick of being too scared to do anything. “This will end now, or I swear, it will not go well for them,” Secora said, meaning her father and uncle. “But what should I do?” She suddenly wondered. As Secora was pondering this revelation, her uncle came in. “Why aren’t you done changing yet?! I sent these up here half an hour ago!” he said. “Well, I’m sorry I can’t put a shirt on with these ropes attached to my wrists like they are!” Secora screamed back. “Hm, perhaps your dear mother would help you with that!” her uncle laughed and laughed, and Secora was walking slowly toward the window. She got there, slowly turned to face it, and moved her sensitive wrists to open it. Then she saw the lock. “Aw, guess mommy couldn’t even help you with a window! Poor Secora, do you want to put your shirt on like a good girl?” her uncle said sneeringly. “Can you take these ropes off?” she replied back. “Temporarily, then you need to put them back on,” her uncle said. He unbound her ropes, and Secora changed her shirt in the closet. When she came out, she was immediately tied back up, and transported to the town’s square. Based on how dark it was outside, Secora guessed it was around midnight. “No wonder, they don’t want anybody to see them!” She was getting sick of these terrible mind games and the physical abuse that came with it.

Chapter 8

As the trio were nearing the square, Secora was going over all the events of her life, and wishing she could start over and change some things. She wished she could have stopped her mothers murder, her fathers mental illnesses, and, most of all, she wished she could have opened up a little more. Now, she was going to die, and the only people who would miss her was her foster family. There was no boyfriend, no friends, nobody. Nobody would even know till daylight. She wouldn’t be missed much. No matter what she did, said or thought, she was never going to get out alive. That was what scared her. She had no hope she would ever make it out alive.

By now, the sun had almost risen, and was peaking over the mountains and buildings surrounding their area. It was truly a beautiful sight. "Too bad I won't get to see it again," Secora thought meekly. She was admiring it, like it was her mother nurturing her. She wished her mother could still nurture her like she did when she was little and had just woken up from a nightmare. Only now, there was no one to comfort her in this nightmare.

Secora was untied, then her uncle pulled out a gun. Her father was looking annoyed, he probably wanted to be the one to kill her. "No surprise there," Secora thought. When the gun shot, Secora was surprised she didn’t feel anything. In fact, it was her uncle that fell to the floor. Secora’s father looked frantic. He pulled her to her feet, and dragged her along behind him. The moment seemed to last forever, when in reality, it only lasted about two seconds.

When Secora and her father got to the car, he tied her up, gagged her, and hopped in the driver's seat. He stomped on the gas pedal, and sped out of the town square. Bullets were peppering the tailgate. Secora hit her head on the door, and was knocked out. When she woke up, she was in her basement. Her ropes were not as loose, considering her father had tied them, but they should have been loose enough.

Secora tried to slip her wrists out, but couldn’t. Frustration she had been holding in was starting to bubble to the surface, ready to spill. She wanted to scream. She wanted to scream so loudly that the neighbors could hear. The only issue was that she was in the basement, yet she felt strangely comforted that her father had put her in her favorite room in the house. She still hated her father though, nothing would change that. Especially since she knew the real reason her father put her in the basement. There were no windows.

Since it was nearly morning, her father was either deep asleep, or wide awake with fear that whoever shot her uncle knew where they were,and was coming for them. Secora could only hope they would. She was tired of only being able to wish for things, she had no power to do anything. That was what annoyed her the most. She couldn’t help herself.

Chapter 9

The next day, Secora woke up with something on her face. Or rather, something taken off her face. She had a severe headache, and when she rubbed her temple she screamed. There was a ginormous gash where her forehead used to be. She immediately looked around the room for clues as to what could have happened. There, on the floor, was a bloody kitchen knife. Secora felt around the rest of her face to see if there was any more of it missing. She was missing some of her cheeks, a bit of her nose, a sliver of her lip, and a slice on her chin.

She looked around for anything she could drink, but came up empty handed. What felt like hours later, her father came down. He was holding a glass of water. Secora felt herself lick her bloody lip. Her father looked at her, grinning. “This,” he said “Is a reminder that I am in charge, not your Uncle. Not the “Guest”. Me, I am in charge. And this” he holds up the glass of water “is punishment. This is what you get for running away yesterday.” With that, he chugs the water, turns on his foot, and walks out. She screams.She screams so loudly he goes to her and covers her bloody mouth with his hand. Then, just to prove a point, she bites him. She bites him so hard his hand comes away bloody. He smacks Secora on the cheek. She shouts from the pain, and falls to the floor. “You should be more careful, Secora. Didn’t I raise you better than that?” her father says, grinning. Secora thinks she can detect a small grimace of pain in his smile, and feels triumphant. “How could you have raised me to do anything? You died when I was six, remember? You were dead to me long before then.” she says hotly. “Now now, that’s not how you speak to your father, Secora.” My father says, as if scolding a child. Secora snorts. “I would be more careful if I were you, your mother would say the same thing.”

With that remark, she screams at him, telling him to go die in a hole, telling him he can’t say that because he didn’t know her. “You don’t believe me?” he asks. “Then why don’t you go ask her,” he adds. Suddenly, Secora feels puzzled. “What does he mean?” she thinks. “What’s the matter, Secora? Did daddy puzzle you? You don’t get it, do you?” he says maliciously. “What are you saying?” she asks, her voice quavering. “There is no “other woman”. I have remained faithful to your mother our entire relationship. We even had another child after we were ‘killed’. His name was Joshua. You know him, I presume.”

“Wait-” she begins to say. “Don’t interrupt me, Secora. Where was I? Oh yes, I remember now. Your mother had Joshua, you were gone to Lord knows where, and it took me and your mother forever to find you. We didn’t end up locating your foster family until earlier this year. Your mother aided in your kidnapping, as she knew how to get you the best. We decided to send Joshua to the cemetery for some ‘errands’ and tracked him until we saw you.”

“Then, you started babbling about how much you missed us to a rock, a rock, Secora. Then, your mother hit you over the head and I carried you to the car. Voila, you’re here and she’s there taking care of Joshua, making sure he doesn’t ask any questions, and I’m doing business. Any questions?” Before I can answer, my father says “No? Alright.” and walks away.

She’s left with her thoughts and unanswered questions. “How did they have mom's body if she was alive?” Before she can think too deeply, she decides she doesn't want to know. Suddenly, exhaustion hits her. She crawls up on the basement floor and falls asleep. She slept for days, too tired to wake up and face reality. All Secora can dream about is how much she wants to die, how much she wants to escape this hell that has become her life. When she finally does wake up, she stays on the floor. Her headache is gone, and the gashes on her face seem to have healed. Replacing them are several larger gouges on her legs. There’s a little blood on her legs, but Secora’s father must have soaked up a cotton ball or something, because there on the concrete floor is writing. That writing is written in her blood. It reads “Another friendly reminder of who is in charge.

-Mom” Secora gags. She really is in on this too. She was hoping her father had just been bluffing, but Secora knew she was too foolish to hope.

No matter how much she wants to, she can never escape.

Chapter 10

Secora wakes up the next day with new ‘reminders’. She doesn’t feel much of them anymore, because she’s so used to having them. It’s been months since she was abducted, and no one has tried to save her. She’s given up on crying, since tears won’t get her anywhere. She’s given up on screaming, because no one can hear her. She’s given up on life, because what’s the point if she’s just going to be here anyway?

There is no hope. She hasn’t seen her mother yet, because she seems to only come when Secora’s asleep. At that moment, she hears footsteps on the stairs. “Are you awake, Secora?” she hears her mother say. Even after everything she has done, Secora can’t help but long for her mother to cradle her, to tell her everything will be alright. But that is a foolish hope, and Secora knows better now.

“Yes, mother. What do you want?” she says. “I just wanted to chat honey. Is that too much to ask?” her mother replies. “After slicing pieces of my flesh off? Maybe just a little. I mean, it’s not like it isn’t normal for a mother to cut up her daughter and then catch up the next day, right? And it definitely isn’t weird to hold her captive in the basement. And it absolutely isn’t weird to fake your death and then kidnap her eight years later!” Secora says sarcastically, edging into hysteria. “Chill out, Secora. Not everything is about you. If you had learnt that earlier, you might not be in this mess.” her mother replies cooly. “If I had learnt that? What about you? It’s definitely not my fault I’m here.” She replies.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You never look at the bigger picture, only the smaller pieces. I think you got that from your father.” her mother says, droning on. “Anyway, we kidnapped you for a reason. If you hadn’t run away when your uncle was coming up the stairs, good escape by the way, you would know why we did what we did.”

“I can’t tell you anything yet, but since you ran away, we had to make you believe in what we wanted you to. I need to trust you, Secora. And in order for that to happen, you need to trust me. Can you do that?” her mother says, with a pleading look in her eyes. For a moment, Secora’s six again, with a bloody knee from falling off her bike. Her mother came outside and asked if she trusted her, and then put a bandaid on it to make it better. Secora is dumbfounded. She doesn’t know what to say, so she nods.

“Thank you, honey,” her mother says, and then walks away.