I was only nine when it happened. My mother and I was walking in the town park and we got attacked. My mother was killed, but I was kidnapped. Now I am fourteen and I’m stuck at her house in Florida and I’m trying to find a way out. I plan to get out of this place one way or another. My kidnapper insists that I call her mom, but I just call her Bonnie.
I woke up to screaming this morning. I get out of bed to see that is Bonnie’s boyfriend, Joe. He was yelling at her like he does everyday about money.
“It’s that girl. She’s taking all of our money,” Joe yelled.
“She has to eat,” says Bonnie. They continue to argue about me so I thought that now was the perfect time to get out.
“Cassie, can you come here for a minute?” asked Bonnie. I think for a minute and decide to go see what she wants.
“What do you want Bonnie?” I asked trying to make the conversation go fast.
“I just wanted to know what you wanted for supper,” She said.
“I don’t care whatever we have Bonnie,” I said, because I wasn’t going to be there anyways.
“Okay sweetie and you can call me mom,” she said.
“You are not my mom,” I snap back at her. “You killed my mom five years ago.” Joe slaps me in the face and says that I shouldn’t talk to Bonnie like that, but I don’t care I’m leaving this place.
I storm to my room and slam the door. I hear them to start talking again. I try to think of a way out since Bonnie has a camera outside all of my windows. If I go out them she will see me and I will get caught and punished. I think since they are in the kitchen I can just run as fast as I can run right out the front door.
I put on an old pair of jeans, a t shirt, and my black sneakers. I get ready to run and I decide that I will run to the police. I sneak down the hallway, stopping at the kitchen to see if they are still in there and talking. After I know they are, I make a dash for it. As soon as I open the front door an alarm goes off and I hear them get up and start running towards me and the door. I forgot about the alarm Bonnie put in when I tried to sneak out once.
Joe comes running down the hall screaming and cussing at me. I know I have to run out, but I am frozen in fear. He gets a couple steps away from me and I force my body to run out the door. I feel free as I run down the street. I haven’t felt like this in a long while, but I still have the fear of the getting in the car and catching me so I decide to run across people’s yards and hopefully they won’t see me.
I hear the old truck start up and I feel myself run faster than I have ever ran in my life. I look back and I can see the red pickup truck getting closer. I stop in one person’s yard and I run to their door. I knock as loud as I can and an old lady opens the door. I come right inside without anything asked.
“Can you help me?” I ask in a desperate voice.
“With what sweetie?” she asks.
“To get away,” I say.
I tell her all that has happened up to now and she says she will help me. She says her name is Gertrude. She dials 911 and after she hangs up we hear a pounding at the door. I run to the door and look out the peephole. I see Bonnie and Joe and I almost scream at the sight of them. They pound on the door again. Gertrude comes and tries to open the door.
“Don’t open it. It’s my kidnappers,” I say and she backs away from the door.
“Cassie we know you’re in there,” Joe says. Gertrude and I stay quiet.
“Open the door, sweetie,” Bonnie says. “We can go home and have fun.”
“Open up or we will have to break in,” Joe yells.
Gertrude and I stand there and wait until the cops get there. I don’t want them to leave before the cops get there so I tell Gertrude to hide. She runs down the hallway to a room and locks the door. I open the front door and let them in. I lock the front door and start trash talking them.
“I’m not going back with you,” I say.
“Yes you will, you are our daughter,” Bonnie says.
“How many times do I have to tell you, you are not my mom,” I snap at her. I hear the sirens of the cops coming. I try to yell over them. “You guys always were just lousy nobodies.”
“That is rude young lady,” Bonnie yells.
I hear the cops pull up and Joe grabs me and starts to run towards the back door. I fight and I’m able to wiggle my way out of his arms. I am a small girl, but I know how to fight. I claw at his face and knock him over. I grab Bonnie by her hair and pull her down too. The cops burst through the door and arrest them.
I run down the hall into the room that Gertrude was in. She runs to me and hugs me.
“You are the bravest person I know,” Gertrude told me crying. I hug her and we watch as Joe and Bonnie get put into the cop car.
Another cop came up to the door and said that I had to become a foster child. We walk out the door and I start to get in the car.
“Stop! Stop! I’ll take care of her,” Gertrude yells. “I’ll take her in, I have enough money and it gets lonely here. Please let me take care of her.”
The cop lets me stay with her, but there's a lot of paperwork and adult things that I don’t understand, but I’m super happy that I get the chance to have a real life. I know that Gertrude will take care of me.
“I love you Gertrude,” I say. That is the first time I said I love you in five years.
“I love you too ,Cassie,” Says Gertrude. “I promise to get you a good and well deserved life.”