"No way." I thought to myself. "There's no way that Tyler would cheat on Lisa." I tried to keep this in mind as Tyler approached me and Oden. "Hi… Tyler" I said almost choking on saliva. I swallowed hard and asked, "What's up?" He smiled and said "Ah, just got in the door, thought I'd take patches out. Poor guy has been cooped up all day." he said gesturing to the little dog tucked under his arm. I don't want to be having this conversation, not with him not EVER. "OH yeah?" I ask trying to seem uninterested, looking around the neighbourhood and at my wrist for my missing watch. "Yeah, I just got back from Mexico." He said while I struggled to look him in the eye. I see their family vehicle cleaned off and parked in the driveway and ask hopefully, "Nice drive back from the airport?" I pray he just agrees and I can put this crazy thought to rest. "Yeah nice enough." He said, fighting to keep patches contained in his hold. The dog whined and tried to wiggle free. I exhaled, feeling grateful and satisfied with his answer. I try to make my escape now.

"The cab driver couldn't mind their own business, that was pretty much the only downfall. I had a great view, however." He paused a moment, lost in his words. "It was incredible." OH NO. I try to contain myself but I can't help it. I'm boiling inside. "Incredible eh, you think Lisa will find the view freaking incredible too?". NO. That WASN'T supposed to slip out. "Uh, yeah. Of course she would, if she was there." He replied puzzled. He's good. I think to myself, swallowing hard and looking at Oden. "Well, I should get him home. We've been out all day." I start up the road dragging Oden behind me. "Okay, see you around," Tyler shouts after me. He knows some things up.

I try to get the thought out of my head as I drive to pick the kids up from school. "Mom. Mom?" Ryan persisted but I was gone. Driving in auto piolet. I can't believe what I might have seen today. What do I do? Do I say something? I don't have any proof… "MOM!" Ryan yells with his arm outstretched pointing at the red light I'd just run. "Oh my god Mom, what is wrong with you!" Olivia shouts at me from the back seat. "I'm. I'm sorry." I get out between breaths. Luckily there was no one in the intersection, possibly how my eyes managed to avoid the light. I'm starting to lose it. I need a hot bath and wine. The kids and I pile in the house and I can't be bothered with dinner. Dad will be home late so I convince the kids to have pizza with me. We all fill up and then the two split up and head straight to their rooms leaving me and Oden in the main room snacking on crusts. I look down at him, gnawing on the crispy bits, and say "I want a bath." Oden raises his eyebrows and gets up slowly trying to sneak out of the room. I laugh at him, "Not you silly! ME!" I clean up dinner and grab my bottle of Pinot Grigio.

I open the door to my bedroom and then lock the double doors before entering my bathroom. Oden trots along with me carrying his bison chew in his mouth, he sniffs around the rooms before settling right in the doorway between them. "And this is why I close doors," I tell him jokingly. Hmm, already having conversations with my dog. Maybe I should call it on the wine. I think to myself, turning on the facet and filling the tub with hot water. The room becomes steamy and I try to relax and clear my mind as I slowly lower myself into the bathtub. I try not to dig deeper into the situation. I've caused enough trouble and with no proof and nothing to show for it, I have no business to pry. I let myself sink into the tub and the water covers my face. Bubbles escaping my nose tickle as they journey to the surface. I stay there a moment and just melt. I can hear Oden chewing on his dog treat as his movements vibrate the floor.

It relaxes me, having him here when Jack is working late. I always felt uneasy when he worked late, worried for the kids, worried for me. I wasn't in any position to protect us when they were younger. But ever since getting Oden, he's been our protector, and at the size he is, nobody bothers with us. I exhale deeply pop out of the water and look at Oden. He's fast asleep lying on his back looking like a rabbit with his paws folded. I smile trying not to wake him with my laughter. His barrel where we keep extra baggies, carry his water on long hikes, or use when we're camping sat on his collar still, oddly standing upright on the bathroom floor. I usually take that off him on our last bathroom visit of the night, just in case I forget to bring a baggie for his poops. Doesn't seem to bother him… dog bags. Wait a minute, I think to myself sitting up and splashing the floor. Patches escaped! I conclude to myself.

I try to iron out all the details in my mind while I wait for the bath to drain. Wrapping my towel around me, I am fixated on the thoughts in my mind. Tyler was out there with no jacket, no leash, and no doggy bags and I know Lisa is adamant about doggy bags because she always has a new stylish carrier for them attached to the leash and has several roles on hand. It is odd that Tyler would knowingly take Patches outside without anything he would need. Especially out to the front yard. Unless Patches escaped when Tyler came home. He might have left the door open when he brought in his luggage and didn't realize Patches was close to the front door.

"That would explain why he was carrying Patches," I say out loud drying my hair. I don't own a small dog, but I would assume if the intention is for the dog to go to the bathroom then it should be on the ground where it's able to do its business. I tried to visualize the whole situation in my mind again. Definitely no leash, I'd remember. At first, I thought he was taking him out for a pee, but I didn’t see patches on the ground at all! Oden wakes from all the excitement. He gets up, moves over about two feet, and lays back down to resume his nap. My mind is shot. I don't know what to do. I dwell on the sick feeling in my stomach, the decision I have to make. I wish I had actual proof! I think as I robe myself and walk over to my side of the bed.

I try to free myself of all thought and slip into sleep, the wine helps. I toss and turn in a relentless dream, I'm chasing Tyler, scolding him as if he were my kid. Lisa is crying. I must have told her. Before I can make sense of everything, my alarm goes off. "Wake me up" Starts on the radio before I slam the snooze. I roll over and stare at Odin. Unmoved from where I remember him. Sitting up, I stretch my arms up high and pull myself up to greet the day. I can feel the wine from last night and the unsettled feelings from my dream. A run should help. I think to myself as I dress for the day. "Come on boy," I whisper to Oden trying not to wake Jack. It's 5 a.m., he probably only just got in 2 hours ago.

Oden waits for me as I put my runners on. I slip on my Hi-Viz sweatshirt and leash him before opening the door. The air is cool and crisp. We take off down the sidewalk, keeping a nice steady pace. Coming up to the corner, Oden slows to greet our neighbour, Gerry. "Morning Gerry!" I call out to him as he brings the luggage to his trunk and tries to strategically place the bags. "Hey you, Rocky!" Since the first day, he saw me running, he has always called me that. I never know if I should feel offended or impressed with that nickname, but he's always been sweet to me so I don't pay it any mind. I stop as Oden politely says his hello. "You going somewhere?" I ask him, admiring all the bags he's managed to fit thus far. He chuckles, "Oh me and the misses are off to Florida again for the next couple of months! Our son has a convention and he is going to be spending some time there. We thought we'd meet him there and stay at the old house." He smiles proudly as he squeezes a carry-on into a space far smaller than the mass of the bag.

I give him a look of admiration and he laughs in response. "Yeah, got to get going early, we want to leave here by 6:30 and we still need to run Cheryl through all the chores she'll need to do while we're gone." He turns to the vehicle and scratches his head like he just realized he forgot something important. He shrugs it off and looks at me with a smile. I smile back. Oden is lying down on the ground under the vehicle looking like he's never going to leave. I pull at him to try and hint that we are moving soon. "So you have a lot of chores for Cindy?" I ask, not realizing I had gotten the name wrong. Gerry scratches behind Oden's ears and sweetly corrects me. "Cheryl, and yeah. Just a few, that and caring for George our tabby. She's been doing this for years for us, she always does such a good job, and George loves her! She practically moves in with her husband so it's like a vacation for them." He looks up at me and smiles, but I'm still choking on his words. "Sorry, did you say… Cheryl?" I ask carefully.

"That's right." He replies. "Well, speak of the devil. Here she comes now." Gerry waves eagerly to the person walking down the road coming up behind me. My stomach twists in knots and I feel like throwing up. Please don't be her, please don't be her. I repeat in my head praying that by some miracle, it wouldn't be. But of course, despite my avoidance of the matter… it seems that I simply can't escape it. "Morning!" I hear her say from behind, I slowly turn my head, still praying. But it's no use.

Homewrecker Cheryl is making her way down the road towards me and Gerry, George walks up to greet her purring loud enough that I can hear. I turn to Gerry and say "I should probably get going." He smiles and pats me on the shoulder. I nod and start up down the road again. "Have a great trip!" I call out to him before turning the corner. I take one last look at Cheryl before we start to run again. But then… It hits me.

I stop dead in my tracks, just across the road, on the opposite side of the street. I can see Tyler and Lisa's house, just almost hidden by the neighbour's large fence on the corner of the road. I turn back to Gerry's house and realize his side entrance with George's door was a well-hidden entrance for the two to "meet". The door is just out of sight of Lisa's front window and is hidden from Cheryl's house. I swallowed hard realizing what had to be done. I had to catch them in the act.

But how?

"No, it's not. Yes, it is. No, it's not. Yes-it-is." Repeated one of the teen's phones as the group of boys dragged their feet down the sidewalk, pushing one another, trying to watch the video. "Is that… Is that blood?" One boy asked. "Nah, it's dog shit dummy." A tall and stark boy said slapping the first boy on the back of the head. "There are poop bags in the background… it does seem like they're trying to tell us it's shit." The boy holding the phone said confidently. "It's chocolate." Called out the boy in the back, eating a Nutella sandwich. "No, it's not." All the boys yelled at him. "YES, IT IS." He screamed back at them. "I already read the comments." He said between bites. "Creator says so right there."

I laughed to myself quietly enjoying the boy's triumph and pushing the snow up onto the boulevard, making the snow pile even bigger for Oden, our enormous Saint Bernard. Whistling. "Come here, Oden," I call out to him, as the large dog waddles through the snow and immediately buries his whole head until it disappears into the bank. "Come on kids! Into the car please, we have to leave for school! Kid's already passed for the bus!" I place the shovel beside the front porch and whistle for Oden to come inside.

"Coming mummy!" Olivia called out as she hurried down the stairs. "Hat, boots, scarf, mitts…" I started rambling off trying to encourage them to focus. "Coat, lunch, vitamins, water…" She rambled back to me making a face. I blew her a kiss as I leaned on the stairwell. "Hey, Ryan?" I called up the stairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He screamed down the stairs. You could clearly hear the mess of clothes and things on the floor as he moved about the room. The closer he got, the louder the music was coming from his headphones that hung uselessly around his neck. "Really?" I asked sarcastically raising a brow. He smiled sweetly and leaned in for a kiss. I smiled when I felt his kiss on my cheek. "Sweet boy," I say to him lovingly pinching his cheeks. "I should have named you Justin," I tell him jokingly. "Not this again." He rolls his eyes at me which fuels my fire.

Walking to the car, I stand firm on my argument. "Your grandfather looked like Bieber growing up and so do you!" I push. It's not true. His hair is grown out a bit like the old haircut that trended back in the day, and he had the sweet face that started his career, but he's long since outgrown that boyish charm. I knew it bugged him, so I couldn't help myself. He's a really good kid. The car door slams from all sides and I look over my shoulder at Olivia. "Backpack? Homework? Laptop?" I ask her seriously, she nods sipping a juice box, holds up her bag, and puts my mind at ease from any further questioning. I nod at her, smile, and blow her an air kiss. I turn my attention to Ryan beside me, I do a visual check and ask, "Lunch?" He smiles and pulls the brown paper bag out of his backpack and places it back in.

I back the car up and get halfway up the road before my mind starts to ask questions again. "I know you want to be environmentally friendly and everything, but wouldn't using a reusable lunch pack be more ideal and cost-efficient?" He takes a deep breath and says to me calmly. "Not this again." Olivia is already laughing in the back seat. "I mean, I just think it makes more sense. Don't you?" Olivia nods but Ryan stands firm. "Mom, lunch bags cannot be recycled like paper can. Some of the materials are not environmentally friendly. Besides, I don't want a matching pack to go with my bag" He does have a good argument, I bought him a matching set ever since he was one. But I'm a Taurus. "I can get you an environmentally friendly one. It can be made completely of bamboo! Paper, whatever!" Ryan scuffs, "They all look stupid." He argues, "Besides, I reuse my paper bags. It IS a reusable lunch bag." I choke for a second and try not to laugh. "No, you don't!" I blurt out at him. "You get a new bag every day! By the time your old one gets home, it's all soggy and stained from whatever is floating around your lunch bag." He looks at me like I've just told him there's no Santa.

I pull into the school parking lot and park the car. "Think about it?" I ask him, putting my hand on his. He smiles at me and pecks me on the cheek before hopping out. "I love you!" I shout to him from the window. I turn back to Olivia, she smiles and pecks me on the cheek and I kiss her other cheek back. "I love you," I say to her, looking at her and feeling so proud of the woman she is becoming. "I love you too mum." She says and smiles. "Have the best day, love! I'll see you after." I tell her as she gets out. "I love you!" I scream again as she walks to the school. She waves her hand but doesn't turn. I sigh, and say "Teenagers," as I pull out of the parking lot. Snow starts to fall again and the road gets a be slick. There's a couple walking their dogs to the dog park near our home and makes me think I should have brought Oden with us.

I pull into the driveway and already there is more snow for me to shovel. I grab the shovel and start to clear it away. "Hello, Cheryl." I hear one of the neighbors talking to another. "Oh, hi Brian! How's it going?" She is dragging suitcases and making tracks in her un-shoveled driveway. "You going somewhere, Cheryl?" Brian asks her curiously watching her pack her bags into a taxi. Cheryl lights up as she answers, "Yes! I'm going to Mexico. We leave today! Real sudden, just the right timing I guess!" She tells him as she puts the suitcases into the vehicle. "Wow! Today, that is sudden! What time do you and Dan take off?" She stops and thinks a moment, carefully choosing her words. "Actually, Dan isn't coming this time. It's uh, just me. Besides, he has some things he needs to take care of here, and he'd just be bored. I told you it was for work right?" She closes the trunk and observes Brian, satisfied with her answer. "Well, best be off!" She calls out as she hops into the taxi.

I watch as they drive down the road. What a strange conversation. Mexico, suddenly? Hmm, I would love to have that kind of money. What job sends their people out to Mexico on such little notice? I thought to myself. This thought stayed with me for most of the day. I took Oden to the dog park, hoping I could get it off my mind. I hate not having answers to things, I start to come to my own conclusions. Enough of that for a day could make someone delusional. "Lisa?" I say as I walk down the path to the woman walking the short bulldog. "Oh Hi Julia!" She called back to me. "It's been quite a while, Lisa!" I give her a hug as our dogs greet one another. "Where's Tyler? Stuck in the office this week?" I ask her jokingly. Lisa raises her eyebrows and says, "Actually he's on his way to the airport. His work is sending him out to Mexico for 2 weeks. He said he only found out over the weekend. Takes off today at 3 pm."

My eyes widen, "Wow," I say. "Lucky guy! Mexico huh… for 2 weeks you say?" At this point, I am just repeating what she's saying because my mind has already raced off into a vortex of thoughts. Lisa nods and continues to talk to me about it, but I can't hear her anymore. My thoughts have become too loud and I am starting to jump to untrue conclusions. "Does he work with anyone on our street?" I questioned her, unsure if she was done talking or not. "Um, no, not that I'm aware of. Why?" She asked curiously. I try to choose my words carefully so as not to scare her with my crazy accusations. "Just curious, I overheard neighbors talking and it sounds like they were also leaving for Mexico today." Lisa nods and says, "Well it is winter! I'm sure his business is thinking the same thing. Get warm!" She laughed and then waved goodbye as she carried on down the path.

I couldn't get the thought out of my head. Could it be? Even Lisa didn't suspect a woman would be going to Mexico when she mentioned "his" company. There was just one thing to do…

I waited two weeks to see if that was when Cheryl would return home. Since I run my company from home, I arranged my front room so that I can use it as my office and I watched her house every day. It was Monday, exactly 2 weeks since they had left and the day Tyler was due home. I was on edge. Watching the house like a hawk, I couldn't eat I was so nervous. I stayed in the main room watching the house, only leaving to let Oden outside and to make coffee in the kitchen. I was on my third cup. I poured the hot water into the mug when I heard doors slamming from outside. I put the kettle down and ran to the front room. There was a taxi outside Cheryl's house, it was a van with tinted windows. I couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like someone was sitting in the back seat where she was. She opens the back and grabs her bags. There are additional bags too, brown leather with chunky straps. Looks a lot like men's luggage. "Wait" I scream as I look over the seats, a man is talking over his shoulder with a brown hoody on. "Tyler?" I whisper as if they would hear me. She closes the back and then comes around the side to say goodbye.

The taxi backs out and drives down the road toward Lisa and Tyler's home. The windows are too tinted and I can't get a visual. My nerves jolt my body into action and I scream for Oden. He meets me at the door and I quickly leash him. "Ready for a run buddy?" I ask him slipping on my runners. The door opens and we blast down the road. They're about a block or two away from our house. I am running faster than I ever have and poor Oden is struggling to remain in front. My heart pounds as we near the house. I start to slow and Oden is grateful as he takes this opportunity to poop. "No taxi," I say breathing hard. My body loosens and my muscles start to become less tense. I smile at Oden and feel free knowing that my thoughts were all they were. Thoughts. I bend over to pick up the poop with the bag and we start walking back home. "Oh, hey Julia!" a man calls out to me. I suddenly feel sick to my stomach, I turn my head slowly to look over my shoulder and see Tyler, carrying his bulldog back inside… wearing a brown hoodie.

"You can be anything you want to be." The lady said sitting in the chair, legs crossed. The little girl on the floor looked up at her and asked innocently, "Really?" The woman smiled, unaware of the power in her words, and told the girl, "Yes of course! If you can dream it. If you can believe it. Then you can certainly achieve it." The little girl smiled as she packed up her things, therapy was now over. She exited the room to be collected by her mother, smiling widely about what she had just learned.

Back at home the little girl went back to her bedroom and played, her mother went about the house cleaning and let her have her space. The girl thought to herself, a dream she really craved. I wish my mom was happy again, I wish she remembered how to smile. I wish that she would play with me, and stay with me a while. The little girl imagined what it was like when her mother used to play with her. She'd read her books, all snuggled up on the couch or warm in bed. The little girl envisioned this deep inside her mind. She felt the glow of happiness, growing with its might.

Bedtime came by fast and the little girl felt hopeful, she asked her mother to read a book and cuddle up in bed with her. She smiled at her baby girl and selected a book off the shelf, it was about a scary monster, who learned to love with the help of an elf. Her mother made voices, she laughed, she yelled. The little girl was in disbelief, this was every feeling she had felt. Her mother kissed her on the cheek, and once more on her head. She sang to her a goodnight song and tucked her into bed. Again this little girl gave thanks, for her wishes had been granted. There is much more to create, now she knows she's enchanted.

The morning sun came shining through the curtains of her window, she remembered how her father used to carry her from her bed. She bowed her head and thought real hard to remember Daddy's face, she felt his embrace and heard his voice and the tickle from the stubble on his face. I wish my Daddy would come back to us. I wish he was here with Mom. I wish he would stay with us for a while, and all his work was done. She thought to herself all the happy memories of Mom and Dad laughing. She thought of staying up late and watching movies, then falling asleep too early.

She walked downstairs and started to eat her toast, Mom was making eggs. When suddenly there was a knock at the door, they didn't know someone was coming. Her mother straightened out her apron and fixed her hair in the mirror, she peeked out the peephole and then began crying. She quickly undid the bolted lock and cried out in joy. Then in walked the man of their dreams, her Daddy standing tall, even after Mom jumped in his arms, his strength never wavered, not at all. The little girl's eyes began to fill with tears, not because she was sad, but because she was so grateful for everything she had.

To be continued?

A friend of mine told me about how she is going through a divorce. What an awful place to be. Her sadness breaks my heart and I wish I could just mend it all for her, but life is a journey and she needs to heal. So I'm writing her this story.

To Amy.

I sat in the chair, looking outside the window, thinking "When will he come home."

I caught my reflection in the mirror, sad, tired, and withered. I realized I was alone.

Tears rolled down my face, but this time I didn't stop them. I wore them proudly.

If my kids were still awake, I'd hide in a room to wipe them away and cry out loudly.

Hate builds in my belly as I picture his face, that smug look he has when he speaks.

And even though I won't let our kids see how much I despise him, because he cheats.

How can we fall out of love, just like that? What did I do? How can I change?

I work hard, I clean up, I take care of myself and our kids, am I really, truly the blame?

Moments like these are what tear me apart, and I start to think irrational. But why?

Maybe because he tricked me from the start and made me believe he was a nice guy.

Now stuck with a broken heart and sad kids, how could this get any worse?

Oh right, I forgot. How silly of me. There's also the cost of our divorce.

Why did I even fall in love? Why did I think I was happy?

When all we ever do is fight, and he is always snapping.

But then again, maybe this is right. A new chapter in my life.

But I have to admit going through it all feels like being stabbed by a knife.

I'll get the kids and might get the house, but I'll still be losing him.

I'll tell you this is the last time I date a guy named Kevin.

To be continued.

"Trick or treat," The three kids said, on the doorstep of her house.

Not a soul on the street would visit this hag, no one, and no mouse.

"Come in" she beckoned with a voice so grim, her finger outstretched.

The two looked at the oldest who muttered, "Meh, what the heck."

They followed her inside and down the deep dark hall.

The kids stuck close together until one tripped on a ball.

"Mind the cat toys," she said leading them within.

Her face was terribly dark, aside from her evil grin.

"Are you getting us candy?" A child stuttered and choked.

She laughed, "I thought I'd play a trick." The old hag joked.

The kids swallowed hard, taking in their frightening surroundings.

Knock. Knock. Went to the door, as the kid's parents came pounding.

"Heh." Sighed the old hag, "Maybe next time."

She gave each kid a lolly, that was colored in lime.

She ushered them out and smiled at the folks.

Who said, "Is this lady still up to her jokes?"

The parents all waved, and then they all walked away.

"Maybe next Halloween, I can get them to stay."

Planting the heavy axe deep into Matthew's right shoulder, he looks at Jessica, mouthing the word "why." The force of the axe entering his body sends him over the banister and flipping in the air until he lands hard on the floor below. Jessica runs down the stairs screaming, "Derrick! I'm up here! He's dangerous! Run!" But Derrick and Erika stand there watching the pool of blood get bigger and bigger as it escapes Matthew's body. Jessica cries as she runs into her brother's arms. He squeezes her tightly. Erika watches them, tears swelling in her eyes. "You came for me. You came for me." Jessica kept repeating, crying into Derrick's shoulder. He pulls her away from him and inspects her forehead and the wounds. Then he glances over at Matthew, lying lifeless on the floor. "Do you think he's dead?" Derrick asks the girls. "I don’t want to find out." States Erika as she ushers them out the door.

Police lights fill the night sky as the three of them make their way down the staircase. There is a loud bang as the officers break open the gate and then travel up the driveway to them. An officer hops out of the cruiser and runs to the three of them. "Are you all right? What's going on here? Which one of you is Jessica?" Jessica is seen by a paramedic who knows her mother and tells her how frantic she's been since she went missing. Derrick and Erika try to explain to the officers but only Jessica can explain everything. They head down the hill towards Derrick's car as police officers approach the estate. Jessica stays up near the house and explains to an officer everything that happened, how she got there, about Matthew, and how he possibly killed Shawn. She told them where to find the bodies she found and how she pushed Matthew over the banister after striking him with an axe. "When I heard my brother come through the door, I thought Matthew might try to hurt him, so I reacted. After hitting him with the axe, the force of it sent him over the railing. I didn't mean for him to die. I was trying to protect my brother." Jessica admitted honestly.

After answering several more questions, Jessica was finally free to go. "Did you want to come with us to the Hospital, honey? We can get you looked after." The Paramedic tells her. Jessica takes one last look at the house and then down the hill to her brother and Erika. "I really just want to go home. See my Mom, get some sleep." She says to the paramedic, tearing up. "I understand. I'll call your Mom. She'll want to get home right away to take care of you." She tells her pulling out her cell phone. Jessica thanks her and walks down the hill towards her brother and Erika. "You need a ride?" Derrick asks her. Jessica looks up at the sky and all around and says, "Nah, figured a nice night walk would do me some good." Erika laughed as Derrick threw his arm around Jessica and walked her around the car. "Get in you weirdo." He says laughing at her. Erika hops in the front seat and Derrick in the driver. He looks at Jessica in the rearview mirror and says, "I'm really glad you're okay. I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you, weirdo." Jessica laughs and says "I love you too. Now stop with all the mushy stuff I'm out of tears." They all laughed as they drove away from the nightmare Estate, leaving it, and all the memories in the rearview mirror.

Jessica watches impatiently as the estate is no longer visible in the mirror. Then her focus trails down to Derrick and Erika's hands intertwined as he drove along the dirt road. "Am I missing something?" Jessica says laughing at her new discovery. The two of them laugh embarrassed and release their hold. Laughing at them Jessica says, "No. No, no. Please don't stop on my account. I'm going to have to start calling you two Derricka." Jessica says bursting out laughing. Erika gets a real kick out of it but Derrick just shakes his head at her. "Really?" He says to Erika, who just might pee her pants from laughing too hard. "It’s pretty catchy, no?" She asks him, tears streaming down her face. "Okay." Says Derrick exhaling. "What about Erik, then? Yeah? That's pretty funny." He says with a chuckle. Both girls stop laughing and Jessica says, "No, that's just a name." Erika laughs the kind of laugh when you try to stop yourself from laughing. And Derrick looks at her shaking his head. Erika just thinks he's too darn cute though and gives him a gentle kiss. "Ew, gross get a room!" Jessica yells at them, shielding her eyes.

The drive home is silent, the love birds in the front seat, holding on to this special thing they found. And Jessica in the back seat, grateful to be here, alive, and able to witness it. It isn't long before they reach their house. Jessica and Derrick both sink into their seats when they see their mother's car already parked in the driveway. Derrick makes a gulping sound and looks to Jessica, "Do you want to do the talking." Jessica shrugged, knowing it would be best. "I can just wait in the car," Erika says, both Derrick and Jessica disagree with her. "Nope. No way. Nah, you're coming." Derrick shuts off the engine and they all get out of the car. Their mother, flings open the front door and screams, "Oh my god, my babies. Oh my god, you're safe!" She scoops Jessica into her arms and examines her forehead. Derrick slides behind Erika and puts his arm around her waist. His mother notices this and smiles at Erika. "Hi, I'm Mom. Are you hungry? Come inside, get cleaned up." She escorts Jessica into the house and Derrick kisses Erika on the top of her head. "Will you spend the night with me?" Derrick asks her sweetly, she wraps her arms around his waist and smiles. "Will you drive me to work?" She asks jokingly. "Will you make me a coffee?" He jokes back.

The two walk up to the house arm in arm. They all felt shaken from what they've just experienced, but they also felt hopeful for what the future will bring. Inside the house, Mom was already fixing up Jessica and had a bag of buns open on the table. There were deli meats in a Tupperware container and a pitcher of juice on the table. Erika smiled at Derrick and jumped into action. "May I help you make some sandwiches?" She asked their mom politely. She smiled at Erika and told her, "Please! I've heard you make the best sandwiches in town! Derrick told me a lot about you." She said with a wink that made Erika smile at Derrick. He never took his eyes off her. Jessica told her mom what had happened, avoiding certain details that she thought were unnecessary. "Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again. Don't talk to strangers!" Their mom said as she cleaned up some of the dishes. Jessica and Erika smiled at each other, it was good to have her there in their home. It felt right.

Mom excused herself for the rest of the night, warning the kids to make good choices. They all smiled at her and nodded. Derrick ran out to grab something from the car and Jessica took this chance to confess what happened to Erika. "I slept with him." Erika gasped. "You didn't!" Jessica nodded. "And it sucks because he was a really good lover." Erika smiled but then got serious. "I was scared girl. I'm glad we got you in time." She says hugging her. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here's your phone." She said pulling it from her back pocket. Erika smiled as she took it. Just then the house phone rang, Jessica jumped to get it as Derrick came back into the house. "Hello?" She asked, but the line was silent. It sounded like someone coughing in the distance, and then it got closer. Breathing. Heavy breathing. Derrick watched Jessica as she stiffened up. Erika saw the expression on her face and took the receiver from her hands. She then hung up the phone and unplugged it from the wall. "Tomorrow." She tells them. "Not today. We’re done with today."

Jessica takes a breath and smiles at Erika. "Thank you." She says and hugs her. Then she turns and hugs Derrick. "Thank you for coming to find me." She tells him, trying to hold back tears. "I will never let this happen again." He says to her, which makes her cry a little. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Hope you love birds enjoy your evening. Good night, Derricka." And she heads up the stairs. Erika laughs as she wraps her arms around Derrick. "You can sleep in my bed." He tells her sweetly. "And where will you sleep?" She asks him, he looks over at the recliner and she says "Then that's where I'll sleep too." He rolls his eyes and says, "We both can’t sleep there." She looks around the living room and asks, then how about the couch. He sighs and realizes he's stuck with her. "Fine. But I'm only doing this to protect the house. If I tell you to run, you listen okay?" She gets up to her tippy toes and gives him a kiss. Then she sweetly says, "No." and he rolls his eyes at her.

The two snuggle up on the couch with a blanket. Erika lays on top of Derrick, who has his arms wrapped protectively around her. The two fall asleep watching the news channel. The voices of the news reporters lull them into a heavy sleep sending them into dreams. Just then, a banner crosses the screen titled "Breaking News". A woman begins to describe the situation. "This evening, a man by the name of Matthew Healey has been reported missing and dangerous." Matthew's image from his driver's license floods the screen with his bushy overgrown beard and short hair. "He is claimed to be convicted of multiple murders and kidnappings. He escaped a crime scene early this evening after police had arrived on site. They have advised that he is wounded and possibly armed seeking medical attention. If you see this man please call police immediately and report his location. Again he is dangerous and armed. Please be safe out there." Jessica swallows hard as she stands in the living room holding the remote control in the process of shutting off the TV. She stares at Derrick and Erika sleeping on the couch and then looks back to the TV. Frozen in place, Jessica has only one thought. Matthew is alive.

Derrick finishes pumping gas into his car while Erika asks for help with directions to one of the roads on the map. "Ah yes, that looks a lot like the Winston Estate. It's still a little way up Side Road 21 but there is a dirt path that leads to this road here, see?" The older woman points and follows with her finger on the map. "It's dark so it'll be hard to see but then you make this turn here, and then again there. That will get you to the bridge to the island which leads to their front gate. I actually saw their car earlier today, a nice man with a pretty young lady stopped to grab gas. I think he is their gardener or chef. I can't remember." Derrick walks up to the counter, just catching the end of the conversation. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but do you remember the type of car they were driving?" Derrick asks politely, the old woman smiles and says, "Of course, I do, the one the family has driven for years. A silver BMW." Derrick looked at Erika who was already looking at him. He pays the woman in cash and leaves a big tip, thanking her then runs out to the car.

Erika collected her map and thanked the woman for all of her help, then chased Derrick out the door. When she gets to the car, Derrick is as white as a ghost. "What?" She asked confused, but he had no words. He passes his phone to Erika who reads the message from Jessica. She gasps. "Can you call?" Derrick asks as he starts the car, Erika nods and gets in. Erika unplugs the phone charger and dials 911. A woman on the other end answers promptly, "911 what's your emergency?" Erika takes a breath before letting it all out. "Hello? I need to report a kidnapping. A Jessica Wright was taken at around 1:30 pm to a location called, the Winston Estate. It's just off of Side Road 21." The woman on the other end types in the information, and Erika can hear the keystrokes on the phone. "I have pulled up the information, we will get a cruiser on site as fast as we can, what is your relation to the missing person."

Erika takes a deep breath, looks at Derrick, and then answers the operator. "I am the victim's brother's girlfriend, he's driving a vehicle at the moment." For a moment, Derrick is happy hearing Erika refer to herself as his girlfriend again, he takes his hand off the wheel for a moment to squeeze her hand and shoots her a loving smile. Then he returns to the road, picking up speed. "And how do you know the victim has been taken?" The operator asks. "Because she sent a distress message asking us to call the police. I don’t think she has much battery life left, she probably couldn't complete the call." The operator is silent for a moment as she types in all of the information. "I'll be sending additional cruisers for backup. Please, whatever you do, do not approach the property. This is a police matter now, we will do everything we can." Erika thanked the woman and then hung up the phone.

"She told us not to approach the property," Erika told Derrick as he turned down the dirt road. He looked at her surprised. "Like Hell!" he says, as stones collect in the wheel wells and hit the car. "They'll take too long to get there anyways, what if she needs help now? Like right now?" Derrick explains sounding menaced. Erika put her hand on his and gave him a look that he knew meant, I got your back. "My man." She said proudly. They sped down the dirt road, hoping to get to Jessica before anything happened to her. Derrick was losing his mind, it's good that he had Erika with him, otherwise, he might not have been able to come this far at all.

They pull up the driveway to the ginormous gate and get out of the car. "How are you at climbing?" Derrick asks Erika as they size up the gate. They get back into the car and he reverses along the wall just out of sight from the entrance. Derrick climbs on top of the car and offers a hand to Erika, "Are you ready for this?" He asks her. "No." She answers honestly. He puts his hands between his knees making a step for her to step onto. She pushes off of him as he lifts her to the concrete platform at the top of the gate wall. She pulls herself over and then reaches for his hand. He jumps for her and then grabs onto the platform, pulling himself the rest of the way. She dangles from the edge and then lands in a bush on the other side of the gate. Derrick does the same. The house can be seen from the gate as a giant fortress on top of a hill. They move quickly towards the house, trying not to be seen.

Jessica treads upstairs quietly, looking for a room to hide in. Matthew is screaming and checking rooms downstairs. It sounds like he's flipped the dining room table, and throwing chairs. He's opening and slamming doors shut. Suddenly, he's silent. Jessica freezes, he must have found the room with the bodies that she left open because his voice changed drastically. "Jessica, darling. Won't you please come out now? We can talk about this. Jessica?" The sound travels down the hallway. Jessica sneaks into a room with a lock on the door and shuts it quietly. She locks the door and turns to find a baby grand piano, a lounger with a glass table, and another lounger across from it. There is a door to a connecting room, Jessica goes to check where it leads, or if it can lock.

She opens the door and reveals a locked cabinet with hunting knives on display, there is a large bow, a big axe, and a rifle. What luck! She thinks to herself now rummaging through the keys. She tries them slowly and carefully, paying close attention to the sounds coming from Matthew. Struggling to hear him anymore, she quickens her pace, finally, the key turns over and clicks, releasing the lock to the cabinet. Jessica grabs the rifle and checks to see if it's loaded. It's not. There aren’t any shells in the cabinet. She scans the room and spots a large safe in the back corner, but she doesn't have any time to waste unlocking it. Matthew is already upstairs and checking rooms when she hears a door open down the hall. She lifts the heavy axe off of its hooks and she plants herself behind the door of the connecting room. She slowly locks it and takes her stand.

Matthew attempts to open the door to the room but it's locked. Getting annoyed he calls to her, "Darling? Let me in. I just want to talk to you." He sounds muffled through the two doors, but Jessica hears him struggling with the door. She creeps across the room and attempts to open the safe, still fixated on that gun. She tries the keys, shaking listening to Matthew plead his case at the door. He keeps knocking, harder and harder. "I just wanted us to be happy. Ever since your break up with Tom, I just wanted to make you happy. Seeing you at the Café, feeling hurt and abandoned. And it was clear, that Shawn guy could never give you what I can give you." Matthew continued rambling, not making much sense, but he had grabbed Jessica's attention. How could he know about Tom? Or Shawn? Did he kill Shawn? Feeling courageous, Jessica forgets about the shells and she grips the axe firmly. She approaches the door to the other room, and slowly unlocks it. He was saying inaudible things that she couldn't quite make out. Like he was scolding himself, calling himself stupid.

Walking slowly through the room, Jessica sweats as she leans against the door separating them. "Who are you really, Matthew?" She called through the door. He froze hearing her voice, "Please come out. I messed up really badly. Please, I just want another chance. Please come out." He asks her gently, begging her. "Did you kill Shawn?" She calls out at him. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He repeats to himself quietly. "Shawn was nothing to you! He was nothing! I know you, Jessica. Me! I know what you need. I followed him as we walked home and the sicko watched porn the whole way!" He screamed at her. "Just a kid, looking for fun. He could never love you as I love you. He just wanted to love you like those girls he loves to watch." Matthew slammed up against the door startling Jessica.

"How can you love me when you've only just met me?" Matthew laughed wickedly at her words. "I have loved you since the first day I laid eyes on you. Watching you walk to school. Walking home. When you applied at the café. When you walked into that café, you stole my heart forever. Since the first time, you smiled at me. I knew you were my destiny." He rambled on to something that sent him cursing down the hallway. Jessica thought long and hard, she had never seen this guy before in her life! And the only person that was ever at the café when she told Erika her secrets was, "The homeless man." She said realizing, all this time, that was him. "You're the homeless man." She says a little louder so he can hear.

Matthew bangs at the door again, thrusting his body against it over and over again. "Open. Up. Open. Up." He screamed furiously as he ran into the door over and over again. "It was just a costume." She yelled at him. He stopped, "It was never supposed to be like this." He says sadly from the other side of the door. Suddenly, Jessica hears a familiar voice calling her from downstairs. "Jessica, where are you!?" Derrick's voice came from downstairs as he and Erika walked through the open front door. Matthew is silent, too silent. "NO!" Jessica screams as she unlocks the door at runs at Matthew with the axe.

Jessica replays her plan in her head over and over again, waiting desperately for Matthew to return to her. Her palms are sweaty, and she wraps the scarf tightly in her hands, making sure she'll have a tight grip. Unaware of how much time has passed, Jessica sits impatiently behind the door. She hears noise down the hallway, doors being closed, a plate being removed and then placed on a hard surface, another door opening and closing. She grows anxious, climbing to her feet she stands on the table holding the scarf braid out in front of her. More movement from down the hall and then nothing. Jessica holds her breath trying to listen. She starts to second-guess her plan. What if he doesn’t come? What if he waits until morning? She starts to doubt herself, dropping her arms slowly. Then the door clicks and begins to open, Jessica raises her arms, holding the scarfs tight in front of her.

"Are you done with your shower?" Matthew says peering into the room, his head is in sight, and she lunges for it. Jumping from the bedside table, Jessica hooks her braided scarves around his neck and pulls him down from behind. Once on his knees, she loops the scarves around and second time and brings her knee to his back. He drops the tray of food and frantically tries to release her hold. She pulls hard on the scarves, pushing him deeper into the stranglehold. He gasps for air, not able to speak, his arms flail and he fights aggressively to get out. He lands on his chest with Jessica kneeling on his back. She pulls harder now on the scarves until he stops responding. Terrified, Jessica slowly loosens her grip, waiting for any movement from him to pull again. He is still.

She jumps off of him and runs down the hallway to the front door of the pool house. Again, the door is locked with a keyed entry. Damn, it! She thinks to herself, getting frustrated. She scans the room for another way out and then spots her bag on top of the fridge. She lunges for it and dumps it out looking desperately for the phone. She turns it on, and the screen comes to life with a warning of only 5% battery life left. That won't be long enough for a call. She thinks to herself. She opens the messages up and writes a message to Derrick:

Help! I was kidnapped! I don't have much battery left. Please call the police! Don't text back!

She sends the message and hopes it reaches them. Then she looks around the kitchen for a weapon. She pulls out a large sharp knife and slips it into the oversized back pockets of the jeans. She drops the phone into the other back pocket. Then she digs around for anything she can pick the lock with. Coming up empty-handed, she takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself. You know what you have to do. She thinks as she readies herself to face him again. She walks down the hallway slowly, peering into the rooms on either side. She gets to the bedroom and can feel herself shaking. She looks between the cracks and sees Matthew still lying on the floor. She pushes the door open slowly and it creaks with the movement.

Jessica carefully moves around the body and tries to remember what pocket he keeps the keys in. She reaches into his left pocket and pulls out a wrapper and a zip tie. She swallows hard and steps over him to reach his other pocket. She reaches in and feels the cold metal from the key ring. She slowly pulls them out of his pocket, wincing at the sound of the keys crashing into each other with the movement. She's almost got it when Matthew's hand grabs her wrist. He's coughing and trying to breathe, Jessica quickly whips the knife out of her back pocket, and then she slices Matthew's hand open, he releases her and screams in agony.

Placing the knife back in her pocket, Jessica runs out of the room and slams the door shut, she locks the deadbolt and runs to the front door. Struggling to find the right key, Jessica tries them all, one at a time. She can hear Matthew banging against the bedroom door, over and over and over again. Thrusting his body into it trying to break it down. She moves quickly, sweating like crazy. The banging gets louder and louder, she can hear the wood breaking. Finally, one of the keys opens the door and she runs out of the house. She hears a loud bang when Matthew hits the floor on top of the bedroom door. He's out! She thinks frantically. She slams the steel door shut to the house and locks it. Then she runs into the main house. Sliding open the glass doors, Jessica takes one last look at the pool house. She sees Matthew in the small window of the kitchen, he is screaming and throwing things.

She enters the house and closes the door behind her. She locks it, even though it's a glass door, but hopes it might buy her more time to escape. Jessica is lost inside the house, she doesn’t know which way is out. She walks down the hallway and can hear a muffled barking coming from behind one of the doors. She tries to open it but it’s locked. Of course. She thinks about going through the keys again. She selects one named 'Master' and the door opens revealing the little Pomeranian, Sweetie, and an awfully foul odor. Jessica lets Sweetie out and investigates further into the room. There is a large bed, a couple of couches, and a closet. The smell was getting stronger as she approached the closet. She tried to push the door open, but something was stopping it. She wiggled and pushed until it finally gave way. The body of a woman falls out of the closet just missing her.

Jessica screams into her hands, trying to muffle her sound. On the floor is a man, bound in rope and discolored, clearly dead, and a young girl, about her age covered in blood in the back of the closet. Jessica tried to control herself as she pieced the puzzle together. Did he kill his own family? They look like they've been there for weeks. She thought running from the room. Down the hall was the kitchen, Jessica ran to the sink and threw up. She grabbed a piece of paper towel and dried her mouth. How could anyone do this? She thought to herself. She opened the cupboard below the sink looking for the garbage bin. Under the sink were 5 bottles of bleach, tools, and rope. Something didn't look right here. In the garbage can, there was a blood-stained shirt and gloves. I don’t think this is actually his house. Who are you, Matthew? Jessica thinks to herself trying to find the way out again, carefully gathering as much information as she can.

Following the hallway again, Jessica spots a bathroom. She takes this opportunity to empty her bladder, she'll have a long run before she can get back to a busy road. She closes the door behind her and notices a second door. Once she's finished she opens the bathroom cabinet and finds a small garbage can, full of grey and white crinkly hairs. It looks like someone shaved a big beard in here. She thinks as she opens the second door revealing the hallway leading to the front door. Bingo. She thinks as she exits the bathroom. She walks down the hallway towards the door. There is a large mirror by the front door with a garbage bag just below it. She hadn't noticed this bag earlier. Jessica approaches it slowly and peers inside. She pulls out torn, ripped, and dirty clothing, a vest, shirts, pants, and a red tuque. One like the homeless man used to wear. She also proceeds to pull out a running shoe. The very same running shoe she remembered Shawn wearing when he came to the café. Below the clothing was a head full of grey hair. Thinking it was the homeless man, Jessica reached for it, only to find it was a wig.

Just as she was thinking that Matthew killed the homeless man, she pulled out a napkin with her drawn on it. As Jessica stares at all of these items, trying to make sense of it all, she hears Matthew getting into the house. "Where are you?!" He screams. Thinking quickly, Jessica opens the front door and then runs up the stairs. Her chances are better if she can manage to hide until the police get here, it's dark out and the chances of someone else getting to her before him aren’t good. She's just banking on Derrick and Erika to get her help, fast. "Jessica!" He screams. "I thought you were better than this. I thought I knew you!" His screams became louder and angrier. Jessica realizes that he is trying to get a reaction out of her to see if she's still in the house. He runs frantically to the front door and scans outside. None of the sensor lights are on so he knows she never left. He dumps the garbage bag furiously and retreats back into the house, leaving the door open.

Sweetie runs between his legs outside setting off all the lights and Matthew screams in anger. Now he knows she saw the dead bodies. Now he knows, she knows. Trying to calm his voice, Matthew calls out to her. "You know, I fell in love with you the moment I set eyes on you. You were so sweet and so gentle. Nothing like the slut you're being right now!" He says losing his control. "I gave you everything you asked for Jessica! I gave you what Tom didn't. What Shawn could never. Nobody could be man enough for you. Nobody but me." His voice trails deeper into the house, Jessica figures he's going to check other rooms she takes a moment to think about her next move.

Erika and Derrek were asleep on her couch when they were awoken by a police siren driving down the road. "What time is it?" Erika asks Derrek who is lazily searching for his phone. "Holy crap, it's 9:07 pm!" Derek announces rubbing his eyes. "Anything from Jessica?" Erika asks concerned. Derrek checks his messages and his calls, "Nothing." He says disappointed. "Okay, I have an idea," Erika says, she turns on her laptop and sits down at her desk. She starts typing into the web browser and selects the auto-complete option for 'Find my Phone' and then selects the Google Webpage named 'Find my Device'. Derrick watches her from over her shoulder curiously. Erika sneaks a quick kiss before explaining.

"I used to lose my phone a lot. So after buying an android I linked it to all of my information and have been able to track where I last left it." She waits for the page to load. "Sometimes it gets tricky when I leave it in the Café because the location shows my home above the café and doesn't pinpoint it exactly. But I can call it, locate it, and wipe information from it. It's a great service." The page loads up with the phone's location on a map. "Where is that?" Erika asks scratching her head, she zooms out until she can see the route from their location. "Should we call her?" Derrick asks. "I think she might be in trouble," Erika says, dodging his question. "Are you serious?" He says concerned, getting anxious. "It looks like a property, it's totally gated and humongous. It looks like an island. I'm scared that if she is in trouble, and we text or call her, we might give away the phone."

Erika makes a good point, but Derrick isn’t sitting right with the circumstances. "So, now that you are my girlfriend, are you going to be mad at me for taking a picture of this map and then taking a drive over to save my sister?" Derrick asks her, she could see the rage growing inside him but all she could focus on was how cute he was for calling her his girlfriend. "No." She said as she hit the 'print screen' button on her laptop. "Because, as your girlfriend, I'm coming with you." She tells him as she holds up the printed map. Derrick smiled in relief, not only for her support but because she acknowledged herself as his girlfriend. "Let's head down through the Café and I'll make coffee so we don't fall asleep on the road. Can you grab my car charger? See if it fits your phone?" Erika gets up from the desk and grabs her Jean jacket and shoes. Derrick looks through the basket she pointed at and pulls out a car charger that fits the lighter socket in his car. He checks the cord and it’s a match.

Erika picks up his sweater from the couch and passes it to him, "Let's go downstairs." She says as they leave her apartment. It's dark outside, the streets glow and form an eerie sphere around the bulbs. The air is moist and foggy and it's hard to see clearly down the road. Erika leads Derrick down the stairs and into the café. The lights are on and some of the machines are still lit up. Erika throws Derrick the keys and he goes to the front door to lock the keyed deadbolt above the daily locks she had locked earlier. Erika fills her new machine with beans and then hits a series of buttons, then she goes and turns off all the other machines. She then takes two paper cups and fills them with coffee. She puts on the plastic lids and calls for Derrick to follow her out the back door.

He does so, taking his coffee from her and she hits the master light switch. All the lights in the café go off and she closes the door. Locking it in 2 places, she turns to Derrick and they walk around the building to his car. The narrow alleyway is dark and smelly from the community dumpster and bags piled outside of it. There is a blanket, some crumpled napkins, and a garbage bag that looks like a bean bag. The napkins appear to have sketches on them. Derrick kneels down and opens up one of the napkins. "Hey, is this your napkins?" Derrick asks, holding up one with a drawing of Jessica on it." Erika is shocked but inspects the pattern along the edges. "Yeah, that’s one of mine. That looks a lot like" "Jessica," Derrick says cutting her off. Both of them stare at each other, confirming Erika's earlier assumption.

Erika inspects the area a little closer, she goes to move the black bag where more napkins are buried but it is ridiculously heavy. She rips open the bag and reveals torn, ripped, and dirty clothing. "This looks like what the homeless man wore when he used to visit the café." Erika digs through the clothing a little more, she pulls out a blood-stained sweater, the one the homeless man wore almost every day. She exchanges looks with Derrick. "You don't think?" She asks Derrick, but he already knows what she's thinking. "We have to leave, now!" The two run to the car and Derrick fires it up. They take off down the road following the map to where the device was located.

"It's not fancy," Derrick said, disappointed while taking sips of his coffee. "Well, I didn’t have time to make it fancy," Erika told him, plugging his phone into her charger. "Have you ever been out of the city?" Derrick asked her, trying to make conversation. "No. Have you?" She asked, checking on the map to make sure they were following the right way. "Only once." He said. "There was a house party after graduation, everyone was getting drunk at one of the houses in the next town." Erika listened to his story. They indulged in anything that could keep their mind off of the worst possible scenario, Jessica ending up like Shawn.

They leave town and drive carefully over the bridge. The fog gets thicker as they cross over the water, leaving the area looking like a spooky movie set. Jessica reaches for Derrick's hand, and he grabs hers tightly. The remainder of the car ride is silent as they drive through the towns, hoping they will find Jessica. Please be all right. Erika repeats in her mind, sending protection and love to Jessica, wherever she is.

Jessica awakes on the floor beside the bed, her hand is handcuffed to the frame of the bed. Jessica tries to get free, but it's no use. She was stuck there. Her head ached, and she traced her free hand along her forehead. There was a huge gash that was bleeding. Jessica felt nauseous and dizzy. She tried to focus on the room, but it was fuzzy and spinning. Laying her head back against the bed frame, her scalp was tender. She investigated her head carefully, feeling soft spots and moist spots. Controlling her breathing, she tries to think of a way out of this. She inspects her hand and the handcuff. Sliding the ring up and down, there wasn't much space left on the smallest part of her wrist. She thought about breaking her thumb or dislocating it to give her some extra room to slide the cuff off.

"Good evening." she heard Matthew coming from the bedroom door but she couldn't see him. Blood drips down her left side and into her eye. "Are you thirsty? It's been a few hours, you should probably hydrate." Jessica starts to cry, her emotions getting the best of her. Ignoring her emotional outbursts, Matthew proceeds to enter the room, he places a tray on the bed and opens a water bottle. He pours the water into a bowl then he offers it to Jessica, holding it just outside of her mouth. She hesitates turning her head away, but realizes this might be her only chance to get water into her body. She co-operates, for now, and drinks the water as he tips the bowl for her. He then takes the bowl away and drops a face cloth into the bowl. "Don't drink that." He tells her as he opens a package of powder and dumps it into the bowl with the towel.

He gives her the remaining water in the bottle and places it in her free hand. Then he kneels before her with the bowl, soaking the towel and ringing it out. He gently wipes her face, cleaning off the dried blood and attending to the fresh wound. Whimpering, Jessica asks, "Why are you doing this?" Matthew looks at her with a raised eyebrow. He began to smirk. "Because you’re bleeding." He said softly, chuckling to himself. "No, why am I here?" She asks him, more sternly. "Well, you wanted to eat so I cooked you a lovely meal. Then you wanted to swim so we did that. Then you wanted me, so we did that too. And now, you're here." He shoots her a devious smile, then dunks the blood-soaked towel into the bowl of water. He rings it out again and returns to cleaning her face. "That's not what I mean." She says annoyed with him, pointing at the handcuff.

"That's only temporary." He says smugly, appearing annoyed with her as well. "I need you to be good." He says now holding her chin so that she can look into his eyes. "Will you be good?" He asks her sweetly. She holds back from spitting in his face. If she wants to get out of that cuff, she may need to play nice. "Would you like to take a shower?" He asks, pointing to the connecting bathroom. "I'll let you. I'll take the cuff off as long as you promise not to leave this room, okay?" Trying to contain herself, she nods in agreement. He pulls a key chain out from his pocket with many keys attached to it. He selects a small silver one and unlocks her hand from the bed.

She rips her hand out before he can open it all the way. She rubs it gingerly, there are red lines from her hand hanging against the metal. He puts the keys away and leaves the cuff dangling. "Towels are in the bathroom cabinet. Please, don't use white. I believe there are some brown ones, use those to dry up." He stares at her for a moment and begins to speak carefully. "I want you to stay with me. I am afraid you'll leave. Prove to me, you'll stay?" He stands up with the bowl and face cloth and leaves the room. There is a clicking sound from the other side of the door, and then silence after that. Jessica slowly gets to her feet. She feels weak and sore. She quickly walks to the bedroom door and tries to open it. Locked? She thinks to herself. The knob won't budge. She inspects the handle further and sees that there is a deadbolt in the handle with the key part facing her.

That's what that noise was. He must have locked it from the other side. Jessica reviews her surroundings. Large bedroom, no windows, attached walk-in closet, again no windows, and a connecting bathroom, with no windows. She couldn't escape this part of the pool house. Jessica sits on the floor and tries to think. She scratches her head, feeling dried blood collect under her fingernails. Maybe I should take a shower. She thinks as she slowly gets up and walks to the bathroom. She opens the cabinets and sees white towels on one side, and brown on the other side. Afraid of what he might do to her if she doesn't obey, she grabs one of the brown towels and shuts the cabinet. She runs the hot water, allowing the room to get steamy, then she cools it down and steps under the large square rain-like shower head.

Tears stream down her face as she allows her emotions to come out in the safety of these glass walls. She missed her Mom, knowing that she is probably freaking out not knowing where she is. And sadly, she missed Derrek. She wishes she just waited for Derrick to collect her and stayed at the café where she was safe, with Erika. Oh my god. That's when it hit her. Erika's phone! I can call the police! I can call Derrick! She excitedly finishes up the shower and turns off the water. Wrapping herself up in the towel she bursts out of the bathroom and into the closet, but her purse wasn't there. Did I move it? She checks the bedroom but doesn't see it there either. Defeated again, Jessica sits down on the bench in the closet and looks at all the clothing hanging, just for her. For the rest of her life. However, longer that may be.

She shops through the outfits, admiring each one for all of its beauty. If only these were different circumstances, just hours ago, Jessica was having the time of her life. And now, she isn't sure of what her life holds. Gowns, dress shirts, pretty scarves, and accessories. What a shame. Jessica felt depressed, how could she ever escape? She reluctantly put on a white tank and a pair of loose jeans. Sitting on the bench she looked up at all the clothing again. Was it all really just for her? Or had he had other victims, and what happened to them? She pulled out a long satin scarf and wrapped it around her body, the sheer material had a beautiful floral pattern and it was big enough that she could wrap her entire body in it. Suddenly, this gave Jessica an excellent idea.

Jessica pulled all of the scarves out of the basket. She weaved three of them that were close in length together and created a very strong braid. This made it hard to rip through the scarves, which was exactly what Jessica intended. She dragged one of the bedside tables and placed it behind the door, leaving just enough swing for Matthew to open it and enter the room. Then Jessica sat on the table and waited for Matthew's return.