Page 114 of Letters to the Lost

Please give me another chance to be your dad again.

I love you little monster.

Love

Dad

x

I quickly fold the letter up, place it in my bag, and wipe my tears. Ellie’s aggressive beeping as she waits outside impatiently in her car has me rushing out the door.

“I’m here woman, jesus,” I breathe out as I climb in.

“Hey, Toots. Nice to see you too,” She laughs as we pull out onto the road, “Soooo what do you need to speak to me about.”

“I was told something about you, and I need to know if it’s true,” I tell her, trying to get straight to the point.

“Omg! I knew he couldn’t keep his mouth shut until we knew what was happening,” She rants, hitting her steering wheel, “Look, I admit I’m with your brother…”

“Wait you’re with my brother?!” I shout, “I thought you were with Shan.”

“I am. I’m sort of with both. Shan’s decided she hates dick and I’m bi. Brenn likes me, I like him, but I also like Shan and they don’t like each other but they are really good friends and they both like me, so it works…”

“Breathe Ellie, jesus.”

“You aren’t mad?” she asks me as she quickly glances over at me.

“Nope. Bit grossed out but I’m with his friends so I can’t really say anything.”

“If that isn’t what you wanted to talk about then what is?” she asks me as we pull into traffic.

“My dad told me he hired you to be my bodyguard.”

“Shit. Hey, really quick can you pass me my bag that’s in the back seat?”

“Sure,” I say, leaning over the center console to reach behind, grab her green rucksack, and hand it to her, “But anyway, my dad told me, and I started to doubt we were actually friends, which then Brenn rushed to re-OW!”

A sharp pain radiates up my neck and as I try to lift my hand to feel what it was, I realize I can’t move it.

Panic wells up inside of me, my lungs want to gasp for air, but I feel darkness pulling me under.

The last thing I see is Ellie holding a syringe, her eyes sad and filled with tears.

I’m shaken awake by the car hitting what I assume is a pothole, gravel crunching under the tires. I’m not alert enough to move or open my eyes, but I can hear Ellie’s panicked mutters as she tries to navigate the road.

What is she doing? I genuinely thought she was my friend, but I don’t understand what’s happening right now and all I can focus on is the panic that is pumping adrenaline through my body.

The car comes to a stop and the driver-side door slams shut as she exits the car, and then my side is flung open. My body is only being held in the car by the seatbelt as I feel it lean to the side.

“Do you have her?” a raspy deep voice asks from outside, but I can’t place it.

Whatever Ellie drugged me with is making the darkness try to pull me under again.

“Promise to leave Shan alone,” Ellie demands.

“Promise. Cross my heart and hope to die,” The voice mocks as he lifts me from the car.

My body is placed into a backseat and laid down; a hand skims up my thigh then the same pain from before.

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