Chapter Six: It's A Kidnapping! Or Is It?

After my grandmother, that Jane insists I refer to as Gram, leaves the sun room she doesn't return to catch up more. So I sit in silence with Jane for what feels like an eternity. My lips are glued shut but my mind refuses to keep quiet. There are so many new thoughts that worry me and I have suspicions that I'm upsetting my family. But how am I supposed to act when I don't know how to even be myself? Having a family is so new to me, just as much as all of the unbelievable things they told me about.

For the rest of the day I see no sight of Gram who must be avoiding me at all costs and hear little from Jane who only assures Gram will come around eventually. Since that first moment in the sun room I have been uneasy, even though Jane has made me some food and I am sitting at the kitchen table for a late lunch.

Instead of talking to my sister I take a gaze out the large glass doors at the end of the table. They lead to the deck and expose the most beautiful view of rolling hills I have ever seen. Looking at it this morning from the sidewalk doesn't compare to now where I can see even more than before.

The first thing that catches my eye is the little buildings way off in the distance that stand in the valley. It is so far away that if there were any cars driving through its streets I wouldn't be able to see them. On the right is a hill that has small clearings where there are houses that are only a bit closer than the little city below.

Everything else is covered in different shades of green trees. The ones closest to me are fluffy pines that shine in the sun and sway slightly in the breeze. The farthest hills have a blue hue to them that almost match the baby blue sky. The deck must be the perfect place to sit when you need to be alone and sit absorbing up the atmosphere.

"Ellie..." Jane snaps me out of my daze, "Our Papa is on his way home from work, he doesn't know you are here."

I blink down at the dark green and white checkered tablecloth and nod my head. Sitting diagonally from me Jane's back is facing the double windows that are wide open, blowing the lace curtains up. Jane smiles at me, showing a tiny dimple below the right corner of her lip, "I don't know how he will react when he sees that you're alive."

I nod and blink around the L shaped kitchen, realizing I never had the chance to take it in. The roomy table is surrounded on each side with something different. From my perspective the white china cabinet is to my left, it has an opening in the middle and a green countertop. Next to it is two French doors that lead out into a large livingroom. Theres a small table in the corner with decorative tea cups on it.

To my right is Jane and the windows that overlook a patio connected to the deck. Behind me is the rest of the kitchen where there's a white countertop connected to the stove and counters along the rest of the room. The fridge is over by the doorway that goes into the hallway where we first entered through.

Jane suddenly announces, "Gram and I have decided we're gonna leave for Elyria right when we get up tomorrow morning..." Instantly my stomach jumps. "...Gram tried to insist it be tonight but I convinced her it would be too early for you."

I want to decline and tell her tomorrow is way too early for me but my voice box is suddenly broken so I just finish my food and sit absorbing up the atmosphere of this beautiful kitchen. I can't help but stare out the glass doors to the deck across from me to see the full view of the yard and rolling hills outside. It goes on forever, making me feel just as free as ever.

Maybe leaving tomorrow won't be too bad for me. It will make me feel safer from those men that kept me captive forever. Though going to another dimension will be utterly terrifying. Thinking about going to another planet sounds like only a dream, being there will be even more surreal.

My ears pick up on something rolling against pavement, which I assume would be the very same vehicle that my grandfather is arriving in, but still I stand quickly and almost knock over my cup of tea that Jane made for me. She gives me an almost frightened look, "What is the matter?"

My mouth stays plastered shut and I listen to a car door open, feet hitting the pavement then the door shutting making a tiny echo throughout the open air outside. I can hear every move the person makes as they quickly walk up the sidewalk to the side door and enter the garage. I know they are now on the other side of the door, reaching for the handle before anybody else knows they've even arrived.

When the door in the kitchen opens and a tall man enters the room I stumble over my chair making it rub loudly against the wood floor. He does not look familiar but at the sight of me he is caught dead in his tracks. His mouth falls wide open and the newspaper drops out of his right hand. He stumbles backward into the oven in the wall, "Elenor? Is that really you? Jane? Is it?"

I nod my head but can't seem to find any words to speak. The man who I'm assuming is my grandfather just stands doing the same. I blink across the table at Jane who is calm about the situation and smiles, "It is a lot to take in but here she is. I found her."

My grandfather is astounded, "Well I never believed this day would come." His voice is harsh making me wonder if he actually means it. I watch as he picks up the newspaper and throws it on the rounded counter connected to the stove.

I can't speak so I allow Jane to explain to him everything that happened within the past two days. He is quiet and listens until a thought comes to his head, "Those men who took her have to know about Elyria. Why else would they have taken her? I wouldn't be surprised if they are government men from America."

My sister's face falls, "I have been thinking the same. It makes me worry about the fate of Elyria. We can not have any humans discovering our home planet. They could destroy us if they wanted to."

"When are you going to take Elenor back to Elyria? She will be safe there."

When Jane starts talking about what we have planned next he gives me sharp glances. Her filling him in has given me a little more information than I already knew... Jane and Gram believe our missing sister could be where I was being held, and they want to go looking for her there.

After my grandfather leaves the kitchen to check on Gram I whisper, "You want me to go back don't you?"

"Well not alone." Jane says.

After a while of silence I contemplate my life's existence like usual. I knew there had to be a catch, everything is always too good to be true. I escape and foubd my family but they want to send me back. A chill goes up my spine and my brain forces me into a flashback of that wretched place.

Darkness. Silence. Cold. Nothing. Nothing at all. Sitting all alone helpless for days upon days is not how I want to spend my life. Hungry, lonely and sad. I would rather die in there than be there for the rest of my life.

Jane pulls me from my thought, "Ellie you must be wanting to meet Koda and Addie don't you?"

I frown. Even though I want my other family members to be alive and I'd like to meet them eventually, I really can't be certain that they're still living. My youngest sister has been gone almost as long as I was and I believe that she is least likely to be alive. My brother, on the other hand has a chance but I would be surprised if I never see him either.

They are my family but I don't know them at all and so going back is such a big risk for me that I don't want to, even though there's a possibility that they are there. That might sound selfish but it is the truth. I am terrified of those men and even now I worry they will come to take me back.

Our grandmother comes back into the room, overhearing the conversation. She begins to take things out of the fridge and then gets pasta from the pantry, "It will be nice to have our family back together again, but we will have to do this soon."

"Since Ellie has been there before she will know her way around and-"

I can't help myself, "What?"

"We must go sometime this week." Gram says as she pours the pasta into the bubbling pot of water.

Suddenly, having a family feels so wrong for me. Wouldn't they want to wait? I mean, I just got back! Now they are scaring me away. Don't they know how fragile I am? They must not.

"You must be crazy thinking I'm going back there!" Honestly I don't even think I can take them, I can't remember the way I took. It is all a blur.

I could try running away and start off by myself where no one could uncover me. But on the other hand there's no point in leaving because I'd still be miserable for abandoning the only people I know. Besides, I have no where to go in the first place and no way to travel there. Maybe I don't have any luck, then again I escaped that torturous place for something better and hopefully I found it.

My grandfather enters the room and sits next to me. He doesn't speak but eyes me quite mysteriously and in a way so does everyone else. I don't dare look at any of them because how can they be trusted? It has to be a mistake though, maybe I am misunderstanding them or that they just need time to calm down. My family can not be awful people right? On the other hand, I don't want them to act like this. They can't tell me I'm going back!

Jane sighs, "Ellie I'm sorry I upset you. I'm being selfish for saying that we need to take you back. We can just go without you."

That doesn't make me feel any better and so I have no words to say to her. When the pasta and meat sauce is finished and we begin eating it my hands turn clammy. The frown upon my face worsens and I feel tears coming on. I finish my meal, grateful for it and wonder if this is the last good meal I will ever have. I hold back my tears and stand abruptly, "I can't talk any longer tonight."

Jane begins to sit restlessly, "Ellie..."

My grandmother stands, "Alright. Janalyn, take your sister to her room."

I honestly don't know what time it is but really I don't care. Maybe some time alone to think will do me good, I mean I'm not used to any type of interaction with anyone so being around three people at once is a lot for me to handle.

When we leave the kitchen I quietly suggest that she should show me around; more hinding places for me when I need to be alone. But I guess seeing the rest of the house is not much of an option at the moment. Jane has suddenly been set on other priorities than giving me a tour through the mansion.

The hallway is painted red, with a door to the right that goes to the dining room and after that a bar that is set up to fit perfectly where it stands. Across from it is the living room. It's quite formal but I don't get a chance to look at it enough before Jane starts to leave me behind. At the end of the hall are two doors, both of them are shut, and so we turn left at the bar and enter the front room of the house.

"Stay here." Jane demands.

I look around while she leaves, seeing a large staircase behind me that goes up to a balcony. The left and right walls have matching french doors. The one closest to me leads to a dining room while the right one, where Jane went through goes to a little sitting room.

Jane stands in the doorway with the book about the portal clasped in her hands, "I have decided I need to go up to my bedroom as well."

I casually look down to the decorative carpet below my feet, paying attention to the red that matches to walls of the tall room so well. It also has some green in it that's the same exact color as the front door across from the staircase.

My eyes follow up the beautiful staircase to catch a glimpse of the second part of the staircase, but instead I find the biggest gold chandelier I will ever come across in my lifetime. It is so large that if it fell right now it would crush me. Its something that looks like it came straight from a castle; even the chain it hangs from is so big that the rings are the size of a small melon.

Jane passes by me and goes up the staircase. I follow close behind and eye the large grandfather clock at the top. The blcony is like a hallway, leading to a few doors. It overlooks the living room as well as the front room.

Gram's voice eccowes throughout the open mansion, "Good night my girls. If you need anything just come down!"

After what happened in the kitchen I thought they would all be mad at me for not wanting to talk anymore. It's not that I'm entirely angry at her, yes I'm quite upset about them wanting to take me back. I'm suprised my grandmother said good night. The words are comforting but I genuinely don't know how to reply. It's just that no one's ever spoke to me in that manner before.

I just watch as Jane opens the door at the top of the stairs to our left. She switches the light on for me, "This is your bedroom."

I take a look inside, "We have our own bedroom's here?"

"There's enough for everyone in the family," She smiles but then it quickly fades. "I can't remember the last time this door was open." She looks around for a second and then sighs, "I will get you some new sheets and change the bed for you."

While she is gone I step to overlook the living room and sulk against the railing, apprehevsive about tomorrow's events. I'm hoping that going to a whole other planet will be the time of my life and I'll get distracted from where I first came from. I won't ever forget what those men did to me, and now I hope that I can stay away from them forever.

My eyes catch a second of the sky turning light pink in the sunset, which is even more extravagant because I can see a better view here. As I watch through the skylights my ears catch my grandmother's footsteps pacing around someplace below.

When Jane comes back and has made my bed for me, which I did not know how to do, I stand taking in her presence before she can leave for bed. As she leaves I watch her peek through the half open door, her blue eyes are sunken and she hides her sleepiness, "Good night Ellie. I'll see you in the morning."

There is still tension between us but I say as I tuck myself into the bed, "Good night Jane."

****

My body jolts awake and my eyes come across nothing in the darkness. My heart races and my whimpers from the nightmares I've had are exceptionally loud. I sit up with confusion believing somebody will hear and rush to silence me but when memories pop into my head I'm flooded with relief. It takes me only a second to identify where I am while my hands grasp the tangled sheets of a comfortable bed.

Reality hits me hard, I am safe here for now until we go back to that place. My trembling fingers tuck a stray strand of hair out of my face as my eyelids fall down slowly. I declare I can go back to sleep until my body decides it has to use the bathroom. As I stick my bare feet over the edge of the bed I wonder where the nearest bathroom is.

My left foot takes it's first step and instantly I know something is wrong. What is tangled around my ankles? The bedsheet? My body collides with the floor as my left hand smacks the leg of the vanity that's against the wall. Landing on my stomach knocked the wind right out of me so my desperate yelp did not manage to escape my mouth.

I sit up and find that there indeed is something around my ankles. Something cold. At first I think I am imagining it until my fingertips land against a cold metal. The familiar feeling of being locked up make the gears in my brain to turn, causing me to become aware of what's happening.

The men must have followed us here and waited for night to fall to capture me. Pure horror runs through my body like a freight train. When they bring me back they will tourture me for escaping. I shudder in agony, still holding my wrist and remembering what pain feels like. I almost forgot it exists.

I don't take any time wondering if someone's in the room, I already know I'm alone. Though the only thing left amiss is the door that's wide open. I only left it agape when I went to bed.

My eyes squint, seeing the door to Jane's bedroom wide open as well. My stomach drops even more than it already has... What have I done? I've endangered my family by coming here! Why was I so clueless? I was so caught up in my future and my life that I never stopped and thought about their safety.

Quickly I struggle to get to my feet but when I do I'm already hopping out the door and standing at the top of the stairs. The only light, is a yellowish glow that comes from below in the livingroom. But I don't need to see, I can already hear every sound in this house.

I'm about to call out for one of my family members until I hear only one person coming from Jane's room. Their heart bead is fast, almost out of control and indicating they are distressed. I assume it is Jane but then wonder why she was harassed and then left alone.

I can't even get to the door yet before someone comes charging out of it, bumping the door slightly making an exceptionally loud creak. The slightly tall figure decides to grab me around the weist and hull me over their shoulder like I'm a rag doll.

My pounding heart skips a beat from fright and the disturbing touch of a stranger makes me panic. Halfway down the stairs I have already suspected the intruder to be a male by their tough build and strong manly scent. Not knowing how to react I open my mouth but nothing can come out.

When we get to the first floor I am set free but they come after me in a new way, grabbing my hurt wrist. Without thinking I take the gloved hand and bite down so hard that he actually groans. I don't release him even as he squeezes my stomach so tight I squeal. Without being able to help it much longer I open my mouth and no matter how badly I squirm he continues out the frount door with me.

The screen door slams shut startling somebody sleeping inside the house. I hear them jump to their feet as the uninvited man slips down the frount steps with me stumbling beside him. I find a vehicle zipping down the driveway but then it dissapears behind the trees and into the night.

Rain comes down as a light mist ontop of our heads. It's so quiet I didn't notice the sound of it from inside. In the overcast darkness of the night I catch a glimpse of a small shadow, possibly a young woman or man coming for us from the driveway. I assume the newcomer is on this guy's side until they run to the two of us as if they were completly enraged.

I am harshly dropped into the damp grass while my captor rolls ontop of the other and pins them down. I ignore the fighting, knowing full well that the larger of the two is going to win and come after me. I scan my eyes across the driveway, seeing in the moonlight two new cars in the driveway. My best bet is to hop into the one with the open drivers seat door. The lighting from the car is shadowy, showing off how dense the fog is.

My hands try pushing myself to my feet but I'm entirely bound with an immense fear that I have never fealt before. When a deep and frightening voice lets out a meaningless mumble I hear the sound of a bone in his body cracking. My eyes blink over to them who are laying on the sidewalk, stunned I find the small one out of the two rise in triumph. The other one lays on the ground completly knocked out but alive.

My captor quickly comes over to me and gently offers his hand, "We have to leave!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Would you rather stay here with that sleeping Hunter or come with the guy who took him out for you?"