Mary Ann S.
16 year old Andi Carter turned a corner
while following her brother through down town New York. She was thinking about
the case her oldest brother Justin was working on.
Apparently, a boy had murdered his
father and was put in a confinement center. The problem was the boy could
hardly stand the site of blood. The neighbor had come in to see the boy
kneeling over the body of his father completely in shock but the weapon was
never found.
“Ow” said Andi as she ran into
someone. She looked up into the clear blue eyes of a boy about her age.
“Stop them” yelled a man running at
them.
“Come on” yelled the boy. Then Andi
noticed a boy and a girl the same age as the other one and a boy around the age
of 12. The girl grabbed the younger boy and shoved past Andi as the other two
followed.
“Why didn’t you stop them?” asked the
man that was chasing them. “They are runaways from the state pen.”
“We didn’t have legal right to
restrain them” said Justin.
“Now if you would excuse us we have to
go.” said Andi’s brother Mitch as he led Andi away from the men.
Back at the hotel all Andi could think
about was the kids. “Who do you think they are?” Andi asked Justin as he was
trying to do paperwork for the case.
“I don’t know Andi.” he replied “Why
don’t you ask Chad and Mitch to take you to the park? It’s beautiful this time
of year with all the lights.”
After Andi had persuaded her brothers
to come with her they set off toward Central Park. They walked around in the
night and came across a man that was playing the violin.
“May I have this dance Miss Carter?”
Chad asked Andi.
“You may.” she replied laughing and he
spun her in a waltz.
After the song ended Chad led Andi
over to the side then she saw that while they were dancing, quite a crowd had
gathered to dance. Chad had gone away to put money in the man’s cup and Mitch
was talking to a man on the side.
Andi heard a sound in the bushes next to her.
As she turned she saw two eyes looking out at the dancers. They shifted to look
at her when they saw her looking at them the person in the bush ran.
“Wait. “ Andi called “I won’t hurt
you.”
The person was still running and Andi—being
Andi—followed. The person must have thought she stopped following them for they
slowed down. They led Andi to a bridge with a fire under in and three people
standing around looking off into the night.
“Josh.” one called out “Where have you
been?”
“Watching people dance.” said the one
Andi had followed. She noticed his voice sounded young.
“We need to stay together.” said a
different person stepping close to the fire.
Andi gasped. It was the boy she had
run into earlier that day!
“Sorry Aaron,” said Josh “I got bored.”
“Emerson,” Aaron said talking to the
last person at the fire “can you and Adam go get Josh something to eat?”
“Sure.” said a girl’s voice as she
turned away from the fire. As she turned Andi saw her bright red hair gleam in
the fire light.
After they were gone, Aaron called
Josh over to the fire.” Do you think anyone saw you?” he asked.
“Well, a girl saw me and tried to
follow but I think she gave up.”
“Good” Aaron said. “We can’t let
people know we are here or else . . .”
Andi slid away from the fire light and
ran all the way back to the clearing.
“Andi where have you been?” yelled
Chad “We have been looking everywhere for you.” Not waiting for her to answer,
he hollered, “Over here Mitch. I found her.”
A few seconds later a relieved-looking
Mitch came running up the trail wrapping her in a hug. “I’ve a mind to put you
over my knee.” he said “But you are too old for that now. Don’t you ever run
off like that again.” He reprimanded her gently shaking her shoulders.
“Yes don’t you know—”
“Chad please stop.” Andi cut her
brother off. “I need to see Justin right now.”
“What happened?” asked Mitch.
”Nothing yet. Justin!” Andi hollered
as she busted through the hotel room door.
“I’m in here Andi, and please don’t
yell at people are trying to sleep.”
“Justin, I found them.”
“Found who?” Justin asked, glancing up
at Chad and Mitch.
“The kids on the street this morning.”
“Andi why don’t you go to bed and we
will talk about this in the morning.”
“OK.” said a not very happy Andi.
In the morning Andi woke up at 6:15 sharp and got dressed in a blue cotton dress and then
went downstairs to join her brothers for breakfast.
“Andi,” said Justin smiling up at her.
“Have a seat honey. Now tell me how did you find the kids?”
“I followed a boy and they are hiding
under a bridge.”
“So you left the safety of your
brothers and followed a boy you didn’t know in the dark?”
“Well yes I did. But that was last
night, and this is today. Those kids are still out there.”
“Well after your breakfast we are
going to go down to the New York City Confinement Center and tell them all we
know about the kids so we can be sure they are the right kids. Then you are
going to take us to them, and they will be taken back there where they will be
safe.”
After breakfast Andi and her brothers
hopped on a streetcar and took it uptown. They walked a few blocks till they
came to a large brick building with a rod-iron fence around it.
“This looks nice.” said Mitch.
“Let’s go.” said Justin.
At the gate a man looked at them,
asked their names, and let them come through. Once inside, a women walked
through a door leading a boy with tear marks on his face. “Wait in there.” she
said motioning to the door she had just come through.
They walked into a room and sat on a
couch. Andi sat between Chad and Mitch.
The lady came back through the door
and walked through a door on the other side of the room. A few minutes later
she came back and said, “Headmaster Spencer will see you now.”
“How may I help you?” asked a man
sitting behind a desk. He reminded Andi of a predator bird just before the
kill.
“I believe we have information about
some kids who are yours,” Justin said.
“Oh yes please have a seat please.”
After they sat down Andi looked around
the room. The fireplace was centered on the back wall and a desk was set in
front of it with two chairs in front of the desk. Justin sat in one chair in
front of the desk, and Andi, Chad and Mitch sat on a couch opposite the desk. There
was pictures of people all over the walls.
“Andi,” said Justin as he woke Andi
from her thinking “Will you please come up here and tell Master Spencer about
the kids?”
“Yes sure.” She told him all she knew
about the kids.
“Did you happen to get any names?”
asked the Headmaster.
“One’s name was Aaron, and the younger
one’s name was Josh, and the girl was Ember or Emery . . . Emerson. And the
other boy is Adam.”
“Thank you for your help. Now let me
get my coat, and your sister a can lead us to where they are.” He stood up and
walked over to the door after putting his coat on.
As Andi turned she saw a glint and
turned to see a thick heavy belt hanging on the edge of the mantle. Then she
saw the boy that was led out right when they were led in. Had he felt the belt?
What about Aaron, Josh and Emerson or Adam? Would he use the belt on them?
When they went outside Andi saw a box
wagon waiting for them with a smaller wagon behind it with three men in it.
Andi led them to the bridge, and as they started down the hill toward the water
Andi didn’t fell right. Oh God, is this
the right thing to do? She prayed it was.
They heard a laugh as they got closer
and as they came around a corner Aaron stood up with Adam right next to him. They
shoved Emerson and Josh behind them, their broad shoulders making a wall between
their family and Andi and her party.
The men quickly overpowered the boys.
As one reached for Josh, Emerson’s fist sent him into the dirt. “That is not
very proper, Emerson.” said Master Spencer as he twisted her arm behind her
back. “Come along Josh,“ he said as he led Emerson away.
Josh hesitated before following them.
He let his eyes fall on Andi. “You?” he said, betrayal evident in his voice “Why
did you do it?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Now I’m not sure
if this is right.”
“You should have thought about that
sooner. We only wanted to go home.”
“Josh’ yelled the Headmaster, “come
along or I’ll have to punish you more than you already have coming.”
Andi and her brothers rode back to the
center in the wagon following the one the kids were in. Once back, the Carters
and the kids where put in the office.
“I only have to fill out some paper
work,” said Justin “then we can go.”
“What is your name.” Andi looked up to
see Aaron looking at her.
“Um....Andi.....No.....Andrea Carter”
“Carter like Circle C Carter?”
“Yes, and you’re Emerson, right?”
“Yup but some people call me Em.”
“How old are they?” asked Justin.
“Aaron, Adam, and Emerson are all just
16 and Josh is 12. Now for your punishment,” said the Headmaster, grabbing the
strap off the wall and turning to the kids. “Who is first?”
Andi saw that Aaron and Adam had put
Emerson and Josh behind them, but Aaron was grasping Emerson shaking one. Andi
knew he had hurt her before and she couldn’t stand to see him, whip the kids. “Justin,”
Andi said. “I need to go right now.”
“We will be leaving you now,” Justin
said maybe a bit too loud.
“Oh yes,” the headmaster said as he
pulled Aaron from his sister’s trembling grasp. “Thank you for your help again.”
Justin led them out, but Andi turned
to see Master Spencer bring the belt down on the boy. Her eyes clouded, and
Chad stepped in front of her and closed the door but it did little to stop the
sound of smacking nor the groans of the unfortunate boy.
At the hotel room that day Andi could
no longer hold back the tears. That night when Justin was gone Andi prayed, “Please
God, help me help show me a way to get them out of that horrible house.”
When everyone was asleep Andi woke and
dressed, left a note for her brothers, and left for the center. She got in
through a hole in the fence and by crawling through a window. As she walked
around she looked in room after room, looking for the kids. When she passed a
stair way she heard someone singing “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.”
She walked down the stairs hoping that
Emerson was the one singing. She was right as she looked over the door she saw
Adam and Aaron lying face down on two of the beds and Emerson sang to Josh as
he lay sobbing on his own bed.
“Psss Emerson. Wake up the boys and
let’s get going.”
“Andi what are you doing here?” hissed
Aaron standing up.
“I came to get you out of here. Now
wake Adam up and let’s go.”
“He’s not asleep, he’s in pain. Do you
think anyone could sleep after the beating he gave us?”
“I said I was sorry. Now are you to be
mad at me or let me help you?” Andi started to feel her own anger rising.
“I’m not mad at you Andi.” Aaron said.
“I’m mad at Spencer and everyone else that hurt us. But you have to go. Spencer
won’t stop to think if he finds you here.”
“I’m not leaving you all here,” Andi
said in a determined voice.
“Think about Josh and Emerson. How
much longer do you think they can handle this?”
“It’s Josh and Emerson I’m thinking
about, Andi. If we get caught again, Adam and I will get sent to real prison,
Emerson will gets sent to a girls’ home, and I don’t know what Spencer will do
to Josh, and we won’t be here to protect him. I can’t risk hurting us anymore
than they already have. Go home to California, to your family, and tell Justin
to drop Zack’s case. He won’t win.”
“How do you know all that and where I
live? Who are you all?”
“Aaron Farrell.”
Andi gasped. The Farrells owned the
biggest spread in Nevada, and Mr. and Mrs. Farrell where good friend of her
mother’s.
”How did you get out here?” Andi
asked.
“Spencers’ men nabbed us off the
street and had us brought here. The more kids here, the more money Spencer gets
paid to keep us here. Zack’s father was shot by one of Spencers’ men, so now he
gets to stay here till he’s 21. Thats 7 years, Andi. Think how much they are
paying him for that. Anyone that doesn’t like it, Spencer has taken care of the
same as Zack’s father. Now, you get out of here before the night watch comes.”
Andi turned to leave and heard a sound
on the stairs.
“To late,” Aaron said. “Andi, the door only opens from the outside. Get
in here.”
“Then we all will be locked in.”
“That is a chance we are going to have
to take. Here is Emerson’s necklace.”
Andi opened the door and slipped
through, while Aaron wrapped the necklace around the handle then closed the
door.
Adam, who was now up, shoved Andi in a
corner out of view of the window.
A man walked up to the window.” How
are ya’ll?”
”In a lot of pain.” said Adam walking
up to the door.
“Well here, take these” he said
handing them four apples. “Just don’t tell where you got them from or I’ll get
it for sure.”
“Thanks Zeke.” Emerson said as the man
walked away.
“It’s all or nothing.” Adam said.
“I know,” Said Aaron. “Emerson, get
ready, we are leaving now.”
“Josh can’t walk. Someone will have to
carry him.” Emerson said.
”We will take turns.” Adam said.
Aaron used the chain he had wrapped
around the door to open it then they headed out into the dark.
“Wait.” Emerson said as she headed of
the other direction. She came to a door near the end of the hall and opened it,
then led a boy of 14 toward them. “Andi, this is Zack. We are going to get you
out of here.”
They went up the stairs and the clock
chimed 3 in the morning.
“Shift change.” muttered Emerson. “Zeke
is no longer on shift so we have to hurry.” They rounded a corner and walked
into Headmaster Spencer.
“Hello,” he said. “Going somewhere?”
Emerson shoved him aside. ”Run.” she
yelled.
They headed out the gate with voices
following them.
“Oh God help us” Andi prayed out loud.
“Amen” the others all said.
The people chased them till they came
to a bridge.
“Hurry get down.” Aaron ordered.
“No” Andi said. “If we go down there
we will get caught.”
“Aaron I can’t do it,” said Zack. “I
can’t go back. They will hurt me again.”
“Zack,” Adam said, “we won’t let them
hurt you, now come on.”
And with that he led them down the
hill to the bank below.
“They are coming.” Emerson said.
“Aaron please,” Josh said. “I can’t do
it. I can’t stand it.”
“Josh, listen to me” Emerson said “God
is with us. He will get us through this like he always has.”
“The reeds,” Andi said “Get in the
water.”
Aaron led them into the water and over
to where some cattails had grown up and hid them in them.
Andi listened for men to come. As she
did she looked over and saw Aaron with Josh held close with Adam next to him and
Emerson holding Zack’s hand praying.
Emerson held out her other hand to
Andi, who took it and they were all praying for God’s hand of mercy to save
them. God answered their prayers and after a while the voices had gone away.
Andi led the kids back to the hotel.
She tried to come up with a story to tell her brothers and settled on the
truth. When they walked into the hotel room Andi saw her brothers looking over
the note she had left.
”Andi what are you doing?” Chad asked.
“I had to do something, and so we ran
and then went in the water . . . Can I tell you later?”
“Yes” said Justin taking a sleeping
Josh from Adam’s arms. “Let’s get you all to bed and we can talk this all over
later.”
Andi knew there was something she
needed to tell her brothers, but she couldn’t think what it was. Only when she
was settled in bed did she remember.
“Ferrell!” she yelled as she ran into
the next room where her brothers were.
“What?” Mitch asked. “That doesn’t
mean anything at all.”
“Aaron Farrell. That is who they are.
They are Montgomery Farrell’s kids from the Lucky Star in Nevada.” Andi felt
herself falling then Mitch caught her and carried her to bed.
She felt him kiss her on the head and
say “A friend that sticks closer than a brother.”
Two weeks later
the Carters, Farrells, and Zack were on a train pulling into Virginia City,
Nevada. Spencer had been tried and convicted of murder, kidnapping, child abuse,
and child labor and was sentenced to hanging.
The Farrells were contacted and train
fares were bought and arrangements were made for Zack to stay with the Farrells.
“Look, that’s them.” Josh yelled out
the window, pointing to a family of three older boys, a young boy and girl both
younger than Josh. When the train stopped, the Farrell kids were the first off.
They were immediately engulfed in hugs
and tears. “Andi,” said Emerson, pulling her into the crowd, “This is my oldest
brother Steven and this is my younger sister Maria and my kid brother Mark, and
my other two brothers Grant and Blake.”
Andi said her hellos then stood to the
side while the family interacted. She noticed that the oldest Farrell boy
Steven who was 22 didn’t let go of Emerson the whole time.
“Oh Mother,” said Adam “This is Zack.”
Zack held out his hand to Mrs.Farrell.
“How do you do ma’ma?”
Mr. Farrell flung his head back
laughing.” Welcome to the family son” he said pulling the boy into a hug.
Zack started to cry, and the rest of
the Farrells gathered to comfort the new member of the family.
Andi smiled at the family and prayed,
“Thank you, God, for giving Zack a good family, and thank you for bringing them
back together. Amen.”
A man of many companions may come to ruin. But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24
Wow! I love this story Mary Ann, It is so, awesome, amazing, spectacular, wonderful and lots more! I simply couldn't stop reading it!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the idea?
Very awesome job, Mary Ann!
ReplyDelete~Ellen
Wonderful story, Mary Ann! :)
ReplyDelete-Sadie S.
Love it! Great writing.
ReplyDelete