Never Play Hide and Seek (ages 13-17)

 by Sarah T. 

She had nothing to lose. If she didn't take the risk, she would soon be on her way to the Baraby Coast! I'd rather die with Justin. She stepped out of the curtains and raised the derringer. Lord, help me shoot straight, she prayed. 

She aimed and pulled the trigger. BANG!! She missed, hitting her mother's favorite lamp instead! Mr. Henderson spun around, ran, and grabbed Andi by the arm, forcefully throwing the derringer from her hands.

He pressed his pistol into her cheek and whispered, "You are a foolish young girl, Miss Carter. I promised that if you told anyone what you saw, I'd send you to the Baraby Coast. And I never break my promises."

Andi squirmed, kicked, and tried to get away. Mr. Henderson held firm. In a burst of strength, Andi screamed and bit down hard on his arm. He swore and slapped her in the face. Then he yanked Andi's hands behind her back. " No more funny business or you'll regret it." He growled, pushing his pistol further into her cheek. She went limp.

"Wait, may I please say goodbye"? Andi asked with a shaky voice. "Fine." Mr. Henderson growled, "But make it quick."

Andi looked at Justin. She knew that he couldn't see her well, but she saw, for the first time in her life, fear in his eyes. Fear, for himself and her.

"I'm so sorry!" Andi started crying. "This is all my fault!"

"Hush, hush," Justin comforted her. "Andi..." he began, "I love you so much, and I hope you know that."

"I know," Andi said through tears. "I love you too."

"Remember Psalm 46:1, 'God is our Refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.' God will protect you. Never forget that."


Just then, Mr. Hendersons thugs, Sandy and Gordon entered the sitting room. "You know what to do." Mr. Henderson addressed them as he nodded toward Andi.

"Come on, Miss Carter, we have places to go," Sandy said with a sneer that sent chills of fear down her spine.

Sandy and Gordon led Andi outside and gagged her. Just before they knocked her out, she heard a cry of despair, and then nothing. 

                                                                                                  **********

Andi woke up a day later in complete darkness with a pounding headache. Where am I? What happened? Why do I hurt so much? Then it all came back to her in a flood.

"Justin!!!" She started sobbing uncontrollably. This was all her fault. If she hadn't told Justin about Mr. Henderson's evil plans to kill Mathew Powers, then Justin would be alive, and she wouldn't be here. Wait, where was here? She looked around and figured she was in some type of box. Suddenly, there was a powerful jolt, and she drifted back into unconsciousness.

                                                                                                  **********

"Senior Chad!!! Come quick!" Diego called as soon as Chad rode into the yard.

"It's Senior Justin! He's..."

"Where is he?" Chad broke in, "Is he hurt?"  

"In the barn! No more preguntas, just come!"

Chad followed Diego with Mitch on his heels. They burst into the barn where half a dozen ranch hands crowded by an empty stall. Chad and Mitch gasped when they saw Justin's body battered but still breathing. A moment later, someone cried out, and Chad turned around just in time to catch his mother before she hit the floor in a dead faint.


******


Andi felt cold and tired. Had it only been 3 days since Mr. Henderson had burst into the ranch house, kidnapping her and probably killing Jus-

 No. She was not going to think about that. Remember what Justin had told her. God is my refuge. I will not fear. Lord give me the strength for one more day. She prayed. She was locked in a dark room with minimal food and almost no water. She had no idea what would happen next, and she felt scared and hopeless. All of a sudden, the door flew open and a scruffy-looking Mexican man walked into the room.

"Come. You will wash dishes," he said in broken English. Andi jumped up as he grabbed her by the arm, leading her through the door and into an extremely hot kitchen. He yelled at someone in Spanish but Andi couldn't catch his words. That's probably for the best, she thought. The man turned back to Andi, "You will scrub these dishes until they are sparkling clean, or face my wrath!"  Andi reluctantly turned to her grueling task.

 
                                                                                                  **********


After an entire week of getting up at dawn and going to bed after sunset, Andi was completely worn out. How much longer can I do this Lord?  Will I ever see my family or Taffy again? She wondered as she cried herself to sleep.

"FIRE!!!"
Andi woke with a start, jumped off of her makeshift bed, and ran to the door. It's locked!! She realized in dismay.

"HELP!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, banging on the door. After a minute of banging and screaming, she realized no one could hear her. She looked around the room for another way out and saw a small glass window barely big enough for her to fit through. If only I had something to stand on! she thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some crates that she had used earlier as a little table. She dragged them under the window and climbed up. How do I open it? Andi panicked. The smoke was starting to fill the room, making her cough uncontrollably. In a hurry, she yanked off one of her boots and smashed it against the window.


 "CRASH!!!" It shattered into hundreds of little shards. Andi climbed through as quickly as she could and fell onto the ground. Ouch! That hurt!  But she was out! She started running blindly through the alleyway, never looking back. She didn't stop until she reached the main street. She paused, out of breath, and tried to figure out which street she was on. She looked around hoping to find a policeman or someone who could help her find her way home. To her dismay, the street lay almost completely empty. Exhausted beyond belief, Andi finally sank down against a shop's window and cried.

"Don't cry missy. I help you." Andi looked up in surprise.

"Lin Mei?!"  Though it had been 7 months, she still remembered young Lin Mei and her heartbreaking tale. Even still, she was shocked by the young girl standing in front of her.

"I help you, you no worry. Come with me." The little girl grabbed Andi's tattered hand and led her into a nearby shop.

"This is my Muqin and Fuqin. They ado-pted me after you helped me." Lin Mei struggled to say the English word.

"You hurt? My name Lihua Chen."  The young woman spoke in broken English as she gazed into Andi's scared eyes. Andi didn't know what to do. She didn't know these people. But she urgently needed help.

"Could you please take me to my Aunt's house?" Andi quickly asked her. She told them about all that had occurred during the last two weeks and started crying again. Lin Mei gasped in shock.

"Where your Aunt live?" Lihua Chen asked in a comforting tone.

"Pacific Heights" Andi replied.

"If you can give me directions, I will leave and not bother you anymore."

Lihua Chen looked at her husband and said a few words in Chinese. He gave a quick nod. Lihua Chen grasped Andi's battered hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"We take you to your Aunt's house in morning. First, you have meal with us. Okay?" 

"Thank you." Andi gratefully replied.

After the first filling meal Andi had in a while, Lihua put Andi in a spare room and said goodnight. Andi fell asleep almost instantly.

                                                                                                  **********


Will Justin wake up? Will he recover? Where is Andrea? Will I ever see my baby girl again? Elizabeth Carter had so many questions tonight. but her biggest question was: Why? Why did this happen, why was her eldest son lying on the bed beside her, battered, bleeding, and deeply unconscious, and where was her baby, Was she still in the hands of that evil Marvin Henderson? No, she was in God's hands, and he would protect her and Justin. No matter what happened, she would trust and obey the Lord.

                                                                                                  **********

It was a long, silent, and bumpy ride to Pacific Heights the next morning, but Andi was relieved. It gave her a time to think. I'm going home!!! But she was also extremely sad. What would life be like when she got home? Did Mr. Henderson make good on his threat to harm Justin? She didn't know. She loved her big brother so much that she couldn't imagine life without him. He had taken over as her substitute father many many years ago after her father was killed in a ranching accident when she was five years old.

As they rode over the last hill and then in front of her aunt's mansion, Andi was still thinking.

                                                                                                  **********

"Andi!" Kathrine Swanson looked at her youngest sister in shock. "What are you doing here?" 

"Oh, Kate! I've been so scared!!" Andi broke down crying and hugged her sister.

"Could you please wire mother and tell her I'm all right?"

"Calm down little sister, it's alright. Let's go talk." Kate grabbed onto her sister's hand and guided her into the parlor.

 

After a lot of explanations, tears, and hugs, Kate finally got the whole story out of her shaken sister and immediately asked one of the maids to send a wire about Andi's safety to the ranch. Afterward, Kate sent Andi upstairs for a bath and bed. 

As Andi walked up the stairs, she felt a sense of overwhelming relief that she was safe. 

                                                                                                  **********

"Mother! Come quick!!" Chad burst into the Sitting Room in a hurry.

"What is it Chad? Does Sherrif Tate have any news about where Andi is?" 

"No. It's even better!" Chad jumped up in the air like a giddy schoolboy on the last day of school. "It's a wire from Kate! Read it!"

          Elizabeth Carter

     Circle C Ranch 

Please tell Mother that Andi is safe.

She is at Aunt Rebecca's with me. 

I will arrive with her on Wednesday.

She sends her love and misses all of you a lot.

Love,

Kate

 

"Thank You Jesus she is safe!" Elizabeth cried in relief. Now, if only Justin would wake up!

 

One week Later

                                                                                             

Andi was so excited! After 3 whole weeks, Justin had woken up! As she snuggled up next to him, she thought about how much she was thankful for. 

Yes, she was truly blessed beyond belief!


1 comment:

Encourage these young authors!