Friday morning at 7:01 A.M….

Everything was hurting but it felt like nothing was there.

I woke up in the middle of Utah’s vast sandy desert. Rock formations were scattered along the northern horizon. The events of yesterday came rushing to me like a growing sandstorm.

Speaking of which, there looked to be one forming out in the distance. I had to seek shelter or be caught in the gale of flying sand.

There wasn’t much I could do to get myself up besides gritting my teeth through the pain. I felt the dirt cling to my clothes like a horrible ex-boyfriend. Ha! I should know…

Even my sense of humor seemed to be suffering in this miserable morning heat. As soon as I could get up, I started to limp along towards the road. There was absolutely no sign of the bus, so I hoped that it had moved on to the next town or even left the state all together. The closer I was to the band, the closer I was to danger.

Taking off my sweatshirt, I wrapped it around my waist. It was so tempting to strip down to my shorts and bra right now, but I had to be semi clothed if a vehicle came by. I just needed a ride to the nearest town so that I could get some medical help.

My feet hit the old road and I started walking in the direction the bus had been headed. Hopefully, I would hit a small cluster of buildings by sometime this afternoon. Taking a shaky breath in, I started in the middle of the road. A line that was worn and faded was my guide. I would follow it wherever it would lead me to.

As I stumbled along the cracked tar, I felt a sweat gather at the back of my neck. The sharp pains had dulled to a numb throbbing. As long as I didn’t put too much weight on it, I would be fine to hobble for another hour or so.

In my stupidity, I had forgotten to snag a water bottle before getting out of the bus. Now, I was stuck on the verge of heat stroke with a twisted ankle, and hallucinations building at the back of my mind.

My mind wandered from topic to topic. I was happy to be alone, even in the heat. At least I wasn’t with those cruel men. I grimaced at the thought of going back.

Who were they going to sell me to? It sounded like a high bidder, someone who was willing to pay a lot of money for a nobody like me. I was just an aspiring astronomer! I had nothing, I meant nothing to them!

They said it was a trade, what I was a part of. Capture the prettiest targets, “train” them, and then sell them to the highest bidder. It was like a hunter chasing the largest buck.

Apparently, I was the buck with the most points on his head.

So they had caught me, used any weakness I had to “train” me to be a better slave, and then were about to sell me off. The bidder was going to meet them around this area in a couple of days. If I could survive out here long enough, I would be golden! I could escape!

All I had to do was survive.

My feet wobbled on the line and I straightened myself out. During the past two weeks, I was taught that pain would come to me if they rain their nails down my back, the sensitive part of my body. I was taught that I should never talk back and barely speak at all. I was taught that I must obey anything they commanded.

I was taught this and more.

They were lessons I would never forget.

The heat visibly wavered off the tar like shaky dancers trying to entertain empty air. I smiled a little and wiped beads of sweat off my damp forehead. I tasted the salt on my tongue as a single drip landed on my lips. They were beginning to chap up. What I wouldn’t give for that Refreshing Wave Artic Blast stick of coolant on my bedside table right now!

What I wouldn’t give to be back home….

A half hour later…

I was starting to really worry about my mental stability.

In the past half mile, I saw two people who looked like Oli and Jordan drive in a little Buick on the side of the road. I knew it wasn’t real because there was a purple dog in the back of the car, but I couldn’t be sure. There hadn’t been a car at all to pass me by. There was no physical vehicle, and I was losing hope in hitchhiking a ride.

I heard mom reciting the poems in her sing song voice until I too, was mumbling them along. I recited my constellations to keep myself in reality. After I went through all the major star artwork, I started to recite poems.

“Annabel Lee and her palace by the sea….” I started out. It was one of my favorite poems. I loved Edgar Allan Poe’s dark twist on love. Plus, I admired the name of the woman in the epic.

When I looked up from my downwards glance, I saw buildings.

Buildings! In the distance! Was I real looking at the real thing or just a hallucination? No, they were real. I saw a car pull out of one building and turn away from me. I smiled a faint smile and hobble faster towards the cluster of buildings. There seemed to only be about three or four of the structures. I glimpsed part of a gas station and what looked to be a restaurant beside it.

In twenty minutes, I had gotten to my destination. My eyes were watery and I saw nothing but what was right in front of me. A man gave me an odd look as he walked out of the bar. A sign announced that it was called The Restless Wanderer. It seemed to be such a strange name for an establishment, but I didn’t care. As long as I got a glass of water, I wouldn’t mind.

Pushing through the doors that seemed to weigh two thousand pounds, I shouldered my way into the mostly empty bar. There weren’t that many people here. It seemed to be some residents that chatted with the men cleaning glasses behind the counters. There were a few families that peered through the dirty glass windows appeared pleased with the interior and decided to stop on by. From the way they looked, I speculated that they were tourists passing through Utah and longed for a break.

I wobbled through the bar until I got to a booth. A young looking man, about twenty years old or so, came and looked at me curiously.

“Hello ma’am. I couldn’t help but notice you were walking strange. You okay?” He asked me, a southern drawl lingering in his voice. I nodded, trying to tough it out. Water first, medical attention second.

“Yes, thank you. I’ve been walking for about two hours. Do you think you can help me out and can I have some water?” I basically panted. He nodded quickly and scurried behind the bar to go get a glass. My throat was parched and at the sight of the clear liquid sloshing around in the new glass, I almost threw myself at the waiter. He set his delivery in front of me. The four families around us paid our little conversation no attention.

The man, whose nametag read Jason Kisner, sat down across from me at the booth.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Just call me Rory.” I chuckled, taking a sip of water.

“So why were you wandering out there?” He asked. I took note of the blonde hair that swept over his face. Maybe he could help me out, call the police later. The boys would never know him.

“Well, I got a little lost and was walking in the dark. I caught my foot in a hole and twisted my ankle. When I woke up, it was in the morning and I walked here.” I shrugged, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. His bright eyes widened.

“No, please tell me you weren’t all out there on your own!” He exclaimed quietly. I nodded. “Oh man, you need medical attention. We need to get you to a hospital.” He told me. I held up my hand for him to slow down.

“First, can I just have some food? I don’t have any money on me, but I promise that I can get you some soon.” I explained quickly. I was deathly afraid that he wouldn’t let me eat if I couldn’t pay.

“No worries. Please, let me put this on the house.” He smiled and patted my hand. I thanked him as he left. Watching him disappear behind the counter and into the back kitchen, I couldn’t help but smile.

It was kind of nice to be around civil men for once. He never made me say Sir or Master. I actually had to restrain myself from calling him that, now that I thought about it! I never had to call him by a title, never had to let him speak first, never had to ask permission. Of course, I used manners, but I didn’t need to beg or kneel.

It felt wonderful to be….free.

The TV on the corner of the wall started to flash on the news. There were two screens-one had a football game playing and the other was on the news. Both were on silent with captions playing. Aerosmith’s Dream On was playing softly on the overhead radio. I stared at the news and tried to read the closed captions. My lips sucked water from the glass as I watched the words roll on.

-month. Please help the cause to fight breast cancer and donate today. In other words, we’re passing the spotlight to Jan on our The Missing segment. Off to you!

Jan: Thanks, Mike! Just like last week, we have the Friday report for missing children and teens. Be sure to call the hotline number, 1-800-MISSINGS, if you see one of these children….

My brain went fuzzy as the newscaster said this. Missing children? Had my parents put me on there? I know I was eighteen and beyond legal guardianship, but could I be qualified?

Pictures began to flash on the screen. A young child sandwiched between her siblings took interest in the pictures. She looked about twelve years old.

Dahlia Derile, age fourteen, blonde hair, dark brown eyes, last seen around the Arizona/Utah border in Sadile County….

I saw a picture of the child with her dog. Patiently, I watched the children, both young and around my age show up.

Aaron Pierce, age four, dark hair with green eyes, last seen in Elbert County, Colorado…

Rembrandt Eeryson, age eighteen, dyed blue hair, green eyes, last seen in Hideson County, Utah…

I stopped listening after the third one. My brain was only on one thought as I saw any girl’s picture pass through:

Where they part of the same trade I was in? Were they captured by these bands? Were they apart of this crazy scheme?

The girl in the corner who had been fascinated with the news now glanced at me.

My eyes flickered to the back door where Jason had disappeared. He hadn’t been back yet. I was anxious for him to show up with the food. I would tell him, yes, I would tell him. The door dinged open behind me. I heard a bundle of footsteps accompanied by the roar of a large vehicle. Probably a truck had gone through.

I went back to reading the closed captioning.

-and we sadly have a new addition to this week’s The Missing report. Orion Greening, age seventeen, went missing only three weeks ago. Her reports have gone from the county-wide to the tri state-wide scale only this week. She was last seen at her house in the Douglas/Elbert County area. She has dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and is nicknamed Rory. Her birthday is in less than a week and will be turning eighteen. Please, if you see this girl, contact the hotline immediately. Every bit of information helps and if you-

I stood up in my spot. No one noticed me….

But that little girl. I saw her staring at me with wide brown eyes. I opened my mouth when someone grabbed my wrist.

“There you are, Elizabeth! You scared us being out in the heat!” Oli shook his head at me. I turned around to punch him but the band surrounded me. People were looking up, but all they saw was a wall that blocked their view of me. Jordan kicked my bad leg and I let out a gasp of pain. Before I knew what was happening to me, I was being dragged against my will to the door. I couldn’t fight or struggle-I had no energy left in me.

As soon as we were outside, I jumped at the opportunity to try to fight my way out, but I was hauled up the steps. As soon as I was outside, I made a dash for the windows, trying to attract someone’s attention.

It was no use. The bus was already moving away from The Restless Wanderer. I could almost make out Jason from the window.

Oli yanked me back by the chain collar I had all but forgotten about. I choked and stumbled, trying to protect my injured limb. I was attacked with a volley of kicks and hits as Oli constantly twisted on the chain, pinching my neck and cutting off the air to my lungs.

“Get up, bitch! How dare you run away?!” He growled. I whimpered as Matty landed a well-aimed kick to my ribs. Forced to my feet, I clutched my sweatshirt to my chest until it was ripped away from me and tossed in the corner. Thankfully, my ipod hadn’t fallen out.

“Come on, mate. We have to at least not kill her since the buyer is coming tomorrow.” Lee told him. Oli just glared at me, fuming mad.

I didn’t want to talk, for fear of forgetting my manners. I didn’t want to anger anyone.

“Come on, chain her in the spare bunk until the buyers come.” Matt Kean ordered. Oli delivered one last slap that made me tumble backwards. I felt a little trickle of blood drip down my cheek but was too worn to care. Lee dragged me back to a separate bunk. I saw a hook on the wall with a chain attached to it.

This must be the equivalent to being put in the dog house.

The collar was attached to the leash, allowing me to roll over in the bunk and sit up, but not more than that.

I let small tears mingle with the blood that stained my face before starting to drift off. The lack of food was really starting to get to me. As my eyelids closed, I felt a hunger consume my body and I was left floating in space.

Notes