I would always think about my life and how it could be better. A lot of kids struggle from depression and all the bad stuff but me? I’m suffering from everything. When I came out I was put up for adoption. I had several things wrong with me they didn’t even think I would live honestly. I went to a foster family and I was raped by a cousin’s cousin’s cousin named John. Nobody believed me. I ran away and started to live with my boyfriend. They found me. I went back into the system at the age of 12. Went to another family who abused me and barely fed me because deep down they believed I was the “devils child.” You don’t know how many times I tried. Tried to harm myself. I can’t even count. I had this horrible fight with my 13 year old boyfriend about cheating. Exactly! I was thinking the same thing. We broke up and finally 9th grade came. I ended up getting pregnant and I didn’t know how I was going to raise my child. But I kept him. His name is Kaden. He’s four now. I’m 18. Now I sit at the bottom of somebody’s basement. Chained up without my son. Every light that stood or hanged down from the old busted ceiling was out. In the mist of all the darkest in the basement there was one light. It shined from all the way in the back corner where the camera they installed weeks ago was. I was kidnapped 2 years ago and I sat here ever since. The wall was my best friend and all the other bugs and creatures that wanted to crawl near me. I wasn’t on a chair, I wasn’t on a bed.. instead I sat in the middle of the floor straight in front of the door. The only way out was though the door. Chained up against the wall, tape on my mouth and bruises on my head.

One night at the club can change your whole life. My mama told me to never sit my drink down and pick it back up. She told me to never leave with anybody unless I knew for sure their intentions. She said, “Asia, never go alone.” But one thing she never mentioned was to never leave drunk. And that’s exactly what happened, I left high and drunk and anything else under the sun. Walking outside in a dark alleyway where my car was parked. It was on a diagonal right across from my friends car, a blue Honda. Suddenly, a man in a black hoodie grabbed me. And now I’m here.

For two years I learned his schedule. I knew exactly what he did, when he did it and how. I knew where he went. Where he worked. Who he hanged around and even who he loved. I met the family from a far. Hearing voices on Thanksgiving night and Christmas. I memorized his footsteps. Too soft? His mom. Too hard? His dad. Too sharp, like straight to the point? His friend Adam. Him, he had more of a defined footstep. It was slow like almost a glide against the floor but still loud and manly. He was mixed. His footsteps weren’t quick and short at all. I knew exactly what he did by watching and listening. The little things people said and even him hisself said. Like “it’s your bed time young lady” when his little cousins came over. They would complain, “why it’s only 8.” New clues came everyday. His schedule was simple yet complex. Sometimes I thought about running and just going for the kill when he went away. But no! I had to think hard and really pay attention. Every Friday at the end of the month he would come home past 12:00 AM. I use to think maybe it was a date. Until he brung home his girlfriend Samatha. They had been in a relationship for almost a year. I didn’t know what he did on those Friday’s.

December 1st came and it was 3:00 in the morning. I stared at the wall and smiled thinking about my little baby Kaden. I barely slept but when I did I always dreamed of leaving. I decided to escape on December 1st because of my dream. I had a dream one night about my child and in my dream he was laying in some foster home or adoption center. He was crying and it was December 1st marked on the calendar that hanged above his head. That pushed me to leave and go on another day.Today is the day I’m finally going to do it. I really want to leave and give my child the best life which is something I never had. I reached into my head digging through like a savage in the woods meanwhile with the chains still locked on my wrist. I remember the night I went to the club. I was arguing with my friend over my hairstyle for the night. She suggested to wear a bun and I thought I should straighten it. Let me act out the conversation for y’all...

Me: Omg... I need something to do with my hair.

Friend: Do a bun, that’s definitely the easiest thing.

Me: No buns don’t look right.

Friend: Messy buns are the best. Like have the sides out and the back and fluff it out a little bit.

Me: whatever since you made some great points.

*both laughs*
*both does hair*

They stretched out long enough for me to reach so I grabbed a Bobby pin that was in my hair and proceeded to pick the chain. When it finally opened I slipped my hands out and rubbed them. My wrist were on fire and it was burning bad. Marks traveled all the way down to my elbows. I did the same for my feet and stood up. My legs wobbled a couple of times because I have not walked in almost 3 years. I attempted to walk to the banister and fell smack dead on the floor. Tears fell down my eyes and I wanted to stop. Somehow I got up the steps and turned the door knob. When I finally realized it was locked from the outside I went back down and got the hammer he always used to “keep me in check”. I banged the knob for almost 15 minutes and yes my hands were weak. The hammer dropped down the steps a couple of times and I ran back down to get it. Up and down I went trying to escape this cave. Finally I walked out of the basement. The sight of freedom and the smell of fresh air. I was able to finally see something other than a pitch black wall. If it even was a wall. I opened the door and without thinking I ran.

Before I knew it I was running down the street. I never thought to turn around. I reached a local gas station where there was lots of good food. I haven’t ate a real meal in two years. I sat down on the floor to catch my breath. Finally I got up and went to a lady in the store. I was talking to her telling her I needed help and suddenly there he was. He was sitting down, eating with some guy and a girl. This girl was pregnant and pretty and had a ring on her finger. So did the guy. Finally another girl sat down and kissed my kidnapper. While I was observing the police came in and started to pull my arm. I screamed, “HIM! He’s the one.” Everybody turned around and the police went over to him. I begged and pleaded and explained why they couldn’t go over there. All I could remember was his face suddenly drop when he saw me. He didn’t try to run he just sat there and stared into my soul. I went down to the police station. I didn’t even want to talk to anybody. All I wanted to do was see my son.

Down at the police station I saw my best friend. My best friend was my sister and my mom. She treated me just like her child, it was actually funny. I knew they would call her because she was my emergency contact number and I was her. She looked around and her eyes got as big as two white eggs. In my head it seemed she was running for forever. When she finally reached me she gave me the biggest hug ever. It was tight and I could barely breathe.

“Best!” She said while hugging me

“OMG I missed you so much.” I said hugging back, “Are you okay? Is everything okay? Where is Kaden.”

She let go and pulled a chair out to sit down. “He’s good, I check on him everyday. He’s still breathing and eating” she laughed. She saw I was dead serious and got straight to the point. “He’s in the system..”

“What!” I yelled getting up.

“Sit down Asia. I’m about to tell you what’s going on.” She pulled my hand down.

“No! I have to go see him and get him out. Wait why didn’t you get him out.” I stared at her in her eyes.

“I couldn’t. Me, my mom, my brother and my dad went down there and tried to take him. They said no. They said we had to wait until another year.”

“I was in there for three years.”

“I know Asia.” Her voice started to crack, “he’s safe. We always check on him and make sure he’s good.”

“Nothing is making sense right now Randi. You promised if anything ever happened..”

“That I would take him and raise him. I know but you have to understand you never wrote a will or whatever those things are called. So they are not obligated to give me your son” I sat back down and decided to focus on what she was saying, “he went straight into the system Asia because they checked you out. They looked at your papers and saw that you didn’t have a home yourself and that you didn’t have a will or any reliable sources to take in your child.”

“You are my reliable source Randi, why didn’t you tell them.” I said with tears in my face.

“I told them and they said ‘your just an emergency contact’ ‘nothing important’ so I fought and fought and they said the most I could do was adopt or check on him everyday. So my family and I decided to adopt him and we are working on the papers. But your back! Plus they saw your were a run away. They thought it wasn’t a kidnapping. If you get what I mean.” She said all of this while rubbing my hand.

The detective walked out and patted me on back. I guess telling me to come.

“Ms. Brown, we are ready for you.” He said so soft

I got up and walked away, “Wait for me please” I said to Randi.

“I will” she replied pulling out her phone.

I walked into the room and took a deep breath. He pulled out my chair and smiled. I smiled back and sat down. I was so uncomfortable and my legs weren’t really working.

“So, Ms. Brown tell us what happened.”

“Okay... I.. Well I was at the club or party with my friends. I had too much to drink and I walked out and somebody grabbed me from a car.”

“Did you see who this “somebody” was?” He asked moving up closer to the table

I scratched my hands under the desk and looked everywhere but in his eyes, “No. I mean yes sorry.”

“Okay.. describe him for me please.”

“ Tall, white, had a scratch on his face or a burn. He was tall and..” I began to repeat the same things over and over again. Then I thought about everything, “Okay let me start over.. He was a tall white man. He walked almost long and like a glide across the floor. He had hair that was black jet and it poked up like spikes. His mothers name is Jennifer and for short they call her Jen and his dad is Alex I believe. Every Friday at the end of the month he would come home past 12:00 AM. I never knew why. Outside it was always too quiet I thought maybe he lived near the suburbs. He lived on a two way street because in the back of the car he made a U turn and double parked. When I escaped from the house I remember the house across the street. 6334 Parker Ave. Yup.” I sat back and stared at him, “it was the guy in the store, if you don’t believe me check his background and if you still don’t check his left leg near his knee. That’s the leg I stabbed him in getting into the car with my pen, it’s a deep cut.”

“Wow! Ok, did he ever touch or hurt you in anyway.”

“Yes, I was beaten with many things.” I said calmly.

“So why are you here?” He said getting up.

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you here if you wasn’t raped?” He said looking at the mirror in the room.

“What do you mean why am I here! I’m here because I was kidnapped and tortured and starved. I didn’t know I had to be raped to be helped. I was minor when I was kidnapped!” I yelled at him and stood up.

“Ok sorry ma’am I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yes you did! Who even asks that?” I mocked him in almost a sarcastic voice, “well why are you here.. like what?” I walked out and slammed the door.

Five years down the line I sit with my baby boy Kaden Moore Smith. Looking back my life it was pretty horrible but my baby is now older and it’s time to move on. I can’t tell you what happened to that rude detective but I can say I won the case. My kidnapper was sent to jail for 120 years and being that he was 55 I knew he was bound to die in there. I thanked God for everybody that helped save my son and now Kaden is back into my arms home safe! Al