Why Work Sucks
Work sucks. I know, everyone says that, but honestly… It’s especially true for me. Starbucks is one of the most basic places to work, and everyone thinks it’s all fun and games until you get there. It just consists of long hours, boring coworkers, and overpriced coffee. The only action that happens around here is when someone acts up or argues with the employees over something stupid. People never order anything interesting either. And that little while when the Unicorn Frappuccino was all the rage, work was exhausting. Everyone was ordering that stupid drink. But anyway, I’m rambling. What made work interesting was this creepy, but honestly nice guy. He kinda always stared at me, but I just ignored it. Whenever we talked, he was always nice, so I was probably just being paranoid. One day, after discussing Ramen Noodles, he introduced himself as Stephen and asked me out to dinner. I was a bit surprised at first, but I reluctantly agreed. And here’s where things went downhill. 

The Dinner
Stephen didn’t even take me to a fancy restaurant. Like, if you’re constantly gonna be creepy, you could at least take me to Lieu du dîner. Gosh. I look up at the man who decided to take me to McDonald’s for our first date. He just sat there, staring at me like he always did. I clear my throat and take a sip of the Sprite Tropical Berry soda he got me. “Ahem, So... How are you doing...?”  I asked hesitantly. He didn’t say anything for a while, he just kept staring. He always did this. Whenever I tried talking to him, he just stared at me. He also tells me creepy things like “I think you’ll like my storage unit. I have a lot of cool things in there.” It was always about his dumb storage unit. Nothing else. Guess he has a lot of family heirlooms. After about 1 minute of staring at me, he broke eye contact and said, “Good, good. I’m good. Fine.” I raised an eyebrow at him. Stephen smiled sheepishly as he got up and said he had to use the restroom. Odd, very odd. Maybe he was a nice guy, but just a little strange. Who knows, his storage unit could have riches in it, and he was going to take me on an adventure around the world. Probably not the case, but who knows. When he got back, he told me he needed to go home and call his brother because there had been a family emergency. He said he wanted to take me on a real, better date later, and I agreed. “He was probably just acting funny because of the incident,” I told myself. Besides, we were going to go on an actual date now and I was getting excited. Who knows, he could become my first boyfriend! He took my hand and lifted me out of the seat. The last thing I remember of that night was him saying, “I love you, Ashlyn”. And then black. 

The Unit
When I woke up it was pitch black and I couldn’t see a thing until my eyes adjusted. Was I in… his storage unit? Sure enough, I saw a bunch of dusty items and a peculiar corner that was covered with an old tapestry. I was extremely forceful as I slammed myself into the metal door of the storage unit, praying the door was weak or unlocked. I fell to the ground, crumpled into a ball, and started sobbing. I should have trusted my instincts all along. Why did he lock me in here? I cried until there were no tears left and decided to see what was under the tapestry. I walked into the corner and started smelling a faint odor… which was not a good sign. On the count of three, I lifted the tapestry and saw human bones there! They looked like they used to belong to a shorter girl, I couldn’t tell how old they were but I could guess they weren’t from someone elderly. And that’s when I had a flashback from last year…

I was hanging out at a local park with some friends, the wind tossing my hair around and the sun shining in my eyes. I saw a notification on my phone and decided to open it. It was an amber alert for a 17-year-old girl named Hannah Martin, and it was from my city! The last place she had been seen was the local Mcdonald’s with a boy who was also 17. The McDonalds was pretty close to the park we were at so I and my friends decided to go home, just to play it safe. I start shivering as I replay the memory over in my mind. Stephen must have been the guy who kidnapped Hannah. But then what was he going to do to me?!? I snapped back to reality when I heard a loud banging sound coming from the opposite side of the door. I jumped back and fell, smacking my head against the hard concrete floor. “What are you doing in there, Ashlyn!?” Stephen shouted. I must’ve hit my head too hard. Who the hell was Ashlyn? “Uhh… who’s Ashlyn?” I asked. I heard Stephen scoff, “You are of course. Who else would you be?” I stood and brushed off my dress. I cleared my throat, “Ahem, I’m Ivy. Not Ashlyn.” I hear the sound of a key unlocking a door. Oh no.

The Deal
Suddenly, the door swung open and smacked me in the face and my nose immediately started bleeding. Stephen stormed in and took me by my wrist, leading me outside. He threw me down on a couch that seemed to be in a living room. Stephen sat down next to me and wiped the blood from my face. “If you admit you are Ashlyn, I will only keep you in my storage unit for 3 hours every day. Then, I will let you out and you can roam around my house. Okay, Ashlyn?” 

I shuddered as I sat there, contemplating everything that just happened. Who was Ashlyn and why did I have to be her? I slowly said, “If you explain to me who Ashlyn is, then I will be her. Also, you have to let me go home every night because my parents would call the police.” Stephen looked angry. “You’re my girlfriend, Ashlyn! They said you died in the hospital, but you’re right here. With me. And if you go home every night, you’ll try to leave me. I will let you call your parents, but you only have 3 minutes.” Stephen handed me my phone with its bright pink glittery case. I quickly snatched it and called my parents. They picked up after one ring. “Ivy! Ivy, where are you?” I looked at Stephen as I spoke. “I-I’m with my boyfriend. Stephen. Remember him?” My parents were silent for a while. But I think they understood because of the tone of my voice. “Yes honey, we remember Stephen. Are you gonna come home soon?”  Stephen gave me a stern look and I gulped. “Uh, I’m going to live with Stephen for now. I’m 18, I can make decisions on my own. I’ll keep in contact with you.” I could tell my parents were sad. “Oh… can we come and visit you?” “I don’t know-” Suddenly, Stephen grabbed my phone and put it in his pocket. “Time’s up. I’m making dinner now. Make yourself comfortable.” And just like that, Stephen was in the kitchen, making me dinner. 

The First Fight
I sat across from Stephen, eating the baked potato and homemade tomato soup he cooked up. He might be a kidnapper, but he’s a damn good cook. I swallowed a bite of the potato and looked up at Stephen for the first time in 10 minutes. He was just… staring at me again. I saw his eyes light up when I looked at him. We made eye contact and he smiled the most creepy smile I’ve ever seen. It was like something straight out of a horror movie. “Eat up dear. I made it just for you. It’s your favorite.” Stephen said menacingly. I looked down at the plate and mumbled, “but it’s not my favorite.” Stephen slammed his fists down on the table and screamed, “Eat it! It IS your favorite, Ashlyn! You always talk about your favorite foods!” I jumped back in my seat and tears spilled out of my eyes. I never took screaming well. Stephen’s face softened. He reached across the table and rubbed my arm. “I’m sorry sweetie, I shouldn’t have yelled. Do you want to go to bed?” I nodded nervously. Whatever could get me out of this horrible dinner was good to me. I stood up and started to walk to the storage unit when I felt a hand grab my shoulder. “Where are you going?” He asked. I swallowed, scared. “U-um… the storage unit?” Stephen laughed. “Nuh-uh, we’re going to sleep in my room. Like we always do.” I shuddered. Did I have to sleep in the same bed as this man? I cleared my throat and turned back to the storage unit. “I’m really fine sleeping in the unit,” Stephen growled and pulled me into the bedroom anyway. He laid me down on the bed, and then he sat down next to me. “You’re going to sleep here. I’ll put you back in the unit once I get up for work. I’ll put the keypad on a timer so it lets you out after 3 hours. Okay, Ashlyn?” I might as well comply. I didn’t want to end up like Hannah. I nodded my head and then buried my face into the pillow, silently crying.

The Accident
I woke up in the unit again. Luckily he didn’t tie me to a poll or something. I guess he must’ve carried me here when I was asleep. I looked at the timer on the keypad. I had 2 more hours in here until I could leave. I decided to look around and see if there was any food I could eat. Heck, I even needed a bathroom. But all I could find was an empty bucket I could use and some old cans of soup with cobwebs on them. I even looked at the date, and they expired four years ago. So I was out of luck. Hopefully, he didn’t lock his fridge in the kitchen. As I was walking around, looking for a way out, I saw an old cracked iPad on the floor. I picked it up and clicked the power button. To my surprise, it turned on. As soon as the iPad unlocked, a video popped open. The thumbnail looked like Stephen, and in the background was a girl who looked… oddly like me. I clicked play and I heard Stephen’s voice. It was static because the speaker was damaged, but I could make out what he was saying. “Alright Ashlyn, say hi to the camera!” Ashlyn didn’t move. She had many tubes sticking out of her, and she had an oxygen mask on. Stephen poked Ashlyn in the arm. “Ashlyn, come on. Don’t be camera shy.” Right then I heard behind Stephen open. He turned the camera to the door, and there was a doctor. “Mr. Kalis, we need you to step out of the room. We need to take Ashlyn off of life support now. Please say your final goodbyes.” The last thing I heard was Stephen screaming, and then the iPad got thrown at the ground. The video ended, and I just stood there. He thought she was still alive. I placed the iPad on the ground and sat down next to it. I felt kind of bad for Stephen. But I still hated him. I looked back at the timer and I had an hour and thirty minutes to go. I decided to get some rest while I waited. I slouched down, closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

The Fridge
I was awoken by the sound of a very loud beeping and a  *click*. The door unlocked and I stood up. I cautiously walked out of the room through the small yard, and into the living room. I looked to the right and saw the kitchen, and dashed to the fridge. The fridge was unlocked, thank God, but it didn’t have many options. Then I looked at the top shelf and there was a plate covered that said, “Ashlyn”. I guess that was for me. I lifted the cover at the table and it was an omelet. “I guess he likes cooking…” I murmured. I reheated it in the microwave and ate breakfast and I won’t lie, it was pretty good for a reheated omelet. I washed the plate just to be nice. Even though he was a kidnapper. 

The Room
After breakfast, I made my way upstairs where I slept the night before. I was curious to see what the rest of the rooms were, so I slowly opened the door just down the hall. I could not believe what I saw! There was a room filled with all of Ashlyn’s possessions and where Stephen kept his gifts for her. I quickly shut the door and ran back downstairs. Were those gifts meant for me? I wasn’t sure, but since he thought I was Ashlyn, they probably were. I sat down on the couch. All I was wearing was one of Stephen’s T-Shirts and my underwear. He must have changed me while I was asleep. I decided I needed to take a shower. Get things off of my mind. I was dirty, my hair was greasy, I just hated it. So I risked going upstairs to take a shower. 

I hopped off the couch and headed upstairs. As I got up, I looked at the room again. Maybe I should just take one more peek. I opened the door and was hit with the smell of…  perfume? Weird, I didn’t smell that the first time I opened the door. I looked on the ground and saw a shattered perfume bottle on the floor. Sh*t. He was gonna notice and knew that I had seen this room! Like an idiot, I panicked and started scooping up the glass in my hand. And, of course, I managed to cut my palm. I dropped the glass again, causing the shards to break into even tinier pieces. I ran downstairs and into the kitchen, where I found a paper towel roll sitting on the counter. I wrapped my hand in a few paper towels and taped them with a roll of clear scotch tape I found in a drawer. Hopefully, the bleeding would stop by the time Stephen got home. I grabbed the broom and dustpan that were sitting against the fridge, and I went back up, swept up the glass, and threw it in the trash. I also mopped up the spilled perfume. I was safe. I hoped. I did eventually find the bathroom, which was good. I took a shower and went back downstairs where I ended up taking a nap. And a few hours later, Stephen came home. I wished he never did.

The Apology
When Stephen walked through the door, he ran over to me and grabbed my wrist, lifting my hand. “Why is there blood on this paper towel?” I was speechless. I kind of just stared at him blankly as he removed the towel from my hand and saw the cut. Dried up blood and all. He stared at it for a while before turning his attention back to me. “What did you do?” My eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry Stephen…” He looked over at the kitchen and saw the tape sitting on the counter. He walked over to it and inspected the roll. This guy should be a freaking detective. After he got done looking at the tape roll, he glanced over at the trash can. Damn it. I should have put the glass in the dumpster or something. I stood up and ran to the trash. “I can take out the trash for you! I might as well do some chores, right?” Stephen put his hand on my chest and pushed me aside. He peeked in the trash can and, of course, saw the glass shards sitting at the bottom. I tried my best to cover them up with a plastic bag, but I guess it didn’t work. He glared at me, anger in his eyes. “What did you break?” I started to sweat. “I u-umm. I-” Stephen looked back at the glass. “Did you break a wine glass?” I let out a sigh of relief. He just gave me an excuse without realizing it. “Yes! Yes, a wine glass. I was getting a cup of water and I dropped it. I’m sorry, Stephen. It was an accident.” He took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “It’s fine Ashlyn. Just please be more careful next time. I’ll be sure to leave a few glasses of water in the fridge before I leave every day. Just be sure not to drop those as well.” He winked at me and walked upstairs to take a shower. I walked back to the couch, sat down, and cried.

The Routine
I eventually got used to it. Every day I would wake up in the storage unit. I check the timer to see how much time I have left and walk over to the corner to watch videos on the iPad. Stephen had recorded multiple videos of him and Ashlyn on that thing. I studied the videos to see how Ashlyn acted, and to see how Stephen acted. Ashlyn kind of took care of him. He depended on her for a lot of things. She taught him how to cook, how to wash dishes, do the laundry. You know, normal things. But they were for sure dating. There were plenty of videos where Ashlyn would kiss Stephen. I sort of felt bad for him, in a weird way. But there was still that burning hatred for him on the surface. Why would he kidnap someone he thought was his girlfriend? I guess he just didn’t want to lose her again. I needed to keep up the act, though. I’m guessing Hannah didn’t act like Ashlyn, so he killed her. Poor Hannah. Anyways, after I watch a video, I set the iPad down and sleep until the timer goes off. The door opens, I walk to the kitchen and drink one of the glasses of water. I put the glass in the sink and go upstairs to take a shower. After my shower, I just do things around the house. I might watch TV, or clean up, or even look around. Once I found a pretty sweet hoverboard under his bed. I did almost fall out of the second-story window while I was riding on it, though. After Stephen gets home at around seven, he takes a shower, cooks dinner, and then we go to bed. Repeat cycle. The part where I’m alone in his house isn’t that bad. It’s kind of peaceful. I do miss my family, though. And I can’t even steal my phone when Stephen is away because he takes it with him. But I know one day I will make it out. 

The Talk

Stephen gets home today but something is different… He has a solemn look on his face as he pulls me aside on the couch. “I know this must be very hard for you,” the understatement of the year, “so I’d like to try and make it better by telling you a little more about Ashlyn,” he said. 

“She was my everything, I never needed anyone else. I was going through a really tough time in my life and I just got diagnosed with Dissociative identity disorder and bipolar depression. She loved helping people and I met her at a different Starbucks like where I met you. She taught me how to do a lot of things and she helped out around the house. When she got in that car crash, it changed my world forever. I can’t let her go. That’s why I need you. I love you so much, Ashlyn.” 

Stephen started sobbing and I let him cry on my shoulder for a while. He had done a lot of cruel things and he had been a terrible person to me but yet… I kinda cared about him. Of course, I still hated him but deep down I somewhat cared, which shocked me. But living my life as dead Ashlyn? Now that’s something I couldn’t do.

“I get it Stephen, and I’m sorry,” I said, “But how am I supposed to live my life as Ashlyn?”

“...”

“Look, I want to help but at the same time, it’s unfair to me that you make me stay here and live as someone else. And you lock me in a storage unit… which you never even did to Ashlyn.”

“I only lock you in there for 3 hours because that’s the amount of time I had in the hospital with Ashlyn before she died.”

“But you know that’s abusive, right? Imagine if anyone else heard what you were doing. You’d for sure end up in jail. Can’t you do something else? Anything else?”

Stephen grabbed my arm and dragged me into the storage unit.

“I think you need a little time to think about it, another three hours should do the trick. Maybe then you’ll think to treat me with more respect when you come out.”

“NO!” I scream.

He gave me the most devious look as he pushed me inside the storage unit and slammed the door.

The Incident

Three hours passed and Stephen came to get me from the storage unit. He gave me a stern but caring look as he opened the door. By that time I have missed dinner and it was time for bed. Stephen carried me out of the storage unit and placed me on the ground next to the door. 

“Now Ashlyn, are you going to be a good girlfriend, or am I going to have to keep you in the unit for longer.”

“Fine,” I say as tears start silently streaming down my face.

Stephen pushes me into the wall and kisses me and I have no choice but to stand there until he’s done.

“Goodnight Ashlyn,” Stephen said with the same devious look as before.

I didn’t say a word as I got into bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up in the storage unit again. As always. But I decided I’d had enough. I stood up and ran around, looking for a window or something I could crawl out of. As I was running, I looked up and saw an air vent. Bingo. I looked at the corner of the room and saw a red ladder sitting there. I took a deep breath, grabbed it, and propped it up against the wall. If I’m being honest, it was my fault. I should have known that the ladder wouldn’t hold. 

As I climbed up it, I felt it wobble a bit. I straightened it out and kept climbing. Right, when I got to the top, the ladder slid out from under me and I tumbled to the ground. The last thing I remember is hearing the loudest smack inside my skull and the sharpest pain imaginable in the back of my head.

The Understanding
I woke up in the backseat of a car speeding down an unknown road. My vision was blurry, but I could make out that the person driving the car was Stephen. He looked angry, and I got worried. I’m guessing he came home to find me still in the storage unit, a ladder next to me, and me lying on the ground. Unconscious. I slowly reached up to feel the back of my head that hit the ground. And of course, there was blood. Not as much as I thought there would be, though. I had a throbbing headache, but I decided to stay silent until we stopped. After what seemed like forever, we arrived at a hospital. I read the sign that said “Sovren Emergency Care”. I got lifted by Stephen, and he ran inside and started screaming something. My ears just wouldn’t work, but I’m guessing he was shouting for a doctor or something. As I was loaded onto a wheeled cot and rushed to a room, I realized this was my chance. My chance to escape! I closed my eyes as a million doctors crowded around me, and I slowly drifted to sleep.

When I woke up, Stephen was sitting beside me, looking at the ground. I could see better now, and I could hear the ruckus coming from the hallway. I let out a small cough and Stephen shot his head up. I could see he was crying. A lot. He sprang up and hugged me. I didn’t know what to do, so I hugged him back. He then tried to kiss me, but I smartly dodged it. “I’m so glad you’re awake!” Stephen said as he sat back down in his small chair. I looked around and rubbed my head. “How long was I out for?” Stephen shrugged his shoulder. “I dunno. Maybe around three hours. And you’re not dead. That’s my girl, living through this accident.” I shivered. I was like Ashlyn, in some ways. “Yeah… living through it,” I said with a forced smile. “I’m gonna go get the doctor,” Stephen exclaimed as he ran out of the room. I lied back in my bed, thinking things over. I sort of did understand why Stephen did what he did. He missed his girlfriend, and he wanted her back no matter what. Still, I hated him. But I cared for him at the same time. As I was thinking, a doctor came into my room and stood over my bed. “Well Ivy, it looks like you just had a mild concussion.” I saw Stephen cringe at my real name. “We’re going to keep you here overnight, and you’ll be able to go home with your boyfriend in the morning. Sound good?” I looked over at the man who took everything away from me in just a few hours.  But I also saw a man who was mourning the love of his life. I looked back at the doctor and slowly nodded my head. “Yep. Sounds perfect.” 

The Pet
I had a good sleep in the hospital. They ended up making Stephen go home until he had to come to pick me up. So at least I didn’t have him watching me while I sleep for one night. After a little bit of waiting, he finally arrived and took me home. I immediately ran to the couch and lay down. The couch was the only thing I mildly missed about this hell hole. Stephen sat down next to my feet, a big smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow. “What are you so happy about?” He took my hand and kissed it. I tried not to look grossed out. “I got you a present. It’s upstairs.” My eyes widened. Was he talking about the perfume? “U-um… what is it exactly?” Stephen held up his index finger. “You’ll see in a second.” He let go of my hand and ran upstairs. I sat straight up and held my head. Please don’t let it be the perfume, please don’t let it be the perfume, please don’t let it be the perfume. Stephen came downstairs holding something wrapped in a towel. Oh gosh oh gosh. Right as I was about to tell him that I was the one who broke it, I heard a small Bark! I looked curiously at the towel. “What was that…?” Stephen removed the towel, and a small bear puppy jumped onto my lap, licking my leg. 

I scooped it into my arms and it liked my face, I smiled. “Where did you get him?” I asked.

“I saw him at the local shelter and I thought you would like to have him as some company when I’m gone.”

I kissed the dog’s nose and hugged it. “Thank you, Stephen!” He smiled. “What do you want to name it, Ashlyn?” I thought for a moment. “Hmm… Basil?” Stephen nodded. “That’s a good name.” He hugged me and Basil for a quick second. “I need to get to work now. I’ll see you in a few hours. Bye Ashlyn.” He kissed my head and went to work.

The First Time In Forever
I finally had fun while Stephen was away! He had bought a bunch of dog toys for Basil that I found under his bed. We just played all day until Stephen came back. Basil was a really good dog. He loved cuddles, he loved playing, and he listened to me. What’s funny is whenever Stephen called him, he refused to come. He stuck with me no matter what.

I knew that Stephen was jealous of a dog nonetheless. But he wanted me to be happy, so he didn’t say anything. After a few weeks though, Basil started to want to go outside more and more. Stephen used to take him out before he went to work so he could use the bathroom. But he still wanted to play outside and things like that.

Stephen’s solution was to buy a fence and put it around the yard so I could let him outside to run around if he was getting antsy. But one day, after a lot of begging, he let me go outside with Basil while he was away. I was finally gonna get to go outside! The very next day, I opened the door and stepped outside.

It felt really good to be outside after a month. But Stephen did tell me to keep my head low so people wouldn’t see me. But I didn’t listen. I know I didn’t take my chance to escape from the hospital, but I still wanted to escape. I ran around with Basil and yelled. I was kinda hoping someone would see me. But nobody did. But for the first time in forever, I was happy.

The Question
After about a week of Stephen letting me play outside with Basil, someone finally saw me. I was playing tug-of-war with him when I heard a woman say “Ashlyn?” I let go of the rope and Basil ran to the other side of the yard to play with it. I turned around and saw a mildly attractive young woman with curly blonde hair and blue eyes standing at the opposite side of the fence, staring at me. I stared back until I realized she said my fake name. 

“O-oh! Yes? Can I help you?” The woman looked confused. 

“It’s me, Sutton. Don’t you recognize me?” 

Sh*t. Did Ashlyn know this girl? I looked at her for a while, trying to find the right words to say. While I was thinking, I saw a car pull into the driveway. Crap. He came home early. Stephen got out of the car and froze when he saw Sutton. I gestured for him to come over, and he did. 

“Hey Sutton, what are you doing here?” 

Sutton cleared her throat and looked at Stephen. “I was just walking the neighborhood when I saw Ashlyn playing with that dog.” She pointed to Basil gnawing on the rope. 

Stephen took a deep breath. “Well, she’s living with me now. And we got a dog named Bamboo.” 

“Basil.” I scolded.

 “Whatever,” Stephen replied. 

Sutton leaned over to Stephen’s ear and whispered “I thought she died in that car crash.” 

Stephen sighed and shook his head. “Well, the doctors make a mistake. They told me Ashlyn was alive a few weeks ago.” 

Sutton looked suspiciously at me. “I thought she died last year, though.” 

I smiled. “I was declared dead. But while they were taking me out, I took a breath. Those idiot doctors didn’t know what to do with me, so they threw me out in the streets. But Stephen found me a month ago and took me in. Crazy, right?”

 I hated putting on this facade. Sutton nodded and smiled. “Yes, that is crazy.” She patted Stephen’s head.

 “Well Ashlyn, do you want to go to Starbucks tomorrow? We can do some catching up.” 

Stephen quickly interjected. “Ah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” 

Sutton shook her head. “No, she needs a social life.” She turned back to me. “So Ashlyn. Tomorrow at 8 sound good?” 

I nodded my head. “Yes! Sounds amazing!” So the date was set. Stephen made me sleep on the couch that night, but I didn’t mind.

The Coffee

The next day I woke up, got dressed, and went to Starbucks. I didn’t know what car Sutton drove or where to meet her so I stood kinda by the door. A few minutes after I got there Sutton walked up and said hello. She was wearing a gold locket. “A + S” was engraved into it. I pointed to it and asked, “what’s that?” Sutton looked at me weirdly. “Don’t you remember? You got it for me for my 16th birthday.” I acted as I remembered. “Oh yeah! Sorry, I thought it said H + S. My bad.” Sutton smiled. “It’s alright. Now come on, let’s get our coffee.” Sutton took my wrist and led me inside. “I already know what your favorite coffee is, I can order for you. You go sit down.” She said. God, I hope that Ashlyn’s favorite coffee was coffee with a lot of cream and sugar in it. I found a table in the corner and sat down on the crack. I didn’t want anybody to recognize me. Stephen would get mad. After a few minutes, Sutton came to the table and placed a coffee in front of me. “Extra cream and sugar, just like you like it.” Wow. Ashlyn had good taste. I took a sip of the coffee as Sutton sat down across from me. 

“So, how have you been?” Sutton asked, her eyes tearing up a bit. 

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and stammered, “It’s been pretty rough but I’ve been fine. I just missed my normal life.” 

Sutton wiped away a rogue tear, “I missed you, it was so hard to live without my best friend. I missed doing everything together and I was feeling lonely. I’m so glad you’re back.” “ 

“I missed you too,” I said, feeling more uncomfortable than sad. I missed my real friends and my real life, I didn’t want to do this anymore.

Sutton looked curious yet understanding as she said, “You aren’t the real Ashlyn, are you?”

“Was it that obvious?” I said quietly.

Sutton laughed a little, “Yeah, but good try. You look like Ashlyn but you don’t come off as she does. That’s good though, you’re your person.”

Sutton looked sadly out the window and took a sip of her coffee, “I miss my real best friend though. I don’t know who Stephen thinks he is now but I never want to see him again after what he’s done.”

I nodded politely. “Yeah. He took me out on a date a month ago, and then he’s kept me at his house ever since. It was only a week ago when he let me go outside to play with Basil while he was away.”

Sutton looked disgusted. “Stephen? But he was so sweet… what happened to him?”
I shrugged. “I guess it’s because Ashlyn died. That seems like the right answer. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past month.”

Sutton pats my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can help you out. But it’ll be a few days. I have a plan. And I’m good with plans.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s the plan? Now I’m curious.”

Sutton looked around and then whispered, “I and Ashlyn used to always have girl nights on Saturday. Stephen knows this. So how about on Saturday, we go for a girls’ night at let’s say…. 8 pm. Then, we can rent a hotel on the other side of town until Stephen stops looking for you. And then you can go back to your family. Sound good?”

I nodded. Time for me to escape.

The Doggy Day
When Saturday rolled around, I was ecstatic. I was finally gonna escape! I also figured out a way to take Basil with me. I told Stephen that Sutton and I were going to a doggy spa because we wanted Basil to have a little treat. And he bought it! He was stupider than I thought. At 7:50, Stephen gave me $100 and a purse with just some tissues and hand sanitizer in it. He just told me he didn’t want me to look suspicious. He kissed me on the forehead and ushered me out the door. Little did he know: I wouldn’t be back.

Sutton arrived at 8:03, and I hopped in the car with my money, the purse, and Basil. Sutton looked at me, then at Basil, and smiled.

“Do you want to go to a doggy spa for real? Because I can make that happen,” Sutton said.

My face lit up. “Really? Oh, that’d be so nice for Basil. He never gets anything special. Let’s do it!” Sutton tapped Basil’s nose and he yipped.

About ten minutes later, we arrived at a place called “Barks and Suds”. We stepped out of the car with Basil and walked into the spa. Behind the counter, we saw a woman with very long red hair and pink chapstick. Her face was full of freckles and she had very bright blue eyes. She was touching up her makeup when we walked inside. 

She saw us enter and smiled brightly. “Welcome to Barks and Suds! My name is Samantha, how may I help you?”
I held up Basil. “We’re here to get our dog… pampered I guess?”
Samantha grinned, “Oh well aren’t they adorable? What’s their name?

Sutton stepped out from behind me and grabbed Basil, kissing him on the head. “His name is Basil. We got him about a month ago.”
Samantha walked over to us and Sutton let her hold him. “Well, I’m sure we can fix him right up. Isn’t that right, Basil?”
Basil licked Samantha’s nose and she giggled. “This is a very friendly dog. Well,” she handed the dog back to me, “I can give him a nice bath, give him a fur trim, and then clip his nails. It’s all very relaxing. Sound good?”

I nodded. “Sounds very nice. How much would that cost?”
Samantha pet Basil’s head. “Well, today we have a sale.” She pointed to a sign on the window that read “50% off any spa treatment!” I turned back to her. “I haven’t been getting many customers lately. I thought a sale would help. And I guess it did! So that treatment would cost around $50.”

I smiled. “That sounds great! I have enough for that.”

Samantha took Basil from my arms and held him gently. “Awesome! I just love giving treatments to dogs. You ladies can sit over there.” 

She pointed to a small area with couches and mini tables. There were magazines and puzzles and board games over there. It looked fun. Sutton and I played board games while Basil was getting a doggy spa treatment. I was enjoying myself for once.

A little while later Sutton asked me, “Do you wanna go get some dinner after this? After all, you’ve been through you must be starving, It’s on me.”

“That sounds amazing, I haven’t had a lot to eat lately. Thank you so much for helping me.”

“No problem,” Sutton replies, “You seem like a really sweet girl and I’d love to get to know you more.”

I didn’t know what that exactly meant but I didn’t think much of it. I was just so happy that I had been saved from Stephen. And besides, Sutton was nice and confident, I couldn’t help but admire her.      

The Hotel
When Basil was done being pampered we got into Sutton’s car and went to Panera Bread. She ordered the broccoli cheddar soup and I ordered the mac and cheese. Basil got a little cup of water. As we sat outside and ate Sutton was asking me about my family and my old life. It was nice getting to know her and getting to eat again. I kept seeing Sutton subtly glancing at me, she was probably curious. After all, we just met, although it felt like we had known each other for a long time. After we finished our meals, Sutton ushered me to the car and drove to the hotel she got. We walked into the small office and saw an old lady with faded blonde hair sitting behind the counter, typing something on her computer. She smiled when she heard the bell at the top of the door ring. “Oh hello ladies, welcome to the Hotel Inn, my name is Jen, how can I help today? Do you have a room already?” Sutton nodded. “I saved it under Johnson.” Jen typed something and asked, “Room 10?” Sutton nodded again. “That’s right upstairs and take the first left.” I smiled. “Thank you, miss.” Jen smiled back. “Anytime. Just come down if you need anything.”

I and Sutton found the stairs and made our way up. We took a left as Jen said, and we found room 10. Sutton got the keys from her before we went up, so she took them out of her pocket and unlocked the door. When it opened, we saw the room we’d be staying in for a while. It had two king-sized beds against the back wall, and in front of the beds was a nightstand with a small TV on it, and some cups with a water cooler next to them. To the right of us, we saw a decent-sized bathroom with a big tub. We stepped into the room and I flopped down on one of the beds. “So your last name is Johnson?” I asked Sutton as she sat on the bed across from mine. 

“No, it’s Fani. But Stephen knows that, so I used a fake name in case he comes here to look for you.” She winked at me and I laughed.

 “That’s pretty smart, Sutton. Good thinking.” She tucked some of her hair behind her ear. 

“I know.” She looked sadly at the ground. 

“I miss Ashlyn. She was my best friend for 12 years. And then one day… she’s gone.”

I felt bad for her. She just lost her best friend without any warning last year. It must take a while to cope. I stood up and sat next to Sutton. “It’s okay, things will get better. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but you’ll be fine soon.”                                                           

The Free Morning
I woke up the next day to Sutton tapping me on my shoulder. 

She sat down next to me and said, “I ordered room service. I got four pancakes and some juice. It should be up soon.” 

I sleepily grinned. “Thanks. I haven’t had breakfast for about two months now.” I sat up and yawned. 

Sutton smiled, “I have something special planned for us today, I hope you’ll like it.”

“I better get ready then,” I yawned, “I can’t wait to see what it is.”

I ate the best-tasting breakfast I had in a long time and got into Sutton’s car. We started driving and I asked her where we were going. All she would say was, “You’ll see.”

The whole ride there I was anticipating what it would be, it felt like ages but it was only an hour. When we arrived, Sutton had a huge smile on her face.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I don’t know what to say…” I sighed

I was standing on a grassy cliff with wildflowers scattered everywhere. When I looked over the cliff there was a beautiful beach; the sound of waves crashing on the shore radiated around me. 

Sutton walked closer to me, “This is my favorite place to go when I want to hide away from the world for a bit. The scenery is beautiful and I thought you would like it too, maybe it could help get your mind off of things”

I was so happy that Sutton had been here and had taken care of me. I hugged her fast and then ran down the winding path leading to the beach with Sutton in close pursuit. I slowly waded into the water while Sutton watched me. I kicked small rocks under my feet and smiled. It was so nice to be in the water. I looked over at Sutton and gestured for her to join me. She was hesitant at first, but she eventually joined me in the watery fun. She dipped her toes in the water at first, but I grabbed her wrists and pulled her in. She fell face-first into the water. She lifted her head and took a big breath, splashing me in the process. I shrieked and fell backward, laughing as I did so. This splashing and falling continued for a few hours until Sutton grabbed my hand and said, “We should head back to the hotel now, it’s getting late.” I sadly nodded as we made our way to the car, and drove back to our hotel room. 

The Hiding
It was about 9 pm when we heard a knock on our door. Sutton and I both thought it was the hotel manager coming to tell us to keep it down. We were getting ready for bed, and yeah, we were being pretty loud. But we were being careful, so Sutton walked up to the door and checked the peephole. I looked away as she checked so I could put a sleep mask on my head, but I suddenly felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me under the bed. I looked at Sutton hiding under the bed with me, shaking. “What’s going on?” I whispered. She looked around a bit before she turned to me and whispered back, “It’s Stephen.” 

My eyes widened as I heard the knocking grow louder and more aggressive. I quickly grabbed a blanket from the bed we were hiding under and threw it over the edge of the bed so it was covering us. We were probably gonna be under here for a while.

After about three minutes, the knocking stopped. But that was when the door opened. A person stepped into the room and looked around. I peered out from under the blanket. But instead of seeing Stephen’s shoes, I saw dark black heels clicking towards us. It was Jen! The lady at the front desk! I grabbed Sutton’s hand and yanked her out from under the bed along with me. Jen stumbled a bit when she saw us, but she laughed anyway. “Oh, you ladies sure did scare me. What were y'all doing under the bed?”

I quickly let out a sigh of relief and said, “Someone was knocking on our door super loudly. We got a bit scared.” 

Jen smiled. “Well, there was this young man who came in here not too long ago. He said he knew you both and he wanted to see you. He asked for room keys, but I didn’t give them to him. He looked about your age, dear.” 

She pointed to me. I started shaking. “U-uh… Did he say what his name was?” I asked.

Jen shrugged. “Nope. But he said he knew Sutton Johnson. Anyways, you girls have a good night. I hope I didn’t startle you too badly.” And with that, she left the room.

I turned to Sutton, and she was wide-eyed. “How did he know to call you Sutton Johnson? I thought your last name was Fani.”
Sutton stared back at me. “I-I think it’s because a few years ago, I used a fake last name to get into a bar with him and Ashlyn. He probably figured it out. Dammit!” Sutton buried her face in her hands and plopped down on the bed. I sat next to her.

“Well, why would you use the same fake last name as last time?” I asked. I was a bit annoyed.

Sutton shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I wasn’t thinking. I use that fake last name all the time. I’m so sorry Ashl-... wait, what’s your name?”
I looked away. “You can just call me Ashlyn. It’s fine.”
Sutton patted my shoulder. “No no, I wanna call you by your real name.”
I looked back at her. “It’s Ivy. Ivy Saddler.” 

She smiled. “Alright Ivy. I’m sorry.” And with that, we both went to bed happy. Well, sort of happy. Stephen was still after us.

The Getaway
The next morning Jen knocked on our door.

 “Good morning girls!” she chirped, “Last night I came up with an idea to help you out. I’m guessing you two are hiding from whoever came for you last night. Well anyways, I have a friend who works at a 4-star hotel in Chicago, I know it’s a ways away but then you’ll be safe. I called her and she said she could give you a room free of charge for however long you need. I would drive you up there and help you get settled in on Saturday when I’m off. Now you don’t have to go since I know it might seem scary but I feel it is the safest thing to do. Don’t worry, you can trust me.”

Sutton and I were stunned as we thought about the offer.

“So you’re saying that we can stay at a fancy hotel in Chicago for free?” Sutton asked.

“As long as you want,” Jen replied, “Marilyn and I have been friends for a long time, she’ll take good care of you.”

However tempting the offer was, I was still hesitant to go. I missed my family already and I’d be moving even farther away from them.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done Jen, and that sounds like a great offer but…”

“What is it, sweetheart?” Jen asked sympathetically.

“I don’t want to have to stay in hiding forever and that would be moving far away from my family, did you happen to get footage of him? Maybe we should call the police...”

“Oh I did dear, they are looking for him right now. In the meantime, I think you should stay safe, it will take a while to find him.”

“What do you think Sutton?” I asked nervously.

“I think she makes a good point and I don’t want to leave you alone so I’ll go with you.”

I smiled, “Okay, let's do it.”

“Have a good day girl, I’ll be waiting in the lobby at 7 am on Saturday, we should get an early start so we can get there as soon as possible,” Jen said as she closed the door behind her.

“Did she say what the hotel was called?” Sutton asked. 

“Nope. But I’m sure Jen will tell us when we’re leaving.” I responded.

A few hours passed and it was 7 am. Sutton and I got our bags and went down to the lobby to meet Jen. Sure enough, she was there with a car key.

Sutton smiled at her. “Thanks, Jen, but we have our car.” She started walking to her car when Jen grabbed her arm and dragged her back. “No no. We should take my car in case that boy comes back. He’ll think you’re still here, and the police might catch him.”

            We both nodded. “Alright,” I said. “Let’s go.”

The News
After a few hours of sitting in Jen’s car, we arrived at the hotel. I looked up at an immaculate sign that read “Happy Times Hotel.” We unloaded our bags from the car and walked inside the building to the front desk. We saw who we assumed was Marilyn, and Jen walked up to her and started talking. I looked at Sutton and she looked at me while we waited to get our room key.

Sutton put her arm around my shoulder and squeezed.

 “We’re gonna be okay, Ivy. We’re gonna escape from Stephen and you’re gonna go back to your family.” I stared at her.

“Well, what are you gonna do when we escape him?”
Sutton looked up as she thought. “I don’t know. Probably just go back to my normal life.” She smiled sweetly. “But at least I made a new friend.”

 After a few minutes, Jen came up to us with our key. She handed it to us, hugged us goodbye, and left. We went up to our room and unlocked it. It was like our other room, but bigger. Nothing special though. I sat on the bed and turned on the TV to the News 6 Channel. I needed something to distract me.

As the screen turned on, I saw a woman with bright red lipstick, a blue sparkly dress, and long black hair fade into view. Another typical news reporter. Below she was her name. “Mary Johnson.” She even had a typical name. Everything about her was so generic. But what I heard next wasn’t typical or generic.

“Hello. This is Mary Johnson on Channel 6 News. Reports today state that an alleged kidnapper has been captured in Fairfield, California. He supposedly has already kidnapped two girls, one dead, and one hopefully alive. Now deceased Hannah Martin was found in Stephen Kamfeild’s basement today. She was hard to identify because she was already decomposing. The second girl named Ivy Saddler has been missing from her home for 3 months. Reports say she was last spotted in Kamfeild’s home last Sunday with a small dog. No traces of her were found in Kamfeild’s home, but police are searching for her. Stephen Kamfeild was detained today at 8:40 am, and he is in jail until his court date, which is April 3rd, 3 days from now. More on this story later. It’s going to be a high of 80 degree-”

I shut down the TV and stared at the black screen. Did they find Stephen? Sutton stood behind me, smiling. “I called the police again earlier.” She said. 

I turned around and looked at her. I was so grateful but so angry at the same time. I was grateful she was caring enough to call the police, but I was also angry that she called without telling me. She could have blown our cover! But I swallowed my anger and hugged her tightly. At least we were safe. We didn’t have to hide anymore.

The Trial
I reunited with my family one day after I heard the news. We were all happy. But I was still worried about the trial. After I had been reported as found, I was getting so many interviews offered. But since I’d been found, the court wanted me to be at the trial. I didn’t want to see his face again, but I also wanted justice. So I had decided to go anyways. Sutton was also a witness, so she was coming as well. Sutton, me, and my parents all walked into the courtroom on April 3rd at 8:48 am. I sat down with my lawyer, and Sutton and my parents sat in the front row behind me along with a couple other of witnesses. 

After about 30 minutes of waiting, Stephen was brought out in handcuffs and sat next to his lawyer to the right of me. Sure we were about 6 feet apart, but I was still scared he could hurt me. The judge came out and sat at her high desk. She grabbed the tiny hammer and beat the table with it. I never knew what that tiny hammer was called. “Order!” She yelled. The room was now silent. You could hear a pin drop. But the silence was so loud. My ears filled with white noise as I saw my lawyer stand up and start giving his little speech. He pointed to me, to Stephen. He shouted. He yelled. His face turned red. But I couldn’t hear anything he was saying. I couldn’t hear for the rest of the trial.

It had only felt like a few minutes, but it had been a few hours. I watched as Stephen was carried away. He screamed and kicked and tried to punch as he was walked through the door to the prison. Did I win? I won. Of course, I won. I was free! But life wasn’t going to go back to normal that soon.

The Interview
Remember how I said I was getting offered a lot of interviews? Well, my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to do one. So I did what they said. I took an interview with Channel 6 News. The same news channel I watched the day they found Stephen. I walked into the station to see news reporters sitting in chairs with people caking their faces and doing their hair. I didn’t know this was like a beauty competition. The men were looking dapper and the women were looking beautiful. But then there was me. Very minimal makeup, boring long, straight hair, and a lavender T-Shirt with ripped jeans. Nothing special. As soon as I took one step through the door, a woman grabbed my arm and yanked me in.

“You’re Ivy Saddler, correct?” 

I smoothed my hair and smiled at the woman. “Yep. I’m Ivy.” 

As I stared at her face, I started to recognize who she was. It was Mary Johnson. The same woman who gave that report! Mary stuck her hand out and I took it. We shook hands for a bit before she wiped a bit of her red lipstick from the corner of her mouth. I’m guessing she did her makeup herself. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Ivy. I’m Mary Johns-”
“Mary Johnson, I know. I saw you on the news reporting about Stephen.” 

I smiled at her, and she smiled back with her perfect teeth.

“Well, I’m glad we could be the ones to report the news for you. You can have a seat right over there,” Mary pointed to two chairs sitting on opposite sides of a round wooden table, “and we’ll start the interview in a few minutes.” 

Mary shook my hand one more time before she turned around, her now black dress twirling as she did, and walked over to a group of people by what I assumed was a snack table. I did as she said and I sat down on the chair that had the label “GUEST” written next to it. As soon as I sat down, people in black clothes started putting lights and cameras around me. I just sat there, watching it all happen. It took about 3 minutes until everything was set up. Damn. They work fast. Mary made her way over to the other chair and sat in it. I stared at the backdrop, which was just a city I didn’t know. I heard someone saying “We’re live in 5, 4, 3…”

 I quickly straightened up and smoothed out everything I could. I took a deep breath as the guy counting down said “and 1.” 

He pointed to us and Mary put on a big smile. “Good morning America! This is Mary Johnson with Channel 6 News, bringing you the top stories from this week. Right now I’m joined by Ivy Saddler, who recently was reunited with friends and family after a horrible tragedy. She’ll share her incredible story live for us as it happened.” Mary glanced at me. 

I smiled awkwardly and said “hello” in the tiniest voice possible.

“So,” Mary said, folding her hands in her lap. “Thank you for coming for an interview on our little talk show portion today.”

I smiled. “It’s um… it’s no problem.”

“Before we get into it, let’s get to know you a little better. Tell us a little about yourself.”

I thought for a second, what did she even want me to say? 

“Uhh... my name is Ivy Haley Saddler. I’m 18 years old. My favorite food is french onion soup. I live with my mom Kelsey and my dad Thomas. I love going to the beach and going to the mall with my friends. Umm… I have a dog named Regenold...”

Mary held out her hands. “Okay. Okay, thank you for that, Ivy. Are you ready for the interview now?”
I nodded nervously. “Yes. I’m ready.”

“First of all, how has it felt finally being back with your family and friends after months apart from them? I’m sure you’re pretty glad you’re back,” Mary said with a sympathetic look.

I nodded in agreement, “I am. It was really hard being locked away from the people I love, it feels freeing to know that I don’t have to feel that anymore.”

“That’s understandable,” Mary added. ”I know we’re getting right into the hard questions but…” she hesitated, “what was it like back at Stephen’s house?”

“It was very eerie. It felt like someone else used to live there with him. It was slightly unkempt and the windows were never opened,” I explained.

“Do you know who used to live there?” Mary sounded intrigued. 

“Well Stephen used to have a girlfriend named Ashlyn but one day she passed away and....” 

As I explained the whole thing I felt a weight being taken off of my shoulders. Sure, it was hard talking about parts but in the end, it was okay. I still talk to Sutton she is my new best friend. Oh, and of course I kept Basil too. I may not be perfect and I may not be Ashlyn but I’m me. Doesn’t that count for something?

More From Before the Incident

It happened again. I can’t believe this keeps happening to me. Aiden and Paige are at it again. They keep excluding me and Courtney and I’m sick of it. Today they were making fun of Olivia and saying she was ugly and Aiden said she wanted to hurt her. They were also judging me and giving me a look… like I wasn’t as good as them. Like I’d never be as good as them. Well, it was mostly Aiden, like every other day, but Paige just sits there and goes along with it, she’s so fake it’s horrible. Ugh, they are so insecure and just want attention, to think at one point I called them some of my best friends. 

Now it’s just me and Olivia and I’m starting to wonder about her too. She doesn’t stand up for me when I stand up for her and she never wants to hang out with me. I mean I have friends, don’t get me wrong, but I always feel alone. Based on the fact that I get excited when someone texts me, even when I know they are just using me, I’d say something is up. I just don’t want to admit that, and why would I? My other friends don’t know how I feel, a few do but they don’t care. They can’t see what’s happening around us as I do. 

Anyways, I think I should think about getting a job. Starbucks isn’t the best but it sounds like a good job so I think I’ll apply there next week. Who knows, maybe I’ll meet someone there that understands me. I doubt that, but it doesn’t hurt to be optimistic.

My favorite new hobby now is drawing. I love sketching people. Sometimes I like to come up with names for them and think of what their personalities would be like. I know it sounds weird but, hey, I’m lonely. Wow… I just realized I sound depressed. Don’t worry about me, I feel like my life is going to get better soon. I just need to keep being patient.