tina'

Thud

phone dropped to the ground, crashing. I was too

y sister! Someon

und, shutting my eyes while wrapping my arms around myself and desperately wishi

eplayed Taylor's voicemail over and over

m the voicemail continued to play in my head conti

for Taylor might come back, and I n

surface before stretching out to reach for the card. just like Taylor had said, th

" I whispered to myself as I brushed off a

nse of guilt washed over me as I remembered our last conversatio

to double over in pain as I clut

tion. Maybe I could have noti

y breath. "You can cry later." The pep talk di

ly dead or was

ade my way to my room only to be met with a horrific sight that caused my face to morph into one of disgust and fear, which cleare

igh

my eye and I saw a sparkly ring that shone by the corner of the floor. I gaspe

e this ring behind. The

ion to become blurry as f

ped 911, but my hand hovered

volve the

d through the air, prompting me to end th

r, Mom, and Dad. The huge lump formed at the back of my

ily is dead b

ot dead!" I warned myself as I pla

h

I froze. I heard the floorboard creak in the

e was

ng quickly, I tiptoed, careful to avoid the creaky spots on the floor, and unlocked the closet. I scattered c

and my claustrophobia kicked in, but a few minutes in this tiny, suffocating close

gh

the room creak as the fi

Thud

chest- so loud that I feared whoe

ing my eyes to open widely at

, or that nutjob bluffed about having

ence would have been a good thing, but I couldn't move, and I was pretty sure I was sl

I needed t

ne, but I ran out of the hidden closet wit

a shadow fell upon me, causing me

it

stranger was there be

but I kicked him in the shin,

ed my hair just before I could

ttle bitch?" The low growl in his voice

fight back, but the man was t

eliciting a shriek from me. He

d me at th

y the bedside stand and smashing it against the bed. He stumbl

entrance, and he wrapped h

firm his grip was given a different circum

on the line,

my vision. I began to see stars and th

kicked him in the balls. His grip on me loosened and I slithe

ver the floor. He lunged for me again, but his shoelace was

he flight of stairs. I rushed down to him to check

isbelief at the realizatio

o get ou

ase alongside the envelope Taylor had le

ring that I looked dishe

been my home for as long as I could remember, a

cked the content to make sure I had

to South London. I love you so

ster was looking out for m

r helped me put my suitcase in the boo

to, M

d curtly, not encouragi

es flashed back to all the times m

onl

d, drowning th

ide, we reache

hanical and all blu

cess, I finally got on board the nex

guessed aloud as I tied my h