Lauren Milley
February 25, 2010
Language Arts 8, Period 3
Secrets
Tom woke up and winced. His side had stiffened up from football practice. He sat up and looked around, he was lying on the back seat of an inconspicuous, black Audi. Shannon was sitting next to him, already awake. She seemed relatively okay other than the bruise covering her eye. Both their hands and feet were tied together; though the tape was removed from his mouth. Looking out his window, Tom saw the scenery flashing by. There wasn’t much to look at on either side of the road, just sand and the occasional cactus. He tried to look at his watch; it had the date on it. He could barely make out the numbers with his hands tied beneath him. May 2nd, two days after he and Shannon had been kidnapped. He immediately thought of his mom, she must be in hysterics. Tom tried to remain optimistic.
“So you’re finally awake,” Shannon hissed at him through clenched teeth. Tom sat up feeling groggy.
“Do you know where we are?”
“No, but we’ve been driving the entire time, with the occasional rest stop. You’ve been out the whole time,” she told him patronizingly. Before he could reply, the man in the passenger’s seat turned around and told them they would be stopping for awhile. An old, wooden sign marked “Welcome to Benson, Arizona!”
“Oh boy,” Tom groaned inwardly, “Not another drab little town out in the middle of nowhere.”
A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of a small restaurant called “The Gila Claw.” The lighting was dim, and only two or three people were inside. Painted above the doorway was a faded, peeling picture of a Gila monster wearing a sombrero. A warm breeze entered, and a peculiar earthly smell permeated the room. Tom wondered where the other two men from the parking lot had gone. Only two were in the car when he woke up. They were seated at a table in the very back of the restaurant, Tom squirmed uncomfortably. Shannon sat next to him, on the very edge of the seat, as far away from him as she could get. Tom was just glad it wasn’t the chatty cheerleader from before; once again he couldn’t even remember her name. Their kidnappers sat across from them, looking each of them up and down silently. No one came over to ask if they needed drinks, they must have sensed to stay away. The four of them probably made an odd-looking group.
“Which one if you are named Flanning?” he asked. His voice was low and raspy. If Shannon was surprised, she didn’t show it. She raised a shaky hand, though her face remained placid and composed. Tom was shocked though. Now that he looked at her, he could see the resemblance between her and her brother Jim, the star quarterback of the Bennett Red Hawks. The sandy-blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, yeah, Shannon was definitely Jim’s younger sister. Tom leaned over to ask Shannon why she hadn’t told him about Jim, but he was cut off by his kidnapper.
“Where does your mother work?” the other one asked Shannon, a little more amiably than the first. His voice was much clearer and smoother than the other man’s was. Shannon remained silent. The man leaned back against the booth, arms folded over his chest. She looked at Tom and then down at her pocket. There was an odd bulge, and then it hit him. They hadn’t taken their phones away. He flipped it open beneath the table, careful not to let the bright light give him away because the “The Gila Claw” was so dimly lit. No signal. He tilted his phone over to Shannon. She gave a slight nod, almost imperceptibly, but enough to tell him she understood. Shannon stood up abruptly.
“I need to use the restroom,” she said.
“Fine,” the younger man replied. Surprised by how easy it was to get away, Shannon stood up and headed straight for the sign that said “Las Niñas,” only to find the man following her. Of course, it couldn’t have been that easy. When Shannon pushed the door open, she was relieved it was only one bathroom. Now she didn’t have to worry about anyone else being in there with her. There was a window near the ceiling, facing the parking lot. She could just see the black Audi they had been kidnapped in. She raised her phone to the window, hoping to get a signal. Nothing. Shannon heard the door handle jiggle. She turned her phone off and stuffed it in her pocket, it was almost dead anyway, but it was still a comfort to know she had it. Shannon tried to cover the lump in pocket with her sweatshirt. She had just finished when the door opened. Shannon had been expecting the mystery man to be there waiting for her, but it wasn’t. It was just Tom. He slipped in the doorway.
“Hey, why didn’t you tell me Jim was your brother?” Tom asked.
“I don’t know,” she said sarcastically, “Why didn’t you tell me there were people after you?”
“Hey, they asked for YOU! They didn’t say my last name, it was yours! And by the way, what does your mom do for a living? There isn’t much to do in a dreary little town like Bennett. My mom’s a nurse at the hospital downtown, the only hospital as a matter-of-fact.”
“Actually, I’m not sure what my mom does,” she told Tom. “But she travels a lot and doesn’t even have a phone number that I’m allowed to know,” Shannon sounded a little resentful. Tom actually regretted asking the question.
“Well those two men? The ones we’re sitting with right now? They’re not the same guys from the parking lot. I saw a government ID. They’re not the bad guys, Shannon. You need to tell them what your mom does.”
“I already told you! I don’t know what or who she works for. I haven’t seen her in a few months either.” Shannon snapped. They looked out the window one last time to see if the car was still there before heading back. It wasn’t.
“Are you sure it was there before?” Tom asked quietly”
“Positive.”
“We should probably go back now, tell them the car’s missing,” he suggested.
“Are you crazy?!? We don’t even know if they really working for the government,” she said, exasperated. Before she could say anything else, Tom pushed the door open and headed back for the table. Only the older man was still there. He didn’t even acknowledge them.
“We’re leaving,” he announced in his gruff voice. He pushed them out the door, and headed to a different car. A silver vehicle this time, big, and good for the sandy terrain. When Shannon opened the door to get in, a familiar voice greeted her. One she hadn’t heard in a while. Sitting in the passenger’s seat was Shannon’s mother.