I didn't get much sleep at night. The thought of this Dr. Alexander came to my mind and I was sold and spent the rest of my life on an island.
I woke up when someone knocked on the door. The man walked in without waiting for a response. I turned over and looked at Ben. He changed into jeans and a T-shirt. The scarf hung loosely around his neck but was not tied.
"I didn't expect you to wake up," he said. "We'll leave in an hour."
I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. Ben opened the closet and pulled out a duffel bag. He put the bag on the dresser and filled it with my clothes. As he packed every item of clothing in his closet, my heart sank. I may never come back.
Ben grabbed the rest of his clothes and tossed them to the end of the bed.
"Go take a shower," he said. "Oliver will be here soon."
I took a quick shower and put on the clothes Ben had given me. I blow-dried my hair and tied it into a ponytail.
When I got back to the room, Ben was zipping up the bag and putting it on the bed. I sat next to the bag. I looked up at Ben, but he turned back to look at the empty closet. He pulled out the empty drawer and looked like he was double-checking that everything was packed away.
He doesn't talk to me. As soon as he finished speaking, the door at the top of the stairs opened. I listened to the man's footsteps walking down the corridor. This time, he was wearing a suit. Ben turned when he heard Oliver enter.
"Are the kids ready?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, sir," said Ben. "Both of our bags are packed."
"Okay. Put them in the car. I need to talk to Diana."
Ben nodded, grabbed my bag and left. Oliver took a few steps forward and raised his hand. Hand shows a pair of shoes.
"I thought you'd need these," he said.
I took the shoes from him. I gasped when I saw the mismatched laces. These are my shoes. These are the shoes I wear when walking home from practice. He kept the shoes I was wearing when I was kidnapped.
Looking at him in surprise, Oliver smiled. I put the shoes on my feet. I don't need to unlace my shoes. The soles were worn and molded into the soles of my feet. This is a part of my life that I have to hold on to.
"Diana, I need you to be on your best behavior," he said. "I don't want to hear a sound from you the second you walk out this door."
"What if someone asks me a question?" I asked.
"No one will ask you anything. I want you to stay with Ben and be quiet."
"What about at the airport? They always ask you questions at customs."
"We're not going to the airport."
I tried my best to keep the disappointment off my face. Oliver's smile grew brighter;
I know I'm not doing well. I held on to a glimmer of hope throughout the night that I could make a splash at the busy airport and get help.
Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of large sunglasses. These lenses are darker than any lenses I have ever owned.
"Keep putting them on," Oliver said, sliding them over my face. "Don't take them off. I want you to keep your head down when we're out too. I don't know yet whether your eyes can handle the sun." Glasses and move them so they sit better on my nose . The darkness prevented me from seeing the strange hues. The glasses made it harder for me to see, and I could only clearly see a few inches in front of me.
Oliver pulled the elastic out of my hair. I gritted my teeth as he pulled out a few strands of my hair. He ran his fingers through my hair and pulled it down, covering more of my face.
"Let's go," said Oliver.
I stood up and Oliver put his arm around my waist. I pushed him away, but he curled his fingers around me. He pulled me closer to his body. I squirmed in his grasp.
"Be good," he said.
I took a deep breath and stopped moving.
As we started walking, Oliver guiding me, I felt strangely relieved. My limited vision would cause me to trip and hit walls. There was a man standing at the bottom of the stairs.
"She needs a jacket, sir," Ben said.
"Thank you," Oliver said.
He let go of me and thrust something into my hand. I put it on and then I realized it was my denim jacket. This is another part of my old life. Just like my shoes, they provide extra comfort when worn for long periods of time.
I reached into my pocket, hoping to find my phone or wallet, but all I had was a pack of gum.
Oliver grabbed my elbow and pulled me up the stairs. I stumbled a few steps and felt another hand on my back. I glanced back and saw Ben.
When I reached the top of the steps, I looked around and saw that we were in a narrow hallway. Oliver grabbed a handful of my hair and forced my head down.
I kept staring at my feet. My glasses slipped off my nose, but I didn't touch them. I can see better through dark lenses. I made a mental note of the undersides of furniture we passed, trying to make a map.
When he opens the front door, sunlight hits the tiles at my feet. He held my hair tightly as he pushed me outside. We walked off the wooden deck and crossed his driveway. He opened the car door and pushed me in.
I slid into the leather seat.
Oliver reached over me and buckled up. I put my hand on my chest
He tilted his head and looked out at the windshield. At the end of the driveway is a large iron gate. The gate is connected to the tall fence surrounding his house. Outside, all I could see was trees. There are no other houses nearby.
Oliver pushed the sunglasses back up my nose and rearranged my hair so that it covered my face.
The passenger side door opened and I watched Ben climb in. Oliver slammed the car door and got into the driver's seat. He fiddled with the radio, then settled on a station and started driving. As he approached the gate, it opened. . . . .
The drive was about an hour, and there wasn't a long moment where I didn't recognize anything around us. Neither Oliver nor Ben spoke a word during the trip. Midway through the trip, we arrived at a busy town. The car stopped at a red light and I reached for the door handle. I pulled it slowly and pushed my weight against the door.
It didn't move. He had to turn on the child safety lock.
Ben looked at me and shook his head slightly. Oliver didn't see it.
I kept my hands crossed in my lap for the rest of the trip.
He pulled into what looked like a large field with many cars inside. Small buildings. As we got closer I noticed a small plane. He parked next to the plane. Several men in work clothes ran to the car. Oliver turned so he could see me behind his seat.
"Don't say anything, Diana," said Oliver. "I want you to stay with Ben and keep your head down."
Ben hurried to my door and opened it. He held out his hand. I held it so I wouldn't fall when I got out of the car. Ben put his arms around me and curled me into him. He put his other hand on my shoulder, blocking my body. "Dr. Sweeney!" a man exclaimed.
I turned to see who it was, but Ben held my head against his chest.
"Don't move," Ben whispered. "Just follow me."
Ben pulled me to the front of the car. Between the glasses and Ben's arm, I could only see a small patch of grass below us.
"Good morning, Chester," said Oliver. "Really happy to see you again."
"Likewise, sir," said the other. "We didn't expect to see you until next week." "Thank you for getting us in early. My nephew managed to get an extra week off, so why waste time? He's bringing his girlfriend and us Come down together. Please forgive Gina, she's a nervous pilot."
He calls Ben his nephew? Chester must have been unaware of these experiments. I started to pull away, but Ben quickly pulled me back against his chest.
"Do you mind if we get on the plane?" Ben asked. “I think she’ll feel better once she gets on the plane.
"Good idea," the man said. “We’ll get your luggage.
Thank you very much," Ben said, pulling me forward. "Come on, honey. "
When we reached a flight of stairs, Ben's grip tightened. My knees were shaking as I struggled to see each step. The floor became flat and we walked on carpet. I pulled away from Ben and this time he let me go. I turned to face him.
"Ben, we have to go now," I said.
"We can't," he said. "You know."
"Once I get to the Caribbean, it's all over. I'm not coming back to Canada." "No one said you wouldn't come back. Gregory probably didn't want to buy you."
Through these sunglasses, I could only see Ben's silhouette. I reached up to take them off, but Ben grabbed my wrist. He pushed me into one of the seats. He slid across the seat and forced me to the window.
"Listen, Diana." Ben tightened his hand. "You need to take a deep breath and calm down. I'm going to do everything in my power to convince Oliver not to sell you. You're going to come back with us, okay? I told you, I need you to be with me. I" No I would be content to see you only once a year. “The wind looks good.
Dr. Sweeney," a man said. I could see two figures entering the plane. "I don't think you'll encounter turbulence. "
"That's good," Oliver said.
"How is she feeling?"
"She's still nervous," Ben said. "She felt better once we were in the air. It was her first time flying."
"I'm sure she will."
The man walked up and down the aisle of the small plane and then left. Oliver went into the back and came back with a bottle of water. Ben let go of my wrist and I rubbed the sore skin. Oliver reached into his pocket and handed me a small cup of pills.
I looked through dark lenses. There are four pills in the cup. Oliver always gives me three. There was a little orange pill that I had never seen before.
"What is this extra elixir?" I asked.
"It's to help you sleep," Oliver said.
"It's morning. I don't need help falling asleep."
"This is a long flight and I don't need you to lose your temper."
I took out my usual three pills and swallowed them with water. "Take another one," said Oliver,
"I don't need it," I said.
"Diana," Ben said.
I took a deep breath and looked down at the pill. If I didn't take it willingly, I knew they would force it down my throat. I don’t miss much sleep. It would make the flight go faster and Oliver would be happy.
"I'm sorry for making you feel so bad," I said.
I swallowed the fourth pill and drank an extra glass of water. I can see Oliver smiling
Pushing my glasses up my nose.
