I Won't Let You Die Angel (2 page)

I was on my bed drifting
into sleep slowly, thinking about the turn of events today, and hoping to dream
of my new crush. Two fingers tucked the strand of my hair that had come loose behind
my ears. They traced my temples gently, drifting past my cheek and rubbing my jaw
line softly. One hand tugged the hem of my shirt and slid inside tracing the
shape of my navel. My eyes were still closed, I was still half asleep. I stiffened,
clearly not liking the endeavor. I tried to shove the hand away, but he would not
budge. My eyes snapped open and I tried to scream for help, but he quickly put his
palm over my mouth suppressing any sound. I was helpless. I struggled in vain. Someone
help me…. No……

I bolted upright sweating
profusely, my breath ragged, my heartbeat racing fast. I tried to slow my breathing
and relax my senses. When my heartbeat finally returned to normal, a wave of uncertainty
struck me and the reality of my situation. Unnerved, I glanced around frantically.
I was in a small room with brown painted walls. There was nothing in the room except
the couch I was sleeping on. No windows, just a door on the opposite wall. I tried
to stand, but as I took a step, my head whirled and I collapsed on the edge of the
couch. I took a deep breath and tried again, slowly rising to my feet. I felt dizzy,
but became successful in taking a few steps forward. I reached the door, fiddled
with the knob, silently praying it would be unlocked, and alas, it opened. So easy!
Why would the kidnapper keep me in an unlocked room devoid of any supervision, not
that I was complaining? It felt like a trap except I was already trapped. Woo what’s
wrong with getting more trapped: so much for healthy enthusiasm. I peeked outside;
no one was in my straight line of sight. I stepped outside quietly.

I found myself in a narrow
hallway; I could see stairs descending to a door, probably my passageway to freedom.
I crawled slowly, making no noise. My clothes were soaked in blood, I was barefoot,
and my head hurt like hell. The house was small with old tapestries decorating the
walls. I reached the stairs painfully slowly and descended, still nobody around
to interrupt my fortunate escapade. I searched the living room for a living soul;
no one there. I tried unlocking the front door; this time it was locked. I sprinted
to the kitchen, found a pocket knife after searching every drawer, and focused my
entire concentration on unlocking it. After several tries, I was exhausted, unconsciousness
drifting over me. No Janet, you can’t give up, you have to stay awake. Come on,
you are an engineering student, think of something. I tried again using different
mechanisms this time. After twenty minutes, I heard a click and turned the knob
to open the door to freedom.

I left the door ajar and
ran straightaway into the alley. It was fully dark outside now. I didn’t know where
I was? After a few turns, I was lost, my head aching, and my eyes beginning to shut.
I tried to increase my speed and collided head-on with a hard chest. Well, you’ll
have to give it to my mind, even in such a disastrous situation, it could not resist
recalling Newton’s third law of motion which states,
for every action, there
is an equal and opposite reaction.
I staggered backward at such an abrupt angle
that I could’ve ended flat on my butt – hence proving Newton’s law – if the stranger
had not caught me midway.

My vision blurred, and when
it cleared, blue eyes -- like ocean water -- were watching me intensely, my knees
buckling, his strong muscular arms the only thing keeping me upright. I clutched
him to steady myself and he strengthened his hold as if to embrace me. I blinked
for several moments and finally voiced weakly, “Help me. Please, help me.”

He didn’t loosen his grip.
“You can help yourself,
Angel
. If you want to live, behave or DIE.”

A horror so intense swept
over me that despite weakened limbs, I staggered backward trying to break away from
him. He caught my right shoulder with one hand and tightly grabbed a fistful of
my hair with the other. I yelped in pain. He dragged me by my hair all the way back
to the house and to that small room, and threw me on the couch with such force that
one hip collided with a sharp edge. Pain spread through my entire body. When I regained
my composure, he was nowhere in the attic; the door was closed, and this time locked.

Resigned, I sat down, wondering
how I had ended up here. The day had started so wonderfully, and then everything
went wrong. “Oh, how this day has ended up so drastically. Oh, it’s probably
the next day already. I don’t know what time it is? I don’t know where am I? I freaking
don’t know WHY I AM HERE?” Nicole, even thinking about her, made me choke on my
voice. And Professor Collins is also there somewhere out there, caught just like
me. My parents probably don’t even know I’m in trouble. With the FBI, at least I
was safe. Chris’s chocolate brown eyes and that easy smile kept popping up in my
internal vision. I embraced my knees, seeking solace in myself, and for the first
time in years, I cried.

When I woke up, my whole
body ached. I had cried myself to sleep in the same sitting position. I was sprawled
out on the couch and tried the doorknob in vain. Of course, the kidnapper was not
a fool to repeat the same mistake twice. In fact, he was smart, I guessed. But it
was my bad luck that even after escaping, I had fallen into his hands. Fate is such
a cruel bitch.

His ocean blue eyes had
looked so real, compassionate, and intriguing. How could someone, with eyes so calming,
be a terrorist? He could be the same person who destroyed the Collins’s place: he
could be his accomplice, or he could be totally out of his league. He could be anyone.
Maybe he’s just a local criminal trying to kidnap a girl for ransom. Maybe, I’m
going crazy! Because this place is not
local
and this person is not an amateur
if he is capable of freeing a girl from FBI custody.

I was exhausted, both physically
and mentally. I had not eaten for hours and my throat was dry as paper. I needed
to go to the loo immediately. I searched for the bathroom, but this room had none
attached. I got up and started banging the door. A few moments passed, but no one
appeared. I was restless now and banged louder. The door opened suddenly, and I
would been have knocked over for the umpteenth time in twenty-four hours if it
were not for my quick reflexes. He was standing in the doorway glaring at me lethally,
a gun strapped in his belt.

“Look, Mr. Kidnapper, before
you start shooting me with your brand new gun there, I’d like to state in my defense
that this banging on the door is your fault entirely.” I let the words out in one
breath.

He eyed me like I was some
amusing pet who has gone out of its mind and then asked, “My fault?”

“Well, yes. If you were
not some amateur kidnapper, you would know that a captive person must be kept in
a room with facilities like a washroom and drinking water.”

“And food as well,” I added.

Now his glare changed from
naïve to bewilderment like the pet had suddenly used its mind tactfully. “Well,
if you don’t show me the washroom, like right now, I’m going to ruin your already
ruined floor.”

That grabbed his attention.
He yanked my right arm and dragged me, literally dragged me, like a rug downstairs
into a bigger room and shoved me inside the bathroom, locking it from outside.

“Woo… easy there, Mr. Bodybuilder.
I’m a person, not some sack of flour.” I said furiously. No reply. So I did not
waste any more time and used the facility I was given and needed after such an assault.

The bathroom was small but
clean: a clean white towel was hanging there. Above the shower head, there was a
small window, sunlight peeping through. By the look of it, I guessed it must be
around nine in the morning.

I sighed, exasperated. Fifteen
hours ago, I was going on my first date with Kevin and now…. Tears started brimming
in my eyes, but I blinked, forcing them back. Crying won’t solve any purpose.  I
have to think….. think Janet. Think …. I can’t lose hope. Even the most difficult
science experiments have a way…. There has to be some method to escape from this….
Think Janet… Think what dad used to say,
every problem has a solution. You just
need to concentrate enough to find it.

As if on cue, my mind lit
up with an idea. How can I be that stupid? Every movie shows this same escape route.
There’s a window, I just need to reach it.

 I looked around frantically.
There was a stool with a few toiletries on it. I dumped them sideways and placed
the stool directly below the window. I carefully climbed on it, reaching up. The
window was jammed of course! I jumped onto the floor, clasped a shampoo bottle,
climbed up again and applied half the quantity on the window lid. It started softening
a little.

Just then approaching
footsteps became audible. I hastily jumped back and almost had reached the door
when it opened, revealing my monster abductor.

Please don’t look past me….
Please don’t, I prayed silently. “Don’t you have a little bit of manners? Gentlemen
don’t dart into a lady’s bathroom without knocking.” He raised one eyebrow, but
said nothing. He started coming inside. “Stop! You… you can’t come in.”

“Are you giving me orders
Angel
? Well, I don’t see a point to it. By the way, you took way too long.”

“Don’t call me that.” I
snapped.

“What
Angel?
”

“
Angel
… Don’t call
me
Angel
.”

He measured me from top
to bottom with his eyes, and I suddenly became hyperaware of the fact that I was
still in the same turquoise dress which had been torn here and there at the hem
and now did not cover me properly. Discomfort swept through me, and I felt a sudden
urge to cover myself in an oversized toga.

He retreated back and I
let out a sigh of relief. He rummaged through a cupboard and came back with brown
trousers and a black shirt. He tossed them to me offhandedly and I took a look at
my new outfit. They must be about 37 percent larger than my size. “Hey, these are
not my size. These are not even girl’s clothing. I’m not wearing this.”

He barely spared me a glance
and filed out of the room. I had no other choice than to wear the oversize clothes.
I certainly couldn’t go around in my disheveled dress. I closed the bathroom and
started the shower. Escape plan number two could wait until I cleaned, up properly.

After half an hour I was
freshly showered, dried, and drowning in my new black and brown uniform. I glanced
at the window apologetically. I could try to escape now, but my stomach was protesting
otherwise. I had nothing, no money to buy food or a ride, just my pendant which
I was in no way going to sell. Besides, I didn’t know where I was. What if he had
stationed guards outside? I could not take the risk of being caught escaping again.
I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be good for my health. So, promising the window
I’d come back, I stepped out of the room.

There was no one in the
little dining area, but the mild fragrance of coffee was emanating from the kitchen.
Now, if I hadn’t mentioned it before, I can’t resist caffeine even if it is brewed
in a terrorist’s kitchen. Forgetting all my tensions, I walked into the kitchen
quickly and lifted a coffee mug, totally ignoring the surprised monster beside it.
I barely touched my lips to the coffee before a hand snatched it away. Coffee spilled
out of the mug due to the lack of centrifugal force when it was changed from its
state of inertia.

I groaned, “Look, Mr. Monster,
if you want me alive for your assignment, you will give that half-filled coffee
mug to me right now.” He must have sensed something in my voice, because he warily
handed the mug back. I took a sip and instantly felt a rush of energy inside me.

I gulped down the whole
cup in record time. Only when I had set the mug down on the counter, did I notice
my surroundings. The kitchen was small but resourceful, groceries were stuffed in
boxes and grilled sandwiches were on the other side of the counter.

Grilled sandwiches!!!! Whoa!
How come Mr. Monster managed to prepare the very food and beverage I loved? I was
about to grab one, when I noticed Mr. Monster staring at me with uncertainty, like
I was some wild kitten on the loose.

“What?? It’s been almost
a day since I’ve eaten something. You can’t possibly expect me to mind my manners.”
I replied with equal attitude.

He frowned and leaned closer.
“Go ahead, treat yourself. We’ll be leaving soon,
Angel
.” I didn’t waste
any time in shaping my retort at
Angel
; I
sat cross-legged on the
counter and started feasting on the yummy-looking fare.

I want to confess something.
I’m usually well-mannered and patient with everything I do. But I occasionally surprise
myself. I attacked the sandwiches like I’d been starving for days and made a pig
out of myself. My wet hair dangling here and there hindering my feeding and I unsuccessfully
tried to brush them away. Two long, tapered fingers rolled around my tresses and
fixed them behind my ear.

I lifted my eyes in surprise
as a shudder went through me. He extended his other hand and fixed some more strands
behind the other ear, all the while looking into my eyes.

For the first time, I looked
at him, like really looked at him, not just his eyes. I looked at those high cheekbones,
the etched jaw line, curvy mouth, brown hair, and blue eyes that looked like the
sea the day before but now bore a resemblance to a cloudless sky. He had a lean,
slender body and elegant hands. My god he was beautiful! Not pretty like Chris,
but incredibly stunning.