Chapter 3: Kidnapping

Yes, they were rich, but they tried to live moderately and both her parents were too friendly with their business partners and nice to have any enemies. ‘Who could be that heartless?’ she thought. Her parents were confused about the kidnappers. 

“Sorry to inform you of this bad news, miss, but we need your cooperation to help find your sister.” The second officer was the one to speak up this time. Ashley nodded, looking between her parents and the policemen. 

“Ashley, how could you leave your sister like that?” Mrs. Gregory accused, holding her arm tight. 

“She said she’ll sort her ride back home on her own and I should use her car. She’s the one who left me on my own at the party, and I had no other choice but to leave without her.” Ashley tried to defend herself. 

Mrs. Gregory only shook her head and continued crying while mustering some things about why she allowed them to go to that party. 

“Miss?” one officer called, and she directed her attention back to the cops standing in front of her. 

“Dear, just tell them what happened, and don’t listen to your mother. You do not fault this.” Mr. Gregory advised, but Ashley wasn’t listening. 

Her head hasn’t processed everything yet, at the words of her mother. The smiling face of her sister lingered constantly in her eyes, giggling freely, teasing her, making her head heavy to digest the news of her kidnapping.  

She remained silent even after hearing the officers and her father calling her name. After five minutes, she burst out crying like her mother. 

“Mom’s right. I shouldn’t have left her there by herself.” She cried, and Mr. Gregory rushed to embrace his daughter. 

“Don’t blame yourself, dear, your mother is stupid just looking for someone to blame, and she targeted you.” He wiped the tears from her eyes and was about to continue when the sound of an incoming call from the landline made everywhere silent.

Mr. Gregory and the two officers rushed toward the phone but allowed Mr. Gregory to answer the call. 

“Hello?” 

A sinister laugh came from the other end of the line. 

“Involve the police as much as you want, Gregory, but you will not get your daughter back. Trust me. My problem is with you and I won’t rest until you suffer forever crossing me.” Said a voice from the other end. Then the line was cut.

“What did you do?!” Mrs. Gregory yelled. “It is your fault Amelia’s missing.” She was hitting her husband, draining her energy in her cry. She was desperate to see her daughter in front of her. 

Mr. Gregory made a rookie mistake and placed the call on speaker. 

“Will you calm down? I have done nothing to anyone. It must be a mistake, or I did it intentionally.” Mr. Gregory tried to defend himself. 

“Sir, madam.” The officer interrupted. 

“We’ll be needing both of you,” he directed at Mr. Gregory.

“And you miss Ashley coming to the station for some questioning? It won’t belong.”

They lied. The questioning took forever, according to Ashley’s subconscious mind, but even with that, she gave them all the information they needed. She blamed herself for what happened to Amelia and she could do anything for her sister. 

Although Amelia can be a pain in the butt sometimes, especially when there’s a party to attend, Ashley still loved her sister dearly. Amelia’s the only friend she has. She’s her best friend slash's sister. Her introverted nature and lack of leaving her room made her trust people easily. 

‘nothing should happen to Amelia.’ Ashley internally prayed at the time, clutching her hand tight in her lap while answering.  

After her questioning, she waited for Mr. Gregory in his car. The memories kept playing in her head, and she wished she could change everything that happened.

She would have talked Amelia against partying that day or probably not dancing with strangers, but who was she deceiving? Probably herself cause Amelia would never have listened. The teams of rivers were flowing from her eyes, sucking her energy with them, the unbearable guilt caused by her was tearing her apart. 

Just then, her iPhone biped, notifying her of the text message sent to her. It was from an unknown number. She clicked on it to read hurriedly, hoping it was from Amelia. 

{Miss Ashley, I’m aware you’re looking for your missing sister and I’ve decided to help. You might not trust me, but I’ll advise you to do so. Come along to the address I’ll send.}

Seconds later and later, a message was received from the same number. It was an address. It was almost at the corner of the city, the same area her parents were afraid to imagine walking their daughters from its street. 

Ashley was hesitant, but the thoughts of something happening to her sister clouded her better judgment, and decided to honor the mysterious person’s invitation. It mentioned her sister; it was obvious for her to agree without second thoughts and her feeble heart was truculent to believe the police could help them in this matter.

She waited impatiently for her father to come and when he did, she hurried them home and locked herself in her room. She knows what she’s about to do is risky, but she’s going to risk it for her sister. 

‘It was my fault and now I’ve got to fix it.’ she thought. 

She sneaked out of the house through her window. Fortunately for her, her bedroom’s on the first floor of their two-story building apartment making it easier for her to jump from.

She landed gracefully on the hard concrete ground of her feet. She peeped from the wall to make sure the positions of the increased numbers of guards. 

Her parents feared losing their second daughter too, the kidnapper boldly said. It had something to do with revenge, but her father couldn’t remember when and how he harmed someone in any way which caused their highly protected daughter to go through this hell.