by Ambeka Lutchman
Hating life. Loving those around you. Missing those you love too much to keep for yourself. Wanting to find the people you can’t see. “Never forget.” I have told these things to many people before, but never have I done what I am about to do today. If you are reading this out of curiosity or because you have to, you most likely don’t know about last year. I was a freshman in highschool last year and my english teacher assigned us to write a fictional story like the one you are currently reading, except both of these are real. I chose to write about one of my closest friends: Levi. He decided to up and leave out of nowhere without any sign of where he went, only now Levi was taken from us by the drug-dealers he owed. I found out through my friend’s Instagram where he is and what’s been going on with him. Ever since he left, people have been saying that he’s been into drugs and going out partying and drinking under age and whatever sob stories they made up without getting all the facts. I have been snooping my friend’s IG for the past two months now and have come to a conclusion: Levi is in trouble. Not exactly the “You-did-something-bad-and-will-
be-punished-for-it” kind of trouble, but dangerous trouble, meaning “Someone-could-die” kind of trouble.
Hating life. Loving those around you. Missing those you love too much to keep for yourself. Wanting to find the people you can’t see. “Never forget.” I have told these things to many people before, but never have I done what I am about to do today. If you are reading this out of curiosity or because you have to, you most likely don’t know about last year. I was a freshman in highschool last year and my english teacher assigned us to write a fictional story like the one you are currently reading, except both of these are real. I chose to write about one of my closest friends: Levi. He decided to up and leave out of nowhere without any sign of where he went, only now Levi was taken from us by the drug-dealers he owed. I found out through my friend’s Instagram where he is and what’s been going on with him. Ever since he left, people have been saying that he’s been into drugs and going out partying and drinking under age and whatever sob stories they made up without getting all the facts. I have been snooping my friend’s IG for the past two months now and have come to a conclusion: Levi is in trouble. Not exactly the “You-did-something-bad-and-will-
be-punished-for-it” kind of trouble, but dangerous trouble, meaning “Someone-could-die” kind of trouble.
* * * *
For those of you who don’t know, I’m Beka. I mentioned someone who’s Instagram I’ve been snooping through, but neglected to mention her name; it’s Maya. She has known Levi for about as long as I have, but not as well as I do. We, and a couple other friends have decided to act. After beseeching our one friend Kenny to come with us, we went and got our other two friends Kenny and Michael.
“Why me, though? Why couldn’t I just stay here and be the one who does work like he amicable kid that I am? We’re talking about going out to some place where Levi might maybe still have a possibility of being in “grave danger” as you called it,” Kenny argued gesturing to me, “and then going after those malevolent guys who you both claim to be causing trouble, most likely getting ourselves into more trouble and having to come home to face our parents. Are you all crazy?!” he shouted, still gesturing wildly.
“Kenny, you saw the videos of what was happening to him. Yes, they were poor quality, but that doesn’t make it any less important; we need to go. Nobody else know about this except us. We need to try.” Maya reasoned with him.
Kenny didn’t move and his expression didn’t look any bit relaxed; he wasn’t coming with us. Our faith in him was ephemeral. “Well if you’re not gonna come with us, then fine. Just as long as you don’t be a big-mouth and spill the beans. This is furtive, Top Secret, got that? Nobody knows.” I said finally. With a glum face, he nodded, and so did everybody else. It was a Monday, so everyone was tired from the weekend. Tomorrow was when our plan would go into action. I tried to bolster everyone’s spirits a little, but the day just seemed so banal and didn’t seem to end compared with the anticipation of what awaits us from tomorrow. I couldn’t wait, but I also was freaking out internally from all the stress I’d have with me on the “trip”. My parents would kill me if they knew what I was about to do. I didn’t really have any classes with the crew except for Maya, so we discussed the plan. We sat close enough to whisper to each other and be out of earshot of everyone surrounding. Maya had class with with Michael, so she told him the plan. Kenny was also in our class, but he wasn’t coming anymore, so we decided to just go with my friend Petey. He was nineteen, trustworthy, and the best part of all: he had a license and a car. He understood our reasons for going on this “trip” and agreed completely to coming with us. He had been through a lot lately, so we convinced him by saying he needed some time to relieve himself of all that. By the end of the day, all four of us had the plan straight.
“Okay, so we meet up at Petey’s and tell our parents we’re just getting early for a class project,” I confirmed, “they won’t be suspicious of anything. Maya and I already told our parents we’re going over to the library. We need to be careful, though.” their heads nodded. “We can’t be capricious about this and start acting weird, or else they’ll know something’s up.” More nodding. We finished planning and split ways to go on our bus rides home.
* * * *
The next morning wasn’t as bad as I expected. I told my parents bye and left for school, only this time I made sure the side door to the basement was unlocked. My room wasn’t too far from it, so I went back downstairs and grabbed my supplies for the real journey that lay ahead. Petey’s house was nearly a block away from school, so once I got off the bus I gathered the crew and set off. We made sure our teachers knew we were “in school” for the sake of attendance, then left for Petey’s. When we got to his house, we hopped in the car and followed our map of mysterious videos. We followed them all the way out to the Hess gas station down the street from my house. Michael was trying to be funny and keep the mood light, but the rest of us were too focused not to worry what we would find. Levi didn’t know we were coming, but we knew where he was and how to get to him without getting caught.
“Make the next left,” I directed, looking at Maya’s phone. Her phone had all the videos and mine had the navigation system, so we could both things and not have to keep switching back and forth. He was in a hotel, but we didn’t know which one. It actually was too far from his house. Why was he so close, and yet so far from us? What were they doing? Would we make it in time?
“Oh my gosh!” Maya exclaimed, clutching her phone with wide eyes.
“What? Is it another video?” I asked.
“Yes, but it’s not even that; read the comment.” she handed me the phone and I gave mine to Michael.
The comment was worded funny, like something that came out of a book. It said something about life, something about having money… or no, getting money, and had in all caps the words “or else”. I turned to Maya, “What the heck does that mean? Do you think they’re gonna kill him?”
“I don’t know, maybe, but the comment in short is saying that the guys with him are going to if he doesn't give them the money.” she answered, sounding out of breath.
“That’s doesn't sound good. How much farther ‘til we get there?” Petey asked, looking back.
“It says two minutes. We’re getting close, so slow down and watch for signs.” Michael replied. He seemed more serious now that he realized how much of a life or death situation Levi was in.
“I think they have a gun.” Maya said gravely, staring at the screen.
A black Suburban pulled into a parking lot a little down the road. I looked at my phone, then at where the black car pulled into, “Follow that car.” I said slowly, pointing ahead. The car screeched to a sudden halt, and all four doors flew open. I looked closer at the men that stepped out. None of them were Levi, but they looked very avaricious and far from any chance of decorum. One of the beefy-looking crooks with a slick blond ponytail popped the trunk open. We pulled into the parking lot. All the men turned, concluded we were of no trouble, and looked off in separate directions with a stance so in sync that it sent a chill down my spine. My skin crawled as they pulled out a big black duffle bag. I wondered where Levi was.
“Park in the next lot, not here. Those guys look like bad news.” I told Petey. Maya looked at me, then I turned to Michael. I caught Petey’s eyes in the rear-view mirror and he held it there for a moment, reading me. All our eyes held the same question, the same thoughts. Did we make it in time?
Petey put the car in park. I watched the men go inside the hotel with the single duffle. We waited patiently and watched through the window as they checked in. Once we saw that the lobby cleared, we piled out of the car. Nothing strange here. Just a group of friends going into a hotel with no baggage. No baggage! We were so busted. “You guys, we don’t have any luggage. We can’t go in there. They’ll know something’s up!”
“It’s fine, I brought snacks and stuck ‘em in my backpack. It’s not a suitcase, but we’re only gonna be here a night.” Petey said. He grabbed his backpack and I took mine. At least we lessened our chances of getting caught…
We checked into the hotel for a single night, then went to the elevator. Maya checked her phone again, “Third floor.”
We got up and I poked my head out the door to see if the guys were there. At the end of the hall, I heard a door open. The men filed in with the large duffle, talking low and laughing at some joke one of them had made. When the door shut, we walked out. Our room was to the right of the elevator, but the crooks were to the left. We turned right, but I needed to check really fast to--
Michael grabbed my arm, “Uh-uh, not yet. We’ll get our chance.” We went to our room and waited for about ten minutes, listening carefully for any sign of trouble. Once the coast was clear, I got the bi-bi gun out of my backpack for Michael, the switch blade for Petey, and my pliers for me and Maya. We didn’t exactly have real weapons, but it was all we needed at this point in time for the rescue-mission.
“Everyone ready?” I called back to them as I reached the door.
“Yep.” Michael replied.
“Ready!” Maya said, coming from the bathroom.
“I was born ready.” Petey said with a wicked smile.
I smiled back at them nervously and opened the door. I stepped into the hall and followed the voices with the crew on my heels. We passed the elevator with Levi only a couple of doors away. The voices lowered until we were forced to stop creeping. The voices were barely audible we couldn't even take a single step, because the floorboards creaked. When we were only a door away from the end of the hall, we heard the creaking of a door.
I froze. Michael bumped into to me from the sudden halt, then Maya into him, and Petey into her. We paused with vicious anxiety clawing at us. There was a ghostly silence, followed by loud footsteps. I heard the scraping of hard metal. Michael inched forward gingerly so as to not make a sound, his bi-bi gun drawn. Petey stepped in front of me with his back pressed to the wall, his hand on his back pocket. Another door whispered shut, but it didn’t exactly sound like a wooden door you’d find in any hotel. It sounded like a vault. Then the silence entered the room again, and this time it stayed. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and checked the knob. I watched it turn; it was open. No sound came from this door. I let Michael step in front of me, his gun still drawn. I motioned for Maya to stay at the back of the pack; I didn’t want her to risk it. I needed her to stay in the hallway to check who was out there, just in case. She checked her phone, made sure it was on silent, then showed me the time: 9:28. We were only in second period at school.
I stepped inside, checking the crack between the door and the frame to make sure no one had stayed behind to get rid of us. No one was here. The room was a desolate room of which we had no business being in. Where were they? If they really weren’t crooks, why were they hiding? Of course they were, but why would they be hiding from us? We were just four kids, going up against beefy-lookin’ drug-dealers. Why were they in any way afraid of--
Petey stopped by the window on the opposite side of the room. Did they jump out? They couldn’t have… What was that metal noise? I stepped beside him. There was a bloody half of a handprint on the windowsill. Levi?
I looked at Maya who was holding the door open. She was looking at Michael’s shoes. Why on earth was she looking at his shoes at a time like this?! I looked at Michael’s sneakers, then focused on the floor next to them. The carpet had a slit in it. There was no bulking object. I stepped closer and realized there was a rectangular cut in that section, and that the lifted piece was the corner of it. I called Petey over quietly. He bent down and pulled the corner back. There was a metal slate trap door underneath it. If we were on the third floor, where did it lead to? Another room downstairs? I told Maya to check the window but to leave the door slightly cracked.
“The car is still there and I don’t see them outside, so they’re probably on the second floor.” she said softly.
Petey opened the trapdoor. It was nearly three feet deep and about two feet wide. Michael was claustrophobic so he couldn’t go, and Maya had fear written all over. I looked at Petey, “I guess it’s just me, then.” I lay on the floor and stuck my head inside first, checking the directions I could go. There were only two ways: to our room, or towards the window. I chose to listen from there; I wasn’t going anywhere. They most likely went toward our room, because there was hardly any space to the window. I looked back down the way to the window side and saw something that made my skin crawl and the hairs on my arm stand. There was a head that seemed to be turning around from a corner. Then it turned my way. There was a built body attached to it, but that wasn’t the worst part: there was a copious amount of blood all along it’s left hand. I hoisted myself up and shut the door. There was a latch, and I locked it quickly. I motioned for them to get out of the room. I checked the window once more and the car was still outside. If we solved this case, we could become so opulent with money and deals to keep us going for years! I conjectured that if we abdicate these criminals from doing these murderous actions, we would be top-of-the-line detectives.
We scrambled out of the room and raced down the hall to our room. “Anybody got the key? It’s locked!” I played with the knob a little, then I thought of the magnet in the switchblade. “Petey, gi’me the knife.”
He took the blade from his pocket and handed it over. I tapped the butt of it checking to see where the magnet was. The lower the sound was would be where the magnet was. I found it and put it to the keyhole, praying it would work. If a magnet can shut off my phone, it should be able to block out the check-in code for a minute. The color changed to green.
“Yes!” I opened the door, but standing in the room were three crooks. The one with the ponytail and potbelly was there and another dark guy with dread’s was hold the back of someone’s neck. That person was strapped to the chair and had bruises up and down the right side of his face. The left side was far worse: a bloody hand print splattered across his cheek. The third guy, very tall and seeming to be the leader, was standing up at the side of the seated prisoner holding a blade to his throat. They all looked up at us.
“Levi.” I whispered. My body lurched forward, but strong hands held me up firmly. I struggled against Petey and Michael, but it was no use. The dagger was still in the tall guy’s hands, but mine was now taken from me and placed in Petey’s pocket quietly by Michael. What was happening? “Levi!” I yelled.
He looked up at me. One of his eyes were swollen shut. The over had tears in them.
Maya was sniffling in the back. Petey was pulling me, with the help of Michael, to the crooks. Suddenly, when I thought I was walking to my death, all hell broke loose.
Petey let go of me and side-kicked the blond guy in the face. Michael jumped to the side and crouched behind the bed. He pulled out the bi-bi gun and fired at the eyes of Bob Marley and Rapunzel. The guys fell to the floor. Maya pulled out the pliers and ran to help Levi out of the wires. I grabbed the switchblade from Petey’s pocket and went to help her cut Levi free. Petey was on the floor punching the leader to a pulp. Michael was at his side kicking the other two guys in the gut until he heard something crack.
Levi rose from the chair after he was free and hugged me, “You never did give up on me, did you?”
I started crying then, but forced myself to speak, “We need to get out of here. Guys, come on. You had your fun, let’s go now.” Petey and Michael stood satisfied and let us out first, just in case. Maya hugged Levi as we walked out the door. I looked at Michael and saw joy in his eyes, now that he unleashed the beast from within. Petey was the only one who looked like he still had aspersions about past events. I knew what he was thinking about. His ex-girlfriend was in a similar situation, except she didn’t need rescuing; she wanted to be there. His grief was precocious; it didn’t happen overnight.
Now I was able to talk to him properly about this, “Petey.”
He slowed his pace to walk with me.
I looked up at him, “You need to let get. I’m not saying you shouldn’t miss her. I’m saying that you shouldn’t dwell on the past. She left and it hurt. Yes, you miss her, but you can’t sit around moping and feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it’s like to miss someone dear to me, but I did something about it.” I tried to be formal about the situation, but it just came out colloquial.
“Thank you.” was all he said.
“Sorry…” I mumbled, “I just thought I could--”
Before I finished my sentence, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. His strong arms pulsed against my back. My hands reached up over his shoulders and hugged him back. We stood there for a minute, then noticed everyone was already at the car in the next lot. Petey reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He unlocked the doors, then turned it over and pressed another button. The engine roared to life. They got in the car. Hopefully they weren’t watching.
Petey turned back to me. My heart was in my throat now. It was past lunch, because the sun was high. His eyes were bright blue in this lighting. He was so good-looking. I decided to just go to the car and not embarrass myself in front of Michael, who was always teasing me about me guys.
Petey didn’t have the same idea, because he grabbed my hand and held me back a moment. When I didn’t turn around, he spun me so I faced him. Then he bent his head a little and kissed me. I was so done with everything at that moment that my hands ran through his hair, then I pulled back, “We have to get back to school. We can’t be late for the bus, or else our parents will know.” I looked back at the car, then back at Petey. He looked like something was still bothering him, so I got up on my tiptoes, kissed his cheek and said, “Come on. Let’s go.”
* * * *
Levi came back with us to school. We snuck back in through the help of Kenny. His class had gone outside for gym, so we were able to get back inside unnoticed. Michael was teasing me about Petey now. Maya and I were so overly ecstatic from the return of Levi. Kenny was glad, too, even though he ended up being wrong about Levi As for me:
My heart was content. I felt satisfied knowing I had finally saved someone’s life-- literally. Hopefully those guys don’t come looking for Levi again, because they’re going to end up a lot worse than they are now. To all you readers out there: Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to see how I have helped my friends, and how you can help your friends, too. Please take time to care for the people around you, and if there is someone out there who feels so close to you yet farther than ever before: reach out to them. Again, thanks to all of you readers and my friends for making this story come to life.
Yours Truly,
Beka.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m Beka. I mentioned someone who’s Instagram I’ve been snooping through, but neglected to mention her name; it’s Maya. She has known Levi for about as long as I have, but not as well as I do. We, and a couple other friends have decided to act. After beseeching our one friend Kenny to come with us, we went and got our other two friends Kenny and Michael.
“Why me, though? Why couldn’t I just stay here and be the one who does work like he amicable kid that I am? We’re talking about going out to some place where Levi might maybe still have a possibility of being in “grave danger” as you called it,” Kenny argued gesturing to me, “and then going after those malevolent guys who you both claim to be causing trouble, most likely getting ourselves into more trouble and having to come home to face our parents. Are you all crazy?!” he shouted, still gesturing wildly.
“Kenny, you saw the videos of what was happening to him. Yes, they were poor quality, but that doesn’t make it any less important; we need to go. Nobody else know about this except us. We need to try.” Maya reasoned with him.
Kenny didn’t move and his expression didn’t look any bit relaxed; he wasn’t coming with us. Our faith in him was ephemeral. “Well if you’re not gonna come with us, then fine. Just as long as you don’t be a big-mouth and spill the beans. This is furtive, Top Secret, got that? Nobody knows.” I said finally. With a glum face, he nodded, and so did everybody else. It was a Monday, so everyone was tired from the weekend. Tomorrow was when our plan would go into action. I tried to bolster everyone’s spirits a little, but the day just seemed so banal and didn’t seem to end compared with the anticipation of what awaits us from tomorrow. I couldn’t wait, but I also was freaking out internally from all the stress I’d have with me on the “trip”. My parents would kill me if they knew what I was about to do. I didn’t really have any classes with the crew except for Maya, so we discussed the plan. We sat close enough to whisper to each other and be out of earshot of everyone surrounding. Maya had class with with Michael, so she told him the plan. Kenny was also in our class, but he wasn’t coming anymore, so we decided to just go with my friend Petey. He was nineteen, trustworthy, and the best part of all: he had a license and a car. He understood our reasons for going on this “trip” and agreed completely to coming with us. He had been through a lot lately, so we convinced him by saying he needed some time to relieve himself of all that. By the end of the day, all four of us had the plan straight.
“Okay, so we meet up at Petey’s and tell our parents we’re just getting early for a class project,” I confirmed, “they won’t be suspicious of anything. Maya and I already told our parents we’re going over to the library. We need to be careful, though.” their heads nodded. “We can’t be capricious about this and start acting weird, or else they’ll know something’s up.” More nodding. We finished planning and split ways to go on our bus rides home.
* * * *
The next morning wasn’t as bad as I expected. I told my parents bye and left for school, only this time I made sure the side door to the basement was unlocked. My room wasn’t too far from it, so I went back downstairs and grabbed my supplies for the real journey that lay ahead. Petey’s house was nearly a block away from school, so once I got off the bus I gathered the crew and set off. We made sure our teachers knew we were “in school” for the sake of attendance, then left for Petey’s. When we got to his house, we hopped in the car and followed our map of mysterious videos. We followed them all the way out to the Hess gas station down the street from my house. Michael was trying to be funny and keep the mood light, but the rest of us were too focused not to worry what we would find. Levi didn’t know we were coming, but we knew where he was and how to get to him without getting caught.
“Make the next left,” I directed, looking at Maya’s phone. Her phone had all the videos and mine had the navigation system, so we could both things and not have to keep switching back and forth. He was in a hotel, but we didn’t know which one. It actually was too far from his house. Why was he so close, and yet so far from us? What were they doing? Would we make it in time?
“Oh my gosh!” Maya exclaimed, clutching her phone with wide eyes.
“What? Is it another video?” I asked.
“Yes, but it’s not even that; read the comment.” she handed me the phone and I gave mine to Michael.
The comment was worded funny, like something that came out of a book. It said something about life, something about having money… or no, getting money, and had in all caps the words “or else”. I turned to Maya, “What the heck does that mean? Do you think they’re gonna kill him?”
“I don’t know, maybe, but the comment in short is saying that the guys with him are going to if he doesn't give them the money.” she answered, sounding out of breath.
“That’s doesn't sound good. How much farther ‘til we get there?” Petey asked, looking back.
“It says two minutes. We’re getting close, so slow down and watch for signs.” Michael replied. He seemed more serious now that he realized how much of a life or death situation Levi was in.
“I think they have a gun.” Maya said gravely, staring at the screen.
A black Suburban pulled into a parking lot a little down the road. I looked at my phone, then at where the black car pulled into, “Follow that car.” I said slowly, pointing ahead. The car screeched to a sudden halt, and all four doors flew open. I looked closer at the men that stepped out. None of them were Levi, but they looked very avaricious and far from any chance of decorum. One of the beefy-looking crooks with a slick blond ponytail popped the trunk open. We pulled into the parking lot. All the men turned, concluded we were of no trouble, and looked off in separate directions with a stance so in sync that it sent a chill down my spine. My skin crawled as they pulled out a big black duffle bag. I wondered where Levi was.
“Park in the next lot, not here. Those guys look like bad news.” I told Petey. Maya looked at me, then I turned to Michael. I caught Petey’s eyes in the rear-view mirror and he held it there for a moment, reading me. All our eyes held the same question, the same thoughts. Did we make it in time?
Petey put the car in park. I watched the men go inside the hotel with the single duffle. We waited patiently and watched through the window as they checked in. Once we saw that the lobby cleared, we piled out of the car. Nothing strange here. Just a group of friends going into a hotel with no baggage. No baggage! We were so busted. “You guys, we don’t have any luggage. We can’t go in there. They’ll know something’s up!”
“It’s fine, I brought snacks and stuck ‘em in my backpack. It’s not a suitcase, but we’re only gonna be here a night.” Petey said. He grabbed his backpack and I took mine. At least we lessened our chances of getting caught…
We checked into the hotel for a single night, then went to the elevator. Maya checked her phone again, “Third floor.”
We got up and I poked my head out the door to see if the guys were there. At the end of the hall, I heard a door open. The men filed in with the large duffle, talking low and laughing at some joke one of them had made. When the door shut, we walked out. Our room was to the right of the elevator, but the crooks were to the left. We turned right, but I needed to check really fast to--
Michael grabbed my arm, “Uh-uh, not yet. We’ll get our chance.” We went to our room and waited for about ten minutes, listening carefully for any sign of trouble. Once the coast was clear, I got the bi-bi gun out of my backpack for Michael, the switch blade for Petey, and my pliers for me and Maya. We didn’t exactly have real weapons, but it was all we needed at this point in time for the rescue-mission.
“Everyone ready?” I called back to them as I reached the door.
“Yep.” Michael replied.
“Ready!” Maya said, coming from the bathroom.
“I was born ready.” Petey said with a wicked smile.
I smiled back at them nervously and opened the door. I stepped into the hall and followed the voices with the crew on my heels. We passed the elevator with Levi only a couple of doors away. The voices lowered until we were forced to stop creeping. The voices were barely audible we couldn't even take a single step, because the floorboards creaked. When we were only a door away from the end of the hall, we heard the creaking of a door.
I froze. Michael bumped into to me from the sudden halt, then Maya into him, and Petey into her. We paused with vicious anxiety clawing at us. There was a ghostly silence, followed by loud footsteps. I heard the scraping of hard metal. Michael inched forward gingerly so as to not make a sound, his bi-bi gun drawn. Petey stepped in front of me with his back pressed to the wall, his hand on his back pocket. Another door whispered shut, but it didn’t exactly sound like a wooden door you’d find in any hotel. It sounded like a vault. Then the silence entered the room again, and this time it stayed. I pulled my sleeve over my hand and checked the knob. I watched it turn; it was open. No sound came from this door. I let Michael step in front of me, his gun still drawn. I motioned for Maya to stay at the back of the pack; I didn’t want her to risk it. I needed her to stay in the hallway to check who was out there, just in case. She checked her phone, made sure it was on silent, then showed me the time: 9:28. We were only in second period at school.
I stepped inside, checking the crack between the door and the frame to make sure no one had stayed behind to get rid of us. No one was here. The room was a desolate room of which we had no business being in. Where were they? If they really weren’t crooks, why were they hiding? Of course they were, but why would they be hiding from us? We were just four kids, going up against beefy-lookin’ drug-dealers. Why were they in any way afraid of--
Petey stopped by the window on the opposite side of the room. Did they jump out? They couldn’t have… What was that metal noise? I stepped beside him. There was a bloody half of a handprint on the windowsill. Levi?
I looked at Maya who was holding the door open. She was looking at Michael’s shoes. Why on earth was she looking at his shoes at a time like this?! I looked at Michael’s sneakers, then focused on the floor next to them. The carpet had a slit in it. There was no bulking object. I stepped closer and realized there was a rectangular cut in that section, and that the lifted piece was the corner of it. I called Petey over quietly. He bent down and pulled the corner back. There was a metal slate trap door underneath it. If we were on the third floor, where did it lead to? Another room downstairs? I told Maya to check the window but to leave the door slightly cracked.
“The car is still there and I don’t see them outside, so they’re probably on the second floor.” she said softly.
Petey opened the trapdoor. It was nearly three feet deep and about two feet wide. Michael was claustrophobic so he couldn’t go, and Maya had fear written all over. I looked at Petey, “I guess it’s just me, then.” I lay on the floor and stuck my head inside first, checking the directions I could go. There were only two ways: to our room, or towards the window. I chose to listen from there; I wasn’t going anywhere. They most likely went toward our room, because there was hardly any space to the window. I looked back down the way to the window side and saw something that made my skin crawl and the hairs on my arm stand. There was a head that seemed to be turning around from a corner. Then it turned my way. There was a built body attached to it, but that wasn’t the worst part: there was a copious amount of blood all along it’s left hand. I hoisted myself up and shut the door. There was a latch, and I locked it quickly. I motioned for them to get out of the room. I checked the window once more and the car was still outside. If we solved this case, we could become so opulent with money and deals to keep us going for years! I conjectured that if we abdicate these criminals from doing these murderous actions, we would be top-of-the-line detectives.
We scrambled out of the room and raced down the hall to our room. “Anybody got the key? It’s locked!” I played with the knob a little, then I thought of the magnet in the switchblade. “Petey, gi’me the knife.”
He took the blade from his pocket and handed it over. I tapped the butt of it checking to see where the magnet was. The lower the sound was would be where the magnet was. I found it and put it to the keyhole, praying it would work. If a magnet can shut off my phone, it should be able to block out the check-in code for a minute. The color changed to green.
“Yes!” I opened the door, but standing in the room were three crooks. The one with the ponytail and potbelly was there and another dark guy with dread’s was hold the back of someone’s neck. That person was strapped to the chair and had bruises up and down the right side of his face. The left side was far worse: a bloody hand print splattered across his cheek. The third guy, very tall and seeming to be the leader, was standing up at the side of the seated prisoner holding a blade to his throat. They all looked up at us.
“Levi.” I whispered. My body lurched forward, but strong hands held me up firmly. I struggled against Petey and Michael, but it was no use. The dagger was still in the tall guy’s hands, but mine was now taken from me and placed in Petey’s pocket quietly by Michael. What was happening? “Levi!” I yelled.
He looked up at me. One of his eyes were swollen shut. The over had tears in them.
Maya was sniffling in the back. Petey was pulling me, with the help of Michael, to the crooks. Suddenly, when I thought I was walking to my death, all hell broke loose.
Petey let go of me and side-kicked the blond guy in the face. Michael jumped to the side and crouched behind the bed. He pulled out the bi-bi gun and fired at the eyes of Bob Marley and Rapunzel. The guys fell to the floor. Maya pulled out the pliers and ran to help Levi out of the wires. I grabbed the switchblade from Petey’s pocket and went to help her cut Levi free. Petey was on the floor punching the leader to a pulp. Michael was at his side kicking the other two guys in the gut until he heard something crack.
Levi rose from the chair after he was free and hugged me, “You never did give up on me, did you?”
I started crying then, but forced myself to speak, “We need to get out of here. Guys, come on. You had your fun, let’s go now.” Petey and Michael stood satisfied and let us out first, just in case. Maya hugged Levi as we walked out the door. I looked at Michael and saw joy in his eyes, now that he unleashed the beast from within. Petey was the only one who looked like he still had aspersions about past events. I knew what he was thinking about. His ex-girlfriend was in a similar situation, except she didn’t need rescuing; she wanted to be there. His grief was precocious; it didn’t happen overnight.
Now I was able to talk to him properly about this, “Petey.”
He slowed his pace to walk with me.
I looked up at him, “You need to let get. I’m not saying you shouldn’t miss her. I’m saying that you shouldn’t dwell on the past. She left and it hurt. Yes, you miss her, but you can’t sit around moping and feeling sorry for yourself. I know what it’s like to miss someone dear to me, but I did something about it.” I tried to be formal about the situation, but it just came out colloquial.
“Thank you.” was all he said.
“Sorry…” I mumbled, “I just thought I could--”
Before I finished my sentence, he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. His strong arms pulsed against my back. My hands reached up over his shoulders and hugged him back. We stood there for a minute, then noticed everyone was already at the car in the next lot. Petey reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He unlocked the doors, then turned it over and pressed another button. The engine roared to life. They got in the car. Hopefully they weren’t watching.
Petey turned back to me. My heart was in my throat now. It was past lunch, because the sun was high. His eyes were bright blue in this lighting. He was so good-looking. I decided to just go to the car and not embarrass myself in front of Michael, who was always teasing me about me guys.
Petey didn’t have the same idea, because he grabbed my hand and held me back a moment. When I didn’t turn around, he spun me so I faced him. Then he bent his head a little and kissed me. I was so done with everything at that moment that my hands ran through his hair, then I pulled back, “We have to get back to school. We can’t be late for the bus, or else our parents will know.” I looked back at the car, then back at Petey. He looked like something was still bothering him, so I got up on my tiptoes, kissed his cheek and said, “Come on. Let’s go.”
* * * *
Levi came back with us to school. We snuck back in through the help of Kenny. His class had gone outside for gym, so we were able to get back inside unnoticed. Michael was teasing me about Petey now. Maya and I were so overly ecstatic from the return of Levi. Kenny was glad, too, even though he ended up being wrong about Levi As for me:
My heart was content. I felt satisfied knowing I had finally saved someone’s life-- literally. Hopefully those guys don’t come looking for Levi again, because they’re going to end up a lot worse than they are now. To all you readers out there: Thank you. I really appreciate you taking the time to see how I have helped my friends, and how you can help your friends, too. Please take time to care for the people around you, and if there is someone out there who feels so close to you yet farther than ever before: reach out to them. Again, thanks to all of you readers and my friends for making this story come to life.
Yours Truly,
Beka.