Chapter 64 Scarlett
Scarlett
Everything hurt. Where was she? It was dark and cold.
Scarlett tried to open her eyes, but it was like they were glued shut.
There was something on her arm squeezing it now and then, and beeps and hissing sounds all around her.
She tried to speak, but it was like she was underwater.
Her throat burned too. And she was tired.
So tired. What had happened? She tried to remember.
Ben. She was meeting Ben. But he wasn’t there.
A man. A man who knew her name. It was all wrong.
She’d run from the coffee shop and he called after her.
She’d jumped on her bike. She pedaled faster and faster, cutting through the alley for a shortcut. That was the last thing she remembered.
Her mom was talking. She strained to make out what she was saying, but she could only catch a word here and there.
Her body felt so heavy. Was she dreaming?
Maybe it was sleep paralysis. She’d heard about that before, maybe even had it happen once or twice.
That terrible feeling when you want to move, but it’s like invisible bricks are on top of you.
That’s what this felt like. She didn’t like it.
Her mom was talking again. No, she was reading.
Oh, she was reading Scarlett a story. Like she used to at bedtime.
Why was she reading to her, and why couldn’t Scarlett move?
Think, think. Her bike. Trying to get away.
From Ben. No, not Ben. A man who was pretending to be Ben.
But why? She tried to remember, but only snatches of visions came to her.
She recalled waiting in the coffee shop, excited, anxious, looking at the door every time it opened, expecting to see him.
Then that man walked over to her table and sat down.
Avery had been right. He was preying on her.
She had to get away from him. This liar. A weirdo.
She felt someone touching her, rubbing her arm. “I love you, Scarlett. I’m here.”
Her dad. She wanted to tell him she could hear him, but she couldn’t speak.
“I’m so sorry, Scarlett. This should never have happened.” Her dad’s voice sounded funny. Was he crying?