“Yes, as long as you don’t hurt me,” she said. He pulled her jeans off, then her panties. He gently placed his finger inside of her then bent down, putting his mouth between her legs. Her legs were stiff, barely letting him in, but as his tongue touched her and she relaxed. He kissed her thighs then moved higher. When he got to her clitoris, he vibrated his tongue rapidly against it. “Oh, god,” she said, then clenched his head between her legs, feeling his hair on her thighs. She moaned. “Castin, put it in me.” He stood up and placed his penis at her opening.

  “This could hurt,” he said.

  “It's ok,” she said, feeling desperate for him. He gently pushed inside with his fingers first. She gasped, then he kissed her and put his penis inside her. She grimaced, and he stopped. “It’s ok.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked again.

  “Yes, keep going.” He penetrated her, and she felt him deep inside her. She could feel herself widening around him. It hurt at first, then she felt herself pulsate and shiver all over. He grabbed her around the waist.

  “Oh, Ana,” he said as he flipped her over on the table. Ana was so into the sex she didn’t mind. He put his fingers slowly into her again. “Does that feel good?” Ana was feeling everything and was enjoying it.

  “Yes,” she answered. With one push, he was inside her again, large and in charge. He pulled her to him as he went deeper. Ana felt all of him and wanted him more. “Oh, it feels so good,” she said. He pulled her hair gently, and he exploded into her hard with three deep thrusts. Ana was so weak she laid back on the table, feeling hot fluid on her legs.

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Let me help you. He took off his shirt and wiped her.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned over, buttoned her pants, and looked at her phone. It was ten forty-five.

  “Are you ok?” he asked, concerned.

  “Yeah, I am,” Ana said. Castin stood against the trees, his body illuminated with moonlight. Suddenly they heard something behind them, and Castin turned around quickly. A dark figure jumped on Castin, and Ana screamed.

  “Ana, run,” Castin said in the struggle. Ana heard a thud, and Castin was lying on the ground. Castin grabbed for the person but couldn't reach them. Ana ran for her life and didn’t look back.

  Andrea was watching TV in the living room when she looked down at her watch. 11:01 was what it read. Where was Ana? She scrolled on her phone, and her location showed she was behind the Summers’ house, in between their property and the Summers’. I could ride over there, she thought. No, I don’t want to go storming over there. I need to give her a few more minutes. Andrea texted her, where are you? You ok? 11:10, no response.

  Andrea called Diane. “Ana isn’t home or answering my texts. She was supposed to be here at eleven.”

  “Where is she?” Diane asked.

  “Jake Summers house, they had a party. Brittani was going to bring her home.”

  “Well, she’s probably drinking because you know they allow that over there.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that. I’m going over there. Do you want to go?” Suddenly Andrea’s phone rang, it was from Ana. “Hello,” Andrea said. She didn’t hear anything. Then it hung up. “Weird, she just called, but she didn’t speak,” she told Diane, “I’m going, now. Something is wrong.”

  “Hold on. I’ll go too.” Andrea picked Diane up in her car within four minutes. “Do you think she’s just too drunk?” Diane asked, hoping that might be the case.

  “I don’t know. God, I am a terrible parent, I shouldn’t have let her go,” Andrea said. Diane called Jeffrey and sent him a picture of Ana’s last location.

  “You can’t do this. You have to let her do things. She can’t be a child forever.” They pulled into the Summers’ drive, and the road was full of cars. Teenagers were scattered all over the yard, talking, laughing, and drinking. Diane and Andrea pushed through the crowd to get into the house. Unfortunately, they didn’t know anyone inside. They went into the back yard and saw Brittani standing by the fire.

  “There’s Brittani,” Andrea said. Brittani wasn’t paying attention, so she didn’t recognize the voice calling her name.

  “Yeah, what?” she responded as she turned around to see Andrea. Andrea ignored the rude response.

  “Where is Ana?” Andrea asked with Diane beside her.

  “She went home,” Brittani said. Brittani had had a lot of alcohol and was drunk.

  “When?” asked Diane.

  “A while ago, she should be home by now.”

  “Who took her home?” Andrea asked.

  “She went through the woods, Castin took her on his ATV.” Andrea exchanged looks with Diane.

  Meredith Summers came outside. “What’s wrong?” she asked Diane.

  “Ana was not home by curfew. She isn’t here, so, where is she?” Diane demanded.

  “Was she drinking?” asked Andrea.

  Jake stood behind Brittani. “Yeah, the last time I saw her, she was with Castin making out in the basement,” he said.

  Brittani turned around and said, “Shut the hell up, Jake.” Andrea looked at Diane with dread on her face.

  “Ask Castin. He probably took her home,” said Susan.

  “He did. They went through the woods on an ATV,” Diane confirmed.

  “When did she leave?” Andrea asked.

  “It was like right at ten because she freaked out about Travis,” Brittani said.

  “Travis was here? Where is he? Did he leave?” Diane asked.

  “I don’t know, but I haven’t seen him since,” Brittani answered.

  “Castin is a good kid,” said Diane to Andrea.

  “Where is he then, Diane?” Andrea shouted. Meredith sent Jake and his friends to hunt for Castin around the house. Five minutes later, they came back with no Castin.

  “Mom, his four-wheeler is gone, but I don’t know where,” Jake said. Meredith looked frantic and embarrassed in front of Diane and Andrea.

  “Let's go to the barn. Maybe they stopped there,” said Diane. She called Jeffrey on her way to fill him in, and he beat them to the barn.

  “Nobody’s here,” Jeffrey said. “I’m going to the trail they should have been on.” Diane quickly ran after him, telling him about Travis. They got on the ATV and headed for the tree line. As they neared the trees and path, the headlights shone on Castin.

  “Oh my god, look, it’s Castin,” Diane said. He was screaming, and his head was bleeding.

  “He took Ana. He took her! Jeff, he took her! We have to go after him,” he said, panting.

  Jeffrey shook Castin. “Who took her Castin? Who?” he shouted at him.

  “Travis, it was Travis.”

  “Did he take your ATV?” Jeff asked.

  “No, I wrecked it trying to catch him. He was on foot, but I saw his truck.”

  “Get on the ATV,” Diane said.

  Castin saw Ana’s mother sitting on the ATV. “Oh my god Mrs. Hutchingson, I am so sorry. I am so sorry.” He sobbed and held his head. Jeffrey called the police and then Phillip.

  The police and an ambulance arrived. The ambulance took Castin in for an evaluation. His parents got there before the ambulance took him. Andrea was in the car at the stables waiting on Diane. “Where are the detectives? Why are they not searching? Damn it, Diane, he will kill her. Please, we have to go look for her,” Andrea cried.

  “We’re going, Jeffrey called Phillip, they will find her. Oh my god, please let them find her,” Diane pleaded.

  Ana ran hard but was unfamiliar with the terrain. She ran over the creek bank and fell hard, striking her head on a rock. She felt her phone in her back pocket, she reached for it and dialed her mom’s number. She heard her mom answer, but she couldn’t hear her. Ana could hear him coming. She put down the phone and laid there in pain, hoping whoever it was would think she was dead. Arms grabbed her and threw her into the air. She fought and kicked as she was being carried. She screamed, but no one heard her. She was thrown into a truck, and the door slammed behind her. He pulled her hands behind her and bound them with tape. She tried to open her eyes, but her head was hurting, and she was dizzy. Opening her eyes made it worse. She could feel blood running down the back of her head. She’d caught a glimpse of her attacker but didn’t recognize him. She screamed again, a shirt was tied around her eyes, and her mouth was taped shut. She bit him when he tried to tape her mouth, and he pushed her head hard against the window. She was hot and disoriented, and she couldn’t hear well out of her left ear. He started the truck and drove away. Ana kicked at him, but he just slapped her legs away. He pushed her up against the door, and her head hit the window again. They drove for a short distance and stopped. He opened the door, and Ana almost fell out of the truck, but he caught her and threw her over his shoulder.

  Andrea was back at home, trying to make sense of the whole night. The police had just finished asking her questions. She wanted to leave, and she felt like she was wasting time not doing anything. Castin’s mom and dad were with him at the hospital. They, too, were shocked, but at least their son was alive. Charleigh had arrived at the house where Andrea, Philip, Diane, and Jefferey were. and Andrea broke down in tears when she saw her. “I shouldn’t have let her go. I should have known better,” Andrea shouted. Charleigh didn’t say anything, just tried to hold her. Andrea sat down and laid in Charleigh’s lap.

  “Don’t be silly. It sounds like she was on her way home. You didn’t do this, and she didn’t do this,” Charleigh said. Phillip came around the corner. He had just finished talking to the police.

  Drake had arrived and ran to his dad. “Dad, where is she? Did you tell them about that truck, Dad? Did you tell them?” Drake was frantic and crying.

  “What truck?” asked Andrea.

  “We saw a blue truck the other day parked near the barn. It looked very suspicious,” answered Drake.

  “No, I didn’t, but I will,” Philip headed back outside toward the police.

  Charleigh interrupted, “That’s the vehicle Ana, and I passed the other day on the same road. Ana said it was Travis.” Andrea looked at Diane.

  “Yes, Travis has a blue truck. I saw him driving on the backside of the stable the other week. He was parked there too,” Jeffrey chimed in.

  “I’m going to Travis’s house,” Phillip said.

  Jeffrey answered, “I’m going too.”

  “Phillip, find her, please find her,” Andrea pleaded. They got in a vehicle and sped away. The police brought Ana’s phone to Diane. It was cracked and had blood on it.

  “Ma’am, we found this in a creek bed along with this.” He showed her a picture of blood that had dripped on a large rock.

  “Anything else?” she asked.

  “No, we are still searching the area. We did track his truck to the road.”

  “I’m going to the hospital to talk to Castin. Come on, Charleigh,” Andrea said, and Charleigh followed her.

  Castin was still in the Emergency room when they arrived. They were sewing up his lacerations as they entered the room. Fortunately, a head CT revealed only a small skull fracture but no bleeding. When Andrea walked in, the police were questioning Castin. Castin recognized Andrea and started talking to her, ignoring the police. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Hutchinson.”

  Andrea patted his hand. He looked like he had been struck hard, he had dirt on his knees, and his white undershirt was torn. “Can you tell me anything about tonight, anything about Ana?” Andrea asked.

  “What do you remember?” asked the police.

  “We stopped at the high point where the picnic area is. We were standing there and heard someone behind us, I turned around, and he jumped me. I told Ana to run.”

  Andrea looked at Castin. “I need you to tell me the truth. It doesn’t matter what you say as long as it is the truth.”

  Castin replied, “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Was Ana talking to anyone at the party besides you?”

  “She was with Brittani and me mostly. She didn’t want to be around Travis.”

  Andrea quickly asked, “Do you think it was Travis that took her?”

  “Yes, it was him. I saw his face. I asked Ana if she wanted me to make him leave, but she said no, she would just stay away from him.”

  “Who is Travis?” the police officer asked.

  “Travis is a guy that Ana had a short relationship with. He’s a lot older than her, and when we found out about the relationship, he was fired. He used to work for my sister-in-law at their stables,” Andrea answered.

  “Why do you think it was him?” asked the officer.

  “Because he was watching us, and saw us kiss, and I saw his face...” Castin offered. The police left the room, and Phillip followed them. Andrea and Charleigh stayed in the room with Castin.

  “Castin, how drunk was Ana?” Andrea asked.

  “She was tipsy but not too drunk. She was talking and functioning like normal.”

  “Well, that’s good news,” Andrea replied. Castin kept apologizing to Andrea.

  “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen, Castin.” Castin started to tear up, and he turned his head. “Castin, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m just really sorry,” he said. She felt like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. She knew deep down he hadn’t done anything to hurt Ana. She told him to rest and that they would be back when they found Ana. Andrea and Charleigh got in the car and headed home.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The Cave

  Ana woke up in a dark place, lying on the ground. Her hands were still behind her, but her eyes were uncovered. Her head was hurting, but she could see clearer now than before. The room wasn’t spinning, and she didn't feel nauseous. She was cold because her shirt and pants were torn. There were only small amounts of light that came from behind the door in front of her, but she thought she was alone. Ana tried to remember what they taught her in training at the academy. She had been part of an exercise that taught you how to resist in a hostage situation. Ana spat on the tape and moved her mouth, loosening it. She wiggled her arms and managed to get one hand almost free. She heard a noise, and the door opened. Ana closed her eyes and froze like she was asleep. The captor came close to her, laid his hands on her chest, and stroked her face. Ana wanted to scream, but she knew that would only make things worse. He walked back to the door, and Ana looked up. She turned and tried to see her attacker. She thought she recognized the boots the person was wearing. Ana tried to loosen her hands more and finally managed to get one hand free. She sat on the ground with her hands behind her. When she managed to stand, she felt around the room. The walls were rocky, like in a cave, but the door her captor used was the only way in or out. She heard him coming back. She froze and closed her eyes. He finally spoke, “Ana, wake up.” Ana opened her eyes, and he sat her up so she could see him. Ana looked up to see Travis kneeling down in front of her. Ana tried to talk, but it was muffled. “Don’t talk, just relax. I’m going to get you cleaned up.” Ana struggled as he started to remove her shirt. She loosened her hand and hit him. He grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back. “Stop moving. I’m trying to be nice to you,” he said calmly. He stood her up and tied her arms around a support beam near the wall of the cave.

  Ana tried to mumble again, and this time she made sense, “Let me go.”

  “No, you’re staying here. Don’t do anything stupid, or you’ll regret it.” He tore off the tape and pressed his lips to hers, forcing himself against her.

  He stood back, and she said, “Travis, what are you doing?”

  “I'm keeping you,” Travis said. Ana then realized he wasn’t in his right mind. He pulled a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket and took a long drink.

  “Let me go. What is wrong with you?”

  “So you can go back and screw Castin!” he screamed and slapped her face.

  Ana shook her head. “Travis, we were never dating. You don’t own me.”

  “Don’t move or say a word, or I will kill you.” Ana heard him but couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was he for real? What was wrong with him? Ana looked at him and tried to think of ways she knew to get away, what she could say to throw him off. He leaned over, grabbed a rag, and wiped her face again. “That’s a good girl,” he said as he stroked the rag down her neck.

  “Travis, this isn’t good. You were a good guy. What happened?” Her voice trembled.

  He ripped her shirt to expose her breast. “I was good, and you screwed it all up. You wanted me, but then you rejected me. You pranced around in front of me, and when I got close, your stupid family snapped their fingers, and now my life sucks,” he screamed. “You owe me Ana, or whoever the hell you are. You made me think we were together, and then you wouldn’t even answer my calls. You’re no better than I am.” He splashed her with the liquid he was drinking. She was dripping wet all over her breast and cut off her bra with a rusty pocketknife. She was cold, with goosebumps all over her shaking body. He leaned over and licked her chest, then put his mouth on her breast. Ana almost vomited. She gagged. “Get off of me,” Ana screamed. Travis slapped her face. Ana tasted fresh blood in her mouth.

  “I’m cold. Can I please have a blanket?” she asked.

  Travis looked at her and then walked, he said as she grabbed her throat. She didn’t respond to him. Ana looked into his eyes, they were so dark, and she could see the demons within him. He looked possessed. He pushed her head back hard and splashed the bucket of dirty water on her chest, drenching her from head to toe. He finally walked out of the room. She clenched her eyes closed and cried. She knew he was going to rape and kill her. She’d seen that demon before in her former father and mother when they were on drugs. No, they never tried to kill her or sexually assault her, but the physical abuse and mental abuse was enough for her to easily recognize that she was dealing with a man serving himself and his needs no matter the cost or however irrational it was to everyone he was determined. She stood there bound, in the dark room, now cold and wet. Her head and her arms and legs hurt. Actually, there wasn’t a place she didn’t hurt, but that pain meant she was alive, and she would fight. She began to flashback to her childhood. She could see herself not through her own eyes but from the outside looking in. She remembered standing tall during hell week at the academy and how tired and broken she felt. Physically exhausted, yes, but she remembered standing there facing her past and all she was and had been. Many people quit. She was only one of seven females still in her class. She had to reach and grasp what she knew was right and what she had faith in, what she had trust in.