Chapter 20

Christine walked towards the living room of her house looking around silently. It didn't really feel like her house anymore. It felt like 'her parents' house' that she was merely visiting. So strange, her mind kept saying. Everything just felt so strange, from being back in this house and not feeling like it was her own to loving Erik and wanting to do anything in her power to save him.

First, however, she had to talk to her parents. They deserved to know what was going on. After everything the two of them had been through during her absense, they deserved to know what was going through her head. It was going to be incredibly difficult to talk to them. They would never understand, not in a million years.

Her mind was reeling as she tried to think of what to say... There was also the whole 'what happens after this?' question, but she had to take things one step at a time.

First thing's first...

She entered the living room where her parents were sitting together on the couch. Neither of them were speaking, but they were sitting side by side holding each other with their eyes closed, probably basking in the fact that their daughter was back. Christine truly couldn't imagine what they must have gone through.

A second after she walked inside, her parents both opened their eyes and stood.

"Christine," her father nearly cried, obviously startled.

"Are you okay," her mother asked urgently.

"I'm fine," she reassured. She gestured towards the couch. "Sit back down. Really, I'm fine."

They did so hesitantly and proceeded to sit on the edge of the couch, their full attention on her.

"Do you want anything," Norah asked. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

She shook her head. "No, not right now." All she wanted was to explain things to them. "Can we.. talk?" The entire situation felt so awkward.

"Of course," John replied instantly.

"I want to talk about what happened," Christine began calmly. She had to choose her words carefully. "This isn't going to be easy, but you both need to know some things." They were listening to every word she said. "Well.. You heard what I told that lady at the station. I told her that Erik didn't kidnap me. I'm sure you guys were shocked to hear me say that."

Their eager, questioning expressions said it all.

"The day I left, everything was crazy. I woke up and went to school, as always, but my voice lesson that day was.. weird. It was all normal at first. We sang and all. But it was when I was writing my check to pay Erik that he did something beyond surprising. He asked me to marry him."

Christine saw her mother's face pale and her father's jaw tighten. "I wasn't prepared for a question like that. I pretty much ran out of his house, and I didn't intend to ever go back. I mean, I had a boyfriend. I'm in high school. He'd never expressed any sort of feelings that would suggest he wanted that. It was all wrong."

Of course Christine knew what had happened next, how Erik had drugged her and taken her against her will, but if any of this were to go her way at all, she needed to lie. Maybe she would go to hell for it, but there was no other way. "I went on my jog when I got here, as usual. And while I was jogging I had time to think. It was like his question made me question. I'd been seeing him one-on-one for voice lessons for a year. I wondered, how was it that I'd never questioned my feelings for him? Erik had taught me so much in that year. We had voice lessons, yes, but we also had time to talk and share things with one another.

"It was while I was thinking about him during my jog that he drove by." Now it was time to dive deeper into the lie. "He parked his car and got out so that we could talk. It didn't take long for me to see that I had feelings for him. I had very strong feelings for him. I- I panicked. I knew nobody would understand. I thought everybody would be mad, especially Robert. I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to hurt anybody. So, next thing I knew, Erik asked me to go for a drive with him and I went"

"Wait," John cut in. "W- what are you saying? Christine, you actually drove away with him willingly? You didn't try to contact us, even though you obviously had the chance? And you let us worry ourselves sick for weeks? Without calling, or texting, or anything?"

"How could you do that," Norah whispered with tears in her eyes.

Please, tell us you're not serious," John begged.

Christine looked down at her hands in her lap. This was definitely harder than she'd even thought it would be. "I wish I could.. I wish there were some way to make this all better. I- I wasn't thinking. Everything moved so quickly. One day passed, and then another and another... We got married. I knew I couldn't face you after that. You wouldn't understand.."

Norah was now crying and John was shaking his head.

"Eventually, though, I knew we had to face reality. Maybe Erik wasn't running away from anyone or anything, but I was. It all caught up to me. I'd left everything to be with him... Again, I panicked. I wondered if I was in my right mind. I wondered what the heck I was thinking. I freaked out. And I did it all in front of Erik. I was in such a crazy state that he did the only thing he could think of. He brought me back."

"So," Norah began with a hopeful tone. "You weren't in your right mind."

"He somehow brainwashed you," John added, just as hopefully.

"Well... if I wasn't in my right mind then, I'm not in my right mind now." Christine hated to do this, to discuss all of this with them and hurt them deeply in the process, but she didn't see any way around it. "It's very clear to me that I love Erik. I know neither of you can understand. You're disappointed, I see that. But I'm here now. I want to make things right."

Her mother could only stare at her while her father whispered, "None of this can ever be right."

There was a pause. Tears came to Christine's eyes as she realized how much of a burden she was taking on by lying. They were devastated. "I'm so sorry."

"You think we can't understand, but it's really you who can't," Norah said. "Christine, we thought you were dead. Can you even begin to imagine how we must have felt? And what about Robert? And Meg? You think we're upset? Just wait until you have to tell other people.."

"I know.."

"No, you don't know," John snapped. "Really, you don't know. We thought you were smart, but you obviously aren't. To have done this is unforgivable."

There was silence. Christine's head was spinning. She didn't want her parents to hate her. They were her parents... They'd been with her through everything in life. From birth until... the day she was kidnapped. They weren't involved during that. But she wanted them to be. Christine wanted them to know the truth and to help her. There was no way, though... Was there?

She looked at them. They were looking at her, studying her, wanting her to tell them the truth. What if-..? Could they-..? "Mom? Dad?" They didn't respond. "I... I'm lying."

They looked at her solemnly. "We know," her father said.

She sighed heavily. I should have known.. "Of course you do." They were her parents, after all, and they knew her almost better than anyone.. She only knew of one person who knew her better, and that was Erik. "He did kidnap me.. And I hated him with every fiber of my being for it, at first. But I got to know him. The longer he kept me there, the more I got to know how his mind worked. He's fascinating. He's a genius. And he loves me so much.." Before they could speak, she said, "But what I'm about to tell you isn't a lie. I'm in my right mind when I say that.. I love him. I lied to you because I love him. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Please, can you help me?"

"Help you," Norah questioned, hoping against hope that her daughter didn't mean any of this.

"Yes. I need your help to save him."

"You can't honestly expect us to help save the man who kidnapped you," John uttered in disbelief. "He's a criminal, Christine."

"He's a monster," Norah added to stress the point.

"No, he's not," their daughter said softly, determination in her tone. "He's a man. He's a man who went to extreme measures to keep the woman he loves. After everything he's been through in his life, I couldn't expect him to have handled the situation differently. He didn't know how wrong he was until I taught him. He had to learn from his mistakes, and he did."

"Baby, you're wrong." Norah tried to be as gentle with her as possible.

"No, I'm not. You don't know him."

John had to step in. He had to make her see. "Christine, we can never forgive him for what he did to you. We can't forgive him for what he did to this entire community."

"But he's changed," she insisted desperately. "He brought me back. He saw that what he did was wrong. I love him, don't you see?"

"No, we don't. We can't."

Christine sensed the finality in their words. There wasn't a way to get through to them, which she'd already expected. She couldn't deny the fact that she'd really hoped they would see her side and agree to help. That obviously wasn't going to happen. Christine was beginning to realize something. She wasn't going to be able to save Erik, not alone. If she couldn't convince her parents, there was no way she could convince anyone else. Yes she would try. She'd do everything she could. But, in the end, Erik was going to have to help. He was going to have to prove himself in court.

She and Erik were going to have to work together. She didn't know how and she really didn't know where to begin in making this possible, but she had to try. Christine wasn't the meek, weak-minded little girl she once was. Being with Erik had taught her to be brave and to never give up. There were still plenty of obstacles that had yet to be dealt with, but she had to take it one step at a time. She got through being kidnapped, so surely she could get through this.

Only, Erik had no idea of her intentions. She thought talking to her parents was difficult? Well, this was going to be much more so.