This is Alex again. I love this kid. ^^ Sorry it's short. Some of these are kind of long, and some of them aren't. Please forgive me for the short ones!
Somehow, I knew that all four of us knew that Lela's eighteenth birthday was coming up. In a way, I sort of felt like the kidnapper that was biding his time until the target was alone; I felt kind of slimy knowing that her birthday was the day I was waiting for, and not just so I could say "Happy Birthday."
Lela talked over trying to call her mom again with me, just to see if her mom would believe her this time around and to tell her she's doing fine. I supported calling her mom again, and she was split on it, not sure how her mom would react. In the end, she decided, "Why not?" and used a payphone at a gas station.
I only heard Lela's half of the conversation, so I wouldn't be the best person to ask how that went, besides the fact that the conversation ended in tears on our end of the line.
"She knows I'm here," she said between sobs, "but I can't go back unless I want her suspecting me of p-prostitution."
I was furious at the woman for being so distrustful of her daughter, and I swore I'd never meet with her, unless it was to tell her off.
While she cried on my shoulder, I gathered some of my light in my fingertips as I gently rubbed her back. She pulled away, eyes wide. "I always forget you guys can do that," she said, wiping the tears from her face.
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