Chapter 10: The threshold
After planning all night, Liz set off to find Jesse. She would ask local commoners if they knew where the Tucks lived. That was the only way to find her love. Sure she had Jesse's cell phone number, but Jesse had always refused to answer. Now was time for Liz to leave her threshold guardians and set off on her journey.
As live crept in the faint dawn light, she spotted the old tree, the only survivor after her family had ordered for the old woods to be cut down. She walked up to the tree, and saw a "T" carved on it. T...what did T stand for? Tree? Taste? Tuck!
TUCK! Could it actually stand for Tuck? Had Jesse Tuck been here before? Liz noticed a small puddle under the tree. It was water. And hey, she was tired and actually suddenly very thirsty. So why not? Liz reached down to cup the water in her hands when...
"Hey!" a voice suddenly cried.
Liz quickly got up, not even getting a lick out of the water. In fear, Liz searched around. Suddenly, a man leaped onto her, grabbing her and started to choke her. The life of her was being squeezed out of her, and now she was never to see Jesse ever again...
"Miles, let the poor child go!" an older man ordered sternly.
"Miles" did, letting her fall on the ground. "Come on, Tuck, who knows what she knows! She's discovered the water!"
Obviously, these people were not sane. "Discovered the water"? It was just a small spring under a tree!
"How much does she really know, Miles?"
"I dunno Pa, but seems to me like we need to get rid of her."
Liz let out a whimper.
Suddenly, the older man, Tuck reached down to take a good look at her. And oh my, did she look familiar! "Miles, I think I know this girl."
"Pa, that's impossible! Jesse's the only one who's come here after the Foster girl helped you and Ma escape from prison!"
What were they talking about, Liz thought. Grandma Winnie was the last "Foster girl", and there is no possible way they would've known her as a child...
"Oh, great, Miles!" Tuck exclaimed angrily, "Now she's heard something!"
"Good, of all the more reason to get ridda her!"
Liz knew this was the end.
"No, Miles, we're just gonna take her home with us like we did with that other girl."
"If I do recall, Tuck, the last time we did that, we got into huge trouble for kidnapping."
"It don't matter, Miles. It's better than putting another murder on our hands."
Liz gasped. Those people had already murdered many others!
Tuck laughed at that. "Don't worry girl, we're not bad people. We're doing this fer your own good."
"Wh-where are you t-taking m-me?" Winnie stammered.
"Home to the Tuck residence." Miles exclaimed.
Liz gasped. Could this be...could this be the same Tucks she had left home to look for? So was this was Jesse was hiding, that his family were a bunch of homicidals?
Liz decided to ask. She had nothing to lose anyways. "A-are you...really the Tucks?"
Tuck and Miles exchanged glances, and then nodded. "I'm Angus Tuck," Tuck said, "and this is my oldest son, Miles."
He had said oldest son. That meant he had more.
"Um...do you happen to have a son named Jesse?"
The two Tucks' eyes grew wide. "Oh, great, Pa!" Miles exclaimed, "Jesse's been going 'round revealing his identity!"
"I-is Jesse still home?"
Angus Tuck shook his head. "He left."
"Oh..." Liz moaned in disappointed.
"What do ya want with Jess?" Miles demanded.
"Nothing," Liz lied.
"We'll talk about this at our home, alright, girl?" Angus Tuck said decidedly.
"What's your name?" Miles asked.
"Elizabeth." Liz replied, "Liz, actually. Liz Foster Jackson Prescott."
She didn't know why she had mentioned she was a descendent of the Fosters', but it felt right.
The two Tucks smiled. "Come on, Liz. We're gonna take you home."
Were the Tucks seriously considering keeping Liz for their own?