Chapter Two
When 'Jennie' sat up and re-opened her eyes, it was early the next morning. She squealed with delight to discover she'd fallen directly under the apple tree. She reached up, on her tiptoes, and could barely grasp a few of the lower leaves between her fingertips. Undeterred (she was too hungry to just walk away), she stretched as high as she could, grabbed the tiny twig and shook it. To her amazement, the whole main branch came crashing down, barely missing her head. Now she was surrounded by apples, and she joyfully chose a few of the best ones and sat down on the fallen branch to savor her treasure.
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Steve began his own search as soon as the tape had ended. He had to hope for the best while assuming the worst. If Jaime was somehow mentally impaired, if she was running solely on instinct and was terribly frightened, where would she go to feel safe? The answer, for him, was glaringly obvious. Water. Ever since she'd been a very little girl, Jaime had gravitated toward water when she was upset, angry or needed comfort. It seemed to soothe her spirit, and Steve immediately knew where to start. The river that flowed behind the hospital exited the grounds on two opposite sides: one end opened into a small lake, and the other narrowed into a tiny stream. Steve picked a side at random, and headed toward the lake.
His eye zeroed in on every detail – searching for broken twigs, impressions in the dirt or grass, or any indication that a scared and confused young woman had been there. He circled the entire lake but found nothing; no traces, no clues. The sun was just beginning to poke its way above the horizon when, discouraged but nowhere near ready to give up, Steve turned around and headed back toward the hospital. He walked along the back fence, to where the river ran off of the grounds on the other side, and began focusing on the banks of the stream.
He was about three miles from Rudy's complex when he spotted the first clue: an impression in the ground, very near the water, that was fresh and exactly Jaime-sized. This must've been the first place she stopped, Steve told himself. It was a full-body imprint, so she'd probably fallen asleep, at least for a little while. He ran his hand along the impression, feeling somehow closer to the woman he loved so deeply, and, until a few hours ago, had believed he'd lost forever. She was still very nearby; he could sense her...
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'Jennie' had just finished her second apple and was squirreling a few more away for later enjoyment, in the tall grass near the apple tree. She puzzled over the fact that she seemed to be hearing hundreds of sounds from every direction, all at once. She could barely isolate any single sound and had trouble making sense of it all. Her body stiffened, in full-alert mode, when one sound rose above the rest: footsteps! Had the people from that place found her already? Were they going to force her to go back? Her mind screamed a single word, loud and insistently: NO! She'd escaped before they could hurt her or run their weird experiments, and she was not going back!
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Steve spotted Jaime's bright, gold-toned hair first, gleaming brilliantly in the early morning sunshine, and his soul did cartwheels of joy. Happiness and relief were replaced with heartbreaking sorrow when he got his first full glimpse of her. She'd heard his approach, and was cowering like a beaten, trapped animal. Her face was frozen in terror and her eyes were wild as they darted back and forth, frantically searching for a way to escape. When her gaze met his for one brief millisecond, he saw no recognition there, only fear. He moved slowly and quietly, his hands in full view, hoping she'd realize he meant her no harm...
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'Jennie' watched warily as the strange man came closer. Her heart was pounding so hard and fast that it hurt, and she felt dizzy with confusion. His face seemed so kind and harmless, but she knew he was one of them – he had to be, if he'd followed her – and she needed to get away. Instinct and self-preservation took over, and she picked up the big branch she'd torn from the tree and began swinging it at him. The man ducked (damn, he was fast!) but kept slowly moving toward her. He was getting way too close, and 'Jennie' raised the branch high over her shoulder and, with shaky aim and whatever strength she had, brought it down squarely upon the top of his head. He was completely still for a moment and then crumpled to the ground, but 'Jennie' never saw him fall. Behind her, an arm had come out of nowhere and wrapped tightly around her waist, roughly jerking her backward, off of her feet. Several pairs of hands grabbed her, carrying her toward a car that was parked just outside the trees. She was able to let out one ear-piercing, blood-curdling scream before pain and weakness forced her into oblivion.
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