As promised, here is the first chapter! Enjoy! Also, disclaimer: I do not own the song lyrics in this chapter and chapters after this one!
April 10th . 3:30 p.m.-Washington D.C :
"Come on, Riley. Just reach a little farther!" A woman's encouraging voice rattles through Riley's head.
"I can't, Rose! I just can't touch my toes." Riley says as she lets her body lean back and relax, huffing with effort.
"You can't or you won't?" Rose counters.
Riley looks straight at her with a smirk on her face "Can't. I've never been able to touch my toes. Don't worry about it. This just means I'm back to normal."
"Yes, your old inflexible self?"
"Pretty much." Riley replies as she stands up.
"Well other than the toe touching, you did great today," the woman says as she watches Riley get up with care.
It's been four and a half months since Riley was kidnaped and she hasn't left the hospital since. Everything healed within two to three months except her shattered knee and gaping stomach. She has been off crutches for two weeks, her knee can support her weight at last. She's only remained in the hospital so they could monitor the abdomen injury. But, today was the day, the day she was finally able to leave the hospital and go home. Whatever home there was for her…
Riley grabs her bag from a table near by and starts for the door. "See-ya Rose! Thanks for all your help!" She turns to give her therapist a look of gratitude.
Rose returns the smile but worry clouds her eyes. "Are you sure you are alright to leave? Do you need a ride home? I can help you."
"Rose I'm fine. I can walk just fine and my side doesn't hurt a bit." Liar. It's burning with a passion! "I only live like 2 blocks from here; it's not a long walk." Or maybe 7 blocks, but hey, who's keeping track?
"Well alright," the woman said her goodbyes and Riley was free to go.
The automatic doors swing open before her and she is exposed to the cool, fresh, April breeze. The ambiance feels foreign; she's been inside so long that the beautiful day feels like an unimaginable dream. Walking down the street, Riley thinks about what she's going to do first.
Should I call Reid? Eh, he's on a case in Minneapolis, I'm sure he's busy. Should I just go to his house? I mean, I know where he keeps the key. She smiles to herself and walks around a pile of garbage littering the sidewalk. No, I know I'm needed somewhere else. He's probably missed me. I need to see him.
Riley looks down at her watch. 3:45? Good timing. She picks up the pace but after three blocks her knee throbs from the effort. Come on knee, it's just another few blocks. It protests more and she slows down the speed to accommodate for it.
The scenery around her changes with every step. From large, sparkling skyscrapers to puny, simple homes. No more stunning landscaping, just dull shrubs and pitiful flowers. Riley stops at a corner and looks up at the street sign. Allen Street. The sidewalk is more like a jumble of badly placed rocks than concrete slabs. Riley stumbles down the street, stops three homes down and looks at the house before her, a plain wooden abode with crooked shutters and rickety steps. Dull, browning grass and a walnut tree make up the landscape. Home sweet home, Riley thinks bitterly. I don't think there's an uglier house out there, but at least it's somewhere to stay…as a last resort…
She walks down the uneven walkway, onto the porch, and stops in front of the simple door. Already, the chaos of what lies inside reaches Riley from beyond the walls. She takes a deep breath and walks in. Running, screaming kids swarm around her as she enters the house. A young brown haired boy is chasing a younger boy around the dining table to the right. The older boy stops as he sees Riley come in.
"Hi Riley!" he calls. The younger boy stops as well, grateful for a chance to catch his breath.
"Hey Oliver! Is Wren upstairs?" Riley asks.
"Yeah, where else would he be? All he does is read in his room!" Oliver replies.
"Thanks." Riley heads up the stairs to her left, giving the boys an opportunity to continue their game.
A short climb up the stairs and Riley finds herself in a narrow hallway with three doors on either side and one large door at the opposite end. Any other person would have to stop and think of which door to go into but Riley knew exactly where she was going. She looks at the second door on the left with longing; her knee is throbbing uncontrollably and her stomach feels like it's on fire. But what does it matter? This is one of the reasons she's been working so hard the past four months and definitely the only reason she would come back to this dump; a place naïve people would call a home. She's been waiting for this reunion for so long.
Riley limps down the corridor, knocks on the door, and opens it. A young boy, who looks to be about 7 years old, is sitting on his bed reading a book. He looks up at his visitor and his jaw drops.
"Riley!" he screams as he drops the book and runs toward her. Riley sets her backpack on the ground and kneels down to the boy's level. He runs up and throws his arms around her neck. She returns the gesture and they stay in the embrace for what seems like forever.
Without letting go, the boy asks, "Where have you been Riley? It's been months, you've never been away that long. I tried calling you but you never picked up…"
"I know, Wren, I know. I'm sorry, I would have come back sooner but I- I just couldn't. And when I saw you calling, I just didn't know what to tell you. It's been such a long few months… I missed you, buddy. I should have talked to you, I should have contacted you sooner." She pauses before asking, "Can you forgive me?"
Wren nuzzles his head into Riley's shoulder and answers sincerely and without hesitation, "I already have. You're here and thats all that matters."
Riley rests her head on his and closes her eyes, holding back tears of joy. She breathes a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Wren. Know that I am sincerely sorry I've been gone so long. I won't vanish like that from you again, I promise." Riley moves back to hold Wren at an arm's length. "Now, how have things around here been? Any trouble?"
"It's been O.K… There's one new boy here. His name is Peter. Mom didn't even know you were gone. She asked one or two times but I covered for you."
Riley notices light bruises along the young boy's jawline and gives him a pitiful stare, "Wren? What aren't you telling me? Come on, who did this to you?" Riley asks stroking his chin.
Wren glances away from his older sister's gaze. "It-it's nothing, Riley. Justin just hit me one time or something. I probably deserved it…"
The girl's face grew red with anger. If I had been here, this wouldn't have happened. I should have been here for him. "No Wren, you don't deserve this. I should have known it was Justine. Where is he? I'll teach him. He shouldn't be allowed to treat you this way. I'll…" She looks into the young boy's depressed countenance and understands he just wants to let this go; he doesn't want to deal with their older brother anymore then he needed to. Not wanting to start something unjustified over past ordeals, Riley resigns the issue, determined to not let it happen again under her watch. "Come on, bud; let's just get out of here. I hate this place, let's go."
"Where are we going?" he asks curiously, regaining his excitement.
"Where do you want to go?"
He thinks for a moment before replying, "The park!"
"Then the park we shall go!" Riley smiles broadly at her foster brother, her excitement returning as well.
The boy's eyes alight with boyish thrill and he jumps up, ready to go. Riley gets up more slowly, grabs her bag, and leads him out into the hallway. The two children from downstairs have brought their game to the second floor, making Riley and Wren jump to the side to avoid getting plowed over. Riley looks back to see the pair of unruly kids work their way into a bedroom door to the right. With the coast clear, she guides Wren down the stairway but stops as the front door opens.
A tall, lean, dirty-blonde boy walks in, smelling of chewing tobacco and smoke. He closes the door and looks at Riley and Wren, shock appears in his eyes.
"Long time no see Justin," Riley greets with an indignant tone.
"Riley," the boy replies and nods, shooting tentative but harsh daggers at the girl. He takes his eyes off Riley to glare at the boy beside her.
Wren grabs onto Riley's right hand and shuffles closer to her. She grips his hands, comforting him as they walk down the rest of the stairs. Riley stands between the two boys as she glares at Justin.
"Get out of our way Justin. We were just leaving."
The older boy looks Riley up and down, but she doesn't falter under his gaze. He can't hurt her or the boy right now, she was too ready for him. Justin steps away from the door, allowing the pair to pass, but lunging slightly toward Wren as he walks past. Wren flinches and Riley ushers him out quickly, but doesn't follow right away.
"It would be wise of you to watch what you do to him. I'm watching you. I know what you did. And I'm warning you now, stay away from him," Riley threatens before she exits the home. She turns around as they walk across the porch to take a last look at him. He slams the door behind them, not caring to look at them as they leave.
Wren, grabs onto Riley's hand, looks up at her and says, "Thank you for- for sticking up for me. No one else around here does."
Riley kneels down to his height once again, gripping his shoulders, she looks into his eyes. "I will always be here for you Wren. You understand? I know I've been gone for so long but I promise that won't happen ever again. I'm going to be here for you, okay? I'm going to try my best to be here for you; and if i'm not here exactly, I'm only ever just a phone call away. Don't hesitate to call me if anything ever happens, alright? Next time something happens, call me and I'll take care of it. I'm sorry I was gone so long but that won't happen again, I promise."
Wren nods like he truly understands as tears pool in his eyes. No one else has ever stood up to protect him like this before. No one has ever cared about him this much before. He wraps his arms around Riley once more. "I believe you, Riley. Thank you."
She returns the hug and pats his back, "You're welcome, buddy." After a moment Riley stands, and grab's Wren's hand. "Now that we've got that all worked out, let's get to that park before the sun sets."
Wren nods and smiles happily and the pair make the easy journey to the park two blocks away.
It's not like the outdoors I'm used to, but it's…pleasant enough, Riley thinks as she enters the park with Wren at her side. He lets go of her hand immediately and runs to the playground on the east side of the park. Riley follows more slowly, showing a little limp in her step. She takes a seat on a bench at the edge of the play area; grateful for a chance to rest. Two oak trees tower over her behind the bench, providing a cool shade. Relaxing into the wooden seat, a great load of pain feels lifted from her body. She calmly looks around at her surroundings as she massages the pain in her knee.
Wren is off playing with other children his own age on the jungle gyms. By the look on his face, Riley can tell he was truly enjoying his time here. With Wren occupied, Riley pulls out her phone and checks her emails. I should text Reid and tell him I'm out of the hospital. Or he could go into my room and see a complete stranger. She laughs to herself, imagining what that encounter would be like. Nah, I'm not that mean!
She taps on the mail icon and finds three new messages; one from Facebook, another, a spam message from Google, and the last one actually catches her attention. The sender is listed as Dear Old God. She hesitates, hoping her idea isn't true. But no other explanations seem reasonable. It's Him.
What does he want from her now? Where is he? How does he know she's even still alive? Riley opens it hoping to find answers to her questions, but only more questions come up.
Let's start over. I'll try to do it right this time around. It's not over. –"It's Not Over", Daughtry.
Riley is stunned. He still wants me. But he used me! And I can't go back to him; I'm loyal to the team. I would never jeopardize their lives for him. I'd give up my own to protect them. Riley glances up from her phone to look at the cheerful boy she made a promise to. But can I bargain that anymore? Yes. If- if I go, Reid will watch out for him. I know he would. The whole team would. I won't join Him. Now how should I reply...? It takes only a few moments to encrypt a little message of her own.
Like a game of chess, I'll predict your moves. I think I know you better, better than you do. I'm sick of feeling cheap, cheated and abused, sick of losing sleep thinking about you. – "I Just Wanna Run", Downtown Fiction
Riley hits the send button so intensely that she's lucky the screen didn't crack under her touch. She sets the phone down beside her, bows her head, and rubs her forehead. I knew I haven't gotten rid of Him. But I figured He would come back to me in person. Not through emails. What does He gain from doing it this way? He's trying to get inside my head. Does He want me back? No! He wants the information. You're just a pawn in His sick game of life.
She lifts her head and tries to forget about him. Alright. Stay calm Riley, stay calm. What was I going to do before this? Oh yeah, gotta text Reid.
Hey man, I'm out of the hospital. Tell me when you get back to the city.
Short and sweet. Perfect. Send. The message box disappears, leaving the home screen up. The large, digital clock reads 6:45. It's 6:45 already?! No wonder my stomach has been growling. I'm sure Wren's hungry too.
Riley gets up from the bench and walks toward the play area.
"Wren! Time to go, bud!" she calls.
A brilliantly blond haired boy comes running in her direction. His hands and knees are covered in dirt and grass while sweat drips from his forehead making him look like he was just lathered with baby oil. Riley extends her hand to him and he takes it without a word.
"Where would you like to go for supper? Riley's voice is but a whisper as they leave the lush, scenic park. They head out onto the busy, crowded street, ready for their evening meal.
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