by Celeste King
Beth looked over at Eric and didn’t care about any of what her mother had said about college. She was happy to just follow Eric wherever he went. They finished up their lunch and Beth lied back on the blanket, staring up through the trees. She ached to see her Dad again. She tried to keep her mind occupied lately because if she didn’t it would always turn to him. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. She wondered again what he would have thought about Eric. She slowly drifted off.
~ Chapter 9 ~
The tinkling of glass startled her and she opened her eyes. She turned to see Eric pulling two bottles out of his backpack. She wasn’t sure what it was, but figured it must be the dessert he had referred to earlier. She smiled at him as he turned toward her, expecting a special soda or something that would be their unique treat to have together. She looked down trying to read the labels. She read the name of a brand she didn’t recognize. Then she saw “beer” on the label of one of the bottles.
“Eric,” she said sternly. “What is that?”
“Oh, come on. You know what it is,” Eric said with a laugh. “I just thought it would be nice to relax out here with no one around. My brother picked them up for me last week when he was visiting from college. He said it’s the most popular beer for parties at his school.” He held out one of the bottles to Beth.
“Eric, I can’t believe you. You know I don’t drink.” Beth couldn’t believe it. She thought Eric was smarter than this. They were only seventeen and she had never touched alcohol in her life. There were often parties her classmates would throw during the weekends that involved alcohol. It was always when their parents were out of town. Whenever she would get invited to a party her Dad would insist on calling the parents of the student hosting. It really embarrassed Beth and made it so she wasn’t invited to parties where parents wouldn’t be present. Once her Dad had called and the parents had no idea the party was even happening so it was cancelled. Beth got death glares in the school hallways for weeks.
Underage drinking was something her Dad was very vocal about. He told her of the dangers of drinking in high school and what it could lead to. Just last year a few kids from Beth’s school had been drinking and decided to get in a car. The next morning a police officer found the car wrapped around a tree and none of the kids survived. It was a real eye-opener for Beth and she became grateful for the first time of her Dad’s insistence that she not drink in high school. Her Dad definitely would not have approved of Eric.
“You put that away and take me home,” Beth said as she stood up. She wasn’t afraid in that Moment. She felt strong and convicted, like she had felt when her Dad was with her.
“Wow, Beth. I thought you were an awesome girl. I didn’t know you were against having fun,” said Eric condescendingly.
“I am an incredible girl and I can’t believe you would put me in this situation,” retorted Beth. She tried to keep tears from showing, but she felt them sting at the corner of her eyes.
“Well, if you’re so incredible, sit down and show me.”
“No. I mean it. I want to go home.”
“You turned out to be a disappointment.” Even though Beth knew better the words still stung. She had never felt more betrayed or more stupid in her life.
“You are the disappointment, Eric,” she said as she began to walk back toward the trail. As she walked past him he reached up and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her to the ground and Beth yelped with pain as she fell. She tried to force her wrist free, but she couldn’t get out of his grasp. Panic took over. She turned and looked him in the eyes. These were not the eyes she thought she had been looking into the last several months. They were cold and frightening.
“What are you doing? Let me go!” Beth yelled.
“No,” Eric said matter-of-factly, “If you’re not going to drink with me you have to give me something.” At that Moment Eric pushed her flat on the ground and forced himself on top of her. Beth screamed out and kicked her feet sending the remainder of the picnic flying. Eric clapped his hand over Beth’s mouth to keep her from screaming even though no one else was around. By doing so he left her right hand free. She quickly grabbed his wrist and bit down hard on the hand covering her mouth. Eric yelled in pain and as he let go of her other hand she pushed as hard as she could. Eric fell to the side. Beth knew she had drawn blood.
Beth sat up and reached for her backpack, ready to run. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Eric’s fist came straight for her cheek. Beth had no time to react and the impact of Eric’s blow threw her sideways and to the ground. Pain shot through her skull, but she knew there was no time to waste. Eric was standing between her and the trail and her backpack was at his feet. She thought of her cell phone sitting in the front pocket, but knew if she tried to get it he would be able to grab her. So as quickly as she could, leaving her bag behind, ran to the trees at the edge of the clearing, away from the trail.
~ Chapter 10 ~
Joan’s mind raced as she tried to think of someone else who might know where Beth and Eric had gone. She didn’t know Eric’s parents. In fact, she thought, she didn’t even know Eric’s last name. She sat down in the living room and tried to calm herself. With her panic levels rising she couldn’t think of anything. Her thoughts were swirling around her and she was unable to catch one and focus. David had always told her, in times of crisis, to sit and be still. He said that was the best way to listen to the promptings of angels.
It always made Joan smile when she heard David talk about angels and divine intervention. He was such a believer of everything happening for a reason. He had complete faith in the abilities of guardian angels. At a young age, having been raised by parents who loved God and his teachings, she had felt it very important to marry someone who shared the same values. Joan felt it was their close relationship with God that kept their marriage so strong until the end. They obviously had their little fights and disagreements, but they never questioned their love for each other. Knowing that there was so much more to life and an afterlife to enjoy together made them stronger. She decided David’s advice about being still for the angels was perfect for the current crisis.
Joan thought about another time David insisted they implement this advice. They had been married for about a year and were living in a small apartment. David was working in sales and Joan was finishing up her Bachelor’s Degree. She only had one semester to go and they decided to live on just David’s income so Joan could take a big class load and finish quickly. Her semester was starting in a week and they were enjoying the extra time they had together by staying in and watching movies. After the weekend, David returned to work and Joan prepared her books and things for her class in a couple of hours. She liked to scan her textbooks to know what to expect in her classes and was doing so when David walked in the door only an hour after he had left for work.
“Hey, handsome,” Joan said with a smile. “What are you doing here?” The look on David’s face was solemn. Joan’s heart sank since David was hardly ever glum. Something was horribly wrong.
“I went to the office today and it was locked,” David said quietly. “I thought someone just forgot to unlock the doors, but as more people showed up for work we just kept standing outside waiting.” Joan didn’t like where this was going. David continued, “We had been outside for twenty minutes and then someone decided to walk around the back of the building and look through the windows. Everything had been cleared out. The company has been shut down.”
“What? I don’t understand.” Joan stared at David in disbelief.
“Apparently they were in some kind of financial trouble and didn’t tell anyone. They were about to lose everything so they decided to cut and run,” David said with hurt in his eyes. “No severance, no benefits, nothing. We just don’t have jobs. I don’t have a job.” He walked to the couch and sat down. Joan joined him and took his hand. They sat in silence for a Moment thinking of the cost of the semester of classes. They had been living on such a low budget that without an
ymore money coming in they only had enough money to make another two month’s rent if they didn’t pay Joan’s tuition.
After the initial shock wore off they started writing down their options. Joan could take less classes, pay that tuition, and they would have one month’s rent, but it would take her an extra semester to finish. She could take this semester off and find a job until David found some stable employment again, which would also set her back a semester at school. Or she could start her classes that day as planned and pray that something would come along for David. The last option left them with no rent money after paying Joan’s tuition.
“I think we need to listen to the angels,” David said.
“What do you mean?” Joan asked. It was the first time since they had been together that he had suggested this.
“I mean, let’s just be still and listen for what we need to do. Let’s say a prayer, asking what the best option is and then just listen for the answers.” David explained. Joan felt a peace come over her and felt so grateful she was with such an amazing man. They knelt together and prayed for an answer to their problem. Without even thinking they lied on the floor next to each other, took deep breaths, and just listened. They were there for quite some time, but worked harder to clear their minds and be completely open to any promptings.
At the same time a strong feeling came over both of them. Joan was to go to class as planned and David was to start calling his friends from college he had kept in touch with. They both sat up and without saying a word knew what the plan was. Joan collected her things and headed to the campus. They said goodbye and they loved each other. Joan was able to focus in all of her classes that day despite the events that had just unfolded. She returned home to David waiting for her outside with a huge grin on his face. He had called one of his college friends who it just so happened was looking for a new addition to his sales team. It wasn’t just a job, it was a better job than the one he had before with better pay, more responsibility and better benefits. Joan never questioned David’s “listening to angels” method and knew it was necessary now when trying to find Beth.
Joan leaned back in the large, soft living room chair. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Stay calm, she thought, don’t panic and listen to the angels. She thought of David and imagined his face. Joan imagined him smiling at her and pulling her close to him. She could almost feel his arms around her, enveloping her and comforting her heart. She felt calmer now than she had felt in the last few weeks. It was as if all of her burdens were lifted. Her mind had quieted and her thoughts halted. It was only a few Moments until David’s advice paid off. As clear as day Joan heard a voice. “Beth’s room,” it said. Her eyes flung open and she looked around the room expecting to see someone standing there. There was no one. The voice had almost been inside her head, like one of her own thoughts, but from someone she had never heard before.
Without another thought she ran to Beth’s room. Joan made it a rule to respect Beth’s privacy and would never have searched through her things, but this was different. Although she had no idea what was happening or where Beth was, she felt the situation was a matter of life and death. Joan’s eyes searched the bed, dresser, and nightstand for any kind of clue. All she could see were scraps of homework, some laundry, and makeup. Beth’s notebook she used for most of her writing was peeking out from underneath the bed. There was a thin layer of dust on it confirming Joan’s suspicions she had given up writing.
Joan went to the desk and pulled open the first drawer. When she found nothing she slammed it shut and the computer on Beth’s desk clicked on. It had been on sleep mode and the jiggling caused by the drawer brought it to life. Joan almost couldn’t believe her eyes. Right there, on the desktop, was a webpage containing a map. It took only a split second for Joan to see it was driving directions to a trailhead. She immediately clicked print and time moved at a snail’s pace while she watched the printer warm-up and spit the page out one line at a time. As she waited for the map she thought of David and felt a lump in her throat. Even now that he had passed on his teachings were still blessing her life.
When the map was printed sufficiently enough for her to follow the directions Joan ripped it from the printer tray and ran for her keys. While she didn’t feel she could pause, as she ran to the car and turned the ignition she said a prayer in her heart thanking God, David and the angels she knew now surrounded her.
The urgency she felt about finding Beth did not subside. The words Josie had spoken about the other girls at school staying away from Eric came back to her. She felt responsible that Beth would desire the attention of a boy with a reputation like that. Did I not teach her she’s worth more, Joan thought. She thought back to herself in high school as a teenager. It was so hard to watch other girls get more attention or for her feel embarrassed around the athlete boys. Joan remembered how she and her friends would go to the baseball games and watch the players longingly, wondering what it would be like to date them and be at the top of the social pyramid.
Joan realized it wasn’t that Beth wasn’t happy with herself, she was just pulled into the high school games every other girl was a part of. The timing was perfect and when Eric came along like a knight in shining armor during Beth’s time of need, she couldn’t resist. However, Joan still felt bitter guilt. Had she not been there for Beth like she needed to be? She couldn’t recall actually asking Beth how she felt about her father’s disease. They had barely talked about the funeral. She couldn’t think about it now. She had to get to Beth. Joan gripped the steering wheel and hoped she would find Beth before something serious happened.
She didn’t want to make the same mistake Beth had made and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly pushed the speed dial number for Sandy. It rang four times and Joan was worried Sandy wouldn’t pick up.
“Hello my dear friend,” said Sandy’s happy voice.
“Sandy, listen to me very carefully,” Joan said with urgency.
“What’s wrong, Joan?” Sandy had become very serious hearing the tone in Joan’s voice.
“I think Beth is in trouble. I don’t really have the mind to explain right now, but she’s with Eric and she’s in danger. I found a map to where they are hiking today and I’m going to find her.” Joan was almost breathless, like she was running to Beth instead of driving.
“Oh, no,” Sandy said quietly. “Tell me where you are going. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, I’ve already left, I can’t come back now,” said Joan. She proceeded to give Sandy the directions from the map. “I will call you as soon as I figure out what’s going on, but just in case there is something unexpected I want you to know where I am in case you need to find me.”
“Joan, be careful,” Sandy said in a stern tone. “Stay calm and if you even feel an inkling that you need help, call me immediately.”
“I will,” Joan said, almost hanging up the phone without thinking. “Sandy, thank you. Thank you, not just for right now, but for everything.”
“Don’t even mention it,” said Sandy gently. “Call me soon.” Joan hung up and focused on the road.
~ Chapter 11 ~
Beth didn’t dare look back and kept running. Branches were snapping beneath her feet and she could no longer hear the peaceful chirping of the birds. Instead they fled the branches as she came tearing through the trees. She listened for running feet behind her, but couldn’t hear anything. She knew Eric could outrun her and she was scared to look back. Her mind raced back to breakfast with her Mom. Joan’s words resonated in Beth’s mind. Mom knew he would hurt me, she thought. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought of the mean words she had spoken to her Mom. She had been so unwilling to listen and realized the influence Eric had on her. She decided to quickly look back to make sure he wasn’t coming after her. She turned and he was nowhere to be seen. A little relief sunk into her heart.
Almost immediately the relief was replaced by shock and it seemed the ground had come out from underneath her. S
he pitched forward and felt the blunt force of rocks against her body. She hadn’t seen the shallow ravine in front of her as she was running. Beth reached for anything to stop her from tumbling down the steep hill, but only rocks met her body with painful blows. Among the chaos Beth heard and felt a distinct crack in her right leg. It sent intense pain shooting through her body of which she had never felt. Her screams echoed through the forest with no one to hear them. Just as Beth felt she might be approaching the bottom of the ravine the side of her head landed squarely on a large rock and everything went black.
~ Chapter 12 ~
Cassandra walked briskly along the road in the City of Light looking for Joseph. She knew he was very busy watching over other current cases, but she wanted an extra opinion on what her next move with Joan and Beth should be. She had been in Summer working on her case and knew Spring was the best place to find Joseph. Sure enough as she crossed over into his favorite season she easily spotted him.
“Hello, Cassandra,” Joseph said in his comforting voice, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hi, Joseph,” Cassandra responded in her bubbly tone, “the case with Joan and Beth has taken a very bad turn, unfortunately. Our worries were confirmed that Eric would actually physically harm Beth and that has lead to her being in an even more dangerous state.”