Amber Alert (Amber Alert Series Book 1)

by Sara Schoen

"Where are we going, Garrett?" I asked with a laugh.

  "It's a surprise," he stated with a mischievous smile on his lips.

  I watched him as we drove smoothly through the snow. His smile never faded, and he had a new spring in his step that I hadn't seen before. He must be so happy to finally have his actual family back. He didn't talk about it much, but I knew that he wanted to meet them. Garrett just didn't want to talk about it a lot in case the police couldn't find his family. He probably didn't want to make me think that he didn't want to be around me either, I thought as I glanced out the window. I watched the snow fall and the city lights pass by while stars soon took over.

  "Garrett, are we going where I think we're going?" I asked, remembering a little spot he had taken me on our first official date over a year ago. It was slightly out of town, about ten minutes, but the view was worth any amount of traveling to see it.

  "Yeah, we are. I think it's worth it," Garrett said with a smile as he pulled over. He locked me in the car so that he could get out and help me get out of the car. He knew I wouldn't wait for him to be the gentlemen so he made me wait.

  He took my hand and helped me out of the car. Garrett produced a blanket from the back seat and set it on the ground before he lay down with me. We looked at the trees, covered in string lights and fresh snow. It was just on the outskirts of Harrisonburg, leading into the town itself, and it was a wonderful sight when visitors came to visit. To our right was a lake that had the stars shine on the surface like a mirror and caused them to dance. This was my favorite spot I've ever been.

  "This is beautiful. I love it here," I said, as I took in the lights for a few more moments before I closed my eyes to remember our first date. We had had a picnic on the lake and when night came, we didn't even notice because we were so absorbed by our conversation. We had a lot in common, but even more that we didn't, which kept things interesting through our relationship. When we turned around to go home, the lights caught us by surprise. That's when Garrett, at that moment, gave me our first kiss as a free couple.

  "I bet I can make you love it even more," Garrett stated with a confidence I rarely heard from him.

  "How so?" I asked, opening my eyes and turning to look at Garrett. My breath caught in my throat and tears started to well up in my eyes. Garrett was on one knee with a small box in his hand. He must have seen the questions swimming in my eyes, because he answered them.

  "You're mom took me to get this from a pawn shop, it's the one you were admiring when we went out shopping for Christmas this year. That's when I knew this would be the ring to show you that I was serious when I said I wanted to be with you forever. We've been through more than most people will ever experience in their lives. I've been in love with you since you first stepped foot in that house. I knew that I couldn't let what happened to the other girls happen to you. I had to get you out, even if it cost me my life. We argued because we couldn't understand our feelings, but we understand them now. So, Anna Cowles, will you marry me?" Garrett asked with a soft smile on his face, because he knew my answer.

  "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!" I screamed, as I jumped into his arms and held him tight. After a few moments like that he lightly pushed me off of him and opened the box. The ring had one large diamond in the center then had three smaller diamonds on each side with little swirls in between the stones. It had been eye catching in the store and even more now.

  "Here's to a happy life with the one I love." Garrett took my left hand and slid the ring onto my ring finger and then planted a loving kiss on my lips.

  Epilogue

  ***Five Years Later***

  "I think it's time to move, sweetheart," I said, watching the re-run of my interview from when I was nineteen. Even five years later, this was still big news and people continually came to me when their child went missing. I couldn’t find their kids, but I understand that they are desperate for answers.

  "How do you feel about the Amber Alert System?" a reporter asked in the recording.

  "It saved my life and many others. I thank Amber Hagerman's mother for creating the system. Without it, I may not be standing in front of you today," I stated, my voice hoarse from the tears of the trial so many years ago.

  "What was it like to be taken?"

  I remembered that question vividly, it stung like a slap to the face, and my retort was meant to hurt. "I was raped, forced to do what I needed to in order to survive. Those memories haunt me, even in my worst nightmares. So you think about how it was like!"

  The reporters face was twisted as she realized what she had asked, but that didn't stop others from asking questions. "What do you think about the other twelve girls? Do you blame them for your being taken?"

  "How could I blame them? They were victims too! I say that a memorial should be made in their honor so that everyone can remember what happened to them."

  "Are you going to be there to witness the execution?"

  "No, I never want to see him again," I stated and walked off. I shut off the television and went to find Garrett in the kitchen.

  "Garrett, honey."

  "Yes, Mrs. Anna Thomas," he stated proudly, still happy to hear my name mixed with his.

  "I think it's time we moved."

  "Why is that?" Garrett asked concerned, putting down the ingredients for dinner and taking my face in his hands.

  "Steve is trying to get a re-trial again. Reporters will be knocking on our door again. I don't want to go through that again."

  "I understand, sweetheart," he said, kissing my lips softly and offering me a soft smile.

  "So can we start planning?" I asked as Garrett left the room, pushing the topic. I really needed to get out of this town. It had too many bad memories and held the monster of my nightmares.

  "Well, I have a surprise for you," Garrett said, as I heard him clamoring around the house. It took about five minutes for Garrett to finally come back into the kitchen. When he came back he had a huge smile on his face and two folders in his hands. He set them down on the table, on opposite ends and started to spread papers out from the folders.

  "What's this Garrett?"

  "I've been researching homes. I had a feeling you'd want to move when it got close to the execution, so I started planning about a year ago. I’m okay with leaving earlier than planned."

  I felt a warm glow surround my heart. It always pleased me that he understood me. He always knew what I was thinking, even without me saying anything. Garrett was special, and I was so glad that I had met him and married him. He made me smile and laugh every day, and I never regretted a moment with him. I felt as if he truly was my soul mate, and it only took a kidnapping to find him.

  "Well, tell me all about these places," I said, opening the topic as I took a seat for the duration of his speech.

  "I've narrowed it down to two! We could go to Montana, it's filled with quaint little towns and low crime rates." He handed me a file on Ashland, Montana. I quickly scanned through it and immediately started to pick the place a part.

  "I don't want to fly, and it's in the middle of nowhere, Garrett." I wanted small town, but not a population below seven hundred where there's nothing to do and your closest neighbor is at least two miles away from you; it made me nervous.

  "Then I think this is the one," he stated confidently handing me a file on Wilmington, North Carolina. It was a coastal town with a large population and a lot of attractions, but mostly the scenery is just stunning. A lake just like the one where Garrett proposed to me and undisturbed nature everywhere surrounding the house he had chosen.

  "This is perfect for children," I stated absentmindedly. I only looked up when Garrett started choking on his drink. He held his chest while he coughed and tried to clear his throat. "Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

  "What did you say?" he asked with a strained tone.

  "I asked if you were okay."

  "No, before that."

  "I said this town is perfect for children," I said in a low slow voice. I had been s
o nervous to tell him and here it just kind of slipped out. I found out a few months ago I was pregnant. We had tried for the last two years to have children, but because of the abuse my body had taken from Steve, doctors told me it would take longer to conceive and I could have more complications then most women.

  "Children, that's a sudden change in topic. Do you have something you need to tell me, Anna?"

  I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I never thought it would be this nerve-wracking to tell my husband that we were going to be parents. I always wondered why people were nervous about telling their spouse that they were pregnant, now I knew. I was afraid for his reaction as I spoke, "I'm three months pregnant, and we're going to be parents," I yelled excitedly, holding my rounding belly.

  "Really?" He came over and placed his hands over mine to touch my soon-to-be swollen belly.

  "Yes, so I think we need to keep quiet about where we're moving to so we can keep the baby safe and ourselves."

  "We can move in less than a month, I have it all planned out! Just sit down and don't do anything," Garrett said with a huge smile plastered on his face. He sat me down on the sofa and propped my feet up on the table. "I will take care of everything, you just take care of the baby!" he said as he ran off back into the kitchen.

  I could hear him making phone calls to the real estate agent. He really knew me well, he had everything planned out and had put a down payment on the house before the day was up. We moved in two weeks, as discretely as possible, and planned to leave nothing behind except a legacy.

  Acknowledgements

  I want to thank my fans from wattpad that convinced me to put my book out into the world. I heard such wonderful comments from them, they are excited to see the book in print, and maybe they will get their dream of seeing it in theaters. Until then, I hope they enjoy the changes this book has gone through since it was first put up on the site.

  I also want to thank my friend, Taylor, for getting me back into writing. She convinced me that there was a story I had to tell and that if I tried hard enough that my words would impact so many people. She’s a great writing partner, and friend that I can’t thank enough.

  Along with my friends, Avery and Will, for supporting me during tough times and through writing, without either of these three this book wouldn’t be out today.

  Most importantly, I want to thank my family and creative writing teachers. They supported me when I was still new to writing, when being published hadn’t even crossed my mind. They pushed me to improve, they made me write better stories and built relationships that would later inspire stories and friendships.

  My family and teachers believed if I worked hard enough, that I would become published. I’m thrilled to say that they were right, I can’t wait to share more works because of these wonderful individual's support.

  About the Author

  My name is Sara, I’m 19 years old, and I was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia.

  I have always been interested in writing, even started a book in elementary school, but it didn’t get very far. It wasn’t until high school that my friend, and writing partner, more or less forced me to join an amateur writing site. After some convincing from her, I plucked up the courage to post one of my stories. While it wasn’t popular at first, I was shocked and overwhelmed by the support of readers on Wattpad, and they gave me the support and confidence to get where I am today. I continued to write for the next three years I was on the website, starting countless stories, some of which got surprisingly popular.

  It’s all thanks to those that supported me over the years, or I wouldn’t have had the courage to post or submit my stories anywhere. I can’t wait to start sharing more works and ideas with you guys, and I hope you enjoy the works.

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