I was flipping through my textbook when the door at the top of the stairs suddenly opened.

Oliver came down with a pillowcase. There's something in the bag and it's struggling to figure it out. A meow.

"It's nice to see that you're still learning," he said. "It won't take long, and we'll go

"I don't," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking, you wouldn't kidnap people yourself. You won't kidnap my family because no one is taking advantage of it. ”

"I don't kidnap people, but I can figure it out," he said. "I have your address, keys and sedatives. I can sneak into your house in the middle of the night and give them a sedative before they scream. Now, do you want to try me? Ha. ”

I shook my head. I tossed and turned all night thinking about what Oliver had told me. I thought I had found the loophole, he was insane and numb.

"Okay, now go change and put on nice clothes," he said.

I looked at myself. I haven't changed my clothes yet and I'm still in my pajamas.

"Hurry up and get ready, do you need me to come over and help you? ," he said. "So, I suggest you get ready first."

He walked down the hallway with his sack in his hand. I walked through another hallway and jumped into the shower. After that I braided my hair and slipped it on my skirt. I rummaged through the dresser and found a woolen sweater.

I sat on the floor and stretched my legs. I used to do this before every run. As soon as Oliver got me out of the car, I was going to run.

I got up from the floor when I heard Oliver coming down the hallway. Oliver walked into the room, his gaze scanning my body.

"Not bad," he said. He held out his hand. "Let's go, let's go."

When I raised my hand, I bit my lip to stop myself from shaking. His fingers ran through mine. I tripped and approached him in a jerky motion. I did everything I could not push him away.

"Don't make any stupid moves," Oliver said. "You'll regret it."

He pulled me up the stairs and out the door. The sun was setting, but the sun was shining through the dense foliage. Oliver opened the door on the passenger side of his car and pushed me inside. I was tempted to start running away, but I knew I needed to be sane again.

He handed me the sunglasses.

"Don't talk nonsense," he said, pulling the car out of the driveway. "I'll find the people I'm looking for, and you're going to take them out."

"What if I can't get them out?" I say.

"They will," he said. "Trust me."

As Oliver drove into a small town, I fiddled with the hem of my sweater. There was a row of small shops with the lights off, but I could see some posters and mannequins hanging in the windows. The sun continued to set, and the street lights came on.

Oliver parked his car in an empty parking lot behind a store.

"Don't say anything." He said again.

I got out of the car like him. I wanted to run, but I saw no one on the side streets of the city center. I need to wait until I'm surrounded by people.

Oliver didn't hold me as tightly as he always did. I walked beside him as he walked around the side of the store. A few people walked past us holding hands. I was about to run when he grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me into a store. I looked around and saw that it wasn't a shop, it was a café. The menu is written on the blackboard. Several sofas form a square with a series of tables around them. A man sits on the stage tuning a guitar. Behind him hung what looked like Christmas lights.

Oliver ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of hot chocolate. He handed me hot chocolate and I followed him, and he sat at a table in the back corner. The man on stage began to sing a song with mediocre lyrics.

Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out a small clip.

"It's a microphone," he said. "You tell anyone your name or try to ask for help, it won't do you any good, I won't bring you out again. Know no! ”

My hand jerked up to my chest. I couldn't feel the little microphone underneath the sweater.

"Don't take it off either," he said. "I'll come right over."

Oliver took a deep breath and I watched his shoulders relax.

"Beth and I had our first date here," he said before taking a sip.

I tightened the cup with my fingers. Warmth spreads from my hands. My knees bounced under the table. Oliver watched people go in and out of the café. The sound of the singer's guitar rings in my ears.

Oliver put his hand on my arm and pointed to a table. A boy sits alone at a table. He leaned forward, holding a book in his hand.

"He," Oliver said. "I want you to take him out. The closer to the car, the better. ”

"I don't," I said.

"Yes, you can," he said.

"What are you going me to do?"

"Well, I know you're not afraid to shoot at a boy."

He motioned for me to stand up. When I stood up, the chair dragged across the floor. Oliver taps his fingers on his chest, reminding me of the microphone.

I walked through a couple of tables and walked over to the boy. He didn't look at me until I pulled the chair next to me. He raised an eyebrow as I sat down.

"Hello?" He said, but I could hear the question behind his voice.

I've never been good at taking the first step. In the past, I used to drink to convince myself that I was doing a good job.

"What are you reading?" I asked.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he closed the book and flipped it over. A few strands of his blonde hair peeked out from under his skullcap. His biceps are covered in black tattoos. His ears were stretched, and he pulled one of them. "Fifth slaughterhouse," he said.

"It's like a World War II book in space, right?" I asked.

"Sort of." He chuckled. "Have you read it?"

"yes, in high school."

Every ounce of my sanity was telling me to beg this man to help me. If Oliver's microphone wasn't on me, I would. I don't know how sensitive this microphone is or if it can pick up any sound through my sweater.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Tillian." I say.

"Colin." He reached out to shake my hand. "Do you usually wear sunglasses at night?"

"Yes." I shrugged. "I'm a little blind."

I noticed a pen next to Colin's novel. I grabbed his pen and an old napkin. My hands trembled as I wrote a message on the smudged piece of paper. Oliver was definitely watching me do this, but hopefully I could leave a message before Oliver took me out of the café.

Call 911. I turned the napkin to face Colin. He frowned as he held the napkin close to his face. He looked at me.

Please, I said.

When a hand touched my shoulder, I jumped. I looked up and saw Oliver towering above me.

"Here you are, Jill," he said. He's listening. "I told you to wait for me."

Oliver reached out and snatched the napkin from Colin's hand. I heard him smack his tongue and his fingers curled up on my shoulder.

"Jill, you tell me you're feeling okay," he said.

"I'm not called Jill," I said. I pushed his hand away from me. "My name is Diana, and this man kidnapped me."

The singer is still singing, but we've got the attention of the people on the tables around us. How could Oliver be stupid enough to want to take me out into a public place?

"I shouldn't have let her watch the news," Oliver said. He pulled out a small ID card. "My name is Dr. James Lee. I was a psychiatrist hired for me by Jill's parents to work with her privately. "What?" I turned to face him.

"I'm sorry, son," he said to Colin. "Jill's delusional."

"No, I'm not!"

I turned to face Colin. The singer stopped, he focused on our conversation. I ripped my sunglasses off my face. Colin gasped and leaned away from me in his chair. Oliver scoffed.

"I thought I had gotten rid of your contact details," Oliver said. He grabbed me under the armpit and tried to pull me up. "Let's go home."

"No!" I screamed as I tore and my arms were free. "Don't touch me!"

The entire café froze in place, watching it all happen. I shook my head. A few warm tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Please!" I screamed and ran to the other side of the table. "Please call the police. This man kidnapped me. ”

"Jill, calm down," Oliver said.

"Who's going to call the police!"

"Please don't call the police," Oliver said to the café. "I'd rather take her home to her mother. If you call the police, they will take her to the hospital, which is terrible about the environment she is in. ”

A few people nodded, and my heart sank to my chest. I turned and ran. As I walked towards the door, I bumped into a couple of tables. As I left the café, Oliver called out my pseudonym.

I breathed in the cold air, and my chest was hot. I don't know how long it's been since I was kidnapped, but my body has been deformed. The muscles in my legs were sore and I was out of breath. The street was deserted, and there were only a few people in the bar. I shuffled in line. I stood out among scantily clad girls.

I squinted and looked down at the street. I couldn't see any of the faces. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. At the door stood a tall bodyguard. His black shirt looked like it barely covered his muscles. He was checking the IDs of the drunk girls who were struggling to stand up straight.

"ID card," the man said.

It was dark in the bar and the music was deafening to my ears.

"I didn't," I said. "Please, you need to help me. I was kidnapped. My name is Diana. ”

The man's jaw was about to drop. He leaned closer. He must have noticed my eyes.

"He's a surgeon," I said. "He forced me to have an eye transplant."

"What—" he began.

"I need your phone." I interrupted him. "I need to call the police."

"Jill!"

I looked back and saw Colin walking through the line of drunks. The bodyguard pulled the phone out of his pocket and I snatched it from him.

"You can't call the police," he said. "If you do, they'll take you to the hospital." "You're a surgeon?" The bodyguard asked.

"No," he said. "There are no surgeons. She was just very sick. I'm trying to take her to a psychiatrist. ”

"It's a lie!" I shouted. "He did it to me. Doctors from all over the world do this, and they get together for dinner in the Caribbean. ”

The bodyguard looked at Colin.

"Where's her doctor?" He asked.

"No!" I screamed.

How could this happen? How could Oliver's story really work? I rushed out the door, but Colin put his arms around me. I tried to pry him out of me, but he was much stronger than I thought. I bent my knees, trying to break free of his grasp. Colin also bent his knees and held me firmly in his arms.

"He's out there," Colin said.

"I'll help you bring her to him," the bodyguard said.

"No thanks!" I screamed.

The bodyguard grabbed me from Colin. As he pushed me out of the bar, I punched him in the chest. My fist felt like banging against a concrete wall. Oliver stood outside the bar. He motioned for the bodyguards to take me to the back. I writhed in his arms. He followed Oliver around to the small, empty parking lot.

"Can you help me hold her for a while?" Oliver asked. He lifted the hem of my skirt and plunged the needle into my thigh. "Thank you for your help. I'm sure she told you I was some kind of twisted surgeon, but I assure you I'm not. She was very sick. ”

"It's okay," the bodyguard said. "Will she be okay?"

"Yes, she'll calm down," Oliver said. "Sorry for all this happening. You can go back to work. The man nodded and let go of me. Oliver watched him return to the bar. I wiped away a few tears that had slipped down my cheeks.

"Get in the car," Oliver said.

"Nope." I turned to face Colin. "Please, you have to trust me, he will kidnap you too."

"Colin, can you do me a favor?" Oliver asked. "My shoulders have reached out and the sedatives will work on her soon. Can you get her in my car? ”

"Yes, of course," Colin said.

He grabbed my arm and I broke free. "No," I said. "I'm not going to get into that car."

Colin used his chest to propel me forward. I put my heels on the pavement, but he was still able to push me. Oliver opened the door to the back seat. I jerked around and he grabbed my wrist. He pushed me to the ground and pinned me to my seat.

"Please!" I shouted. "He'll do to you what he did to me."

Oliver walked up behind Colin. He covered his mouth with a rag. Colin let go of me and grabbed Oliver's wrist. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and landed on me. I rolled to the side and stumbled out of the car. Oliver grabbed his leg and forced Colin into the car. He slammed the door shut. He grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back.

"You did it perfectly," he said.