The Message

A 25-year-old man was on his way to work, driving in his old, black truck.  He had kind of long, brown hair, and the most beautiful blue eyes.  He had gotten up at five in the morning.  He had gotten ready and was now driving along an old dirt road, which leads him down by a dock.  His job was to drive a bunch of boxes filled with fish to different grocery stores.  He didn't go to college because of the fact that he didn’t have the money, but he was actually pretty smart.  He wasn’t a genius, but he wasn’t dumb either.

 

          He pulled up to a dark red, old brick building and parked.  He climbed out of his old truck.  He grabbed a toothpick and stuck it into his mouth.  He closed the door and started walking toward the building.

          “HEY, BRANDON!” a voice called from behind him.

          Brandon turned around to see who it was.  “Oh, hey, Zeke,” he said as a skinny, but muscular lady’s man, 24-year-old, milk chocolate man walk up to him.

          They gave each other a high five.  Zeke and Brandon knew each other since they were little.  They acted like brothers and were glad to get the same job, which they didn’t get to hang out while they were working, but once they were done they would have a guy’s night, especially on Fridays.  They would go to different bars and try to pick up women.

          “Oh man, you should have been there last night,” Zeke told Brandon.  “I was at the bar and I met this chick…. She was ooooh fine and let me tell you…. Dude, you would have liked her friend too…. Her friend was just as fine.”

          “Yea, sorry I wasn’t there, but I went to visit Laura again.”

          “Oh yea.  Sorry to hear about that.  How’s she doing?”

          “Well, she’s acting like everything’s okay, but you can tell that it must be hurting her.  She can’t be a normal kid and I think that bothers her.”

          “Well, tell me if she gets better…. She’s a tough kid.”

          “That’s true.”  Brandon smiled.  “Come on, man.  We need to get to work.”

          “That’s true…. Let’s go check in.”  Zeke looked at his watch and then to the dark, cloudy sky.  “I think that we’re in for rain,” he said as him and Brandon made their way to the building.

 

          Three high school girls were trying on their cap and gowns for graduation.  They were going to graduate three days later and they were excited.  The oldest girl was nineteen and she had short, light brown hair with blue-green eyes.  The second oldest was eighteen and she had dark brown hair with dark brown eyes.  The youngest of the three girls was seventeen and she had long, blonde hair with blue eyes.

          “Wow.  I can’t believe that in three days, we’re going to be graduating,” the eighteen-year-old said.

          “Cassie, how do I look?” the nineteen-year-old asked the eighteen-year-old.

          “You look good, Jennie,” Cassie answered.

          “Are the gowns supposed to go a little above the ankle?” the youngest girl asked.

          “It should.”

          “Yea,” Jennie agreed.  “It’s supposed to, Melinda.”

          “Oh.  Okay,” Melinda smiled.  “Good.”

          “I’m going to go change.”  Cassie walked out of the room.

 

          The girls were in the living room of Cassie’s house.  It was small with a couch and a love seat.  The couch had an odd design of brown and red where the love seat was a dark blue.  The furniture didn’t exactly match and even the hunter green walls stood out.  There was a long black coffee table in the middle of the room with a glass top.  A brown entertainment center sat close the opposite side of the couch.

          Cassie’s parents went out and her brothers were at a sleepover.  The girls turned on the radio.  They decided to do some karaoke and have a little fun.

          “Okay.  Who’s going to go first?” Cassie asked.

          “You,” Melinda and Jennie agreed.

          “We enjoy laughing at you as you act out the song,” Melinda joked.

          Cassie dropped her mouth, smiling.  “I thought that you two were laughing with me…. Not at me.”

          “Just go,” Jennie laughed.

          While Cassie was looking for a song that she wanted to sing, the phone had started ringing.  “I’ll get it.”  Cassie stood up and walked into the computer room.  She picked up the phone.  “Hello.”  She waited for the person to answer.  “Oh hey, mom.”  She paused.  “Okay.”  She laughed at something her mom had told her.  “Yea we’re fine.”  She laughed again.  “Don’t worry about us…. If someone tries to break in, then Melinda will beat them up with a chair…. Okay.  Bye….”  She sighed.  Her mom loved to talk.  “Okay, mom.  Bye…. Bye.”  She finally hung up and walked back into the living room.  She sat back on the floor and started going through the compact disks again.  “That was my mom.  She said that her and my dad are going to be back later.  She also wanted to make sure that we were alright.”

          “Okay.”

          Cassie picked up a compact disk and already had the song picked out.  “Be prepare,” she warned them.

          “We better move,” Melinda told Jennie.

          “Good idea,” Jennie agreed.

          Cassie sang as she acted out Nickelback’s How You Remind Me.

 

          Brandon walked into the house, he slid his keys on a little table, which was a few inches away from the door.  He closed the door behind him.  He was disappointed because even though he was at work all day, he didn’t work at all.  He walked into the living room and sat down on the chair.  His Doberman, a pretty big dog had jumped on his lap.

          The black with big brown paws dog was trying to get Brandon into roughhousing with him.

          Brandon tried to push the animal on the other side of the room.  “Not now, Buck.  I don’t want to play.  I’m sorry, boy.  I just had a bad day at work.  That’s all.”

          Buck laid his head in between his two front paws.  He was disappointed, but soon forgot about it, when he started scratching the bottom of his feet with his teeth.

          Brandon stood up and walked into the kitchen.  He made his way to the phone.  He pushed a button and the answering machine came on.  He listened to the messages and deleted the ones that the marketers had left.  “Delete…. Delete…. Delete…. De-” He paused.  “This is from my boss.”

          “Hey, Brandon, it’s Ramond Turman, look I have to talk to you on Monday…. It’s very important and I can’t tell you over the phone,” the message said.

          Brandon didn’t like the sound of his boss’s voice.  The man didn’t sound angry but he didn’t sound happy.  He had sounded as if he were upset or something.  Brandon didn’t know whether or not he should delete the message.  He thought about what it might be, but he couldn’t figure out what.  It was really bugging him.  He didn’t want to wait ‘til Monday to get bad news.  He walked back into the living room and sat down.

 

          The girls had tired themselves out singing karaoke.  They were all sitting on the couch, watching Bedtime Stories.  They were all calm, especially because Cassie’s parents were home and were in their room trying to sleep.  The girls decided to put in the movie.  They loved it and they all loved Adam Sandler.  They actually had decided to have an Adam Sandler marathon anyways. 

Graduation

          Brandon made his way into his boss’s office.  He knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer.  It was Monday and his heart was racing, pounding like crazy.  He knew that something bad was going to happen, but he hoped that he was wrong.

          “Come in,” he heard his boss’s voice through the door.

          He took a deep breath.  “Here I go.”

 

          Brandon walked into the room and closed the door behind him.  A tall, dark brown hair, forty-six year old, white man sat behind a desk in the small office.  There were two book shelves, one on each side of the desk.  There was a long window behind the desk, which revealed that they were on the first floor of the building.

          “Sit down, Brandon,” Ramond told him.  He looked disappointed.  He didn’t want to say what he had to tell Brandon.  It was horrible news.

          “Okay.”  Brandon sat in one of the chairs which sat in front of the desk.  “What’s going on, Ramond?”

          “Look, Brandon…. I’m about to do something that I don’t want to do, but I have to…. What I’m about to tell you…. It’s nothing personal or against you…. Actually, I’m going to be telling everyone this soon, but you’re first….”

          Brandon was dying inside.  He needed to know what was going on.  He waited for Ramond to get to the point.  Ramond was a good guy, but had this thing about rattling on and on before he made his point.

          “I’m…. I’m….” Ramond didn’t want to finish his sentence but he had to.  “I’m laying you off.”  He didn’t want to have to tell him, but he knew that he had to.  He thought that Brandon was one of his best workers but with the horrible times being that business wasn’t doing so good he had to.

          Brandon was shocked.  He didn’t know how to react.  When he was over the shock, he felt his heart rate slow down.  “But I need this job…. I promised my brother that I was going to help him out…. For my six year old niece.  You have to find something for me to do.”

          “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing for you.  I would like to help you, but I can’t.  I’m sorry, Brandon.”

          Brandon stood up.  He looked at Ramond.  “Okay…. Thanks anyways.”  He left the room.

 

          Cassie picked up her black gown.  She couldn’t believe that she was going to be graduating and going out into the real world.  She would be going to college the following year.  She had to smile at the thought.  She looked at her silver and gold watch with two golden hearts and four golden lines on each side.  It read 2:00 clock.  She didn’t have to start getting ready ‘til 5 because she had to be there at 7.  “Good.  I still have time,” she told herself.  “I think that I should call Melinda and Jennie.”

          She walked out of her room and into the computer room.  She picked up the phone and walked back to her room.  She dialed a number as she walked into the room.  She placed the phone next to her ear and gently kicked the door closed.  The phone rang as she sat on her bed.

          “Hello,” Jennie’s voice spoke over the phone.

          “What’s up?”

          “Oh.  Nothing much.  Anything new with you?”

          “No…. Just can’t wait for tonight.”

          “Yea, me neither.”

          “Hey, let’s three way, Melinda.”

          “Okay.”

          “I’ll call her.”

          “Alright.”

 

          Brandon sat on his living room couch.  He had the TV on, but he wasn’t watching it.  He was too busy trying to think of a way to earn money to help out his brother and sister-in-law.  He told them that he was going to help his brother with paying the hospital bills for his niece.  It was killing him knowing that he was laid off.  He didn’t want to tell his brother.  He knew that his brother would understand, but it still made him feel terrible.  “What am I going to do?” he asked himself.

          Someone knocked on the door.

          Brandon looked up and forced himself to get off of the couch.  He made his way to the door and opened it.  Zeke walked into the house with two bottles of O’Doul’s.  He figured that non-alcoholic beer was the best choice for drinking when he didn’t feel like actually drinking the alcoholic stuff.  “I’m sorry to hear about what happened, man.”  He handed a bottle to Brandon.  “I wish there was something that I could do to help, but I’m probably not going to have a job much longer either with the way things are going.”

          “Thanks.”  Brandon closed the door.

          “So, did you tell Chris yet?”

          “No…. I can’t…. I promised him and Jessica that I was going to help pay the bills for whenever Laura had to go back to the hospital…. I feel terrible.”

          “Chris will understand.”

          “I know.”

          The two men walked into the living room.  Brandon sat on the recliner, while Zeke sat on the couch.

 

          Cassie was talking to Melinda and Jennie on the phone.  “Tonight is the last night that we’re actually going to see everyone in our class,” Cassie pointed out.

          “I know,” Melinda agreed.

          “We’re still going to hang out though,” Jennie jumped in.

          They talked for about an hour.  The conversation had jumped from the graduation to books and so on and so on.  They could never stick to just one subject.

          “Oh.  Can you two hold on for a second?  Someone else is calling.”  Melinda asked.

          “Okay,” Cassie and Jennie agreed.  While Cassie and Jennie waited for Melinda to get back on the line, they just talked.  They kind of figured who had called Melinda.

          “It’s probably Lloyd.”

          “Yea, and she’s going to want to talk to him instead of us,” Jennie joked.

          Melinda came back on the phone a few minutes later.  “Hey, I’ll see you two tonight…. Lloyd’s on the other line.”

          “Of course,” Cassie and Jennie joked, laughing.

          Melinda hung up with them.

          “Well, we’ll see her tonight.”  Cassie continued laughing.

          “Yea.  Right now, she wants to talk to her boyfriend.”

          “Yep.”

 

          Brandon and Zeke just watched TV.  Brandon was feeling the stress of the day growing heavier.  He doubted that he’d get any sleep before he found a new job or something he could do to keep money coming into his house.

          “Man, you need to get out of this house and find a girlfriend,” Zeke told Brandon.

          “Uh-no.”

          “Why not?”

          “Well, no girl is going to want to date a guy who just lost his job.”

          “Then, I’ll bring you to go get applications and then we’ll go pick up chicks.”

          Brandon looked at Zeke.  He wasn’t worried about finding a girlfriend at the moment.  He really just wanted to get a job so he could make money and then eventually meet a nice girl who he would settle down with.

          “Okay.  Then we’ll just be bored, but you really need to get a girlfriend, and let some girls know that I’m single.”

          “What about that girl that you were telling me about last Friday?”

          “Well, she decided to go back to her ex-husband.”

          “She went back to her ex-husband?”

          “Yea…. She would rather date a family man.”

          “Ok-ay?” Brandon was confused.

 

          Cassie was waiting for her name to be called.  Melinda and Jennie had already walked across the stage and got their diplomas.  Cassie was excited and nervous.  She couldn’t believe how this was going to end her high school life and begin her life in college and her own life was going to start.  There were more names called, but Cassie stood in line, waiting.  The nervousness was going, along with her excitement.  She couldn’t hear who was being called until she heard her name.

          “Cassie Smith….”

          Cassie took a deep breath and smiled.  “This is it,” she whispered to herself.  She walked onto the stage and shook hands with a few members the faulty and the principal.  While she shook hands with the principal, she was handed her diploma and someone had taken her picture.  When she was finished, she walked off of the stage.

 

          Brandon walked into the kitchen to get something to eat.  Zeke was in the living room, watching Boxing.  Buck was also in the living room and he was sitting on the floor, his tail was curled around the left side of his body.

          “Hey, man.  I’m going to go ahead and go,” Zeke told Brandon as he stood up.

          “Alright.”

          Zeke left.

 

          Cassie, Jennie, and Melinda had met up outside of the building.  It was chaotic from the graduating students, their families, the teachers, and staff who were exciting so they stayed close to the building so that they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.  A guy who was now eighteen, walked up to the three friends.  He was tall with light brown hair and light brown eyes.  He placed his arm around Melinda.  “Congrats, you three,” he told them.

          “Thanks, Lloyd,” all three of the girls replied.

          “No problem.”

 

          Brandon thought about what he was going to do to get money.  He walked up stairs and into his room.  He sat on the bed and looked at the ceiling.  “What am I going to do?” he asked himself. 

Bank Robbery Gone Wrong

          Cassie woke up and sat upright on her small twin size bed.  She looked around her room.  She waited for a couple of minutes before actually getting out of bed.  When she finally worked her off of the bed, she walked out of the room.  She slowly worked her way to the kitchen table and found a note from her mother.  She picked up the note.  “Cassie,” she read to herself, “your father is at work, I’m visiting with your granny, and your brothers are at school.  I need you to go to the bank to pick up some money.”  She had to laugh at the obvious points observation her mother had written.  She knew where everyone else was so it was pointless for her mother to have written it down.  It was the last day of school for her brothers and of course she didn’t have to read the note to know that her father was at work.

 

          Brandon was going through the dresser, trying to find a shirt to where, when he came across a small, black, hand gun.  He picked it up and examined the small weapon.  He was confused on how it had gotten there.  He hadn’t remembered ever buying the gun.  “Where did you come from?” he asked, still examining it.

 

          Cassie walked into the bank, smiling.  She was glad that she had known some of the people who worked there because she was shy when it came to talking to people who she didn’t know.  It wasn’t that she was rude, it was just that she had a hard time getting the courage to actually talk to others.

          A forty-five year old man with short grey hair and blue eyes walked past Cassie.  He wore a friendly smile on his face and was dressed in a nice black suit out fit to show his professional attitude.  “Hello, Cassie,” he spoke keeping his friendly smile.

          “Hello, Mr. Walker.”  She returned the smile.

          “Micheal,” one of the female bankers had replied, “can you take this over there for me?”  She held out a few small bank rolls but didn’t make it obvious to the customers what she was holding so that no one would get any funny ideas.

          “Of course,” the man replied as he took the bank rolls, keeping them hidden as well.

 

          Brandon stood in the ally next to the bank.  He couldn’t believe what he had decided to do.  He placed a black mask on his face.  There was a long oval hole for his eyes.  “I can’t believe that I’m going to do this,” he told himself.  He checked the gun to make sure there weren’t any bullets.  He hadn’t realized that there was one small silver bullet hiding from him.

 

          Cassie and Micheal were the only two in the bank when they had noticed a man wearing a black mask heading into the building.

          “Cassie, come back here.”

          “Okay.”  Cassie walked behind the desk and ducked down.

          “Just in case,” Micheal whispered to her, “your parents would kill me if something happened to you.”

 

          Brandon had walked into the bank and walked over to the man.  He held the gun up.  His heart raced with fear. Robbing banks wasn’t something he would normally do but under the circumstances it seemed like the only good idea at the time.  “Put the money in the bag….”

          “What bag?” the banker asked, noticing that Brandon was empty handed.

          Brandon knew he had forgotten something.  “Well, do you have a bag I could use for the money?” Clearly, he wasn’t cut out for the crime.

          “No…. And if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.”

          Brandon held the gun up to the man.  He held it up the man’s forehead just to scare the man.

 

          Cassie looked up to see that Micheal was face to face with a gun.  She covered her mouth to keep from screaming.  She didn’t want the mask man to find her but her heart pounded in fear for Micheal.  She had wished that she could help him but she was defenseless.

 

          Micheal took a deep breath.  He felt fear creep into his heart and wasn’t ready for death yet.  “Okay.  Oh, here’s a bag.”  He motioned for Cassie to hand him a bag from under the desk.  He took the bag which Cassie had laid in his hand and placed it on the table.  He slowly started placing money into the bag.

          “Hurry up, old man.”  Brandon started panicking but tried to keep calm as he rushed the man to work faster.  He couldn’t believe that he was actually acting so tough even though he felt fear inside.  “Hurry up.”

          Micheal tried to place the money into the bag as fast as he could but he hated to be rushed.

          While Brandon waited for Micheal to hurry up, his finger slipped and pulled the small curved grey trigger, and Micheal had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.  He couldn’t believe what he had just done.

 

          Cassie couldn’t believe the sound from the gun shot.  It was loud enough to make her jump.  She wanted to scream but knew she couldn’t.

 

          Brandon couldn’t move.  He just watched as Micheal’s body fell back to the ground.  He was in shock from the gun shot.

 

          Cassie couldn’t hold the scream in any longer, once she seen the body fall, she let out a good loud terrified scream.

 

          Brandon snapped back to reality when he heard a girl screaming.  He felt so terrible but he couldn’t let whoever was screaming know that.  He was confused because he had no clue where the screaming was coming from.  He leaned on the desk and was smacked in the face with a hard back book.  “Ow.”

 

          Cassie stood up and started running.  Brandon had jumped over the desk.  Cassie was faced against the brick wall.  She turned around to see the masked man right behind her, holding the gun up.  “Please don’t kill me?” Cassie begged, tears and fear filling her eyes.

          Brandon checked out Cassie.  He looked her up and down and thought that she was actually pretty cute.  “I’m not going to kill you….” He grabbed her arm and pulled her body closer to him.  He held the gun up to her head.  “I’m kidnapping you.”

          Cassie was terrified to fight back so she just let him take her.

          Brandon didn’t think that it would be that easy, especially the kidnapping.

The Very Odd Kidnapper

          Brandon had taped Cassie’s wrist together behind her back.  He had her walk in front of him as they made their way to his truck, holding the gun up, barely touching the small of her back.  He was trying to keep the tough guy act going and made it seem like he knew what he was doing but the guilt grew inside of him.  He hadn’t planned for the murder or the kidnapping.

 

          When they arrived at the truck, Brandon opened the passenger door and helped Cassie into the vehicle.  The young woman was confused by his actions.  He had even buckled her up and closed the door.  He worked his way around the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat.  He closed the door and buckled himself up.

          “Why did you buckle me up?” Cassie asked.

          “Well,” Brandon replied as he cranked the engine, “that way you’ll be safe just in case something happens.”

          “What?”

          “Never mind.”

 

          There was a long lingering awkward silence while Brandon drove home.  They were almost to his neighborhood.  He wasn’t sure if he should turn on the radio or not for some kind of reassurance.  “I’m sorry about all this,” he told Cassie after a while.  “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

          Cassie rolled her eyes.  She wasn’t buying into the man’s words.

          “I’m Brandon by the way,” the idiot masked man revealed.  “Brandon Cook.”

          Cassie was shocked.  She couldn’t believe how anyone would be stupid enough to rob a bank, kill a banker, kidnap a witness, and tell the witness his name.

          “You are?”

          “I’m Cassie Smith.”

          “Cassie, that’s a pretty name for such a pretty girl such as yourself.”

          “Thank you and Brandon is a nice name for a guy in a mask.”

 

          When Brandon pulled up into his driveway, Cassie couldn’t believe her eyes as she looked at the white two story house in front of her.  It looked small but it looked nice.  Brandon climbed out of the car and helped Cassie out of the truck.  He grabbed her right arm and held the gun to her head.  He led her to the house as he made sure none of his neighbors were out watching.  He locked arms with her so he could get the key to unlock the door and so she couldn’t try to run off.

 

          Brandon led Cassie upstairs after he had closed the door and brought her into a small room.  “This is where you’re staying for until I say so,” he told her.

          Cassie looked around the room.  The room was decorated for a six year old girl.  The walls were painted light purple and there was a bed small enough for a six year old with princess sheets and blankets.  The pillow case matched the blanket.  “How is your wife going to react when she finds out that you have an eighteen year old girl in your daughter’s room?”

          “I’m not married,” Brandon admitted.  “I’m not dating either.”

          “Okay then how is your daughter going to react?”

          “I don’t have a child and…. I respect women enough not to push them into…. Well, you know.”

          “Okay then why….?” Cassie’s mouth dropped.  “You’re one of those freaks who kidnaps young girls and does terrible things to them….”

          Brandon couldn’t believe how Cassie’s imagination could be so outrageous and insane.  “No…. I don’t believe in that…. That’s sick…. Why would someone even think about doing something that wicked?”

          Cassie realized that the guy was telling the truth.  Something inside of her was telling it that he was a sweet guy but today just hadn’t been his day.  “Okay, then why do you, a grown man from what I can tell by your voice, has a room decorated for a little girl?”

          Brandon took a deep breath.  “My niece…. Sometimes she’ll come and stay with me that is…. When she’s not in the hospital…. Now, I’m going down stairs, you have to stay up here.”  He whistled and Buck ran into the room.  Buck jumped on Brandon with excitement.  He wagged his tail as he greeted his master.  “Down, boy.”  Brandon managed to turn Buck’s attention over toward Cassie.  “She’s our prisoner and I want you to make sure that she doesn’t leave this room, unless I say.”  He turned his attention to Cassie.  “Cassie, meet my guard dog, Buck.  He’s big and tough…. He also bites so you better not try to leave this room because he will attack.”  He was doing his best to terrify Cassie which he knew was a complete lie but he had to make her fear the dog.  He left the room, closing the door and leaving Buck in the room with Cassie.

          Cassie looked at the dog.  Buck was a pretty good size dog but he hadn’t seen mean.  She sat on the bed and Buck jumped up next to her.  Brandon was right that Buck would attack but not by biting.  He attacked Cassie by licking her with his long pink wet tongue.  She started laughing and pulled her face away from the big dog.  “Stop…. Please.”

 

          Brandon pulled off the mask as he walked into his bedroom.  He threw it on his bed and placed the gun on the dresser.  “I can’t believe I did that.  That wasn’t supposed to happen,” he told himself.  He was ashamed of himself.  Knock, knock, knock.  He heard the noise from downstairs.  “Not now.”

 

          Brandon ran down the stairs and hurried toward the door.  “I’M COMING!” he called.  Once he was at the door, he opened it and Zeke walked in.

          “Dude, where have you been?  I’ve been calling but you didn’t answer.”

          “I was here,” he told Zeke, trying to stay calm and not act guilty, “all day…. I didn’t go anywhere….”

          “Ok-ay….” Zeke was confused.

          “I was sleeping….”

          “Man, calm down….” Zeke kind of laughed.  “You’re acting like you killed someone today.”

          “I didn’t kill anyone why would you say that?”

          “I was joking and I know that you wouldn’t do that…. Man, you’re acting really weird…. Oh that reminds me.  Have you been watching the news lately?”

          “No why?”

          “Well, this masked guy walked into the bank today, killed a banker, and kidnapped this eighteen year old white girl which for a white chick she was actually very cute.  Oh yea and that girl graduated high school last night.  I feel bad for her.”

 

          Brandon and Zeke sat down and started to watch TV.  Zeke had continued talking while Brandon listened, hoping that Zeke would leave.  “Oh yea,” Zeke said.  “They got a picture of the guy’s truck and I swear that it looks identical to yours.”  Luckily for Brandon, the clues hadn’t donned on Zeke to reveal that he was the guy from the news.  “That would be funny if that guy was like you…. I bet he probably has the girl locked up in his niece’s room,” he laughed as he spoke.

          Brandon pretended to laugh.

          “So how’s your girlfriend doing?” Zeke asked, he had an odd sense of humor.  “Do you know if Barbie has a friend?”

          “What?”

          “Yea…. Does Laura know that you take her dolls and that you use the doll for your own needs?”

          “What?  Dude, that’s crazy and I don’t do that.”

          Thump.  Something had fallen from upstairs.

          “What was that?” Zeke asked.

          “It’s probably, Buck.  He likes to get into things.”  Brandon jumped up and backed out of the living room and up toward the staircase.  “I’ll be right back.”  He ran up the stairs.

 

          Cassie was lying on the floor, laughing, when Brandon had walked in.  “What’s going on?”

          Cassie tried to stop laughing as she opened her eyes and looked into Brandon’s eyes.  That was the first time she had actually seen the man’s face.  As much as she hated to admit it but her kidnapper was dreamy and his beautiful eyes which she had figured where hazel or close to hazel locked with hers.  “Your really tough guard dog was attacking me with his big long tongue.”

          “He’s supposed to be mean.”  Brandon walked over and helped Cassie up to her feet.  “Okay.  I’m going back downstairs.  Buck, I want you to be mean to her…. You know growl at her.”  He started to walk out of the room.

          “I’m hungry,” she told him as he was just about out of the door.

          Brandon turned to face Cassie.  “What do you want to eat?”

          Cassie smiled.  She was going to have fun with this.  “Chinese.”

          “Sorry I don’t have enough money.”

          Cassie rolled her eyes.  “You robbed a bank today.”

          “Yea but I left the money when I kidnapped you.”

          “Then if we’re not having Chinese, then I’ll starve to death and I don’t think that you need two dead people on your hands.”

          Brandon knew that Cassie was right.  He needed her to be alive and well.  He didn’t need anything to happen to her while she was in his house.  “Fine.  I’ll order Chinese.”

 

          “Hey, Zeke,” Brandon said as he walked back into the room, feeling awkward and kind of embarrassed by what he was preparing to ask.  “If I order Chinese, will you help me pay for it, because I’m a little short on cash…. I’ll pay you back.”

          “No problem.”

Brandon’s Attraction

          Jennie walked into the living room which was connected to the wide opening family room which made it seem as if the two rooms were one.  She sat on the bulging black soft couch and noticed that her younger brother had turned the television to Disney Channel but had left the room.  She didn’t feel like changing the channel so she just let the television play.

          Ring…. Ring…. Ring.

She picked up the wireless phone which sat on the little round stand next to the couch and answered it.  She hadn’t bothered to check the caller id as she pressed the round talk button on the phone.  “Hello.”

 

          “OHMYGOSH!  OHMYGOSH!  OHMYGOSH!” Melinda spoke the words so fast that they had formed on long word which she kept repeating.  Her voice had indicated that she was worried and fearful of something horrifying.  She had the television on the news and the story was bothering her.  “Have you watched the news today?” she asked, trying to calm herself down.

 

          “No.  Why?  What’s going on?  Why are you freaking out?” Jennie asked, confused by what could have happened to have one of her best friends in panic mode.

 

          “Just turn to channel nine.”  Melinda’s voice over the phone told Jennie that she was about to cry.

 

          Jennie couldn’t understand what could have Melinda in such a terrifying tone.  She turned the television channel to nine like Melinda had told her and as soon as she seen Cassie’s picture on the television the phone had slid out of her hand.

 

          “Jennie?” Melinda asked.  She had heard the phone hit the floor.  “Jennie?  Jennie, are you there?”  She figured that Jennie heard the news and that was why she couldn’t answer.

 

          Shock had taken hold of Jennie’s body as the reality of the news story hit her.  The news that one of her best friends had been kidnapped was unbelievable.  When reality finally smacked her back to the real world, she picked up the phone and placed it back to her ear.  “Cassie was kidnapped?”

 

          “Yea.”  Melinda felt tears crawling down her cheeks and had been glad that she was the only one in the house because she hated it if she cried in front of other people.  “I couldn’t believe it either.  Cassie’s a good person.  This kind of thing shouldn’t have happened to her.  This is the kind of thing that you wish would happen to your enemies.”

 

          “I know,” Jennie agreed.  “I hope she’s okay.”

 

          “I hope so too…. Man, if I ever meet that guy, I’ll show him that he kidnapped the wrong girl’s friend.  She’s practically our sister.”

 

          “And I’ll be there cheering you on, girl.”

 

          Brandon carried the paper bags of Chinese food into the kitchen.  Zeke couldn’t help but follow as his eyes locked onto the food.  Brandon sat the bag on the table and pulled out a small plastic bag of six egg rolls, another small bag of crab lagoon, and three things of general chow.

          “Why did you order three things of general chow?” Zeke asked.

          “Because….” Brandon had to think of a lie as soon as possible.  “When I get hungry again.”

          “Ok-ay?” Zeke asked, confused although he didn’t bother to ask any more questions.

          Brandon quickly come up with another lie so he could bring the food up to Cassie but he didn’t want Zeke to start raising any red flags.  “I’ll be back…. I have to go check a few things.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon grabbed two forks and handed one to Zeke and hurried out of the room.

          “Man, Brandon’s been acting weird, today,” Zeke told himself.  “I wonder if he’s feeling alright?”

 

          Cassie laid on the bed, dying of starvation.  Buck laid next to her with his big long black head resting on her chest.  He had his tongue sticking out.  Cassie would pet the dog, but it was hard to with her hands tied behind her back.

          Brandon walked into the room with a ten foil rectangle bowl and a fork in his hand.

          Cassie looked over at him and sat up.

          “Hope you like general chow.”  He walked over to her and went to hand her the bowl.  “Here you go.”

          Cassie looked at the bowl then to him.

          Confusion grew on Brandon’s face.  “What?  You said that you want Chinese.”

          “And I do….” Cassie replied.  “But, I can’t feed myself because you have my hands tied behind my back.  Duh.”

          Brandon remembered he had tied her hands behind her back which made it hard for her to feed herself.

          “That means you have to feed me.”

          “Okay.”  He looked at his dog who was still lying on the bed, looking up at the food.  “No, Buck.  You can’t have any of this.  It’s too spicy for you…. Now, get off of Laura’s bed….”

          “My name’s Cassie.”

          “I’m not talking about you…. I’m talking about my niece…. Her name’s Laura.”

          “Oh.”  Cassie felt awkward now.

          Buck climbed down from the bed.  He looked at Brandon with his mouth slightly opened and tongue hanging out.

          Brandon worked his way over to the bed and sat down next to Cassie while the big puppy of a canine stared at the man and sat on all fours.  His tail wagged with excitement as he hoped for some food.  “No, Buck.  You can’t have any of this…. This is for her…. I’m sorry, boy,” Brandon told the dog as he removed the plastic lid off of the tin container.  He went to stick the fork into the rice.

          “I don’t like rice,” Cassie stated, kind of rudely.

          Brandon looked at her.  “Okay.  Fine….”  He told her as he moved the fork over to the chicken.  “Do you like the spicy chicken?”

          Cassie looked at him.  “Yea.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon stuck the fork into a piece of the boneless chicken and Cassie opened her mouth.

 

          “Man,” Zeke told himself.  “What’s taking Brandon so long?” He looked at the clock which was built into the oven.  It read 4:59pm.  “Dude, he’s been up there for an hour.”  He waited a couple of more minutes but Brandon still hadn’t walked into the kitchen.  He decided to go see what was taking Brandon so long.

 

          Zeke worked his way up to the second floor as Brandon walked out of Laura’s room.  He held the tin which had nothing but rice in one hand as he closed the door with the other hand.

          “Oh…. Laura’s here?”

          “Yea,” Brandon found himself in another lie.  “She’s not feeling too well and I…. She said that I could have her chicken and to save the rice for her later….”

          “Oh…. Well, can I say hi?  She does consider me to be her uncle too seeing that I’m a friend of the family’s and all….”

          “Yea…. But she actually just went to bed…. Well, she’s taking a nap.”

          “Oh.  Alright…. Well, tell the kid that I said, ‘Hi….’ I’m going to go ahead and go…. Oh yea.  When Laura wakes up, tell her that I said that I hope she feels better.”

          “I will.”  Brandon watched as Zeke walked down the stairs and out of the front door.  He swallowed with relief that Zeke was finally gone.  He couldn’t believe that he had lied to his best friend.  He lied to the guy who he considered to be his brother.  His started pounding uncontrollably.  The guilt began to come back.  He closed his eyes and thought about the banker.  “I’m sorry…. I wasn’t planning on killing you,” he whispered as if the man was standing in front of him.  He felt as if he were going to cry.

 

          Cassie was trying to look at her watch to see what time it was but she couldn’t.  She took a deep breath.  “BRANDON!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.  She waited but he didn’t answer.  She took another deep breath.  “BRANDON!” He still hadn’t answered her.

 

          Brandon sat on his couch.  He was watching a rerun of Family Guy.

          “BRANDON!” he heard Cassie’s voice yell.

          “What does she want?” he asked himself.  He stood up and left the room.

 

          “What?” he asked as he walked into the room.

          “Well, first of all, it’s a good thing that I’m tied up because I could have been getting dressed, you perv….”

          “WHAT?!” Brandon asked, confused.

          “And second of all, what time is it?  I would check my watch but I can’t.”

          Brandon looked at his watch.  He turned his attention back toward Cassie and looked into her brown eyes.  Her eyes were so beautiful and he had to look away before he could say something incredibly stupid.

          “Well…. I’m waiting.”

          “It’s after nine.”  He turned his attention toward her again, trying to keep himself from saying something ridiculous.  “So you graduated?” he asked.

          “Yea…. How did you know that?” Cassie dropped her mouth.  “Were you stocking me or something?”

          “Are you kidding?” Brandon looked at Cassie.  This girl had mentioned she was eighteen but her imagination was as wild as a four year old child’s.  “I didn’t even know you before today.  Before today…. You never existed…. You’re a hot eighteen year old girl who I didn’t know about until today.”

          Cassie couldn’t believe her ears at Brandon’s words.  “Did you just say that I was hot?”

          Brandon realized what he had just said.  “No,” he lied, kind of laughing.  “I said that you’re a young beautiful eighteen year old girl….” He realized that he wasn’t helping his case.

          “You think I’m hot.”

          Brandon knew he shouldn’t have looked at her.  “Look I’m the kidnapper and you’re the kidnappee, now just leave me alone okay…. Buck, are you going to stay in here or come with me?”

          The dog lifted his head up and looked at him.  He stood up and walked over to Cassie as if to tell Brandon that he was staying with the girl.

          “Okay.  Fine stay in here with Cassie.  I’m going to bed.  Good night, you two.”  Brandon began to leave the room.

          “BRANDON, WAIT!” there was no need for Cassie to yell but she couldn’t resist.

          Brandon turned around to face Cassie again.  “Now, what?”

          “Can you put in a CD for me, please?  It’s too quite in here and it’s bugging me.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon walked over to the cd’s he had bought for his niece.  “All Laura has are Camp Rock, all four of the Jonas Brothers CDs, and Mitchel Musso.”

          Cassie smiled.  “I love them all…. Which one would I choose?”

          “I have a radio in my room that plays five CDs…. I could bring that in here for you.”

          Cassie’s smile grew wider.  She had only knew Brandon for a day but aside from everything that had happened at the bank it had seem to her that Brandon was actually a kind hearted sweet attractive guy.  She just wanted to know what had made him decide to rob the bank.  “That sounds nice.”

          Brandon nodded.  “No problem.”  He left the room for a few minutes and then walked in with a radio but no speakers.  He placed it on the floor.  “I’ll be back with speakers,” he told Cassie as he plugged the radio up and then stood.  He walked out of the room again and not long later walked in with two matching black speakers.  He plugged them up to the radio and then stood up.  He walked over to the dresser and grabbed the CD case.  He turned around and walked back to the radio.  “So what do you want to listen to?”

          “All four of the Jonas Brothers CDs and Mitchel Musso.”

          Brandon raised an eyebrow and looked at Cassie.  “You actually listen to them, don’t you?”

          “Well, yea.  All three of the Jonas Brothers and Mitchel Musso are hot…. I was going to get married to Kevin Jonas before him and Danielle got married….”

          Brandon kind of laughed as he placed the CDs into the radio.

          “Now, I plan on marrying Justin Chatwin…. And this is how it’s going to happen…. We’ll be in the same building our eyes will lock onto each other’s, he’ll start walking toward me, then he’ll stop,” Cassie acted dramatically as she spoke, “at first I’ll think that he seen someone else but then he’ll bend down and pick up a penny….  I’ll be relieved then he’ll stand back up and we’ll lock eyes again.  He’ll start walking toward me again, but wait, he stops again then bend down again but this time to tie his shoe.  He’ll stand back up and we’ll lock eyes again and he’ll stop as soon as he finally walks over to me.  He’ll say, ‘Hi I’m Justin Chatwin,’” she said as she made her voice deeper.  “And I’ll say, ‘I know and I’m Cassie Smith,’” she spoke with a dreamy tone.  “Then my dad will show up out of nowhere and say, ‘I’m Mark Smith her father.’  I’ll be so embarrassed but Justin will say, ‘Hello sir….”

          Brandon couldn’t help but laugh.  “Is that your imagination or one of your fantasies?”

          “Kind of both,” Cassie laughed.  She was an optimistic person and believed that anything could happen.  She knew not everything would happen but she liked to believe anyways.

Visiting Laura

          Cassie sat up and yawned.  She had just waking up from a long night’s rest.  Buck lay on the floor, stilling sleeping.  The new day had only made Cassie remember how she was a prisoner in some man’s house who she had barely knew.

          Knock…. Knock…. Knock.

          She rolled her eyes because she knew it was Brandon.  Of course, after all he was the only one who knew she was even there.  “Come in.”

          Brandon opened the door and Cassie couldn’t help but notice that he was shirtless.  He had a muscular body type just a perfect fit with his cute face.  “Good morning,” he told her.

          Cassie had look away before her words came out with something stupid.  “Good morning,” she replied.

          Brandon walked over to the dresser and opened it.  He began searching for something.  “I thought that you were never going to get up…. I knocked on the door at seven and you didn’t answer; I cracked it open and you were sleeping…. And then I did that same thing a few minutes ago and you were still sleeping and now you’re awake.”

          “Yea…. I just woke up.” Cassie turned her attention toward him and the dresser but managed to keep herself from saying something ridiculous.  “What are you looking for?”

          “One of my niece’s teddy bears.”

          “Oh…. Why?”

          “She’s coming home from the hospital today and my brother wants me to go with him to pick up her and my sister-in-law.”

          “Oh…. So what am I supposed to do while you’re gone?”

          Brandon grabbed a medium size stuff bear; all brown with a black rose, two beady black eyes, and a brown bow tied around his neck.  He looked around and then over at Cassie.  “Stay up here.”

          Cassie turned red with anger.  She didn’t want to stay cooped up in the room all day.  “What?!” she exclaimed.  “I don’t think so….”

          “Well, too bad…. You shouldn’t have gotten kidnapped.”

          “What?!  You’re the one who kidnapped me and I was trying to run for help.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon worked his way out of the room, holding onto the bear.  “Buck’s going to keep an eye on you and I’m not going to be gone for long.  Now bye.”  He closed the door.

          Cassie was beyond angry.  She was furious that she couldn’t do anything.

 

          Brandon sat in the passenger seat of a little silver car.  The guy who was in the driver’s seat looked like Brandon a little bit but he was a few years older and had darker hair than Brandon and had dark brown eyes.  They sat at a red light waiting for it to change.

          “So how is your job; still doing well?  Or is it as bad as everyone else’s job in this economy?” the man asked.

          Brandon couldn’t bring himself to the man what had happen in the last couple of days.  He knew he shouldn’t lie to his brother but didn’t have a choice.  “Every now and then we’ll do good but then it’ll go back to being terrible.”

          “I hear you.”  The man began driving, going straight ahead after the light finally changed from red to green.  “It’s bad everywhere.”

          Brandon needed to get his brother to change the subject.  “So, Chris, Laura’s coming home today?” he felt kind of stupid asking the question because he knew the answer but couldn’t think of anything else to talk about.

          “Yep…. They said that we have to keep an eye on her though.  Me and Jessica are praying, but hopefully, she’ll be around for a few more years….” Chris began to choke.  “We want to watch her grow up…. We hate having to bring her to the hospital without knowing that she’s going to be around for another day or if she’s going to leave us…. Leave this world….” He hated talking about his daughter as if she was nothing more than a charity case but he didn’t want to think that the best will happen when in reality the worst could happen instead.  “It’s hard to be positive…. I try to be but it’s hard…. I hope that when you meet the woman who you’re destined to be with and when you’re married and have kids of your own…. That you and your future wife never have to go through this with any of your kids like me and Jessica are with Laura.  It’s a parent’s worst nightmare…. To have to go through something like this.”

          “Thanks, bro.”  Brandon could see that it was hurting Chris to see his only daughter, his only child, suffering.  He respected his brother enough not to make fun of him for crying and it also hurt him because that was his only niece.  “I’m sure she’ll get better.”  He kind of smiled.  “Laura’s a tough six-year-old and she’s fighting.  She’ll be alright.

          Chris kept his eyes on the road.  “Thanks, man.”

          “No problem.”

 

          Buck sat up on the floor and looked up at Cassie.  He rested his head in her lap as if to ask her if could let him out.

          Cassie thought the dog was just so cute with his humanlike expressions and she wished she could let him out but she couldn’t.  “I’m sorry, boy.  I can’t let you out.  I can’t even get out…. And it’s all because of your cute, idiotic, sweet, charming owner.”  She thought about what she had said and was glad that Brandon wasn’t around to hear those words come out of her mouth.  “Why did I say that?  Yea, Brandon’s cute, but he kidnapped me and killed Micheal.  I can’t like him, and I shouldn’t think that he’s cute.”  She lay back down and stared at the far wall.  “I hope that he gets back soon.  I’m hungry.”

 

          Melinda and Jennie were at the police station waiting for a cop to talk to.  They watched as a cop with short black hair walked up to them.  They could tell that he was obviously in his forties.  He was bolding and overweight.

          “It looks like someone didn’t waste any time at the doughnut factory,” Melinda whispered to Jennie.

          “That’s mean, Melinda,” Jennie whispered in return.

          “Well, it’s true.  Look at him.  He’s soooo….”

          “How may I help you, ladies?” the man asked.  His voice was deep.

          “Well, see our best friend was kidnapped yesterday and we were wondering if you were working on the case?” Jennie asked.

          “What’s the name?”

          “Cassie Smith.”

          “I don’t know let me check.”  He turned around.

          “I don’t know what’s scarier.  His front or his back,” Melinda whispered in a disgusted tone.

          “Melinda, that’s really mean…. And both,” Jennie replied.

          “Officer Sheen, are we working on the Cassie Smith case?!” he called toward the back room.

          “Yes we are, Officer Davis,” a skinny twenty-seven year old man with short black hair answered.  He was about 6’foot 2’inches tall.  He had to duck as he walked into from the back room.

          Jennie and Melinda stared at him in amazement at how tall the man was and both of their mouths fell as they watched him stand.  He was like a giant to them.

          “Are you a basketball player?” Melinda asked.

          The guy laughed.  “Nope….”  Office Sheen walked over to Officer Davis, carrying a folder.  “Cassie’s parents were in here to report the kidnapping.  Her father had to do the talking because her mother kept crying…. Actually, they were telling you about the kidnapping.”

          “Oh yea…. That’s right…. Man, I’m hungry.  If you excuse me, ladies, and Sheen, I’m going to go get some doughnuts from the factory.”  He left.

          Melinda turned her attention toward Jennie.  “Told you.”

 

          Brandon and Chris worked their way into the hospital.  Once inside of the cool gloomy building, a twenty-seven year old woman with blonde hair pushed a six year old girl with light brown hair in a black and silver wheel chair.  The child’s face lit up as she spotted Brandon.  “Uncle Brandon!” she exclaimed with excitement.

          “Laura!” Brandon laughed.  He walked over to the child, bent down, and gave her a hug.  “Are you glad to be going home today?”

          “Yea.”

          “Good because your mommy and daddy really love having you home and I love having my little buddy back.”  Brandon and Laura had a bond that no one else could take from them.  They always loved joking around with one another.

          “Thanks for coming, Brandon,” the woman told him.

          “No problem, Jessica.”

          “You’re really the only one who she wanted to see.”  Jessica laughed.  “Is Uncle Brandon coming?  When is Uncle Brandon going to get here?  She really looks up to you.”

          Brandon stood up and smiled at his loving little niece.

          “Uncle Brandon, can I stay at your house tonight?”

          Brandon had to think of a lie and fast.  He didn’t need them to know about Cassie.  “Well, tonight’s not good for me because…. My house is a complete mess….”

          “And Uncle Brandon,” Chris replied as he cut Brandon off, “probably has work in the morning anyways.”

          “Well actually,” Brandon said as he turned toward Chris, “they gave me a week off.”

          “Oh they did?”

          “Yea….”  Brandon was digging a deeper hole for himself by adding more lies and he began to feel worse and worse with each lie.  “A permanent vacation,” he whispered to himself.

          “Well, I’m going to go get the car,” Chris said as he began to leave.  “Meet me at the front.”  He vanished out of the glass doors.

Brandon the Confusing

          Cassie worked her way over toward the door and tried to open it.  She started trying to reach for the knob when the door opened.

          “What are you trying to do?” Brandon asked as he walked into the room.

          Cassie turned to face him.  “Trying to get out.”

          Brandon laughed.  “I don’t think so.”

          Cassie eyed her idiot of a kidnapper.  “You’re nothing but a jerk.”  She had more to say but decided that it would boost his ego and let the words escape from her mind.

 

          Chris pulled out of the drive way and Jessica was in the passenger seat while Laura sat in the back.

          “I think that your brother’s hiding something,” Jessica spoke with concern in her voice.  “He was acting kind of funny when Laura asked if she could stay the night….”

          “He’s probably just stressed.  We’re all stressed…. With work and everything,” Chris replied, shrugging off the odd behavior Brandon had shown earlier.

          “Yea you’re probably right…. But still I don’t have anything against him; I’m just kind of concerned.”

          “Don’t worry, honey.”

 

          “Sit back on the bed,” Brandon told Cassie.

          “No…. I have to go to the restroom and I need both of my hands free and you are not going to try anything freaky on me, mister.”  Cassie eyed Brandon.  “Oh yea…. Your guard dog by the way…. Needs to go out as well.”

          “Okay.  Fine.”  Brandon held up his hands.  He looked at Buck and the dog barked as if to say, ‘Ladies first.’  “Then follow me.”

          “Okay.”

 

          Cassie followed Brandon to the bathroom.  Brandon stopped in front of the doorway.  He pulled out his pocket knife to cut the tape off.  “Do what you have to do….” Then his mind jumped to another thought he needed to know but didn’t want to know and the question he had to ask was uncomfortable for him.  “Are you…. Is it…. Um…. Do I have to?”

          Cassie kind of smiled at the man’s embarrassment and she figured he knew what he trying to ask.  His embarrassment made him kind of cute and more attractive to her in a way.  “No.  That time for me is done for this month so you don’t have to worry.”

          Brandon held up the knife, feeling the relief flow through his body.  “Turn around.”

          “What are you going to do with that knife?” Cassie asked, kind of worried.

          Brandon raised an eyebrow.  He couldn’t believe Cassie wouldn’t trust him, holding a knife.  “I’m going to cut your hands off,” he spoke with sarcasm.

          Cassie dropped her mouth.

          “Don’t worry; I’m just going to cut the tape off.”  Brandon cut off the tape and he watched as Cassie walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

          “You better not have a hidden video camera in here somewhere!” Cassie called from the bathroom.

          Brandon laughed.  “Don’t worry.”  He decided to add a little joke.  “I only do that with the shower.”

          “What?!”

          “Just joking.”  Brandon needed to go get more tape.  “Buck, watch the door don’t let her escape.”  He headed toward his room.

 

          A few minutes later, Cassie walked out of the bathroom.  She didn’t realize that Brandon was heading out of his room with extra tape, while she started to head toward the stairs.  “I don’t think so,” Brandon said as he grabbed Cassie’s left arm and pulled her closer toward him.

          “Crap.”

          Brandon looked at Cassie and a thought popped into his head.  “This girl is so beautiful.”  His blue eyes locked with Cassie’s dark brown eyes.  “You wouldn’t happen to have a boyfriend, would you?” he asked.

          Cassie looked at Brandon with a funny expression.  Confusion filled her eyes, trying to figure out why he had even asked that.  “No…. Why?  Why do you care?”

          Brandon thought about his question and was relieved at her reply but also surprised at himself for asking.  The words had slipped out of his mouth, uncontrollably.  “No reason…. I don’t know why I even asked…. Just forget that I said anything…. Okay.”  He taped Cassie’s hands behind her back for the second time.

          “Okay?”  Cassie asked, extremely confused.  “What’s for lunch?”

          Brandon had to think about what he had in his refrigerator.  He hadn’t gone shopping so there wasn’t really any food.  “There’s left over Chinese food from last night.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon led Cassie back toward Laura’s room and he left her in the room.  “I’ll be back.  I have to bring Buck out.”

          “Okay.”  Cassie walked over to the bed and sat down.  She couldn’t do anything and if she could there wasn’t much for her to do anyway.  She just continued thinking about the question Brandon had asked and wanted to know why he had even asked.

 

          “Why did I ask her that?” Brandon asked himself.  “I am such an idiot.  I kidnapped her.  I shouldn’t care if she has a boyfriend or not.  What kidnapper does that?”

          Buck ran up toward the door.  He was ready to head back into the house while his owner stood on the porch, confused.  He barked to let Brandon know he was finished.

          Brandon snapped back to reality.  “Oh.  You’re ready to go in?”

          Buck barked again as if to say, ‘Yea, I’m just waiting on you.’

          “Okay.”  Brandon walked over to the sliding glass door and opened it.

          The dog ran inside before the door was closed.

The Sad Truth

          Brandon carried a tray of Chinese food to Laura’s room.  Cassie sat on the bed, staring out of the window.  Part of her wanted to be outside but the other part was glad that she wasn’t.

          “I brought you food.”  Brandon entered the room and sat next to her.  “You want to be outside, don’t you?”

          Cassie looked at him and sighed.  “Yea…. I would probably be outside if you didn’t kidnap me.”

          “I’m sorry…. I really wasn’t planning on kidnapping or killing anyone.  That’s just how it turned out.”  He decided to change the subject because he didn’t want Cassie to know the truth.  “So what did you do for your senior year?”

          “Well, they took most of our senior privileges away and that just made us mad…. How did you know that I graduated anyways?”

          “My friend Zeke told me…. They were talking about it on the news and they mentioned about how you had graduated the night before.”

          “Oh.”  Cassie never considered that the news would mention anything about her graduation.  She had figured that the most information about her would be the basic information: her name, weight, and age.

          “So did you go to the prom?”

          “Yea but I and my best friend Jennie were just about the only two girls without date…. Our best friend Melinda and her boyfriend, also one of our best friends, Lloyd was there.”

          “Oh.”

          “Did you go to your prom?”

          “Yea,” Brandon replied.  He hadn’t sounded too enthused.  “The girl that I liked asked me if I would go with her.  I told her that I would…. I found out later that she just asked me out to make her ex jealous and that she didn’t really want to be seen with me.  I was embarrassed.  I left after that.”

          Cassie couldn’t believe that someone would do something that horrible and despicable to Brandon.  He was attractive and besides the fact she had witnessed him murder someone she was starting to see the sweet person he was and that his heart was in the right place.  “That’s terrible,” she said as she turned her attention away from him.  “I wouldn’t have done that to someone,” she began as she turned her attention back toward him, “even you.”

          Brandon raised an eyebrow.  There was something in her voice which told him that she might have been started to fall for him.  A grin grew on his face at the thought.

          Cassie quickly looked away.  She knew she just boosted his ego and she wished she hadn’t said anything.  “I mean,” she said, changing what she had said before, “I wouldn’t want a guy to do that to me so I wouldn’t do that to him.”

          Brandon didn’t say anything but he had rather not to make things worse for her.

          It was Cassie’s turn to change the subject.  “You’ve mentioned that your niece is in and out of the hospital…. Why is that?”

          Brandon’s grin vanished as he looked away from Cassie.  The hurt was evident and he bothered him to talk to people about it but he figured that Cassie would find out sooner or later anyways.  “Well,” he paused to swallow, “she has leukemia.”

          “Oh.  That’s so sad,” Cassie replied.

“She was diagnosed with it a couple of years ago.  This year could be her last year….”

          Cassie saw the hurt as she watched Brandon and wished she hadn’t asked.  “I’m sorry…. I wouldn’t have asked….”

          “No.  It’s not your fault.  It’s no bodies fault.  My sister in law is a stay at home mother and I help my brother with paying the bills.  At least, until I got laid off from my job that’s why I---” He stopped himself from finishing the rest of his sentence.  He didn’t want Cassie to know why he made the horrible mistake.  He continued to look away from her.  “Never mind…. You don’t need to know that.”

 

          An hour later, Brandon stood up and headed toward the door.  He stopped and turned toward Cassie.  “Oh yea…. Tomorrow, I’m going to bring you to another room because my niece is going to stay the night and her, my brother, my sister in law don’t need to know about you.  My brother and his wife will ask me lots of questions about you and I don’t mean about the bank robbery either.”

          “Like what?” Cassie knew the answer but had to make sure it was what she was thinking.

          “If we’re dating,” Brandon felt like he needed to explain.  “They think that I have to get set up to go on a date.  They’ve already tried to set me up with Jessica’s friends….”

          Cassie figured Jessica was the name of Brandon’s sister in law so he didn’t have to go into details.

          “And well they’re all nice girls but not one of them are the kind of woman that I want.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “Well, they all want a one night…. Date,” he finished.

          “A one night date?” Cassie asked.  She knew what he was really hinting but didn’t want to say anything.  It bugged her that she was eighteen but there were things that adults didn’t like to say in front of her even if they were close in age.  It was as if she was a little child again.

          “Yea…. But I don’t want a one night date.  I just really want to meet the right woman, settle down, and start a family of my own.”

          Cassie could tell that this guy was actually telling the truth.  She was kind of amazed by what she had learned about Brandon with in the past couple of days.  She didn’t want to admit it but she was beginning to fall for her and in an odd way was glad that he had kidnapped.  He had seemed pretty normal so she couldn’t help herself and wanted to know more about the man.

Free Hands

          Cassie stood up and worked her way over to the only window in the room.  She couldn’t believe that it was already eight o’ clock time had flown by and the second day of being in Brandon’s house was almost over.  She felt something nudging at her hands and she turned her head to see Buck gnawing on the tape until the tape had split open and freed her hands.  “Thanks, boy.”  She turned to pat the over grown puppy on his head.

          His long pick tongue fell out of his mouth which met that he was enjoying the attention.

          Cassie painfully removed the rest of the tape from her arms as if she was removing a band aid and threw the remains into the small pink trash can which sat next to the dresser which was next to the window.  “And that’s why I don’t wax my arms.”  She a thought popped into her head as she looked around.  “Maybe I can try and escape.”  She worked her way over to the door and opened it.  She checked to make sure Brandon was nowhere in sight and quickly made her way out of the room, cautiously.

 

 

          Cassie worked her way down stairs and almost made it to the front door when she heard someone walk into the room.

          “How did you get out of the tape?” Brandon’s voice asked.  “And where do you think you’re going?”

          Wow.  Brandon sounded more like a controlling parent rather than a kidnapper.  Cassie turned to face him.  “Well, your very big mean guard dog ripped the tape for me and I….” She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth and knew he’d just threaten her anyway.  “I was going out for fresh air.  Okay.”

          Brandon kind of laughed.  He knew she was lying.  “Yea right.  You’re not going anywhere.”  He walked over to her, grabbed her arm, and dragged her up the stairs.

          “Where are we going?” Cassie asked.

          “To get more tape to keep your hands together.”

          “No…. Look, I don’t want any tape around my hands.”

          Brandon stopped and turned toward the young woman.  He went to speak but she cut him off.

          “I’ll stay here but I want my hands free.”

          Brandon thought about it.  He didn’t know if he should believe her or not.  He didn’t need to worry about her running off.  “You’re not going to try and get away, are you?”  It was a dumb question knowing that she could just be telling him what he wanted to hear.

          “No…. But if you try to tape my hands again then I’ll run down to the police station…. Okay.”

          Brandon looked at Cassie then to her hand.  Her hand was red from where the tape had been.  “Okay but you can’t leave this house.”

          “Okay.”

          He held her hand.  Her hand was so soft compared to his.  His hands were rough and he didn’t want to release her hand because he loved the feeling of her soft tender hands.

          “Hey,” Cassie said as she looked at Brandon and then to their hands.  “Um…. Brandon, you can let go of my hand now.”

          Brandon didn’t want to let go but he knew he had too.  “Oh…. Right.”  He released her hand from his grip.

          Their eyes met and Cassie had to look away quickly.  She knew she would say something stupid if she didn’t look away.  “I think that I’m just going to go to bed.”

          “Okay.  Good night….”

          Cassie turned and headed toward Laura’s room.

          “Sweet dreams.”

          Cassie’s hand sat on the door knob as she turned her head and smiled.  “Good night, Brandon.”

          Brandon smiled as he watched her walk into the room and she kept smiling at him as she closed the door.  He hated to admit it but he like how she said his name.  Some part of him was telling her she was the one.  They seemed to have enjoyed each other’s company even when they were arguing.

 

 

          Melinda picked up the phone and quickly dialed Jennie’s number.  She waited as the phone rang.

 

 

          “Hello,” Jennie said, kind of bored stiff and ready for bed.  Her voice had cut off the h in hello as she spoke.

 

 

          “Did you get any info on Cassie yet?”  Melinda asked, hoping for some good news.

 

 

          “Nope…. Not yet…. I really do hope that she’s okay though.”  Jennie let the sadness fill the areas of tiredness and boredom were.

 

 

          “I know.  It’s still a shocker to me too.”  Melinda wanted to do something to help the search for her missing friend.

 

 

          Cassie woke up to the sweet delightful smell of pancakes.  She stood up and sleepily walked out of the room and made her way down stairs as she followed the smell of breakfast toward the kitchen.

          Brandon stood at the stove, cooking breakfast.  “Good morning, sleepy head.”

          “Oh,” Cassie said.  “Good morning,” she yawned.

          “Remember, yesterday when I said that my niece was coming to stay the night?”

          “Yea…. She’s coming tonight, right?”

          “Yep.”  Brandon glanced at the clock which read 10:03 am.  “She’ll be here in an hour…. That means I’m going to be moving you into another room.”

          “What room?”

          “Oh…. You’ll find out.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon knew where she had to go whether she agreed with it or not.  “You’ll have to eat kind of fast and I’m going to go fix Laura’s room so she won’t ask any questions.”  He placed a plate on the table as Cassie sat down and began eating as he left the room.

          “Mmm….” The sweet taste of syrup and buttered pancakes filled her mouth as she ate.  She had to admit that Brandon had done a great job.

Changing Rooms

          Brandon walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.  He noticed the dish which Cassie had used was washed and placed in the strainer to dry.  He turned to face her but she wasn’t there.  He began to freak at the worst possible thought.  He ran into the hallway and opened the front door as panic took control.  “Cassie!” he yelled.  “Cassie!”

          The girl wasn’t anywhere in sight.  He quickly closed the door and went to run up stairs as Cassie made her way down the steps.

          Brandon felt relieved but kind of ticked off.  He ran over to her and grabbed both of her arms.  “Where were you?”

          Cassie tried to pull away from him but his grip was too strong for her to try and fight.  “I was in the restroom…. Okay…. I really had to go.”

          Embarrassment filled Brandon as he released her arms.  “Oh.  Next time let me know.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon checked his watch to see what time it was.  He only had three minutes to get Cassie into another room as soon as possible before his brother and his niece had arrived.  “You need to come with me.”  He kind of surprised Cassie by grabbing her arm and dragging her upstairs and toward another room.

 

 

          They walked into Brandon’s bed room.  It was the only other room in the house and Brandon had no choice but to have Cassie stay there.

“Is this your room?” Cassie asked.  She figured it was but still had to ask.

The dresser was filled with cheap clones which sat next to a small black TV and a DVD/VCR player.

“Yes,” Brandon answered.

“I don’t want to stay in here.”

“Well too bad.  Besides Laura’s room, this is the only other bed room and I don’t want to leave you in the garage.  It’s a disaster down there and I don’t think that a pretty young woman such as yourself should be stuck in a garage.  It’s not proper.  It would be like leaving a beautiful dame or princess in a dungeon.  I would never do that.”

Cassie felt herself blush with shock from Brandon’s words.  “Okay.  Well, I’m going to be staying here for a while and I’m going to need other outfits because I am not going to be stuck in these clothes forever.”

“Okay.  Well, I’ll go clothes shopping for you tomorrow after Laura leaves….”

“Okay but I want a different pair of clothes to change into for today.”

Brandon had no clue how he’d be able to make that happen seeing that he didn’t have clothes for any woman when a thought popped into his head.  He looked at Cassie and walked over to the dresser.  He opened it and pulled out a shirt that would fit Cassie.  It was a black T-shirt with white writing on it then he moved over to his dresser with his pants.  He found a pair of black pants to match.  They looked like they would be baggy on Cassie but not too baggy for her to wear.  “Here you go,” he said as he handed her the change of clothes.

“Thank you.”  Cassie placed the clothes on the bed.  “Can I have a pair of socks please?”

“Yea.”  Brandon bent down and quickly pulled out a pair of socks from the sock drawer.  He threw the pair of socks over toward Cassie and she caught them.

Cassie waited for Brandon to leave the room before she began dressing.

Brandon quickly glanced at his watch.  “Okay.  I’m going to go ahead and go down stairs.  My brother’s going to be here with Laura soon…. Remember…. You have to stay up here and I’ll come up later to check up on you…. And I’ll knock this time.”

“Okay.”  Cassie watched as Brandon left, closing the door behind him.  She noticed a lock on the door handle and walked over to the door, locking it.  “Just in case,” she told herself.

 

 

          Brandon worked his way down stairs as someone began knocking on the door.  He had a feeling it was Chris and Laura.  “I’m coming!” he called as he hurried over to the door and opened it.

          Chris and Laura walked in and Brandon closed the door.  Laura hurried off into the living room.

          “Well,” Brandon spoke with a smile, “it’s good to see that she can act like a normal kid when she’s not in the hospital.”

          “Yea.”  Chris had a little girl’s book bag hanging off of his shoulder.  The book bag was pink and sky blue with sunflowers dancing around it.  “I’m going to bring her book bag up stairs to her room.”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Cassie sat on the bed as she placed the socks on her feet.  She had went ahead and unlocked the door after she was dressed.  She noticed a picture of Brandon and a blonde little girl.  “That must be her niece,” she thought as a smile grew on her face.  “She’s adorable.”  She heard some noise from the other side of the door and listened to what was going on.

          She heard Brandon’s voice talking to another man which she figured was his brother but she couldn’t really understand everything that was being said.

          “I’ll be here at 12 to pick Laura up tomorrow…. Is that okay or do you need me to pick her up earlier?” Chris had asked and Cassie could hear him close Laura’s door which told her that he was walking out of the room as he spoke.

          “Oh no.  That’s fine.”

          “Yea.  Jessica’s mother wants to visit with Laura.”

          “Oh…. I understand."

 

 

          The two men walked downstairs and into the living room.  They found Laura sitting on the couch watching cartoons.

          “I’m going to go, Laura.  Can I get a hug?” Chris asked.

          His daughter quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around him.  “Bye, daddy.  See you tomorrow.”

          “Bye, baby.”  He bent down and kissed the child’s forehead and then left.

          Brandon sat on the couch and Laura sat on the other end of the couch.  “Are you glad to be out of school?”

          “Yes,” Laura answered.  The little girl looked over at her uncle with a huge smile.

 

 

          Cassie walked around Brandon’s room.  She wanted to see if she could learn anything else about her kidnapper.  The walls looked old and dirty.  The bed was a mess.  She noticed a PlayStation which was in a nice and neat place on a folding chair.  The floor was clean.  She figured she could deal with it.

Trapped in the Closest

          Brandon knocked on his bedroom door and waited for Cassie to answer.

          Cassie knew who it was because Brandon was the only one who knew she was even there.  “Come in,” she spoke loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough so that no one else could hear her.

          Brandon opened the door and walked in.  “Hey.”

          “Hey, so are you going to watch your niece?”

          “No,” Brandon replied.  “She’s actually in her room.  She’s being a normal kid.  She has her dolls out….” He closed the door.

          “So you can leave her alone even though she was in the hospital?”

          “Yea.  She has a little bell in her room that she’ll use just in case and not only that Buck will let me know if something happens…. It’s like Lassy and Timmy.  When Timmy’s in trouble, Lassy runs for help.”

          Cassie could tell that Buck was a good dog but Brandon was kind of weird for comparing him and his niece to characters in a TV show.  She was actually starting to believe that Brandon was the worst kidnapper in the history of kidnappers.  “Can I play with the play station?”

          Brandon looked over at the old game system.  “Yea…. I’ll set it up for you.”

          “Okay.”  Cassie smiled as she watched him pick up the game system, plug it into the wall, and hook it up into the VCR.  “Thanks.”

          “No problem and you already know how to turn it on…. Right?”  Brandon raised an eyebrow, jokingly.

          Cassie’s smile grew wider.  “Yes.”

          “Okay…. Just make sure you’re quiet…. I don’t want Laura to know that there’s another person here yet.  Okay?”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon opened a dresser which was filled with nothing but video games.  “I know that Play Station 3 is in now and Play Station 2 is out dated but it’s all I can afford.”

          Cassie didn’t comment on that.  She could tell that he was struggling and she didn’t want to tick him off.  Things were bad for everyone and he was under a lot of stress.  “I understand…. It’s not like I come from a rich family anyways…. So I understand.”

          “Thanks.”

          There was a small knock on the door.

          Brandon quickly froze at the sound.  “Oh crap,” he whispered.  “You need to hide.”  He grabbed Cassie’s arm and kind of threw her into the closet and closed the door.  “Shhh.”  He didn’t need Cassie making any noise.

 

 

          Cassie was kind of ticked off.  She didn’t want to be trapped in someone’s closet.  She didn’t know if Brandon was doing those things on purpose to make her made or if he just didn’t think straight under pressure.

 

 

          “Come in,” Brandon said as he turned toward the door.

          Laura opened the door and walked into the room.  “Uncle Brandon, I’m hungry.”

          “Okay.  Let’s go see what we can find.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon and Laura had left the room.  Brandon closed the door as a way to let Cassie know that it was safe for her to walk out.

          Cassie opened the closet door and made her way out of the closet.  The closet was a complete mess compared to the room.  “I can’t believe that jerk would through me into the closet,” she thought.  She hated to admit it but she was actually beginning to fall for the guy even though they were mostly at each other’s throats but there had been times when they did get along.

 

 

          Brandon looked in the fridge while Laura sat at the table, working on a crossword.  Brandon felt disappointment growing.  He didn’t really have any food to eat.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of twenty dollar bills.  “Laura,” he said to her as he closed the refrigerator door, “we have to go shopping.  Do you think that you’ll be alright?”

          “Yea,” the child replied with a smile.

          “Are you sure?” Brandon asked with worry.  He didn’t want his niece to starve, especially knowing she had cancer.

          “Yea I’m sure.”  Laura laughed.  “Come on, Uncle Brandon.”  She stood up and left the room.

          “Okay,” Brandon said as he followed the child, “but I have to go get my keys and wallet first.  Okay,” he lied.  He needed to let Cassie know he was leaving.

 

 

          Cassie had placed a racecar game into the game system and began playing.  She loved the racecar games and would normally listen to the radio but she had told Brandon that she was going to be quiet so she had to play in silence.

          There was a knock on the door.

          “Come in, Brandon.”

          “Okay,” Brandon said as he walked in.  “Me and Laura are going grocery shopping and I expect you to still be here when I get back.”

          “Don’t worry,” Cassie replied as she rolled her eyes.  “I’m not going to try and leave.”

          “Okay good.”

          Luckily for Brandon, Cassie was the kind of person to keep her word.  That was one reason why people liked Cassie.  She was a trustworthy person and even though Cassie didn’t care about hearing other people’s problems they would complain to her anyways and nothing had to deal with her.

Sleeping Arrangements

          Brandon and Laura arrived home from shopping and Laura helped Brandon put the food and stuff away.

 

 

          Cassie had walked out of the bathroom as she heard Brandon and Laura downstairs.  She quickly worked her way back to Brandon’s room without making a sound and closed the door.

 

 

          “Well,” Brandon said as he placed the empty bags under the sink, “that’s it.  What would you like to eat?”

          “A ham and cheese sandwich please?” Laura asked with a smile.

          “Okay…. Hm…. That don’t sound like a bad idea.  I think I’ll have a ham and cheese sandwich too.”  His thoughts wondered off Cassie.  “I’ll be right back.  Okay, kid?”

          “Okay, Uncle Brandon.”

 

 

          Cassie lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.  She was bored with nothing to do.  She couldn’t call anyone she knew because of the trouble that would cause for Brandon.  She couldn’t leave the house.

          There was a knock on the door.

          Cassie sat up and looked at the door.  “Come in.”

          Brandon walked in again and closed the door.  “Oh good.  You’re still here.  Me and Laura are going to have ham and cheese sandwiches.  Do you want one?”

          “Yea.”

          “With chips?”

          “What kind?”

          “Potato chips.”

          “Yea.”

          Brandon left the room as he closed the door behind him.

 

 

          Brandon walked into the kitchen and noticed how Laura had made herself a sandwich and opened the chips.  She left the food out for him.  “Thank you, Laura,” he said as he walked over to the table.  He grabbed four slices of bread.  He picked up the knife which was laying on top of the lid for the mayo and dipped it into the jar.  He spread the mayo on each slice of bread one at a time.

          “Are you making yourself two sandwiches?” Laura asked.

          Brandon smiled.  “Yea.  I’m a growing man and I’m hungry.”

          “You need a girlfriend, Uncle Brandon.”

          “Why do you say that?” Brandon asked as he looked at the child, smiling and amazed that she would say that.

          “Well, you’re lonely and only lonely people eat nonstop,” Laura said.  “I’m surprised you’re not fat yet.”  She laughed.

          Brandon knew she was joking and couldn’t help but laugh.  What he couldn’t tell her though was that no woman would want him after what he had done recently.  When he finished the sandwiches, he placed them on the same plate so Laura wouldn’t ask him any questions.  “Um…. Laura, I’m going to go to my room and listen to the radio for a little bit…. Are you going to be alright down here by yourself?  Or do you need me to stay down here?” he asked as he placed some chips on the plate.

          “I’ll be fine.”

          “Are you sure?”

          “Yes.”

          “Okay.”  He headed for the doorway and stopped.  He turned to face Laura.  “If you need anything, I’ll be upstairs.  Okay?”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Cassie lay back on the bed.  She loved how soft and comfortable it was.  She closed her eyes and imagined herself in a field.  A man walked toward her and sat next to her.  He grabbed her hand and held it in his.  She smiled and turned her attention toward the man.  Her smile vanished when she realized the man was Brandon.  She sat up and wiped her eyes.  Why was she imagining that Brandon was her love?

          There was a knock on the door.

          She stopped wiping her eyes and looked at the door.  She had to play it off.  “Come in.”

          Brandon opened the door and Buck quickly hurried out of the room.  Brandon was surprised by the blur of fur.  He hadn’t realized that the dog was even in the room.  “How did he get in here?”

          “He snuck in when you asked me if I wanted a sandwich.”

          Brandon nodded, kind of opening his mouth as if to speak but no words came out.  He walked over and sat next to Cassie on the bed after he closed the door.  Then his memory reminded him to turn on the radio.  “Can you hold this?” he asked.

          “Why?” Cassie looked at the plate.

          “Because I told my niece that I was going to listen to some music and I don’t want to look like a liar.”

          “Okay.”  Cassie took the plate and looked at the sandwiches.  “I’m not going to be able to eat all of this.”

          “It’s not all for you…. One of those sandwiches is mine…. Do you think that I’d starve myself?”

          “Maybe.”  Cassie smiled.

          Brandon kind of laughed.  “You actually look like you need to eat.”

          “Believe it or not, I do eat.”

 

 

          Ten O’clock at night and Brandon had finished reading a story to Laura who had fallen asleep.  He kissed her forehead.  “Good night, kid.  Sleep tight.  See you in the morning,” he whispered to her.  He pulled the blanket up to her shoulders so she wouldn’t freeze.  He stood up and placed the book on the bookshelf.  He headed out of the room and flipped off the light before closing the door behind him.

 

 

          Cassie had just changed into a shirt and a pair of sweat pants that Brandon had let her wear for bed.  Even though the clothes were kind of baggy on her, she felt comfortable.  The only problem was what they were going to do about the sleeping arrangements.

          There was a knock on the door and of course Cassie knew it was Brandon.

          Cassie sighed.  “Come in,” she spoke loud enough for Brandon to hear but not to where she would wind up waking up Laura.

          Brandon walked in and closed the door behind him.

          “Is she asleep?”

          “Yea.  She just went to bed.”

          “Okay…. Um…. What are we going to do about sleeping?”

          Brandon hadn’t thought about it.  “Well, we’re going to sleep on the bed.”

          Cassie dropped her mouth at the suggestion.  “No…. No….”

          “What?”

          “I am not going to sleep in the same bed with a man until after marriage…. And that means I’m not going to sleep in the same bed with a man that I just met especially the man who kidnapped me.”

          Brandon moved closer to Cassie and held her arms.  “Nothing has to happen in order for a man and a woman to share the same bed,” he told her as he looked into her dark brown eyes.

          “Still.  I don’t know you that well and why do I---”

          Brandon kissed her, catching her off guard.  He pulled away from her, shocked by what he had just done.

          Cassie was just as surprised by what had taken place.  She just stared into space.

          “I see what you’re saying…. I’m going to go sleep on the couch.”

          Cassie looked at Brandon and nodded.  “That’s…. That’s…. That’s probably a good idea.”

          Brandon grabbed a blanket and pillow and started to leave the room.  He turned to face Cassie.  “I’ll see you in the morning.  Good night.”

          “Good night.”

          Brandon left the room as Cassie closed the door and turned off the light.  She worked her way to the bed and lay down.  The kiss replayed in her head over and over again.  It was horrible…. Terrible…. Plain out wrong…. But it was also amazing and enjoyable even if it didn’t last long.  Cassie knew she was in trouble.

Cassie Meets Laura

          Laura stood in front of the couch, staring at Brandon with confusion.  She didn’t know whether or not to wake her uncle up.  Her and her uncle were the only two people in the house so she wondered why Brandon wasn’t sleeping in his room.  That was when she heard a noise for upstairs.  It sounded as if someone else was walking around.  Buck was lying on the floor, staring at her so she knew it wasn’t him.  Fear began feel the little girl.  She didn’t want to wake Brandon up because she knew he wasn’t a nice person when someone woke him.  “Buck,” she whispered.

          The dog lifted up his head and continued to look at her.  His ears lifted up, letting the child know that he heard the noise too.  He stood up and hurried out of the room.  Laura followed behind him.

 

 

          Cassie walked out of the bathroom as Buck jumped on her out of nowhere.  The giant and heavy dog knocked Cassie to the ground.  His long wet tongue kissed Cassie’s face, making her laugh as she tried to keep her mouth shut.

          Laura stared at Cassie, more confused than before.

          Cassie looked over and noticed Laura standing on the staircase.  Brandon was going to kill her for not hiding but it wasn’t her fault.  She hadn’t known the child was up.  She managed to push Buck off of her and sat up.  “Hello…. You must be Brandon’s niece…. Laura?  Right?”

          “Yea.”

          Cassie smiled at the child, letting her know that everything was alright.  “Your uncle’s told me so much about you.”

          “Are you my uncle’s girlfriend?”

          Cassie grew wide-eyed.  She knew telling the truth would have been the wrong choice.  “Actually I am,” she lied.  “Why?”

          “Are you the reason that my uncle’s sleeping on the couch?”

          “Ye-a.”

          “Did you two get into a fight last night?”

          “No.  Why do you ask?”

          “Because whenever my parents get into a fight my mommy makes my daddy sleep on the couch.”

          “Oh.”

 

 

          Brandon sat up.  It was about time for him to wake up, although sleep still hung around in his eyes.  The kiss from the night before still lingered in his mind.  He tried to remember if it had really happen or if he had dreamt it.  He looked around the living room.  His attention dropped down to the couch.  Laughter began to fill his ears but he was too tired to know who it was.  He stood up and stretched.  If he didn’t do some exercises then he wouldn’t wake up mentally.

 

 

          “So, Cassie, how and where did you meet my uncle?” Laura asked, curiously.

          Cassie knew she couldn’t say anything about the robbery but how to come up with some kind of story.  “Well…. We…. Met at the bank…. I was running earning for my mom and your uncle was making a deposit…. And we locked eyes…. It was as if we were the only two there….”

          “That’s so romantic.”

          Cassie smiled.

          Brandon worked his way up the steps and grew wide-eyed when he noticed Cassie and Laura talking.

          “Oh hey, honey.”  Cassie smiled, trying to get the man to go along with the lie.

          “Good morning, you two.”  Confusion had filled Brandon’s mind.

          “Is Cassie going to be my aunt?” Laura asked.

          “Aunt?” Brandon asked with more confusion.

          Cassie stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his hand and looked into his eyes.  “I told her we were dating,” she whispered.  “I figured that you wouldn’t want her to know the truth….”

          “Oh.”  Brandon understood.  “Um…. Baby, can I talk to you alone?”

          “Yea,” Cassie replied.

          Brandon held onto Cassie’s hand as he dragged her to his room.  “Laura, can you go to your room while I talk to your Aunt Cassie…. We might start arguing and I don’t want you to listen…. Okay?”

          “Okay.  Come on, Buck.”  Laura hurried into her room, followed by the overgrown puppy.

 

 

          Brandon closed the door and had Cassie sit on the bed.  “What exactly did you tell my niece?” he asked, eyeing the young woman.

          Cassie sighed.  “Well I told her that we met at the bank….”

          “What?!”

          “Let me finish.  Anyways I told her that I was running earnings for my mom and that you were making a deposit and we locked eyes and fell in love.”

          Relief filled Brandon’s mind.

          “I’m not going to tell a six year old kid that her uncle is a bank robber, a killer, and a kidnapper…. That would be horrible.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon walked over to Cassie and sat next to her.  “There’s something else that I want to talk about.”  He locked eyes with Cassie.

          “What?”

          “Did we kiss last night?”

          Cassie began blushing and quickly looked away.

          “Well did we?  I want to know so that way I can say it wasn’t a dream and….”

          Cassie closed her eyes and turned her head toward him, kind of opening her eyes.  “Yes we did…. Well actually you kissed me.”

          “But you enjoyed it.”

          “What?!” Cassie looked away.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”  She stood up and moved over toward the door.  Embarrassment began to fill up inside of her.

          Brandon could tell she was lying.  He grinned at her embarrassment.  “Is that why you told Laura that we were dating?”

          Anger removed the embarrassment and Cassie glared at Brandon.  She could tell that his ego was starting to kick in.  She went to open the door.  “No.”  She opened the door and walked out.

          Brandon sat on his bed, smiling.  He had to admit to himself that he was slowly starting to fall for her and had a feeling she was falling for him as well.

Brandon’s Girlfriend

          Melinda and Jennie worked their way to the bank where the crime had taken placed, playing detectives.

 

 

          Yellow crime scene tape was wrapped around Micheal’s desk where an empty bag was laying on top.  Melinda walked over to the desk, confused.  “You know if the guy who kidnapped Cassie also robbed the bank then wouldn’t he have taken the empty bag and filled it up with money?”

          Jennie moved over toward Melinda and the desk.  “Yea,” she agreed.

          “Excuse me, ladies,” Officer Sheen said, accompanied by another officer who looked to be in his thirties and about average height.

          The new cop was kind of chunky but not fat.  He wasn’t the most attractive guy around but did look good for his age.

          “Hello, Officer Sheen,” Jennie replied while her and Melinda turned to face the two men.

          “Do you two have permission to be here?”

          “Yea,” Melinda lied.  “The fat guy gave us permission.”

          Jennie’s mouth drop as she looked at Melinda.

          “Okay….” Sheen turned to face the other cop, not really too concerned with the two girls.  “Come on, Officer Turner.  We have to check out the money.”

          “Okay,” the new cop replied.

          While the cops walked away, Jennie closed her mouth then turned her attention to Melinda.  “The fat guy?”

          “Well, yea…. You’ve seen him the other day.  Remember the fat cop?”

          “I remember but that was mean.”

 

 

         Laura had talked Cassie into playing dolls with her.  Cassie had let Laura explain about each doll because Laura had created a story each individual doll which Cassie thought was a good way for her to use her imagination.  “So why did you make my uncle sleep on the couch last night?”

          Cassie felt uncomfortable about explaining the situation to a six year old.  “Well we just thought it wasn’t right for an unmarried couple to sleep in the same bed,” she explained.

          “Why not?”

          “Because…. Um…. Guys and girls just shouldn’t do that and that’s not including mommies and daddies…. You’ll learn about that when you’re older….”

          Laura looked at the doll she held in her hand with sadness.

          “What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.

          Tears began crawling down Laura’s pale face.  “I’m not going to be older…. I’m not going to live that long….”

          Cassie felt horrible for what she had said.  She hugged Laura.  “Look,” she began, “I don’t want you to think that…. I don’t want you to ever say that…. You’ll make it through it….”  Cassie hadn’t realized that Brandon stood in the doorway.

          He leaned against the outline on the wall for the door, listening.

          “I want you to think positive…. Don’t be a pessimist, be an optimists…. The cup’s not half empty, it’s half full….” She smiled at Laura.  “Okay?”

          “Okay,” the child replied with a smile.

                    A smile grew on Brandon’s face.  He thought it was great that Cassie could be optimistic that such a horrible time.  He cleared his throat to get the two girls’ attention.

          “Oh, Brandon,” Cassie said.  “I didn’t see you there.  How long have been standing there?”

          “Long enough.”  He laughed.  “Um…. Laura, you’re mother and father are here.”

          Laura stood up, grabbing Cassie’s hand.  “Come on, Cassie.  You’ve got to meet my parents.  They’ll be glad to know that my uncle has a girlfriend.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon grew wide eyed.  “No---”

          “Sure.”  Cassie stood up and followed Laura out of the room.

 

 

          “Mommy!  Daddy!”  Laura exclaimed, running into the living room and hugging each of them.

          “Hey, baby,” Jessica replied, smiling.

          “Yea.”  Laura took a deep breath.  “Have you two met Uncle Brandon’s girlfriend yet?”

          Jessica and Chris exchanged glances.  “No,” Chris replied.

 

 

          Brandon locked eyes with Cassie.  “You can’t go in there.”

          Cassie rolled her eyes.  “Why not?”

          “Because….” Brandon tried to think of a reason but couldn’t.  “Because…. You just can’t.”

          “Yea.  Whatever.”  Cassie began to walk into the living room but Brandon grabbed her arm.  “Let me go.”

          “I…. I…. Okay just go but they’re going to ask a lot of questions about us.”

          “So I know how to act…. I was in drama.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon released Cassie’s arm, not ready to hear what her brother and his sister-in-law had to say.

 

 

          Cassie walked into the room, followed by Brandon.

          “Hello,” Chris told Cassie.  “You must be Brandon’s girlfriend.  Laura was telling us about you.”

          “Yea.  I’m Cassie,” she introduced herself.

          “Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Jessica replied.  “I’m Jessica, Brandon’s sister-in-law, and this is Brandon’s brother and my husband, Chris.”

          “It’s nice to meet you too.”  Cassie smiled.  The couple had seem nice.

          “Laura,” Chris said.

          “Yea, daddy?”

          “Can you go and get your things ready?”

          “Yea.”  Laura left.

          Chris waited till Laura was gone before saying anything else.  “So….”

          Brandon walked over to Cassie and wrapped an arm around her.  “Here we go,” he whispered, kind of singing it into Cassie’s ear.

          “How long have you two been seeing each other?”

          Cassie’s mouth dropped for a brief moment.  She looked at Brandon.  How were they going to get out of that?

          “Well, honestly, we just met a few days ago,” Brandon answered.  “We’re taking it slow though.”

          “If you’re taking it slow then why has Cassie been staying the night?” Jessica asked.

          Chris and Jessica weren’t trying to be nosey.  They had good intentions on why they would ask such questions.  It was to see what they would have to explain to their six year old.

          “How do….” Brandon began to ask.

          “Laura told us,” Chris said.  “Now, look we’re not trying to be rude but we need to know if we have to explain to our daughter about…. Well you know.”

          “Don’t worry.  Cassie had me sleep on the couch.  See I was planning on sleeping with her,” Brandon replied, not realizing what he had said.

          Cassie’s mouth had drop and she kind of glanced at Brandon.  She knew what he meant, but from the expressions of both Chris and Jessica, she knew the wrong idea had popped into their heads.

          Brandon quickly thought about what he had said.  “That’s not what I meant…. I was only trying to get her to sleep with me….” He was only making things worse.  He noticed how everyone’s expressions had stayed the same.  “That’s not what I meant either…. See I was trying to tell Cassie that nothing has to happen for a man and woman to share the same bed and Cassie didn’t think that was right and something almost happened but didn’t and we agreed that she would get the bed and I would have to sleep on the couch so therefore you don’t have to explain anything to your child…. Okay?”

          Chris and Jessica were still in shock from what Brandon had said earlier to even speak.

          Laura walked into the room with her book bag on her back.  “I’m ready to go.”

          “Okay,” Jessica replied to both Laura and Brandon.

Clothes Shopping

          Jessica opened the car door for Laura and waited for the child to climb in.  Her eyes were locked on her husband with a smile.  “I told you that your brother was hiding something.  He has a girlfriend and he wasn’t going to say anything,” she spoke, closing the door after Laura was inside of the car and buckled up.

 

 

          Chris and Jessica were now in the car and buckled up.  “She seems to be such a sweet girl,” Jessica had commented about Cassie.

          “Yea and she’s cute,” Chris joked.

          Jessica smacked him playfully.

          “But you’re the most beautiful woman I had ever met.”  He looked at Jessica then over to the road.

          “She is pretty.”

 

 

          Cassie sat on the couch, staring at the TV.  Brandon stood near the window, playing with his watch.

          “So…. You said that you were going to go and buy me some outfits to wear after your niece left,” Cassie reminded Brandon.

          Brandon stopped what he was doing but kept staring at his watch.  “Oh yea.”  He looked up at Cassie.  “Let me get a pen and paper so I can write down what you need.  Okay?”

          Cassie stood up and followed Brandon into his room.  Brandon began looking for a pen and some paper.  Cassie sat on the bed and out of nowhere Buck ran and jumped on the bed.  He lay next to Cassie, resting his head in her lap.

          After Brandon found a pen and a note pad,  he turned his attention toward Cassie.  “Okay.  What do you need?” he asked.

          “Well, I need some shirts…. Baggy…. I don’t like really tight shirts….”

          “Okay….” Brandon wrote down what Cassie told him.  “How many?”

          “Four….”

          “Okay…. Sizes?”

          “Small….”

          “Okay.”

          “Four pairs of pants…. Size two….”

          “Okay….”

          “Socks the long ones which are size seven’s….”

          “Okay….”

          Now, Cassie knew that the last two things which she was about to mention were going to make Brandon feel uncomfortable, but she had to mention them and to make him feel extremely awkward, she smiled.  “Bikini cut size seven underwear….”

          “Okay….”

          Cassie thought that would make Brandon flinch but it didn’t.  She raised an eyebrow with confusion.

          “Anything else?”

          “What?” Cassie asked, confused.  It took her a moment to snap back from her thought.

          “Anything else?”

          “Oh yea.”  Cassie was going to have fun because she knew Brandon was going to feel uncomfortable for sure.  “Four….” She paused before continuing.  “Four….”

          “Okay four what?” Brandon asked, kind of impatient.

          “Four…. Bras.”  Cassie couldn’t help but laugh at Brandon’s reaction.

          Brandon began flinching.

          “Four…. Bras,” Cassie repeated, slowly.  A huge smile grew on her face as she spoke.

          Brandon looked over at Cassie, extremely uncomfortable.  “Fo…. Fo…. Four…. Br…. Br…. Bras?” he asked, kind of stuttering.

          “Yea…. I need them actually.”

          “Can’t you just wear the one you have now?” Brandon asked, trying to laugh.

          Cassie jumped up, ticked off.  “No….” She folded her arms and walked over toward Brandon.  “Because I still need to wash it along with my other clothes…. You dummy.”

          “Okay…. So…. Four more of those things….”

          “You mean bras?”

          “Yea…. Um…. What’s the….?” Brandon held up his hands to show Cassie what he was trying to say.  “The…. Um…. Size of your…. Um….”

          “Thirty-four A…. Okay?”

          “Okay.”

          Cassie followed Brandon out of his room and down the staircase.  Brandon opened the front door.  “Oh yea…. Can you also get me a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and a raiser, not the disposable one either because they cut my legs when I shave please?”

          Brandon looked down at Cassie’s legs.

          “Um…. Look up at me and not at my legs, you….”

          “Don’t worry.  I wasn’t trying to be a perv….” Brandon smiled because he was the one having the fun now.  “Bye, babe.  I’ll see ya later.”  He kissed her cheek and left, closing the door behind him and laughing.

          Cassie’s mouth dropped.  She couldn’t believe what he had done.  Her feelings for him were mixed and he was driving her crazy.

Awkward Moment

          Brandon had everything but the bras.  He hadn’t thought he’d have to buy any bras in a million years and had an uncomfortable feeling knowing what people would think when he bought them.

 

 

          Melinda was working the shift, folding up shirts and placing them on the shelves in the sections the belonged.

          Brandon searched for the bras, unsure where to find them when he noticed the girl working.  “Excuse me…. Can you help me?” he asked, walking over to her.

          Melinda rolled her eyes.  She didn’t want to have to stop what she was doing but knew she would get in trouble if she didn’t offer help to a costumer.  “What?”

          “I’m looking for the…. The….” Brandon looked around to make sure that no one else was around.  “The bras,” he whispered as if he were asking for drugs.

          Melinda kind of laughed.  He was the first guy she had met who seemed to be embarrassed just to speak of bras.  The guys she knew would take a bra and make a joke out of it.  She stopped what she was doing and stood up.  She didn’t bother to look at the man and had no clue that he was the one who had kidnapped one of her best friends.  “Follow me, sir.”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Brandon and Melinda walked to the female department and found the bras.  “So why are you looking for the…. Bras?” Melinda asked, whispering the last word to mock Brandon.

          “They’re for my girlfriend,” he replied.

          “Okay.  What sizes?”

          “Come again?”

          “You know…. The sizes…. Are you looking for a thirty-six B?  Thirty-seven C?  What?”

          “Oh…. Thirty-four A.”

          “Okay…. This way.”

 

 

          Melinda had Brandon follow her to a section filled with nothing but bras which made the man feel a thousand times more uncomfortable than he already was.  “Well here you are.  I have to get back to work.”

          “Ok-ay.”

          Melinda left Brandon alone.  Before Brandon grabbed any, he checked to make sure that no one was watching.

 

 

          Brandon placed the clothes on the counter. Once he set the bras down, the teenage boy who stood behind him began cracking up from laughter.

          Brandon looked over at the kid.  “Hey, there for my girlfriend…. I hope that your girlfriend makes you buy something even more embarrassing than bras.”

          “Hey, man…. Don’t wish that luck on me…. And besides, she buys that stuff because I’ll lose my cool…. I mean I’ll feel sick.”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Cassie sat on the couch.  She had the TV on but didn’t really pay much attention to it.  She let it play for the noise because the silence was bugging her.  She waited for Brandon while the kiss from the night before continued to play in her mind, confusing her.  She stood up and walked over to the window.  The shade was down so she took her finger and moved it to look out of the window.  She noticed a few little girls playing hopscotch.  A group of teenage boys played basketball while a little boy tried to play along with them.  She wished she was able to be outside but she was stuck.

          Brandon wanted her to stay in the house.  It was the only way he knew she couldn’t tell anyone to call the police and luckily for him she wasn’t one to break her word.  As she thought about the robbery it had seem that Brandon wasn’t organized.  Something had gone wrong and in a way she was kind of starting to believe that Brandon was a victim himself but didn’t understand why.

          She watched as Brandon’s truck pulled up into the drive way.  Brandon walked around the vehicle after he had climbed out and she noticed he was carrying a few bags of clothes.  “Oh good.  He’s back and he’s got the outfits,” she thought to herself.

 

 

          The door opened and Brandon walked in.  Cassie walked into the room, followed by Buck.  She held out her hands to take the bags.

          “Here you can take your female things,” Brandon told Cassie as he handed her the bag.

          “Thank you.”  She checked the bags and grew wide-eyed.  “Um…. You’re going to be mad but can you go back to the store and get me some deodorant…. I really need some.”  Cassie kind of smiled, sweetly.  She didn’t know why she’d forgotten to tell him to buy some deodorant.

          Brandon sighed.  “Okay.”  He turned back toward the door.  “Anything else before I go?”

          Cassie took a moment but nothing else popped into her head.  “Nope.  That’s it.”

          “Okay.”  Brandon left.

          Cassie walked over to the door and stared out of the peep hole.  She watched the truck back out and leave.  She moved away from the door then went upstairs and brought the bags to Laura’s room.  She figured that Brandon was going to want his room back.

 

 

          Someone knocked on the door as Cassie worked her way out of Laura’s room.  She debated on if she should answer it or not.  There was another knock on the door.  She took a deep breath and worked her way over to the door.  When she standing next to the door, she squinted her closed one eye and looked out of the peep hole with the other.

          Chris and Laura were standing outside, waiting.

          Cassie felt relieved at the sight of the two.  She opened the door and Laura walked in without hesitation, followed by Chris.  “Cassie, right?” Chris asked, closing the door.

          “Yes.”  Cassie smiled.

          “Okay….” Chris turned to face the girl.  “Um…. Where is Brandon?  I didn’t see his truck outside.”

          “Oh…. He went to the store to get something.  He should be back soon though.”

          “Okay…. Laura wanted to come stay the night again…. She really looks up to Brandon.”

          “So I’ve heard.”

          “Look, Cassie, I don’t know you all that well and you really seem to be a nice girl but please don’t break my brother’s heart.  He’s had his heart broken too many times in the past and I don’t want that to happen to my younger brother.  He’s a good guy and he doesn’t deserve that.  Okay?”

          “I understand…. I would never do something like that.”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Brandon pulled up and noticed Chris’s car was parked in the driveway.  He parked his truck next to the little car.  After he parked the truck and shut it off, he grabbed the keys and climbed out of the truck.  He grabbed the little bag then shut the door.

 

 

          “I was going to call but I de---” Chris began when Brandon walked into the house.  “Oh, Brandon…. I came by to drop Laura off…. I know its late notice but she wanted to stay the night again if you don’t mind…. Is that a problem?”

          “No.  She can stay.  I don’t care.”

          “Are you sure?”

          “Yea.  I enjoy having her over and besides,” he said with a smile, wrapping an arm around Cassie, “I want the two girls that I care about the most to get to know each other.  Right, babe?”

          Cassie kind of looked at Brandon and could tell that he was enjoying the little moment.  Well, if he could play that game then so would she.  “Right…. Um…. Honey, can I talk to you alone for a minute in the other room?”

          “Yea.”  Brandon followed Cassie into the kitchen, stopping at the door.  “She likes to chat.”  He held up his hand and started moving it.

          Cassie’s hand came out of the doorway and grabbed Brandon’s shirt, pulling him into the kitchen.

Games

          Cassie turned to face Brandon, placing her right hand on the counter.  She was steaming red from anger.

          “What’s wrong?” Brandon asked.

          “You’re letting your brother believe that we’re dating.”

          Cassie’s response had confused Brandon.  “Wait a minute…. Aren’t you the one who started the lie?”

          Cassie dropped her mouth in disbelief.  She actually couldn’t say anything though because the lie came from her.  “That’s different…. I didn’t think that a six year old girl would want to hear that her uncle is a bank robber who forgot to get the money, a murderer, oh and my favorite, a kidnapper.”

          Brandon shook his head.  “Well, you have a point but still…. You could have just said that you were a friend.”

          “A friend?  Yea if this were like fifty years ago.  Everyone automatically assumes that just because a guy and a girl hang out that means they’re dating.”

          “Still…. You could have said something else…. And now thanks to you…. I have to tell my brother that you’re my girlfriend.”

          Cassie felt trapped, knowing that she couldn’t answer.  She had to get Brandon to shut up though.  How was she going to get him to stop?  What would she say?

          Brandon laughed at Cassie’s expression.  “Why don’t you admit it?  You like me.”

          Cassie’s expression changed fast.  He was purposely ticking her off.  “First of all, I don’t like you,” she denied.  “Second of all, I don’t know you that well…. And third of all, you kidnapped me.”

          Brandon smiled.  “You couldn’t stop thinking about me…. Especially after that kiss last night.”

          “That’s not true.  I actually like another guy anyways,” Cassie lied.

          “Oh yea…. Really?”

          “Yea.”

          “Okay.  What’s his name?  Oh…. And actors and musicians don’t count.”

          “He’s actually one of my guy friends and his name is Matthew.”

          Brandon nodded, figuring that she was lying.  “Matthew what?”

          “Matthew….” Cassie began, looking around the room.  “Matthew…. Matthew Table.”  She looked at the table which sat behind Brandon.

          “Matthew Table?” Brandon asked, raising both eyebrows with interest.  He was use to girls lying to him about guys they supposedly liked or having a fake boyfriend but Cassie’s lie wasn’t believable compared to the others.

          “Yea.”

          “So tell me about Matthew Table…. What kind of guy is he?”

          “Well he’s cute, honest, funny, and he acts like a bad boy but he’s really just a sweetheart.”

          “Oh…. Really?”

          “Yea…. He’s everything you’re not.”

          “Wow.”  He led Cassie to believe that he was falling for her lie.  “He sounds like a cool guy.”

          “Oh…. He is.”

          “It’s been more than a minute,” Brandon replied, looking at the clock on the stove.  “We shouldn’t keep my brother waiting.”

 

 

          Chris looked at a few pictures which hung on Brandon’s wall.  He smiled at one where Brandon had Laura on his shoulders.  It had been taken the summer before at the beach.

          Cassie and Brandon walked back into the room.  Brandon had an arm wrapped around Cassie.

          Chris turned to face them.  “Well, what were you two doing?” he asked, jokingly.

          “We were just talking about what we were going to do with Laura.  She’s going to stay another night then we’re going to have to bring her somewhere or do something so she won’t be bored,” Brandon reassured him.

          “Yea right.”  Chris smiled.

          Cassie kind of laughed at Chris’s expression then looked at Brandon.  “Your brother has jokes.”

          Brandon returned the smile.

          Chris checked his watch.  “Well, I better get going.  Jessica’s going to be mad if I’m late for our date…. You know how that is?” he asked Brandon.

          “Yea…. Cassie gets pretty mad when I do that.”

          “Well, I’ll see you two later.”

          “Okay.”

          Chris left.

          “So it looks like I’m back in your room tonight and you get the couch again,” Cassie told Brandon, heading up the stairs.

 

 

          Laura sat on the couch, watching a show on Disney Channel.  Brandon walked in and sat next to her.  Laura looked up at her uncle and smiled.  “Is Cassie going to hang out with us again?” she asked.

          “Yea…. She is actually.”

          “Cool.”

          Brandon kind of laughed.

 

                                                            *****

          Cassie moved her clothes and other things to Brandon’s room.  She was starting to feel like she was at home but at the same time she missed her friends and family.  It was kind of hard for her to wake up knowing that her kidnapper was the only person she would see from dawn to dusk.  She already met his brother and his brother’s family in one day.

          She had to lie to Brandon.  She couldn’t keep her mind off of that kiss.  It was unexpected and unbelievable.  Some part of her wanted him to kiss her again but the other part was trying to tell her it was wrong and he was a dangerous man.  Confusion filled her thoughts.

 

 

          Cassie walked out of Brandon’s room, carrying her toothbrush.  She walked into the bathroom and closed the door.  She turned on the facet and let her toothbrush get damp.  She stared into the mirror.  The reflection had an image of Brandon standing next to her.  She looked around the empty room, relieved she was alone but confused.  “Get over it, Cassie,” she told herself.  “You don’t like him.  He’s dangerous no matter how cute he is.”

 

 

          Cassie walked into the living room.  Brandon glanced over at her.  “We’re about to play Candyland.  Would you like to join?” he asked.

          “Sure.  I haven’t played Candyland in a while so you’ll have to tell me how to play.”

          “Alright.”  Brandon turned his attention toward Laura.  “Can you go get it or do I need to get it?”

          “I’ll get it.”  Laura stood up and left the room.

          “We’re not really dating and yet she thinks that you’re the coolest girlfriend I’ve ever had.”  Brandon smiled.

          Cassie kind of laughed.  “Really?”

          “Yea…. If her parents like you, then maybe I’ll propose,” he joked.

          Cassie laughed a little harder.  “So is this all you do when Laura’s here is stay home and play Candyland?”

          “Yea…. Every now and then, I’ll bring her to Chucky Cheeses and places like that but we usually just stay here.”

          “Why?”

          “Well, I like to have the phone close to me and well my cell don’t have any minutes…. Well, I just like knowing that if I need to call someone, then I can just rush over to my phone…. So far I’ve been lucky.  Laura’s been pretty good but just in case.”

          “Oh.”  Cassie was starting to see the soft side of Brandon.  It was hard for her to believe that the man who sounded tough at the bank had a sweet, kind hearted side to him.

Movie Night

Later that night, all three of them sat in the kitchen. They tried to figure out what they could do for the night. “Laura, what do you want to do?” Brandon asked.

          “Can we watch a movie?” Laura answered with another question.

          “Yeah, go get ready for bed, while we choose the movies that you can pick from,” Brandon told her.

          “Okay.” Laura left the kitchen.

          “Oh… so… we’re going to watch movies tonight? Is this considered our first date?” Cassie asked with sarcasm.

          “Oh no… a first date with me is going to rob a bank,” Brandon shot back.

          “Was that supposed to hurt me or you?” Cassie stood up and began to leave the room.

          “Where are you going?” Brandon asked.

          “Going to change,” Cassie answered. “I’ll be right back.”

          “Okay. Meet me in the living room.”

          Cassie left the room.

 

 

          Cassie walked into the living room where Brandon was kneeling on the ground, laying out digital video disk. “What movies do you have?” Cassie asked, sitting next to him.

          “Disney movies and other videos for kids,” he answered. “Here.” He handed three movies to her.

          Cassie took the moves and read the titles. “Why don’t we watch Beauty and the Thief? Or maybe Snow White and the Seven kidnappers? Or my favorite The Lion Killer?” she asked with a spiteful tone.

          Brandon held up another movie. “Or maybe we can watch The Annoying Mermaid?”

          Cassie dropped her mouth. She couldn’t believe he was playing along.

          “Cat get your tongue?” he asked.

          Laura walked into the room. “What are you two talking about?”

          “Nothing.” Brandon stood up and took the movies away from Cassie and placed them on the table. He laid them out so Laura could see each one. “Which one?”

          “Beauty and the Beast,” the child answered.

          “Okay.” Brandon took the movies, except for the one which Laura had picked, and placed them back in the entertainment center. He walked back over to the table and picked up the movie.

          “Can we sing-a-long with it too?” Laura’s sweet little voice asked.

          Brandon smiled and walked over to the digital video player. “Why not?” he opened the case of the movie then pressed a button on the player. Once he placed the movie into the player, he pressed the button again, and he grabbed the remote. He walked over to the couch.

          Cassie sat on the opposite side of the couch.

          “Cassie, you should next to Uncle Brandon,” Laura told her.

          “No. He’s your uncle and you can sit between us,” Cassie answered.

          “I’m not sitting down until you sit next to Uncle Brandon.”

          Cassie smiled. She could tell that the little girl was joking and she laughed. “Okay.” She moved next to Brandon.

          Brandon placed his arm around her. “We have to make it look good,” he whispered in Cassie’s ear.

          “I know,” Cassie replied.

          “Cassie, you should sing as Belle,” Laura told her.

          “Okay,” Cassie replied.

          “Uncle Brandon, you should sing as the guys and I’ll sing as everyone else,” Laura continued.

          “Ok-ay.” Brandon locked eyes with Cassie. “You know the songs?”

          “Yeah. I love Disney movies and the songs. The songs are quite catchy.”

          “You have no life.” Brandon laughed and he pressed a button on the remote.

          Cassie rolled her eyes at him.

 

 

          After they all sang the first song, they all laughed. Cassie looked at Brandon and played with her hair. “You know the songs?” she asked.

          “Yeah,” Brandon replied with a smile.

          “You have no life,” she replied.

          Brandon continued to smile. He noticed how quickly she had used his words against him. “Actually, I watch this movie with my niece almost all of the time. This is one of her favorite movies. See I have a better reason than you.”

          Cassie smiled and dropped her mouth. “This must be one of your favorite movies as well.”

          “Well it’s not bad,” Brandon admitted.

          “Does this movie make you cry?”

          “What kind of question is that?” Brandon laughed. “I don’t cry at any movie not matter how sad it is… I just get something in my eye.”

          Cassie went to reply but decided against it. Her smile grew.

 

 

          “Oh. I love this song,” Cassie said when the music began playing. She sang along with Belle. Brandon laughed, watching Cassie jump into character.

          Brandon waited. He had to get the timing right before continuing the song. The one thing that popped into his mind was that he was starting to feel something for Cassie. The feelings had started after the kiss from the night before but how could he tell her after all he did kidnap her and she did watch him kill someone which was an accident but she didn’t know that. Still he had no way to show her that he wasn’t a bad guy and get her to love him. Something about the Disney movie had helped him realize that. There was a lesson and he felt like someone else.

 

 

          Laura had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of the movie and Cassie and Brandon were still watching it. “I think that this is one of the best parts of the movie,” Cassie said with a small sigh.

          “Why do you say that?” Brandon asked.

          “Well, Mrs. Pott’s sings while they dance. It shows how they’ve grown closer and that they’re falling in love.”

          “But she was his prisoner, how could she love him?”

          “It’s a fairy tale. In fairy tales, you have to expect it. Not only that, he’s not a monster that she thought he was. He’s sweet and kind.”

          Brandon smiled. There wasn’t anything for him to say. For him things were starting to feel like the movie, but he didn’t know if she felt the same or if she would ever feel the same way about him.

          “If you ask me,” Cassie paused, “Gaston is the real monster.”

          “Oh… who am I?” Brandon asked.

          “What?”

          Brandon realized what he had asked but didn’t mean to actually say it out loud. He had to think of a lie fast. “Nothing… I thought we were playing a game… forget I said anything.”

          Cassie stared at Brandon with confusion.

 

 

          The movie had finally ended. Cassie stood up and walked over to the digital player. She stopped the movie and went to press a button.

          “You can leave it in there. Laura will wind up playing the games that are on it anyways.” Brandon had stood up and moved over to Laura. He picked up the child and carried her.

          Cassie followed him up the stairs. “Do you think that it would be okay with Laura if I used one of her stuff animals to cuddle with?”

          “Why do you need a stuff animal? You could cuddle with me,” Brandon joked.

          “I don’t think so… and besides like I said yesterday; bad idea. Oh yeah. And that kiss from last night made things worst….”

          Brandon raised his eyebrows. He could tell that by the way Cassie spoke that she had felt something too. It was funny because now he believed that Cassie was falling for him too. “Well then, you can cuddle with Buck. I bet you would rather him than me anyways.”

          Cassie smiled. “Good idea.”

 

A Six Year Old’s Idea of Love

Brandon fixed the couch so he could be comfortable. He smiled. He couldn’t Cassie out of his mind. Then another thought popped into his head. He couldn’t like her. He kidnapped her to keep her from ratting him out. What was he going to do? Maybe he should just turn himself in but he didn’t want to lose Cassie. Nothing made sense to him at all. Maybe Cassie didn’t want to lose him either. He could tell by the look in her eyes; the way she looked at him was almost like she was telling him that she liked him but didn’t want to admit it. After all the man was a criminal after what he had done. For all he knew she was just another statistic for Stockholm syndrome where she believes she’s falling in love with her captor but in reality once he’s out of her life she’ll realize that it was nothing.

 

 

The next morning Brandon opened his eyes and yawned. He sat up on the couch and went to pick up the remote but Cassie came out of nowhere and grabbed it first. “Good you’re up,” Cassie said with a smile. She stood right in front of him.

“Where did you come from?” he asked, looking up at Cassie with tired eyes.

“The kitchen… do you realize what time it is?”

“No. I just woke up, and frankly, I don’t care. I’m still tired. All I care about is a nice hot cup of coffee. Okay?”

“Okay.” Cassie continued to smile. She had to admit that Brandon looked pretty cute with bed head hair.

His hair was messy but it looked good on him. “Now do I have to get up and make the coffee myself?”

“No. it’s being made as we speak. I like coffee too so I know how you feel.”

“Okay.” Brandon noticed the time on the cable box when Cassie moved away. It was 12:50. “Cassie,” he said, stopping Cassie from leaving the room, “usually I’m wide awake and you’re still sleeping. Why is it the other way around today?”

“Oh. Buck had to go out this morning and he made a little girlfriend too.”

“He was picking up babes without me?” Brandon asked, jokingly.

Cassie smiled and shook her head. She began leaving the room again but stopped. She turned to face Brandon. “Oh… and, Brandon, you look good with your hair messy. You should keep it like that sometimes.” Then she left the room.

Brandon smiled at the compliment. “Oh… so she likes my hair messy,” he told himself.

Laura walked into the room. “Uncle Brandon, you need to get something to wake you up.”

Brandon raised an eyebrow. “You know, Laura, you’re really bossy. I know that your parents aren’t raising you to be that way.”

“I know but I want to see you and Cassie get married… and I mean as soon as possible… like today, it’s perfect.”

Brandon’s eyes grew wide. He was surprised at what his six year old niece was asking.

“Come on, Uncle Brandon. You two are meant for each other. You two are good for one another. You two would fit together like a puzzle piece.”

“You’re only six… you shouldn’t be telling me that….”

“Oh but you two are like characters in a fairy tale.”

 

 

Cassie almost took another step to walk into the living room but stopped. She could hear everything that was being said. She held the hot cup of coffee in her hand and would take a sip every now and then.

 

 

“You and Cassie belong together,” Laura continued. “You have to believe me, Uncle Brandon.”

Brandon laughed. “You’re six. What do you know about relationships? Just because you read about fairy tale characters falling in love doesn’t mean that happens to everyone. I mean yes, I’ve only knew Cassie for a week and we were together for a week but I’m falling in love with her,” he admitted to the child and himself, unaware of the fact that Cassie was in the hallway and she was listening.

 

 

Cassie felt herself blush. It was weird. She didn’t know if she should continue listening or just slowly back away.

 

 

“I can’t ask her to marry me yet… it’s too soon. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that when and if we were to get married that Cassie would let you be our flower girl. Okay, Laura?”

Laura smiled. “Okay, Uncle Brandon.”

Cassie walked in and pretended that she had no clue what they had been talking about. “Brandon, the coffee’s done.”

“Okay.” Brandon stood up and stretched.

“And I would have made yours but I didn’t know how you like your coffee,” Cassie told him.

“Okay.” Brandon left the room, leaving the two girls alone.

Cooking Lessons

Three months had flown by and Brandon wanted to do something nice for Cassie. He also wanted to tell her that he was in love with her but didn’t know how. He had to try and get information from her without being too obvious. He had found a few side jobs to work and make money. Every day when he arrived home from work he was glad to know that she was going to be there. The only thing was that he didn’t want to bring her anywhere, knowing that people could recognize her as the missing girl from the news.

          He was also still debating with himself if it would be the right move to turn himself in or not. He walked into the house after a long day from work. “Cassie, I’m home!” he called. Then out of nowhere, Buck had tackled him, licking his face.

          Cassie walked into the hallway from the kitchen. She couldn’t help but laugh. “He was waiting for you to get back.”

          Brandon turned his face and pushed Buck back. His right eye closed whilst the dog licked his cheek and he tried to keep his mouth closed too. “Help,” he managed to get out at the right moment. “Cassie… help.”

          Cassie tried to stop laughing but she couldn’t hold it in. “Buck, do you want something to eat?” she asked.

          Buck stopped and looked at Cassie then hurried toward the kitchen. Cassie walked over to Brandon and helped him up. “Thank you,” he told her.

          “No problem.”

          “So what’s for dinner?”

          “I don’t know.”

          “You don’t know?”

          “Well, you do know that three months ago you kidnapped a girl who doesn’t know how to cook? Right?”

          Brandon smiled. “I’m joking but what do you want? I’ll teach you.”

          “Okay… a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

          “What?”

          Cassie laughed. “I’m joking. Do you know how to make chicken alfredo?”

          “Yeah, is that what you want?”

          “Yeah.”

          “Okay.” Brandon grabbed Cassie’s arm. “Follow me.” He dragged Cassie into the kitchen. Buck was in the process of eating his dog food. The dog had food in his mouth and he lifted up his head to see Brandon and Cassie then went back to eating. “Okay. I make my alfredo out of the box, just so you know, I don’t make it from scratch.”

          “Okay. That’s how my mom makes hers.”

          “Okay.” Brandon walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a jar of alfredo and handed it to Cassie then he grabbed the box of noodles. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened the freezer door to get the strips of chicken. He placed the chicken and box of noodles onto of the counter. Cassie set the jar next to the box whilst Brandon pulled out a medium sized pot and filled it with water. “This is the only thing that I’m going to do,” he told her.

          “What?”

          “Yeah… you’re going to cook.”

          “But… I can’t cook… I could….”

          “Don’t worry, I’m going to be here and I’m going to help you out. Okay?”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon turned off the water and carried the pot over to the stove. He placed the pot down then he set the stove on high. “Okay. We wait until the water starts boiling then you dump the noodles in.”

          “Okay.” Cassie didn’t want to stand in silence so she started thinking of conversation starters. “So what did you do at work today?”

          “Well, let’s see-” Brandon took a moment to think. “Oh, I and my buddy Zeke were painting one of the walls at this club where he kicked the thing of paint and the paint got all over my pants and shoes.”

          Cassie looked down at his shoes and the bottom of his pants. She covered her mouth to hide the laughter after noticing the black paint on Brandon’s blue jeans and white shoes. “Oh my gosh.”

          “Oh go ahead and laugh.” Brandon smiled. “I’ll purposely make you ruin the alfredo.”

          “I’m sorry.” Cassie looked up at him and tried to stop laughing. “It’s funny.”

          “Oh that funny… huh?” he asked, glancing over to the pot.

          “Yeah.”

          “Is it going to be funny when you go to put noodles into an empty pot?”

          “What?”

          “Look.”

          Cassie turned around to see that the water was boiling a little too fast. She turned around and grabbed the box. She ripped open the lid and grabbed the bag of noodles. She opened the bag and poured the noodles into the pot.

          “Here.” Brandon handed her a cooking spoon to stir the noodles. “There’s a cooking glove in the right drawer next to the stove.”

          Cassie held the spoon in her right hand and she opened the drawer and pulled out the oven mitten. “Thanks.”

          “No problem.”

          Cassie placed the spoon inside of the pot and held the handle of the pot and tried to stir but she kept jerking her hand away from the heat.

          Brandon rolled his eyes and shook his head slight with a smile.

          Once Cassie had her hand on the spoon, Brandon held onto her hand with his right hand and he placed his left hand over her left. He stuck his head over her shoulder and helped her stir.

          “You don’t have to worry about the heat. If anything, you need to worry about the water,” Brandon told Cassie.

          “Okay.”

          “But don’t worry. You’re doing fine.”

          Cassie liked having Brandon’s hand holding onto hers. She felt comfortable with him. She felt way better with him than with any other guy she had known.

          “Okay. Now we can stop stirring,” Brandon said, backing away from Cassie.

          Cassie took the cooking spoon out of the pot and laid it on the counter then she removed the glove off of her hand and placed it next to the spoon. She turned to face Brandon.

          “Is there anything you would like to do?” he asked.

          “Not that I can think of,” Cassie said after a minute of thinking. “Why?”

          “I just wanted to know.”

          “Oh.”

          Brandon remembered how she had mentioned that she didn’t have a date for the prom and an idea popped into his head.

 

 

          Minutes later, Cassie stirred the noodles then turned to face Brandon when she had finished. “How do I know if they’re done?”

          Brandon smiled and grabbed on a fork. “Okay. This is the last time, I’m going to do something for you… I swear.” He walked over and managed to get a noodle on the fork then moved toward the sink. He turned the water on and let the water cool off the noodle. After he turned off the water, he turned to face Cassie. “Do you want to try?”

          Cassie didn’t know whether or not to say yes.

          “If it’s chewy, then it still needs to boil, but if it’s soft then it’s done.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon handed the fork to Cassie and Cassie tasted the noodle. She couldn’t decide if it was done or not.

          “So?”

          “I don’t know… you need to try one.”

          Brandon let out a small laugh. “Okay.” He grabbed another fork and repeated what he had done earlier for Cassie. He tasted the noodle. “They’re done.”

 

 

          The noodles and chicken were ready for the alfredo sauce. Brandon picked up the jar and decided to show Cassie how strong he was. “Okay. This is the last and final thing that I’m going to do for you because I don’t think that you’re strong enough to open this jar.”

          “Oh really?”

          “Yeah.” Brandon tried to open the jar but was having a hard time. “I can get it… hold on.”

          “Are you strong enough to open that jar?” Cassie asked.

          “Yeah… man, it’s on there tight.”

          “Can I try?” Cassie asked, holding out her hands.

          “Yeah…” Brandon handed the jar over to her. “But there’s no way that you’re going to get it open… I mean it was hard for me to open….”

          Cassie opened the jar without any problems. She held the jar and lid to where Brandon could see them.

          “Now that’s… I loosened it for you,” he said, staring at her.

          “Hmmm… right.” Cassie turned around and poured the sauce over the noodles and chicken. When she was done, she opened the oven and placed the pan inside and closed the door. “What do I set the time to?”

          “Two minutes.”

          “What?” Cassie asked. She knew that wasn’t the correct time.

          “I mean two hours.”

          “Okay.” Cassie had set the time then turned to face Brandon. “Now what?”

          “Now we wait. Want to watch television?”

          “Sure.”

          They left the kitchen and walked into the living room.

 

Making Plans

Brandon and Cassie sat on opposite sides of the table whilst they ate. Brandon was fighting himself in his head. He didn’t know if he should tell Cassie that he was in love with her and considering turning himself in right then or if he should wait.

          “I did some karaoke today.” Cassie smiled. “I was board and I wanted to do something to keep me busy.”

          “Oh… really?”

          “Yeah… I like to act out the song… whether it’s sad or silly. It’s fun.”

          Brandon laughed. “It sounds like fun. Maybe we should do karaoke some time then. I could use a good laugh.”

          Cassie’s smile grew.

 

 

          A couple of days later, Brandon had gotten off of work and decided to go one of the well-known stores in the mall. He climbed out of his truck and headed toward the doors.

 

 

          Jennie worked the cash register in the store. She tried to look for something to keep herself occupied since it was a slow day. She found a magazine to read whilst waiting for customers.

          “Excuse me,” a man began to asked, clearing his throat to get the girl’s attention.

          She looked up at Brandon. “How may I help you, sit?” she asked, trying not to sound rude but that was how the words came out.

          “Do you have any cheap, leftover prom dresses?” he asked.

          Jennie’s eyes grew wide. She thought the man was cute but quickly changed her mind. The wrong idea had popped into her head. “Um… wouldn’t you rather a tuxedo instead? I mean it’s… you’re a….”

          Brandon laughed. “It’s not for me. It’s for my girlfriend,” he answered.

          “Oh…” Jennie sighed with relief. “I’m sorry… I have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions.”

          “Well, she doesn’t know. I’m actually surprising her….”

          “Aww… but why a prom dress? School’s over and you look kind of old to be bringing her to prom.”

          “It’s a long story. I just felt like doing something nice for her and I’m going to tell her that I love her.”

          “Aww… that’s so sweet.” She had no clue that the girl Brandon had mentioned was Cassie.

 

 

          Cassie watched a few shows on the television whilst waiting for Brandon to get home. She was anxious to see him. She had to let him know how much she was in love with him and that she cared about him. “Where is he?” she asked Buck as if the dog could answer. “He should be here by now. What’s talking him so long?”

          Buck looked at Cassie. His head was titled and one ear was up whilst the other was down. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

          “I’m so board. Please hurry home, Brandon,” she whispered, a little worried.

          She heard the door open and jumped off of the couch.

 

 

          Brandon had just walked into the house when Cassie appeared out of nowhere and gave him a hug. He was surprised but he wrapped his arms around her in return. “Hi, Cassie,” he told her with a smile. “What’s got you so excited?”

          “I’m glad to see you. That’s all.”

          They broke out of the hug. Brandon closed the door and turned to face Cassie. He held the bag with the dress but still wanted it to be a surprise until after they ate. “Cassie, can you go write down some choices of take out or whatever? I don’t care what you write down but I need to get into the shower okay?”

          “Okay.” Cassie noticed the bag in Brandon’s hand. “What’s that?”

          Brandon looked down at the bag. “That’s a bag.”

          Cassie laughed a little. “I can see that… what’s in the bag?”

          “It’s a surprise… you’ll find out later. Okay?”

          “Okay.” Cassie went back into the living room whilst Brandon walked upstairs.

Dinner

Cassie searched all over the place until she found a pen and note pad. She flipped through the pad until she came to a blank page and began writing. “I wonder what he’s planning?” she asked herself.

          When she finished, she took the pad and carried it into the living room. She sat on the couch and watched the television whilst she waited for Brandon. She had suspicions that he was trying to do something for her; something nice and sweet. Cassie closed her eyes and smiled, imagining she was at the beach, sitting on a blanket next to Brandon, and they watched the sunset. This time she didn’t. She knew that the only man she wanted to be with was Brandon. Another thought popped into her head which made her flies open. “Oh crap… how am I going to tell Jennie and Melinda?” she asked herself.

          There was no way that her two best friends would approve of her dating Brandon after he had kidnapped her.

 

 

          Brandon walked into the living room, wearing blue jeans and a white tank top. His hair was damp and part of his bangs slightly fell in front of his face.

          Cassie loved what she saw. She thought that he looked hotter with his damp hair and loved the outfit choice on him.

          “So what are we having for dinner?” he asked.

          It took Cassie a minute, before she could answer. Her mind had to process the question. “Oh… I’m sorry… um… Here,” she said, handing him the note pad. If she had said anything else, she would have sounded like a moron.

          Brandon looked at the list then to Cassie. “Tacos sound good.”

          “Okay… tacos then.”

          “Okay… tacos… I’ll be back,” he told her when he started to leave.

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Thirty minutes later, Cassie heard Brandon’s car pull in and she waited for him to walk back inside.

          “I’m back,” Brandon told her whilst walking into the room with a bag of hot tacos.

          Cassie stood up and followed him into the dining room and they sat down. Brandon passed out the food then they both began eating.

 

Amazing Surprise

After they finished eating, Brandon stood up. He held the back of his chair and looked at Cassie. “There’s a surprise upstairs that I want you to try on and I’ll get you in….” He took a moment to look at his watch. “Forty… forty-five minutes.” He locked eyes with Cassie and smiled. “Okay?”

“Ok-ay?” Cassie repeated, confused.

 

 

Brandon rearranged his garage. He turned on all of the fans to keep the room cool. He wanted the night to be perfect. This was it. He was finally going to confess his feelings. There was nothing that could ruin the evening. He placed his stereo on top of a table and listened to a few compact disks, searching for the right music to play. “No… no… no…” he paused for a moment. “Perfect.” He looked at his watch then at down at his clothes. “Crap. I need to get dressed.”

 

 

          Cassie wished she had a mirror. She was surprised that Brandon had bought her a beautiful red gown which fit her perfectly. It sparkled in the light from the glitter. She loved it. The dress was lovely and there were no words for her to describe it. She sat on the bed and waited for Brandon.

 

 

          A few minutes later, Brandon fixed the collar of his shirt. He considered it to be a real date and hoped that Cassie would feel the same. He was actually nervous, even though, the date would take place in the garage with no one else around. He took a deep breath and knocked on the bedroom door.

 

 

          Cassie smiled and opened the door to find Brandon standing there with his hair nicely brushed back, and how nicely dressed he was. “You look handsome,” she complimented.

          “Thank you and you look beautiful,” Brandon replied.

          “Thank you.” Cassie felt herself blush. “So no carnation?” she asked with a small smile.

          “Kind of forgot… ready to go?” Brandon asked, holding out his arm.

          “Yes.” Cassie wrapped her arm around his. “So what’s all this for?” she asked whilst they walked down the steps.

          “It’s a surprise.” Brandon smiled.

 

 

          When they arrived at the garage, Brandon moved his arm away from Cassie. “Can you wait right here please?” he asked.

          “Okay.”

          Brandon walked into the garage. Once he was inside, he walked over to the stereo and pressed play. He turned the volume down to where he and Cassie would still be able to hear it but they could have a conversation without having to yell at each other.

 

 

          Cassie waited for Brandon by the door when he came out and leaned against the door. “Ladies first,” he told her, gesturing with his left arm.

          When they were in the garage, Brandon closed the door and walked over to Cassie. The music which played was a soft and sweet love song. Cassie looked around with amazement. She couldn’t believe what Brandon had done.

          “Would you care to dance?” Brandon asked, holding out his right hand.

          “Sure,” Cassie answered with a smile. She placed her left hand on his right shoulder and he placed his left hand on the small of her back. Brandon led her in the dance. “Why did you do this?”

          “Well, you didn’t have a date for prom and when I went to prom my date ditched me for another guy. I figured you could have a date and I wouldn’t be left by myself again,” he replied with a smile.

          “Awe… that’s so sweet.”

          “So… who would you rather dance with me or that Matthew Table guy?”

          Cassie laughed, locking eyes with Brandon. “Actually,” she replied, “I made him up.”

          “Really?” Brandon asked, pretending like he didn’t figure that out. “Man, I was looking forward to meeting that guy.”

          Cassie looked away, still keeping her smile.

          “Cassie.”

          “Yeah?”

They locked eyes again.

“I… I love you.”

Cassie smiled. “I love you too…. I didn’t want to admit it at first but then I got to know you. You’re not the guy I thought you were. You’re the guy, I least expected, you to be… and I like that.”

Brandon smiled at Cassie’s reply. “So are you going to consider this our first date?”

“Yeah.”

Brandon lifted Cassie’s chin up and leaned down to kiss her. The kiss was intended and expected, unlike the first one, which had been unexpected, but both were unbelievable.

 

Cassie & Zeke Meet

Cassie woke up and walked down stairs. She sighed, just thinking about the night before. Months ago she would have killed herself, but she couldn’t help the fact that she had fallen in love with Brandon. He had kidnapped her and she had stolen his heart. She worked her way into the kitchen and found a note on the counter. She picked it up and read it to herself. “Cassie,” she read with a whisper, “I went shopping. Don’t worry… I’ll be back when I get done. Your lovable new boyfriend, Brandon… hugs and kisses.” Cassie laughed and blushed. The man had a good way to be sweet and charming, even when he wasn’t around.

 

 

          An hour later, Cassie had sat on the couch and watched television. Brandon still hadn’t arrived from the store and she was beginning to grow anxious. Suddenly, she heard a car pull up and waited for him to come into the house. The minute the door opened, she jumped out of her seat with excitement. “Bran-don!” she said, hurrying into the hallway and lost her excitement.

          The man who stood before her was not Brandon. Zeke looked at Cassie, confused.

          “You’re not Brandon,” she told him.

          “And you’re not Brandon either,” Zeke replied. He did recognize Cassie but for some reason couldn’t figure out where he had seen her. “Have we met before?”

          “No,” she replied. “Oh… I’m sorry… I’m being rude.” She laughed a little. “I’m Cassie Smith, Brandon’s girlfriend.” This time she could say it without it being a lie.

          “Oh well hello, Cassie.” The name even sounded familiar to him but he had no idea why. “Well, I’m Zeke Jackson, actually, Bandon’s best friend.”

          “Oh. Nice to meet you Zeke,” she replied.

          Zeke laughed. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

          “I’m pretty sure.”

          “You look familiar and your name kind of rings a bell. Oh well. Maybe I’m just having déjà vu or something.”

          “Yeah.”

          “I don’t think that Brandon’s ever mentioned you before.”

          “Oh. That’s because we were trying to keep it a secret because we didn’t know if we would last this long. Then last night we decided that we should let people know.”

          “Oh. Well, that’s cool.”

          “So, you’re best friends with Brandon?”

          “Yep. We’re like brothers we actually grew up together.”

          “Well, that’s cool.”

          Cassie and Zeke began having a conversation about random topics. Cassie wanted to get Zeke’s approval because he was her boyfriend’s best friend and she could learn more about Brandon too.

 

The Approval

Brandon noticed Zeke’s car was parked on the side of his lawn. “Oh crap.”

 

 

          Cassie and Zeke were telling jokes and having fun when they heard the front door open. “I know who that is,” Cassie laughed. She stood and Zeke followed her into the hallway. “Brandon,” she said, hugging him.

          “Yeah… I’m back.” Brandon looked at Zeke. He was hoping that Zeke hadn’t recognized Cassie from the news. “Hey, Zeke.”

          “Oh… hey, man… good choice on picking this girl. She’s cute and made for you. You two are a cute couple.”

          “Thanks, man,” Brandon replied.

          “No problem,” Zeke answered.

          “Zeke was telling me how two are practically like brothers,” Cassie added.

          “Really?” Brandon asked, smiling. “Did he tell you that’s a big fan of the Jonas Brothers?”

          “No way… that’s unusual,” Cassie spoke with a laugh.

          “Yeah… I’m a fan believe it or not,” Zeke agreed.

          “Yeah… he actually thinks that if he listens to them then he’ll get more girls that way. So far, the only girls who had a crush on him are the thirteen year old girls.”

          Cassie laughed.

          “Man, why’d you have to tell her that?” Zeke asked, pretending to be serious.

          Brandon smiled. “Zeke, can you help me bring in the groceries?”

          Zeke sighed. “Yeah… I guess.” He walked outside.

          “Zeke seems to be a cool guy,” Cassie told Brandon.

          “He is… he’s fun to have around.” Brandon went to leave when he stopped and turned to face her. “You’re actually the first girlfriend that I had to get along with my best friend.” He went out the door and Cassie was surprised by his words.

 

 

          Jennie and Melinda were loitering around the food court area of the mall. Jennie had just gotten off of work. They had decided to hang out and Lloyd went to get food. “Did you get any word about Cassie, yet?” Jennie asked.

          “No.” Melinda shook her head. “Honestly, I think that the police stopped looking for her. It’s been three months. This is horrible.”

          “Tell me about it.”

          Lloyd arrived with the food. “Here, let’s go find a place to sit,” he told them. “So, what are you two talking about?”

          “What happened to Cassie,” Jennie answered.

          “Oh.” Lloyd searched for a table. “Yeah… that was terrible.” He found an empty table and had the girls follow him.

 

Forgetful

A few hours had flown by and Zeke had left. Brandon and Cassie were in the living room. Brandon bent forward on the couch, using his arms to hide his face from Cassie.

          Cassie could tell that something was bothering him but she didn’t know what. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned. She walked over and sat down next to him. She wrapped her around him. Then she took her free hand and rubbed his arm.

          “Zeke… he’s going to figure out… he’s going to know what I did… He’s going to know that I-”

          “It’s okay. Maybe, he didn’t know. I mean he probably hasn’t watched the news.”

          “No. Zeke always watches the news. He likes to know what’s going on.”

          “Well, maybe, he didn’t realize it. It’s okay… think about something else… anything else. Something to get your mind off-”

          “Okay.” Brandon locked eyes with Cassie and something popped into his mind from the night before. “Hold on… I’m going to go get something. It’s another surprise. I’ll be right back.” He stood up and left the room.

          Cassie picked up the remote and turned the television on. She flipped through the channels until she found a show she wanted to watch. She didn’t understand everything that was going on in Brandon’s mind. She had wished that she could help him but didn’t know how.

          A couple of minutes later, Brandon had walked back into the room. He held something behind his back and cleared his throat.

          Cassie looked over at him.

          “I’ve got something for you. I was going to give it to you last night but forgot.”

          “What is it?”

          “I need you to stand up.”

          “Why?”

          “Just stand up.” Brandon smiled.

          “Okay… fine.” Cassie stood up and Brandon walked over to her.

          “You know… I’ll never see you as anything less than what you really are.”

          “Oh really… and what would that be?”

          “A queen,” Brandon answered, placing a small silver tiara with ice sapphire diamonds on top of Cassie’s head. “Well, a princess for now.”

          Cassie smiled and her cheeks turned red. “Thank you.”

          “Now, I know it’s late, but can I have one dance with the prom queen?”

          “Of course.”

          Brandon off the television, moved the coffee table over toward a wall, turned on the radio, and walked over to Cassie. Luckily, a slow song came on and they danced.

 

 

          Zeke was at his house. He had sat down on the couch and turned on the television, using the remote control. He watched the news and Cassie’s picture had appeared on the screen, but oddly enough, he hadn’t recognized her. It was one of those moments where he hadn’t put two and two together. “That poor girl… I hope they find her even though it’s been a few months since she was kidnapped,” he told himself. “Hopefully, she’s still alive. Why do people do that?”

One Phone Call

Brandon stood in the kitchen, thinking. Everything was rushing through his mind and he knew that Zeke would figure everything out eventually, it was only a matter of time. He had to do something. He was considering of turning himself in before things got worst. He looked out of the window and placed his hands on each side of the sink.

          “Brandon?”

          Brandon jumped a little at the sound of Cassie’s voice. He hadn’t realized that she was in the room. “Cassie,” he said, turning to face her.

          “I was wondering if I could call a few of my friends so that they know I’m okay. I know that it’s been a few months, but I want them to know I’m okay and I don’t want to hear my crying mother… can I?”

          Brandon thought about it. He didn’t think it was a good idea but he knew she wasn’t going to try anything. “Yeah,” he replied, pointing to the phone which hung on the wall.

          Cassie grabbed the phone and began dialing numbers.

 

 

          Jennie sat in a chair, whilst Melinda sat on the couch watching a television show. Jennie flipped through a magazine when the phone began ringing. Jennie waited to see if her mom was going to answer but it just kept ringing. She tapped her right foot, growing annoyed. Finally, she jumped up, a little mad. She walked over to the phone and read the name on the phone. “Melinda,” she asked, turning toward her friend, “do you know anyone by the name of Brandon Cook?”

          Melinda looked over at Jennie, confused. One of her eyebrows was raised. “No.”

 

          “Come on, please, be home?” Cassie whispered, waiting for someone to pick up.

          “Hello?” Jennie’s voice asked.

          “Jennie!” Cassie shouted with excitement.

 

          Jennie was shocked. “Melinda, it’s…. Cassie.”

          “Cassie?” Melinda asked, jumping up off of the couch.

          Jennie nodded. “Cassie, I’m going to put you on speaker… that way you can talk to Melinda too. Okay?”

          “Okay,” Cassie’s voice replied.

          Jennie removed the phone from her ear and pressed the speaker button. “Cassie.”

          “Yeah?” Cassie asked.

          “Oh my gosh!” Melinda exclaimed. “We’re worried about you!”

          “I can tell… I’m okay, surprisingly,” Cassie answered. “What’s new?”

          “Nothing much,” Jennie replied. “We’re just….”

 

 

          Brandon walked over and sat down at the table. He listened to Cassie talk. He could hear the excitement in her voice and he decided that it was good for her to talk to people she knew. He smiled.

          “Things are actually pretty good,” Cassie told her friends. “I’m sure…. Yeah….” She laughed. “Okay… well, it was good to talk to you two. Bye, Jennie, and Melinda.”

 

 

          “Bye, Cassie,” both girls replied. Once they hung up, Melinda and Jennie were a little relieved to hear from Cassie. The goodness was that she was alive. The bad news was that they still didn’t know where she was.

          “We need to call her parents,” Melinda told Jennie. “Let them know that she’s still alive.”

          “Good idea.”

 

 

          Cassie hung up the phone and sat next to Brandon. “That was Melinda and Jennie. I would have mentioned that we were dating but that’s something I need to tell them in person.” She wrapped her arms around Brandon’s right arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

          “I understand.”

 

Being a Good Boyfriend or Just Whipped?

Brandon was at work and Cassie decided to clean the mess on his dressers in his room. It was obvious that his clothes needed to be washed. “And he complains about not having any clean shirts,” she told herself. She picked up all of the dirty shirts and dropped them into the hamper. She noticed a folded piece of paper when she walked back to the dresser. She decided to be nosy and picked it up. She opened it and realized that it had been a list. It took her a moment to realize what it had been for. “He wasn’t planning on killing anyone or kidnapping me.” She noticed that one of the drawers was opened and she noticed the gun. She took a clean shirt, used it to pick up the gun, and went through it to see if there were any bullets. She smiled a little.

          It was the thought of knowing that Brandon killing Micheal wasn’t supposed to happen but now she wanted to know why he wanted to rob the bank and what he had actually planned to do.

 

 

          Brandon and Zeke were hanging out by the truck. They had finished painting the last room in the one-story house. Brandon leaned on the hood of the truck whilst Zeke stood with his arms folded.

          “Oh man. I can’t wait to get home. I need to get a shower,” Zeke told Brandon.

          “Yeah, cause you stink. Oh man. You need to take three or four bathes because one isn’t going to help,” Brandon laughed.

          “At least, I don’t have a girlfriend to stay clean for.” Zeke knew that Brandon was joking with him.

          “Yeah and that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend yet.” Brandon looked at his watch to see what time it was. “Oh… I need to go. I told Cassie that we’re going to have a movie night. I’d figure I’ll surprise her with a movie with one of her favorite actors.”

          “Oh.” Zeke nodded. “I see… she’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

          “No, she-”

          “Dude, you’re going to be watching a movie with an actor who she likes.”

          “Hey, I’m not wrapped around her finger. I’m just-”

          “Just what? Whipped?”

          “No… a good boyfriend.” Brandon stood up and walked around to the driver’s side of the truck and opened the door.

          “Yeah… whipped.”

          Brandon climbed into the truck, closed the door, and started the truck. He rolled down his window. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zeke.”

          “See you,” Zeke replied, waving.

          Brandon had his truck pull out of the parking space and drove off.

 

 

          Cassie and Brandon sat in the kitchen, eating dinner. They had decided to have breakfast foods. Cassie swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking, “Brandon?”

          “Yeah,” Brandon replied, looking up from his fork with a piece of pancake which was mixed with an egg on it.

          “Were you planning on killing anyone the day of the bank robbery?”

          Brandon was shocked by Cassie’s question but didn’t see what he couldn’t tell her the truth. “No.”

          “Were you planning on kidnapping anyone?”

          “No… why?”

          Cassie smiled a little. “Just wondering.”

          Brandon raised an eyebrow. He didn’t believe her but decided to let it go.

          “So… what movie are we going to watch?”

          “It’s a surprise.”

          “Oh… I love surprises.”

 

 

          Lloyd stood outside of the bank, waiting for Melinda and Jennie. They had told him about how Cassie had called the day before and now they wanted to visit the crime scene again. He was glad to hear that Cassie was alright. She was like a sister to him and he worried about her. Although, he wasn’t into the idea of playing detective.

 

Realization Hits

Zeke was at the house. He sat in the recliner, whilst Brandon and Cassie sat on the couch. Brandon’s left was wrapped around Cassie and his fingers were intertwined with hers. They waited for Zeke to find a channel on the television.

          Finally, he stopped on the news which was still playing the story about the missing girl and the bank robbery from months before. That was when realization hit and he knew Cassie was the missing girl. It all made sense to him. He dropped the remote, shocked.

          Brandon knew what was happening.

          Zeke jumped up. “You kidnapper!” he looked over at Cassie. “Are you okay?”

          “I’m fine,” Cassie replied.

          “Zeke, calm down,” Brandon told him.

          “Calm down? Why should I?” Zeke asked.

          “It’s not as bad as you-” Brandon began but was cut off.

          “Not as bad as I think?” Zeke asked. “Dude, you went to rob a bank, you murdered someone, and you kidnapped this poor girl. That’s worse than I think. I can’t believe that I’m friends with a criminal. Come on, Cassie. I’m going to get you out of here and go down to the-”

          “Whoa… dude, if it helps any, I was thinking about turning myself in,” Brandon confessed.

          “Then why didn’t you?”

          “Because… I fell in love with the witness…” the guilt came rushing back to Brandon.

          “That’s no excuse. Come on, Cassie… I’m going to bring you to a safe place.”

          “But… I am safe,” Cassie replied.

          Zeke locked eyes with Cassie, confused. “What do you mean?”

          “I feel safe with Brandon,” she admitted. “Believe it or not….”

          Zeke was more confused than before. Nothing Cassie had said made any sense to him. “This is messed up. I’m calling the cops.”

          Brandon moved away from Cassie and stood up. “No.”

          Cassie and Zeke both turned their attention toward Brandon.

          “I’ll call the police. It’s my mess. I need to tell them myself,” Brandon told them.

 

Preparing for Execution

A month later, Brandon was in his room preparing for his court date. Cassie was gone. He knew they would prove him guilty. All he wanted was to see Cassie one more time and remind her how much he loved her. The pain of not seeing his girlfriend for a while hurt. He would have rather been dead than to know that he wouldn’t be able to see her face.

          A tall skinny, blonde man wearing glasses and his hair brushed back walked into the room. He was dressed in a black suit and tie outfit. “Brandon, we have to go.”

          “Okay, Brain.”

 

 

          Cassie, Melinda, and Jennie waited inside of the courthouse. All three of them were glad to see each other again. “So, your kidnapper… he didn’t harm you in any way, shape, or form, did he? Because if he did, I’m going to kill him,” Melinda told Cassie.

          “No… actually, he treated me more like a guest than a prisoner and… well… um… um…” Cassie began. She had no idea how to tell her friends what had happened between her and Brandon.

          “Well, what?” Melinda asked.

          “Um… um…. What if I told you two that we might have… um…” Cassie was searching for the right words.

          “Might have what?” Jennie asked.

          “Okay. Please don’t yell at me when I tell you this… that means you, Melinda,” Cassie replied.

          “Okay… what?” Jennie asked.

          “Well… um…” Cassie bit her lip. “I love him.”

          “What?!” Melinda exclaimed.

          “No way,” Jennie replied, shocked.

          “You’re in love with the man who kidnapped you?!” Melinda shouted.

          “Yeah,” Cassie admitted. “And we kissed about twice.”

          “Are you stupid or something, Cassie?! You can’t just fall in love with-!” Melinda continued.

          “Cassie,” Brandon replied, cutting off Melinda. “I’m sorry, ladies, for interrupting.”

          Melinda grew quiet and stared at Brandon, confused.

          “Um… Melinda, Jennie, this is my kidnapper and boyfriend, Brandon. He’s not a bad guy once you get to know him,” Cassie explained.

          Brandon hugged Cassie. “I love you,” he whispered to her.

          “I love you, too,” she whispered.

          They broke out of the hug and Brandon turned to face Cassie’s two friends. Melinda and Jennie had to admit that Brandon was attractive and oddly enough there was something familiar about him. “It was nice to meet you two,” he told them. “I would love to stay and chat but I need to find Zeke to see if he can take care of Buck for me.”

          “Okay, bye, Brandon,” Cassie told him.

          Brandon left whilst Lloyd walked over to the girls. He was also glad that Cassie was safe.

          “Brandon’s pretty cute,” Melinda admitted. “Now, I see why you like him. He’s so fine….”

          “Um… boyfriend right here,” Lloyd reminded her.

          “Oh, but you’re the hottest guy I know,” Melinda replied.

          “I better be.” Lloyd wrapped an arm around her. “So, was that your boyfriend who just walked away that you were telling me about, Cassie?”

          “Yep,” Cassie answered.

          “He doesn’t seem to be a bad guy,” Lloyd told her.

          “Wait? You told Lloyd about that guy before you told us?” Melinda asked a little mad.

          “Yeah,” Jennie agreed. “We’re supposed to be your best friends.”

          “Yeah,” Cassie replied, “but I knew that he wasn’t going to yell at me after I told him.”

          Melinda and Jennie didn’t reply.

          “You know,” Jennie said after a moment of silence, “he kind of looks familiar.”

          “He kind of sounds familiar too,” Melinda agreed.

          “I’ve never seen him in a day of my life,” Lloyd replied.

 

An Odd Trial

          The court room was small with six rows of pews on each side. Cassie stood in the back next to the double doors. Tears filled her eyes when she looked at the people, knowing that she would never be able see Brandon for a while. She wished that she didn’t have to testify against him but she had no choice. People walked in and sat in the rows, preparing for the trial.

          There was a railing which separated the pews from the other half of the room with two tables and room for four people to sit at each table. The stand for the judge was on the other side of the room and was also connected to the stand for the witness. The jury was to the left of the judge’s stand.

          Melinda, Lloyd, and Jennie sat in the first row of pews on Cassie’s left. Cassie couldn’t move. She couldn’t believe that Brandon had actually turned himself in but she knew he had to.

          Zeke walked in, holding Buck’s leash. He walked the dog over to Cassie. Normally, they wouldn’t have allowed dogs or any other pets for that matter into the court room but for some reason they had made an exception. “Cassie, I’m glad that Brandon found you,” Zeke told her. “He seems to be happier when he’s with you than with any other woman he’s dated… don’t worry… things will work out. They always do.”

          “Thanks, Zeke.” Cassie smiled a little.

          Zeke hugged Cassie then walked away whilst Jennie made her way over to Cassie. “So, Cassie,” Jennie asked, checking out Zeke, “who’s that guy you were just talking to?”

          “Oh, that’s Zeke. He’s one of Brandon’s friends,” Cassie told her.

          “He’s cute.”

          “He is cute,” Cassie agreed. “He’s single too,” she hinted.

          “Oh really?”

          “Yep.”

          “Well, I think I’ll just go talk to him.”

          Cassie laughed a little whilst Jennie walked away.

 

 

          Brandon looked over at the table where Cassie sat. He knew she was hurt. He wished he could get up and walk over to her and give her a hug but he wasn’t allowed to move. Not only that but he had handcuffs around his wrist which would have made it difficult for her to hug her.

          The bailiff walked up onto the judge’s stand, picked up the mallet, and hit it against the desk. “All rise,” he spoke with a deep stern voice.

          Everyone stood up and the Judge walked in and took his place.

          “The court is now in session,” the bailiff said before walking away.

          “Sit down,” the judge told everyone. He looked over some papers and then at Brandon. “Brandon Cook?”

          “Yes, sir,” Brandon spoke with respect.

          “You know why you’re here today?”

          “Yes, sir.”

          “Okay.”

          Brain stood up. “Your honor, my client is innocent. He wasn’t anywhere near the bank at the time….”

          Cassie looked over at Brain.

          “He was out of town the week that it happened….”

          Brandon looked up at his lawyer, a little frustrated.

          “Judge Duncan, you can’t punish this man. I call Cassie Smith to the stand.”

          Cassie looked at the judge then to Brain. She stood up and walked over to the stand. Once she was there, she sat down and the Bailiff walked over to her. He had her place her hand on the Bible and had her quote the oath to tell the truth.

          Brain walked over to her. “Miss Smith, tell us about what happened when you were at the bank.”

          “Okay.” Cassie closed her eyes to help refresh her memory. “I was at the bank, helping Micheal out with placing money into the volt. We had stopped to take a break when this masked man came in. Micheal had me hide because he was an old friend to our family and he didn’t want to tell my parents that something bad had happened to me. I hid under his desk as the man made his way to the clerk.” She slowly began crying. “The man asked Micheal for some money, but he didn’t have a bag for Micheal to put the money in. Then, I guess somewhere down the line the man had pulled out a gun. About five minutes later, I heard a gunshot. It wasn’t long before I seen Micheal’s body hit the floor. I couldn’t help but scream. The man heard me and went to attack me. I hit him in the face with a book….”

          Brandon held his head in shame, remembering everything.

          “I got up and ran but I was trapped because of the wall. I turned around but the man was right behind me. He grabbed my arms and duck taped them behind my back. He dragged me to his vehicle, threatening me with the gun. Later that night, I saw the face of my kidnapper for the first time. I’m sorry, Brandon.” Cassie was now in tears. “I can’t lie to them.”

          Brandon looked at Cassie, wishing he could hold her close to him.

          Cassie looked up at Duncan, then to the jury, then to Brain. “Brandon’s not a bad guy once you get to know him. He treated me more like a guest than a prisoner.” Her eyes were now a cherry color when she locked eyes with Brandon. “I got to know him. If he was a murderer then he probably wouldn’t have a healthy, playful, overgrown puppy, which loves kids and gets along with anybody. I found the gun from that day and noticed there weren’t any bullets in it at all. Then I found the list that he had made for that day. I asked Officer Davis to place it in a Ziploc bag. It mentions how he wasn’t planning on killing anyone because he wasn’t expecting to have the bullet in there at the time. It’s the recession. It’s taking normally nice people and making them do things that they wouldn’t do, just to live. Brandon’s an example of that and… I love him.”

          Everyone was amazed at Cassie’s speech and a little shocked.

          “But he-” Brain began.

          “He was at the wrong place, the wrong time,” Cassie interrupted. “But it was an accident. Please, don’t take him away from me?”

          “Cassie, you may leave the stand. Next, I call Zeke Jackson to the stand,” Brain said when Cassie walked past him.

          Zeke took a deep breath and led Buck up to the stand.

          “The dog can’t stay up there,” the lawyer told him.

          “Man, this dog is cool,” Zeke replied. “Why can’t he come up with me?”

          Brandon hid his face in his hand; feeling a little embarrassed and shook his head. Buck let out a loud bark.

          “See, man… he wants to come,” Zeke said.

          “No, Zeke,” Brain replied.

          Zeke looked at Buck and shook his head. “Sorry, man. They don’t allow friends to the stand when they’re furry and have a tail.” He walked onto the stand, leaving Buck by himself.

          The dog sat down and looked at the people, sniffing.

          Zeke sat in the chair, waiting for the questions to begin. The bailiff walked over to him, holding the Bible and Zeke placed his hand on top of it. Like with Cassie, the bailiff had Zeke quote the oath of truth.

          “How long have you known Brandon, Mr. Jackson?” Brain asked.

          “Well, ever since we were kids. We’re close like brothers,” Zeke answered.

          “Did Brandon tell you about robbing any banks?”

          “No, sir, and once I realized that Brandon was the bank robber, I was going to call the cops but Brandon said he would instead.”

          “And did he?”

          “Well, we wouldn’t be here today if he lied.”

          “Okay. Has Brandon ever been involved in any other crimes?”

          “No, sir… actually, usually he’s for justice, not breaking laws.”

          “Well, why do you think he did this?”

          “Pressure… the day before, he-” Zeke looked at Brandon. “Work had been causing him a lot of stress.”

          “Okay.”

 

 

          Brandon was the last person to get up on the stand. He sat down and looked around. He noticed a woman who had been in her early forties. Somehow, he figured she must have been related to the bank which made him feel a thousand times worst.

          The bailiff walked over to Brandon, held up the Bible and waited for Brandon to place his hand on top of it. “Do you swear to tell the truth? The whole truth? Nothing but the truth?” the bailiff asked.

          “I do.”

          Brain began asking Brandon a series of questions which were similar to the ones he had asked Cassie. Brandon had answered them the same way but from his perspective.

Finally, Brandon took a deep breath. “Cassie was right,” he told everyone. “I was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, but I met the right girl.” He looked at Cassie. “I love you, Cassie. That’s why I have to do this.” He turned his attention toward the woman he had noticed earlier. “I killed the banker and I’m sorry. I wasn’t planning on hurting, well, killing anyone. I wasn’t planning on kidnapping anyone either… and I wasn’t planning on falling in love. I feel horrible… guilty. I wish I can walk up to that man and apologize for what I did but I can’t and that makes me feel worse than if I just got the money and left. I didn’t get the money that I needed but I still killed someone and to his family who might be out there… I’m sorry…. Cassie, I love you but I have to pay the price. I’m sorry that I have to hurt you like this… in front of everyone here. I’m sorry.”

          “Okay. Well, what’s the jury got to say?” Brain asked, turning toward the small group of people.

          Cassie was out of the room.

          “What’s the verdict?”

          A jury member stood up. “We find the defendant guilty but we all agree that he should be given a second chance.”

          Duncan had to consider what was said before he answered. It was obvious to him that Brandon was beating himself up about the incident. “You didn’t rob the bank, but you still murdered someone and kidnapped someone else. I can tell that Cassie’s not going to sue or wants to see you in jail because it’s obvious that she loves you. Now, I don’t know….”

          The older woman stood up and raised her hand.

          “Yes?” the judge asked.

          The woman placed her hand into her other hand and looked up at the judge. “I’m Micheal’s wife… well, his widow now… and I can tell by this man’s expression and his voice that he feels guilty and he wants to apologize for what he did….” Widow Walker looked over at Brandon. “I forgive you and if my husband were here he’d forgive you too. The next time, you’re with Cassie go to his grave and apologize. It would help to get rid of that guilt. You deserve a second chance.”

          Brandon was amazed by the woman’s words and forgiveness.

          “By the way,” Widow Walker continued, starting to cry, “he had cancer and he was dying anyways. You did what the doctors didn’t want to do.” She broke down into tears, trying to talk.

          Officer Turner walked over to the poor woman and helped her make her way out of the room.

          The decision was up to Duncan. “Okay.” He turned his attention toward Brandon. “Because everyone here seems to want to give you a second chance, then I’m going to give you three months in the slammer, two months’ probation, and then a second chance. Now, remember, the next time I won’t be so generous.”

          “Yes, sir,” Brandon agreed.

          “Court dismissed.”

 

Separated

Cassie walked away in tears, thinking the worst. She wondered down the side which wasn’t too far from the courthouse. She waited for Zeke because he had offered her a ride since Brandon would be going off to jail.

          Jennie, Melinda, and Lloyd joined her. They noticed the sadness in her eyes. Jennie smiled but Cassie looked away.

          “Cassie,” Melinda spoke with a smile. “We’ve got news about-”

          “I don’t know want to know.” Cassie was too upset to even listen.

          “Brandon’s-” Jennie began.

          “I don’t want to talk about it. Where’s Zeke?” Cassie asked.

          “Who?” Melinda replied with another question.

          “Oh. He’s going to talk to Brandon for a minute then he said that he was going to meet you out here,” Jennie answered Cassie.

          “Okay,” Cassie spoke softly. “You three can go. I’ll be fine.” She faked a small smile.

          “Okay,” Jennie said.

          Lloyd gave Cassie a quick hug. “Things will get better.”

          “Thanks,” Cassie told him.

          Her three friends left without another word.

 

 

          A glass window separated Zeke and Brandon. They had to use a phone to hear each other speak. “Hey, man. What’s new?” Zeke asked, smiling.

          “Nothing much, of course. What about you?” Brandon asked.

          “Same old, same old.”

          “Oh. How’s Cassie?”

          “She’s worried about you. She doesn’t even want to visit you because it breaks her heart. I and her friends try to tell her about how you’re not going to be in jail for a long time but she doesn’t like to talk about it. Cassie doesn’t want anyone but you, Brandon. She loves you a lot and it shows. She and I have become good friends and I think that you two are meant for each other. See, you two could be separated for years and not want anyone else.”

          Brandon agreed with Zeke. He loved Cassie more than anything in the world and it was killing him that he couldn’t see her face or hear her voice.

          “When you get out, the first thing that you need to do is go see her. You both need each other,” Zeke explained.

          “I miss her more and more every day, Zeke. I miss hearing her voice.” Brandon smiled a little, thinking about her. “I enjoy being around her, even when we’re arguing.”

          “Well, once you get out, we should plan on a double date.”

          “You’ve got a girlfriend now?”

          “Yeah, I’m dating Cassie’s friend Jennie.”

          Brandon smiled. “Sounds like fun.”

 

 

          A couple of days later, Jennie and Melinda sat and waited for Brandon to appear. “We’re actually going to talk to this guy?” Melinda asked.

          “Yeah, we’re doing it for Cassie,” Jennie reminded Melinda. “Besides, I swear that I’ve met him once before.”

          Brandon sat down and picked up the phone. “Hello, ladies.”

          The two girls were busy in their own little conversation that they hadn’t realized Brandon had arrived. He tried everything to get their attention until finally Officer Sheen had pointed to him.

          Brandon smiled at the police officer as if to thank him.

          Melinda picked up the phone and held it in between her and Jennie so they both could listen to him.

          “Hello, ladies,” Brandon greeted.

          “Hello,” they both replied.

          “Where’s Cassie?”

          “At her house, crying over you. You know,” Melinda stated, “besides the fact that you’re hot, I don’t understand why she even likes you.”

          “Melin-” Jennie began.

          “It’s okay,” Brandon interrupted. “Look, I can understand why you don’t like me. I kid-”

          “Now, I know why you’re familiar to me,” Jennie replied.

          Melinda and Brandon looked at Jennie, confused.

          “You were buying a dress for your….” Jennie had come to realization that she had met Brandon whilst she was working. “For Cassie,” she said with a smile.

          Brandon returned the smile. “Yeah, you were the girl who helped me find the dress.”

          “Did she like it?”

          “She loved it.”

          “And the crown?”

          Brandon nodded. “And the crown.” He turned his attention back toward Melinda. “I know that you must hate me because I kidnapped your best friend but it wasn’t supposed to work out that way… and I want the both-”

          “Look,” Melinda replied, “we’re not going to try and break you two up, even if we don’t agree with Cassie falling for a criminal… but she’s our best friend and she’s in love with you. We think that you two should be together… just don’t break her heart any more than it already is. Zeke’s told us about how you two make a good couple and we think that you two should be together. I can’t believe that I just said that but I meant it. Don’t break her heart.”

          “Don’t plan to,” Brandon replied simply.

          “You’re the guy who was too chicken to buy a bra… you weren’t even going to say the word, weren’t you?” Melinda asked, remembering back to that day in whilst she was working.

          Brandon looked away, embarrassed.

          “He’s the guy… who? Wow.” Jennie had to cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

 

 

          Melinda and Jennie were at Cassie’s house, trying to keep Cassie from thinking about Brandon but it didn’t work. “Things will be better,” Melinda told her.

          “Yeah,” Jennie agreed, “don’t worry about Brandon. He’s-”

          “I miss him.” Cassie’s eyes were cherry red from all of the crying she had done. The phone rang. She stood up and answered it. “Hello.” Her eyes grew wide. “Jessica….” She had become friends with Jessica and Chris in the past few months and had given them her number. “What’s wrong?” she asked. Brandon made her and Zeke promise that they wouldn’t say anything about him having to go to jail so they agreed on a lie about him having to work out of town. “That’s horrible…. I’ll be right there…. Okay, bye.” She hung the phone up and grabbed her keys.

          “Who was that?” Melinda asked.

          “That was Brandon’s sister-in-law. His niece is back in the hospital. I’ve got to go,” Cassie answered.

          “I’ll drive,” Melinda replied, snatching the keys.

          “But you-”

          “Shhh… nobody has to know.”

 

 

          Cassie walked over to the receptionist’s desk. The woman kept her eyes on the computer. “How may I help you?”

          “Can you tell me the room that Laura Cook is in?” Cassie asked.

          “Let me see… she’s in….”

          “Cassie?” a voice asked from behind.

          Cassie turned around and was relieved to see Chris. She smiled. “Hey, Chris. How’s Laura?”

          Chris’s smile didn’t hide the hurt and worry in his eyes. “She has pneumonia and we hope that she gets better but the doctors aren’t positive.”

          “I’m sorry to hear that. Can I go see her?”

          “Yeah, follow me.”

          Jennie and Melinda felt that it would be best to stay in the waiting room.

 

 

          Laura lay in the bed. Jessica sat in a chair which was next to the bed. “I’m sorry, baby,” Jessica whispered.

          “Don’t cry, mommy. It’s not your fault.”

          Jessica tried to smile at her daughter’s reassurance but it didn’t help.

          Cassie walked into the room and felt horrible. She couldn’t help but notice that Laura had lost more weight than a child should have. Laura’s skin had turned pasty white and it was abnormal to see. She managed to fake a smile. “You’ll beat this, Laura,” she spoke with an optimistic voice. “You’ll get through this.”

          “Thank, Cassie,” Laura said, returning the smile. “Where’s Uncle Brandon?”

          “He had to go out of town,” Cassie answered.

 

 

          The three months had finished up. Brandon was relieved that he could go free. He smiled, walking out into the world. Zeke waited by the car for him. “Ready to go?” Zeke asked.

          Brandon nodded. “I want to surprise Cassie.”

          Zeke smiled. “Of course… get in.”

          They both climbed into the car and Zeke drove off.

 

Together Again

Cassie had just gotten off of the phone with Chris who was letting her know that Laura was doing better and back home again. She smiled and sat on the couch, flipping through channels on the television. She was the only home since her dad was at work, her mom went to go help her aunt pack, and her brothers were at school. She felt odd not having to go to school. However, she had begun taking college courses over the internet and she had one class on campus that didn’t start until noon.

          Someone knocked on the door.

          She stood up and made her way over to it. She opened it and found Zeke standing there. “Zeke? What are you doing here?” she asked, confused.

          “Close your eyes,” he told her. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

          “But-”

          “Just close your eyes.”

          “Okay.” Cassie closed her eyes, even more confused than before.

          Zeke made sure that her eyes were shut before he took a step off of the porch. “Open.”

          Cassie opened her eyes and to her amazement Brandon was standing in front of her.

          “Hello, Cassie,” Brandon spoke with a smile.

          Cassie returned the smile. She practically tackled him but Brandon managed to stand his ground and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “I’ve missed you so much.” Tears filled her eyes and she hugged him even tighter.

          “I missed you too.” Brandon kissed her head. “You know that I love you?”

          “I love you too.”

          “Can we go to the grave yard? I want to apologize to the banker. I feel guilty and that would make me feel better.”

          Cassie locked eyes with Brandon and she nodded.

 

 

          Cassie held Brandon’s hand and she led him over to Micheal’s grave. When they reached the grave, Cassie stopped but continued holding Brandon’s hand. “This is Micheal Walker’s grave.”

          Brandon looked at Cassie then to the tombstone. He read the inscription on it. It read:

 

                              Here Lies Micheal Walker

                                    Beloved Husband

                                   From 1965-2010

 

          Brandon knew the guilt wouldn’t go away until he seen the grave. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I understand that you were a good friend to Cassie’s family and I just want you to know that I didn’t do anything to harm her. Actually, I did the opposite of that.” He smiled a little. “I took care of her and fell in love with her. I wish that I could have gotten to know you. I just wanted to say sorry.”

          Cassie wrapped both of her arms around Brandon’s left arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Micheal would have forgiven you because he was a forgiving person.”

          “You were right at the courtroom.”

          Cassie looked up at him, confused.

          “I was at the wrong place, at the wrong time,” he explained, then looked down at her, “but I met the right girl.”

          Cassie blushed then smiled. “I love you, Brandon Cook.”

          “I love you, Cassie Smith. Now, let’s get out of here.”

          “Okay.”

          Brandon and Cassie walked away, holding onto each other.

                                        The End

 

Books in this Series to Look for:

 An Unexpected Love- Brandon and Cassie

An Undeniable Love- Lloyd and Melinda

An Unplanned Love- Zeke and Jennie

An Unbelievable Love- Chris and Jessica

Impressum

Bildmaterialien: Amber Riel
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 03.08.2013

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Widmung:
To anyone who believes that love can happen to anyone at any time