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  I lay there for what seemed like several minutes, but probably only seconds, in a huge pile of cake and lavender icing everywhere. The room was dead silent. You know that saying about it being so quiet that you can hear a pin drop? Well, now I know exactly what that means. I was mortified. I knew every person there was looking at me and I didn’t dare look up. I no longer wanted to be the center of attention and just wanted to crawl under a table somewhere for eternity and be forgotten. But, I knew that was not going to happen.

  “Madison, are you okay?” I heard his voice as I felt my savior’s hands on my shoulders trying to help me up.

  “Yeah, I guess,” I said very quietly as I tried to stand without looking up at anyone, and without crying. I could hear people starting to whisper around me and I just tried to block it out. Jackson had his arm around me by then and was leading me out the ballroom door toward the stairs. My dress was ruined, and I was limping. I didn't dare scan the room for fear of catching someone's pitiful glance in my direction. I could feel every single eye on my back as we walked toward the door. But, I quickly looked in the direction where the shove would have come from. There were a lot of people standing there. I couldn’t imagine any of them doing that. Then it hit me. Annabelle. I knew it was her. Who else? No one hated me like she did, as far as I knew anyway. Oh my god, was she ever going to pay for that.

  I stopped briefly at the foot of the stairs and removed my high heels. Then I practically ran up the stairs to my room, be damned my sore ankle. I just had to get out of there. Jackson was in hot pursuit. He followed me into my room. He had never been in my room before, but it didn’t seem to phase him.

  “I want to be alone,” I told him as I sat on my bed with my hands over my face, still trying not to cry.

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay.” He seemed to genuinely feel bad for me.

  “I’ll live.” I burst into tears, despite my resolve not to. I didn’t expect that. I really didn’t want to cry in front of Jackson, didn’t want to show him I was weak. But, I couldn’t help it. They just came flooding out.

  He sat on the bed next to me and put his arms around me. I let him.

  I just needed someone to hold me at that moment. It felt really nice. I must have cried for ten minutes straight. Jackson just sat there with me and didn’t say a word. He reached over to my nightstand a couple of times to hand me tissues.

  I finally looked up at him. “You’re getting icing all over your nice tux,” I told him, through my sobs. It was definitely ruined.

  He looked down at his clothes. “I don’t care. That’s not important right now. You are the one I’m worried about.”

  “You know, I didn’t trip. Someone pushed me,” I told him. I was still crying, but starting to calm down.

  “I know.”

  “What? You know? Did you see who did it?” I suddenly stopped crying.

  “Yes, it was Annabelle. I saw the whole thing. Just as you were leaning toward the cake to take your piece, she shoved you. Then she disappeared during the commotion.”

  “That bitch! I’m going to get even with her!” I was furious at Jackson’s confirmation that Annabelle was the responsible party, and completely forgot that I was just crying my eyes out.

  “She deserves anything you throw at her for that one. Lord help her now.” He didn’t sound like he felt sorry for her at all.

  Jackson stayed a few minutes more, then he left. He said he would let everyone know that they could stay if they wanted, but I was not coming back down. I didn’t know if I would ever go down those stairs again. Even though it wasn’t my fault, I didn’t know if I could ever face anyone again.

  I stayed in my room the rest of the night. Sarah came up at one point to check on me, but I didn’t see anyone else. She only stayed a minute. Seems like consoling her daughter on the worst day of her life was not Sarah’s thing.

  Why in the world was I here? I thought. Don’t they know that I want to go back home? I want to be with my grandparents. I want to be with Charlie. I hated it and would find a way to get back to my real home.

  Chapter 14

  The morning after the party I went in for breakfast, late as usual, and only Sarah and Adam were there.

  “Where’s Jackson?” I asked. I really did want to see him for a change. I wanted to thank him for his kindness the night before. I don’t think I would have survived it without him.

  “He left early this morning to go back to school,” Sarah informed me.

  “What?” I was surprised. “I didn’t know it was time for him to go back already.” I tried to hide my disappointment.

  “He’ll be back for Christmas,” she told me.

  I had wasted so much time being rude to Jackson, and ignoring him, that I didn’t see that he wasn’t so bad. I had missed my chance to be friends with him. It was going to be months until he was back. I was actually upset and it was written all over my face.

  “Madison, are you okay after what happened last night? How’s your ankle? Jackson said you twisted it,” Adam asked me.

  “I’m fine. My ankle is a little sore, but it’s ok.” I was still embarrassed, but I tried to sound brave. I wanted it to look like it didn’t bother me at all.

  “What happened?” Sarah asked.

  “You were there. You saw it.”

  “I mean, how did it happen?”

  I didn’t want to tell them that Annabelle pushed me. I wanted to get even by myself, on my own terms. Annabelle would be ever so sorry she messed with me.

  “I guess I just tripped. I’ve always been a klutz.” I tried to sound nonchalant.

  “Well, you’re certainly the talk of the town now, I’m sure,” Sarah responded. She wasn’t joking and seemed kind of pissed off about it.

  “Who cares. I don’t give a damn what people think of me. You shouldn’t either,” I told her. I meant it too. I was embarrassed, but ultimately it didn’t matter what they thought.

  I changed the subject. “Do you know why my grandparents didn’t come to the party last night? It doesn’t sound at all like something they would do.”

  Adam hesitated, then replied. “Madison I need to tell you the truth. I didn’t want to last night because I didn’t want to ruin the evening. But, I never invited them.”

  “What? How could you do that!” I jumped out of my seat. It was my turn to be pissed off.

  “Just calm down. I want to explain.”

  I sat back down and glared at him. It was the least I could do after he blatantly lied to me.

  “The detective on the kidnapping case still believes that those people had something to do with taking you. Unfortunately they can’t prove it. He has told them though, that if they have any contact with you, he will put them in jail. He said he will find something to keep them there. So, they have agreed not to contact you in any way. That’s why you haven’t heard from them, and why they didn’t come to your party last night.”

  “That’s not fair. They didn’t kidnap me, Abbey did. Why should they be punished for something they didn’t do?”

  “Look, Madison, there’s no point in arguing about it anymore. It’s done with. They have agreed not to contact you, so that’s that.” Adam was done discussing it, I could tell.

  I needed answers. So, after breakfast I went straight to my room and after searching for a few minutes, found the business card I was looking for. I dialed the number.

  When the dispatcher answered the phone, I asked for Sam Perez. She put me right through, without even asking my name.

  “Perez,” he said when he picked up the phone.

  “Mr. Perez, this is Madison Harris. I mean Tyler. Do you remember me?”

  He didn't hesitate for a second. “Madison, of course I remember you. Please call me Sam. How have you been?”

  “Okay, I guess. I wanted to ask you about my grandparents. Adam said that they are not allowed any contact with me and that you still think they kidnapped me. Is that true?”

  He thought for a moment. I�
��m sure he was contemplating exactly how to lie to me too. They all lied to me.

  “Well, Madison, I like you, so I’m going to tell you the truth. Leland and Rosemary Harris are still suspects. But, between you and me, I don’t think they were in on it. I think Abbey lied to them. They were duped, just like everyone else.”

  He kind of surprised me. That was not the answer I expected at all. It was nice to know that someone believed me.

  “I know she lied to them,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. “They’ve always been honest with me when it comes to Abbey.”

  “You cannot tell anyone I told you this,” Sam added. “As far as everyone else is concerned your grandparents knew about it the whole time. So, at this moment my hands are tied. Until I can prove different, they are suspects and are not allowed any access to you.”

  I started crying. Ugh, that seemed like all I did anymore.

  Sam stayed quiet for a few moments, just to let me cry, I guess. “Sweetheart, I know this is hard for you. But, please be patient. I’ve been working on your case almost exclusively and am determined to find out the truth. I even have a couple of leads on Abbey.”

  “What do you mean? Is she still alive?” He had my full attention then as I wiped away my tears with the sleeve of my shirt.

  “I didn’t say that. I just don’t know right now. I’ll let you know as soon as I do. I’ll call you, okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you,” I said quietly.

  I was somewhat depressed after that. I didn’t have my grandparents, or Charlie to talk to anymore. And even Jackson was gone. I certainly couldn’t hang out with Annabelle. I was all alone.

  A few weeks after my party, Adam found me walking around on the grounds and waved me over to him. I spent a lot of time walking around. It was a beautiful estate and I enjoyed my solitary walks. It took me a couple minutes to get to where he was waiting for me.

  “Madison, I have bad news,” he said to me when I reached him. “I got a call from one of the detectives on the case and he told me that Leland passed away last night.”

  It took a moment to register what he said.

  “Oh my god, Grandpa died? What happened?” I was starting to tear up.

  “Apparently he had a heart attack. I guess it was pretty quick.” He seemed genuinely sorry for my loss.

  My knees buckled under me. Adam lunged and caught me before I hit the ground. He held me for a few minutes while I cried.

  “I need to go see my grandmother,” I told him through my tears.

  “Sorry, but no. I can’t let you do that.”

  There was no need for me to argue with him because I knew that I was going to go, one way or another. He was not going to stop me. I just couldn’t let my grandma go through it alone. I needed to be there. Adam walked with me to my room, afraid I was going to pass out. He sat me down on my bed, wrapped a blanket around me, then he left me alone.

  I spent hours crying alone in my room. I had never really lost anyone like that before. Abbey didn’t count because I never really knew her. Besides I didn’t even know for sure that she was dead. What I felt with my grandfather’s death was a suffocating sadness. It almost felt like I couldn’t breathe at times. I was just devastated. I realized that I never got to say good-bye to him. I hadn’t seen him during the last few months of his life, and I would never see him again. What would I do without him? He had been there for me my whole life, was the only father I had ever known for 13 years, and now he was gone. It was all new to me and I couldn’t see how people survived such a terrible thing.

  At dinner that night I didn’t say a word to anyone. They knew I was in deep mourning and just left me alone. I actually appreciated that. There’s no way I could’ve carried on a conversation with anyone at that time.

  After dinner I went to the stables and talked to Walter, one of the stable hands. He was a nice older man that had always been really nice to me. We had gotten kind of close since I arrived. He always listened to my troubles without judging. He seemed kind of like a grandpa to me, which I needed badly. After we talked, I went to my room and packed. I hid my suitcase in the storage room behind my closet, in case someone came into my room. I tried to get some sleep, but it wouldn’t come. So, I just laid there thinking about my grandma and hoping someone was there with her. I was so afraid that she was at home, completely alone for the first time in her life.

  Around midnight, after everyone had gone to bed, it was time. I grabbed my suitcase, went downstairs to Adam’s office and took eleven hundred dollars from his desk drawer. I had known for months that he kept some cash in there, because I saw it one day when I went looking for a pen for school. I planned to pay him back. I was not a thief. But, this was important and I really needed it right then.

  I sneaked out of the house and ran down to the stables where Walter was waiting in his truck. I had only asked him to take me to the bus station, but he insisted that, and I quote: “There’s no way on god’s green earth I am letting you ride the bus all by yourself.” So he drove me all the way to my grandma’s house. Then he waited until Grandma opened the door. It was very early morning by then, and I saw him pull away from the curb and head down the street.

  Chapter 15

  “Oh, Madison, it’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you so much!” She hugged me so tight I could barely breath. I didn’t have to say anything.

  “Come in, come in.” She took my suitcase and ushered me into the house.

  “I heard about Grandpa,” I said as she put down my suitcase. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

  “I know, sweetie, me neither. Come sit. Do you want some tea?” Everyone that entered the house was always offered tea. It was kind of a weird feeling. This used to be my house, now I was the one being offered the tea.

  She made us both a hot cup of tea and we sipped it as we talked until dawn. I told her all about Adam and Sarah, and the mansion, and everything that had happened since I arrived. She had no idea what I had been going through.

  I was exhausted and Grandma could see it in my face. “Sweetheart, you’ve been up all night, why don’t you go take a nap? I have some things I need to do regarding your grandfather anyway.”

  “I want to help.”

  “I know. You can help later. Go rest now.” She made a waving motion with her hands, that said ‘go on now.’ So I went.

  It was really nice being back in my own bed. They hadn’t changed a thing. It was all exactly as I left it. I felt like a small child again back at home in my very own room. It was heaven.

  I couldn’t fall asleep immediately. Too much on my mind, I guess. I spent a while just thinking about the enormity of it all. How someone can be in your life and then be gone, poof, forever. And you will never ever see them again. How do people get through it? How do they get through the day knowing that the person they love most in the world will never be there again? Will never see them fall in love or get married? Will never see them have children? Will never see them grow old? It was the most horrible feeling I have ever had.

  A few hours later I awoke, feeling refreshed, but still very sad. I showered and dressed and went to the kitchen. Grandma was cooking up something that smelled heavenly.

  “Here, eat something,” she said as she was scooping scrambled eggs and bacon onto my plate.

  “Wow, this looks great,” I told her, and devoured every last morsel. I didn’t realize how hungry I had been.

  “Grandma, do you mind if I go over and see Charlie?”

  “No dear, go ahead. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

  When I got to Charlie’s house, I knocked. His mother came to the door and said he was in school. I had forgotten it was a school day. I asked her to send him over to my grandma’s house as soon as he got back from school, but not to tell him why. I wanted it to be a surprise.

  A couple of hours later, I heard a knock on the front door and went to answer it. When I opened the door, Charlie freaked.

  “Oh my god, what are you doing h
ere!” he yelled in excitement. He rushed in the door and squeezed me tight. People really needed to stop doing that. I was going to break a rib. But I really didn’t mind.

  “I came to be here for my grandfather’s funeral.” He let me go.

  “Oh, yeah. I’m sorry about that. He was such a nice man.” He gave me that ‘I’m so sorry for your loss’ face that I was going to get to know quite well.

  “Thanks. Come in. I’ll get us some sodas.”

  Charlie and I talked all afternoon. It was like we hadn’t been apart all those months. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him. I spent the next hour telling him all about the party and all the people, and me landing face first into the lavender cake. Charlie burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny.” I hit him in the arm. I was kind of laughing too at that point.

  “Sorry. I was just picturing you falling on top of the cake, in front of everyone. I’m sure it wasn’t funny then, but it is now.” We were both laughing hysterically by then.

  The next day, I went with Grandma to the funeral home to finish all of the arrangements. Charlie tagged along. Grandma didn’t mind. She always loved Charlie. When we returned to the house, Grandma went inside and Charlie and I stood outside talking. We were making plans to meet up later and maybe go into town for a while. As we hugged good-bye, we didn’t notice the fancy sports car drive up. All I know is that Charlie was jerked out of my arms and I saw Jackson pounding on him. Charlie was taken so off guard that he didn’t even have a chance to defend himself.

  “Stop it! Jackson, stop!” I screamed, while trying to pull him off of Charlie.

  “Stay away from her!” Jackson was yelling at Charlie.

  Jackson had Charlie on the ground and was kicking him. I shoved Jackson as hard as I could. He was thrown off balance and fell to the ground. At that point I got between him and Charlie.