Teen Ink

Chapter 7

My leg was cramped, light rain fell through the shrouded forest, and I was stiff. I tried to talk, but my lack of water tightened my throat, letting no words drip from my lips. I swallowed, trying to wetted my parched throat, but it was of no use. Darkness enfolded the forest like a curtain, and I whimpered, ghostly shadows flitting through my vision. I glanced up into the night sky, small beacons of light casting miniscule amounts of radiance in the deadened forest. I couldn’t stop shivering and shaking, my clothes thoroughly soaking as they clung to my body. My teeth shattered loudly, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I would die from hypothermia.... or if some wild beast would find me. I sat up, my leg still pinned under half of the tree that I now lay in front of. I tried to push it off of me, but couldn’t manage, the brute of the weight pinning me down. I sat there, frightened to the bone, helpless to do anything but A-cry, or B-sit there and wait...wait to be rescued...wait to die. So I settled to do both, and it didn’t help that I had to pee. I managed to make my watch glow, and I read the time. 8:47, my mother must be worried as hell. I tried to shift my weight, but found that my butt was asleep, and the extra movement did not help my bladder situation. I had to pee really badly, but I wasn’t exactly accustomed to peeing my pants at the age of 16. I swallowed again, and then opened my mouth, trying to catch water and dampen my throat so that I could at least yell. Horror stories filled my head, of murderers and other creepy guys that wandered forests alone at night, devouring their prey, or at least making the prey wish they were dead. Chills ran up and down my arms, and I couldn’t help but scare myself as I looked around at every shadow, and heard every sound. Why had I watched scary movies again? Oh right, because Jasper loved them...Jasper. The name caught in my throat, and I couldn’t help but curse him. He was the one who had gotten me into this mess in the first place. After 10 minutes I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I have to admit, I pissed myself. When you are already wet and miserable, not much can beat a little bit of warmth running down your legs, as disgusting as that sounds. At least I couldn’t smell it...yet. I swallowed again, and tried to yell, but what do you yell? I didn’t exactly know if there was a search party for me, and I couldn’t exactly say that I was looking for Jasper, so I started to scream, “Help” the only logical thing that seemed to fit. “HELP! HELP!” My voice was weak at first, but seemed to warm up as I began to put it into exercise. My screams ricocheted in the night air, and I tried to keep screaming, but thirst overwhelmed me, immediately shutting me up…saliva really doesn’t help much when you are thirsty and can feel the rain, and hear streams running nearby, but cannot possibly reach it. I lay there, staring blankly at the dark forest, and tried to wait, my butt growing anesthetized by the second. I wanted to sleep, but dared not close my eyes, for fear of what could happen in the night. Hours passed, and I waited, until sometime in my stupor, I heard footsteps, and then a light, shining in my face. I looked up, fear tightening my throat, what new form of hell could this be? But it was Jasper, his face pale and anxious.
“Jordan…” His voice came out like a whisper, and suddenly he was pushing the log off of me, and I was in his arms. Kisses feathered my forehead, and I could hear his voice speaking to someone. “Yes, I’ve got her…um, let me check…” His cold fingers raced along my vitals, checking my head, my arms, my legs for injuries. “She’s cold, blankets would definitely be good, and she should probably go to the hospital.” He placed a hand under my head, and continued, “her ankle’s broken, but that was from before, other than that her leg should be looked at. I found her pinned under a tree…yessir…I will be right there.” Within minutes, he had us out of the forest, and men I had never seen before except one suddenly surrounded me.
“Daddy?” My voice broke, as I strove to see him amidst the searchlights, and the flashing lights from the ambulance. Within seconds he was by my side, holding me in his arms.
“It’s okay honey, I got you.” Compassion floated in his eyes, but I could see the hidden rage beneath them. “You lie still now, and be a good girl for daddy, okay?” He talked to me like I was three, but I didn’t mind. He was here. I managed a slight nod, and then I was being placed on a stretcher. People blurred past me, and I struggled to keep awake, as I heard my father’s angry voice behind me.
“…I gave you one order: protect her at all times. That was the only thing I asked, and I come here to find this? My daughter, not only has a broken ankle, but a broken leg as well? How do you explain this? You told me you had it all together, that you didn’t need another guard.” His voice was low and deadly soft.
“I know sir, I…”
“You WHAT? You broke a direct order, and it was a simple one: Protect her. You could have kept her in house arrest if that’s what it took, but no, this occurs.’
“Sir, she’s your daughter. You don’t pen her like an animal, she needed to be free.” Jasper’s voice was determined, and I tried to look at them, but couldn’t quite turn that far.
“Don’t try to teach me how to raise my daughter. My goal is to keep her safe, not have her bleeding like a dog like you have. You’re dismissed.”
“But sir.”
“I’ve made my decision.”
“Sir, you don’t understand her…”
“Like you do? If you truly understood her, you would’ve never used her like you did, you would have kept her safe at all times, and you didn’t.”