Annie was a thirteen year old girl who lived in a small trailer park with her ninety five year old grandmother. When Annie had turned two, she was kidnapped by her grandfather and grandmother. But she didn’t know this. They told her that her parents died in a car accident. Her grandparents weren’t her real grandparents. She was just told that. When Annie turned seven her grandfather who she loved very much died of cancer. She used to do everything with her grandfather. Work on old cars and fix them up to sell, make furniture for people, build small sheds and barns with him. He taught her how to be handy just like himself. The only thing Annie ever wondered about was why her grandparents kept her from everything. She was home schooled, she couldn’t do any sports or activities, she couldn’t go anywhere but the trailer.
“Grandma, for my birthday I want to go to the small fair in town.” “Annie that is not a good idea. Why don’t we just do something nice at home? Presents, a cake, maybe a piñata?” “Grandma, I’m not little any more. I want to do something for a change. How am I going to get hurt, or in trouble?” “Annie, it is very complicated. If you only knew the beginning of it.” “Grandma, you have kept me from doing anything for eleven years other than at home. I want to try new things. Play sports, have friends, and do things.” “Annie, you have many friends, and you get whatever you want!” “Who are my friends?” “Mrs. Alice, Mrs. Peabody, that little girl Sammy.” “Grandma, they are not my friends. They are just people I can do something with when I’m bored and don’t even say hi to me if they see me anywhere else. I want real friends who invite you to their house, or say “Hey lets go to the fair”, not people who just live in the trailer complex!” “I do see your point. But I don’t know. Sometimes leaving you somewhere makes me just so nervous that someone will see you and call the-.” She stopped mid sentence. “Call who?” “That’s not what I meant. I meant someone would take you away.” “Grandma, you’re lying. What were you talking about?” “Never mind the matter. Yes you may go to the fair. Now here is one hundred dollars. Keep it safe and don’t talk to anyone you don’t know.” “Fine. Thanks.”
Annie grabbed her backpack and ran out the door and jumped on her bicycle. She rode for about a mile until she got to town. It was wonderful. She had only been here once before when her grandfather had to build a shed for someone. She saw large tents, and rides. The air smelled of popcorn, and fried dough, and hamburgers and soda. She locked her bike on the bike rack, and headed into the fair. She bought a ticket. As she took the ticket from the man at the boot, he looked at her with an odd look. Annie quickly looked down and said “Thanks.” Very quietly. She first went to the tilt-a-whirl. She saw girls her age laughing and talking with their friends. She got stuck sitting next to two very girly girls who wouldn’t stop whispering about her and laughing at her. “So, where do you go to school?” they sneered. “I am home schooled.” The girls laughed. “Aren’t you that girl whose grandparent keep you locked up in that funny little trailer?” “Umm… no.” she lied.” “Oh, well you sure look like her.” The girls let out a high pitched scream as they spun around and around. Finally when the ride was over the two girls left. She went on a bunch of rides, until she realized she had been gone from home for three hours and she had been on every ride in the fair and her grandmother was going to kill her. As she walked out of the park she noticed a piece of paper tacked to a telephone wire pole. She could see “WANTED” from a few feet away. She walked over to it and read it.
“Wanted; two elderly people in possession of a girl Annie Smith. Kidnapped in 1999. D.O.B; January 3rd, 1997. Believed to still be alive. To give any information come to West Central police station. REWARD.
Annie heart pounded, and her head spun. That was her name, and her date of birth. Who were her so called “Grandparents?” What should she do?” She walked to her bicycle, and unlocked it. She turned left toward the police station. West Central Police Station was about two miles from there. She could have just taken the bus but she couldn’t think straight. Her parents must still be alive. Just then a horn blared, and she noticed her grandmother coming towards her in the car. “Annie, I have been looking for you all over the place. Why aren’t you headed home?” “Well I was just going to take a detour I know. I got bored so I figured I would go the couple extra mile way.” Well put your bike in the back, and get in. It’s time for you to eat and go to bed.” Annie put her bike and helmet in the back of the pick-up truck. Then she got in the front seat. “I told you I didn’t want you going to the fair and then I let you and you go for four hours! What kind of behavior is that?” “Grandma, why are you so mad at me? You didn’t give me a time limit, and I was just having a good time.” “Annie, don’t you start with me. You know I don’t like you out to long because you could see something, or hear something that is not true that would take you leave me, or someone could take you away.” “You know, I could never see why you made me hide from the world until what I saw tonight.” “What did you see?” “That you are just mean like this!” She heard her grandmother mumble under her breath. Then she sighed. “Annie, I know you want to have your own free little world where you get to do everything you want but until I die you are under my rule. I keep you in only for you true safety. And that’s the end of the conversation.” The rest of the way home was silent. Annie was scared now that she knew the truth about her grandparents. When she got home she had some rice and went to bed.
When Annie heard her grandmother snoring, she crawled out of her bed and turned on her bedroom light. She grabbed an empty backpack and put a few pairs of clothes in it, and a small blanket. A picture of her mom and dad rest on the night table behind her and she put it in the bag. She zipped it up, and put it on. She slowly walked out of her room and down the stairs and out the front door. She had no idea where she was going. The police office was closed at this time of night other than for emergencies. She walked down her road, away from town. She had never been past her own house before. She walked for about ten minutes, and it started pouring. Thunder rumbled loudly and lightning lit up the entire sky. She needed to find shelter fast. She kept walking, until she saw a barn. She ran until she saw a house, and a car in the driveway. She would sleep in the barn and leave early in the morning. She went into the barn and the lights flicked on. She saw at least ten horses in stalls. They all whinnied. She looked around. She saw a stall door that was wide open. She went into it, and changed her soaking wet clothes and hung them up over the open door. She lay down in the hay and slowly drifted off to sleep. She decided that she would get up very early the next morning and run away from here. The next morning someone shook her. She bolted up, to see a woman in her mid twenties smiling at her. “Hello, why are you here?” “Well, it’s a long story.” The woman sat down. “I have plenty of time to listen.” “Well when I was young I was told my parents had died in a car accident, and I was taken in by my grandparents. I found out my parent didn’t die, and my so called grandparents are just two old people who kidnapped me.” “Oh my gosh!” “Yes, it’s a very complicated matter. I need to turn myself into the police. But I knew if I headed towards town my grandmother would find me.” “Well I could take you.” “No thanks, I can get there on my own.” “Are you sure?” “Well I do need to get there, but I don’t want to burden you.” “Trust me it wouldn’t be a burden, but you could repay me.” “Sure! How?” “Well I am looking to hire a farm hand, just to train the horses, feed them, help around the house stuff like that.” “I would definitely like to do that. It would be a fun job!” “Good, let’s take you down to the police station and get this straightened out.” Annie got in the woman’s car, and they drove into town to the police station. They went in and went up to the front desk. The minute that they saw Annie, they knew exactly why she was there. “Are you Annie Smith?” “Yes, I am. I came to let you know I am ok, and I want to see my parents.” “Annie, we are going to need to ask you a few questions.” “Alright, but first I want you to call my parents and have them come here.” The man turned around and called information to find my parents number. Apparently they lived in Vermont. “Hello, is this the residence of Annie Smith’s parents?” the man asked. There was a short pause. “Well we just got her. You need to come here immediately.” The man hung up. “They will be here in about three hours.” They took her into an interrogation room and asked her many questions. Finally, her parents were there. Annie was nervous. She hadn’t seen her parents for many years. As she walked out she saw a couple in their thirties standing, looking worried. The woman was tall and blond, and the man was tall with dark brown hair. Her parents. They looked at her. ‘Oh my god, is that you Annie?” “Mom, yes.” Her mom and dad ran to her and hugged her. “I never thought I would see you again” her mom said. “Same here” said Annie. Her dad smiled. “I can’t believe we have you back.” The police asked them a bunch of questions. Annie heard the door to the police station open, and saw them bringing in the woman that was her grandmother. “You little rat!” she yelled through the glass door. Annie smiled. She knew she no longer had to worry about anyone taking her. “Mom, Dad, this lady was nice enough to bring me here, and to repay her I need to work at her barn for a while.” “That’s good” said Annie’s mom. “Annie, we have decided since you have friends here, we will move here. So that will work out perfectly.” “Thank you so much for bringing her here!” “Oh, no problem.” Three months later, after Annie and her parents had moved, she began working at the farm. She did that until she graduated from high school, training many horses, doing chores. After she graduated the owner of the farm died, and left the farm to Annie. She went to college to be a horse trainer, and ran a small riding school for children. And when she died, her daughter Sarah inherited it. And that, is the end of the story.