“Why didn’t you call?” my mother’s voice on the other line.

“Oh I totally forgot! Sorry,” I half meant it.

“Well how was your day at school?” she always asks this question even though she already knows the answer to it.

“Just fine. That white van is still over at the church.” I got chills.

“Yes I noticed that too, they’re probably on a vacation.”

“But when you’re on vacation, aren’t you supposed to leave? There are people in that van mom, doesn’t that creep you out?” I asked. By this time I found myself in my sister’s room peeking through the blinds to see the van. Only It wasn’t there, it was in our drive way. “Mom the van is in our drive-way!” I whispered. Then I heard footsteps...in the entryway. “I think there’s someone in our house!”

“Ok just calm down and think. You can go find out for sure or hide until I’m home” she joked but sounded calm; it just made me more scared. I couldn’t find my voice so I decided to hide under the bed.

“Look everywhere, she has to be in here.” I heard someone whisper. It was a heavy accent and a male’s voice, I tried to think calmly.

“Honey are you still there?” my mom asked.

“Of course I am, but please whisper, I don’t want them to hear me!” there was a bed skirt that made me blind in knowing what or who was or wasn’t in the room.

“Oh, you’re just hallucinating or something. You’re fine, now I have a client…”someone cut the phone line. I got out my cell phone and called my mom again. While it was ringing I could hear something. Then someone lifted the bed skirt up and said “found her.” somebody grabbed my feet and I screamed right as my mom picked the phone up again. I was screaming my lungs out until I received a punch in the stomach that made me throw up and drop my cell phone. I tried to fight back but couldn’t. There were too many! They put a needle in my arm and I got really sleepy all of a sudden. Only I didn’t entirely go under. I was put into a bag, carried and shoved into what I could only guess was the white van. I no longer had my cell phone, I was in a bag, and
I was kidnapped.

When I woke I couldn’t see anything. I tried to get up but couldn’t move. My hands were tied in the back, and I had a rag tied around my mouth. I screamed until someone came and knocked me across the head.

When I woke again I was in a box. My hands were tied but I could hear someone speaking in a different language, the weird thing was, I could understand them.

“She’s not what I expected, that’s for sure.” it sounded like Chinese but I wasn’t entirely sure.

“Yes, he will be very glad we have fulfilled out his request.” so far two people.

“Put more gas in there, I want her to be asleep when we land” land? Am I on a plane? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been on one. And then I was asleep.

I woke to a blinding light on my face and a bag being lifted off of my head. I blinked trying to dispel the black spots I was seeing. I finally just squinted. “You are probably wondering where you are right now? Am I correct?” someone was talking, definitely foreign but speaking in English. I nodded. There was a slap on my face and instant pain “you will answer me! Now are you wondering were you are?”

I was scared, mad and my cheek hurt. But I knew not answering was the wrong choice. “Yes, I am”

Another slap, “you are what?” the same voice asked.

“I am wondering where I am right now.” I said through choked back tears.

“Very good, you will learn. I will tell you where you are Christina,” he knows my name; “you are in my facility in North Korea. You have something I need and I intend on getting it.” so these people aren’t Chinese, they’re Korean.

“I’m sorry; I don’t know what you are talking about.” I was shoved out of the chair I was sitting in and then dragged to who knows where.

“You do not speak unless I tell you to. Now tie her up there and start with it.” my hands were free and I punched whatever I could find. “Tie her up quickly! And as for you,” he grabbed my hair and yanked, I fell to the floor. “Just for that you’ll get 50," what is he talking about? I was pulled up, my arms stretched out and buckled to some metal strap. The same was done to my feet. Then there was silence. I was hanging there, helpless. Whip instant pain went through my body. Whack again, then again and again. I could feel blood crawling down my back. My shirt was still on but it didn’t soak anything up. Wham I was being whipped. After what I could only count as 10 my back was numb, the next 40 where still painful. One caught my arm and I cried out. I was soaked by the time whoever was doing their job was done. I was untied and I could hardly move. Someone from behind poked me with what I think was the end of a gun. I fainted and collapsed but woke a couple minutes later to realizing I was being carried. Too tired to walk I feigned indifference. I was put face down on a table and someone put something on my back. It felt good and it made me sigh.

“Hmm. Interesting” said a voice. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can hear you,” I said with my eyes closed.

“Does that feel good?” he asked.

“Yes, very much, thank you. “ I had to please these people, my enemies.

“It should, and you shouldn’t speak so kindly. I might go easy on you” this guy sounded sincere.

“I can only hope” I replied. That was the first conversation I had with, what I call my only friend in this prison.

I woke laying face down on something cold. Cement maybe? I don’t know I couldn’t see anything. I felt around and found I was in a cell. Only this one was square with no bars, just something that locked in a repelling smell and I couldn’t stand the tight space. There was nothing but a door with no handle. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I heard footsteps and a doggy door opened, there was a roll and some water. I ate the stale roll and drank the half filled cup.

“I wouldn’t eat all of that at one time” the voice with the food said. Why? I wondered but didn’t ask. I finished in maybe a minute and was bored. I was glad I wasn’t being whipped but I was still bored. I did what first came to mind. I cried. Until I had no tears left.

I thought back to when I ran away from home. I found what I thought were homeless people and decided I’m one of them now so I can talk to them. Only they weren’t homeless people, they were a gang. A mean one too. They stole everything I had and left me with a black eye and a broken finger. I ran away from them into what was actually called a homeless village. It was behind a Wal-Mart and the people were kind. They took me in and at the end of each night they would all share whatever they had gotten that day with the others. They made a fire and we all sat around it. This mother with two kids put an arm around me and asked me to share my story. I didn’t know what she meant until it hit me. The story of how I became homeless. I told them everything; it was good to just let it flow with no worries of offending anyone. I was there for one month. Those people were my truest first friends I had at the time.

I thought of my family. Of my three younger siblings, I didn’t play with them, or really talk to them. That is one thing I regret, not getting to know them better. Lisa was my best friend. She had been through all that high school drama and was always there for me. I was proud of Michael going on a mission; he had turned down a road that led him into doing drugs and hanging with the wrong crowd. But then his seminary teacher really helped him and now he’s a repented man of 24 and decided to go on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My mom said I love you every morning, I didn’t say it back. If I ever get the chance to say that to her one more time, I would. My dad is a great man, moving because of me, it was hard. But he did it, that’s how good of a parent he is. I’ve never thanked him for everything he’s done. I will someday.

The door opened and I stood. They motioned for me to come and I walked forward; stopped so they could tie my hands and walked me down a really long dark hallway. They put a bag over my head and I was pushed down on what I think was a bed. I was knocked out.

When I woke I heard voices, everything hurt. There were scratches all over my body and my mouth was dry. My stomach growled and I wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Only I couldn’t show weakness I decided. The bag was lifted off my head and there was a blinding light like before. I think I was in the same room. I looked down and found I had different clothes on then what I had before. “Are you going to tell me what you know?” the same voice, let’s call him Drew, from the first interrogation.

“What do you want to know?” I asked. Wham in the stomach. Ok what am I supposed to say to him?

“You are not, oh what do you call it? A quick of the learning? Look you have been away from home for one week now and it is just going to get worse. We’ll let you sleep now but I would be cautious,” one week? Seriously? It felt longer. “Only do 30 today.” I know what that means, whipping. I stood up and they guided me to the whipping. I recognized his face, he was the same as before and also had the same voice as the food voice. He got me from my cell. So he’s the one that brings things somewhere. That thing being me and food. Let’s call him Steve. Steve tied me up and the pain began . Only it didn’t hurt this time. It felt good. My back had been stinging and when the whip made contact it was instantly numb. No more pain. I wasn’t going to tell them that it felt good though. Steve brought me to the soothing place and Luke put meat on my back. So that’s what made it feel so good, raw meat.

“So do you like working here?” I was tired of not talking to anyone, even if I was shy.

“I do not want to answer that.” Luke replied. Well fine! I wasn’t going to try to talk to him anymore today, maybe tomorrow. I think I had been here an hour when Steve showed up to take me to my cell.

“Can I ask you a question?” I asked him. No answer. I asked anyway, “do you think I could get a Book of Mormon by chance? Or the Bible?”no answer, yet again. He opened my cell door, didn’t untie my hands and closed the door. I lay with my back against the concrete, the coolness soothes it tremendously. I started thinking again. Why? Why is this happening to me? I didn’t do anything to deserve this! I cried myself to sleep.

The next day, I think, there was no way of telling in this place, I woke to the door opening and a boot bumping my leg. I stood up, it was Steve. I was going somewhere. He handed or rather dropped a book and a flashlight at my feet I went down and tried to grab it but couldn’t. I looked up, using my best begging face and he untied my hands. I waited until he left. I turned on the flashlight and found it was a Bible! It was in Korean. Darn it. I opened the first page and found myself reading Genesis 1. It was weird and what I think would be called gift of tongues. I read until Steve came again. I marked my Bible and stood up, turned around to be tied and found nothing. I looked at Steve but it wasn’t him. It was Luke. I was confused but he gave me a roll, closed the door and ran. I ate it naturally and went back to reading, thinking nothing of the kindness.

I had fallen asleep and was awaken by Steve yet again kicking my leg with his boot. I stood and turned around, he tied my hands and we walked the dark hallway. It was becoming familiar. I looked down and found I was wearing my clothes again. Weird, I thought I was wearing something else. We went in a room with a giant tank in it. Oh no, I
hate swimming! Steve sat me down in a chair.

Drew spoke, shocker! “Alright if you answer a question wrong, well, you will find out what happens.” he laughed. “Do you like your reading?”

“Yes I do, thank you.” I replied through gritted teeth. For some reason I hated him, I wonder why?

“Do you know what happened on October 11th?” he asked.

I thought, he didn’t give me a year! Then it hit me. “My brother died.” I responded.

“Yes very good. What was I doing?” he asked.

Seriously? I had no clue what he was doing and he was making me mad. How did he know about my brother? “I don’t know, were you torturing someone?” he grabbed my head and shoved it into the tank filled with water. I couldn’t hold my breathe for much longer!

He took my head out, I gasped and he put it back in there. He did this 5 more times. Each time longer than the one before. I sat gasping for air when he was done drowning me.

“You will not smart mouth me Christina!” he yelled in my face. “Take her and give her 70 this time! She has a lesson that is needing to be learned.”

Steve pulled me up and we walked out a different door then the one we came in at. When we arrived to the whipping he untied my hands then put them into the metal devices. I braced myself for the first one and it didn’t hurt, yet again.