through the doorway, he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled widely. Then he took a moment to look at Charlie and then me before taking out a large pair of bifocals. If I was making a blind guess, I would have said this guy was one of my professors.
“Well,” he said to Charlie. “At least when you find a mess, you find a lovely one, don’t you, Charlie Boy?”
He walked towards me, and although he wasn’t as flamboyant as Polo, the same curiosity was there. “Hello there, my name is Ben Walden. What’s yours?”
I felt very much like a child and hated it in the extreme. My teeth clenched as I repeated his name over in my head. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it anywhere. When I looked back up I realized Charlie was also looking at me, and it made my stomach churn. But still, I kept my eyes on this new stranger when I answered.
“Addie Battes.”
Ben’s smile grew a little wider as he looked back at Charlie. “Of course you are.”
“My family isn’t wealthy,” I blurted out.
“Excuse me?” He stood up and leaned against the door frame. He looked more amused than ever.
“I don’t know anyone or anything, and I don’t even know where I am. You could just blindfold me and drop me off somewhere so neither of us is inconvenienced. There are many options here, gentlemen. I could tell my family I spontaneously went hitchhiking, so there was no crime even committed, no laws broken whatsoever.” I was babbling and I knew it. Even I could hear how pathetic it sounded, how desperate and menial. But at this point, I figured my chances were about fifty-fifty of getting killed, and frankly, I no longer knew if presenting a logical argument would increase or decrease the risk for survival.
Ben looked up at Charlie with some sort of musing on his face. They seemed to be communicating without saying anything. If it wasn’t for their severe differences in appearance, I would have thought they were brothers.
Then without warning, Ben started laughing. It was strange to hear such a high-pitched sound coming from such a serious-looking man. While I waited for the sound to stop, I noticed Charlie was smiling a little bit, too. Seeing him smile did something to my insides again and I had to look away.
Ben sighed and smacked his hands together. “Okay, kids, here is what we’ll do: we’ll attempt to remain with our plan. Then, in a few hours after we’ve gone, we’ll have some friends call the authorities about this lovely little thing.” He pointed in my direction with his thumb and then smacked his hands back and forth together. Again, I was reminded of an instructor wiping the chalk dust from his palms.
Charlie said nothing. He nodded and pulled another cigarette from his pocket and put it to his lips. I noticed his distinct hesitation to light it.
“Okay by you?” his words were oddly stifled by the cigarette.
I looked around me to make sure he was talking to me. I think the expression on my face is what made Ben Walden laugh. Was Charlie actually asking my opinion or was he merely being sarcastic?
“I’d prefer to go home right now.”
Both men laughed.
In all honesty, however, relief flooded through me. These people were talking about letting me go home, about allowing me to leave free and unharmed. I was overwhelmed with excitement at the prospect of being back in New Jersey (and how often does one say that?), in my room, in my bed, and above all else, safe. Just as some of these thoughts began to seep into me, another question entered my mind.
“Um, excuse me? Just how long am I going to be here?”
Smoke and murky sunlight filled the tiny once-upon-a-time kitchen. “’Till tomorrow,” Charlie answered.
My sigh was audible. “Okay.”
Ben removed his bifocals and formally placed them in the front pocket of his shirt. “I’ll have a talk with Wallace.”
Charlie scoffed and I saw the glimmer of something dark I had seen earlier. “If you don’t, then I’m gonna.” Although he smiled and saluted Ben jokingly as he walked away, there was nothing playful about his expression. I thought that maybe there was a threat implied somewhere, but knew better than to ask.
He left then, returning only a moment later with several bottles of water and a bag of chips. He sat next to me and crossed his legs, and although I still should have been