French Rose

Chapter 17

I guess it started when I was in my sophomore year of high school. I missed the Halloween party my school was throwing because I didn't have any gothic clothes or dark make up. Besides, I wasn't even a fan of the whole Halloween thing. I mean, getting to wear regular clothes everyday was so much work not to talk of wearing uncomfortable costumes. It was great to knock on people's doors to ask for candy and compete with your other friends but that was only memorable for those that got the opportunity to do so. I didn't.

So I decided to stay at home and rest all day from doing nothing at all. Anyways, I had no idea my family would try to do something so unexpected, an effort to make it up to me which is quite surprising cause I always knew when they were going to do something stupid.

My plans to spend all day sleeping and watching TV got ruined even before it started.

I got a hint right when I woke up to the house all decorated with spooky stuff and the whole family along with some close friends joined for breakfast but really, I didn't think much of it. My room was the only place that had not been decorated and that was because they knew I would flip out.

I slowly made my way upstairs like every other kid with a boring life and slept for what felt like a second when I heard a knock on the door.

I yelled 'what?' a couple of times and after no response, I decided to check it out myself. Well, I unlocked it and was immediately taken by two people in black masks.

I know, I know. It's extremely stupid I even though two men in masks could make it past the security and my family then kidnap me but whatever, I was frightened and that's the point. Period.

I screamed and was taken all the way to the basement where they kept me for ten minutes before letting me know it was a prank. I could've sworn it felt like five hours. I was tired, extremely hungry, sweaty and felt like I'd been deprived of everything good in life. I'm dramatic, get over it.

So I guess that's where my fear of kidnap started. Like, what if that was actually a real kidnap and they locked me up in that basement for days without food. I repeat, without food.

Maybe he was going to lock me up in there and starve me for weeks. Then I'll spend all my nights alone in dust and cobwebs and most importantly, without food.

Kidnapping was one thing I'd never thought would really happen to me, even when I heard the story of my mother's kidnap back when she was a little younger than my age. I didn't think much of it because she didn't have as much security as I did, protectuive parents or any bodyguards at all and besides, she had no self defense techniques which I was forced to learn when I was thirteen.

This is it guys, the time of my life I always dreaded. I didn't see it coming even when it was right in front of my eyes. Literally, I'd been in the same vehicle with my kidnapper for minutes while he drove me to wherever I was and I didn't see it. How could I have been so blind?

My father would be so disappointed.

Oh no, that explained why he insisted he'd drive me by himself and that we didn't need any escorts to avoid paparazzi. Stupid me, I thought it was the greatest idea in the world. I could die or get locked up in a room without food but at the end of the day, I knew how characters in movies could be so stupid to get kidnapped. That's one good thing, right?

"Here's my mother's restaurant Christina, I brought you here to have a regular French breakfast, do you remember?"

I know your trick boy, trying to be the nice kidnapper to trick me to do stuff. I did the first thing that clicked in my head, get out of the car. I unlocked the door before he got the chance to say a word and pushed it open like my life depended on it. It kinda did but whatever, I was going Jon Cena with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Seriously, if the vehicle was alive, it would beat the life out of me.

I didn't care if the car worth thousands of dollars, I was fighting for my life.

As soon as my feet hit the floor, I jumped out of the car and looked around. Then that's when I saw it and it all dawned on me. A couple, or whatever they were, was walking across the road smiling with their arms intertwined and saying stuff in French I didn't understand.

As if that wasn't enough to show me I'd done enough to embarrass myself, a grown woman walked out of a corner with a little girl I assumed to be her child holding hands as they walked towards our direction.

There I was, the dumbest being in the world.

I almost ruined the handle of my car and jumped out like I saw a spider and till that moment I realized there was nothing to panic about, he looked at me like I was crazy.

Well, I wouldn't say I wasn't.

Seconds passed and there was no escape from the embarrassment I'd put myself in. I was standing there like a fool and picking my nails like I'd not just imagine he drove me to a deserted building to kidnap me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not like this on a normal day, I promise so let's just ignore that ever happened"

"You thought I was going to kidnap you, didn't you?"

"What?" I laughed in embarrassment, my cheek muscles tight and burning red or probably my entire face cause I'd never felt so stupid in my life "That's so crazy"

"Oh really? Then why did you go all pale when you didn't notice the people on the streets?"

"I notice everything_"

"The same way you're noticing the woman taking pictures of you right across the road?"

Wow, he was good.

There really was a woman holding her phone up on the other side with flashes from the device directed at me. It was the woman with the kid in the uniform I saw earlier and she really stopped just to take pictures of me.

The child, which couldn't be more than eight years old, was smiling at me with two of her front teeth out.

I smiled back at both of them and slowly made my way back into car.

"Fine, I did think you were going to kidnap me but it's not entirely my fault. The streets looked empty when I first got here"

"I understand, I'd be just as scared if I had such a reputation"

"Well, there goes my hopes for breakfast, people will find their way here the moment lady make up over there posts the pictures"

"I think she'll not be the only one posting pictures, they're two other people now."

"Let's go home" I sank into my seat in disappointment, I'd imagine the food throughout the ride and I couldn't believe I was going to leave because of my own stupidity.

Another day in France ruined.

Lucas let out a very low and short chuckle and said "At least they're just three. We still have a lot of time to go somewhere else no one would know about"

"Yeah, somewhere like home. I could've just taken the chance to eat when I could, now I'm so hungry"

"This isn't the healthiest option but would you like McDonald's?"

"You have McDonald's here in Paris?"

"Yeah, a few blocks away actual_"

"Off to McDonald's!"