The Witness

Christmas

Things really started to look up between us again. With this new understanding and compromise between us, we didn't have any more issues in our relationship. The trust was strong between us. She trusted me not to break the rules and I trusted her not to go back on her word.

Even with all the homesickness and missing the holidays with my family, Dakota made it bearable. She made me happy. She made me forget all about the sad reality of my situation. I mean, by this point I was all in. I drank the Kool-Aid. I was her number one fan. This girl is a hero in my book. There were no more escape attempts or thoughts about escaping after this. I was ready to spend the rest of my days with her. Nothing she could do would make me hate her. Not that she would do anything to make me hate her.

If she had asked me to marry her, I would have said yes. She became my whole world, everything I am revolved around her. We revolved around each other. And that's a strange thing to witness because I was always raised up to never depend too much on someone. To be independent. Even when I was with BB we loved each other, but we also lived our own independent lives. We were never controlling of each other. We had boundaries.

With Dakota, there were no boundaries, and I didn't even care. She brought out something in me. This person who loves to be looked after and cared for. This clingy girl who is insecure about being alone for even a second.

To be honest I didn't even recognize myself when I looked in the mirror. I was so different from how I was before I met Dakota. I've changed, I can acknowledge that. And I'm still not sure if that change was for better or for worse.

This Melony Black. I don't know her. But I am her, and I'm not sure how to process that yet.

Christmas

I turn in bed to snuggle up to Dakota but no one is there. I open my eyes and she's gone. Where did she go? It's too early for her to go anywhere. I sit up and look around, panic flooding my body.

"Dakota!?" I call.

Silence.

I get up off the bed and look around the room, not in the bathroom, not in the closet. I walk out into the living room but all the lights are off, except the Christmas tree.

"Dakota!?" I shout louder.

Still only silence.

I look outside and it's dark out, it's supposed to rain today.

"Dakota where are you!?"

I don't like this. My heart is beating so fast as I wrap my arms around myself. It's so cold.

I walk upstairs to see if she's there, but it's dark and quiet up here too.

"Dakota?" my voice cracks.

Did she leave me?

I walk downstairs and look out the front window, her car is gone.

I close my eyes tight and struggle to get my breathing under control.

Where did she go?

Why did she leave me?

When is she coming back?

Why didn't she say anything?

Where is she?

I run back to the room and turn the lights on and start looking for the iPad, I find it on her desk. I turn it on but it's dead. I dig around for the charger and wait for it to boot up before opening the find my iPhone app.

She turned her location off.

I can't breathe.

This can't be happening.