After

Chapter 5

Noah's pov
I decide to make Richelle a large dinner, after all, she's as thin as a twig! I really need to know what happened to her, but I don't want to ask her too many questions all at once! I also don't want to remind her about it, but I have to know what happened! I have to know where she was kept, what the kidnapped did to her, and how she escaped. So much has been going through my mind today! I still can't believe that I'm actually with Richelle! This is insane! The only thing is, she's changed a lot after the kidnapping. I don't blame her, I'd be traumatised as well if that had happened to me. But the way she held the clothes to her chest, the fact that she doesn't speak much, it's not her fault of course, it's as if her kidnapper has changed the way that she's seeing the world. Afraid.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't even realise that the bread was almost burnt! Quickly, I pull it out of the oven and place it on a plate, which I then place beside the sleeping blonde's head on a wooden table. I remember that Richelle loves bread, especially when it's been put it the oven for a few minutes, so it's warm and crispy. She can have that when she wakes up, it'll be a nice surprise to wake up to.

Whilst I'm waiting for the rest of the meal to cook, I lay the table neatly, just like how she taught me to when she stayed over once. Thinking about it, Richelle has taught me quite a bit. She taught me how to skip with a rope, tie my shoe laces, work a phone and how to be the best at playing video games! She has taught me a lot throughout our years together, from when we were little, to where we are now. Except, it hasn't been until now. It stopped ten years ago.

Finally, the rest of the dinner is done in the oven, so I take it out and dish it up onto our plates. Of course she has quite a bit more than me, she looks starving even though she tries to hide it. I try my best to use some of the foods she likes- roast potatoes, carrots, curly pasta, cauliflower, sausages and soup. Of course, not on the same plate! No, the roast potatoes, carrots and cauliflower are on one plate. On the next is the pasta, with the sausages cut up into small pieces mixed in with the pasta, and the soup is in a bowl. What now? Drinks! Agh, yes! I decide to get out a selection of drinks for her, so she can choose herself. There we go! All done!

"Noah?" a faint voice mumbles, making my head instantly turn towards the sofa which has Richelle on it, now awake.
"You're awake! I've made dinner for you, do you want to come and eat it before it gets cold?" I ask, walking towards her.
She nods her head, picks up the bread roll and starts nibbling at it, making it seem like she wants it to last forever. We walk towards the table and she gives me a quick smile, as if to say "thank you" before sitting down.

I had made myself some food beforehand, so I could focus on Richelle's meal now. Once she finishes her bread, she begins eating what's on her plate. Gosh, she does look hungry! In fact, hungry is an understatement. She looks starving! Actually, she probably is starving. She's completely scoffing her food! At least she likes it!

"Do you want a drink?" I ask, looking at the ones I had laid out- fizzy drinks, juices and water, giving her a selection.
"Can I please have water?" she asks, looking like she hadn't drunk for days.
"Of course," I say, standing up to fill her glass with water.
"Here," I say, handing it to her gently.
"Thank you," she replies, taking a big swig of it.

Should I ask her now? I don't know, is this the right time to ask about her kidnapping? I should take her to the police tomorrow, but I really want to know what happened to her. Who took her? What did they look like? Was there more than one person? What did they do to her? What did she eat? Where was she kept? So many questions that need to be answered! You know what, I'll ask her now.

"Richelle," I ask in a slightly softer voice than before. "do you think that you could tell me what happened? You know, the day you were taken."

She stops eating for a few moments, pausing. It's almost as if she doesn't want to tell me, she doesn't want to be reminded about what happened. I hear her breathing starting to quicken, she most be remembering what happened. Nervously, she twiddles her thumbs and bites down on her bottom lip, almost as if she doesn't want the words to escape her mouth.

Immediately, I apologise, "I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about it if you don't to."
"No no," she replies, clasping her hands together, taking her eyes towards mine. "You deserve to know."
She looks out of a window for a few moments, looking at the night sky and licking her lips. She then turns back to me, her mind focusing on the past. Then, she begins to speak.

"It all started when I was walking to school," she says with a sigh. "You were sick, I was alone and there was no one in sight. That was until a white van pulled up beside me. A nasty-looking man got out. Being the idiot I was, I stopped for a few moments, wondering who I should hang out with at school, taking no notice of the man. Before I knew it, a white cloth was wrapped around my mouth and the man was telling me to get inside. Not telling, shouting. Forcing. Yelling. Not pleasant. I tried to get away, but I breathed in the cloth and fell unconscious. I woke up in cold, dark room. I was tied to the wall with a rope and  he had changed my clothes, so I was wearing that white night gown. He abused me, raped me, kept me away from everything and everyone. I saw my phone, I saw that I had hundreds of messages from you. I wanted to answer them so badly Noah, really I did! But, I couldn't," she says, suddenly stopping to take a breath.

However, I see a few tears starting to pool in her eyes, which soon drip down her face. Instantly, I jump out of my seat and scoop her up into my arms. She tries to hold back her tears, but they flow even more. I've never seen her cry like this! Richelle's usually such a strong person, but anyone would cry at remembering something like this. She's been through so much, should I let her continue with her story? Or should I tell her that she doesn't need to say anymore? I should ask her if she wants to continue.

"Richelle," I say softly as she wipes her tears. "You don't have keep telling me about what happened, if you don't want to."
"No, it's ok. I don't know what came over me, I'm sorry," she replies, sitting back up onto her chair, letting me go back to mine.
"You don't need to apologise, I get it. It's a tough thing to talk about," I say back to her, reassuring her that everything is ok.

"Ok, I'm ok. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I remember! So I was kept there for ten years, he fed me once every three days, and gave me water once every two days, as I told you before. It wasn't a lot, the food was disgusting, sometimes mouldy and the water didn't even taste like water! This food is so much better!" She exclaims, making me smile at her.

"So how did you escape?"

"After being there for ten years, I knew the creeks and the door sounds pretty well. So one day, I heard him leave and knew that that was my chance to escape. The ropes were pretty old and were almost breaking, so it was easy to slip out of them. Once I did, I ran out of my room, luckily the door was unlocked, and out to the front door. However that, was locked. With all the strength I had, I ran into the door and, surprisingly, it opened! Well, smashed. It was old and wooden, not very strong overall. After that, I ran and ran, not stopping for a second. Eventually, I got here and that's when you found me," she finishes, looking up at me at the end, staring right into my soul.

I can't think of anything to say! My mouth is wide open, but no words are coming out! I'm just shocked! I can't believe that she's been through all that! I mean, I thought that it would be bad, but that? That's horrible! Awful! Not human! How can one person do all that to another? Someone who's innocent? Someone who didn't deserve that! Poor Richelle, she's looking at me, beginning to bite her nails nervously. What do I say? I have to say something! She's stopped looking at me now. Instead, she's staring down at her lap, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Oh Richelle..." I trail off, instinctively getting up and going to hug her. "You're safe now, I promise that that will never happen to you again."