The Trials of November

Chapter Twelve

The next day was Saturday and Ben and Victoria sat home all day, watching movies and letting the dust settle from the night before. They were content, just being in each other's presence, and they did not wish for anything more.
That afternoon, the couple decided to go to the Screamin' Bean, just to get out of the house, even though Victoria really didn't want to.
"Come on, Ben." Victoria begged. "Please don't make me go. I can't handle it. What if he is out there?" Victoria didn't know if she was actually concerned, or if she was simply making up excuses as to why she should stay wrapped in her boyfriend's sweet embrace forever.
"No, Vic." Ben replied softly. "We need to get out of this house. We are going to get cabin fever and I am going to go crazy!" Ben joked. He pretended to bite Victoria's arm before she let out a delighted scream and ran away.
"Okay fine we can go!" She said, laughing.
The couple got their coats on and they got ready to go. As soon as they stepped out the door, the cold November air tore through their jackets.
"Let's hurry." Ben said, grabbing Victoria around her back and leading her down the sidewalk quickly.
It was a relatively nice walk. They took the back routes down alleyways to make the walk shorter, and they ran through those alleys because if they were caught, they would probably be considered trespassers.
Once they got to the Bean, they ordered their coffees and sat down. They sat in the place where Victoria had first seen Ben. The place that was right next to the window. They sat together and still felt the same feelings that they had felt on that very first day. The same love. The same passion. The same feelings.
Ben knew that Victoria was the girl that he would spend forever with, and Victoria knew that Ben would be the one that she would also spend forever with.
Once their coffee came, they talked together for hours. They watched the sun set through the coffee shop window. A gentle snow began to fall from the fiery sky, and they watched it land on the sidewalk and the bushes outside, only to melt once it struck.
Once it was completely dark out, they decided to walk home.
"Do you want to stay with me again tonight?" Victoria asked. She was terrified to be alone after a few nights earlier, as there was no way that she could possibly forget when her privacy was invaded and when her trust in her surroundings was shattered.
"Of course, Vic." Ben replied. He completely understood and did not want her to have to endure anything past her comfort level.
Victoria loved and admired how Ben was so amazingly caring for her. She knew that there was no way she would ever be able to get a relationship like what she already had from anyone who wasn't Ben. Ben was her soulmate. She was sure. Before Ben, Victoria wanted nothing to do with men and she absolutely did not believe in soulmates, fate, or even forever. However, Ben had turned her into a believer.
She loved him. She was certain. And he loved her too.
The next few days that had passed were relatively uneventful. Victoria's parents had come home for a few days, and then they left again for yet another trip. Victoria and Ben chose not to tell them about the break in.
Victoria did not need her parents worrying about her because if they worried too much, they would make her stay with someone else when they were gone. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted to have her closet and to sleep in her bed and to shower in her shower. Basically living with someone else caused Victoria a large amount of seemingly unnecessary discomfort.
Throughout the days, Victoria and Ben went to school. They studied and did homework together. They watched television and cooked together. Everything seemed to be alright. Victoria met Ben's family, and they loved her. Ben's sister was thrilled that she finally had someone new to play with. Anne would have Victoria braid her hair and color with her, while Ben and his mother would cook dinner in the kitchen. Ben's mother invited her to dinner often, and one night, Victoria decided to cook for Ben's family.
She made chicken parmesan with buttered peas, and Ben's family loved it. Anne cleaned her plate, which rarely happened.
"Wow. I am impressed." Ben's mother smiled. "Why don't you ever eat all of my cooking?" She joked with Anne. Anne shrugged and started giggling, which made Victoria smile.
"Victoria cooked this." Anne said, gesturing to her plate with her fork. "So we have to be nice and eat it all." She said, even though everyone with eyes could tell that Anne was really enjoying the meal. She had marinara sauce dripping down her chin and she had that happy child spark in her eyes.
Ben smiled. He was so happy that his sister and his girlfriend got along so well. Those two really surprised him. They had a bond that neither Ben, nor Victoria, nor Anne ever saw coming, and it was beautiful and amazing.
"Really, Victoria." Laura said. "This is so wonderful. And I love that I didn't even have to cook. It was so nice of you." She looked down at her lap with a smile. Victoria could tell that she appreciated it a lot.
"Well I am so glad that you liked it." Victoria said. "I felt like I should do something nice for your family considering how truly welcoming you all have been to me. It is an incredible blessing." She smiled at Anne and her mother.
Victoria and Anne played together some more as Ben and his mother cleaned up. They played with dolls and were talking.
"Are you and Benny gonna get married?" Anne asked Victoria very nonchalantly. Of course, such a small child thinks that forevers come in every case.
Victoria laughed a nervous laugh, as she had only known Ben for a matter of a few weeks. She hoped that they would get married, but should she say that to his younger sister?
Anne, on the other hand, had never witnessed Ben having another girlfriend other than Victoria, and she was so happy for him to finally have one.
"Well, I don't really know..." Victoria smiled. She felt embarrassed, yet happy and giddy at the thought of being able to marry that wonderful guy. She couldn't hide her joy.
"I hope you guys do." Anne said. "You are a really good cook."
Victoria's smile grew as Ben walked through the door. He saw the two on the floor together and he began to smile too. Victoria finally felt like she had some family. She felt at home, almost like she had never had another family to begin with.
"What are you girls up to?" Ben asked, kneeling down next to them.
"Me and Victoria are playing with my dolls." Anne said with a smile. Ben laughed and raised his eyebrows at Victoria, causing her to make a funny face back at him, all over Anne's head. Their mom walked in the door and admired the three playing.
"Okay Annabelle. Ready for bed?" Laura asked with a gentle smile.
"No mom. Please? Five more minutes?" Anne begged with a pouty lip.
Their mom smiled and shook her head kindly. "No, baby." Laura said. "You need some sleep otherwise you will be a cranky monster in the morning." She joked with Anne.
She walked over and put her hands under Anne's armpits, tickling her. Anne screamed with joy and squirmed away. Victoria watched them, longing for the kind of relationship that those two had.
"Okay, okay!" Anne laughed, unable to control her happiness. Victoria smiled, as she was barely able to control her happiness as well. "Can Victoria at least tuck me in?" Anne begged. Her mother nodded.
"Go brush your teeth." Her mother said. Anne left and Laura watched her leave with a grin. She turned to Victoria. "She is something else, isn't she?" She smirked.
"I love it." Victoria smiled back at her. "I had always wanted a sibling. My parents have always been too busy to raise another child. I mean, I pretty much raised myself." Victoria said.
"I am so sorry." Ben's mother said. She looked at Ben, who nodded, and she turned back and hesitated. Then a smile grew on her face again. "Well at least you turned out to be a beautiful and strong young woman. If anything, you are better now than you would have been if you were raised poorly." Laura said slowly, as though she was trying to be careful of her words. Victoria nodded. She agreed. "You are welcome in this house whenever you would like." Ben's mom said, slowly grabbing Victoria's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Victoria said, still smiling. "I really appreciate it." And she did. Nobody had ever offered her that level of kindness before. She didn't really know what to do with it.
"Okay! Ready for bed!" Anne popped around the corner, still bubbling with excitement. She had her pink and white polka dot pajamas on, and she was grinning from ear to ear, like always.
When Victoria was a child, she had never been that happy. Never. But that could possibly have been because of her lack of a good relationship with her mother. Anne seemed to have a wonderful bond with her mother. Victoria had longed for that since she was old enough to know what a loving relationship was. In fact, she was a little jealous of Anne, even though she knew that it was stupid. She was jealous of the pure happiness that seemed to be bubbling out of little Anne.
"Okay. We are coming." Laura said, instantly happier at the sight of her beautiful daughter. The three stood up and went to Anne's room which was decorated with stick on butterflies and pink wallpaper.
"Goodnight my beautiful princess." Laura said, gazing down at little Anne. It could be seen by everyone how much love she had for her child.
"Goodnight Victoria." Anne said with a tired smile. "Thank you so much for coming over and hanging out with us."
"Of course." Victoria replied. "There is nowhere I would rather be." She smiled, patted the sheets Anne was under, and started to walk away, past Ben.
"I love you." Anne said. Victoria's heart skipped a beat. She had never felt like anyone meant that more than Anne did in that moment, except for Ben of course. And to hear it said out loud. She felt like she was so full. Almost like she had just finished a delicious feast. She felt happier than she had in awhile.
"I... I love you too." Victoria said, smiling. She suddenly felt so warm inside that there could have been a fire in her stomach. She wanted to fly like the butterflies on Anne's walls. She felt so loved and at home in that moment that she didn't know if she should dance or cry from joy. She just knew that she couldn't stop smiling.
Soon, Ben entered the room and saw her happiness, which only made him happier. She turned to him and started laughing, creating the dimples that Ben thought were so cute.
"Okay, so let's go to your house before it gets too cold out." Ben said, playfully laughing at her happiness. She grabbed his hands and started making him dance right there in his living room. Her happiness was addictive. She did not remember the last time that she had felt happy enough to dance. She loved the feeling and she never wanted it to end. She wished that it never would.
Ben's mother walked in the door and saw them dancing together, and then she began to laugh. Ben shrugged and kept dancing with Victoria.
"You crazy kids." Laura said, smirking. She went to the kitchen.
"Mom, is it ok if we go to Victoria's?" Ben asked. Victoria hadn't stopped dancing and the end was not in sight.
"Yes, dear." Laura said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said and exited the room. Ben and Victoria danced together for a little while longer before putting out coats and walking out the door. They were holding hands, they were laughing, and they were oh, so in love. There was a fresh light snow on the ground and everything was beautiful.
They were walking together for a little while before they noticed something that stopped them dead in their tracks. There was a message written in the snow with a finger. It was fresh, as it had only been written minutes earlier.
"V,
You look like you are having fun. Glad to see you with your true family."
-D"
Victoria's heart dropped to her stomach, and she staggered backwards into Ben, who had also read the message. She started running again, towards her house. It had to be David. The same guy who left her the creepy note on her bed. She kept thinking. That message was for her. He saw her with Ben's family. How? Why? She got to the a street corner and stopped to wait for Ben, who was running to catch up.
"Victoria. He is after you." Ben said, panting. "We have to get you home." He said, panicking and looking around frantically for any sign of David. When he didn't see any, he hugged Victoria. "Come on. Let's go." He said.
"Wait." Victoria said, refusing to budge. She would not leave his family home alone when David was only minutes away, and he knew about their bond. That terrified her.
"What?" Ben asked, becoming more forceful. He wanted her to get home safely. He wanted that more than anything. He did not and would not stand by and watch Victoria get hurt when he could do something to stop it.
"David... the guy, whatever. He knows about your family." Victoria said, starting to panic. "They aren't safe. We have to go back." She said, turning back down the road to back but Ben stopped her.
"Vic. I care about you and your safety. They are okay." He said, pushing her farther down the road away from his house and the creepy message on the sidewalk. He cared about her safety more than anything else.
"No! Wait!" Victoria said, still pushing against him. She felt as though they were were family too, and she did not want to put them in any danger either. If they got hurt, it would be entirely her fault. She could not live with that. Victoria resisted Ben as much as she could. She tried pushing against him, but he wouldn't budge.
"Fine." Ben said. "If you won't go by choice, then I have to do this." He mumbled, obviously not happy. He picked up Victoria and started running down the street. She was shocked. She had no idea how he had the audacity to do this to her. Victoria struggled for a moment, but then she became to tired and stopped. She was angry at Ben for doing that to her, even though she knew that he was only doing it for her own good. She just kept looking around for David, terrified that he would make another unwanted appearance into their lives.
Ben ran faster than Victoria would be able to, and the cold air and wind numbed their cheeks, but that did not stop them. The pair did not pass one moving car on the entire way home, nor did they pass another person. Both of which were s a very unusual and peculiar thing for Grand Haven. Victoria was still angry at Ben for doing that to her. She loved him, but she was angry with him.
It was as though the night was planning on keeping their adrenaline going.
Ben did not stop running or put her down until they reached Victoria's house.
Once they got there, Ben pushed through her porch door and set down Victoria, then running into her house looking for some form of weapon. Victoria ran in after him, and saw him rifling through kitchen drawers.
"Ben. We have to go back to go back for your family." Victoria kept saying. "We cannot leave them there. What if he hurts them?" She was panicking.
She had no idea what David was capable of. Stalking? Yes. Harassing? Obviously. But Victoria was terrified to find out what else he was willing to do. She would never forgive herself if Laura or Anne got hurt. She wouldn't be able to live with knowing that it was her fault.
"Victoria." Ben said sternly, grabbing her arms. "I care about you. Obviously I care about them too. But why would David hurt them?" Ben said. "He literally has no reason to hurt them." Ben kissed Victoria on the cheek, hard. He then went back to rummaging.
Once he found two things that could pass as weapons, Ben and Victoria went to the living room and sat on the couch, ready to strike. They were on high alert for hours, but there was no sign of anyone threatening them.
They spent the entire night together in Victoria's living room with their weapons, but there was not so much as a mouse squeak the entire night. Victoria admired Ben's bravery, but she had a gut feeling that everything would not be okay. She couldn't shake the feeling.
The next morning, Victoria woke with a start. In fact, she had not realized that she had even fallen asleep.
What had woken her was the sound of Ben's phone ringing. Ben was still sleeping too. Victoria nudged him, trying to wake him up. He also woke with a start.
He slid across the screen so that he could answer the call.
"Hello?" Ben answered. His facial expression turned dark very rapidly.
"Who is it?" Victoria asked. Ben didn't answer her, but his face turned very dark and distraught, very fast. "Ben?" Victoria asked, touching him on the shoulder. Ben looked as though he was about to cry.
"Oh my god." Ben said in disbelief. "How... Oh my god." He said, covering his face with his hand. "Okay. It will be okay." He mumbled, obviously not convinced that what he was saying was true. "Okay. Bye." And then he hung up. He laid down on the ground in pain.
"Ben." Victoria was worried about him. She had never seen him like that. She tapped him. "Ben... What's wrong?" Victoria asked, clearly becoming concerned. She felt a hole in her chest.
What Ben said next is something that Victoria would not forget for as long as she would live.
"Anne is missing."