My Name is Joseph

Seeing Yourself on the News?

Ten days. It had been ten days since we had arrived at this training camp. If it hadn't been for Jonathan, I don't know if I could have held myself together. Not meaning that I couldn't do the exercises, but that I couldn't keep my temper. I quickly found that my bitterness and anger would well up at very random times. I had been saved from detention more than once by Jonathan's quick discernment and good judgement.

It didn't help when the news about my 'kidnapping' came to the camp. Jonathan had really needed to help me that day.

"Oh, my word!" Jonathan gasped as he looked at the news during his one-hour-a-week internet-allowance time.

I glanced over his shoulder, "What?"

"Have you heard of Ryan Stevens?" he asked as he scrolled further down the page.

I froze, oh no, oh no, oh no, I cleared my throat, hoping my face didn't look pale enough to be noticeable, "You mean the owner of Stevens Industries?"

Jonathan glanced at me, "Yeah! His son, Joseph, the one he was planning on giving his company and everything to, was kidnapped almost two weeks ago!"

I gulped, everything that happened that day replaying in my mind. "Really?" I forced out.

"Mm-hm." Jonathan answered, scrolling farther down the page, completely absorbed in what he was reading. He finally scrolled far enough to get to what I was dreading. A picture. Of me. "Look! There he is!" Jonathan exclaimed, and looked over at me.

Thankfully, it was a picture of me that was a couple years old, so I looked a lot younger. I also had a completely different haircut. But I still winced when Jonathan's eyes got huge, "He looks sooo much like you!" I couldn't move. My distress apparently looked enough like shock at the resemblance that Jonathan didn't notice it. "Seriously! That could be you!" He said as he turned to me again.

I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding, "Yeah, it does look a whole lot like me, doesn't it?" I commented, hoping I sounded disinterested enough. I then forced a chuckle, "How old is the kid? Maybe I had a twin that I mysteriously got separated from at birth."

Jonathan laughed lightly, "He's seventeen. A year younger than you. So, sadly, nope."

"Well, can't always get what you wished for, huh?" I forced another chuckle.

Jonathan just smiled slightly and turned back to the news-page, "It is really sad, though. All they found of him was his car ditched in the woods. His blood was in there, so they know he was in there. They also found his watch, one of his shoes, and his phone. They haven't found another trace of him."

I just nodded stiffly, trying to block the events of those days out of my head.

"There hasn't even been a ransom note! The police think he's gone for good. It's strange because normally rich people who are kidnapped are kidnapped for the sake of ransom." Jonathan scrolled thoughtfully.

I relaxed as I realized he was coming to the end of the article. I wouldn't have to endure this for much longer. At the bottom of the page was a video. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could handle if he started the video, but if he did anything more afterwards, I would try to get him to look at something else. I opened my eyes just as he went to click play.

The news anchor was the first thing that came up, explaining the whole situation in her stereotypical news-anchor way. She then announced that they would go live to the family. My whole body tightened up, and my eyes started watering. Just a little longer, Joseph, and this will be over. Hold it together. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. Then my dad came up on the screen. His eyes were full of tears and his face looked more distressed than I have ever seen. The bottom dropped out of my stomach.

"Please, anyone!" his voice broke with a sob, "If you have Joseph, I am willing to pay whatever you want! Just don't keep him from me! I—"

My heart felt like it was going to explode and my eyes swam. I couldn't take it anymore. I turned abruptly and stalked out of the room

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Jonathan looked up as Alex abruptly left. His fists were clenched. "Alex?" He didn't reply. He didn't even turn. Jonathan's eyebrows went up. Alex did have outbursts of anger occasionally, but this was the strangest thing to trigger him yet. Jonathan sighed and closed the computer. He should go make sure Alex didn't get into trouble.

As he exited the computer room, he heard someone yell and a door slam. Jonathan hurried his stride in that direction. He soon came upon another of the young soldiers-in-training standing to the side of the hall rubbing his face. A bruise was forming. He was talking to their company sergeant, whose face showed a mixture of distress, annoyance, and sternness.

Jonathan stopped as he reached them, "What happened?"

The sergeant crossed his arms, "I think Alexander is going to need real disciplinary action. He came stalking down the hall. When Owyn tried to ask what happened, he just turned and punched him. He then ran down the hall and slammed the door to his room as he entered. Do you know what caused it?"

Jonathan's eyes were wide as he explained, "Well, we were looking at the news about the Stevens' boy kidnapping and he suddenly just stalked out of the room."

The sergeant's eyes looked troubled, "This needs to be dealt with," he muttered. He started to walk towards Alex's room.

"Wait!" Jonathan called and the sergeant turned slightly, annoyance shining in his eyes. "Let me talk to him first. I know something traumatic happened with his family, so maybe the news triggered his reaction. Just let me try and figure out what happened before you discipline him."

The sergeant rolled his eyes, "Okay, but you only have fifteen minutes."

Jonathan nodded, "Got it," and he ran to the room.