Kidnapped

• Sarah Campbell, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2009

The carriage was hot and sweaty; Kia hoisted her school bag onto her shoulder as the train pulled into her stop. The tall man next to her was also getting off. He had to duck to get out the carriage doors. Kia laughed to herself, and smiled at the man, she had a friend who was tall like that.
The station was almost empty; Kia had missed both trains she would usually catch. She walked down the station stairs, through the tunnel to the streets and home sweet home.
She usually walked home with a group of friends, but today, they were probably already home. The tall man from the train was also walking down the street, Kia hadn’t seen him walk this way before; he was probably visiting someone. Pulling her school dress away from her sticky skin she decided to jump straight into the pool when she got home.
It was strange; Kia had never seen her street this empty before, perhaps it was the time of day. Home wasn’t far, in fact, she was almost there. Kia pulled out her phone and heard the familiar bleep telling her that she had received a message.
“K-iiiiiiii-aaaaaaaa”
That sing-song voice sounded like her Mum and Kia could hear an engine purring close by. She wasn’t paying much attention; the text was important, it was about the party tomorrow. Starting to walk towards the car, it wasn’t till she reached the door that she looked up.
“Oh, sorry.”
It wasn’t her mum; it wasn’t even someone she knew.
“Sorry,” Kia repeated, “You sounded like my mum.”
The other woman laughed, it was a high pitched, tinkling kind of laugh.
“That’s ok dear; I’m a friend of your mothers. She sent me to collect you.”
“Thanks, but I’m really not far off, I can easily walk,”
Kia stepped back; even if this woman was a friend of her mums, Kia hadn’t met her before, so she preferred to walk.
“Come on, it’s so hot, you sure you don’t want a lift, the air-con’s on. Why don’t you get in?”
“No thanks,” Kia took another step back, right into the tall man from the train. She was about to apologise when he grabbed her and pushed her forwards.
“What? What are you doing? Let go!”
“In the car NOW!” the woman screeched, all pretence of friendliness gone.
Kia struggled, twisting, her school bag falling off in the process, but the tall man was strong and she was pushed roughly towards the car.
“Help” she started to yell, but her feet unexpectedly left the ground as the man lifted her up and dropped her into the boot. Her last glimpse of light was abruptly cut off as the door slammed shut.
The car drove slowly away.
The street was silent at first, but it didn’t take long for the birds to start singing. Soon the only evidence that anything had happened was a discarded school bag and the bleep of a mobile phone.