Hello my friends. I’m excited to be back with a new chapter. I don’t want to delay too long with a long and colourful introduction. So, let’s just dive into Chapter 11 of What Would You Do.
Chapter 11
Tessa silently exited the house in the early hours of the day. Her parents and sister were still fast asleep and she wanted to get to work early to speak with her boss. She didn’t care what her parents said. She needed to drop out of school and work full time at the diner. School didn’t matter anymore. Hurrying down the street, her mind raced through how she would tell her parents. They would be filled with guilt at her taking on this burden. That she was certain of. But, she had to do this. Her mother was still only part time at the salon and her dad had not received any other calls for an interview. They needed her, even if they didn’t want to accept that truth.
Arriving at the diner, she knocked on the door to get the attention of Daniel, who was putting the cash drawer into the till. He looked surprised to see her, but hurried to the door to let her in.
“Tessa, what are you doing here? You only start at eight thirty today.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Tessa bit her lower lip, feeling the emotions rising up in her. Daniel, seeing that she was upset, led her to a booth and they sat down. “Is Susie okay?” She started to nod but then stopped, blinking rapidly.
“I was wondering if I could work full time at the diner.” Her manager was clearly confused, so she continued. “After summer ends that is. I don’t plan on going back to school.” Seeing the compassion on his face broke down her defences and she burst into tears. Daniel slipped out of the booth, grabbed some napkins, and poured her some tea before returning.
“What happened?” Before she knew what she was doing, Tessa poured everything out. Susie’s expensive surgery, her dad getting laid off, and her mother being denied full time at the salon. She knew that the best way she could help out was by working full time at the diner to help provide for her family.
What Would You Do
Daniel felt his heart break for his youngest employee. He knew that money had been tight, as he had spoken with John a few weeks ago. Tessa’s father had come to the diner to meet with him and told him that no matter what Tessa said to him, he could not let her work full time after summer. Of course, that was clearly before he lost his job. Daniel sighed.
“Your father came a few weeks ago and told me that under no circumstances am I allowed to take you on full time when school started.” He saw her open her mouth to protest, but raised a hand, silencing her. “However, I do understand that circumstances have changed for the worst since that conversation. I would love to take you on full time, but I will only do that with your parents blessing.” Tessa nodded, wiping her eyes on the napkin. He saw the determination in her eyes and had a feeling that Tessa would be winning this argument with her parents.
Chapter 11
Davis rolled painfully off the bed. The mattress was old and the springs had cut into him during the night. That coupled with the fact that his hands were still tied behind his back, had made for a very lousy sleep. The man had not elaborated on what sort of revenge he was looking for. He had simply moved Davis to the bed, taken a picture of him, and left, locking the door behind him. Feeling pain in his stomach as it growled at him, the teen was well aware that the only thing he had had since his abduction was a few sips of water. Were they ever going to feed him?
The sound of a key in the door alerted Davis to one of his captors arrival and he turned to face the door as it opened. This man was wearing a ski mask, which confused him. The boss wasn’t worried about his face being seen. Why were the other men? The man crossed the room, roughly grabbing Davis and shoving him, face first, into the wall. He heard a snap and felt his arms drop. After the man released him from his ropes he left the room, again locking the door behind him.
What Would You Do
Davis painfully rubbed life back into his wrists, confused by the whole ordeal. What did these men want? Had they sent a ransom letter to his parents? He thought about his parents and how they would react. Police would not be an issue. His father was well connected, and not all connections were law abiding. Certainly he had already contacted some of his associates when Davis didn’t come home last night. Would he be found before these men started to get rough?
The door opened again and again, a man in a ski mask walked in. Davis wasn’t sure if this was the same man or a different one. Maybe that was the reason. All ski masked men had similar builds and mostly didn’t say anything. Davis had no idea how many captors there were in the house, which made the idea of escape seem futile. This man carried a tray with some toast and orange juice on it. Placing it on the floor, he exited the room without a word. Remembering that these men wanted him alive, Davis lunged at the tray. The toast was burnt and dry, but he didn’t care as he ate it. The orange juice was filled with pulp, causing him to gag a few times, but it too went down. After his meager breakfast, Davis crossed the room to look out the window.
Chapter 11
The beautiful landscape, bright sunshine, birds singing and butterflies fluttering around flowers seemed to mock him. How could there be so much beauty and happiness in this miserable place? The door opened again, but Davis didn’t even turn from his vantage point, thinking it was just the ski mask man collecting his tray. He was wrong. Two hands grabbed him, pulling him from the window and slamming him against the wall, pulling his arms behind his back. Davis struggled briefly, giving up when he was slammed against the wall again, feeling blood trickle from his nose. Another rope was roughly tied around his wrists and he was pulled away from the wall and roughly escorted out of the room.
As Davis was brought down the hall he noted that the elderly woman was no longer in the bedroom near the stairs. Stumbling down the stairs, Davis struggled to not fall as the men shoved him. Making it to the bottom, he was hustled into a side room. It looked like it could have been an office at one point. Bookcases lined the one wall, empty and dusty. In the middle of the room was a chair and across from it was a video camera. Fear gripped Davis as he noticed the table off to the side. On it were knives, pliers and other things he didn’t want to identify.
What Would You Do
Tessa bustled about the dining room, her mind focusing on her job. After the conversation with Daniel they had called her parents, who had been reluctant, but finally agreed. Tessa could work full time until her dad got a job. Glancing at the time she noted that it was nearly noon. Where had the morning gone? Bethany joined her at the counter, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Next to Tessa, Bethany was one of the younger employees. As a college student she could only work part time, but she was a hard worker.
“These people are ravenous today. No wonder Daniel asked if I could work more shifts. My workload at school is just too much right now though. Is it true that you’re not going back to school in the fall?” Tessa nodded, pushing the button on the coffee machine to brew more coffee.
“Yeah. My family is in a bit of a tight spot right now, so I need to bring in some more money. Hopefully they can find someone else to help out though. I can’t run all these tables on my own.” Bethany nodded, heard the clank of a coffee cup and sighed.
“And the need for more coffee resumes. I swear that Mr. Barns needs an IV pumping coffee into him.” Tessa giggled as her friend grabbed a coffee pot and hustled over to the impatient old man who was now banging his coffee cup on the table. Edgar walked over.
“I’ll watch your section for a while. Why don’t you take a break?” Relieved, Tessa nodded and headed to the back to ask the kitchen to make her something. She was starving and her feet were killing her. A pair of new shoes would be nice, but there really was no money for that right now. As she sat and ate her meal, she texted her father to see how things were going at home. His response was not good. Susie had another episode and they were heading to the hospital!
Oh Man
So, Davis is still in a bit of a bind. Will he be tortured on camera for revenge on his parents? Tessa’s sister is not well. Are the Rhodes family in more trouble? Leaving you here on this cliff hanger might seem mean. I want you to come back for more though. That’s the end of Chapter 11. Stay tuned next week for Chapter 12. Here’s hoping for some warm weather this weekend. Monday I’ll be back with another blog. Until then, have a great weekend, get outside, do something kind.
