Chapter 13 - I DON'T WANT TO BE KIDNAPPED

The car is already in gear and we speed off the street before the police arrive, leaving behind a clearly irate neighbor who must need to be rushed to a hospital, uncaring neighbors who care nothing more about their cars being stolen, and a burning house, or at least what's left of it. Which, by the way, I still can't forget is my parents' house. I'm in a lot of trouble right now, I just hope the neighbors don't call my parents. Although I have no idea how to begin to explain to them what happened without my words sounding like I'm a psycho, I don't want them to find out what happened to the house from the neighbors because they might blow everything out of proportion.

While in and of itself the story seems like something out of any attempt at a dramatic novel, my neighbors might make it more like a CSI Miami case, where I would be the main offender and it all happened because I got into bad habits by hanging out with the wrong people.

I look at 'the wrong people' who claimed to be my friends, who are in front of me driving to some place completely unknown to me, but which I now don't recognize at all.

"Where will we go now?" I ask when I fully come back to my senses and realize that I still haven't had anything explained to me about what's going on.

"Somewhere else," Kaiden replies, frowning at that less than reassuring answer.

"That doesn't tell me anything, Kaiden! I need to call my parents to explain what happened, and how am I going to explain what's going on if even I don't know what's going on!"

"Let's go to a safer place, Yini. I promise I'll explain everything that's going on when we get there, but be a little bit more patient," Kira tries to reassure me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I snort at Kira's response and lean back in the seat again, crossing my arms.

"Besides, it's not like you have a choice," Kaiden says in a low tone, but I manage to hear him perfectly.

"Excuse me?" I exclaim, turning to him. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm just saying that at this point it's safest for you to stay with us," Kaiden replies, trying to remain calm. "We can't afford for you to go off on your own and end up in danger again."

"Do you really think staying with you is the safest thing to do?" my voice is filled with disbelief and frustration. "First, you hid from me what you are. Now, you pretend that I blindly trust you without giving me any explanation. this is ridiculous!"

Kira sighs and turns slightly in her seat to look at me. "I understand that you are upset and confused, Yini. I promise we will tell you everything you need to know. But now, please try to stay calm. We are doing this for your safety."

I feel caught between frustration and fear, but at least for now, I have no choice but to trust them. But deep down, the distrust still beats strong.

"Oh, come on, Yini, like we're just going to let you go just like that after what happened," Kaiden says, adjusting himself in his seat and shooting me a look through the rearview mirror.

"Wait... I'm being kidnapped?" I straighten up, my hands clenching into fists on my knees as my heart beats faster.

"It's not kidnapping if you have nowhere to go anyway," Kaiden replies, shrugging as if that settles all my complaints. I'm sure he doesn't hear himself when he speaks.

"Kaiden! Don't say it like that. We're not taking her against her will," Kira scolds, turning in her seat to scowl at him. Even she knows how bad those words of Kaiden's sounded.

"Technically, she doesn't have any other options either. It's not like I'm going to let her go around telling everyone how some giant wolves tore everything apart," Kaiden says as he looks at me from the rearview mirror, his eyes boring into mine. "We have to protect that information from-"

"Are you telling me I can't call my parents?" I interrupt him, my voice shaking with frustration. My hands begin to sweat and I dry them against my pants, feeling frustration and fear settle in my chest again. How can he forbid me to talk to my parents-is he crazy, doesn't he remember how overprotective they are?

Kaiden sighs, averting his gaze to the road. "It's for your safety, Yini. And for theirs, too."

"Exactly," Kaiden says, his answer short and concise.

"Good," I respond in kind as I press my lips together in a tense line, holding back all the bad words I want to say to him.

"Good that you understand," Kaiden says in a relaxed and triumphant manner.

I look at him in a defiant manner, and he doesn't seem to notice, as he continues with a smile of victory.

"Understand? I'm out of here," I say, approaching one of the doors and moving the lever to open it. The door swings open, which blows the wind off the road into the car. I watch the asphalt rush past and wonder if, as I throw myself out of the moving car, I'll come out unscathed like last time or break an arm.

"But what are you...?" Kaiden maneuvers the car, turning the steering wheel sharply, which causes the door to close just as I'm about to jump out. The movement causes me to fall backward into the seat, preventing me from completing my plans. Plus, my head hits the floor in the process.

"Hey! That could have been dangerous!" I scream at Kaiden, clearly angry for making such a risky move.

"Dangerous?! You opened the door of a moving car!" exclaims Kaiden, his tone full of disbelief, turning his head quickly toward me.

"What else do you want me to do if you won't let me go?" I scream at him, feeling frustration building up in my chest as I lean forward, slamming my fist into the back of the front seat.

"Stop throwing a tantrum like you're a little girl!" replies Kaiden, his patience clearly wearing thin, as he squeezes the steering wheel hard.

"And what do you care if I act like a child! I just want to get out of here and call my parents and explain to them that I'm not a delinquent!" I exclaim, waving my hands in the air in despair.

"Delinquent? What are you talking about? I won't let you leave! You're coming with us whether you want to or not!" Kaiden turns his head towards me for a moment, his eyes full of determination.

"I don't want to!" I approach the door again, pulling on the handle with all my might. Kaiden activates the lock on the back doors, and though I try with all my might to open it, I don't succeed. I bang on the door in frustration. "Hey!" I exclaim angrily, with no choice but to complain.

"I told you, Yini. You're staying with us until everything is settled," Kaiden says, his voice tenser than before, which means I'm already wearing his patience out. His knuckles are white from the force with which he grips the steering wheel. I glance at his reflection in the rearview mirror and see him frowning, clearly on the verge of losing his cool, but I couldn't care less.

"You don't even know what's going on! How will you figure it out?" I scream, my patience at zero and my nerves on edge.

Kaiden looks at me seriously as he tries to keep control of the situation. However, his hands tremble slightly, revealing his own uncertainty.

"I'll do it! I just need to know what's going on and why we were attacked," Kaiden replies, his voice filled with a determination that tries to convey confidence.

Despite his words, Kaiden seems unsure, as if he is improvising every step. I watch as his eyes drift to the road, lost in thought.

Kaiden doesn't seem sure of what he is saying and I wonder if he can actually solve everything that is happening. What if he has no idea what he is doing? Is it possible that he can't solve everything that is happening?