Stella,Although I'm uncertain about the time, I believe it has been a few days since Professor Hamilton last visited me. Was Professor Hamilton arrested? Oh, my god I hope not because I will never get out of here. I will be stuck here for the rest of my life.My parents, sister, Mac, Kai, and the other guys are people I will never see again. I finally got my life back after the attack before I had to come back here and now, I'm going to die in some cellar and my family will never know where I am.I hear footsteps coming down the hall. It's hard to believe, but I'm grateful he's returned.The door swings open and Professor Hamilton looks really mad. "Did you miss me, little bitch? He slurs at me?"Oh crap, he is drunk. I notice as he comes through the door that he didn't clothe it. That might work in my favor."Come here," he commands me, and I want to buck and flip him off. "I said, come here he yells at me." I walk over toward him slowly because I know what he is going to do to me.A
Kai, "Dakoda, have you heard anything from Stella today? I've been trying to reach her all day through calls and texts, but she hasn't responded, which is unusual. I know she had to testify against that terrible teacher who hurt her in court today, but that should be finished by now." "No, now that you mention it, I haven't heard from my parents either. Hey... Mac, can you cover for me for a moment? I need to step outside and call my parents to make sure everything is alright." I follow Dakoda outside and wait as she dials her parents' number. When they answer, Dakoda's face turns pale. "Why didn't you call me?" Dakoda shouts. "What's wrong, Dakoda?" I ask, concerned. She looks at me with wide eyes. "Stella has disappeared." "What do you mean, she's disappeared?" Dakoda hangs up the phone and starts crying. "Why does this keep happening to her?" "Let's go," I say to her. "What?" "Get in the car, Dakoda. We're driving to Washington
Stella, It's been a few weeks since I returned home, but everything still feels strange. Kai's behavior is particularly bothersome. He treats me delicately, as if I'm fragile. I want to shout at him to stop, but I understand where he and my family are coming from. We've all been through a lot in the past year, and this situation just adds to it. I long for Kai's touch, but whenever he places a hand on my back, I become tense and thoughts of Professor Hamilton's touch flood my mind. Tomorrow is Monday, marking my first day back at school. I'm anxious about it because everyone will be aware of my kidnapping. I fear it will be similar to my experience in Washington, where people made jokes and made life unbearable for me and my family. Just then, my sister climbs up the stairs and enters my room. "Hey sis, are you alright? You seemed distracted at the dinner table tonight." "Did I?" Dakoda raises an eyebrow at me, her expression filled with disbelief. "Don
Kai, Wow, she is incredibly beautiful. I can't believe we almost lost her. I will never let this girl out of my sight again. As I enter her, I can feel her body accommodating me and it's overwhelming. It's been weeks since we were last intimate. "Are you okay, baby?" I ask as I fully immerse myself in her. I have no intention of stopping now. "Kai..." Stella whispers, and I surrender myself to her. After we clean up, we lie back in bed and I can't help but seek answers as to why she thought suicide was the solution to her problems. "Stell?" "Kai." "Will you talk to me, baby? I need to understand what was going through your mind and if there's anything we can do to prevent you from feeling that way again. Please don't shut me out this time, Stella." Stella puts a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, then sits up and gazes down at me. "Kai, the best way to describe what I was feeling is like drowning in my own thoughts and emotions. I was exhausted from th
Stella, Kai and my dad have infuriated me at this moment. I'm exhausted from being treated like a child. I've already endured so much, and now they want to control my life as well. Realizing that my dad and Kai are in cahoots, I storm off to my room and begin packing my clothes, reluctantly accepting my fate like a compliant girl. As I reach my room, I recall leaving my phone on the bed before taking a shower. I go to retrieve it, but suddenly, I freeze in place. My hands tremble so violently that I can barely hold onto my phone. Sliding down onto the floor, I call out for my dad, feeling utterly lost and unsure of what to do next. To my surprise, my dad and Kai rushed into my room within seconds. Dad inquires about what's wrong and then hands my phone to Kai. He then pulls me onto his lap, reminiscent of when I was a child. "What on earth is happening?" Dakoda enters my room, casually draped in a bath towel, seemingly unfazed by the situation. "He... he's here," I manage to stamm
Kai, I wake up to the sound of Stella's distressed cries and her restless movements in bed. The nightmares have been plaguing her ever since she encountered that awful professor at school. It has been a struggle to convince her to go to school every day. We constantly remind her that she only has a few weeks left before summer break, when we will all escape to the Bahamas. Hopefully, being away from him for a while will provide some relief. "Stella, wake up, sweetheart. You're having another nightmare. Come on, get up," I gently coax her. Stella abruptly sits up, fear etched on her face. "He's after me," she sobs. I wipe away her tears and guide her back down onto my chest. "Baby, we've discussed this. He won't be able to harm you as long as I'm here, protecting you." "You shouldn't make light of this, Kai. He's a monster. He's capable of anything, even hurting you," she warns. "Okay, you have a valid point, but let's not dwell on that this week. You have prom comin
Stella, "Kai, you look incredibly handsome tonight... I can't believe how fortunate I am to have someone like you interested in me. My mind is in such disarray that I can no longer distinguish between what's real and what's just my imagination. I keep seeing that awful person everywhere, even when they're not actually there, and my nightmares are becoming increasingly worse. Lately, I find myself crying more than I smile. All I want is for this nightmare to end so I can move forward with my life and regain a sense of normalcy as a teenager again." "Stell, where did you go?" Kai asks me, concerned. "Sorry, what?" "I asked if you wanted a glass of champagne. They always have it stocked in the limos, so I thought we could all enjoy a glass before prom." "Just a small sip," I reply. "That's the spirit." Kai pours me a small amount of champagne, and we clink our glasses before taking a sip. "Oh, goodness, this stuff is terrible." My face contorts into an unattracti
Stella, Today is graduation day, and I'm finally going to see Kai after a few weeks apart. He didn't want me to visit him in the hospital or witness his struggles, so I respected his wishes and stayed away. But I miss him terribly. I can't help but worry that the only reason he's attending graduation tonight is because his brother and friends are graduating too. I fear that he may never want to see me again because of what Professor Hamilton did to him, and I can't blame him for feeling that way. The professor caused a lot of damage in a short amount of time, and I'm not sure how any of us will be able to move past what happened. It took some time, but I can finally sleep through the night without being haunted by nightmares of the professor coming after me. I remind myself daily that he can no longer hurt me. I continue to see my therapist twice a week, and it has been incredibly helpful. Opening up and discussing what happened to me has allowed me to move forward and start anew.