Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Hiding Chapter 1: A Kidnapping, a Choice, an Adventure

I will post one chapter per month of a story I wrote about a girl who is trying to find God's purpose for her life while hiding from all kinds of enemies. Presenting... Hiding: Chapter 1



These are the chronicles of me (Eliza Cox) I have been in foster care since I was six years old. The only people who have ever cared for me are gone, including my best friend Annika who led me to the Lord when I was eight. After she got cancer, I turned to Jesus for help as I did when she lost the battle. He showed me that he has a plan for me and that I just have to be patient. I live in Lynnwood WA with my foster parents. I sometimes feel like I am a burden to them. Now I am ten, and I feel that the only one who loves me is God, but that’s more than enough for me.
Last week, I was walking home from my last day of school and I decided to take a shortcut. I walked around the corner and entered the alley. I skidded to a stop.  There were two people whispering to each other. I hid behind a dumpster and strained to listen. “Here are the papers you asked for. Where is the money?” said one of the men. The other man looked around and handed the money to the man with the papers. I was so stunned at what she had just seen, that I accidentally bumped a can which in turn fell off the dumpster and hit the floor with a loud thud. I jumped up and ran as fast as I could. I didn’t even look back to see if they were following me, because I knew they were. I ran and ran until I reached home I ran up to my room and shut the door. I hid under the window until I knew that I was safe.
Today, my foster family and I are going to Martha Lake. It’s a hot day in the month of June and It will feel good to go swimming. My foster sister has a beautiful red swimsuit with yellow stars on it. I have a lime green swimsuit that I saved up to buy for an occasion like this. We got into the car, and soon we were at Martha Lake. There was a dock at the end of the swim zone that one could jump off of into the water. After a while, I swam to shore to eat a small snack. While I was eating Mrs. Hoover cleared her throat. “Eliza, we are moving soon to Texas with my sister, and we’ve decided that Texas would be too far for us to take you.” “So, does that mean that you’re not going to be my foster parents anymore?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. “Yes Eliza, you are leaving tomorrow.” Said Mrs. Hoover. I was a little hurt that they didn’t want to take me with them, but I knew that this was part of God’s plan, so I didn’t press the issue. Instead, I told Mrs. Hooper I understood, and then went back in the water to swim. I swam to the dock and climbed up the ladder. By now, I was the only one on the dock, since it was almost six o’clock. I jumped into the lake and down I went. Suddenly, I was pulled down deeper. I was really scared. I thought that I was going to drown. Then I was pushed into a submarine!   
As I gasped for air, I looked around. Three people looked at me. Finally, one of the men spoke. “Hello Eliza, I am Mr. James Miller. You’re probably wondering what you are doing here.” “I am a little curious, yeah!” I said. “Well, last week, if you remember, you witnessed a transaction between two men in the alley. One of the men gave military secrets to the other man who was from another country. These two men were at the beach today searching for you. Since we knew this, we had to bring you to safety.” I thought about what this stranger had just told me. I thought that, if he was being truthful, that I had just had a very close call. “Thank you.” I finally said. The second man went on to say that I was being taken to the other side of the lake where I would need to make a decision. “What decision?” I asked. The third man told me that I was eligible to become a member of the Witness Protection Program. If I accepted, I would be moved to a helicopter and taken to the east coast and be given a new identity. “What if I don’t accept?” I asked.  The second man spoke “Then we will bring you back and you will never see us again.”  I didn’t know what to say. I knew all about the WPP, and I knew it was serious business. “What about my foster parents?” I finally asked. “The men who were after you will assume that you drowned. Your foster parents will not be in any danger as long as they know nothing about any of this.” Answered the first man. “So, everyone who ever knew me will think that I’m dead?” I confirmed. “Yes, for now at least.” Answered the third man. I felt like God was tugging at my heart. Maybe this is part of His plan for me. “What if I change my mind later?” I asked. “You can change your mind at any time and we would take you back here.” Said the second man. I decided to give it a try and to allow God to show me the right path. Then, the men introduced themselves. The first man was George Lindon, the second was Freddie Wilck, and finally, the third was Randy Pocker. I was then put into the helicopter and we flew off to the east coast.
It was a really long ride, and I don’t remember most of it. We went over safety regulations and chose my new name: Roxanne Lace Till. We went to Yorktown Virginia and I was left in the care of another family in the WPP. I had a new mom and dad (Mr. and Mrs. Till) and they have a ten- year-old daughter named Brooke. Of coarse, that’s not their real names, but we’re not allowed to tell anyone our old names or why we are in the WPP. Brooke is really nice, and I have a feeling we are going to be great friends. There is also an eleven year-old girl named Katie who lives down the street. We can’t tell her about our situation, but we can still be friends. My new family is also followers of Christ so we will go to church together. We will attend the York Assembly of God.  That night, I went to bed a new person; literally
The next morning, I got up and went downstairs. After eating, Brooke and I went to Katie’s house to hang out. We had lots of fun playing video games, painting our nails, and talking ourselves silly. When I got home, I realized that this day was the first one I can remember that had contained no sadness or fear.
The following summer was filled with days like that. We went on camping trips, to the movies, the mall, water parks, sailing, to the beach, and much more. With the season coming to an end, my family and I decided to take one more trip. We voted on where to go, and decided on going to Texas. There are a lot of cool things to see in Texas, and I think it would be really fun. So we got the car packed and drove to the airport. After a while we were on an airplane and on our way to Texas.
We got to our hotel the next day. It was a very beautiful hotel with a lavish pool and spa. After dinner we swam in the pool and went to bed. “I’m so excited! Were going to six flags tomorrow!” said Brooke, happily. “I know!” I replied. “I can’t wait!” I didn’t think I would ever fall asleep, but somehow, I did.
The next morning, we went to six flags. We had lots of fun riding rides and hanging out. I look around at everything around me. Suddenly, I gasped. Standing about seven yards away from us was my foster family! They were ordering something from a snack stand, and would turn around any second. I pushed Brooke and her parents into the bushes. “What’s wrong?” asked Brooke, surprised. I told her about my foster parents, and she told her parents. We all became very quiet, hoping we wouldn’t be discovered. “Excuse me, but what, may I ask, are you doing.” We looked up and there was a street sweeper looking at us with annoyance. “Uh, just exploring these nice bushes.” The man looked at us with confusion. I could tell that he thought we were crazy. “Well, there are rides and snacks that I think you would find much more interesting then the bushes.” We got the point. We exited the bushes and were relieved to find that my foster family was no longer in sight. We left the park and got ready to leave. We didn’t want any more close calls.
Back home, we got ready to start the school year. I went to bed that night excited for the school year that would start tomorrow. These are the chronicles of me, Roxanne Till.



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