Hiding chapter 9: An Affection, an Escape, a Sacrifice

I have my diary back now, so I can finish writing the story the Miles told Brooke and I while I was in the hospital. If you remember Miles was kidnapped while Brooke and mom were at the library. After a car accident, Miles escaped, went home, and found his family gone. Miles was recaptured and taken to Turkey, where he met several other captured people, including a girl his age name Ella.

Over the next few days, Miles got to know everyone better. They would talk about their families, friends, things they like to do. “So Ella, is it nice in Wisconsin?” asked Miles one day. “Oh yes. In the winter, my family and I would all go sledding together. We would bring hot cocoa for when it got very cold.” Miles saw tears in Ella’s eyes and wanted to comfort her. He put his arm around her nervously and said, “I miss my family too.” Ella appreciated his sympathy. “God has helped me be strong, but sometimes I just feel like I will burst with sadness.” Miles told Ella about his dream the other night. Ella was comforted by the dream just as much as he was. Some of the other people moved as far away from them as possible. They didn’t want to hear all that talk about God.

As time went on (and on and on and on) Miles began to appreciate Ella’s company.  He began to find more and more ways that they were similar. It was very nice to have someone to talk to. She looked like she enjoyed hanging out with him as well, but one could never be sure about these things. Miles started feeling strange, It happened when he hung out with Ella. She was becoming more than good company. Miles loved her. He knew that it was silly, because it wasn’t very likely that she loved him back. He tried to deny it, thinking that it was just a passing crush. The longer they stayed in that room, the more he felt affection for Ella.

That night, Miles was thinking about Ella. He was dreaming of the day that Ella and Miles were free, and they could be together. He thought about Ella more and more. Miles then started thinking of what his parents taught him about courting, staying pure, and waiting for the right woman. Back then, Miles told his parents that he would never have a crush or fall in love with anybody until he was a grown up. Now, Miles realized that he wasn’t waiting. Even if Ella was the right one, they were both much too young. That didn’t stop him from loving Ella, but he did pray for a long time about God helping him to resist the temptation to be or even have thoughts about being unpure. After a while, Mile felt more confident and started to drift off to sleep. “Besides,” he thought. “There’s no point in pursuing someone who probably doesn’t love him back.”

Of course, Ella wasn’t the only one he talked to. Henry, a sixteen year old boy, was also one of his friends there. Eventually, Miles noticed that Henry began to look rather thin. This was strange, because their captors always gave them plenty of food. “Henry,” Miles asked him one day. “Why have you been eating less food? You’re getting thinner and thinner.” “Because,” Henry answered mysteriously, “The smaller the person, the easier the escape.”    

We couldn’t believe it. Henry was going to escape? Henry showed us a map of the building. “Where did you get this?” asked Miles. “I’ve got my connections.” He answered. Ella leaned over and whispered “He had kitchen duty last week. He must’ve drawn the map then.” “But you’ll be caught!” said Ella. “Not if I’m careful.” Said Henry, “But even if I do get caught, it will be worth it.” When Miles asked Henry when he would escape, he said it would be that night.  

Just as he said, that night, Henry stood up and went to the door. With all his might, he gave the door a kick. Surprisingly, the door gave way and Henry dashed toward the exit. Ella and Miles sat, waiting to see if he would make it. We didn’t dare make a brake for it, for fear we would be caught. Only an hour later, a man came in and put a door in the looked much stronger than the previous one. “That fellow was a fool, to try to escape. He just made it worse for you guys.” Miles got a bad feeling. “What did you do to him?” asked Ella. The looked as if he might slap her, and Miles got ready to defend. “They took care of him, as an example.” Miles gulped. He didn’t think that they would see Henry ever again.

After Henry’s attempted escape, everyone was chained up for the night. Miles was getting restless. He had to escape. Henry’s words came to him: “The smaller the person, the easier the escape.” Miles looked around and spotted the keys hanging on a hook on the other side of the room. Being chained to the bed. Miles thought about how to get over there. After a while, he got an idea. Slowly and quietly, Miles eased out of bed. He could just barely stand up. Miles reached to the headboard, and lifted up the bed. He tipped it over so that the bed was about ten inches from where it had been before. “And ten inches closer to the keys.” Thought Miles as he reached for the headboard again.

With the room having a width of about eighteen feet, he would have to flip the bed twenty-one times. It was truly a hard and grueling tasked, for Miles had to ease the bed slowly to the floor to keep from making a noise. After about three hours of flipping the bed. Miles could just barely reach the keys. He stretched his hand as far as could. Miles touch the keys with his fingertips, pushed the keys off the hook, and caught them just before they hit the ground. 

Miles first unlocked his chains, and then went over to Ella, who was awake, and freed her as well. “Come on, were getting out of here.” He said. Miles and Ella crept to the door. When Miles unlocked the door and opened it, however. An alarm sounded. Miles and Ella looked at each other and ran as fast as they could. They through the building (only knowing what was on Henry’s map) and were able to make it out of the building and searched for a place to hide, since their captors were behind them. “There!” Miles shouted, pointing to a helicopter. Ella and Miles run to the helicopter, which is getting ready to take off, and try to climb inside. Miles goes in, but then realizes that there is only enough room for one person: Miles or Ella.

            Miles begins to crawl out, but Ella stops him “Miles, you go. I’ll escape eventually now that you’ve showed me that there is a way.” She said. “No, you’ve been here a lot longer than I have.” Said Miles. “Look,” said Ella, “I just know that you are supposed to escape today, and not me. I’ll escape someday and find you. Then we can see each other again.” Ella started to close the door, but Miles stopped her. “Ella wait, I love you.” Ella smiled. “I love you too.” With that, Ella closed the door, and Miles was enveloped in blackness. Miles waited a few minutes, waited for something, anything, to happen. Suddenly, Miles heard voices. “Come on, we have to go get another one.” Said one. “Who is it?” “Someone who’s gotten away from us too many times. Her name is Vivian.” Some time later, the helicopter took off. As Miles shifted to a position where he was comfortable. He prayed for Ella, and that wherever he was being taken, it would bring him closer to his family.

Well, you know the rest. The helicopter landed in the woods behind my house, and Miles got out and walked until he came to the creek, where he saved me from drowning. God was watching over Miles the whole time he was away from the Tills, and undoubtedly, he’ll watch over Ella as well.