Kidnapped  
 I woke up to the sound of loud music blaring downstairs. I look over at my alarm clock on my nightstand, it was 8:30 am. Normally, I would wake up around 10 am, but it was impossible to sleep with Lily’s music playing.  I roll out of bed without bothering to make it. The aroma of burnt bacon filled the house. No one ever made breakfast, only during the holidays. I put on my favorite pair of black jeans and a plain white t-shirt. I walk to my mirror and stare at my reflection, running my hands through my hair in an attempt to make it look decent. Doing my hair was something I was never good at.  As I walk downstairs, the smell of burning food becomes stronger. My sister was in in the kitchen cooking breakfast. I knew she wanted something. She always tries to do nice things for me when she wants me to do something for her.  “Good morning, Nathan.” She said with an unconvincing smile. “what do you want from me this time?” I asked. “What? Nothing.” I could tell she was lying by the look on her face. Sometimes I wonder if she is trying to be nice, and it makes me feel guilty. I look over at the food she has made on the stove. It didn’t look at all appetizing, but I ate some anyway. 
Lily was never great at cooking. Everything she made was always overcooked. I noticed something was off about her today. She was dressed nicer than usual. Lily usually wore sweats with a hoodie, but today she looked more formal. Her shirt was white with a bright floral pattern paired with a jean skirt. Her usual straight blonde hair was curled and pinned back. Her eyes had a light tone of gold that complimented her hazel eyes. Lily was never one to wear makeup. "How come you are dressed so nice today?"  I had a gut feeling she was going somewhere and wanted me to take her. "Hey Nathan, do you mind driving me somewhere?" I rolled my eyes and sighed. "where and who are you going with?" Lily went silent for a moment. "To the movies with a friend." I had a strong feeling she was going on a date and was too nervous to tell me. I agreed to drive her, and we got ready to leave.  We grabbed our coats and followed out to the car.   The sky was dark and cloudy. The car ride was quiet, all you could hear was the rain hitting against the roof and windows of the car.   Lily then broke the silence.  "You don't have to worry about picking me up tonight. I'm staying with a friend after the movie." I nodded and continued to drive. When we arrived, Lily got out of the car and waved to me. Before she shut the door, I reminded her to keep her phone on and answer when mom and I called.  After I dropped Lily off, I went back home.  When I got inside, I hung up my coat and turned on the tv.  As I was flipping through the channels, the phone started to ring. I read the number before answering it. It was moms' number.  "Hello?" I answered. "Hey Nathan, is everything going okay? How is Lily?" I explained to her where Lily was, and what she was doing. "Lily is staying with a friend tonight. We talked for a few minutes after that.  Before I could even say goodbye, she had hung up. Ever since mom got her new job, she's never home at night, and sometimes during the day. I was used to being alone though. I never knew what it was like to have a bunch of friends. Since 5th grade, I've been homeschooled. When I went to school, I didn't know how to handle loud environments-this caused me to have a hard time making friends.  After a few hours of watching tv, I fell asleep. I woke up early than usual today, so I was tired. A few more hours go by while I was sleeping.  I woke up to an empty house, of course, and the tv was still on. The sun had gone down, and it was now late. I check the time on my watch. The small digital screen displayed 11:00 pm. I had decided to go on a walk. Mom always told me to never walk alone this late at night, but I did it anyway.  As I walked outside, goosebumps covered my arms. The silhouettes of tall trees moved with the light cool breeze.  I looked up to see a sky full of stars and a bright crescent moon. Besides the sound of distant traffic and animals rustling in the bushes, the night was quiet and peaceful. There were no lights, no cars and no people. Just me and the dark road. I wasn't sure exactly how long I was going to be out for, I just knew I was going to be gone for a while. I didn't know how much trouble I would be in if mom found out I was out this late by myself. Would it matter though? She is never home at night, and when she is- she is either sleeping or in her room with the door shut and locked.  Lily and I never knew why she locked herself in her room. We were both too afraid to mention it to her. My watch beeped and read 12:00 am.  I had been out for a while now, and it was time to start heading home. As I walked in the door the phone rang. I answered the phone to Lily crying on the other end.  At that moment I felt my heart sink. "What's wrong? Where are you?" I yell into the phone. Lily didn't say anything and kept crying.  As she was about to start talking, I heard a man in the background. The phone hung up after I heard him. I tried calling back multiple times, but there was no answer. I was in shock and disbelief of the situation. I grabbed my keys and headed straight for the movie theatre.  There were no words for the amount of guilt I would have if something bad were to happen to her. Mom would never forgive me if she were to get hurt, after all, I am the one to let her go before asking mom. I arrive at the theatre and run inside.  She was nowhere to be found. In a panic I ask around if anyone had seen her, giving a detailed description of what she looked like.  Nobody had seen her. While I was running back to my car, I noticed a man loitering outside the theatre. I asked him if he had seen her. The man said he saw her getting into a black SUV and overheard that they were going to the south side of town. The south side of town was not the prettiest place. Many crimes have occurred there and still, do.  I thank the man before getting back into my car and drove away. In my mind, I was thinking of all the possible things that could happen to her. As much as I didn't want to think about that kind of stuff, it was hard not to. The south side was the smaller side of town, with that in mind, finding the car Lily got into might be easier. I spent an hour driving around looking for the SUV. Out of nowhere, I see the car making a sharp, quick turn. I stepped on the gas and followed the car. They knew I was following them. I continued to follow the black car for about half an hour until they come to a dead end.  Two men wearing black baseball caps and black jackets get out of the car and run. I didn't even care that they left, I just wanted to get Lily to safety.  I get out of my car and run to the car and see Lily in the window sobbing. I open the door and wrap my arms around her and tears fill my eyes. "Who were those men, Lily." Trying to talk between her cries, she explained how she met a new friend online, and they weren't who they said they were. I take Lily back to my car and drive her home. She cried the whole way home. I didn't know if I should tell mom or not. I didn't know how she would handle it either. I've always worried about things like this happening to her, and that fear of mine came true.  Fortunately, I was able to find her, and I don't know what I would do if I wasn't able to find her.