November 1st, 2007
Selena excused herself from her classmates, getting up from her seat in the posh prep school's hallway. "I'll be right back, I need to use the restroom," she said, smiling politely.
Claire looked up and asked, "Hey, want some company?"
Selena shook her head; she did not want to expose Claire to what was about to transpire. Her stomach felt off; it usually happened at that time of the month, and her stomach was churning; it was going to be audible. She was mortified. "No, I am okay," Selena said as she hurried out the door. Claire gave her an uneasy nod.
As she walked into the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her bright green eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. She smiled to herself, feeling confident and carefree.
Selena did her business, then walked over to the window to gaze out at the early November weather. The sky was a deep grey, with clouds that seemed to swirl and twist in every direction. The trees outside were bare, their branches etched against the sky like skeletal fingers.
As she stood there, lost in thought, Selena felt a sudden presence behind her. Before she could react, a hand clamped a rag that burned as she struggled to breathe, and she was dragged backward, away from the window. As she struggled, her vision started to blur and darken until she felt herself fall and nothing else.
Selena felt a hard kick to her side.
"Wake the fuck up, stop playing," a disembodied voice said.
"Uhhh." Selena groaned as she woke up. Her eyelashes fluttered as the blackness faded, a blue icon flashed and disappeared in her field of vision. She was currently in a dimly lit shed. Her head was pounding, and her mouth felt dry and sticky. She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over her, forcing her back onto the dirty floor. She vomited all over the bottom of the shed. As she lay there, Selena became aware of three men standing over her. They were all Latin American, with rough, weathered skin and cold, calculating eyes.
One of them, a burly man with a thick beard, spoke up. "You are awake again, Selena. My name is Jorge. This is my brother, Luis," he nodded to a lean, angular man with a fresh cut above his left eyebrow. "And this is our friend, Carlos."
Carlos, a stocky man with black eyes and a bloody nose, flashed her a cruel grin and spoke up. "We're going to make some calls, Selena. You see our boss. He saw you in a picture with the Puta who betrayed him. He thought you were friends. Wow, Selena. He is going to be surprised that she's your Mommy, huh? Anyway, she's going to come with a lot of money and exchange herself for you."
"My Dad is going to kill you." Selena said, "He'll have you chopped into pieces." Selena struggled to stand. She saw an opening. She crawled towards the door.
"Oh, no you fucking don't," Jorge said. He ran up and backhanded Selena. "Fine, we'll tie you down, you and sedate you, fucking animal. Your pegged-legged Daddy can't do shit against us."
"No, no. I will be good, please don't." The fear and trauma from her past life overwhelmed her. She remembered what happened at Josiah's hands. The fear paralyzed her. " Please, please, please. Don't," Selena begged. She pulled away.
She felt a hard, blinding slap. She tasted blood. Jorge and Carlos grabbed her arms and forced her into an empty commode to sit. Her hands were tied down with two flex cuffs. Then she saw them cook a syringe's worth of what looked like heroin.
"No, please. Not that." Selena begged.
"You'll be the perfect junkie whore, just like your mother was. He is coming for you, to see what you are made of, to take you for a test drive." Carlos said. He plunged a small amount of the payload into her veins, being mindful that it would not take that much for a girl like her.
Selena's mind was foggy as the drug took hold, but she knew she had to think clearly. Her necklace and GPS trackers are gone. So, rescue was going to be hard. She observed the three men, trying to gauge their dynamics. Jorge seemed to be the leader of the three, with Luis as his loyal sidekick. Carlos, on the other hand, seemed like a wild card, his grin suggesting a sadistic streak. She could not afford to antagonize them.
As time passed, Selena was drugged repeatedly, forced to endure a haze of PTSD from her past life, confusion, and disorientation. But she refused to give up, using every moment of clarity to observe her captors and plan her escape.
Over the next two days, Selena watched as Jorge, Luis, and Carlos made call after call to Molly, demanding that she exchange herself for Selena's safety. Selena's heart went out to her, knowing that Molly would do anything to save her. She'd probably escape witness security or have Lowrie's help her.
Every so often, she would awaken with new bruises and pain tied up harder. The drugs made time, and her memories blur together. Jorge slapped her hard. "Stay fucking put, if you were not Gonzales' blood, you would be fucking dead." Selena's brows knit together in confusion.
Selena's eyes fixed on the syringe as Jorge roughly dosed her with heroin again. She felt a wave of despair wash over her as her eyes rolled back in her head. Her body was screaming for sustenance, but her gift was barely functioning, weakened by the constant barrage of drugs.
"Water. Please," Selena begged, her tone emotionless, her stare vacant. Jorge's face twisted into a cruel grin as he roughly fed her water, spilling some down her chin.
Selena's world was a haze of fear and confusion. She was trapped, held captive by the Los Locos Cartel. Jorge, Carlos, and Luis stood over her, their faces twisted with frustration.
"She's not responding," Jorge growled. "We've given her enough heroin to knock out a horse. What the fuck?" The girl kicked, screamed, and spat after briefly nodding off. It was exhausting to deal with her.
Carlos sneered. "She's got tolerance, that's all. We just need to give her more."
Selena's mind was foggy, but A.A. knew she had to fight. There were far too many drugs in her system. It took an effort to keep her body breathing normally.
A.A. struggled against the ropes that bound her, but they were very tight. A.A. broke through the ropes, its eyes blazing with fury, and threw Selena forward. It launched Selena's body at the door.
But there were too many people now. The initial group had called in reinforcements. Eight gang members pinned her to the ground, holding her down as she struggled and kicked. "Let me go, Pendejos," A.A screamed. "You stupid pieces of shit are going to kill me with that smack."
Robert, the leader of the cartel, stood over her, a mixture of anger and admiration on his face. "You're a fighter, Hija. I'll give you that," he said. "But you're also a problem. You need to learn your lesson and sit tight like a good little girl. I think you will be good after this. Huh?"
A.A. 's eyes locked onto Robert's through Selena, filled with hatred and defiance on Selena's behalf. It knew she was in grave danger, but it refused to back down. "I did not need to learn how to make toilet wine or run a mediocre gang. What knowledge could you possibly hope to impart to me?"
Robert's expression turned cold. "We'll break you, Selena. And when we're done, you'll be a valuable asset to the Los Locos Cartel. That is after your mother is gone. You're touch bitch like your grandmother."
A.A rolled Selena's eyes and spat at Robert's feet, "At least I did not get the little bitch genes from you." it mocked the man.
Robert Gonzales's expression turned icy, his eyes narrowed into slits. "You think you're clever, don't you, Selena?" he sneered. "But let me tell you something, Hija. You're not as tough as you think you are. And I'm not just any man. I'm the leader of the Los Locos Cartel. And I always get what I want."
"I'm shaking in my boots, the leader of the Crazies!" A.A. taunted through Selena's lips.
Robert leaned in close, his breath hot against her ear. "You see, Selena, I'm going to make sure you learn to respect me, no matter what it takes."
A.A's eyes widened in shock. "Yeah, I took grade school Spanish. I kind of gathered that with your IQ chatter. I am not impressed." It exclaimed, through Selena. It was best to play along.
Robert smiled. "Oh, I will break you of that smart mouth, hija. Your mother, Molly, told me all about you. You're sweet and cushy life with those rich fucks, all paid for by the government. It is just a facade; it is all gone now. That is why they are drawing this shit out, Molly can't get your ransom from them. "
"Oh well, Papi. I'm not scared. You'd kill me if I were useless to you. Here I am." A.A. snarled, struggling against her restraints.
Robert sighed and winced; the girl had her mother's wild spirit and defiance. She had inherited his mother's energy and fearlessness. "We'll see about that. Take her away, boys. It's time for her to learn some respect. Beat her into the gang."
A.A. winced, anticipating the pain to come. It had let its mouth run away, and now it would face the consequences. Selena's unconscious state was a small mercy, sparing her the agony of the beating. But A.A. knew Selena's anger would be fierce when she awoke, and A.A. dreaded facing that wrath.
Molly's hands trembled as she held the phone to her ear. Robert's voice was like a snake's hiss, venomous and deadly. "You think you're clever, don't you, Molly?" Robert sneered. "Ratting me out to the feds like a little traitor. But you didn't think about the consequences, did you?"
Molly desperately responded, her voice shaking. "Robert, please...don't hurt Selena. She's innocent."
Robert's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Innocent? Ha! She's pure Gonzales, through and through. She is making it hard for us to keep her alive. She is quite a fighter. You do not want her to pay for your betrayal, do you? One way or another, you're going to regret ever crossing me, Molly."
The line went dead, and Molly collapsed onto the couch, the phone still clutched in her hand. Molly was racked with sobs. The Lowries and Jonah exchanged worried glances, their faces pale with concern. Jonathan felt like his spine had frozen.
Eun Ho's eyes were wide with fear as she grasped Molly's arms. "Molly, please, tell me what's going on! What did Robert say? Is Selena okay?" she begged, her voice shaking.
Molly's body shook with sobs, her words belied her fear. "He's going to kill her...he's going to kill her if he doesn't get what he wants, he'll do it. He does not care about the money," she stammered.
Eun Ho's face crumpled, and she buried her face in her hands, her body wracked with sobs. "No, no, no...this can't be happening," she whispered.
Jonathan wrapped his arms around Eun Ho, holding her close as she shook with fear. "We'll get her back, Eun Ho. We'll do whatever it takes," he whispered, trying to comfort her.
Jonah watched in horror, his mind racing with thoughts of vengeance. "That stupid paparazzi photo," he thought. "If they hadn't taken that picture, Robert would never have found out about Selena."
Molly's words cut through the chaos in Jonah's mind. "Family means nothing to them...they don't care who they hurt," she said, full of emotion.
"We'll take care of it, Molly," Jonah said, his voice firm. "We'll get Selena back, and we'll make sure Robert pays for what he's done."
Eun Ho lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed.
"How are we going to get her back? What does he want?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice.
Molly took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "He wants me to turn myself into him. He says if I don't, he'll kill Selena," she said, her voice cracking.
Jonathan's face went pale. "We can't let or ask you to do that, Molly. It's too dangerous, it will break her heart," he said, shaking his head.
But Molly's mind was made up. "I have to try, Jonathan. I have to try and save our daughter; she should not have to pay for this," she said, her voice firm.
Hours later, Molly received a package in the mail. Inside, she found a tape recorder and a cassette tape. The label read: "Selena's Lesson".
Molly's heart sank as she pressed play. The sound of Selena's screams and the sickening thuds of fists on flesh filled the room. Molly's eyes widened in horror as she listened to her daughter's beating, Robert's voice taunting her in the background. The tape ended abruptly, leaving Molly, Eun Ho, Jonathan, and Jonah angry and distraught. They knew she had to act fast to save their daughter from Robert's clutches.
Molly's eyes were red-rimmed as she sat beside James, her body shaking with sobs. "I have to do it, James," she whispered.
"I have to give myself up for Selena. I am sorry."
James's face was etched with worry. "Molly, no! That's a death sentence. Robert will kill you the moment he gets his hands on you."
Molly's tears fell harder as she pulled out the tape recorder and played the video. James's eyes widened in horror as he listened to Selena's screams and the sound of her being beaten.
When the tape ended, James looked at Molly, his face pale. "We can't let him do this to her," he whispered. "But we can't let you sacrifice yourself either."
Molly took a deep breath, her mind made up. "I have to try, James. I have to try and save our daughter."
James nodded slowly. "Okay, let's think this through. We can do it safely, Molly. We can make sure you're protected. The Guards can protect you. I can hide."
Molly's eyes filled with tears as she nodded. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try. As Jonathan and James strategized. Molly sat down at the kitchen table, pieces of paper and a pen in front of her. She began to write a letter to James, Selena, Greyson, and McKenna, her heart heavy with emotion.
Molly's tears fell onto the paper as she finished writing. She knew she was taking a huge risk, but she also knew she had no choice. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save her daughter, no matter the cost