Why Tony, Why?

He was taken. I'm not entirely sure what I should do. I mean he's my brother, my friend.  I can't, I don't even know how I would be able to explain to her that he was taken and I know who took him. 

I was alone, sitting in a chair with my head in my hands. My heart's beating, sweat beading on my forehead, my head clouded with the terrible thoughts of how I could've prevented the tragedy.  On November 27th, 2031 my brother, Tony Merrick was taken. He was walking home from the library after school. He was always a kid that studied hard, all A's unlike me.  I can't begin to imagine the pain he's going through. Probably tied to an old, rusty, cold metal chair. With Itchy fraying ropes around his limbs. His wrists red and sore with the rugburn the ropes gave him during his struggle. I can't stop thinking about it, I can't keep the pictures out of my head.

The sad part is, I know who took him. To some, that's a good thing, but to me, it's the worst part. The kidnapper is my best friend's dad.  I don't have proof, but I know it was him. He's been gunning at my brother for months. I guess my brother tried to ask his daughter out, and apparently he didn't like that idea. Normally,  Tony picks me up from school and drives us home. I have noticed the same black Mercedes trailing his car the past few weeks on our drive home each day. And now, he's gone. The car, my brother, my sanity.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, startled I slowly reach my hand into my pocket to answer.  An unknown number, trembling I slide the dot and bring the phone to my ear. I hear breathing, and a small whimpering noise in the background. Almost instantly I knew it was his cry, his cry for help, and without hesitation I yelled into the phone "TONY! EVERYTHINGS GONNA BE ALRIG-" I was cut off. Cut off by a man with a voice that was so clearly being masked. "I only have one request". The way he said it was calming but the distortion in his voice made it terrifying.  I am only 13, I thought, but he's still my brother. It was only a couple of seconds that both sides of the line were quiet, but it felt like an eternity. With newfound hesitation I replied with "what do you want?"

"I think you know who I am." My heart stopped. Did he notice, all those times I looked through the side and rear view mirrors on the car, the times I peered into those pristine black sunglasses that shielded the truth. The times I always looked behind my shoulder when I entered our home. Was I too obvious? I never thought, I never thought he would actually take him.

"I SAID WHAT DO YOU WANT!"

"Now, now, dear child no need to be angry. Your brothers been a bad boy." It's like he was taunting me. He knows how much I love him, he knows how heartbroken my whole family is.

"DO NOT taunt me. Tell me what you want or I'm telling your daughter the monster of a person you are."

"You see Elaine... I don't think you will. You know how hurt she would be, she wouldn't believe you. And she most definitely will never speak to you again." "You do know that right, Elaine?"

The sad thing is, his words speak the truth. We are children, Monika would never believe her dad is a crazy kidnapping muderer. If I lose her, and don't get my brother back, I'm alone.

"I'm asking one last time, What. Do. You. Want?"

"5 thousand dollars."

"Are you crazy?! I don't have that kinda money?! I'm still a friggin child, A CHILD."

"Do you want him back, or not? You have 72 hours."

"How am I suppo-"

*Beep* The treacherous sound of the call ending. How am I supposed to come up with FIVE THOUSAND dollars, the thoughts whispered and echoed throughout my skull. I can’t ask my mom for that kind of money, I can’t ask my dad who's been incarcerated for years. I don’t know anyone, wait, I do. I can’t. I won’t. Monika is the only one in this whole town that has that kind of money. Which really makes me question why her rich dad would need more money. And it’s a stretch asking a thirteen year old. 

I don’t know what will happen to him If I don’t get the money in time. I don’t want to think about it anymore. Three days, three days is all I have. My racing heart makes it’s undoubted return. I have to ask her. But how? How can I twist the truth in a way I don’t make her upset, in a way she won’t leave me.  But would this be betraying her, would this be considered deceiving her? If she found out the truth later on would she be angry I kept the truth away, or mad I even brought it up? And maybe just maybe, it's a miracle, and Monika steals the money and I give it to him. When he finds out I just gave him his own money, would I be next? 

I can’t think about this anymore. I need a plan, a strategy, a fool proof way everyone gets what they want and we can get a happy ending. First I tell Monika my brother’s been taken and is being held for ransom. From this point on I don’t know who the kidnapper is. I’ll tell her to take the money from her dad’s study. Top drawer to the left, we found it once as kids. We had never seen that much money before. Ever. I’ll tell her to take it when her parents aren’t home. They always go to a parents only club on fridays from 6 to 11pm. That's when the money will be taken. 

We met up behind the one basketball court no one ever used at recess the next day. I told her the plan. I could see the tears trying not to take form in her eyes, but one managed to slip. She loved him just as much as I did, maybe just a little bit more. She looked ready to help, I’ve never seen the fierceness in her eyes that I saw today. She was like a whole different person, fire and passion in her eyes to save him. It hurt me to know that I was leading her right into the danger. Right into the monster's den.  The plan was set, we had everything planned out. Since today was luckily Thursday the plan would take action tomorrow. 

I got a call around 10pm the next day. I rushed to pick up the phone the second I saw the silly picture I have of her for her contact light up my screen. I pressed the phone against my face.

“Did you get it?!”

“Yes, but it took me a while since the drawer was locked this time.”

“How’d you open it?!”

“I always have a trusty bobby pin.”

“You are a lifesaver! I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I can bit by bit I promise.”

“I know you will. Best friends forever.”

“Best friends forever!”

Oh no, the call ended and I was sick to my stomach with guilt. In our plan she will bring the money in her midnight sparkles bag in 20 minutes. And i’ll meet her dad, the kidnapper, tomorrow after clubs at school. After not too long I heard our secret knock on my door. We came up with it when we were ten when we found an abandoned treehouse behind the park. We didn’t allow anyone in who didn’t know the secret knock to enter. I opened the door and she quickly straightened her arms and shoved the bag inches away from my face. As I reached up to grab it she pulled it back, close to her chest. “Don’t lose it, okay?”

“I won't, I promise I just want my brother back.” 

“Good, here you go.”

She sets the bag in my arms and it’s heavier than I thought it’d be. But a rush of relief washes over me now that I know I can finally save him. 

The next day goes by fast, I’m just counting down the minutes until I get to be the hero. When clubs end I hop on my bike and rush home. I pull out the bag from my messy closet. I was hiding it in a pile of clothes that had fallen off their hangers over time. I never really bothered to clean it up. It was the perfect hiding spot though. I slung the bag over my shoulder and rushed out the door. 

I was running as fast as I could, this was my moment, this is what he will remember me for. I arrived, It was an old rusty building with bent nails and broken boards covering the shagged and molding wooden walls. There was only one way to get in without being hurt. But it required two people. I knew he was here. No one had to tell me where he was, I just knew. I look at the entrance way, I hear the soft tapping of his designer expensive shoes all the dads where nowadays. His footsteps were slow, controlled, and menacing. I saw the door rise and my poor brother in the back of the room exhausted, his head had no more strength to stay upright anymore, it had no reason to. 

I call out to him, but he doesn’t seem to hear me. I don’t know if this maniac even fed him. 

“Well, aren’t you gonna come in?”

I slowly enter, checking my surroundings trying not to get hurt. I clutch the bag with all my might and my fingernails dig into my palms, but I do not release the pressure or lighten it. 

“I see you have the money, care to hand it over?”

“Let my brother go first.”

“You see, I can’t do that.”

“WHY THE HELL NOT?!”

“I know what you did.”

I look down desperately trying to figure out what I did. Then it hits me My head bolts up and I see the slight glimmer of the knife sliding gracefully out of his pocket.  I try to scream but I can’t. My mouth opens but no sound comes out. He is behind my brother, knife in hand. In a quick seamless motion, grabs my brother by his hair and effortlessly slides the knife across his neck.  It didn’t look real. The waterfall of blood sliding down his neck and soaking the collar of his dirty light blue shirt. He gasps for air but it sounds in pain. And his head falls back down, this time for good.

I drop to my knees and just start crying. The bag dropped to the floor and I hear the door abruptly slide open. “HEY! ELAINE!  DID YOU GET YOUR BROTHER BACK YET?!” and then a scream. She looks at the body and then at me, a mess on the floor, and then at her own father, and back to me. Through her tears caused only by trauma she asks me “Did, did you know, did you know it was him, my dad, MY DAD!”

I could only nod.