I know I haven't posted for a while.. but I'm back! Life around the Sims house has been a bit crazy. So, I thought, I would post my novel that I wrote this November (Thanks Brianna for the idea!) So.. Here we go!
KIDNAPPED
A novel
Written by Amanda Sims
CHAPTER 1
One day, 12-year-old Jana Montrose was riding her bike home from a basketball game with her friends. She was almost home, when she heard a loud (obviously a woman’s) scream coming from an alleyway between two buildings. She was shocked, pulling hard on her brakes. She heard the scream again, and ventured towards the place where she heard the scream, dropping her bike. "What was all that screaming about?" she wondered, venturing even closer to the alleyway. She heard the scream one more time, and, being so close to the source of it, hurt Jana's ears. She finally came upon the alleyway, and she saw a beautiful woman in her twenties, lying on the ground. Her dark black hair looked so pretty against her light skin. Her head was bleeding, and the contents of her purse where spilled out on the ground next to her. It took Jana a second to take in all this, but she soon knelt down next to the woman, looking and checking out the cut on her head.
Besides being a detective, her father (John Montrose), also doubled as a part-time doctor. He had taught Jana everything she knew about being a detective, and a doctor. Jana finished inspecting the cut, and started making sure the woman's body was okay. Jana knew she wasn't hurt, she only fell. Jana didn't know it, but coming from behind was two, strong, burly men. One had some rope,the other, a sack. Just at that moment, Jana turned around, finally seeing the two men. This time it was her turn to scream. They had pulled the sack over her head and tied her with the rope before she could think to try to run away. "AHHHHH!!!" Jana screamed, but her calls and screams where in vain, for the sack muffled her cries. Something hit her on the head, and the last thing she remembered was the sack being thrown inside a car.
When Jana woke up, she was not inside the sack anymore, but tied to a chair, in a dark room with no windows, and only one door, which, (Jana could tell) was padlocked. Her arms and legs where tied in such a way she could not, no matter how hard she tried, wiggle free. Suddenly, Jana heard the padlock make the distinct clicking sound she knew so well, meaning that the door would open. You see, Jana's father owned a shed on the north side of their lawn. Jana was in charge of putting her bike and other things inside of it. It had a padlock on it. The door opened, and there, to Jana's surprise, stood the woman that she had seen in the alleyway! Jana gasped. "It was you, all along, wasn't it?" She asked the woman in a odd tone. (She did not want the woman to remember her voice, in case she ever tried to get her again.) "Why, how ever did you know?" said the woman, in a voice that would charm even the toughest man. "Just a little guess." Jana replied. "Now, who are you?" She asked the unknown woman. "Oh, you'll find that out soon." the woman crooned. "Boys!", she called, clapping her hands. The two men that had caught Jana in the sack walked up to the woman from a hallway in this strange place. "Take her away!" she called. "NO!" Jana said boldly. "I will not go!" the woman smiled. "I didn't say you would go." she said. The men grabbed Jana. Jana
screamed and kicked, punched, and did everything she could to get away from those men. But they were too strong. As they were walking down the long, dark, and pretty spooky hallway, Jana looked around. She didn't see a single window, and only occasionally she saw a door. "What a perfect hideout for robbers!" Jana thought. "But how can I get out of here?" "For all I know, this could be up on a second floor, and all those doors could just lead to another room!" "But, if this is a second floor, there's got to be stairs somewhere." "So I have a chance, I just have to find a way to distract them, so I'll have a lot of time to look around.But I can promise myself, it's not gonna be easy." Jana thought.
At that moment, the men and the unknown woman walked into a small door. They entered a dark, gloomy room, that, with lights on, would almost be considered a dining room in a normal house. The woman sat down in an old chair, and the men where ordered to set Jana down. They did, and as soon as she had gotten a little comfortable, metal rings snapped around her arm and legs. These chairs where not what they seemed. Jana glanced over, and was not very surprised. The woman's chair had not trapped her. Jana looked around, and saw that the men were starting to leave the room. They were soon gone, and Jana was confused. Where had they gone? What could they possibly be doing? had left the room.
Jana looked hard at the woman, trying to remember every detail of her clothes, hair, and everything else. So, just in case, if the police found her, she could describe the woman well. But, Jana wasn't sure. The woman could be wearing a disguise. Just then, the two men walked back into the room. They where carrying plates. One of which had a big gloppy mess, the other had food fit for a king. The men walked up to Jana. The one carrying the gloppy mess handed his plate to Jana. The other gave the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and everything else to the woman. Jana didn't know whether to eat, or to throw it on the floor. She chose the second option. CRASH! The plate went as it hit the floor, shattering to pieces. The woman looked at Jana with dark eyes. "What did you just do?" she said in a voice so sweet it made your spine tingle. "I said, WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?" "Something for the better." Jana replied smugly. The woman looked angry. "Clean up the mess, boys." she said to the two men. The two men (Who Jana had been watching closely, she also wanted to be able to describe them), picked up the pieces of the plate.
"Oh!" Jana thought. "I just realized!" "They haven't said a single word!" "I need to know what they sound like, if I need to describe them to the police." Now, as everything is going quite slowly, I will tell you a bit about Jana Montrose, other than you already know. Jana Montrose is a 12-year-old girl, and she lives in the town of Bloomington, Illinois. It's a small town, where nothing really happens. Occasionally, there is a mystery to solve, and Jana's father is a detective. Her mother is a stay-at-home-mom, who homeschools Jana. Jana is an only child, but often wishes she had a brother or sister to play with, or talk to. Her best friend is Elizabeth Jane Mone, or "Beth". They love to have sleepovers, and they do very often. Well, back to the story. The men were picking up the pieces of plate, when the woman stood up. She tossed her hair back. "Boys, I'm going to bed!" she said. "Yes Boss!" one of the men replied. His voice was harsh and gruff. "Yeah!" Jana thought. "Now I know what one of them sounds like!" "And, I also know the woman is in charge of them." The woman left the room. The men finished up, then grabbed Jana, and took her through the hallway they started in. They soon reached the room Jana was tied up in. Jana knew this because of the rope and chair lying on the ground. They put her back in the chair, despite her kicking, and tied her with a rope. They where just leaving, when Jana asked them, "Why did you kidnap me?" "Uhh--uhh-- We don't really know." Said one of the men, the taller one. "Boss said it was for your father." "Oh!" He clapped his hand over his mouth. "I've said to much already!" He left the room, leaving poor Jana all alone. Jana thought a lot about what he said, being all alone in the room, and all. "My father?" she thought. "Why my father?" "Is he in danger, dealing with these criminals and all?" Jana's stomach growled. "Man, I'm hungry." "I should've eaten that food...." Her mind wandered, and soon she fell asleep.
When she woke up, she was sore all over, still tied to the chair, and her mind was still wondering why she was here. She groaned. She hated waking up like this. She stopped. She heard voices outside her door. "What should we do?" The voice said. She could tell it was the woman by the tone of voice she said it in. The tone was a bossy tone. "I'm not sure, Boss!" another voice said. Jana knew it was the taller man. "Oh, be quiet, you dolt." The woman said. You could tell the change in her voice. "I'm sure she tried to sound as sweet as she could around me." Jana thought. "Of course."
The voices kept talking. "Wait! Is the girl awake?" Once Jana heard that, she pretended to fall asleep. She lay in the chair, her body limp, breathing heavy. She heard the familiar click of the padlock as it was unlocked, and shivered with anticipation. The door opened, and Jana heard the woman's voice say, "Oh, good. she's still asleep." She walked up to Jana, shaking her. Jana pretended to wake up, groaning and mumbling. "Wake up, kid!" the woman said. Jana opened her eyes. "It's time for breakfast." "Oh, yum!" Jana said. "Oh, wait, yuck." she said. "Ughh, why do kids your age have to be a pain in the neck?" The woman asked. "Now, follow us." She and the men walked out. Jana was shocked they would trust her. "Now's my chance!" she thought. she bent down. "What the heck are you doing, kid?" The woman said from down the hall. "Tying my shoe!" Jana called
back. "Whatever." The woman said, and kept walking. Jana looked at all the doors. "Which one should I choose?" She wondered. "No time!" "Eeeny, Meeny, Miney, MO!" She ran into the "Mo" door. She chose right!! She saw stairs, and ran down them.
By now, the woman and the men had seen her, and where chasing her. She bolted down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. She soon saw the light of day coming out of an only window. "Yes!" she thought. "My lucky break!" "GET HER!!" The woman yelled. Jana picked up the pace, going faster and faster. All those basketball games paid off as she ran her heart out and reached a door at the bottom of the stairs. She ran out the door, and into the outside air! She scanned the large 5-acre lot, and saw a tree. She dived (dove) behind it, hoping the woman and her cronies wouldn't notice her. She then saw them burst through the door, and start scanning the area. Jana noticed they weren't looking very hard. She hoped they wouldn’t see her with all her heart. While they where looking, she looked around the lot. There was train tracks, a big semi-truck, and the large building, which was behind her. It looked dark against the hazy morning sky. She noticed that there where several doors to the inside. She probably could've chosen any door, and it would've led her to the outside. She thought about what she should do. There where many options, such as jumping on the truck and driving away. She turned down that idea, for she thought it too dangerous. And she'd get in trouble with the police, which was probably not an option. She decided, that if the woman and her men would move to check out the back of the building, she would make her escape, by hiding inside the truck (if it was unlocked) and waiting until they left. then, she would plan her escape. Jana looked around. The woman and men where leaving! Her heart jumped in her chest, and she was sure they would find her out by hearing the joyous beating of her heart. As soon as they where out of sight, Jana ran as fast as her legs could carry her to the semi-truck. She reached the door, tugging at the knob. Joyously, the door opened! She raced in, closing the door as softly as she could, in case the woman or the men where nearby. She looked around in the truck. There was a back-section, in which there was a curtain covering it. It had a nice little couch, tiny fridge (to hungry Jana's delight) , and a small bed. Jana pulled the curtain so it was covering the back-section, lay down on the bed, and started to plan her escape. She thought her best bet was to just run. She checked out the fridge, and to her delight, was several types of nuts, granola bars, and things perfect for travel. She found a pitcher full of water, and finally concluded that the woman and perhaps the men, where going somewhere. She grabbed some granola bars, ate them up, and then laid down in the bed, and fell asleep.
Jana woke up, to her surprise, to voices. She sat up. "I'm going to the back." a voice said, and Jana recognized it to be the woman's. She gasped. She tried to find a place to hide, and dove under the bed. She heard the woman walk in, and, to Jana's horror, lay on the bed. Again, Jana thought she would be caught by the beating of her heart. Luckily, there was a bed skirt around the bed, concealing Jana. After hours of lying under the bed, breathing as softly as Jana could, the woman got up, and walked into the front. Jana breathed a sigh of relief. She heard the woman say to the men, "You'll have to fix that bed, it's getting to feel lumpy." Jana gasped. she couldn't stay like this for long!
She scurried up on top of the bed, not making a sound. She looked around, as quickly as she could, and discovered that there was an entrance to the very back of the truck, the one that holds the cargo! She nearly clapped her hands for joy, but caught herself. She scrambled to the cargo area of the truck, trying to be as quiet as she possibly could. She was shocked by the sheer size of this large space, she sat down with a thump on the hard, cold, floor. She sat there for a while, until the floor started moving! She soon realized that they were just driving the car. But, how long would they drive it for? And to where? How far away would she be from home this time? Jana's brain was filled with so many questions. She wondered what she should do next. "Perhaps I should open the doors?" Jana thought, gazing at the large 10-feet long doors at the back of the truck. "No, if we're still moving, how could I do that?"
Just then, Jana heard the door to the front of the truck making noises as if it where opening. Jana let out a little gasp, and looked everywhere to try to find a place to hide. She found none. She ran and just curled up in a corner, hoping whoever opened the door would not see her. The door opened, and there stood the woman, followed by the tall man! "Hello!" said the woman. "We've been expecting you." staring straight at Jana. "You thought you could hide from us?" said the woman. "We knew where you were all along! Why do you think you can hide from us? We are masterminds!" The woman laughed an evil laugh. All the time she had been talking, Jana was planning. Jana had noticed the truck was slowing. Jana suddenly ran, as fast as she could, threw open the doors, and jumped out. She fell, but regained her stance, and ran. All this time, the woman had been staring, but she finally said, "It's okay. We can find the girl back, she'll be easy to find. This shouldn't be hard."
Meanwhile, Jana continued running. She finally ran out of breath, and stopped. Panting, she tried to decide what to do. "Maybe I could look around, see if someone lives around here. It's a nice place." Jana thought. There was beautiful trees, green grass, and plants with the most pretty blossoms. Suddenly, Jana was hailed by a few loud barks from a dog! It was a collie, a really beautiful one, but it had no collar. It's hair needed a serious grooming. It was coming straight towards her! Jana screamed as the dog lunged at her, but was surprised to find the dog was only licking her face. This time Jana laughed. The dog finally got off Jana, and Jana questioned the dog. "Where did you come from?" she asked the dog. The dog whimpered. "Oh, well, you can stay with me!" Jana laughed. "This is my home for a while." She said, laughingly gesturing to the great empty space behind her. "I think I'll name you Lassie." The dog grunted, shaking his head. "Oh, you don't like that?" Jana asked. "A boy, are you?" "Then I'll name you... Watch!" "You can be my watchdog." "I trust you." Jana said, petting Watch. "Do you like that name, Watch?" In response to this, Watch jumped up and barked. "Oh, you do!" 'Wonderful!" "I love you boy." she said, snuggling his large body against her small frame.
Jana's stomach growled. "Well, I guess I'm not getting dinner." said Jana. At this, Watch suddenly barked. He ran across the grass, pulling Jana along. "What is this all about?" Jana asked the dog, to which he barked in reply. Jana gasped. He had taken her to a beautiful clearing, where there, lying on the ground, was a large dead, deer. "Oh!" Jana gasped. "This could provide me meat for months!" "If only I had a fire to cook it on!" Suddenly, she remembered! Last summer, when her family had gone to Summer Lake, her father had taught her how to make a fire out of a good sized limb, and a piece of string. And she had a spool of string in her pocket!! She fished the string out, and looked around the forest, until she found a perfect limb that was shaped like a bow. She took the string, and tied one end on one end of the limb, and the other end on the other end of the limb. She had something that looked like a large bow-and-arrow. She then gathered up dry pine needles, and some dry sticks. She took one of the sticks, and used the bow like a saw, rubbing it back and forth on the stick until sparks came. Then, she gently blew on the sparks, lighting the pine needles! She ran, gathering firewood for the now joyous fire. Watch was barking with joy. Jana was jumping up and down. Then, they both worked together to try to find a way to drag the deer over to the fire pit. First, Jana took two of the strongest sticks she could find (they could hold at least 300 pounds) that had crotches in them, and stuck both of them on opposite sides of the fire "pit". Then, she took another long, strong stick, and stuck it through the deer, after taking it's fur off, which was quite hard at first, because the only thing Jana could think of was scraping rocks against the animal's fur. Then, with a little help from Watch, she took the stick with the deer on it, and set it in the crotches of the other two. She had a spit! For the next few painfully hungry hours, she turned the spit, and realized it was cooked. Again, with help from Watch, she took the stick. only this time, instead of up, it was time for the stick to come down. She sat down, using a sharp stone for a fork, and a piece of bark for a plate. That night she lay on a bed of grass, and fell asleep, warm, and full.
That morning, Jana woke up exactly the opposite of how she fell asleep. She was cold, and hungry. The fire, which she had covered up to keep warm, was still going strong. She sat up, and glanced to the other side of the fire, where Watch was. "Ohh, I really should consider sleeping with you, Watch." Jana said. "Dogs are great body-warmers." As if in reply, Watch trotted over and sat on Jana's lap. He was toasty warm. "Now, I think I'll have some breakfast." Jana said. "But, this time, I want something other than meat. Something...like a salad." she said looking at the dandy-lions that she saw across the fire. "I've heard you can make salad out of dandy-lion greens." she said to the puzzled Watch. As Jana prepared her "salad", Watch listened. He heard something rustling in the leaves on the other side of Jana's small "camp". Watch barked. It was the woman and her cronies! "Oh, watch, be quiet." Jana said, not noticing that they where hiding on the other side. Suddenly, Watch saw that one of the men was walking slowly towards Jana. He barked, tugging on Jana's shirt, pulling her away from danger. But the dog was no match for the man. The man threw a sack over Jana and the dog! Jana screamed, kicked, and punched to try to get out of the sack. She heard the woman’s voice say, "You're not escaping this time." Everything went dark, and the last thing Jana remembers was yearning for her dog.
Jana woke up in the truck, tied to the same chair that she was in when she was in the
building. It was dark and musty, and her dog was next to her, barking in joy that she had just woken up. He licked her face, causing her to giggle, even though she was in despair. She looked up, to see the woman standing there. Jana nearly jumped. "You scared me!" Jana said. "Well, get used to it.", the woman said. "I've scared many kids in my lifetime, and I'm not afraid to scare more." Jana looked at the woman angrily. "So you're a kidnapper, eh?" Jana asked the woman. "Do you do it for a living?" Now it was the woman's turn to look angry. "Shut your big mouth, kid. I'm not afraid to kill you." At this, Jana was afraid. "If she could kill me, (Jana thought) than why hasn't she before?" This time, Jana was determined to escape from these kidnappers. But where could they be going? At this rate, she could be 10,000 or so miles from her warm, safe home! Jana realized that she had to take action. Now. She remembered that, this time, she had her dog. She could use him to bite through her ropes! But, first, this time, she would plan what to do before taking action.
CHAPTER 2
Jana had been planning for a hour (or at least that's what it felt like) when she felt them slowing down. The woman came in from the front, untied Jana, and grabbed her and Watch and pulled them to the front. Jana saw the two men, one of which (the tall one) was driving. Jana noticed that they where driving towards a town, apparently called "Rogersville." Soon, they drove into "downtown". If you could call it downtown. There where rusty metal buildings, all the shops looked like they where out of business, and there was only one place that had it's lights on. It was a pizza parlor, called "Best Pizza Around". "Well, (Jana thought) that's the only pizza place around." They drove into the parking lot of the pizza parlor, and the one of the men took Jana, holding her hands as if he were her father. The other stayed in the car. "I see what they’re doing." Jana thought. "They're acting as if they're my parents!" They walked into the pizza parlor, which had about 5 people inside. The place was almost deserted, you could tell. The man at the counter looked at them eagerly, as if he were thinking "New customers! Finally!" They walked up to the counter, leaving the woman sitting at a table. Jana noticed that the woman had "got up" for the role of a mom. She had a handbag, decorated with flowers. She had on fresh lipstick, and did her hair up in a ponytail. She had painted her nails to match her lips. The man had been ordering the pizza while Jana was thinking, and she heard him say "One pepperoni pizza, please." Jana's mouth watered, hearing (and smelling) her favorite food. The man at the counter told them "Your pizza will be ready soon sir." Then, he looked at Jana and said "Having a special day with your parents, eh?" Jana replied by nodding her head slightly. What else could she do? As they walked back to the table where the woman was seated, she noticed a lot of people looking at them from around the restaurant. "How are you doing, honey?" The woman asked Jana. Jana was surprised by the tone of voice she used. It was soft, and sweet. Jana nodded. The people turned their heads away at this, and kept talking in voices that made you want to snore.
After Jana, the woman and her cronie finished eating, They went back to the truck, the
man tying up Jana as she was before. They continued driving. Jana kept planning. If the woman trusted Jana enough to go out in public again, then Jana knew she would try it again. Jana just had to get a hold on some paper and a pencil. Jana was tired. After all, when they went to the pizza parlor, it was almost dark outside. Jana, even though she was in the most uncomfortable position, fell asleep.
When Jana woke up, they were still driving. Jana was starting to get motion sickness from all this driving. But, Jana noticed they were starting to drive slowly. Watch was barking. Jana noticed that next to Watch was a small bowl with dog food and water. "How kind of them to feed Watch!" Jana thought. Suddenly, the door to the cargo area opened. In came the woman. "Time for breakfast." said the woman. She seemed very uncomfortable playing the role of a mother. She was still in the same getup as before, with the purse and ponytail. This time, she had a ring on her finger. Jana wondered if she was really engaged or married, and doubted it. The ring was a very expensive-looking one, with a huge blue gem sparkling in the middle of the setting. It seemed like a ring like that would be too impractical for a real mom to wear. The woman untied Jana, taking her to the main area, where they got out of the vehicle, walking through a deserted downtown (much like the other town they went through) and towards a old restaurant entitled "Keller's Pancakes". Again, a sign on the restaurant said "Best food around." Jana giggled. The woman gave he a stern look, saying through clenched teeth, "Be quiet, kid." They walked inside, Where, again, the establishment only had about 5 customers. This time, however, the cashier didn't "lighten up" as soon as he saw them. He just continued looking as if he were the most bored person on the planet. They ordered 5 pancakes, 1 for Jana (she had a small appetite) 2 for the woman, and 2 for the man. They chose a table and sat down. When their food arrived, the man ate ravenously, the woman daintily, and Jana just picked at her food. Jana looked around the table. Sitting there was her favorite syrup, butterscotch syrup. She poured it on her pancakes, and started eating small bites of it. she realized the food was actually very good, better than the pancake place she had back home. Home. Whenever she heard that word, her memory went back to her father and mother. She imagined them worried, her mother wringing her hands, and crying. Her father, hanging up posters that said "Have you seen this girl?" She imagined her picture up on the board of "lost children" in their favorite grocery store. Jana knew she had to get out of here. Fast. Jana dropped her plate on the floor, "Oops!!" Jana said, faking it. While everything was in a commotion, the woman glaring at her, the man trying to get everyone to stop staring at them, Jana ran out of the restaurant.
She raced out, the woman not realizing what happened. She soon realized that Jana ran away, yelling "STOP HER!!!!" that was the wrong thing to do. Everyone stared at her, saying "What?" and "Why would you do that to your own little girl?" the woman blushed a deep red, getting even angrier than she was before. Jana was in the parking lot, and she ran to the back of the truck, heaving open the large doors, setting Watch free. He barked in a joyous way, making Jana smile. They ran their hearts out, running into a nearby building with a sign "Erwin Wasp's Real Estate" . They opened the door, which
had a bell at the top, jangling as they walked in. A man in a suit and tie was sitting at a large desk. "Hello." the man said politely. "How may I help you today?" then, he pointed at a sign, which had a picture of a dog, crossed out. "I'm sorry, no pets allowed." he said again, in his nice voice. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Jana blurted out. "May I put him in the back?" "Oh, why, sure." The man answered. Jana took the dog out, made him sit, and said, "Stay, Watch." Watch barked. Jana walked back into the building. "So (the man said),How may I help you?" Oh, could you locate a house for me?" Jana asked. "All right." the man answered. "What's the address?" Jana then told him the Montrose's address. "601 Hillshire street, Bloomington, Illionois." "Do you need the zipcode?" "Oh, no." said the man. Jana breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know her zipcode. "Here." the man said, gesturing to his computer. Jana walked towards the computer. "The address you located is 82 miles from here." Jana was shocked. "Thank you." Jana said. "You've been a great help." "You are welcome!" The man said. Jana walked out the door, bell jangling. She picked up Watch. She was in a gloomy mood. She looked around, and saw the truck drive down another street, just missing them. At this, Jana ran as fast as she could.
Jana reached a small restaurant, and walked in, leaving Watch in the front. She was starving, leaving most of her food at the other place. But, sadly, she had no money, and just the smell of sausage, eggs, and bacon haunted her. Her stomach growled. She decided to walk out. She did, and wandered around, looking for somewhere to go inside. Then, she saw the place. It was a library. Jana had always loved to read books, and a large sign revealed that inside there were free library cards. She tied up Watch. She walked inside, smelling her favorite smell (besides food). The smell of paper and ink. She walked up to the counter, and saw a pretty woman. She had purple nails, blonde hair, and was stamping books. At this point, Jana was thinking. What if she told the librarian to call the police, because Jana had been kidnapped? Jana threw this idea to the back of her mind. "Why should she believe me?" Jana wondered. "I'm sure she'll think that I'm just pulling a prank, and ignore me." Jana just decided to ask her for a library card. "Where would I get a library card?" Jana asked the woman. The woman answered, "Right here, honey." "And they're free, too." "Oh!" Jana said. "What do I have to do to get one?" "Sign right here, please." the woman answered. "What's your name, honey?" the woman asked. ""Jana." Jana answered. "Jana Montrose." The woman typed something on the computer, and, out of a printer-like thing, came out a purple library card. It said "Keller county Library." Then, below it, it said, "Jana Montrose." "Thank you!" Jana said to the woman. The woman handed her the card. "The maximum amount of books you can check out is 20." the woman said. "We don't want you to lose any!" Jana smiled, then walked up and searched through the library. There were 3 stories, and each story was for a different section. Jana walked up to the second floor, which was entitled "Kids books". There were self of books everywhere in sight. Jana smiled. She walked to the bookshelves marked "Nonfiction". She looked around, and found several books about earning money. She took a piece of paper and a pencil, and wrote down small bits and pieces of the books, such as, "Odd jobs for money", or "Dog-sitting". "No, wait." Jana said, and scribbled out "Dog-sitting". "This won't work." "I don't know anybody!" She kept looking. She needed enough money for food, and enough money to pay for a payphone.
Jana was so hungry, she could hardly find energy to read more. She went back downstairs to the counter, and checked out a few books on earning money. Then she left, going back to Watch. He licked her face, and barked. "Hello, boy!" Jana said. Watch joyfully barked. Jana realized something. There was a website she used to go to, one that would print out free fliers! She could use those to advertise her businesses! She muttered a quick "stay" to Watch, then ran back inside the library. "Forgot something." She said in a hurry to the eyebrow-raised librarian. She went upstairs to where the computers were, clicked around a bit, and soon found the website she was looking for. She printed out about 20 fliers, and cut them out with a pair of scissors she found in a basket. She took them, and walked out of the library.
Watch seemed to know she had a discovery. He barked, and Jana laughed. Jana was, however, in a bit of a sad mood. She had realized, she had no way for someone to contact her, if they wanted her to do a job. Plus, Jana didn't look like the most clean, neat, and organized-as-neat-as-a-pin kind of person. Jana decided the idea for work was just a daydream. She looked across a street, and saw a warm and toasty bakery. "Well, maybe this town isn't so deserted after all!" Jana said. She walked towards the bakery, humming a song. Watch was trotting along, just as if he were on a leash. Jana soon reached the bakery. She walked in to a wonderful smell of cakes, bread, and sweets. There was a woman, flurrying around, cooking. "Hello?" Jana said to the woman, trying to talk above the noise of all the machines, mixers, and ovens running. The woman looked at Jana, then rushed to turn some of the machines off. "Oh, I'm sorry." the dark-haired woman said. "Didn't see you there." "Would you like anything?" "Oh," Jana said, "I'm looking for a job." "I could use some money." The woman smiled. "I'll pay you $10 an hour to work for me." the woman said. "But of course, you'll have to work hard." "Oh, yes, I understand that!" Jana said. "Well, if you can, start right now!' The woman said. "Can you organize those price tags according to that menu?" She gestured up to the large light-up menu on the wall. "Oh, sure!" Jana said. She got to work.
After an hour was over, Jana was exhausted. The woman handed her the ten dollars, and Jana left. "Wait," (The woman said) You should come back!" "I will!" Jana said. "I just have to do some things." She ran out the door, heading for the nearest restaurant. Watch ran along, barking. The restaurant she was headed for was called "The Coffee pot Cafe". She told Watch to "stay", then walked in. She looked around. this place was warm and cozy, with small tables and chairs. The tables and chairs had metal designs and curls on the legs, which made Jana think she was in a cafe in Paris. There was a large light-up menu, much like the one at the bakery, with a section marked "Food". Jana looked eagerly at this section, and decided she would try a small scone, and a large muffin. Jana walked up to the counter, and said to the man standing at the cash register what she would like. "That'll be $2.95." the man said. "Thank you!" Jana said, handing him the money.
She sat down at a table, and waited. Soon, her food was ready, ad she sat down and ate ravenously. She was starving. After she was done, she ran outside, towards the nearest payphone. clutching five 1-dollar-bills in her hand. She put the money in, they dialed her home's phone number. She waited anxiously for someone to pick up. Suddenly, someone grabbed her. Jana screamed, but no one heard her cries. Jana saw the woman and her cronies! One of the men was holding her, the other, Watch. This time, Jana was determined to stay awake for this, and, despite the punches, she was not knocked out.
Jana remembered the car ride clearly, even years later when she was 80 years old. They were driving on an obviously bumpy road, and there were several trains driving by, as Jana remembered stopping several times and hearing the clang of bells as they stopped and the bars lowered down at a railroad stop. She heard voices, mumbling, saying things like, "How are we gonna get the loot?" and "She thinks she can run away from us, eh?" Jana listened intently, her mind running back to a time when her father talked to a victim of kidnapping, (who escaped) that was blind. Her father told him to "Think back, clearly." and "Use your other senses." This is what Jana was trying to do. She heard the rustlings of paper, barking of Watch, and several other noises in which she could not define. Halfway through the ride, though, some kind of gas was sprayed towards the back, and Jana could not resist. She fell into a deep sleep.
When Jana woke up, she was surprised. She was not in the same building she was in, two times in a row. This was the cargo area of the large truck, in which she had hid, a while back. They, by Jana's calculations, were on the highway, by how fast they were going. Jana thought that, if she was right, they were going at least 40 miles per hour. Jana was getting bored of driving, and being tied up. She was always in this same, uncomfortable, chair! Jana was also tired of being in the same suit of clothes for about 3 days straight. She sighed. Life as a hostage wasn't always exciting. She had been captured before, but her father always had her back safe in her bed by now. She wondered how the villains were always able to find her. She decided to check around her, to see if on her jacket, or in her pocket, or in any other odd place, there might be a tracking device. Suddenly, Jana notice the car slowing down. "Oh, not again!" Jana moaned. "I'm tired of always getting out and trying to escape." "I always fail!" Jana sighed. Soon, the door to the back opened. The woman walked in, and untied Jana. "Move along." the woman muttered. "If you try to escape this time, you're dead meat."
They took Jana out of the car, Jana not struggling at all. This time, she was too tired and hungry to resist. This town was called "McKinley". The place that they were walking to, the place where they were going to have lunch (Jana figured it was about noon) , was a fast food place. This one looked pretty busy. Jana suddenly noticed something on a telephone pole next to the place they were walking to. It was a poster. This is what it said:
MISSING CHILD
Young 12-year-old girl Jana Montrose has been reported missing. She is about 56 inches high, has dark blue eyes, and has dark brown hair.
There was a picture of Jana on the poster, and Jana was excited. If they went inside the restaurant, someone would see her, and call the police! Jana knew today would be a good day. The villains didn't seem to notice the poster, and Jana was relieved. They walked in the restaurant, and the woman took Jana to a table while the man (The tall one) went to order food. Jana thought up and excuse. "Um," (Jana said) Do you think, that, I could use the restroom?" Jana asked the woman. The woman groaned. "It's right over there...." The woman said, and pointed to a large sign with an arrow on it. Jana walked to where the sign directed, and walked into the restroom. There where a few people standing at the sink, washing their hands.
One woman looked at Jana. "Wait!" the woman said. "Isn't that the girl with posters hanging all over town about?" "Oh! (Jana said) Yes, that's me!" "Jana Montrose!" "I've been kidnapped, the kidnappers are in the restaurant!" "Can you help me??" "My!" the woman said. "Yes, I suppose so!" "Lets go to the police station!" "Hop in my car." They ran out of the restaurant, the woman dragging Jana along. They reached the woman's car in no time. They hopped in, and the woman drove away. "My Land, that was close!" The woman said, who seemed to be in her 40's. She had grey hair, and a small pocketbook. She was tough, you could tell. She wouldn't give up, Jana was sure of that. She would help Jana get home.
Jana was at the police station, while the police listened to the story of her adventures so far. Jana's parent's had been called, and were rushing to come to the police station in McKinley.
A police officer was questioning Jana on where this dog she was talking about was, when Jana's parents rushed in. Mrs. Montrose spotted Jana, and in a flash, had her caught up in the biggest hug ever known to mankind. Jana giggled. "Oh, honey, I thought you where gone forever!!" Jana's mother said. Jana glanced across the room to see her father, with a big grin on his face. She ran to hug him, as well. He laughed his deep, melodious laugh as she flung her arms around his body. He wrapped his arms around her, in a safe, solid, hug. This time, Jana laughed. She looked up at his kind face, with wrinkles from all the times he ever smiled.
"Now, (Mr. Montrose said) I've heard interesting things about your adventures. The police officer said you even encountered a dog!" Jana smiled. Then she remembered. What would they do with Watch? "Oh, no!" Jana said in dismay. "I left him! Follow me!" She pulled her astonished mother and father to their car. They drove away, yelling from
the car to the police officer standing out front, "We'll be back!" Jana had told her father
and mother all about her dog on the way to the restaurant that she was saved at. They drove in, and Jana was delighted in seeing that the truck was still there. She gasped. The woman and her cronie walked out of the fast food place! Jana pulled on her father's shirt, pointing and whispering that these were the people that kidnapped her! Mr. and Mrs. Montrose gasped. They ran to the truck, blocking the way to it. They stood right in front of the criminals, and the woman and man were very surprised. The woman gasped as she recognized Jana. Mr. Montrose pulled out his wallet, and let it slip open. There was a badge, gleaming in the sunlight. "Stop, In the name of the law!" Mr. Montrose said. The man, to this answered, "Why are you here? We committed no crimes!" But Mr. Montrose had already put handcuffs on them both. Then, Jana ran up to their car, and pulled open the back. Watch jumped out, barking while Jana laughed. Her father was carrying the villains to the back seat of the car, and her mother was walking towards Jana and Watch. Watch jumped on Mrs. Montrose, and she laughed. "When I was a child, we had a dog just like him!" she said, patting Watch's head.
The villains where in jail, the police officers finished questioning Jana, and Jana was at home with Watch, telling her mother and father about all the crazy things that had happened to her. If you where in the dinning room, right next to the living room where Jana was telling her story, you might hear several "Wow! What happened next?" and "Oh! I'm so glad you're safe, now!" Jana enjoyed telling her father and mother what had happened, even though it brought back bad memories, she loved to see the gleam in her fathers eyes as he leaned in closer, to hear more, and the smiles on her mothers face, when she escaped. They both looked at each other with knowing eyes when she told of her adventures in the wilderness. When she told how she found Watch, and named him, all eyes went on the courageous dog. He barked, in answer, making them all laugh out loud. When Jana told of the amazing woman who took her to the police station, her parents both said "We'll have to thank her!" at the same time, then looked at each other, and burst out laughing. "Alright." her father said, after all the laughter had died down. "I'd better get back to work. I can hear the details later." Then he walked out the door, taking his briefcase with him. Jana then remembered how hungry she was, and how hungry Watch must be. "Mom," Jana said, "Is there any possible way Watch and I could have something to eat?" Her mother clapped her hand to her mouth. "Oh, my, I forgot!" she gasped. She ran into the kitchen, while hungry Jana and Watch followed.
After eating a delicious 'little' snack, Jana and Watch walked back into the living room, where Mrs. Montrose was sitting and reading a book. "Mom, Thanks!" Jana said. "That was great!" Jana's mother looked up. "Oh, yes!" she said. "You're welcome!" Jana smiled. "What are you reading?" she said, sitting down on the warm sofa next to her mother. "Just a mystery story." her mother answered. "Hearing about all these dangerous things that villains do, makes me wonder what would have happened to you if you hadn't escaped." Jana thought about this for a while, as her mother continued reading.
After a while, Jana had thought of all the possible things that could have happened to her, had she stayed in the villains clutches. She wondered why they wanted her, in the first place. She'd have to ask her father when he got home from work. Suddenly, she heard the door open. Maybe she wouldn't have to wait so long. She ran into her father's arms. He laughed. "Missed me, huh?" he said in his deep, booming voice. Mr. Montrose was a very handsome man, strong, brave, and, best of all, loved his child. Jana laughed. "Long time no see!" Jana said. "Well, I took the liberty of calling a police detective out here to 'question' you, Jana." Mr. Montrose said. Jana smiled. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Jana said. At that moment, Jana glanced outside. The sun was shining in the mid-afternoon sky. Jana knew that today was the day she would find out who those crooks were, and where their hideout was. Jana was determined to find out the facts. "When is the detective going to come?" Jana wanted to know. "At 3:30." Jana's father replied. Jana went off to her room, to wait until the detective arrived. She found one of her favorite books on her large black bookcase. She sat down on the top level of her loft, filled with blankets, and sat down for a quiet read.
"Jana!" a voice said from downstairs. "Coming!" Jana replied with a shout. She dashed down the ladder, and ran down the stairs to the living room. Standing there, next to Mr. MOntrose, was a beautiful dark-haired woman. She had brown eyes, and said to Jana in a cool, clear voice,"Are you ready to be questioned?" to which she laughed a short, small chuckle. "Yes!" Jana said in a proud voice, head held high. "My name is Detective Ryan." the woman said. "I'm here to 'interrogate' you." Jana laughed. "Let's go to my office." Mr. Montrose said. "Then we can talk." As they walked up to her father's office, Jana studied Detective Ryan. She was a middle-aged woman, probably in her 20's, and was wearing a wedding ring. She wore a navy-blue long-sleeve t-shirt, with a small flower design on it. In the corner of her shirt was pinned a badge. She wore a pair of dark jeans, the same color as her shirt. She was quite pretty, with dark red lipstick and purple eye shadow on. They soon got to Mr. Montrose's office, and Mr. Montrose opened the door. He said to them "Make yourself comfortable. I'll leave you alone to talk." then, he left the room. "So, hello!" Detective Ryan said. "My name is Detective Ryan Jones, but you can call me Ryan." she said. "Hello! My name is Jana. You know my father, I presume?" Ryan laughed. "You talk big for a small one!" Ryan said. "That should help us in figuring out the details of your kidnappers. Now, lets start at the beginning."
"Well, first, I was riding my bike." Jana said.
"Good!" the woman answered.
Then, suddenly I heard a scream." Jana said.
"Where were you when you heard the scream?" the detective asked.
"About halfway across our street. The scream seemed to come from one of the alleyways between the town hall and one of the local stores." Jana answered.
"Hmmmm.... continue." the detective motioned Jana to keep going.
"I wondered what was wrong, and dropped my bike, and ran to see where the scream
was, and who produced it." Jana said.
"Good! You're doing great!" the detective said with a smile on her face.
"I ventured towards the alleyway, and about halfway there I heard the scream again, only closer. I knew I was on the right track." Jana said.
"Right....." the detective said, and jotted something down on the notepad she had in her hand.
"I was almost there, about 20 feet away from the alley, when I heard the scream again. It hurt my ears, I was so close." Jana said.
"Continue." Detective Ryan said, writing things in her notepad as Jana went along.
"Then, I walked up so I was in the alley, and I saw a woman." Jana said.
"Can you describe her?" the detective asked.
"Yes. She was a middle-aged woman, dark-haired. She was wearing a trench coat, and she was tanned." Jana answered.
"Great job remembering! You're doing great!"
After about an hour of this 'questioning', Detective Ryan had heard some interesting things. They had some clues. First, they knew the villains wanted her for her father. They might try to kidnap her again. Second, they had clues to which building that they where in. They had, on Mr. Montrose's computer, tracked where Jana was at the time that she talked to the real estate agent. She was in Keller, Indiana. They thought that perhaps the hideout was on the Indiana/Illinois borderline. "You did a great job, Jana!" the detective said. "I look forward to seeing you again, to crack this case wide open!" the detective winked at Jana. Jana smiled. They walked downstairs, and met the smiling Mr. and Mrs. Montrose. "How did it go?" Mr Montrose asked. "Oh, it went great!" Detective Ryan answered. "I got several great clues from her." Then, they all said goodbye to the detective, and Mr. and Mrs. Montrose sat down to talk to Jana. "So," Mr. Montrose said," How did it go? Do you feel like you gave her everything she needs to know?" "Oh," Jana replied, "I gave her everything I had in my brain about the kidnapping." "Good!" Mrs. Montrose replied. "Now, lets go have lunch." They all walked into the dining room to enjoy a delicious meal prepared by Mrs. Montrose, who was a wonderful cook.
After a wonderful meal, the Montrose family went into the living room, to watch the local news on their television. They turned on the television to channel 7, the news channel. Suddenly, there, on the screen, was Jana! It showed a woman, on the screen, talking. Mrs. Montrose turned up the volume. "Local girl, Jana Montrose, was kidnapped, and found after 3 days in captivity. She is the top news in town, earning her headlines in the town's local newspaper. This information was all given to us by Detective Ryan, a local resident. And that's the news." Jana and her family gasped. "How could this happen?" Jana said. "Detective Ryan seemed so reliable! I totally trusted her!" Mr. and Mrs. Montrose
were also shocked. "That's ridiculous!" Mrs. Montrose said. By now it was getting late. "Well," Mr. Montrose said, "I suppose that we can go tell the police about it in the morning. For now, let's go to bed." The family went upstairs, to their beds.
As Jana woke up, she felt the comfort of waking up in a soft bed. She hadn't had the pleasure of this for a while. She sniffed the air. Waffles. Yum! She ran down the stairs to see her mother, in the kitchen taking waffles out of the waffle maker. Jana smiled. Today was going to be a great day. She sat down at the kitchen counter, and said to her mother, "Which one's my plate?" she asked, gesturing to the three plates on the counter, with maple syrup already poured on the delicious breakfast. "That one, Jana!" Mrs. Montrose said cheerfully. Jana took the plate that her mother had pointed to, and walked to the dining room to eat. She ate every bite of the wonderful breakfast. She walked back into the kitchen. "Is there any more, Mom?" Jana asked her mother. "Oh, yes. Just take one." her mother answered, gesturing towards the plate of waffles. "Thanks!" Jana said, and took the waffles. Delicious.
CHAPTER 3
It had been about an hour since Jana woke up, and she had gotten dressed, made her bed, and cleaned her room. She was now getting ready to go with her father to the police station to talk about Detective Ryan. Soon, Jana was ready and out the door. She waved good-bye to her mother, and went to the car with her father. They left, heading towards the north end of town."So, what do you think? Do you have any opinions on Detective Ryan?" Jana asked. "Well," Mr. Montrose said, "I'm not sure. She seemed a reliable source." Jana nodded. "That's what I thought, too! But I guess this world is full of shifty people." Jana said. "True, true." Jana's father agreed. Soon, they had reached the police station of the small town of Bloomington. They got out of their car, and walked in. The police station was a small place, but as they walked in, they saw badges and certificates covering the four walls, that made the place seem almost five times larger. There was a man in a uniform with badges and a hat sitting at a counter. Jana and her father walked up to the counter that the officer was sitting at. "Hello," said the officer at the counter, once Jana and her father had reached it, "How may I help you today?" "Well," Jana's father answered, "Have you ever heard of a Detective Ryan?" The officer looked puzzled. "Yes, sir, she's one of our best. Is there anything wrong?" "Well, what if I told you I think she was an imposter?" Mr. Montrose said. The officer was shocked. "What makes you think
that, sir?" he said. "Last night, Detective Ryan came to our house and questioned her." to this he nodded to Jana. "Then, after she left, Jana was on the news! The woman on the television said that all the information given was given by a Detective Ryan." the police officer gasped. "I'll look into it, sir!" he said stoutly, giving a smart salute, to which Jana giggled. "Thank you for your help!" Mr. Montrose said. "Do you need us to write down our information?" "Why," the officer said, "Yes, you do." "Here." he then handed them a piece of paper, which, in typed print, said, "Name: Address: Anything Else:". to which Jana's father filled out, then handed it to the officer. They left, heading towards the car.
Jana and her father where approaching the house in which the Montrose family lived, a good-sized house in an average neighborhood, in the small town of Bloomington, Illinois. They drove into the garage, and hopped out of their car. They walked inside the house. Suddenly, a gun was shoved in their faces! The holder was none other than Detective Ryan herself!
"Put your hands in the air, and no one gets hurt." Detective Ryan said. Jana and her father raised their hands up, and Jana happened to glance to the back of the kitchen, the room they where in, to see her mother, tied up with a gag over her mouth! Jana gasped. "Why are you here?" Jana's father asked. "Why should I tell you?" Detective Ryan said. "Can you stop answering questions with questions, Detective Ryan? If that's who you really are..." Jana's father asked again. "Shut up!" Detective Ryan said. Jana suddenly knew. She remembered that voice! "You... YOU are the one who kidnapped me!" Jana suddenly shouted. "The 'detective' thing was all a cover! We didn't hear all of that news report, and I'm sure you described yourself completely wrong!! I knew I shouldn't have trusted you if you put me on the news!" Jana was angry now. "Why-Why- YOU!!!" the woman said and stuck the gun in Jana's face. Jana knew she had to stop this evil woman! She looked around, as the evil lady kept talking with her father. She grabbed a shoe that was lying on the floor, and threw it at the woman, knocking the gun out of her hand, and onto the floor. While the woman was in shock, Jana grabbed the gun, handing it to her father, who pointed it at the woman, saying, "Now, it's time for you to put your hands in the air!" Meanwhile, Jana ran over and untied her mother.
It had been almost an hour since 'Detective Ryan' had been tied up, using the ropes that Jana's mother had been tied up in. They where now all in the car, taking the evil villain to the police station, then, hopefully, for the town's jail. As they where driving, Cora Michelle, as she confessed her real name was, told
them what she did, but the one thing she didn't reveal, is why exactly she kidnapped Jana. "I put a small tracking device in the hem of her jeans," Cora confessed. "I was able to find her, wherever she was. I had to make it look like it was hard to find her, though." Soon, they had made it to the police station. Mr. Montrose, Mrs. Montrose, Cora Michelle, and Jana hopped out of the car, heading through the parking lot and towards the small building. Soon, they reached the doors, and Mr. Montrose 'escorted' Cora inside, holding the ropes that held her hands tied tight together. They walked in, and the man that had greeted Jana and her father the other day was at the counter. He gasped, and said, "Why, sir, do you have our best detective tied up?" "I'm not 'Detective Ryan'." Cora said. "It was all just a cover-up. I'm really Cora Michelle. And I'm the one who kidnapped Jana." she hung her head. the police officer was shocked. "We'll take you to the head of police, we'll see what he has to say." he said, gesturing them to follow him as he walked to the back of the building to a door marked "Chief's office". The officer knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come on in." the officer opened the door, and they all saw a middle-aged man, with dark brown hair. He was quite tall, and stood up when he saw them and gasped at the sight of his 'best detective' tied up. "Why is she here?" he said, pointing at Cora. "I'm Cora," Cora confessed, "Not Detective Ryan. And I'm a kidnapper." she looked down at the floor, sorry for the deeds she had done.
Cora Michelle was in jail, and Jana could relax. She had confessed to the police what she had done, and they had taken her to the town's jail. Now, all they had to do was find Cora's partners, which should be easy, for Cora had told them where their hideout was. And, yet, Jana realized, She still did not know why Cora had kidnapped her. Jana was at home now, sitting on her bed. She had read some of her favorite books, about kidnappings, and mysteries. She realized that she wouldn't have to keep these kind of books anymore; her life was a mystery. She put the books back on her shelf. She would keep them, just for now. She walked down the stairs, towards the living room. Her mother and father where sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching a movie on the television. Jana walked up to the sofa and sat next to them. Mr. Montrose wrapped his arm around her. They where watching a documentary hawks and eagles. Jana thought this was quite interesting, so she got herself comfortable.
After the movie was over, Jana was hungry. She looked up at the wall clock in their living room. According to the clock, it was 12:32. "Mom, can we have lunch soon?" Jana asked her mother. "Oh, yes! We are going to have pulled pork sandwiches." her mother replied. "Oh, yum!" Jana said. "Can't wait!" Jana then left the living room to go play in the game room. She practiced her pool shot, and
soon heard her mother calling, "Jana! Time for lunch!" Jana ran into the dining room to go eat lunch. Her father was sitting there, eating, and so was her mother. There was a plate with a sandwich on it, and Jana sat down to eat it. She ate every bite. Jana loved pulled pork sandwiches, and her mother made the best, with lots of barbeque sauce. She then asked her mother if she could play outside. "May I, mother?" she asked, pleading. "Oh, alright." her mother said. "But be sure to be back in by four-thirty!" Jana looked at her watch. It was three-forty-five. She called Watch, who barked at the sight of Jana. They walked outside, but Jana made sure to put on a coat first. She walked into the garage and took her bike out. She rode, with Watch tailing behind.
Suddenly, Jana heard a yell, as she was riding on her bike. "Jana!! JANA!!!" It was Jana's best friend and neighbor, Elizabeth Mone. "Beth!! I missed you!" Jana yelled back. Jana ran up to her friend, dropping her bike. She soon reached her fried, and gave her a big hug. Beth smiled. "Missed you too, Jana!" She said. "Where did you go?" Beth asked. "Well, my parents stayed here," Jana said, "And I.. kinda... got kidnapped." Beth looked horrified. "You're lying!! There's no way that could've happened!!" Beth said. "Ask my parents!" Jana answered, and winked. Beth smiled. "Wait, who's that?" Beth asked, pointing to Watch. "He's my dog, Watch!" Replied Jana. "He's so sweet!" Beth said, cuddling under Watch's chin. "Let's go inside," Jana said, "It's getting cold outside."
Jana and Beth where inside, sipping hot cocoa. "Mmmm, this cocoa is good!" Beth said. "And your Mom is nice to let us have it!" Beth said again. Jana nodded in reply. "It's very good!" She said. Soon, they finished the cocoa, and went into the game room of the Montrose's house. They decided to play air hockey, and soon Beth was beating Jana 6-5. Suddenly, from downstairs, they heard the doorbell ring. Jana called to her parents, "I'll get the door!" and went downstairs. She peeked through the peephole to see her friend, Mona Sharp! She opened the door. "Hello, Mona!" She said cheerfully. "Hey, Jana!" Mona said. "Can I come in to play for a while?" she asked. "Oh," said Jana, "Sure! Beth's already here!" Jana answered. "Come on in." Jana said, then closed the door.
Jana, Beth and Mona talked for a while, then decided to go up to Jana's room, to go play. Once they got up there, they had a pillow fight. They all laughed and giggled. "Hey, all this reminds me of a sleepover!" Jana said. "Are you guys free tonight?" Jana asked Mona and Beth. Beth thought a moment. "Oh, yeah, I'm free!" She said after a moment. Mona joined in, saying, "I'm free tonight too!" Jana smiled. "Do you guys wanna ask my mom if we all can have a sleepover
tonight?" Jana asked. "YES!" Mona and Beth said at the exact same time. They
looked at each other and giggled.
The girls had all confirmed that they where having a sleepover tonight. They had asked Jana's mom, and she said yes. Then they had called Beth and Mona's moms, and they said yes. All they had to do now was have Mona and Beth go get their sleeping bags and other sleepover needs. Jana was excited. Tonight was going to be fun.
Mona and Beth where in Jana's room, and Jana, Mona, and Beth where sitting on the floor, on their sleeping bags, getting a list made of all the things they where going to do at their sleepover, and after they where finished with the list, they where going to the kitchen to make a batch of cookies to eat later at the sleepover. They had all brought flashlights, their favorite pair of pajamas, and their favorite stuffed animals. They planned to tell scary stories at 10:00, and eat the cookies at 9:00, so they headed down to make the cookies, so they would be ready by then. Mona added the sugar, Beth the flour, and Jana the eggs. They took turns adding the ingredients until they where all in, they put them in the already-preheated oven, and cleaned up the mess the had made. The kitchen was sparkling clean once they where done. "Mmm, those cookies smell good!" Mona said. Beth and Jana nodded in reply. Then, they all walked upstairs to continue their sleepover fun.
It was 9:45 at night, and Jana, Beth and Mona where all talking quietly under their sleeping-bag-covers. Soon they would tell scary stories. The blinds on the window of the girl's room where open, allowing the girls to see the bright, twinkling stars. Jana sat up. "Girls, do you think we could start telling scary stories now?" Jana asked Mona and Beth. "Sure!" they both replied. Jana smiled. "Then, I'll go first." she said. "My story's called "The Ghost of Haunted Mansion." Then, Jana began to spin a tale of woe, ghosts, and haunting. Mona and Beth slowly went lower and lower underneath their covers. They had a terrified look on their faces. Suddenly, just as Jana was at the part of the ghost looking through the window of the mansion, Jana felt that feeling that you get when someone is watching you. Jana turned around, facing the window. She saw a face! It was the face of one of the cronies who kidnapped her! Jana screamed.
"What?! What is wrong!?" Jana's father yelled from downstairs. Jana heard him, and called back, "Dad!! Come up here!!" by now, the face had disappeared, and the three girls that had screamed. Jana heard the thumping of the stairs as Mr.
Montrose came up the stairs. "What's wrong?" He asked them. "A face!!" Jana
answered. "A face in the window! It was the man that helped kidnap me!" Mona and Beth looked at each other. They didn't think that Jana really had gotten kidnapped. They where shocked. By now, Jana's mother had come up the stairs, to see what all the commotion was about. Mona and Beth told her what had happened, and Mrs. Montrose kindly offered to let them sleep in the storeroom, with the door locked.
The sleepover had continued, but this time, Jana and her friends where in the storeroom. They could hear the mumbling noises as Jana's parents talked in the nearby living room. Jana, Mona, and Beth where to scared to speak. They had all their covers over their head, flashlights turned on underneath. They had a large stick that Jana had put in the room, 'just in case'. Every time that they heard a noise, Jana, shaking in her pajamas, would grab the stick and get in her stationary place by the door. Mona and Beth would get up as well, holding up some heavy books, standing next to the frightened Jana. Once, Mr. Montrose opened the door, and Mona, Beth, and Jana screamed. They soon realized who it was, however, and started laughing.
It was 11:30 at night, and Mr. and Mrs. Montrose where upstairs talking. They talked a little bit about what kind of situation that Mr. Montrose's job put Jana in. They realized how dangerous it was for their little girl.
CHAPTER 4
Jana, Beth and Mona woke up that morning feeling refreshed, ready to start a new day. They stretched their arms, then the girls got dressed. Once they were dressed and brushed their hair, they walked upstairs. They smelled blueberry muffins. "Oh, Yum!" Mona said, sniffing the air. "Delicious!" Beth added. They made it upstairs, and saw Jana's mother, sitting at the dining room table, eating a blueberry muffin. She gestured towards the kitchen. "There's a plate of muffins in there," she said, "You can each take two." The girls smiled, and went towards the kitchen. They each came back with two muffins and sat down at the table sitting next to each other.
"Goodbye!!" Jana yelled as two cars came to pick up her friends, Mona and Beth. The girls smiled, waving their hands good-bye in return. They had their sleeping
bags in their arms, making it quite hard to wave, and they both stumbled, causing
themselves and Jana to laugh. They started walking straight soon. They got into the car, slamming the doors behind them. Mona had to go to swimming lessons, so she had to be picked up early. Beth, surprisingly, had to have violin lessons at the exact same time! They both left pretty quickly, for they had to be somewhere.
Jana was outside playing with Watch, in their backyard. She had been playing for about an hour, when she heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. She looked closer, and saw someone sneaking out of the bush. Actually, it was two people! The cronies! Jana ran, screaming, trying to make it inside, but the en’s long strides made them go closer, and closer. Jana screamed even more, and Watch jumped up and bit the men, causing the one that got bitten to holler and yell. He stopped for a while, 'battling' Watch, but soon overtook poor Watch, and kept after Jana. Inside, Mr. Mont rose had heard the screams, and leaped outside, with a gun and a rope in his hands. Jana cowered behind him, and as he held out his gun, he tied up the men. "We're going to take you to the police," Mr. Montrose said," And see what Cora was really up to." Jana smiled. "Let's go, then!" Jana said.
Jana and her mother and father where in the car, headed for the police station. It was a tough job to get the men to fit in the car, but they did. They were tied up. Jana kept looking back at the men, as if she expected them to untie themselves. Well, how could she not, after all she had been through? They soon where at the police station.
"Sir, I am amazed!" The chief of police said, when Mr. Montrose brought the criminals to him. "Three criminals in three days!" The police chief said again shaking his head in disbelief. Jana smiled. "Well, we'll take 'em to the local jail," The chief said, "And see if Cora had this planned or not. If so, she'll get a much longer sentence." Mr. Montrose looked at the chief. "So, everything's alright now?" he questioned the chief. "Can we go home now?" the chief looked startled. "Oh, yes!" he said. "I'm sorry, I forgot!" Jana giggled. "Oh, it's okay." Mr. Montrose said. "Just wondered." then, Jana, Mrs. Montrose, and Mr. Montrose left.
It had been a long day, and as Jana settled in her bed that night, she wondered what would happen next. She knew that Cora and her cronies where in jail. Now, this mystery was over.
The End
Hope you all like it! :D
~Amanda Sims
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