The Return

didn't want to talk anymore. Her mother turned off the lamp and lay down.

  She put her hands on Rushika's hair and started to slowly brush it with her hand. "You've really grown up and I hate that I missed your childhood. I mean, you will always be a child to me."

  Rushika clutched her blanket tight.

  "He was a monster. The man that took you."

  Rushika started to feel angry but didn't reply.

  "I have never wished ill on anyone, but I am so glad that he's dead."

  Rushika stiffened and felt her heart sink. "What?" it was just a whisper.

  "He had a heart attack," Her mother replied. "They found him collapsed in his bedroom. The police said he was old and stressed out. Apparently, he was in serious debt and after receiving more bills, his heart couldn't take it anymore. Jardin Grover." Her mother scoffed. "A name I will never forget."

  Rushika felt tears in her eyes. She was turned away from her mother, so was glad that she could hide her tears.

  Her mother continued combing her hair with her fingers. "I'm so glad you got out when you did. Jardin was going to burn down the house. He was hoping to get insurance. If he hadn't suffered a stroke when he did..."

  Rushika did turn around then. "He was going to burn down the house?"

  Her mother pulled her hand away. In the dark, Rushika could barely make out her mother's expression. "The house smelled of gasoline," she replied. "The police said he had a book of matches in his hand."

  "But I was still in the house." Rushika felt her chest tighten.

  Her mother put a hand on her cheek. "I know. He was going to kill my baby girl. Thankfully, you escaped."

  Rushika sat up. "That can't be true!"

  Her mother got up and switched on the lamp. "It's okay, sweetie. He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe at home with your parents. That evil man got what he deserved."

  "No."

  Her mother took her hand in hers. "You are safe. I promise that we will never ever let any harm come to you again. Jardin Grover paid for his crime. He is never going to hurt you again. I know he gave you drugs. The doctor said he found traces in your stomach of a drug that could have killed you had you taken it again. He was drugging you. That despicable man!"

  "It was supposed to help me sleep."

  "No, sweetie." Her mother shook her head. "He gave you them so that you wouldn't try to escape from the house when he set it on fire." She let out another shuddering breath. "Tell me, how did you escape? Did he drop the key? The police said the doors were old but had modern tough locks on them."

  "I...he left the door open." Rushika remembered the girl again and grabbed her mother's hand. "The girl! Is she okay? She helped me. I told her I would come back for her."

  "Which girl?"

  "There was another girl in the house. But she was too weak to leave." Rushika got out of bed. "I have to go see her. Where is she? Did her family come for her?"

  Her mother stood up. "Rushika, the police didn't find anyone else in the house. It was only you and the man. From what I was told, he couldn't afford to take care of anyone else. He didn't have the money for it."

  Rushika felt a cold weight drop on her chest. "She's still in the house then. She never wanted to leave. She's still there."

  "What? No," Her mother said. "The police searched the whole house. There was no one else."

  "There has to be! I'm not lying." Rushika started to put on her slippers. "I'm going now."

  Her mother came to her and grabbed her arm. "No." She puller her closer in her arms. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. I'm never going to let you out of my sight again. I can't lose you."

  She started to cry and Rushika let her muscles loose. Slowly, she raised one hand and put it around her mother.

  "I'm not lying," Rushika told her softly. "There really was someone else there."

  Her mother gave her a small squeeze. "Please trust me, sweetie. There was no one in the house. The police searched it from top to bottom. If there was another girl, they would have found her and brought her back to her family. Jardin Grover was a very bad man. He had pictures of girls, of you. But he only took you. That's what the police are saying. He never made contact with any of the girls he photographed."

  Rushika pulled back slowly, her mind in a whirlwind. "I thought I saw someone."

  "Was she living in the house with you? In the same room?"

  Rushika shook her head. "I never saw her until the day I left. She was outside the room."

  "Maybe, you imagined it. Sweetie, you were traumatized. Jardin was drugging you. There were gasoline fumes throughout the house. Maybe the combination of it all, triggered a hallucination in your mind."

  Rushika blinked. "No, that can't be."

  Her mother sighed. "Okay, if you are absolutely sure, then we will go to the police tomorrow and you can give them a description of the girl you saw. Can you do that?"

  Rushika lowered her eyes. "I didn't exactly get a good look at her. It was dark. I...I'm not sure I can describe her."

  "Oh."

  Rushika looked at her mother who was staring at her worriedly.

  She thinks I'm crazy.

  "You don't believe me."

  "No. No it's not that. I believe, that you believe in what you saw. " Her mother forced a smile. "Look, why don't you get some rest now. We can talk more about this tomorrow. We'll talk to your father. Maybe he will have an idea of how to find that girl."

  Rushika knew her mother didn't entirely believe her, but she still felt relieved when she heard the words.

  "Go to sleep now." Her mother took her to bed and made her lie down. "There you go," she said, pulling the quilt up over her shoulders. "Now sleep well."

  Rushika nodded and turned on her side. Her mother bent over to kiss the side of her head.

  "Goodnight, sweetie."

  "Goodnight."

  She waited until her mother turned off the lights and had left the room, then got out of bed. The girl had helped her escape and figure out what an evil man Jardin was. She still couldn't believe he was about to burn the house down with her in it. If it hadn't been for the girl who had forced her into leaving the house, she would have died.

  And now it was time for her to payback. She had to help the girl.

  Rushika went to her cupboard, put on a jacket over her pajamas and looked for her socks and shoes. She walked past her dressing table and in the moonlight caught her reflection. Just for a second, she thought she had seen the girl staring back at her.

  Her eyes looked hollow and her mouth was hanging open, as if she was screaming. Screaming for help.

  Rushika backed away slowly. In the mirror, it was her once again. She had underweight according to what the doctors said. Her light pink jacket which was supposed to be the smallest size in the store, seemed to be hanging over her shoulders. she reached over and grabbed a hair rubber band. Tying up her hair, she watched her reflection for a few more seconds, making sure the girl with the hollow eyes and pale skin, didn't return to remind her of a broken promise.

  Then, Rushika went over to the door, peeked out to make sure her parents wouldn't hear her and crept out. Once in the living room, she grabbed the stack of newspapers lying on the coffee table. Her parents had kept every single newspaper that had articles on her and she grabbed the bottom one.

  In one of the articles, there was a picture of the house she had been kept 'imprisoned' and the location as well. It was far from her home, about fifty miles, but she could find a cab and make it in an hour or so.

  Rushika unlocked the front door with the newspaper in hand. It was dark outside and she shivered even though it was a warm night. The streets were empty and she knew she would have to walk a little to get to the main roads where she could find a cab.

  Rushika turned once to look at her home. Suddenly, she didn't want to leave anymore. She wanted to go back in and go and hug her mother. It was scary to take another step away from home. She didn't want to do
it. She couldn't imagine leaving.

  "The girl, remember her. She needs my help." she told herself firmly and grasped the paper tight in her hand.

  A cab passed by then and she raised an arm.

  "Where do you want to go?" the driver asked, rolling down the window.

  Rushika showed him the newspaper. "Here." Tapping on the picture she opened the door. "I want to go to that house."

  It was two a.m. when Rushika found herself on the highway that the driver told her would lead her to the next town. There was hardly any traffic and when she passed the woods, she felt a sense of dread. She had gone without telling her mother. If she woke up and found the empty bed, she would worry. And she hadn't even left a note...

  "This is the street," the driver announced as he decreased the speed and took a right turn.

  Rushika gazed out. She thought she did remember some of the street after all. She remembered the small grocery store that had been there when she had arrived. She remembered the row of small square houses across from the house.

  The day she had walked out the front door, she had seen all that, but didn't remember it until now.

  When the house came into view, she spotted some yellow tape all around the area. "Here," she told the driver.

  The cab stopped and she opened the door.

  "You have to pay, Miss."

  Rushika barely looked at the driver. "I'll be right back."

  "Do you want me to wait?"

  Rushika paid him no heed and walked on the lawn that led to the house. She had spent eleven years in this house, and had only seen the exterior once. It was seemingly a nice little house with cream colored walls and a brown