Okay. First chapter. Nervous of feedback. Only 2 people, not including myself have read this. Hope you enjoy. Hope to see feedback.

-NJCD

Chapter One.

The Chosen.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

"It was nearly 5 years ago when Elijah Goldsworthy was abducted from this Californian Middle school. The date was December 23, the night of the school's Christmas play. Elijah was to be one of the wise men. Disappearing an hour before the play, it was assumed his lack of appearance was due to stage fright. But when the police issued a statewide Amber Alert, everyone knew that was not the case.

"For weeks, search parties went underway, but no progress was made. With no evidence or leads to follow, the investigation was closed. For years, residents of this small town mourned for the loss of one of their most favorite residents. A straight A student, Elijah was in several plays and always seemed to be happy. No one could understand the sudden disappearance. There were no witnesses, no leads, nothing. Elijah Goldsworthy seemed to just disappear off the ace of the planet.

"But over 5 years later, while filling up the tank to his patrol cruiser, Officer Rob Jameson was suddenly enveloped in the arms of a boy. The boy, a teenager dressed in black jeans and a dark green polo shirt, was hoarsely whispering to the policeman, 'Help me, help me, please help me. Don't let him take me, he'll hurt me, please.'"

A man flashed onto the screen, dressed in a dark blue shirt with a black tie. His name, Robert Jameson, was illuminated near him. "When he first clung onto me, he was saying all this crazy stuff. Hell, I thought the kid was on drugs.

"Anyways, he's clinging onto me, and I'm trying to pry him off, and this guys comes out of the store. He sees to boy clinging to me, and rushes over, looking scared, calling, 'Eathan! Eathan, come on. Get 'way from the nice man.' And he tried to pull him back, but the kid wouldn't let me go, and kept saying, 'He's not my dad, he's not my dad.' And I didn't know what to think, 'cause this kid's skin was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, he had a limp...he looked like your typical drug addict.

"And this boy, this teenager, is 15 or 16, so it was so strange to me how he was talking and what he was saying. He was behaving like a little kid, the way he said, 'He's not my dad'. The man looked rather upset and he said that this was his schizophrenic son who'd forgotten his meds.

"Well, the whole thing looked suspicious to me, so I called it in. We get the two down to the station, and we explained to the man, who told us his real name immediately, Justin Kimball, that he'd be out of here once we cleared it up."

The policeman on the illuminated screen bit his lip, and nodded his head, as if thinking, then continued,

"I took the boy into an interrogation room and asked him his name, if he had the same last name as his dad. His eyes went wide, and he shook his head furiously...'He's not my dad, my name's Eli, and he's not my dad.' and he stood up and jabbed this flyer we had with his finger."

If you looked closely, the policeman was on the verge of tears.

"He could hardly talked, he stuttered so much. His voice was a constant stuttering, it took him a minute to speak one sentence. So, after a while with verifying things, I get to call his parents. I said to them, 'I think we found him.'. Within 20 minutes, they were here, and just hugged him, Elijah. He just sorta...sat there. He looked uncomfortable, actually.

"This kid went through rape, molestation, physical and emotional abuse. He's been through everything. But the trials are over now, and Kimball got 2 life sentences...I'm glad it's over. I'm glad this kid's safe." The scene changed to the women again. She was standing in a dark stone room.

"This room that I'm standing in is where Elijah Goldsworthy was never allowed to leave for 4 and a half years. None of you viewers would ever be able to tell, but the smell in here is awful. The floor is damp, the smell is bad...everything in here is awful. I could not imagine living here for even a day.

"Over here," She moves to one corner of the room, "Is where he was chained up and had sexual acts forced on him." She motioned to some chains that were in the wall, "And not only did Justin Kimball perform these acts, several of his friends and acquaintances did.

"When this basement was first discovered, there was blood everywhere. Here are some pictures released by the police." Replacing the reporter on the screen, some pictures of the room with dried blood and, then, a table with handcuffs and very gruesome torture devices.

"On August 24, 2012, Kimball went to get gas for his station wagon, the same one which he first abducted Eli with, but realized that he'd left Elijah alone. He did this often, of course, but this particular time, he decided to bring Elijah with him as the hinges and locks on the bookcase that blocked him from getting out were breaking."

"Justin Kimball filled up the tank, and went inside to get some some snacks. Kimball warned Eli not to leave the car or bring attention to himself. But, as Elijah was waiting for Kimball to come back, he saw a police officer. He checked inside, to see Kimball at the checkout counter, purchasing alcohol, chips and cigarettes. Taking the biggest risk he felt possible, he opened to door and ran, with a noticeable limp, and attached himself to the police officer.

"Once Justin Kimball saw what happened and tried to convince the officer to release his son. Fortunately, he took them to the police station where things were cleared up. Immediately taken into police custody, a trial began to progress.

"When the police attempted to get Elijah's side of the story, they discovered he could hardly talk. Over the years, he'd developed a stutter, a terrible stutter, leaving him appearing mentally retarded. Several physiological and mental tests went underway, and they discovered this was not the case. His stutter has gotten worse over the years, Kimball recalls, and probably began 6 months into imprisonment.

"Because of this stutter, it took months to get Elijah side of the story, and it also made any legal trials take several days. Kimball was originally going to get 40 years in prison, but at another trial, he was given 3 lifetime sentences with no chance of parole.

"Due to the severity of the sexual activities and torture with left Eli with many metal problems, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and 1,000,000 dollars.

"As for-"

The television screen turned black. Cece Goldsworthy turned around, seeing her husband holding the remote, looking unsurprised, "What're up for so early? It's only 6." He looked at her worriedly, "Babe, Elijah-er, Eli's home now. We're a family again. He's home. Why do you watch this?"

What it is she'd been watching was a 30 minutes program about Eli's abduction. She watched it whenever she couldn't sleep. Remembering 5 years ago, when she'd been in the auditorium, camera-ready, excited to see her son in the play. But word spread quickly that Eli couldn't be found. They called him, several times, but he didn't answer his phone.

"I just...he went through so much! All because I was the on who pressured him to try out for that play!" Bullfrog gave a heavy chuckle, "He would've done that even if you forbid him to. Cece, what happened was no one's fault except that evil man's."

He sat down next to her, and wrapped his arms around her, "Remember how we said that when the trials were over, Justin Kimball is in prison, we finished the move and Eli was home we'd let him open the presents?" He nodded at the Christmas Tree that'd been erect for 5 years, though it'd been moved when the family had moved.

Knowing their son and what'd he been through, they knew he wouldn't want to face his old friends, as they knew what'd happened to him. Everyone in his town knew. So they decided it would be best to leave California and go to Canada. Eli always dreamed of snow.

Even though Eli had disappeared, and the case was even closed, they got him present every year for both Christmas and his birthday. They'd accumulated under the tree, and were begging to be opened. "He said he would open them today, Ce." A small smile crossed over her face, and she wiped her tears, "He did."

Upstairs, Eli was in his new room. He'd been awake for an hour, but couldn't force himself to go downstairs. After the trial, only 2 weeks earlier, Eli couldn't look his parents in the eye. They knew about what had happened in that basement. They knew their son wasn't a virgin, that he wasn't clean and pure, that he wasn't good enough for anything.

This, of course, wasn't the case. His parents still saw him as their perfect son.

Eli pulled on a black t-shirt and tip-toes downstairs. He saw his parents at the breakfast table. They must've sensed his presence, as they turned to look at him, instantly smiled, "Morning, baby-boy. Do you wanna open some presents today?

After an extensive summer of tutoring and tests to pass, Eli was able to be in the grade below his appropriate one.

"Okay," He said. He hardly talked, as, when he did, he stuttered uncontrollably, making it difficult to have conversations with people. He picked up 4 presents and sat at the table with his parents. The first thing he opened was a small lego set, to build a police station with.

"That one was from when you still liked legos-I mean, maybe you like them now, but we bought that so long ago, around the time of the play." Bullfrog quickly explained. Eli wanted to smile, in a way, but he'd stopped smiling long ago.

The next present was a Nirvana vinyl record, 'Nevermind'. "There's a record player in there somewhere; you said you wanted one."

He nodded, smiling inside, and pulled the record out, examining it's smooth grooves. Next was a Rubik's Cube and the last one he opened, for now anyways, was a Nintendo DS, with a pokémon game taped the the box.

"Thank you." Eli said to his parents. "Can-Can I go outside? Like, walk a-a-around...?" He asked hesitantly. Bullfrog sighed and looked over at Cece who was biting her lip. Eli's hands, needing something to do, began opening the box in which the Rubik's Cube rest.

"You have to take your cellphone. And this," He handed Eli a metal whistle that could go around his neck. "O-O-Okay." Eli stuttered. He hated the fact that he'd developed a stutter, all because Justin got upset when Eli said the wrong thing.

"Stay in public, okay?" Eli nodded at stood up, carrying his now unwrapped Rubik's Cube and walked outside. His parents watched him from the window. Several therapist and doctors told them it was important for Eli to have his dependence, but also to keep him safe, hence the whistle.

Eli walked the streets, with a tight grip on his whistle, and soon came to a small coffee shop. 'The Dot' was full of high-school kids, drinking coffee and eating fries. Hesitantly, Eli walked in the shop, getting a number of glances, and stood in line.

"What can I get for you today?" Eli looked up at a blond-haired boy, "I-I- can I have a-a hot chocolate?" Eli pushed forward a ten dollar bill from his back pocket and tried to ignore the look that the boy was giving him. After getting his change and shoving it into his pocket. He waited patiently by the counter, fiddling with the Rubik's Cube. Another person handed him his drink, and told him to have a good day.

Outside, Eli found a bench to sip the hot chocolate and play with the Rubik's Cube. He remembered being 13 years old, wanting a Rubik's Cube so bad. All his friends has Rubik's Cubes. He wanted to be able to bring one to school, with beaming pride, and show all his friends that he'd solved it. That all sides were of only one color.

Twisting the rows, he tried again and again to solve it, but found himself unable to. His parents, therapists and even the judge at all the trials had expressed that Eli was one of the most patient people he knew. But, then again, he'd wanted a Rubik's Cube for 5 years, and, everyday, Justin promised he'd bring one home, but never did.

He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. "Having trouble?" His head snapped up to see a girl standing before him. "I-I-I've never don-done one b-b-before." He stuttered, instantly embarrassed. "May I see?" She sat next to him and pulled the Rubik's Cube from his hand.

The girl, whose name he still didn't know, had light brown hair, that only went down to her neck. They sat in silence for a bit over 5 minutes, then the girl handed Eli back the Rubik's Cube, "There. Your turn." He looked at it, seeing that 1 side had been completed.

Eli fumbled with it for a few minutes, eventually giving up again, "I can't." He admitted defeat and handed it to her. Too embarrassed to continue the conversation, he stood up and walked away, despite the fact she was calling him.

After leaving the girl at the park, Eli walked around town for hours more, staying in the most public places. When he got home, his parents were making lunch. "It's hamburgers. How many do you want?" Bullfrog asked. "N-None." Eli ran upstairs and climbed into his bed. Realization hit him: He just lost his Rubik's Cube. He gave it to a total stranger, whom he'd probably never see again. With a loud sigh, Eli paced around his room angrily.

He'd waited 5 years to unwrap that present, and he simply lost it. It's not like he couldn't buy a new on; he could. But that one was special. And he couldn't tell his parents he'd lost it. They'd be disappointed, he was sure. Eli badly faked a smile and tried to look on the bright side of things.

He just couldn't.

He'd always imagined hugging his parents if he ever got out of that basement, but, when he finally did, he couldn't bear even being touched. Hugging that policeman was different, though, as he was an authority of the law. But even accidentally grazing his fathers hand when he takes something from it freaks Eli out.

"Are you okay?"

Eli turned to see his mom standing in the doorway. Eli nodded, "Yeah. Just-Just, uh, th-thinking." Cece pursed her lips and nodded, "Dinner will be ready soon, if you change your mind." Eli nodded, but didn't consider going downstairs. He no longer felt a need to eat most of the time. His body was well adjusted to go days without food.

From downstairs, Eli could here his parents loud voices echoing off the walls. He softly walked to the door, opened it a crack, and listened to what they were saying.

"Well, I don't know what to do! He's not eating, he's not sleeping; he looks like he's on meth!" Eli's shoulder's slumped: he'd heard that before. "He's not-" His father was immediately interrupted, "I know! But he's starving himself!"

"Cece, he's not starving himself. He's not hungry. He has no reason to starve himself." Right after his father's voice, his mom snapped again, "He never sleeps! I can hear him up there, late at night, pacing back and forth!"

Eli closed the door immediately and walked as quietly as he could back to him bed. All I do is hurt people. My mom's crying because of me. Her life sucks because of me.

Eli lay on the wooden floor, staring at his grey ceiling. Thinking again of the Rubik's Cube, he decided it would make both him and his parents happy if he were to open some more of his old presents. Noticing his parents arguing had ceased, he ran downstairs, two steps at a time, and, as brightly as he could, asked, "Can I open some more presents?"

Just as Eli thought, a smile came over their faces, "Of course. Come on, baby, come on." Cece urged. Eli knelt down and picked up one, rather soft, package, ripping it open, trying to look happy. His parents needed this. He needed to be happy, but he saw nothing to be happy for.

From the paper, Eli pulled out a T-Shirt. With closer inspection, he saw it was a Nirvana shirt. "I-I remember ask-asking for this." Eli said softly. "We'll open more tomorrow, alright, kiddo? Go get some sleep."

Nodding, he stood up and walked up the long stairs to his room. In there, he changed into the shirt, but took it off instantly, not wanting to get it dirty, as he hadn't showered that day.

Pulling a Chuck Palahniuk book from his shelf, Eli settled on the floor, which he preferred to the bed, and eventually drifted to sleep.

But then the lamp shade smiled at me,

And it said, "Believe" it said, "believe."

I want you to know it's nothing personal

-'The Chosen', Aurelio Voltaire

Thanks for taking the time to read this. You know what else you should take the time to read? Anyone of Silentwriter987's works. She's taking a break from writing, but has enough stories to keep you satisfied for a month.

Oh, and any suggestions for this story are welcomed.

-NJCD