Stay With Me

Everyone was too busy with the talking bird that I don’t think they even heard me when I said I had to use the bathroom. I turned around and Olivia got the peacock to show her feathers. They both looked beautiful. I smiled, walking away knowing I would come back to see her again. I walked out of the bathroom and joined everyone under the group of trees that hung over the Lion’s Den.

“Where’d you wander off to?” Jody asked.

“I told you guys I needed to use the bathroom,” I retorted with a big ‘duh’ expression.

We all started cracking up finally remembering the bird repeating, “I have to go to the little boy’s room.” They all looked at me, “Sorry, we forgot. Can’t blame us though. That bird is so cool. I bet if it wanted to, it could replay our whole conversations we had in the Bird House-- Oh my gosh! That’d be sooo cool if those birds could be like messenger birds, like you know, waaay back then!” Chris babbled on about the old days so many times. He was basically obsessed with them. “Eww never mind, that means there would be soo much huge blobs of poop and what if like you---“

“Chris! Ew stop! We don’t need to know!” Rizza had her ears covered with her hands and looked sick to her stomach.

“Well I’m not 3 you guys, you guys don’t need to know where I am all the time,” I pouted. I stopped walking when felt a jolt spark through me. Something is wrong. Looking around frantically, I looked around for ‘my key.’ Panic rushed through me as I squeezed the heart around my neck. Ricky, Gabe, Chris, Jake, Char, Jody, Rizza. I said counting heads.

“My key!” I exclaimed searching around. The group turned to look at me all asking, ‘what?’

I felt my hands begin to shake as I tried to calm down. “Something isn’t right you guys. My key.” I repeated. They looked at me all puzzled.

“Dude we can make a copy of your key if you lost it you know.”

“No! I mean Olivia!” I yelled.

“Oh my god! We left Olivia!” Realization hit everyone as we dashed towards the entrance again. “Stay together. We find her together.” Nodding, we searched for Olivia, not knowing where she was. Phones ringing but none of us got an answer. All of us looked through half the zoo before I felt the jolt again. Something is fricken wrong! I stopped dead in my tracks, causing everyone to stumble and do the same.

“What’s wrong Jason?” Rizza asked, on the verge of tears.

“I was wrong. Something isn’t right you guys… We need to split up. Now! Stay in contact with everyone. If anyone finds anything or her, tell everyone.” They did just that, asking everyone around them if they saw Olivia.

“Don’t worry Jason, Olivia isn’t a little girl. If something’s wrong, she would’ve come to find us already.”

“No, something just doesn’t feel right. I know something is wrong. We need to find her. I may be overreacting, but you never know. Come with me to the Bird House again. Maybe we missed her or something.” Jody and I passed everyone and flew open the doors.

“Okay. She was standing here. And we were over there.” Jody said trying to remember anything we may have missed. I walked to where the peacock once was. She came out limping and I knew for sure something was wrong. Fear was in the birds eyes. I saw something reflect light that caught my attention. Following the ray of light from the sun that leaked into the birdhouse I found what was shinning.

“My key.” I whispered in disbelief. I picked up the necklace that I had given Olivia not too long ago. “Jody!” I yelled for her trying to calm down. She rushed over to me looking at the necklace.

“Oh Gosh. Olivia hasn’t had that for a long time but we all knew she doesn’t take that off unless she’s going in water. She never took it off Jason.” I nodded, not wanting to admit what was going on. Jody reached out for the necklace and studied it for awhile. It twisted, swinging back and forth until it fell to the ground, out of Jody’s hands. I tried looking at Jody but she avoided eye contact.

“What’s wrong Jody!?” Panic rising in my voice again.

“Jason…. The necklace was ripped off. The chain in broken. Why would she rip it off if there’s a clasp on it that takes it off---“

“Sqawk! Olivia Olivia!” the bird repeated catching our attention.

“Sqawk, you’re so beautiful. But I’m not a bird.” We didn’t understand until it kept repeating. “Jason won’t save the day. No one can save you.” The bird whistled, “Jason doesn’t deserve something as beautiful as you. No one does, except me. I’m going to take you home and we can be a family. We can have a daughter as beautiful as you, then a son as handsome as me. Together we can live together. Forever. Don’t be sad. He won’t miss you.” He repeated what was apparently said when we left Olivia alone here.

“Jody! Call 911! We need to find that bastard! Someone kidnapped Olivia.” She nodded, tears streaming down but did as I said. We contacted everyone else and told them to meet us in the parking lot. My clock counting down the minutes, the seconds I was away from Olivia.

“Jason do you know where she is?”

“She’s in trouble. Look for a white van. Don’t ask questions. I’ll explain later.” They ran about the parking lot looking for a van. Sirens filled the vacant lot. Police and Ambulance filled in all on alert.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before we heard some information. “Sir, we found a white van right over there.” Pointed at the van we saw officers ready to barge in.

Her voice echoed throughout the lot, Throughout my mind, in my heart. “Jason!” she screamed. I could do this no longer. I ran for the van, but the officers had already beaten me to it. The van doors flew open, and on display was a man with a mask hovering over Olivia. Her eyes closed, bottom half exposed, tears staining her face. The man flew up his hands above his head surrendering and he jumped out of the car and was handcuffed.

“Olivia!” I yelled hopping in beside her. She didn’t respond. Our friends came rushing over to us yelling our names.

“What’s wrong with her!? She isn’t responding! Officer!” They tore Olivia out of my grasp and placed her on the gurney. We all watched as Olivia was driven away. Sirens screaming for everyone to get out of the way; Officers following as they took away the man that hurt my Olivia. Unconsciously, we stepped out of the van. We all just stood there. Listening to the sirens slowly fade away. I turned to look at my friends each of their faces gleaming from the tears that they had shed.

“She’ll be okay Jason. She’s strong.” They all shot me a small smile, filled with pain and worry.

“I hope so…”

Olivia, hang on baby. We’re coming for you.