I don’t know how long we’d been asleep when we all were woken up by a loud noise. I kept getting louder and louder and we all listened closer. Mr. Tacon said he thought it sounded like a helicopter. It did kinda sound like a helicopter landing on the the ship.
Then the sound slowly went away.
We all just kinda sat around waiting and I could tell from the look on Mia and Naomi’s faces that they were wondering where there mother was and why she was still gone. The last image they had of her was running up the stairs as their father kept calling their mother a whore. We waited for awhile, surprised we’d been left alone so long. Mom was gathering her strength and I guess was trying to get my mind off everything and got behind me and offered to braid my hair. Not only had I not gotten to wash my hair in days, but mom didn’t have a brush so I’m sure it wasn’t one of her best french braid jobs. But it was relaxing and let us escape for a moment.
Then three men came in. They handcuffed Mr. Tacon and led him and Billy upstairs with them. They put the Naomi and Mia in the cell with me and mom.
A few minutes later Mrs. Sung Li and some of her men came down and started tying the four of us together. They handcuffed us together and led us out in a line as we heard what did turn out to be a helicopter lifting off. We saw it when they led us up to the deck. It was dark but could see it flying away. Then I noticed and nudged mom, we were just of the coast. I didn’t know where, but I got excited just to see land. There were lights though. Just woods. And were still anchored several hundred yards off the shore. All of us still in or white robs, they led us over and put us in the same boat Mr. Tacon had hid a few days before. Mia and Naomi ran over and jumped in when they saw their mother sitting tied up in the boat in her white robe too.
We climbed in and Mrs. Sung Li and several of her men climbed in with us and started lowering the boat to the water. The cargo ship was enormous and it was a long way down. Mom asked, “Where are we?” but Mrs. Sung Li just answered, “No matter.”
Once down, they untied the boat and cranked the small motor and started heading towards the shore.
We got out and walked up on the beach. It was a very dark night and we couldn’t see hardly anything. From the sound, or lack of, we were obviously in the middle of nowhere, a deserted beach. The suddenly the headlights of two pickup trucks turned on and Mrs. Sung Li and her men led us to the trucks and put us in the back. The only lights we could see were the car lights, the stars, and the lights from the cargo ship anchored offshore. We pulled away and into the woods.
We were driving down what looked like a jeep trail. It was bumpy and we drove for probably ten of fifteen minutes until we pulled up to a small cottage style house over looking a beach. With the trucks idling they helped us out, lined us up, and untied us all. Then Mrs. Sung Li got out of the front of the truck and stood in front of us. She was smiling and I have to admit, that scared me.
But she just turned, pointed to the house, and said, “Welcome new home.”
I was confused as I’m sure so was mom and Mrs. Vanessa and her two daughters.
“What?” mom asked.
Mrs. Sung Li smiled again, “Welcome new home. This were you stay now.”
Mom immediately answered, “No….we stay at OUR home…..that’s where you should take us…..this is enough, just take us home.”
Mrs. Sung Li shook her head, “No…you stay here or you sleep on ground.”
Mom hesitated, but Mrs. Vanessa took Mia and Naomi and started heading up the small hill to the front door. Mom wouldn’t give up but I knew it was no use, so I took her hand and silently led her and followd Mrs. Vanessa inside. Mrs. Sung Li and her men started piling back in the trucks and just before the five of us went inside she said, “You on island.