The Protector

I was sound asleep in my bed when my door burst open. I jolted awake, rubbing my eyes against the harsh hallway light. My parents rushed in, looking panicked.

My mom grabbed my arm. "Sweetie, we need you to pack your things. Just the important stuff, okay? We're going on a road trip, a special surprise!"

Confused, I blinked at her but then excitement took over. "Yes! I'll pack right now, Mom!"

She gave me a weak smile. "Good, do it as quickly as you can."

My parents hurried out of my room. I grabbed my Dora backpack and stuffed it with essentials. Slinging it over my shoulder, I dashed downstairs to put on my trainers from the shoe rack by the door.

I heard loud footsteps and saw my parents rushing down. "Let's go to the car now!" my dad said frantically, out of breath.

They unlocked the front door and we ran to the car. I jumped in, placed my backpack on the seat next to me, and quickly buckled up. My dad reversed out of the driveway and sped off.

"I wonder where we're going?" I thought, noticing the worry on my parents' faces, which made me uneasy too.

My mom looked back at me. "Why don't you go to sleep, honey? It's going to be a long drive."

Suddenly feeling tired, I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Okay, Mom."

She smiled weakly. "You know I love you so, so much, sweetheart."

"I love you too, Mom," I replied, closing my eyes and getting comfortable.

As I drifted off, I didn't hear my parents' whispered conversation.

"Thompson, we can't let him get to her. We have to protect her at all costs. Home school, never let her out by herself, and we need to stay with her at all times. Oh God, Thompson, I'm so scared. I don't want him to hurt our baby."

"She'll be okay, Anna. Don't worry. We'll protect her. He won't take her from us, I won't let him."

Silence settled between them.

"Thomp," my mom said softly.

"Anna?"

"We need to find her. She can help us."

"No," my dad replied firmly.

"But Thomp!"

"I said no, Anna! How do we know she's not secretly working for him?"

"We don't, but it's a risk we have to take! We need to protect her and she can help!"

"Anna...we can't."

"She knows the rules, Thompson!"

"Thomp, please, just trust me."

"Okay, Anna," he sighed deeply. "I trust you."

And they drove off into the night, heading toward a little place called Colmar.