Birthday parties , boys , school projects , sleepovers , fights . We went through it all together . You are the only person who understands my weird sense of humor . Well , understood . You were the only one I didn 't mind hanging out with all the time . But you weren 't perfect . I remember the night like it was yesterday , the last night I talked to you . When you told everyone how ugly I looked , and made sure that you pointed out how crooked my teeth were . Remember that ? And sure , maybe that 's a stupid thing to be so mad about , but you were supposed to be there for me . You humiliated me . You probably don 't even remember . Me calling my mom and dad to come pick me up . Them getting there , me crying . Them demanding me to tell them why I was bawling . And I almost didn 't tell them because we were best friends , I thought . But you probably don 't even remember . I guess , yeah , I wish I would have told you why it was never the same . And no , it 's not because we had different classes . It was because I was fed up with you . The amount of times you made me feel worse about myself , I can 't even remember . I wish I would have told you that you hurt me . And now when I see you , it 's weird . You turned into the person we said we 'd never be . Your friends with people you said you would never be friends with . And I can 't say I 'm suprised . That 's probably what you wanted all along . And , yeah , I do miss you sometimes . I don 't know why I 'm not glad your gone . I 'm sad that I don 't even follow you on Instagram anymore , and that you probably took down the pictures of us on your wall . I 'm sad to think of all the good memories of us together . The other day I had to talk to you again , I had to look at you . You could tell how different we are now . I don 't think we were meant to be friends forever in the first place . I 'm happy with my new friends , and I don 't need you anymore . It was good while it lasted , but all good things have to end . And maybe now I can finally forget about you , stop crying over you . Maybe now I can accept the fact that we are different , an " Pet Peeves " My pet peeve is people who think they are so much cooler and better than everyone else . It bothers me so much how they think they can say anything to anyone . For example , people in our grade will straight up laugh at you about something , and not even care how you feel about it . Or in class , someone will waste time and make " jokes " , while making the rest of the class wait for them to shut up . People in this generation do not have a filter , or any sense of that word . It 's not " cool " to have good grades and people aren 't afraid to tell you that . They call you a try hard or an over achiever , like it 's bad . And sometimes peoples jokes can cross the line . Kids make ignorant comments that others could take very offensively and just laugh . I wish it was easier to stand up to these people . Hopefully someday they will learn what is right and wrong to say . It was just a normal Saturday afternoon when we got a call . It was from my sister Meghan 's boyfriend , Alex . He talked to my mom and dad and asked if he could come over to ask them something , something he wouldn 't tell us . So me and my sister patiently waited , wanting to know badly what was happening . So we made dinner , while me and my sister were trying to guess as to what the surprise was . The doorbell rang and I raced my sister to the door letting Alex in . He came in , acting a little nervous , and sat down at the table . " So , the reason I called over here was to ask you , if I could ask Meghan to marry me . " Me and my sister , Maddie , being the weirdos we are , screamed in excitement . We then went to our rooms starting to plan our sisters wedding , as if she wanted our ideas . It was one of he greatest days ever , and also a very memorable meal . This is something I don 't understand , why do pets have to live a shorter period of time ? I mean think about it , they are living , breathing , feeling things . Why should they have a shorter life ? There 's probably some scientific reasoning to this , but so is there for a lot of things . It 's not like there 's a benefit for anyone from it , the animals have to die and we have to cry . It 's really a lose - lose situation . I had a cat who dies about two years ago . We had to put her down because she had cancer . Her name was Ivy and she was the cutest and sweetest cat . When we had to put her down , I was balling my eyes out for days . I missed her so much , and I still do . A few years before that , I had to bury my cat after she was hit by a car . She was weird and used to lay in the middle of the road , her name was Chika . Because I was younger , it made me witness death from a younger age . It really sucks when your pets die because you have an emotional connection with them . In many cases they made you feel better when you were in a bad situation . They love you and you love them . My dog now , Charli , is one of my best friends . As I have gotten closer to her , I realize how special she is to me . Why can 't animals live as long as humans ? Someone please enlighten me . It was a humid summer night in Charleston , North Carolina , the sunset peeking out just above the hills . As glowing fireflies danced around my hair , I was talking to … a man . He was a tall , lanky man whose persona seemed a little bit hazy . He was smiling down at me as I looked up at him . All of a sudden he grabbed me with his skinny , yet very strong arms . I yelped out in shock , but he covered my mouth . I kicked and screamed although it was doing me no justice . The tall lanky boy seemed to be sucking the soul right out of me . Then . . . I woke up . I reluctantly rolled out of bed , stepping on the homework I finished at two in the morning last night . It 's not that I 'm a procrastinator , I literally have hours and hours and hours of homework . Thankful that I took a shower last night , as I only had twenty minutes to get ready , I threw on a striped shirt and some jeans . I threw all of my homework into my bag , making sure to get every single piece of graph paper , and went on my way downstairs . My mom was downstairs watching the news as I went to the breakfast to have some cereal . " Love you too mom " , I said as I left the house , stopping quickly to give my mom a hug . She was all I had after dad passed . I hugged her a little tighter , wanting to hug her longer . I let go , holding back tears . I always wished me and my mom could talk more . It never went well , I would start bawling , not able to get any words out . Or we would start yelling at eachother . Just angry about the whole situation , the whole outcome . I stopped thinking , telling my mom I loved her one more time , and started heading out the door . I should have held her longer , that 's the last time I hugged her before it happened . And we all know I was never the same after it . I made my way out onto the half cement half grass bike path leading to school . I always liked this walk , it was peaceful . And even though my mom offers to drive , which is more time efficient , I love this part of my day . I get to look out at the beautiful hills of Charleston . I get to watch the birds chase each other in the sky , and the squirrels run away out of fear . I always wondered why the squirrels run away , its not like I would ever hurt them . But they don 't know that , there are always bad people out in the world . Like my dad used to say , " Be careful of the people you trust , they aren 't to be trusted . " I often thought about my dad when I took my morning walks . I missed how he used to play soccer with me , laugh with me , look at the planets with me . He was my best friend , and now he 's gone . I felt the tears well up in my eyes and forced myself to think about something else . There was no need , I had finally made it to school . The pleasing sound of four year olds - I mean teenagers screaming , filled my ears , filling my heart with joy . Just kidding . But other than the people that attended Greenview High I , being one of those " weird " kids , actually loved learning . I liked how anyone could do it , no matter what it was . Reading , dancing , math ( although my least favorite still important ) , or even history . I just loved the possibility of anything . Yeah I was one of those suck ups , and I 'm not ashamed of it . Anyways , before I go on boring you with the amazingness of learning let me just go on with my story . I finally got to the door of my classroom and saw my best friend , well my only friend , Aaron . I tried to make contact with him as he smoothed over his dirty blonde hair over his dark blue eyes . He was one of those people who would be popular if he wasn 't so into Star Wars and Harry Potter . But that 's why I liked him . He didn 't care if people thought he was " popular " or not . He was in the classroom fifteen minutes early like usual . This was our time to talk about new comics we had read or what weCome back outside . 843 - 603 - 7792 I looked down at my phone as it buzzed in my hand . What ? Who is this ? They must have the wrong number . Weirded out , I deleted the text and kept walking towards Aaron . And then it buzzed again . This was getting weird . Is someone playing some sort of joke on me ? It wasn 't funny . At all . I didn 't know what to do , so I cautiously backed up and looked out the window that was in the hallway . No one . There were just people out there . Where had they gone ? Should I go outside ? What if this is a serial killer ? Thoughts and questions raced in the back of my mind . Buzz . This is creepy . Maybe it was one of Aaron 's friend who thought I was cool and wanted to talk to me . Who am I kidding , no one thought that . I decided to text back . No answer . Two minutes went by , seconds ticking away on the loud clock above . My heart racing . I give up - he / she was obviously playing a joke me because they thought it was funny . I started to walk again . Buzz . I was legitimately getting freaked out . You will remember me ? What does that mean ? I had ten minutes left , maybe I could just go see who it was … I decided to take the chance , maybe it was a friend . I turned around and made my way to the door . I slowly opened it to feel the fall breeze on my face . I looked around . No one . I kept searching , they said they were outside … right ? I kept walking out farther and still didn 't see anyone . Still nervous , I looked behind me every now and then hoping I wouldn 't see anyone creeping up . Two minutes went by . Where was the person texting me ? I jumped at the sound of my name , and saw him . A man , a strange man whom I didn 't know . We had learned about it in school , never talk to strangers . Especially creepy ones , who lure you out of school . Who was this man ? What did he want from me ? I managed to croak these words out , making sure not to blink . I remembered him . His dark brown buzzed cut hair . His shining white teeth , that weren 't exactly white anymore . His dark complexion . Everyone said he was dead . I knew he was dead . He had been in a car accident seven years ago . " No Cecily . I 'm your father , I worked for a special incorporation in the military , they had to fake my death . Cecily , please it 's me . " I started to turn around and run , maybe I should alert a teacher . I lifted my feet of the ground and started to sprint . I felt something enclose over my ankle , and watched the ground get closer to my face , until I was on the ground . He was trying to kidnap me . I had to get away . I tried to thrash around , anything to get him off of me . I looked around at him as he grabbed my arms , trying to kick him , bite him . Nothing was working . What did he want from me ? Was he going to kill me ? Would I be one of those kids to go missing , and only have a missing poster after everyone gave up ? Why can 't anyone hear me ? He had gotten a hold on me and was covering my mouth . He was dragging me away , and my mind just went blank . No one was going to save me , and it was all over . I stopped thrashing as my eyelids closed , and real life went blank . The sun shined through the closed blinds as I opened my eyes , vision still blurry . What a nightmare , I recalled last nights dream so vividly . I opened my eyes , to see the dresser on the wrong side of my room . It was also the wrong color , size . And then I realised this wasn 't my room . I held back a scream as I remembered that I had ben kidnapped , by my supposed father . I knew he wasn 't my father , I mean what kind of father would kidnap his own daughter ? Maybe someone was lying to me ? Maybe he is my dad . No , no now i 'm going crazy . I need to stay calm , I need to find a way out . I looked around the room , there was a window , a dresser , a lamp , and a bed . The setup of it all made it look like an old motel room , made it more creepy . Other than the fact that I had just been kidnapped , this room was creeping me out . I got up out of bed and noticed that I was still in my clothes . How many days had I been out ? As I got up I winced at the pain from a bruise on my lower leg , as I accidentally hit it . I made my way over to the the window to see if it was open , a way to escape . I opened the blinds and saw gray , I looked up through the window . I was in the basement . I checked to see if the window was unlocked , also making sure I didn 't hear footsteps . Locked . I sighed and made my way over to the dresser to see if there was anything in it . I opened the top drawer and of course , nothing . I then proceeded to open the second drawer , nothing . And then the third , and as I was closing it , something caught my eye . It was a piece of paper smaller than the size of my pinky . Desperate for anything , I took the paper out of its hiding place , stuck between a screw and the inside of the wood . Almost as if they were afraid of someone finding it , someone dangerous . I took the paper and read the writing on it . I stopped myself from screaming . And then the door opened . He came inside , the man who had just tackled me yesterday . Except , he looked very different . He was wearing a tie , and had combed his hair . I quickly put the paper in my po " How was your sleep ? " So I had been here overnight . My stomach twisted as he spoke . I stood there for a couple of seconds , silence . Should I confront him ? Is he crazy ? Will he lash out ? I decided to play along , feel it out . He walked out . Is he really going to let me go out into the kitchen ? I decided to go , maybe I would see a chance to run . Then , I heard a loud laugh coming from the kitchen . This laugh was coming from a girl . Did he have the T . V . on ? It sounded too close . I went out and to my surprise I saw three teenage girls sitting in the kitchen . What the heck ? He kidnapped other girls too ? What is going on ? She took my hand and shook it . Why was she so comfortable in this house ? I threw her hand off of me , mad at the way she tried to normalize the situation . Maybe she would help me , let me know what was going on . But then I remembered the messy handwritten note I had found in ' my ' dresser . The note which had said : I walked over to the table reluctantly , not wanting to be near any of them . My mind hurt , I couldn 't even think . I ate my breakfast in silence , afraid , as the girls around me chatted happily . I had two pieces of bacon , a chocolate chip waffle , and milk . I usually would have been happy to have this delicious breakfast , but my stomach felt like it was being twisted and stabbed . I closed my eyes and tried to picture my mother , my best friend . They seemed like a distant memory , like something I had seen on T . V . I wonder if they are searching for me , if they even know I 'm gone . Of course they are . Almost like someone answering my question , I heard my name coming from the small T . V . in the living room . And then I saw her , my mother , crying . I ran over to the T . V . not caring if my ' father ' got mad at me . I ran over begging for my mother to see me . I felt like I was going to go crazy . I felt arms come around me and pull me to the bedroom . I wanted to be with my mom so badly , but I knew I was going to have to fight to get out . Then I passed out . I woke up to the sound of laughter . I knew where I was , the laughter sounded fake like reality T . V . I closed my eyes wishing I could never wake up . I decided to go out there , to see if I could get something to eat . I felt horrible thinking I was getting used to this . Thinking maybe I would soon be like those girls out there , forced to laugh , forced to be happy . I went out to see , him , and all the other girls . They were sitting around the table playing a card game . It looked like the scene out of a horror movie . The girls had dark circles under their eyes , and he sat there looking amused , it made me want to kill him . I sat down next to the girl who I talked to earlier , she looked at me and looked back down . What was her problem ? Was there girl drama even when we have all been kidnapped ? He then came over with the plates with food on them . It looked and smelled so good . I ate really fastly , not worried about what the others thought of me . He started laughing , Thank god , he 's not watching it with us . Maybe I could ask questions , like where the heck I was , and why all of these people are so calm ? After he finished washing the dishes in silence , I noticed him put the forks away in a locked cabinet . Did he not trust us ? He made his way down the hall towards his room . This place was getting weirder by the minute . As he went to his room , I heard his door lock . Time to ask questions , although I didn 't know what to ask first . They all looked at me like they were expecting it . " Me and Lola have been here for about a year and a half . " A year and a half ? How could someone be here for so long . Wouldn 't the police have found them ? Or would he have killed them already ? Maybe he wasn 't a murderer , but what about that note I found in my drawer ? " Obviously , but if you couldn 't tell , we are literally out in the middle of nowhere . Besides he always has an eye on all of us . " Camren spat . Geez , I mean I just got kidnapped , is it rude for me to ask questions ? I had a feeling Camren didn 't like me . And , no , I hadn 't noticed we were in the middle of nowhere , all the windows are literally boarded up . He doesn 't always have an eye on all of us , what about right now ? But I didn 't say that , I couldn 't afford to have enemies in here . I needed all the help I could get . The movie started , and we moved to the couches . I sat next to Sara , she seemed to be the nicest one here . We were watching High School Musical , one of my most hated movies . But I didn 't care , at least I could see a bit of normal for a little bit . We all watched in silence , it was bizarre . It was like all the questions had left my brain . But then Lola and Carmen started talking together , so I decided to talk to Sara . " Well , unfortunately , we aren 't his first victims . Apparently , he murders the people who don 't obey . I 'm lucky to still be here . Anyways , he like 's to be called father because it 's kindof his trademark . Before he kidnapped any of us , he told us he was our father . I don 't know , he 's a psychopath , I can 't explain why he does it . " It made me want to cry , why do I have to be here ? I told her about how I had seen where he keeps his knives , and how we could break through the window during our ' movie ' time . We could break into the cabinet , and use the knife for protection . We could break through the window tomorrow night after we hear his door lock . And if he happens to catch us , we know what we have to do . She nodded in agreement , it was a plan . She thought about it for a minute and nodded . Tomorrow night I was getting out of here . Sara and I sat in silence as the movie went on . In my head I visioned my escape , I got butterflies from the thought of going home . I thought of my mom and my bed , and I knew I was going to do whatever it took to get out of here . Finally , after about fifteen minutes , he came out of his room to tell us to go to bed . He watched us go into our rooms , and finally I was alone . I sat in my bed for a few minutes , just staring at the ceiling . I slowly drifted off to sleep . . Until , finally , I fell asleep . I woke up to the sound of talking in the kitchen , once again I walked out while they were all sitting there . Lola and Carmen were talking , Sara smiled at me as I walked in . I smiled back . After we finished breakfast , I watched him lock the silverware drawer once again . The day went by slowly , until finally we were eating dinner . I watched as he washed and put away the plates and silverware , but just as he was going to lock the silverware drawer , He started the movie and told us he would be out later . I watched as he stopped just before the hallway , scratch his head and make his way to his room . It worked , our plan was working , now I just had to get to my room . I looked at Sara and nodded . The next part of our plan was for me to go to the restroom , I would be in there for a while . Sara wold then pretend that she was worried about me and then come ' check ' on me . On her way she would quietly grab a knife from the drawer , that was left unlocked , and bring it to the restroom . We would then go to my room , bust it open , and make a run for it , from there we would try and find any help . Things were going according to plan . I made my way to the hallway , and went into the bathroom . I already knew where it was , they must not have not noticed . I stared at the wall paper as I sat on the toilet , waiting for Sara to arrive . Five minutes went by , and then ten , and then fifteen , twenty . Finally I heard a knock on the door . " Um , Cecily - I was checking on Cecily , she was having some - girl troubles . . If you know what I mean . " She gave him a faint smile . " There 's a lock down at the bottom of it , I was thinking we could use this knife to get it open . " As I was saying this Sara started using the knife to break open the lock . And then , I heard his door unlock . We stopped frozen as his footsteps came down the hall and stopped right in front of our door . The doorknob slowly opened , and Sara started hitting the lock even harder than before . He opened the door and stared right at me , as though he was telling me it was over . " I suppose I should tell you why I am killing you . . " he chuckled . " Well this story begins with your father , and no I 'm not your father , I 'm not that crazy , " he chuckled , I would beg to differ , " I worked with him as a technician at Saint View Hospital back in 2005 . Well , we didn 't get along so well , and your father ended up getting me fired , from the only job I ever loved , was ever good at . I told him that I would kill him and his family . He called me crazy and little did he know what I was capable of . When he was coming home from work one day I kidnapped him , brought him here , and you can fill in the rest . " So he killed my father , they all told me he died in a car crash . I felt tears sting my eyes as I realised my dad had left the note that I read , warning me . I wasn 't going to let this man kill me , not for my father . He turned around to grab a weapon , and I kicked him as hard as I could right in the face . I used to play soccer , the kick knocked him right out . I ran to the window took an alarm clock sitting on the table near my bed , and threw it as hard as I could . The window broke open , I climbed up and out and ran as fast as I ever had . I saw a bright light ahead of me , I ran to it , soon realising it was a car . I ran to the car and told them everything , they took me home and brought me to my mother . She called the police , and I told them where I had ran from and who was in the house . Eventually they found all three of the girls , whose names were Kimberly Scoff ( Camren ) , Lauren Scoff ( Sara ) , and Chelsea Scoff ( Lola ) . They were the sisters of ' him ' whose name is Josh Scoff . They were all sentenced to life in prison , as they were all adults . It felt good to be home , and I felt closer to my dad than ever , I knew I was here because of him . I could finally go to school again , and I made a lot of new friends , who were mostly interested with what happened to me , but still . I was glad this happened to me , it made me a stronger person ready to take on the world . Me and my mom were finally close again , and as for me and my dad , well , I have never felt like I knew him better than I do right now . Life was getting better , slowly . You just need to see what it 's like to be worse off , then you know what it 's like to be truly happy . Left photo : Vero Beach , Florida . Right Photo : Des Moines Playhouse . My name is Jillian Hess , and I 'm in the ninth grade . I love to write all sorts of different styles of writing , but I love to write poetry . I also like to sing , act , and perform . Every summer I participate in a camp at The Desmoines Playhouse , and this year I was in Camp Rock : The musical . ( I know that 's a really cheesy play , but it was actually really fun . ) My favorite class is definitely Creative Writing , and I love to let out my thoughts and feelings and create something I can be proud of . I also want to say thank you to Mrs . Ward for a great semester !