Hello there, it's me, Kat Smith.
Right now, I don't know where I am.
I'm being dead serious, I really don't know where I am.
Everything is dark and I don't hear Jacob anywhere. Is he alright? Is this a prank from him?
Hmm, I think I'll start again.
Hi, I'm Kat Smith.
I'm a 12 year old girl who's travelling as Jacob's apprentice. He tends to hit my forehead or bonk my head with stuff, but at the end of the day he always caresses my head or my cheeks to make me feel safe with him.
He isn't great with kids but he makes a great effort to teach me his ways (he always repeats the words "Señor, dame paciencia" when I'm being too annoying. I think that phrase translates to "Lord, give me patience" or something like that).
Anyways, Jacob and I had been traveling together for almost 4 weeks now. Too much has happened in that time: I got chased by a weird old man (and a really hot guy came to my rescue) (do not question me, I might be a kid but I still have good taste), Jacob got bird's poop on his cape and we spent an entire day looking for soap so he could wash it (we also took a bath in a nearby river. We took it really far away from each other because Jacob says he wants to die without being called a groomer or something), I learnt how to use a hunting knife (I feel so powerful right now)... And last (but most important), he allows me to sleep with him now.
It might sound weird to say (he even told me not to say it out loud because it could be misinterpreted), but yes, he allows me to sleep with him at night. He used to kick me out of the shopping cart when I tried to sleep with him, but after that night when I got chased by that creepy old man, he let me sleep with him. And he even hugs me sometimes!
Oh, I almost forgot! The shopping cart has a name!
Jacob and I were tired of calling it "the shopping cart", so I came up with the name Tokki, which means "bunny" in korean.
FYI, I love bunnies so much. They're so cute! (And before I forget to say it, Jacob stopped eating bunnies after he found out I liked them so much. I hated looking at them being roasted just so we could eat…)
Ummm… What was I talking about before? Oh, right!
Just as I mentioned earlier, I don't know where I am. And I don't know where my friend is either.
The last thing I remember was me waking up to "go to the bathroom" (we sadly don't have a bathroom, so I had to hide myself behind some trees) and after being done, while I was on my way back to where we set camp, everything just turned pitch black.
I remember feeling really scared and trying to call for Jacob, but he must've been in a really deep sleep, because I didn't get any response from him.
Anyways, I'm in a really dark and cold room right now, and I really don't know what to do. I feel like crying, but I'm sure my mentor (Jacob) would flick my forehead if I did that.
He says that crying is not bad, but that we should do it in important situations. I'm sure he'd say something like "Kid, stop crying and hide under my cape" while he looks for a way to get out.
Hmmm, maybe my interpretation of Jacob is right, maybe I should not cry and start looking for a solution to this problem.
Come on Kat, remember the basics of lesson 1: Tools are something that can help you achieve your goal.
What's the goal here? Escaping this dark room. And what tools do I have? None…
Ugh, it's frustrating. I always had my kitchen knife on me (since Jacob says I can't use his knives unless it's really necessary), but ever since I woke up in this dark room, my knife isn't where it was supposed to be. I bet some bastard took it.
Well, it's pointless to stand still and cry over that knife. I bet Jacob will get me a new one after I get out of here. (If I manage to get out, of course).
I guess I'll start by checking the room.
Since there's no light, I can't see anything here. However, since I'm so damn clever, I'll just touch the walls until I find a door. Maybe I can work something out once I find it.
…
…
Ok, around 5 minutes have passed and I just found a door. How can I tell it's a door? Easy, because I can feel a doorknob in it.
To be honest, it was really difficult to find it. It wasn't because of the lack of light, but for the fact that there was a lot of stuff on the floor. I tripped with at least 7 things while looking for this stupid door…
Come on Kat! Stop thinking about other stuff and just focus on getting out of here!
Alright… what to do now?
Oh! I know! I remember that in the movies, the protagonists would break down the doorknob and then the door would easily open up, so that's what I'll do!
…
…
…
Hello, Kat update: Trying to break it was a bad idea.
My legs are too short, so I can't reach the knob with them. Plus, my hands are useless against it, so I guess my attempts were futile.
I think my last effort should be to knock on the door. Hopefully someone will open it and turn on a light.
Damn, Kat, you're a freaking genius! If they turn on the light, I'll be able to see what's in the room and what I can use to get out.
Huff… Here goes nothing… I'll just bang the door loudly and hope that someone will come here. I mean, someone must've noticed that I'm awake after all that ruckus I caused while tripping earlier, so they're likely to come check if I start banging the door with all my strength.
KNOCK
KNOCK
BANG BANG
BUMP
Hmm, maybe using my head was excessive, but I'm sure someone will come after hearing the door.
…
Hey! I can hear footsteps outside. I'll just put a mean face and hope that they take me seriously when I tell them to get me back to Jacob.
I'll put my hands on my back and frown, just like old men do. I'm sure that'll make them fear me.
-Hello? Are you awake?-I hear from the door.
I expected to see a giant standing in front of me, but judging from the shadow that this person is projecting, I'm sure they must be around my height.
-Hello? Are you awake?-the person says while their hand reaches a lightswitch.
I can finally see! And…
Oh damn…
Good news? I can finally see where I was being held captive: A kid's room. Wanna know who is at the door right now? A kid…
He must be around 9 years old, so I think this room must belong to him…
I apologize to him while lowering my head, hoping that he holds no grudge against me. If it's okay with him, I can question him as to why I'm there.
-I'm sorry…
-Don't be.-the kid gives me a gentle smile-And since you're awake… Grandpa!
The kid takes all the air he can with his lungs and then screams, calling for an old man.
I flinch as I hear heavy footsteps approaching, expecting a real giant now. And this time, I'm not mistaken.
It's an old man with a big, hairy beard. His expression seems calmed, yet somewhat dangerous.
-Are you alright?-the kid's grandpa asks me while giving me a concerned look.
-I think so?-I answer while looking at him with fear.
-Good. Now follow us, it's time for breakfast-the man says before turning around and walking away.
I'm so confused right now. What is going on? Am I dead? Why are these people being so… nice…?
-Here, let's go!-the kid says while pulling my arm and taking me upstairs with a bunch of other kids.
There's a lot of people here. And everyone looks like they're under 16 years old!
Ahh! What am I gonna do now?! They're all approaching me with a warm smile!
-Welcome!-they all say in unison-It's so good to see that grandpa just saved another kid like us.
Save? What do they mean by "save"? I'm pretty sure he just took me here by force.
-Umm, excuse me, but where are we?-I ask the older kid in the room, hoping that he'd give me a reasonable answer.
-Well, this is your new home! Grandpa rescues kids from abusive people and brings them here!
Wait a minute… Abusive? Maybe he saw Jacob flicking my forehead and decided to take me from him?
-Kids, enough talking! It's time to eat! -their "grandpa" yells while bringing over a pot and placing it on the table.
I'm really confused, but I can't get answers with my belly empty. Maybe eating something before questioning the kids again wouldn't be a bad idea…
-Everyone! Please welcome your new sister!-the man says while standing up-What's your name, darling?
-Guh… I'm… Kat…-I say while coughing my food.
The kids all welcome me with sweet and nice words as I try to recover from almost choking with the food. The only thing that's odd is that they're all repeating something about being saved from the claws of a predator or something.
Fuck…
Jacob, please come quickly. These people are insane…
…
…
Shit! All this food almost makes me forget about it!
My name is Kat Smith and I don't know where I am. What's my plan? Hoping that Jacob saves me…