Warning: This story does not contain any sex. None of the
characters are based on real people, nor are they meant to resemble any living or
dead people. The car license used in this story came from a car tag generator
and is believed to be fake for the use of this chapter. The Amber alert is designed after an actual
amber alert; the name of the character used in the amber alert was generated by
a name generator, as always.
Let me know what you think of the story by emailing me at
Hnstskr4@aol.com
I want to thank everyone who has emailed. I also want to
thank those who have read the story. It means a lot to hear from
you. Please continue reading! There is a lot more to come. I own
all rights to this story.
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***** Before you start
reading this chapter, there could be potential triggers in it.
Copyright ©2010-2021
Blake's Saga
Book 5 –
Chapter 5
Taken
Blake and
Michael are out and about. They stop at
the shelter that Blake was at when Mark attempted to kidnap Blake. It may not be the best day for Blake to
visit. Blake has a box of goodies to
drop off for the teens. Michael pushes
the doorbell. Blake is standing in view
of the camera, so the security person can see who is standing outside.
"Hi, Blake!"
The buzzer
goes off, which signals that the door is unlocked. Blake opens the door, and Michael carries the
box into the building. They allowed them
to enter the building because the staff knew Michael and Blake. The two guys realize that something is
up. There is tension in the room. Blake would usually take the box into the
common room so that the kids could open it up.
"Sorry,
Blake, we can't let you go any further than this room. I'm afraid we have a situation going on right
now. We have a boy who usually comes in
every day, and he hasn't been in for a day.
We immediately called the police. Some of the other kids reported seeing
a red car in the area of the park where a lot of the teens seem to gather. We asked the kids to see if they got
information about the car and a license plate number. They gave us the information just about 15
minutes before you got "here."
Blake is
very upset about it. He's not crying,
but Michael can tell that Blake is stressing about it. It wasn't even 2 minutes later when someone
came out of the main office. While they
were not rude, they were straightforward.
"I'm sorry,
but we are going on lockdown, and you're going to have to leave the building."
Michael
didn't need to be told twice.
"Come on,
Dude! You can leave the box, and they'll
see to it."
The teen
listened to his uncle and left the care package at the door. Together, they head out to the car. Getting into the car, the duo heads off for
Blake's home.
***
Before
Michael and Blake reached the shelter, a call came over the radios about there
being a kidnapping of a street kid named Shane Herbert. He was taken from Driver's Park about six
blocks away from the shelter. The voice
of the Dispatcher came out sounding like this:
"Attention,
this is a call to all squad cars. We got
a call about the kidnapping of a kid who resides part of his time at the City
Center Shelter and within Driver's park. The teen's name is
Shane Herbert. Shane is blonde, with
blue eyes. He stands 5 ft 7 in and
weighs 116 lbs. He was last seen
weighing a navy
blue T-shirt with a
werewolf and black jeans. We don't know anything about the kidnapper. It
appears that Shane entered the kidnapper's car on his own. The car is red with a black skull on the
hood. Be on the lookout."
Jay Savage
and Trace immediately take notice. Jay
wonders if Michael knows about the kid.
Trace pulls over immediately after hearing the call come over the radio.
"Trace, why
are you calling me when you're supposed to be working?"
Ian asks his
husband. No one at the house knows
anything about the kidnapping.
"Ian, is
Blake home?"
Trace sounds
slightly panicked. It's never a good
thing when Trace calls, and he sounds upset.
Ian knows something is wrong.
"No, Blake
isn't home. He's out with Michael. Trace what is going on?"
Trace doesn't
want to worry his husband, but he also doesn't want him to find out the truth
from someone else. Trace tenses up a
bit.
"Do you
remember when Blake was being groomed for a possible kidnapping? We had kids get kidnapped from the park near
City Center Shelter. We are doing our
best to find this kid. We believe this
kid will be sent elsewhere."
Trace asks
Ian and tells him what else has been going on in the city. Ian's heart sank deep into his stomach. He's holding back tears. It brings back memories of Trace and Ian's
emotions when Blake had his run-in with Mark.
Ian is worried about Blake? He
doesn't know what memories or feelings might be hitting Blake if he knows about
the kidnapping.
"Yeah, I try
my best to not remember that day. I can't
help but worry about Blake. Have you heard from him or Michael?"
Ian answers
Trace. Trace is worried about him too, and they haven't heard from Michael, so
they have no idea how their son is feeling.
"I haven't
heard from Michael. I'll call him and check
on Blake."
Ian is glad
that his husband is calling Michael. Ian
and Trace say goodbye, and Trace gets ready to call his brother.
"Trace, what
is going on?"
Trace has to
make sure that everything is okay. He has to know that his brother has Blake
with him. Michael had better have Blake
in the car. Trace has no clue that Blake
knows about the missing teen.
"Michael, is
Blake with you?"
Blake can
hear his dad via the Bluetooth device in the car. Trace knows that Michael has this device in
his car.
"Yeah, Dad,
I'm with Uncle Michael. Have...have they
found that kid?"
Trace isn't
too happy that Blake knows about this kid.
He wants Blake and Michael to return home.
"Blake, I
can't give out that information. Now, I
need you to go home or stay with Uncle Michael.
Michael text Ian and let him know that you have Blake."
Blake heard
his dad, and he got it. He will feel
better at home then being out and about.
"I will,
Trace. I'll keep him with me until we
get home to your house."
Trace is
happy to hear that Blake will be safe.
He's also glad that Michael will text Ian because he can get back to
work.
"Goodbye,
kiddo, Goodbye Michael!"
They hang up
with each other, and then Michael uses the Bluetooth device that came with his
car to message Ian.
"Text Ian!"
The device
starts up and asks for him to state the message.
"Ian, Trace
asked me to let you know that Blake is with me. We are going to grab lunch via
the drive-through, and then we'll be home."
After
sending the message, Ian goes back to what he was doing before speaking with
Trace, and Michael heads towards one of his favorite places to eat. When the message arrives at Ian's phone, he
quickly lets Michael and Trace know it is okay.
"Michael, I
received your text. It's okay with me if
you grab lunch with Blake. Be safe!"
The car's
Bluetooth device says the text to Michael and Trace. Now, something big is about to happen in the
search for the missing kid.
***
As Michael
and Blake head towards the restaurant and Trace returns to the search,
something is about to happen that will get the word out to the entire
community. The police are getting ready
to send out an amber alert.
"An AMBER
Alert has been issued for Shane Herbert.
Shane is a 15-year-old male, 5'7" tall, 116 lbs,
with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was last seen weighing a navy
blue T-shirt with a werewolf and black jeans. It appears that Shane
entered the kidnapper's car on his own.
The car is red with a black skull on the hood. If you see Shane or the vehicle, please call
the emergency number immediately. Do not
approach the car; the driver is believed to be armed and dangerous. Shane is believed to be in danger."
Immediately,
Shane's alert is appearing on all cell phones as usual. Now, his disappearance is spread across the
entire country. Few people know what
the real danger is for Shane.
***
Out on the
streets, many people see red cars all over the place. Quite a few calls to the emergency center
have come in, and all the drivers of these cars have met the police. In every case so far, the vehicles and the
drivers were sent on their way. With
every vehicle that isn't the kidnapper, the red car with Shane in it is able to
slip past unnoticed by a large number of the population. The good news is that people are out looking
for the missing teen. When Ian sees the
alert, he does his best not to cry.
Instead, he quietly pleads to whoever might be listening:
`I don't
know if you are listening, but Shane is out there somewhere, and you may be the
only being who can save him.'
Ian has seen
Blake pray before, and this is as close to a prayer that Ian has ever said.
***
Michael and
Blake are able to stop to grab lunch.
This restaurant is one of Michael's favorite places to grab Mexican
food. They get plenty of food for Collin
and Ian, the two of them.
"Uncle
Michael, I'm struggling a little."
Blake's
emotions are all over the place right now.
His mind is revisiting the feelings when Mark tried to groom him for
kidnapping. This time around, though,
it's not so much worrying about how Trace and Ian feel about him because they
love him. It's the fear of being taken
away from them. He doesn't want to
lose them. He doesn't want to be sent
away. Even though he knows that he isn't
going to be kidnapped and sent away. It
feels very real.
"What's
going on, Blake?"
Michael
knows that something is wrong. He's felt
it since they left the shelter. Blake is trying to put his emotions into words.
"I know that
I'm not going to be kidnapped. I know
that Trace and Blake love me, but I can't stop the fear of being taken
away. I just don't know how to deal with
the fear."
Michael is
doing his best to keep Blake calm. He
doesn't want him to fear what is going on around them.
" Look,
your family will keep you safe! I think
we need to get us back to your house."
Michael
tells Blake as they head for home. When
they do get home, Ian gives his son a hug.
"Are you
okay, kiddo?"
Ian says
while hugging his son. It's at this
exact time that Blake breaks down to tears.
"I'm...I'm
scared...for...this -this kid."
Everyone
older than 15 is scared for this kid.
They want him returned to where he belongs. They want this stopped dead in its
tracks.
"Blake, we
are all scared for this kid."
Blake knows
his dads are scared for this teen, and he knows that Trace will do all he can
for the kid. Michael's friend, Jay, is
worried and doing all he can for the kid.
He has an entire police force looking for him. Ian was going to call his brother-in-law just
in to see what Blake knows, but it's clear that he knows about the kid. Everyone sits down for lunch.
***
After having lunch, Michael heads out to go
home, and Ian takes the kids shopping.
Ian and his sons head out of the department store just to pick up a few
items; toothpaste, backpacks, pencils, a few other school supplies, deodorant,
and soap. Blake counted six squad cars,
and one of them was his dad's. The store
had security at the front and an officer at the entrance. They aren't taking any chances.
"Okay,
listen, I didn't want to go out shopping, but we needed to get some stuff. I want to grab what is on my list and then
head home. No wandering off to look at
stuff!"
Ian tells
the boys as they enter the store. True
to his word, Ian is in the store less than 20 minutes, and then they are headed
back home.
***
While
Michael is on his way home, he decides to get some gas. He pulls into a gas station. Before he can pay for his gas, a red car goes
by the station, and although he can't be one hundred percent, it looks like
there could be something black on the hood.
Immediately, he gets on the phone to call the police.
"Tylerville 911, what is your emergency?"
He is a bit tongued
but quickly gets over it.
"I'm at
First-Choice, the gas station. I'm
pretty sure that I just saw that red vehicle with the skull on the hood. It was traveling east on 11th
Avenue."
Michael
didn't want to waste time answering a thousand questions. The dispatcher immediately sent out the info
on the radio.
"I'm sorry,
but I didn't get your name?"
He thinks
the fact that he might have just seen the car that the kidnapped teen in it
would be enough.
"My name is
Michael Andrews."
Dispatch
receives at least 5 calls of the car coming in one right after another. Every caller says that it's moving east on 11th
Avenue.
"Mr.
Andrews, I have sent out a dispatch to all squad cars in the field right
now. I am not sending out an officer to
your location. You are free to end the
car."
Michael gets
the reason for not sending out an officer.
He just hopes that someone can stop this guy before any harm can come to
the abducted teen.
***
Jay doesn't
know it, but he's about to get an answer to his prayers that he's been saying
all day long since receiving the first dispatch. Afraid the lights and sirens
might spook the driver into hurting his captured youth. The goal is to arrest this guy and, in doing
so, save the teen inside.
"Car 30 to Tylverville, I have the kidnapper's car in sight. Going to go 10-40 ( running
silent ) as I follow the car. I'm going
east on 11th Avenue. Looks
like he is headed towards The Pharaoh Motel."
It doesn't
take long for parts of that message to get sent out across the airwaves. Dispatch wants more information from Jay.
"Tylverville Dispatch to Car 30, can you see the victim?"
Jay can't
see anything for sure, but things change in just a second.
"I can; the
victim is sitting in the front seat.
Dispatch, the car has parked at the Pharoah Motel. I can
see, driver get out and enter the office.
He is out of the office and has opened the car; he is removing the
victim, who appears to be handcuffed and entered the room. Requesting Back, again Car 30 requesting back
up in arresting him."
Jay wasn't
about to approach the hotel by himself.
Hopefully, the criminal doesn't try to move the victim. Jay is scared that he will somehow move the
teen.
***
Officer
Savage is anxious to get this guy. He's
afraid that he might end up in a battle if he goes in at it alone. He doesn't want to do anything that might
harm the teen. He just doesn't know what
the adult in the room will do to the kid if he suspects that the police are
here.
"Car 30 to Tylerville, curtains are closed. Don't see any movement within the room. Can you give me an eta for backup?"
It doesn't
take long for dispatch to get back to Officer Savage. Jay finds out that car 12 is going to be 2
minutes away. He's watching that room
with binoculars. He refuses to allow
this one to get away from him.
"Tylverville to Car 30, eta is 2 minutes."
Two minutes
later, two officers arrive in the same car.
They get out of the car and with their guns ready.
"Car 21 to Tylerville, we are 10-9."
They are
heading out towards the door to the room.
Behind that car, 3 more cars arrive on the scene. They tell dispatch that they are on the
scene, and then they stand ready as the other 3 officers approach the door.
***
One of the
officers goes into the office and asks for the keys as Jay and the other
officers approach the door to the room.
Jay knocks on the door.
"This is the
police; open the door NOW!"
Jay is being
watched by binoculars by one of the other officers. He can hear shuffling in the room.
"Police open
the door now."
No one is
talking or even acknowledging the fact that the cops are at the door. Out of nowhere, they hear a muffled
voice. Then they hear a crash in the
room that really scares Jay. Jay waves
to the officer with the keys. He wants
in the room now.
"We're
coming in one way or another. Now open
that door."
Whoever is
in that room isn't opening that door.
The officer with the keys sticks them into the door and gets ready to
turn the key when the door opens up.
"Don't
shoot! Don't shoot!"
The man in
his 40's opens up the door. Jay enters
the room, and one of the other officers puts the handcuffs on the man. Jay doesn't see the kid, so he walks towards
the bathroom. Carefully, he opens the
door to the smaller room. There sitting
in the dark, is the kid. His hands are handcuffed, and a gag is in his
mouth. If you could see Shane's eyes
right now, you would see fear. One of
the officers heads back to the car and grabs the bolt
cutters. He enters the bathroom and
proceeds to cut the cuffs off the kid while Jay removes the ball gag.
"Thank
you! I...want...I
want to go home."
The kid
wants to go home. Shane is crying.
"Listen,
it's okay. You're safe. We have that guy in one of the cars. We are going to put you into one car, but you
are not going to be arrested."
Jay escorts
the kid to his car and puts him in the back seat.
`Hopefully,
he'll be okay.'
Jay doesn't
know what the future holds for Shane. He just knows that the poor kid has a long
road ahead of him. He's glad that the
young man is safe, and he's thankful for everything that has happened today.
***
Shane is in
the back of the car, and he is thankful for the rescue. Jay wishes he could make things better for
the kid. Shane looks at the officer in
front of him; Shane wipes the tears away.
"Thank you
for saving me! He promised me that he
could take me home. He...he...he
promised. He...he...he promised."
Jay knows
the guy who kidnapped Shane doesn't work alone.
They have a whole network. Maybe,
just maybe, there is a hope that this guy might just cave.
"Car 30 to Tylerville, I have the victim on my way to the hospital."
Jay hopes
the kid wasn't hurt in any way. A visit
to the hospital's E.R. will figure out if Shane was injured and if he was how
bad of an injury he sustained. Jay knows that Shane was fortunate, just like
Blake. The problem here is what to do
about Shane. He wants to go home, but
where is home, and would his parents want him at home. Could he be another kid
like Blake? Jay can't exactly take him
in the way Trace and Ian took in a kid.
Something good has to happen in this kid's life. It needs to happen, and it needs to happen
soon.
"Listen,
Shane, my name is Officer Jay Savage.
I'm going to take you to the hospital to make sure everything is
okay. I promise they will take good care
of you. I promise. As for the guy who, kidnapped you he's going
away for a long time."
A slight
smile broke out on the teen's face. He
could tell that Officer Savage meant what he said. This man would do all he could to make things
right. Jay escorts the teen into the
hospital and stays with him till they dismiss him with the blessings of the
chief of police. Meanwhile, Shane's good
luck is about to strike again.
***
They put him
in a room where he can't see anyone but
himself. The man who tricked, cuffed, and gagged, Shane, is about to face his
demons. He is about to face Trace, a man
who almost lost his son to these freaks.
"Good old Mark, He was kind of
enough to drop your name to us. We've
been watching you. We knew that you had
been targeting that kid. Too bad we
can't make a deal like we made with him.
The judge would never be okay with that.
I mean, it's bad enough guys like you get put into solitary to save your
lives. It's okay because, well, we don't
have to put you in different cells away from all the real bad guys. Mark told us you were just a little worm in a
big old compost bin. Mark would do
anything to save himself. By the way, I
understand that you are going someplace real fun. Mark knows you failed."
Trace can
see the sweat on this guy's face. Mark
had been a bigwig, but a new guy took over with his arrest. The problem is guys who double-crossed Mark
have never been found. They took a ride
and never came back. Are Mark's men
still watching over his turf? Could they
be gunning for him? Could they reach him
in prison? Course they could. Maybe, he could rat them out. If he squealed, perhaps something good might
come it.
"If I gave
names, would you protect me?"
Trace can't make promises, but the attorney general might do something for
him. This guy is about to spill names,
and it's about to blow up. She is right
there and starts to speak.
"I'll do
what I can for you, but you have to give us names."
He doesn't
even miss a beat. Instantly, names start
rolling off his tongue. He dropped at
least 16 or 17 names. Trace is so happy
that this guy is dropping names. They start on the list of names.
***
One by one, the
police work with the feds to arrest them.
They actually use methods similar to Trace's that he used against the
guy who took Shane. It's amazing what
fear will do to a human. Maybe, it's
entrapment, and perhaps it's not. What
matters is that these guys are off the streets.
The fewer monsters off the roads, the fewer kids will be taken off the
streets, making them happy. They did a
great job on this arrest and all the other arrests that will come from this
one. Trace can't wait to call Ian.
***
Trace is
done at work, and he is on his way home.
He's anxious to tell everyone at home about Shane's rescue and the
arrest. When he gets home, he plans on
speaking with Blake and Ian. When he
does get home, Trace heads for Ian first.
"Hey honey,
I have good news for you."
Ian isn't
sure what the good news is, but I suppose he'll find out about it. Trace is smiling, but he's not saying
anything at all. Ian is feeling a bit
like he is being teased.
"Trace,
don't tease me. Just tell me what's
going on, okay?"
Trace kisses
his husband.
"Jay was
involved in the arrest of the guy who kidnapped Shane. I managed to get this guy to give us at least
16 or 17 names of people who are all connected to Mark."
Ian knows
that the police and the feds have been trying to end the ring. Shane is okay.
"I think we
have reason to celebrate. Maybe, I
should order pizza for us tonight?"
Trace nods
his head and then goes upstairs to find Blake.
As always, Trace knocks on his son's door.
"Come in!"
Blake says,
not knowing who is knocking at his door.
Trace quietly enters the room and sits down on the floor. He wants Blake to know the results of the
Amber alert.
"Blake, I
assume you saw the Amber alert issued earlier today?"
Trace can
see the fear in his son's face. Blake
doesn't know that Shane was rescued.
He's trying to hide the fact that he is scared that maybe Shane didn't
make it right now.
"Blake, you
look like you're scared to death. Relax,
dude, it's not what you think, buddy.
Shane was rescued, and the guy who kidnapped him was arrested. He gave us a bunch of names, and they will
all be arrested; I just thought you should know."
Blake almost
instantly tears up, though it's not out of fear. He's crying out of happiness. The emotions at the moment are a bit overwhelming. Trace hugs his son and lets him calm down
before he gets up to head downstairs.
"Thanks,
Dad!"
Trace looks
at his son and smiles.
"You're
welcome! I had better get downstairs and
see what your dad needs help with, or he might get mad at me."
Blake laughs
because he knows that they sometimes have arguments, but for the most part,
they love each other dearly. Blake
decides to write something for the newspaper for the editorial page.
***
Before Blake
can get started on his paper, Collin asks for help with something and then it
is time to eat. An hour after the
official announcement from law enforcement, one of the newspaper's reporters
contacted Trace for his role in the incident.
As Trace is talking to them, Blake walks up:
"Dad, can I ask
you a question?"
Luckily the
reporter had to put Trace on hold, so Blake could ask his question without
interrupting his dad.
"I want to
write up something for the community to see. How do I do that?"
His dad
thinks for a second. As he thinks, the
reporter gets back on the phone to talk.
"Mr.
Andrews, I am sorry. I have all the
information for my piece. Do you have
any questions?"
She asks as
she gets ready to compile her notes into an article. Trace gets an idea and immediately jumps to
help his son with his inquiry.
"No, I
don't; however, my son, Blake, was a street kid at one point, would like to
speak to you about a question he had. It
concerns today's events and what happened to him. I'll let him explain it to you."
He hands
Blake the phone and whispers:
"You can do
this; just be honest with her and say it from the heart."
Blake
doesn't want to talk to her but, he knows this needs to be said, and Trace is
only doing this for his own good.
"Hi, I'm
Blake Anderson-Richards. I wanted to put
something out there on street kids and what can be done to assist them. But I don't know how to go about doing that.
How is the best way to do that?"
She is
impressed with his forwardness. A skill
that could be useful later on in life.
She immediately goes into reporter mode.
"Blake, can
you give me a minute? I want to speak
with my boss about it. Can I call you
back?"
She can
smell a story waiting to be written, even if it's short. Course, she needs the permission of her boss
to do it.
"Yeah, you
can call me back."
He gives her
the number. Ten minutes later, Trace
gets a call on his cell phone.
"Hello,
Trace Andrews here; how can I help you?"
The person on the other line is anxious to
speak with Trace's son.
"Mr.
Andrews, this is Alexia Elliott. We
spoke just a few minutes ago. I spoke
with your son, and I had to speak with my boss about what your son would like.
My boss suggested that I do a side article on your son and what he wants to
say. I thought there might be something
to it and my boss agreed with me. Is he
there?"
Blake is
sitting in the living room, so Trace takes the phone.
"It's Mrs.
Elliott. She wants to do an interview,
so be good."
Blake
smiles, and so does Mrs. Elliot. She is
so excited to speak with him.
"Blake, I
want you to call me Alexia, okay. So tell me about being a street kid; let's talk about your
experience, to begin with. How did you
end up on the streets?"
Blake hopes
he doesn't offend anyone, especially his family.
"My family
didn't like that I was gay, so they sent me to live with an aunt, but the aunt
had died, and the house had burned, and nobody knew, or they didn't care at the
time. I ended up sleeping in abandoned
buildings at first or when the beds at the shelters were filled. So yeah, that is that."
Alexia is
done writing notes on what Blake had to say, and she is ready to add to
it. She hopes that Blake will give her
what she wants.
"Did you
hear of kids being taken while out on the streets?"
He knew that
some kids had "left" the streets. It's
the word that someone used to describe the situation.
"I don't
remember hearing of any kids being kidnapped.
Sometimes, I would hear the staff talking about kids that had "left" the
streets. The police would sometimes show
up at the shelter, and I always felt safe, but I remember a couple times that
we went on lockdown."
Blake's
words form a question in her mind. She
wants to ask, and she decides to immediately ask the question.
"Blake, do
you think that the lockdowns were because of kidnappings or kidnapping
attempts?"
Blake is
sure that those lockdowns are because of kidnapping.
"I believe
so, but I don't know for sure. I mean,
there could be multiple reasons for those lockdowns."
Blake didn't
provide much insight into the lockdowns.
She knows that there were reports of kids that disappeared. No one made a huge deal out of it, but they
searched for the kids. She wants to
take a different turn on the story.
"Blake, what
led up to your attempted kidnapping?"
It's
incredible how clear that memory is for Blake.
"Well, there
was a guy who worked for the shelter who befriended me. He knew enough about me to know that I would
be taken off of the streets by my dads. He came to me and told me that my dad, Trace,
came in and said that they couldn't adopt me.
I remember feeling scared."
He told
Alexia all about that and then waited for her to ask any questions she might
have.
"What
happened after that?"
She asks the
teen. She is curious for sure. She hopes
he'll give more.
"My dad was
there. They called two different codes,
and I had no clue what was going on. It happened pretty quickly, but I saw Mr.
Hansen. After him, Lee, the director,
and the officers came into the room. I
remember Mark saying that "You may have saved this one, but you can't save them
all." I think everyone was scared.
Luckily, I had my dads to rely on."
Alexia
doesn't want to just write about his experiences with his kidnapper. She wants
Blake to have a voice. She hopes that
now that his story is out there that maybe now people will listen to what he
needs to say.
"People could do more,
the city could do more. If people donate
money to some
of the shelters could afford to build more bedrooms or buy more beds. We need
better records of who is coming and going from the shelters. We need to do better at background checks for
those that work with kids and teens.
Certain people like the guy who almost snagged me don't belong working
around kids. We're doing better about
it. Street teens need more focus put on
them. Police need to have access to the list of teens sleeping at the
shelters. We need to protect the teens
who live on our streets. Everyone needs to play their part in protecting those
who live on the streets. Many of the
teens come from homes that no longer love them, and it means a lot to have the
support of the community. These teens
need the love of the community; they need the heart of the community to back
them up."
She liked
what he had to say. Blake's words may not be polished, but the reporter
believes they came from the heart. Alexia has good news for him.
"Blake, what
you told me is amazing. I plan to take
what you told me and build an article out of it. Maybe, we could even feature some of the
street teens in our paper from time to time.
What do you think?"
What does he
think of her idea? He loves the
idea. Featuring the street teens is
really a good idea. He thinks it's a
wonderful idea.
"I think
it's a great idea. Maybe some kind of
interview-type thing. But then too much
information out on the other teens could be dangerous. But overall, I love it."
She'll begin
to work on the article after she ends the call with Blake. He can't wait to see what comes from the
article. Maybe, the community will come
together to help teens out on the streets.
***
Not every
teen out on the streets is destined to get adopted by good people, but with the
help of Tylerville police department and the whole
network of shelters in the city, something amazing happens. Shane's family is contacted sometime after
his release from the hospital. Blake never got a chance to tell Shane that
things will get better.
"Blake, time
for dinner."
Blake gets
called down for dinner. Trace enters the
house and can smell food.
"Ian is
dinner ready??"
His youngest
son runs from the dining room and takes his hand.
"Daddy made
pasta."
Collin leads
Trace into the kitchen. His uniform
isn't even off yet, nor is his weapon put away, and normally Ian won't allow it
at the table. Today though, Collin isn't
giving Trace or Ian a choice.
"Collin, you
know Dad isn't supposed to be at the table with his gun?"
Ian says to
Collin as he sits down at the table.
Collin nods his head.
"I know,
Daddy. He just looked so hungry."
Ian isn't
going to argue with their youngest son, so it's time to eat.
"Trace,
let's just eat."
With that,
the family sits down for dinner and enjoys the meal.
***
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