She stepped off the train with her suitcase in her hand and her backpack on her back. She would be here for a whole school year. She had mixed feelings. For the first time she felt free and safe. But she also felt like she was betraying her 18-year-old brother. He had been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a syndrome associated with autism. He always acted younger than he was. He would understand less than many other people. But he was loyal and had always protected her. And now she felt she had betrayed him. She had been chosen for her school's exchange programme, a boy who went to a school in Amsterdam would go to Maastricht, which meant she would spend a year in Amsterdam.
She looked at the letter she had received for the first time. Dr. Cornelis Rudolphus Baron Krayenhoffstraat 25. was the address. She was to live in the house of John and Marlous Veenman, Marion had arranged it. The man was a detective. So she could learn from him. Because she wanted to be one as soon as possible. She left the famous station. She walked aimlessly for a while and realised she was lost. She tried to ask for directions, but the people in this city were loud, rude and unhelpful.
She turned another corner. She was in the Kalverstraat. She saw a police car at the end of the street. She walked over to it. They would help her. She knocked on their window. The policeman was a man with short black hair. Brown eyes, a button nose, small lips that smiled kindly. The other was a woman. With long brown hair similar to hers. Blue eyes, a long pointy nose. "Can we help you miss?" the man asked. "I'm a bit lost," she admitted.
"Where do you have to go? It will be dark soon, and a young pretty thing like you should not be out in the city after dark. He said. "No flirting with a minor Willems," said the women. "Your heroic Jansen," he replied. Eva smiled. "I have to go here," she said, showing her letter. "This is John's place, isn't it?" the officer named Jansen said. "You're more than a little lost." her college added. Jansen tapped a button on her dashboard. "1030 to 1016," she said. "1016 listening," came out of her speaker. "John. We have your young house guest here in the Kalverstraat. It's getting late, why don't you pick her up?" she said. "Will do Sharon. See you soon," she heard a new click.
"So where did they take you from?" Jansen asked. "Maastricht. My neighbour Marion knows I want to be a detective one day, so she arranged it. " she explained. Within 15 minutes a seemingly normal car pulled up. "You must be Eva." A young brown-haired man said. She nodded. "Your trading up John," his blonde partner said with a grin. "Your little brother isn't much to look at." The man added, grinning. "Shut up." John said. "Hop in, I'll drop you off." He said. Eva got into the back seat, "Excited about your year in the big city?" John's partner asked, looking at her through the rear-view mirror. She nodded. She didn't really like the city, but she was excited about the freedom.
After a 10-minute drive, they stopped at an average block of flats. "Here we are." John said. "Here's my key. If Marlous says anything, just tell her Mr Detective gave it to you," John said. "In the doghouse again, Johnny?" his partner asked. "So glad I'm single," the man added. Eva walked over to the front door and opened it with the key. "Didn't I tell you not to come home early?" she heard a woman scream. And a second later, the owner of the voice showed her face. "How did you get in? I warn you, my husband is a policeman," she said, picking up her phone. "He gave me his key and said to tell you Mr Detective gave it to me. I am Eva," she said, holding out her hand. The woman relaxed and took the phone back. "The exchange student?" she asked Eva nodding her head. "I'm sorry, dear. Lots of burglaries these days and the perpetrators are getting younger every day. I'm Marlous." She said.
School started the next morning. She was enrolled at Nicolaas Lyceum. It was a huge school with thousands of students. Of all shapes and sizes. There were dozens of doors. And dozens of teachers, nothing like the Bonefante College where she came from. A school where everyone knew everyone else. She looked around, she was supposed to join the class in room 206, but she couldn't find her way. "Not lost, are you?" she heard behind her. Startled, she turned around. A smiling girl stood behind her, she looked a little younger than Eva, about 13 years old. She had blonde curly hair, blue eyes and a thin smile. "Very lost." Eva said. "Let me see," the girl said. "Yikes, maths with Jagersma. You poor thing," the girl said. "I'm Fleur, by the way." the girl introduced herself. "I'm Eva." she replied. "Class 206 is up the stairs, third door on the left. You know where to go." Fleur said. "Won't you be late then?" Eva asked. "Meh, I have a room at home, I'll just say I had a flat tyre. Works every time." Fleur said and walked Eva to her class.
That night John came home quite late. "Sorry darling, I had a case. And you know our dog. He likes to keep an open mind. He should have a little tunnel vision every now and then," he said as he sat down. "Oh, by the way, he makes me say hello to that pretty little girl with the silver eyes. So Eva. My partner says hello." Eva blushed a little. "What kind of case do you have?" asked Eva. "Right, you want to be a detective. Well, I can't tell you everything. But we found someone near an old packing plant. And we need to find out how he got there, and more importantly, who put him there," he said, looking exhausted. "I hate this job sometimes," he said. "Why? It seems like so much fun." Eva said. "Some days are better than others Eva. There will be days when even you will hate this job." he said. She couldn't imagine that. "Why did you become an officer?" She asked. "Because I wanted to be an officer. Ever since I was a kid. Why do you want to be a policeman?" he asked. "I guess because I want to help people," she said. "Idealist, I see," he told her.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Weeks and months passed. She and Fleur became friends. She was a year younger than her. So they often just had lunch together in the school canteen. When Eva was there for about 8 months, John came home looking exhausted. "Just the food, I have to go right back," he said."What is it?" Marlous asked. "The fourth girl missing in 3 weeks. We are being added to the task force looking for them. It will take a while," he said as he started to eat his dinner. "Can I help?" Eva asked. "You can help by not going outside, you don't have to." John said. There was a knock at the door. A few seconds later John's blonde partner entered the house. "We have to go. Sorry Loes, this is an emergency. He looked at Eva. "Be careful, okay, little miss silver eyes. We don't want to have to come looking for you," he said, winking at her. "Come on John we have to go." he said and they left.
The next day Fleur came to her with tears in her eyes. "Fleur what is it?" she asked. "M..my best friend is missing. I tried to call her yesterday and her mum said Patricia," she did not finish her sentence and burst into tears. "It's going to be OK," Eva said, hugging her friend. John did not come home until the early hours of the morning. The entire police force was trying to find the serial kidnapper and the girls.
One morning in late May, she was walking down the street. She felt she was being followed. She noticed a black Sadan who had been following her for some time. She quickly went to school. When she returned home, the black sadan was still following her. And before she reached the corner of the street, a man stepped out, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but can I ask you something?" he asked her. "Why are you following me? "Eva asked. "I am not, we are just lost, me and my wife. "Is that why you are wandering around a school all day?" Eva was not crazy. It was the same man who had followed her to school that morning. She woke up. But before she knew it, the man had grabbed her and put a cloth over her mouth.
She awoke in a darkened room with small shafts of light coming in through the boarded up windows. She looked around as her eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness. She wasn't alone in the room. She saw 8 to 10 girls huddled around her. "Where are we?" she asked. She heard a girl sobbing in the corner. "They're going to kill us," the girl said between sobs, "Shut up Melanie. We're all scared enough as it is.
Another girl said. "What's your name?" the girl said. "Eva." she answered. "Welcome Eva. I am Angela. A tall blonde girl sat down next to Eva. And over in the corner is Melanie. Right in front of you is Samantha, in the other corner we have Patricia, she came here a few days before you, then we have Monieqeu and Jaqeuline. Sharon, Jolanda, Linda and the second one to arrive was Jessica. This is our whole family. So Eva, welcome. Angela said. "You are all the girls who disappeared." Eva said. "You're one of us now." Melanie said sounding grim. "You never tried to escape?" Eva asked. "They lock the door," the girl called Samantha said. "God love the new girls. Full of ambition. Jolanda said. "Come on, there must be a way out," Eva said. She walked over to the boarded up windows. "If we can get it open, we can use one of the boards to get out. " Inside they could hear people shouting names. "Do you hear them, that's the police and all your
parents," Eva said. "Come on, it was 11 of us against a bunch of badly nailed people.
Boards". Eva climbed onto the windowsill and started kicking at the middle board in the window. After a few minutes it started to come loose. "Shh, will they hear you?" said Sharon, frightened. "One of us will stand guard. The rest of us will kick in the boards. We only need a few of them out of the windows to tell us the cops are not far away. Come on." Patricia walked over to her. "Count me in," and she started to kick. "Hang on, I'm heavier. Samantha said. I can kick harder." Within minutes the girls were organised.
Melinda and Julie kept an eye out for the kidnappers and the other 9 girls attacked the windows. After ten minutes, Eva managed to kick out one of the boards. "I can fit through," she said, "keep kicking, I'll get help. She climbed through the hole she had made. It gave her a few cuts and bruises, but she didn't care. "HEY. OVER HERE!" she started screaming and made her way over to where the voices were coming from.
Within 5 minutes a couple of other girls managed to get out of the cell. Eva looked back. It was nothing more than a small shed in the woods. They must be at least a little outside of Amsterdam. She saw that all the girls had managed to climb out of the windows. "OK, good. Now follow me." Eva said and started walking towards the sound of the voices. "THEY WERE OVER HERE!" Eva shouted. She turned to see if all the girls were still with her when she saw her captors running towards them. "Don't be afraid. No, Patricia, don't run off separately, they'll get us one by one if we stick together, they can't take us all at once, get behind me and keep screaming. NOW!"
How they managed to get out safely, Eva never knew. But before she knew it, her aptors were overpowered by a huge horde of officers. And were taken into custody. "You know something else, little Miss Silver Eyes." John's partner said. After all the girls were taken to the station to be heard. "All these girls are telling us that you rallied them to escape," he said. "And it was a stroke of genius to keep shouting and sticking together," John said. "Given that, you will be going home tomorrow, sorry Eva." John added. She hated the idea of going home. Not that she liked Amsterdam, but home was where her father was. She had got used to the peace of not having him around.
John Marlous and John's partner took her to the station. "It was great having you, Eva." Marlous said. "See you around," John said, ruffling her hair. John's partner shook her hand. "So long, Little Miss Silver Eyes. Who knows, maybe one day we'll work together." he said, winking at her. "Just like you will ever come to Maastricht." she said smiling at him. "Stranger things have happened," the conductor blew his whistle. Eva jumped on the train and started her journey back to Maastricht. Back to her terrible father.