0200 San Francisco, California 11/7/11

“This is Blue Lightning to Red Fire, do you copy?” a man said through static.
“I copy you Blue lighting… our target room has been surrounded. Permission to break in?”
“Permission granted,” came the reply.
A door was kicked open and guards flooded the room, startling the occupant. 
“What the—” She never finished her sentence, because soon a bright red dart was sprouting from her neck and she slipped into unconsciousness.
“We have Mrs. Smith,” one of the guards spoke into a radio. “I‘m bringing her to 37.7763 N 122.4328 W.”
“Good,” the man replied, “bring her in.”

1

“This is Blue Lightning to Red Fire, do you copy?” a man said through static.
“I copy you Blue lighting… our target room has been surrounded. Permission to break in?”
“Permission granted,” came the reply.
A door was kicked open and guards flooded the room, startling the occupant. 
“What the—” She never finished her sentence, because soon a bright red dart was sprouting from her neck and she slipped into unconsciousness.
“We have Mrs. Smith,” one of the guards spoke into a radio. “I‘m bringing her to 37.7763 N 122.4328 W.”
“Good,” the man replied, “bring her in.”

2

1500 Los Angeles, California 11/7/11

A bell rang and students flooded towards the doors, ready for the three day weekend ahead. My thoughts were solely about how I was going to get past the front doors of the school. I had already planned out how I was going to avoid Jack, the school bully. He was a 19 year old junior in highschool and completely ripped. I couldn’t tell any of the teachers about what Jack did to me because they were scared of him. They wouldn’t admit it but they were. The teachers would usually give detention to Jack's victims. He would always harass me after school while I was trying to go home. I don’t know why… Maybe it was because I was smart, but it was most likely because I was an easy target. I was overweight, scared, and really nervous all the time.
 I was headed towards the door with my head down, pretending to be engrossed in a book. Just when I thought I was clear, my face was smashed into my locker.
“Trying to sneak away, Aurther?” Jack said, sneering.
“No, this book is just really good.” I responded fast.
“Don’t give me that.” Jack responded. “I need your notes for the chemistry test. This is going to be my last year as a junior.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. We don’t even have a chemistry test.” I told him in a rush. But the next thing I knew, my head was smashed against the wall and I felt my nose start to bleed. “Okay, okay, they’re in my backpack.” I told him, trying to spit blood out of my mouth that was now streaming down my face. 
Jack rifled through my very organized backpack, messing up everything. When he finally found it, he exclaimed, “Too bad you only have one set of notes, maybe next you should make one for yourself.”
I knew that staying quiet was the best thing to do, but I couldn’t help myself. “They’re my notes, not yours.” I shouted back at him.
“What did you say?” Jack taunted. Then he punched me right in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. “They’re my notes now.” Jack snapped and walked out.

3

A bell rang and students flooded towards the doors, ready for the three day weekend ahead. My thoughts were solely about how I was going to get past the front doors of the school. I had already planned out how I was going to avoid Jack, the school bully. He was a 19 year old junior in highschool and completely ripped. I couldn’t tell any of the teachers about what Jack did to me because they were scared of him. They wouldn’t admit it but they were. The teachers would usually give detention to Jack's victims. He would always harass me after school while I was trying to go home. I don’t know why… Maybe it was because I was smart, but it was most likely because I was an easy target. I was overweight, scared, and really nervous all the time.
 I was headed towards the door with my head down, pretending to be engrossed in a book. Just when I thought I was clear, my face was smashed into my locker.
“Trying to sneak away, Aurther?” Jack said, sneering.
“No, this book is just really good.” I responded fast.
“Don’t give me that.” Jack responded. “I need your notes for the chemistry test. This is going to be my last year as a junior.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. We don’t even have a chemistry test.” I told him in a rush. But the next thing I knew, my head was smashed against the wall and I felt my nose start to bleed. “Okay, okay, they’re in my backpack.” I told him, trying to spit blood out of my mouth that was now streaming down my face. 
Jack rifled through my very organized backpack, messing up everything. When he finally found it, he exclaimed, “Too bad you only have one set of notes, maybe next you should make one for yourself.”
I knew that staying quiet was the best thing to do, but I couldn’t help myself. “They’re my notes, not yours.” I shouted back at him.
“What did you say?” Jack taunted. Then he punched me right in the gut, knocking the wind out of me. “They’re my notes now.” Jack snapped and walked out.

4

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I layed there for a moment trying to get my breath back. Despite the situation, I smiled. What Jack didn’t know is that I didn’t need any of my note’s. All the information for the test was already in my head. 
As I walked home, I wished my mom wasn’t out of town, but she was on a business trip in San Francisco. She would always take care of me after I got into fights. 
As soon as I got home, I checked the home phone for any messages from my mom and there was one. I was about to listen to it when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it and there was a police officer at my door. I stood in shock, confused and speechless… a police officer?
“Arthur Smith, we need to talk,” he said, breaking the silence. “Can I come in?”
The officer and I sat on the couch and he began speaking. “Last night your mom was found missing from her hotel room with her door kicked in.” 
I sat there in shock not knowing what to say. “Do you know where she is?” 
“No,'' he replied. “The person who took her left no traces behind.” 
“Where am I going to stay?” 
“We have decided that you can stay here for a week, and if your mother is not found by then, we will find a family for you to live with.” He replied. “If you need to reach me, here is my number,” he said, handing me a card. “Goodnight Arthur. I truly hope we are able to find your mother.” Then he left.
I just sat there, stunned for a moment. What was I going to do? Then I remembered, I had a message on the phone. I walked over to it and checked the number. It was from my mother…but that wasn't possible unless she had left it late last night before she had disappeared. I pressed the play button and listened in.
“Hi Arthur, I hope you are doing well. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to have to stay an extra 5 days. The company made this big mistake and we have to figure this

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out or we may get sued so I’ll be back on-.” Her voice was cut off by the sound of wood splintering and boots. My mother briefly tuned back in.“What the-''she was cut off once more by the thump of the phone being dropped." Then an unfamiliar voice spoke..“We have Mrs. Smith. I‘m bringing her to 37.7763 North 122.4328 West.” Another voice, coming from what seemed to be a radio, responded, “Good, bring her in.”
I couldn’t believe that my mom had actually recorded her kidnappers… I couldn’t believe my mom had been kidnapped. The first thing that I did was call the police officer who gave me his number. 
“Hello, who is this?”  he asked.
“This is Arthur.” I replied. “I have a voice message from my mom.”
“We all know that you miss your mom, but there is no need to pretend that your mom is sending you messages.” He replied in a soothing tone. 
“I’m not lying, I swear.” 
“I’m so sorry but I don’t have time for this. Have a goodnight,”  and he hung up.
I sat down hard. I just wanted to lay there and cry. Then I thought, what if the police aren't trying their best to find her? I decided that I would have to find her myself. The first place that I would have to look was the message that I was sent by her. I listened to it again and something caught my attention. The numbers that the guy had said sounded like coordinates. I looked them up and they were the coordinates to The Painted Ladies in San Francisco, California. I couldn’t believe that it had been that easy to find where she was. But the hardest thing was how I was going to get there. I thought through so many ideas but couldn’t think of anything that would be quick or inexpensive. I decided to make some dinner and microwaved some mac & cheese. I was repeating my chemistry notes in my head when I got it. It was like a light bulb went off. My plan was risky, but Jack was the only one that I knew that owned a car and that could drive.

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5

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out or we may get sued so I’ll be back on-.” Her voice was cut off by the sound of wood splintering and boots. My mother briefly tuned back in.“What the-''she was cut off once more by the thump of the phone being dropped." Then an unfamiliar voice spoke..“We have Mrs. Smith. I‘m bringing her to 37.7763 North 122.4328 West.” Another voice, coming from what seemed to be a radio, responded, “Good, bring her in.”
I couldn’t believe that my mom had actually recorded her kidnappers… I couldn’t believe my mom had been kidnapped. The first thing that I did was call the police officer who gave me his number. 
“Hello, who is this?”  he asked.
“This is Arthur.” I replied. “I have a voice message from my mom.”
“We all know that you miss your mom, but there is no need to pretend that your mom is sending you messages.” He replied in a soothing tone. 
“I’m not lying, I swear.” 
“I’m so sorry but I don’t have time for this. Have a goodnight,”  and he hung up.
I sat down hard. I just wanted to lay there and cry. Then I thought, what if the police aren't trying their best to find her? I decided that I would have to find her myself. The first place that I would have to look was the message that I was sent by her. I listened to it again and something caught my attention. The numbers that the guy had said sounded like coordinates. I looked them up and they were the coordinates to The Painted Ladies in San Francisco, California. I couldn’t believe that it had been that easy to find where she was. But the hardest thing was how I was going to get there. I thought through so many ideas but couldn’t think of anything that would be quick or inexpensive. I decided to make some dinner and microwaved some mac & cheese. I was repeating my chemistry notes in my head when I got it. It was like a light bulb went off. My plan was risky, but Jack was the only one that I knew that owned a car and that could drive.

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6

I ran to my mothers stash of emergency cash and pulled out two crisp hundred dollar bills, just what I needed. 
I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to wait until tomorrow to ask Jack if he would take me, so I decided to go to bed because I was going to need all the rest that I could get. I felt like I was in an action movie but I had to think about the dangers of this. It was hard for me to fall asleep but I was finally able to at around 10 pm. 
When I woke up in the morning, I surprisingly felt completely refreshed and rested, despite my current situation. I was extremely scared of the thought of even talking to Jack, but I had to remind myself that talking to him was probably the easy part. Finding my mother was going to be much harder. I made myself eggs and packed up sandwiches for the car ride in case my plan worked. I grabbed my mom's emergency stash of money and walked out the front door. The air was brisk but not too cold. Jack's house was 20 minutes away so I grabbed my bike and began the ride. 
As I got to Jack’s house I saw 3 cars in the driveway so I guessed he was home. I dropped my bike in his driveway and walked up the steps to his house, knocking on the door. Jack answered the door and immediately clenched his fist. 
“What do you want punk?” he spit out.
“I need your help.” I answered. “I need you to drive me to San Francisco.”
“No, why would I do that for you,” he retorted. “That's like, 6 hours away.” 
“My mom was kidnapped yesterday and I need to find her,” I told him. “That's why I need you to drive me there.”
“Why would you need to find her?” He replied. “Aren’t the police supposed to do that?”
“Yes, but I feel like they aren’t trying their hardest. I have a message from my mom that tells where she is, but the police didn’t even believe me.” 
"My answer is still no. I don't care if your mom is in danger. It’s your problem, not mine.” 

“But I can pay you.” 
“How much are you talking?” 
“Two-hundred dollars.”
He hesitated, “...Okay fine. I’m in, only if you give me your notes for every test this year. And I’m only driving you there, not back.” 
“Sounds like a deal,” I replied. “We need to leave right now, so get what you need.” Just then, there was the sound of a bottle breaking and the loud pounding of footsteps on the stairs. 
“Jack,” the voice shouted angrily and slurred.
“Aurthur, we need to go now,” Jack responded, almost scared. He grabbed the keys to one of the cars and ran out of the door. 
I hopped in the passenger seat and Jack started up the engine and pulled back from the driveway. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen. Jack had been genuinely scared. I thought nothing could scare that guy. I just sat there in awkward silence. Finally, as we were turning onto the I-5 N I spoke. 
“Jack, are you okay?” 
“Yeah I’m fine,” he responded, but I could tell he wasn’t. 
“Where is your mom?” I asked him gently.
“I don’t have one. Just leave me alone.”
“Okay, sorry. It's just… I know what it feels like to not have one parent. It's like a hole inside of you that can never be filled. When I heard your father like that…” My voice trailed off. “I don’t blame you for beating me up. You had no love in your life.”
“Thanks and all for that, but I don’t want to talk about it.” Jack said angrily.
We sat in silence. I was thinking of how I was going to do what seemed impossible. About 3 hours later Jack spoke. “We need to stop for gas. Do you want any food?”
“No, I’m fine, I pack my own food,” I answered.
“Okay I’ll just get something for me.”
Once we were finished getting gas, we were back on the road. We were about 1 hour away and I was getting nervous.

7

“But I can pay you.” 
“How much are you talking?” 
“Two-hundred dollars.”
He hesitated, “...Okay fine. I’m in, only if you give me your notes for every test this year. And I’m only driving you there, not back.” 
“Sounds like a deal,” I replied. “We need to leave right now, so get what you need.” Just then, there was the sound of a bottle breaking and the loud pounding of footsteps on the stairs. 
“Jack,” the voice shouted angrily and slurred.
“Aurthur, we need to go now,” Jack responded, almost scared. He grabbed the keys to one of the cars and ran out of the door. 
I hopped in the passenger seat and Jack started up the engine and pulled back from the driveway. I couldn’t believe what I had just seen. Jack had been genuinely scared. I thought nothing could scare that guy. I just sat there in awkward silence. Finally, as we were turning onto the I-5 N I spoke. 
“Jack, are you okay?” 
“Yeah I’m fine,” he responded, but I could tell he wasn’t. 
“Where is your mom?” I asked him gently.
“I don’t have one. Just leave me alone.”
“Okay, sorry. It's just… I know what it feels like to not have one parent. It's like a hole inside of you that can never be filled. When I heard your father like that…” My voice trailed off. “I don’t blame you for beating me up. You had no love in your life.”
“Thanks and all for that, but I don’t want to talk about it.” Jack said angrily.
We sat in silence. I was thinking of how I was going to do what seemed impossible. About 3 hours later Jack spoke. “We need to stop for gas. Do you want any food?”
“No, I’m fine, I pack my own food,” I answered.
“Okay I’ll just get something for me.”
Once we were finished getting gas, we were back on the road. We were about 1 hour away and I was getting nervous.

8

“I decided that I’m going to help you find your mother, if that's okay with you.” Jack said suddenly.
I was so taken back I didn’t know what to say. “Would you really do that for me?” I asked.
“Yes, I just feel like it's the right thing to do.”
Thirty minutes later we were parked in front of the painted ladies in San Francisco. It was time to go. The problem was I didn’t know where to start. As we were walking alongside the painted ladies, something caught my eye. I picked it up and it was a picture of me, my mom and dad on our trip to Hawaii when I was 4. Mom always kept it in her purse. I look up at the building right in front of it.
“Let's start here,” I told Jack.
I opened the front door and slipped inside. I was about to ask Jack where we should check first when I heard footsteps pounding on the stairs. Jack and I looked around for a place to hide. I spotted a broom closet and we scurried into it. We watched the man get to the end of the stairs, look both ways then slipped into the first doorway to the right of us.
“Let's follow him,” I told Jack.
“Okay, sounds good.”
We came out of the closet and walked up to the door. “I’ll open it first and check for people,” Jack told me. He quietly opened the door and looked inside. “All clear,” he told me. We both crept into the room. I looked around. There was a bookshelf to the right and a desk on the left. The floors were wooden and the walls were painted white. Then there was what looked like another room around the corner. 
I crept towards the corner but suddenly stopped as I heard voices.
“We can’t let you leave, you know too much,” a man's voice said.
“But I have a son at home and I have a family,” my mother said, her voice breaking.
“The only way that you are leaving is when your heart stops beating,” the man threatened.
“What do we do?” I whispered to Jack.

“Let's see if they leave,” he responded. I turned back and listened into the their conversation
“I’ll give you 10 minutes to decide,” he said. “You can either join us or die. I don’t suspect that this will be a hard choice.” Then the sound of footsteps came towards me and Jack. I desperately look for somewhere to hide. My eyes fell on the desk in the corner. Jack and I dashed over to it and hid under the desk. We heard boots come into our room. I didn’t dare move a muscle. Then I heard a door slam. I waited a few more seconds before I came out of my hiding spot. 
“This is our chance,” I told Jack.
I crept towards the other room and looked around the corner. There were two guards and my mom tied to a chair in between them.
“They’re two guards,” I informed Jack. “What should we do about them?”
“I’ll handle this,” he told me. Before I could stop him he rushed into the room. I just stood there frozen in place. I heard yelling and the firing of a gun. Finally I look around the corner, fearing the worst. What I saw completely surprised me. Jack was standing above the two guards who were now unconscious. 
“How did you-?” I stuttered.
“Arthur?” my mother asked weakly. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom!” I ran towards her. “Let me untie you. I got your message and the men that kidnapped you said where they were when they abducted you.”
“Who is that?” my mom asked, pointing to Jack. 
“That's Jack,” I said. “Remember the guy I told you about that would always beat me up? Yeah, that's him. I hope you don’t mind. I gave him your money from your emergency stash. I thought this qualified as an emergency.” 
“Arthur, this is so dangerous. You shouldn’t have come.” she told me. “Our company’s in trouble. We took a lot of money from our clients. Money that we were not supposed to. The leaders

9

“Let's see if they leave,” he responded. I turned back and listened into the their conversation
“I’ll give you 10 minutes to decide,” he said. “You can either join us or die. I don’t suspect that this will be a hard choice.” Then the sound of footsteps came towards me and Jack. I desperately look for somewhere to hide. My eyes fell on the desk in the corner. Jack and I dashed over to it and hid under the desk. We heard boots come into our room. I didn’t dare move a muscle. Then I heard a door slam. I waited a few more seconds before I came out of my hiding spot. 
“This is our chance,” I told Jack.
I crept towards the other room and looked around the corner. There were two guards and my mom tied to a chair in between them.
“They’re two guards,” I informed Jack. “What should we do about them?”
“I’ll handle this,” he told me. Before I could stop him he rushed into the room. I just stood there frozen in place. I heard yelling and the firing of a gun. Finally I look around the corner, fearing the worst. What I saw completely surprised me. Jack was standing above the two guards who were now unconscious. 
“How did you-?” I stuttered.
“Arthur?” my mother asked weakly. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom!” I ran towards her. “Let me untie you. I got your message and the men that kidnapped you said where they were when they abducted you.”
“Who is that?” my mom asked, pointing to Jack. 
“That's Jack,” I said. “Remember the guy I told you about that would always beat me up? Yeah, that's him. I hope you don’t mind. I gave him your money from your emergency stash. I thought this qualified as an emergency.” 
“Arthur, this is so dangerous. You shouldn’t have come.” she told me. “Our company’s in trouble. We took a lot of money from our clients. Money that we were not supposed to. The leaders

10

know that I know too much so they are trying to silence me.”
“I’m not leaving without you, Mom.”
“No one is leaving,” said a man's voice. He had five guards behind him with guns trained on us. “I was going to ask you about your choice but I think that this shows your answer. Guards… open fire.”
“No!” my mom screamed. “They are not a part of this, let them go!”
“From what I recall from your conversation, you told them everything,” he said. “Now they are a threat to the future of my company. This leaves me with no choice. Fire.” he told his guards.
Then, the bravest thing that I have ever seen or heard happened. Jack jumped in front of the guards that were firing shields and attacked them. Within fifteen seconds all the guards and the company owner were on the ground unconscious. I ran over to Jack. His body was riddled with bullet wounds. Blood was everywhere.
“Why would you do that,” I gasped, tears running down my face.  
“You were the first person that I felt understood by,” he said weakly. Then he choked out “You showed me what love is by finding your mother. Thank you…” he went silent. I cried. My mother came over to me and hugged me. We both cried together. 
“What should we do?” I asked my mom, wiping my eyes.
“Call the police.” 
The police showed up and took the owner and guards into custody. They asked us if we were hurt. We told them no and just walked out of there. My mom had her car still parked at her hotel and we rode back to L.A. in it. The next few days I cried alot. My mom let me stay home from school. Then after a week I visited Jack’s grave. There was a huge stone and carved in it it says Here lies Jack Turner, one of the bravest men alive. The rest of the month was a blur. I was at home a lot, but no one at school was as sad as I was, which made me upset. No one knew his situation like I did, and I hoped that someday I could be as brave as Jack.

11