"LET ME GO!" Dona bit one of them and he slapped her in the face, causing her to fall beside us.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I tried kicking them, only to get hit. They pushed all of our heads down before slamming the hood over us; everything went dark.

"LET US OUT! LET US OUT!" I kicked and kicked.

"Stop!" Ethan yelled at me. I couldn't see him but I could feel his hair.

"No! We need to go-"

"If you keep yelling we won't be able to breathe," he said, rolling onto his back.

"Ouch, my hair." Dona winced.

"Sorry." He lifted up for her to pull away. "You okay?"

"Aren't you scared?" she whispered, her breath right at my ear.

"No."

"Liar," I muttered. He was always doing that, trying to pretend he was always so strong.

"Why do you always fight me?"

"Ouch!" We both yelled when her hands smacked us.

"Mommy said I can hit you if you fight."

"No, she didn't," Ethan replied.

"Yeah, Mommy said so." I wished she hadn't.

We didn't talk.

"We need to get out of here." Ethan put his hands up above us.

"How?" Dona did the same.

He felt around and finally said, "I know how."

"I think I know how. Mommy made me do this." I just needed to remember.

"What do you mean?" Ethan questioned.

"Shh." I closed my eyes, trying to think.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE.

"Mommy?" I yawned as I woke up; everything was dark. Where am I? I felt her carry me.

Sitting up, my head hit the roof. What? What is this?

"Mommy!" I banged on it. "Mommy!"

Where am I? Am I in a box? "MOMMY!"

My hands started to shake and my eyes felt like they were zooming in close. "MOMMY! HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

"Wyatt." I heard her voice.

"Mommy, help me, I can't see." I reached up above me, feeling the top again. She was right over me.

"Wyatt, you are in the trunk of a car."

"WHY!" I screamed and it sounded like she was laughing at me.

"Because you asked me to help you get stronger, remember?"

I frowned. Not like this.

"I know you hate the dark, Wyatt, and I know you hate being alone."

"I'm fine." I crossed my arms.

"So I should just leave you then?"

"NO!"

Again she laughed.

"Mommy, I want to come out now."

"Then come out."

I pushed and pushed but it didn't work. "Mommy, I can't."

"I'll teach you how."

"Mommy, I'm scared!" I couldn't see.

"I know, but we have to do the things that scare us to become strong, okay?" I couldn't stop shaking. "Wyatt?"

"Okay," I said softly.

"Good, now move around. Do you feel anything?"

I did so and felt something hard and heavy. "Yeah."

"Now roll over to your side."

"Okay." I did.

"Now feel the side; do you feel anything like panels?"

"What are panels?"

"Like curtains or...something covering something else."

I felt along the wall but found nothing but carpet. "No."

"Roll over on the other side and try again."

I did. Wiping the sweat from my face, I felt again. "I think I got it."

"Good, pull on it as hard as you can."

When I did, light came in really bright, and I could see outside, but it was red and blurry.

"I did it."

"Now use the heavy thing to break the red thing."

When I did, the first person I saw was Uncle Fedel.

"Hey, kiddo." He smiled.

"Good job. Now you have light. Less scary right?"

"I'm hot. Mommy, can I come out now?" I asked.

"Soon, sweetheart. Now look around; do you see another panel...I mean thing covering the floor?"

I looked and saw it. "Yeah."

"Lift it up and you will see a cable like the one Daddy uses for his video games."

"The old games?"

"Yes, Wyatt, the old games." She laughed again. I liked when she laughed.

"I see it, Mommy. It's yellow."

"Okay, pull the cable."

I did and heard a click.

"Now push, slowly." When the roof came up, I sat up. Mommy was right there smiling down at me.

"You were amazing, Wyatt!" She hugged me. "Tomorrow we will try with other cars."

"I don't like this Mommy!" I started to cry and I felt even more bad because my pants were wet.

"I know." She hugged me. "I don't like it either, but you are safe when you are strong. We will work on everything, one by one. I'll be there the whole time."

"Wyatt!" Ethan yelled at me and I jumped.

"You said not to yell," I reminded him.

"Sorry," he said again. "I got worried. You weren't saying anything; I thought you were hurt."

I frowned. "I'm fine."

"Okay, so what is your idea?" he asked me.

I felt the walls of the car to find panels but I couldn't. "I need to be where you are Ethan."

"What?"

"I need to switch, come on!"

"Okay. Okay, okay. Wyatt, sit up as far as you can. Dona, slide under him, and Wyatt, roll over us."

"Ugh." I rolled over Dona, who groaned, and then Ethan until I was in his place. I felt the walls again. I hoped it was like the first car; the other cars Mommy had put me in were hard.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Ethan asked when I pulled.

Just like the first car, I saw the red glow.

"I need something heavy, like a screwdriver or something," I told him.

"I have a knife." He put it in my hand.

"Why do you have a knife?"

"Why don't you? Rule 103: always have a knife. Don't you know all the rules?"

I didn't say anything.

"No one knows all the rules, Ethan, not even you," Dona said, and I felt better using the knife to hit the red thing.

"What can you see-"

"AH!" Dona screamed. We all screamed when the car hit the brakes hard before hitting something. My back hit Ethan and the knife cut my hand.

"We stopped," Ethan said, and I flinched hearing the gunshots. "Can you get it open?"