Through the receiver she heard a voice that was so familiar to her ears but had aged though over the ten years. "Hello!"

She paused to listen, wondering what to say. "Daddy?" she cried.

"Hello! Who is this?" When there was no answer his voice became stern. "Shana is that you? Are you all right?"

"No daddy, it's me Addison."

"Is this some kind of sick joke!" He screamed into the phone.

"No daddy, it's really me. I am alive." When she did not hear him say anything she had thought that he hung up on her but she could still hear him breathing. "I need your help, daddy."

In his mind's eye and in his ears the voice had seemed so familiar. She had sounded so much like his little girl but he had gone to the funeral, he had buried her. He had said his good-byes a long time ago. He was silent as he thought of her growing up over the years and then how suddenly she passed away. "Addie," he whispered.

"Yes, daddy." She sobbed even more. "I am in so much trouble. I do not have time to go into the details but daddy I need you to meet me somewhere, somewhere safe."

"Like where, Addison."

"How about the place by the river where we went fishing when I was younger."

"Out by..."

She cut him off, "Shh... be careful what you say, you never know who is listening. The phone may be tapped and you wouldn't even know it."

"Oh!"

"I'll see you in about an hour maybe an hour in a half." She was getting ready to hang up and then whispered, "I love you daddy." After hanging up the phone she rolled the truck window up and made her way to the interstate again.

*****

He stood there, stunned. Was it real or was it a sick joke? It sounded so much like her though. He did not waste anytime, pulled on his boots, grabbed the keys and headed to the creek. He knew he would have to wait for over an hour but new if it was real it was well worth the time. Pulling up next to the river he got out, walked over to the bank. Thoughts of her ran through his head. Her as a little girl, fishing for the first time. He remembered how she held up the worm and requested for him to put in on her hook. The big fish she caught and talked about it even a week later. He thought about the day she graduated high school and moved out on her own in a big town without him. The day of the funeral and how he could not breathe and had to be rushed to the hospital. To hear her voice after ten years was unthinkable, unbelievable, but he would wait for her, he had to.

*****

Within an hour she had made her way through the small towns, she recalled the area so well. Even though they were bigger than she remembered and a few new roads and stores and what not, she still found her way. She would arrive in the secret place within another twenty minutes.

Seth started to move around and tried to open his eyes, but the sun was so bright. He did not say a word and then Bella looked up and yawned. "Where are we moma?"

Addie looked over at her and then at Seth, turned back to look at the curvy road before them. "Far away... far, far away."

Through the back and blue and even the swelling and dried blood, Seth noticed that his mother had seemed so different all ready. She seemed cheerful and for once dignified.

"Are you two hungry. I stopped to get gas a while ago and thought that you two would like something to eat." She handed Seth a brown paper sack. Both looked eagerly into the bag. And then had a puzzled look.

"What is a ya-hoo!" Seth asked. "And what are these." He asked as he pulled out Little Debbie Cakes.

"Just try it; you will like it I promise." She smiled. It had been a very long time since she even had the pleasure of a simple little Debbie Cake and a nice cold bottle of Yahoo. She watched as they both unwrapped the individual cakes and took a bite and another and another until it was completely gone and then proceeded to lick the rest of the icing off their fingers. Seth opened the bottle and handed it to Bella and then opened his, both of them took a sip and then guzzled the rest in a flat second.

"Oh! Moma can we have some more."

"I told you, you would like it." She grinned from ear to ear. How her children where so deprived. She vowed to herself in that very moment that she would expose them in the simple joys of life. From every taste, texture, feeling. She would find them a good school to attend and they would make friends and play sports and what not.

"Mama, Where are we going?" Seth had asked for the one hundredth millionth time as they pulled up to a dead end. There was a river in front of them and the bare trees above them tried to hide out the sun's rays. Closer to the river was a rather newer looking black Dodge 4x4. She had noticed right off that no one was in there. She looked around, searching between the trees for any signs of him. Then in the corner of her eye she saw him, squatting next to the river, skipping rocks in the water like he did when she was little.

"I want you to meet someone, but stay here for a minute." She eased her way out of the truck and walked in front toward the man in the distance. The two of them sat and watched, waited patiently, looking back and forth at each other.

Addison tried to walk up behind him but when she stepped in a pile of leaves he turned. Their eyes meet and it seemed just like yesterday that they were in this exact same spot. He had aged over the years though, gray and thin lines of old age around his eyes and mouth. His eyes were a tad red from where he had been crying, crying of the news of his beloved daughter. She tried to smile but tears ran down her swollen face.

As he looked at her his eyes filled again. Through the black ring around her eye, the lip that was huge, ready to bust. She looked like she just took the roughest beating in a boxing match. He could see her, recognized her underneath it all. Yes, this was real; she was truly alive and was standing in front of him. He reached out for her and suddenly found his lost daughter in his very own arms. They stood holding each other. He stroked her hair and patted her on the back and rubbed her shoulders. Deep inside he didn't want to let her go. He never wanted her to leave his side again.

"We buried you. God it had been a good nine...ten years now." He hugged her tighter to his chest. "We believed him... believed that you were gone."

"Keith is not who you think he is. He's a very bad man, daddy."

"He did this to you?"

"He took me to the mountains, I have been held there this whole entire time. We left early this morning, we need your help."

"We?" He looked at her.

"Your grandchildren." She looked over at the old beat up truck. Both of them watched as two little heads strained to see them. She motioned for them to come over.

He watched as a young boy about ten jumped out and then waited for his little sister. Hand in hand they walked toward them. She was a spitting image of her when she was younger, all except the long curls of auburn.

"Daddy this is Seth he will be ten in April, and this is Bella. I named her after your mother, Isabella. She will be eight. Then she looked down and rubbed her stomach, "and I am with child." Sadly she rubbed her stomach and looked back up to him.

"Grandchildren!" He looked, admiring them. "Grandchildren." He held out his arms. At first they hesitated and looked at their moma and knowing that it was all right they both reached out and hugged him.

"Can you help us?"

"Anything you need, I'm here for you, all of you."

"First things first, I need to get rid of this truck and I will need something else to drive." She paced back and forth, rustling the leaves under her feet. "I need this truck to be gone where no one and I mean no one would ever be able to find it."

"Done!" He reached for his cell phone in his upper right hand pocket and started to dial. He talked to who ever was on the other line and then closed the phone and tucked it back in the pocket. " The truck is taken care of A.S.A.P." He looked over at the children. They were now throwing rocks in the flowing water.

"I will need something else to drive, maybe a place to stay tonight and even some extra cash."

"You can stay with me."

"No, he will come here first. I don't want him to know that I was even here." She reached out to grab his hand. "Daddy if he finds me, he will kill me."

He believed her, she was so frightened and he could feel her hands tremble just talking about him. "All right, I have a place where you can go. I have a friend; I know he will be glad to help." He took the phone back out and made more arrangements for them. As he talked he watched as she walked down to the river and sat on the bank. One child on both sides of her. She wrapped her arms around them both and held them close to her.

He had made all the arrangements. The four of them got in his truck, as he drove each one smiled back and forth at each other. He pulled up to a beautiful two-story brick house. The yard was well taken care of and was lined with a white picket fence. He drove around the back and an older couple stood waiting for them with open arms. They welcomed them into their home.

"Please come in." The man held the door open. "Is this all you have." He looked at the three small bags that her father held.

"That was all I could take." She looked down as if ashamed that all their belonging fitted in those three black bags.

"It's all right." The woman said and she showed them into the kitchen. "My name is Martha and this is my husband Joe. We will be glad to help you in any way that we can."

"Thank you for your kindness," Addison said desperately.

They found a nice room upstairs that was a guest-room. The bed was extra large, a king size. There was a small bathroom adjacent to the room. "I hope this will due."

"Oh, this is wonderful and thank you again."

She left the three of them in the room to change and freshen up a bit before coming back down the steps to eat. They could smell the aroma of a home cooked meal. When they walked back down they were shocked to see so much food on the table, considering it was only lunchtime. There was a plate of fried chicken, home made biscuits with gray and corn on the cob. Seth and Bella rushed to the table and sat quietly waiting. Their eyes glanced over all the yummy things to eat, while their taste buds were jumping for the first taste. Martha, Joe, and her father waited patiently at the table for them. Each had thought the kids would start grabbing for everything but to their amazement they didn't. They waited for their mother.

Addison sat and looked at the older couple and then her father. She didn't know if she should start fixing their plate or should she wait for them to give the go ahead.

"Well dig in, we won't bite you." Joe laughed.

Addison reached over and grabbed Seth's plate and asked what he would like. Before she even had the chicken on the plate her father stopped her. "Addie let the boy fix his own plate."

Both of the children watched as she obeyed her father. She handed Seth his plate; "Here you go, dig in."

Seth just looked at her dumb founded. For almost ten years now she had fixed his plate and now he was confused. Even Bella was confused. "But moma daddy will be mad at you, you better fix our plates so we can eat."

"Nonsense." Grandfather looked at them. "Time has changed and the two of you will start fixing your own plates. The two of you are big enough. Please help yourself." He did not yell or talk at them as if they did not understand. He looked at them with loving eyes and they both looked at their moma and dug in, smiling the whole entire time. Addie looked up at her father with tears in her eyes.

When they were finished with their plates, her father hugged them and had to leave to take care of things. Joe went to the living room and turned on the TV and Martha cleared the table.

Addison stood up and started to help Martha but she shooed her away. "Now, now this is my home, you are guest. Please go." She watched as the children attempted to clean as well. "No, no, no please go watch TV with Joe or go play. After all isn't that what your supposed to do."

The kids dashed out of the room and found Joe. Addison stood against the counter, watching Martha as she cleaned. "They have no clue what a TV is you know."

She looked at her; her jaw nearly hitting the floor and if she hadn't shut it she would have stepped on it. "Seriously."

"Seriously. Keith would not allow it. We were lucky to even have a radio."

"Oh! You poor little thing you. It must have been awful for you."

"That part wasn't bad. It was bad when he got abusive and started beating me in front of them." She held her hand against her face. "It was always bad when he came home wasted, drunken mad. The verbal abuse was one thing but the physical abuse was... was...." Her voice trailed off.

"It's all right, maybe you should try to rest now." Martha reached out to hug her.

"Thank you, I'm going to go lie down, will the kids be all right."

"Sure, I'll watch over them."

That night after Addison got out of the shower she sat at the small vanity. She looked into the mirror. She seemed so old, even though she was in her mid-thirties. Her hair had a few gray streaks and she noticed a faint line around her eyes. The color would soon come back to her face, the swelling would go down in a few days maybe a good week or so. She fingered her hair while biting her bottom lip then started to snip it off. She cut and trimmed until it was above her shoulders. She did not cry even though deep inside that's what she really wanted to do.

Bella stood in the doorway, her eyes watered up and her bottom lip quivered. "Momma, do we have to cut my hair too."

"Maybe not." Addie reached over and patted her on the head and then let her fingers run through her auburn locks. "I guess we could just change the color."

"Do you not like my red curls momma?" She started to sob.

Before she said anything she could see the sadness in her eyes, oh how she wish she could tell her everything. Why they all needed to change? Why they needed to change their name? That their father would come looking for them. And he would. He would look and have others looking for them as well. She loved her deep red curls. She would give anything to let them be but she knew it was a dead give away and he and his men would spot her any where. "Come here sweetie." She wrapped her arms around her. "I love your hair too, but can't we just pretend for a little while to be someone else."

"I guess so momma, but do we have to cut it." With her bottom lip sticking out.

"Nah! I love your curls too. So how about blonde or black?"

"I don't know can we do it later," she pleaded.

"In the morning then, go see what Seth is doing while I finish up." She reached over for the scissors again and cut a few more strands. "And Bella."

"Yes, momma."

"You and Seth need to think of new names."

"But I like my name momma."

"I know. But remember we are pretending. This is our little secret."

"Oh! All right momma." She quickly ran down the hall, her little feet patted on the floor.

An hour later Addie walked into the great room to find the both of them glued to the TV. They were totally mesmerized with it. It was overwhelming due to the fact that they have never seen one before.

"What are you guys watching?"

"Momma, it's a TV and we are watching Sponge Bob."

"Sponge who?"

"Sponge Bob mom. It's a cartoon, just watch he is funny."

Seth added, "That's his friend Patrick." He pointed to a pink looking starfish. Both of the characters looked funny and were wearing shorts. They lived in the bottom of the ocean.

She sat with them and laughed along. She was amused just as much as they were. Keith had refused to let them have a TV and it had seemed forever since she had seen a cartoon herself. When it went off Hannah Montana came on; it was about a girl who was normal but led a double life as a rock star. One minute she had brown hair and the next she was a blonde.

"Momma?" Bella asked.

"Yea."

"Is that what you mean, too pretend to be someone your not."

"Kinda like that."

"Can I have my hair blonde and be called Hannah."

"If that's what you want, but honestly I don't think blonde will take to your dark red curls."

"Then dye it black, but can I still be Hannah."

"Sure, if that's what you want."

"That would be so...so...uh...what is the word. Cool."

She looked at Seth and poked him in the arm with her finger. "Hey Seth, my new name is Hannah, isn't that cool."

"Sure, sounds great Hannah." Poking her back.

"Maybe you should be Jackson." She poked him again.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't think so, I will think of something before morning."

With that they turned off the lights and walked up to bed. When morning came Bella stood above her momma. She was sound asleep, wrapped in clean silky white sheets. She looked like an angel that fell from heaven. Her face was still bruised but in time Bella knew they would all fade. There had been plenty of nights that she had went to her and helped wiped the blood and laid ice wrapped wash cloths on her swollen bruises. Finally she was sleeping so peacefully that Bella decided to leave her alone.

*****

Meanwhile, Keith woke up with a splitting headache. The house was unusually quiet. The kids must have been outside; hopefully they were doing their chores. He stood on both feet and walked sluggishly to the bathroom holding his head. He dug through the sink cabinet for some aspirin wishing he had a shot of heroin instead. He popped all three pills into mouth and then held his mouth under the running water faucet. He proceeded to walk through the house, but still did not hear Addie or the children anywhere. As he walked into the kitchen he had noticed that nothing had been fixed for breakfast. He could feel the blood pumping throughout his body; his fingers tightened as they formed a fist. He glanced out the kitchen door and to his surprise they were not out there.

"Addie, where are you?" he raged. He knew that when he found her she would be disciplined, beaten to death. He grew madder when no one answered him back.

"Damn it Addie don't you piss me off this damn early in the morning." As he continued to look he continued to yell, "Now you get in here this instant I'm starving. Addie. Seth. Bella." He screamed even louder now.

As he walked into the living room he got a hasty glance out the front window; his truck should have been there where he left it but it wasn't. It was gone. How dare she he thought. "That bitch!" knocking over the side table into the doorway. The glass vase shattered onto the floor, while the water slung out all over the wall. He had no way of leaving. He only had the one truck. He began to search frantically for his cell and after searching for a good five minutes he dialed his friend, known as the Eagle.

"Can you come get me?"

On the other end his friend had only asked, "What's wrong, you sound really pissed off."

"That bitch took my truck and my damn kids. We got to find them and now."

"She did what?"

"You heard what I said; now get her as soon as you can."

They sent news to all the others in the cult. Each searched for them all through the mountain but they were no where to be found. They continued to search way into the next day but found nothing only tire marks at the end of the drive to show which direction they went. The only place he could imagine was home. Home with her family in Tennessee. She would have no reason to go back to Atlanta.

"What now, Keith we have looked all over this damn mountain, no one has seen her or the kids. She's gone man."

"I have a feeling she's going home." He shook his head. "She thinks she can hide from me, well, we will see about that."

He just knew that would be the first place she would go. After all she had not seen her parents in over ten years. Even though they had presumed her to be dead, he knew that when they saw her they would be shocked. The funeral was one of the finest. He thought back to that very day that they had laid her to rest. She had lain in pure white satin. The coffin was made out of dark cherry with angels engraved into the wood. The tombstone had read: Addison Danielle Wittman, Born on Dec. 2, 1972 Died on Sept. 12, 1998. A wonderful daughter and beloved Doctor to all.

They had all mourned for her. Her parents were even sad for him and comforted him during and after the funeral. He had them where he wanted them. They trusted him. But now. Now things would be different when they found out that it was all a fake. Even the body that they had buried, who was the young girl? Even he did not know her name; she was just a girl that was the same build and had the same features. Her body had been mangled and battered so badly that no one would have ever known who she really was. And why would they have done an autopsy they had believed in him so much.

The drive was well over an hour. He pulled into the drive. The house had looked the very same that it did over ten years ago. The trees were bigger and the bushes and flowers that were in the front by the sidewalk were neglected over the past few years. He strolled up the sidewalk and up the six steps. He rapped on the door a few times.

Her father answered. His eyes were somewhat shocked to see him. They bugged out just a little and his hair had turned over the years. "Keith! What brings you to the neighborhood." He paused and then stated, "Why it's been a good ten years, I assumed since Addie was gone that you would have just plain forgot about us. So what brings you to these parts of the woods."

He stood in silence for a moment trying to regroup, trying to think of what to say. "Maybe I should not have come."

"Nonsense, you were a big part of Addison's life. You know you're always welcome to come here anytime. Come on in now son; can I get ya something to drink." He motioned for him to enter.

"I guess so." He entered the house and looked around. He noticed that he still had pictures of her on the wall; pictures of her as a little girl, cheerleading, fishing, camping, graduation, pictures of her entire past. He sat at the stool next to the bar in the kitchen. He watched as her father fixed a cold glass of beer."

"Are you sure everything is all right son?"

"It's just....I been up all night looking for Addie."

Her father froze in mid turn; he looked at him perplexed. "Son, you know where she lays, she has been gone now for over ten years. Are you still blaming yourself for her death?" He sat down in front of him.

"I'm sorry this has been a mistake; I shouldn't have came here. Maybe I should just go." He went to stand up.

Daniel's hand reached out for him. "You don't have to be in such a hurry. You can stay as long as you like."

"Thanks for the offer Mr. Wittman but I really need to go now." He handed him the empty glass and headed straight for the door. "I gotta clear my head."

As he sat in the car he wondered where she could be. Apparently she did not go home because her father would have been waiting for him with the shotgun, ready to blow his head off. Better yet would have kicked the dog shit out of him for taking his daughter away from him all these years. Therefore he was positive that she had not returned home to her father. So if that was true, where in the hell was she? And when he did find her, he would make damn sure that she would not return from the dead this time.

*****

But Addie who had very well seen her father just a day earlier was still very close. She was only within five miles from him. His friends had taken her in as well as her two children. They had been so nice to them while they made arrangements to start a new life. A life without him. She was now Jada, a cute little bobbed hair-do that was jet black. Bella's hair was still long with beautiful black curls. She changed her name to Hannah. While Seth had begged for his hair to grow long and with streaks of blonde like the skateboarders that he liked to watch on the TV. He decided to change his name to Austin; Jada had agreed to all of the changes.

From that day forward they would be a new family. A family without a father. A family that had survived abuse. A family that would hide many secrets.

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Did not realize this chapter was so long. Sorry guys, but hope you are still enjoying the story. Please feel free to leave comments.