June 28th, Somewhere over England, 2:52 AM

June 28th, Somewhere over England, 2:52 AM

He'll find you, you know he will. That was inevitable. That voice inside my head, were the only words I could hear. My thoughts plunged me deep into a sea of despair. Although I felt solace as the plane rose high into the air, I knew it wouldn't last. He was still there, with me, feeding off of the fear that gripped me. The woman sitting next to me must have picked up on my apprehensiveness and said, "Don't worry luv. I've flown this flight at least fifty times to see my grandchildren and I haven't died yet." The elderly women, perhaps in her 60's had the most soothing voice with her Manchester accent. Her eyes were warm and her face was lined with decades of laughter. I smiled at her, "Thank you. I'm sure we'll be fine."

The flight to Los Angeles was pretty uneventful. My new friend, Grace, and I chatted about parenthood, the flight, and the weather for quite awhile, until the desire to sleep had set in. It was a small comfort, talking to her. I was sure my flight would be consumed by my fear. I learned that she had four children, all grown, and six grandchildren, four of which were in the States. I told her about Alyssa and how much I wanted to be back with her. Somehow I knew I might not see my daughter for a very long time.

When we began our decent into LAX, a gentleman sitting in the window seat closest to mine said, "My God, I think there's a fire in LA." I smiled at him and said, "No, it looks like that all the time." From high above the clouds, we could all see the reality of one of the most famous cities in the world. A huge layer of browish-gray smog covered the city, disguising its true beauty. I was glad that I lived in Oceanside.

Several hours after returning to my own country, I was at home. I desperately wanted to drive to my mother-in-law's home and pick up Alyssa, but I didn't know what would be worse. I doubted that James knew where she lived, but I was sure that he could have found out. I knew that she wasn't safe with me, but she wasn't safe without me either. Who would protect her?

The moment that I arrived to the front door of our beach condo, I realized that something wasn't right. Although the door wasn't open, not even ajar, I could see that the wood around the lock and the door jam was broken, as if someone had forced their way into the house.The door was unlocked. I wasn't sure if I should stay and figure out what had happened, or run. Suddenly, the phone rang from inside the condo. Quickly, without thinking, I unlocked the door and rushed to it and answered, "Hello."

"Thank God Jess! I didn't know what happened to you. I went down to Trafalgar at 1 am. There was blood everywhere, I called your mobile, are you hurt?" Lawrence's concerned voice was a great comfort.

"I'm fine Lawrence. I stabbed James, but I left. I got scared and I left. I don't know what to do. He'll come for me." I said.

"Just sit tight, luv. I'll be there tomorrow." His words calmed me. My fear dissipated within those ten syllables.