Part 1 - Curiosity shrunk the writer

Cranberry Commons Mall

Daria sat at one of the tables in the Food Court. She wore a ball cap and sunglasses, and the table she sat at was as far away from the entrances and vendors as she could get and still be inside. The Fashion Club had taken over the house, her parents were at a Make Your Marriage Work retreat, and Jane was trying to put the spark back into her relationship with Tom. Daria felt like she was in one of those crappy romances that Quinn read on occasion, and she didn't want to be sucked in any further, so she headed to the one place she was sure nobody would look for her.

As Daria sat at her table, she was making up stories about the others she saw entering and leaving the food court. She'd write a scene or two about who ever she saw, then write about another person or family she saw. After writing about a dozen or so people, Daria spot two guys that looked like they stepped out of an old gangster movie. They both wore black suits, overcoats, and fedoras. One had a thin, wiry build, stood over 6 feet tall, and had silver hair that fell to the small of his back. The other one was about a foot shorter, had short dark hair, and was as stocky as his companion was thin.

When they left the mall, Daria decided to follow them. She saw them get into and drive off in a black Mercedes. Lucky for her, she had parked the Lexus close by, and was able to catch sight of them as she left the parking lot. Daria was surprised when her Men in Black stopped in front of the offices where her Mom worked, since no one was supposed to be working today because Mr. Vitale had declared an office holiday. Daria drove past and parked around the corner, then walked back. The front door was unlocked, so Daria slipped in. A quick glance at the elevators showed one stopping at the top floor. Since she was sneaking around, Daria decided to take the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, Daria peaked out of the stairwell as she caught her breath. She saw a silhouette through the frost glass of the conference room doors, and crept across the room to get a better look. Daria found that the doors hadn't been closed all the way, so she nudged one of them slightly more open so she could see and hear better. Looking into the room, Daria saw Mr. Vitale and the taller man talking. Listening intently, Daria heard Mr. Vitale say, "Gin, everything has been arranged as requested. Do you have any other requests?"

"The Boss didn't pass anything on. You'll be contacted through the usual channels when we have need of you talents again, Mr. Vitale. As soon as, Vodka grabs our little kitty-cat, we'll be on our way."

Daria let out a squeak when she realized that Gin was talking about her, and started to stand up when she was grabbed from behind and lifted off the ground like she was no lighter than a feather.

"Hey, aniki, look what I found." Said the other man in black.

"What an interesting looking kitten, you caught there, Vodka." Gin said.

"Ms. Morgendorffer, it is a pity that we have to meet again under such circumstances. But your curiosity has led you to an unfortunate end. I was hoping to see what you would grow up into, but I can't allow you to tell anybody about my friends." Mr. Vitale said.

"We will make sure that she is taken care of. See you around." Gin said. "Let's go, Vodka."

Vodka tipped his hat at Mr. Vitale, while holding Daria under his other arm, then followed Gin out of the building. Outside of the offices, Daria was tossed into the trunk of Gin and Vodka's car. She was bumped around a bit as the car took off. The movement of the car lulled Daria to sleep, but her panic and fear kept her wide awake. She bumped her head when the car suddenly stopped, so when the trunk popped open Daria was in no condition to attempt to escape. Gin popped open a cigarette case and pulled out a pill. Vodka grabbed her jar forcing her mouth open, while Gin force feed her the pill, then some water. As Daria was pulled out of the trunk, she felt like that her body had caught on fire. The last thing she saw was the car driving away before she passed out.