Resinous Commiphora: Hello everyone, this is the author speaking. I just wanted to let you know that this is my first story, so go easy on me. Also, I plan on releasing a new chapter every week or two, unless something terrible happens to me. So, without further interruption ever (except for the occasional A/N before a chapter), please enjoy my first fanfiction, Lady Infinity!

Lady Infinity…Chapter One

Capture

"Wake up little childrens…"

Where am I? Why do I feel cold? Kagome instinctually reached towards her feet, grasping for the covers that were usually there.

"Little childrens shouldn't sleep so much. Little childrens should wake up early to get ready for school."

Oh God, I remember where I am. Kagome opened her eyes. Looking down on her was an ugly man with disheveled hair. He looked to be about forty years old. He said, "Ah, the childrens are awake. Hurry up and get dressed childrens, school will start soon." The man limped away. Instantly Kagome thought of Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's assistant. Upon thinking about it, she realized the man kind of looked like Igor. I wonder if anyone else thought he looked like Igor.

Kagome snapped out of the daze she was in. Ok, let's see where I am. She looked around and saw that she was in a dark, oppressive room. The walls were made of moldy brick, the fireplace was made of moldy brick, even the door, though not made of brick, was moldy. There was no furniture in the room, unless you counted the lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling that offered the only light. There were no windows.

To clear her mind, Kagome began to go over what had happened the previous day.

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She had been running towards the bus stop with her best friend, the same way they usually ran for the bus stop, sometimes catching the bus, sometimes having to wait for the next one at a nearby coffee shop. Kagome's best friend had been running especially fast that day.

"Kagome, hurry up! we're going to be late for the bus!"

"I'm coming!" Kagome had answered, "Why the heck are you running so fast? If we miss this bus, we just have to get on the next one!"

"No, not today," Kagome's best friend had answered, "today we have to take this bus!"

They ran faster and faster. They passed all the little antique shops that lined the little street that ran from their private school to the nearest bus stop. They crossed the bridge that went over the Rokuno River, the river that ran through the center of the city, the river the city was named after. It was after they had crossed the bridge that Kagome had first seen the crowd of people outside of the bank.

Kagome remembered thinking Wow, there sure are a lot of people lined up outside that bank, maybe they're giving away free microwaves to new customers?

As they approached the crowd, Kagome's best friend didn't slow down. He just cut directly through the crowd "Follow me," he had said. But Kagome lost sight of him, so she stopped in the middle of the crowd to see if she could see the path he had taken.

"You! Come with me!" Someone grabbed Kagome's arm. She turned around to slap the man, but then she saw the gun. She froze. Mostly from the sight of the gun but also because the man wielding it looked like someone had tried to caress his face with a chainsaw.

That was when Kagome realized that she was now a hostage in a bank robbery.

It had all gone so fast after that, or so it seemed. The bank robber held his gun to her head, just like in the movies, and said "Ok, childrens, get away from me or the other childrens dies."

The crowd cleared a path in haste, all afraid for their lives and the life of the hostage.

When the size of the path was big enough, the bank robber guided Kagome along it, always breathing on her neck, never removing the gun from her head. Kagome said "Please, where are you taking me? Can you please let me go?"

"I'm taking you somewhere special," the bank robber whispered in her ear loud enough for only her to hear, "and no, the childrens can't be let go." They reached the end of the path through the crowd. The robber turned around and said "All the childrens should stay where they are… or the other childrens might get a new place to put her lollipop."

Kagome remembered the faces of the people nearest to her. She remembered how their faces went white. She remembered thinking These people are not going to move. And if they aren't going to save me, who will? Something clicked in Kagome's mind, and she looked around desperately for her friend. He was nowhere to be seen. Oh no, he didn't notice that I disappeared!

"Come, childrens, the chariot awaits…" The robber pushed her along the sidewalk and abruptly turned left down an alley between a bagel shop and a hair salon. Down the alley they went, Kagome wondering what was to become of her, when they stopped. She started to look around, but then all went black.

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Kagome looked up. Igor was staring at her.

Staring…

Staring…

Kagome opened her mouth, hoping she wouldn't sound as scared as she was, "What is it?" After she said it, she realized she shouldn't have.

"Little childrens must not speak unless spoken to." Igor was angry. He took a step forward, "Little childrens should just get dressed and go to school!"

"Please, I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" Kagome cringed away from the hideous man.

"I won't kill you. How can little childrens learn in school if they're dead?"

He took another step forward.

Kagome looked around, desperate to find some weapon to defend herself if need be, but there were none.

He took another step forward.

Kagome wished that she had never insisted on organizing her locker after school before she left. Maybe if she hadn't done that, they would have been at the bus stop long before the bank robbery had happened.

Another step. He was close enough now that she could hear his sickly breathing.

Another step. Kagome closed her eyes and screamed.

Darkness.

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She woke up. Her right leg hurt a little. She looked down at it and saw that there was some sort of handcuff around her ankle, only instead of there being another handcuff on the other end, there was a chain attached to a big metal ball. Just like in those old jails, she thought. She looked around. There was a pile of something white on the old wooden floor a few feet away from her.

How long was I asleep? How long have I been in this room? Is it day or night? Not finding the answers to her questions, Kagome decided to check the rest of her body for damage. Her legs were fine, except for the ball-and-chain, but her shoes were gone and her blue jeans were dirty. I won't ever wear these jeans again. Her favorite shirt, the one with the rubber duck on it that said "I'm a QUACK", was fine, except there seemed to be some dried red-brown substance going down the back. The same substance was caked on the back of her head. Oh God, blood. Where am I bleeding? Kagome felt the back of her head. There were two distinct bumps that hurt to be pressed.

That was when Kagome realized there was a bracelet on her right wrist. It was made of gold, or at least looked it, and it had a small charm attached to it. The charm had a strange symbol that looked like a sideways letter "8". Ah, the symbol for infinity. Kagome had just learned about it in math class last week.

I'm hungry. How long have I been in here? Kagome got to her feet, tried to take a step toward the white blob on the floor, and fell. "Ouch! This ball's heavier than it looks." Ah! I hope Igor didn't hear that. Oh please, I don't want another lump on my head. She waited a few minutes in silence, barely breathing, straining to hear Igor as he approached, but he didn't.

Slowly Kagome got to her feet again. Slowly she tried to take another step forward, testing the ball, finding out just how much it took to get it to move. When she was certain she could walk safely, she limped towards the white blob. As she got closer, she saw that it wasn't a white blob, but a pile of white cloth. Great, maybe it's a blanket. I'm so cold. Kagome reached out and picked up the white cloth. As it unfolded, it took on its true form. It was a night gown. Oh no… what am I supposed to do with this? Kagome dropped it back onto the floor and sat down.

A few minutes passed. Wait, I know how to tell what time it is! Kagome stood up again and inched towards the fireplace. When she reached it, she got down on her knees, stuck her head under the chimney opening, and looked up. There was no light. Darn, it's either clogged, or it's night already. I wonder if anyone is looking for me. Do they know I was the hostage?

Kagome backed out of the fireplace. She began to examine the walls, looking for places where she might remove some bricks and escape. No weaknesses on the fireplace wall. She moved on to the wall to the left of the fireplace, the wall opposite the one with the door. No… no… no… gosh, you think in a building this old and moldy the bricks would be falling down all over the place!

Kagome continued on. She was about to switch over to the wall opposite the fireplace when she saw it. A brick that looked like it could be removed. She wiggled it. It moved a little. She wiggled some more. It popped free. Aha! Kagome looked through the hole. The room on the other side looked exactly like the one she was now in.

Then she saw the skeleton in the corner.

The one with the white nightgown on.

"NO!" She screamed. The brick dropped to the ground. She turned around, and there was Igor.

Staring…

More screams.

Oh God, oh God, oh God, I don't want to die. Kagome began to cry.

"That childrens was a bad childrens." Igor was almost smiling, "The other childrens were bad, too. I hope you are a good childrens."

Silence, and then "How can I be a good childrens…?" Maybe this lunatic is just misunderstood… Maybe I can reason with him… Maybe he's not a lunatic…

"A childrens can be a good childrens by putting on the magic dress of wonder." When Igor said the last part, his whole face lit up.

Oh God, he is insane. God help me. "And... and then what?" she asked.

Igor looked at her, his eyes moving all over her, probing her, "A childrens can only be a good childrens if she does everything I say." Igor took a step backwards and said, "I will be back soon. Good childrens should not try to escape. The walls have eyes." He shut the door.

Kagome was frozen with fear. The walls have eyes? What does that mean? Are there hidden cameras everywhere? She looked around the room. Her eyes settled on the base of the light fixture. It didn't seem old like the rest of the room.

It seemed like it was watching her.

Kagome walked over to it. She judged the distance, trying to determine whether or not she could reach it, and whether or not she could break it, and whether or not she could escape before Igor noticed it was broken.

She looked at the nightgown. "The magic dress of wonder…" She thought aloud, "Why in the world did he call it that?"

She walked over to it and picked it up. It was practically see-through. Well, I guess I have to put this on. She looked up at where she was convinced the camera was hidden and said, "You'd better not look at me changing!"

Then, still not sure whether or not anyone was looking, Kagome began to undress. At least I don't have to take off my underwear.

When she was done changing, she decided to get a better look at the room next to hers. She walked over to the hole in the wall and looked inside. There was the skeleton with the white dress, still propped up in the corner. But what was that in the middle of the room? It looked kind of like a blue teddy bear lying face down to Kagome. She glanced around the rest of the room. There was nothing else.

Kagome picked up the brick from where it fell when she dropped it and placed it back into the hole. She turned around and sat down in the corner, wondering what would happen next. Her thoughts wandered, and she fell asleep.

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Kagome woke up. "Ah, how long was I asleep?" She crawled over to the fireplace and looked up. There was light coming in through the top. She could see the sky. It was a beautiful, cloudless autumn day. Oh, how I wish I was outside… Kagome's stomach rumbled. When was the last time I ate anything? She turned around and noticed a tray of food sitting close to the door. She went over to it and investigated.

There was a bowl of something brown and gloppy that kind of looked like oatmeal, and there was a glass of water. Kagome didn't care that the oatmeal slop tasted like sawdust. She didn't care that the water smelled like sulfur. She ate and drank it all. "Ahhh," Kagome sighed contentedly, "I feel so much better."

There was a sound as the door began to open. Kagome backed up, half hoping the door was being opened by her rescuer.

It was Igor.

"Time for school, childrens…" Igor was wearing a stained white apron that made his hideousness only more hideous. There was a bulge in one of the pockets. Kagome guessed that was where the gun was. "Follow me."

Kagome stood up and followed Igor out the door. They walked down a narrow hallway and climbed a flight of stairs that made so much noise Kagome thought they were going to fall apart any second. They stopped in a room that seemed to be the attic. Two of the walls were slanted towards the middle of the ceiling. Of the other two, one contained the door they had just passed through, and one had a window with a white sheet tacked up above it. Kagome could not make anything out through the sheet.

"Sit down childrens." Igor motioned to a single chair that was situated in front of a blackboard.

Kagome sat down.

Igor walked over to the blackboard and smiled as he took a large piece of white chalk out of his pocket. "Hello childrens," Igor looked around as if the entire room was full of students, "My name is Alexander Dollope. I am a scientist," he looked directly at Kagome, "and you are my experiment."