A/N: I don't own JN

He couldn't believe it was happening. Who would do this to her? He'd been sitting in his lab for hours, trying to find where she'd been taken. But so far, nothing. He remembered walking home from school with her that day. She was so happy about being nominated for seventh grade beauty queen. He'd nominated her; though, of course, he hadn't said it. He tried to bring back every detail of their conversation that day with Libby, Carl, and Sheen, hoping to get some answers.

"I don't know who in their right mind would nominate you, VORTEX!" he'd said, laughing.

"But Jimmy, I thought you..." Carl began, but catching Jimmy's glare, was silent.

"Whatever, Neutron. I'm too happy to let even YOU bother me today!" she'd said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"What are you gonna wear to the pageant, Cind?" Libby had asked then, turning her attention away from Sheen and toward Cindy.

But that was all that happened until they parted at their houses. Cindy had told him she was home alone again because her parents had went on some "business trip" and left her at home. Something told him to invite her over...something told him not to leave her alone. But he didn't listen.

"Bye Vortex."

"Bye Jimmy."

If he'd just known this would happen! He could've stopped it! He felt it was all his fault. All his fault that cops had been outside her house for days. All his fault he'd never see her again. All his fault that Cindy Vortex had been kidnapped.

Cindy awoke to the sound of an engine roaring. She rubbed her head, feeling a huge knot on it. Where was she? What had happened? She sat up and looked around. She was in a car, she could tell that. But who's car, she didn't know.

"If this is one of Neutron's tricks..." she thought, but then decided against it. Jimmy didn't even have a car and his parents' car was a blue convertible. The car she was in was an old Cadillac. She looked at the driver. She didn't know him! That was when she remembered. She'd been at home, alone. She must have been knocked out and kidnapped!

"Well, babe, I see you're awake. Ready to go home?"

"What are you talking about? I don't even know you! Let me out of here!" she kicked and screamed and did everything she could to draw attention to herself but it was no use. They were on a backcountry road, and there wasn't a house or car for miles.

"Of course, you do. I'm your boyfriend, remember? You hit your head and we were just about to go to our house," the man said, smiling evilly.

"You can't fool me! I know exactly who I am and I don't even have a boyfriend! And why would I live with my boyfriend anyways? I'm twelve! I know about my life and you can't tell me otherwise, buddy, so you let me out of here now and I won't tell the police!"

"Oh, I know you won't tell the police. You'll never tell anyone. You'll forget that old life of yours and the people in it. Or I can arrange it so they won't be there for you to remember!"

Cindy started to cry. She felt nauseous and started to puke. He slapped her and commanded her to clean it up. She had nothing but her shirt, so she used that.

"Now go back to sleep, darling."

She laid back down and began to shake. Only one thing came to her mind and she mumbled it silently to herself over and over again to comfort herself.

"Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy."

The car parked at an old firehouse. He commanded her to go in, so she obeyed.

"You are so pretty."

Cindy had seen movies and read books on this sort of thing and hated where it was going. She began to cry again and he slapped her.

"There's nothing to cry about, baby. I'm here."

He took her in his arms and she shuddered at the horrid smell and feel of him. She tried to pull away but he held her close.

What happened next, she didn't know, because she fainted.

School was torture. Everything reminded Jimmy and Libby of Cindy. Her cheerleading trophies that mounted the walls of Lindbergh Middle, her empty seat in all their classes, even her locker that they had to pass by to leave school. It was like Cindy was a part of them, a part they felt empty without. They moped through school, not wanting to be there at all.

"Jimmy! I asked did you have your report?" Ms. Raybon asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Ms. Raybon."

He turned in his half-finished report and sighed, uncaring that it wasn't finished and wishing Cindy was there to shove it in his face. She'd been gone for months now. He'd almost given up, as he could tell Libby had. The joy was gone from her eyes and not even Sheen could put it back. She walked into class, late again. Jimmy knew she'd been in the bathroom crying. He offered her a weak smile. She nodded but barely acknowledged him at all.

Ms. Raybon sighed, knowing the problem with her class, "Class, I know you're all upset about Cynthia's disappearance, as am I, but we mustn't let this worry us to the extent that we quit working hard, because when Cynthia returns, which she will, I know she'll be upset to hear you all stop believing."

The class tried to perk up, but it was no use. Without Cindy, school just wasn't the same.

"If she ever comes back," Libby promised herself and God, "I'll never leave her again."

Days, weeks, months went by. Cindy tried to keep count, but eventually gave up. She didn't care about anything. She tried to remember her life before this, but nothing came to her after awhile. Everyday was a blur. The man, Toby, went to work during the day and he locked her in the storm cellar. That was Cindy's favorite part of the day. She'd sit for hours and think about running away. Running to a better life. One she'd dreamed about, but never had. But then, he'd come home, and she would hide inside her mind, never having to feel the pain, the horror, that he put her through.

She'd have dinner sometimes, if she could hold it down. Then she'd walk up to her room and go to sleep, dreaming of her fairy tale life. One where she had parents that loved her. One where she had friends. And one where Prince Charming would come and rescue her from the evil monster.

So watcha thing? R/R & let me know, k?