CHAPTER 1


I woke up to the starting music of 'Allrise' playing loudly in my ear. I tried to remember the dream I was having. Something about ghosts and running from the government and being an all-around badass. I turned off my alarm and pulled my blanket closer to my body reluctant to leave its warmth. The thought of having to get up and attend classes was already making me want to stab a screwdriver in my brain. I deserve fifteen more minutes if I have to attend those stupid classes for the stupid science field which I'm not even interested in. Remembering the arguments between me and my father made my mode immediately sour.

I finally reluctantly got out of bed having slept as long as I could and not wanting to reach classes late again after the last threat my bio teacher made to call my parents if my behaviour didn't change. I walked out of the bedroom and towards the sink to brush my teeth. Jeez if the bags under my eyes got any bigger my mom would ask me to put groceries in them the next time we went out. I could hear the faint noises of the TV in the background and something sizzling in the kitchen.

I somehow managed to toast some bread and reheated the tea on the stove while avoiding my mother bustling around in the kitchen. Not for the first time I wondered why my mother still stayed with us, since we were a bunch of ungrateful assholes that didn't deserve all the work she did for us. Without saying a word I washed the dishes left in the sink and left to take a shower. Faintly I heard my mother thanking me and I avoided it since she shouldn't have to thank me for something that should've been normal.

After the shower I sat in the living room while eating my morning meal. My father was rubbing some kind of oil on his right leg which had a stiff knee and forced him to walk with a limp. My father tried to make small talk and I answered with as less words as I could. ("When are your exams? Are you studying hard? You'll understand I was right later.") I was still angry, and frustrated and disappointed with him for making me choose Science instead of Arts. I don't remember the last time I painted something. My brother entered the room just as I got up to keep the plate in the kitchen sink. On second thought, I washed it and put it in the drying rack.

I picked up my helmet from my bedroom and left the house. My father had just recently gifted me a beautiful white Activa. For those who don't know what it is, it's a less flashy and bigger version of a Vespa? It was a surprise since I didn't need it since my junior college was a ten minute walk away but I wasn't going to complain since it made bunking a lot easier.

Which was exactly what I did. I stopped at a store to buy some snacks before arriving unannounced at my best friends place. We had a system going on. She stayed at my house during the early morning classes when I was at home, and during the afternoon I stayed at her house. Is it bad that I felt more relaxed at her home than at my own house? God thoughts like these always made me feel like an unthankful brat. Forgive me; I'm going through a bad month.

It was almost dark when I left my friend's apartment building. Walking outside towards my Activa I tried to find the first star of the sky. I don't know where I heard it but apparently the wish made on the first star in the sky came true. Of course I knew that wasn't true and if you wanted something you worked hard for it, but doing stupid stuff like this gave me a small amount of childish amusement and also the sky looked amazing with its evening colours painted across the sky in shades of purple, red and blue. So when I saw the first star in the sky, I made a wish.

I looked around when I heard a noise. Thousands of worst case scenarios ran through before I pushed those thoughts away. I kept walking towards my Activa. Those kinds of scenarios only happened in movies and TV shows, anyway. The chances in of those happening in my life were next to nil—

I froze to a stop when I turned around a corner.

This is actually fucking happening?

Three people. One not moving. Two putting the third in the trunk of a car. Guns. Masks.

I immediately hid behind a wall. What the fuck. What. The. Fuck. Whatthefuck.I crouched down leaning against the wall and covered my mouth to muffle my sound of breathing. Okay. Okay. I just had to hide until they left. Just hide. A simple game of hide and seek, where if I'm found I'm most likely going to be killed. And, and then go to the police for help. Of course. Then police. Tell them about the kidnapping, or murder? Yes. Wait. Shit.

Scenarios from all the shows I've watched ran through my head. I'm going to have to get a photo or the licence plate number. Photo was out of the question, my phone camera made a shutter noise loud as fuck, even when it was supposed to be on silent. Then, number plate.

I took out a pen that I always had in my pocket, a cheap use-and-throw pen that I always used for random doodling on any draw able surface I could find, which may or may not include my arms and legs. I could hear murmur of talking in another language. English. My hand trembled with the thoughts of what would happen if they saw me. Gods, get a grip, woman.

Yeah. Nothing would happen. I'd just take a peak, write down the number, and then hide until they left. I flinched at the loud noise of a car door closing which echoed in the silence of the parking lot. I was frozen. If I don't get the number they'll leave, and no one will be able to help and it'll be all your fault.

I stomach churned when I heard the sound of the engine echoed through the parking lot. My legs felt like limp noodles and I knew I'd fall if I tried to stand up. I felt a burning sensation in my eyes as tears started to form. I was a useless. I was coward. The gravel crunched under the tires as the car pulled out its space. I was out of time. No time no time no time.

The next second I took out my phone and stood up. I stood behind the quickly leaving car and aimed my phone at it, pressing the volume button twice to get a photo without having to turn on my phone. The car's photo with its number plate appeared on the screen and breathless 'ha' escaped my lips as they twitched into a small grin.

The feeling of triumph quickly vanished when the car stopped suddenly, the tires screeching. Fuck, I forgot they could see me in the rear view mirror. I turned and ran like hell towards the opposite direction of the parking lot where my Activa was parked. I heard loud yells and the slams of car doors. I was way ahead of them, my bag continuously slammed into my hip as I ran. Just as I reached my Activa I heard the sound of a car coming towards me.

I didn't waste my time wearing my helmet because you don't have time and almost stabbed the keyhole with the key. I turned the key -my heart was roaring into my ears the sound of the car and running closer to me than before. I took a quick right went up the small slope at the entrance of the parking lot and escaped into the traffic.


I periodically looked into the rear view mirrors to make sure I wasn't being followed by the car, while also making sure to keep my eyes on the road. I was halfway to my home now and my heartbeat was finally slowing down. Holy shit, did that actually happen?

I stopped at a red light. I took a deep breath in, and then out. It wasn't working. I was almost vibrating on my seat due to the adrenaline. I just had to reach home. Then I would explain everything to my parents and then we would all go to the police, and then everything would be fine. All I had to do now was give the photo to the police and they would do their jobs, and I would go home and burry myself into books for a week until I was ready to face the real world.

The light turned green. I started driving again. I should call my friend too, tell her what happened and maybe ask her who's missing from the bui—

...

What? What happened?

I opened my eyes. I was lying sideways on the road. My bag was lying a few feet away from me. Was I in an accident? Sound started to register in my ears. The stampede of feet running towards me. Stranger's hands grabbed on to me and rolled me on my back. I groaned, feeling my stomach churn and my head spin.

"Someone call an ambulance!" The man above me yelled at the crowd.

I pushed myself up with my hands, pushing away the hands that tried to help me. I needed to go home. Everything will be fine when I reach home. I looked around and saw my Activa was being picked up and parked on the edge of the road. Hands grabbed my shoulders when I started to stand up. Gods, these people really need to learn the meaning of personal space.

"It was my fault." I distantly heard over the pounding in my head. "I'm sorry. I didn't see her."

Someone handed me my bag. It had a new hole in it from being dragged on the road.

"I'll take her to the hospital." The same person said, the person who had a tight grip on my shoulder.

"I'm fine," I interrupted their discussion. I just needed to reach home. I blinked away the dark spots which appeared in my vision. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I need to go home."

"You're bleeding." I looked up and saw a man looking queasy. He was the one holding me and he avoided looking at my forehead. "There's a cut on your forehead. You may have a concussion." Ah. That explained the drums in my head.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You're swaying and your speech is slurring," he said. He started to move me towards a car. I tried to make him stop but black spots filled my vision making me stumble. The man then practically dragged me towards the backseat of the car. Next thing I knew was sitting on the leather seats of the car.

I groaned and bent forward, clutching my stomach. Breathe, just breathe. I faintly noticed that the man sat with me in the back seat and the car immediately started moving. I need to call home. I need to call Mom. I patted my pockets searching for my phone, taking it out when I found it. I swiped on it and tried to remember the pattern for my lock.

"What are you doing?" The man besides me asked, calmly.

"I need to call my parents." I murmured out, absentmindedly. I finally managed to put in the right pattern and then I finally tap on the screen and then—

Pain.

A sharp stabbing pain in my head. I gasped for breath and hoped I didn't throw up.

I grabbed onto the hand that was suddenly around my throat and pressing my head against the window, clawing on it when its grip didn't loosen. The man was calmly looking through my phone with his other hand.

Terror gripped my heart as I tried to breathe and tried to comprehend what was happening with me. I brought my leg up and kicked it in his stomach, desperate and scared and oh gods what is happening?

The man grunted in surprise rather than pain and shifted his grip so that it had my hair in a tight grip instead. The tight grip pulled at my wound making me cry out in pain. I shrieked in pain but didn't stop thrashing around, my legs kicking any place they could reach and my hands clawing at his fist with blunt nails.

The man pulled at my hair again and slammed my head against the window of the car. I sobbed due to the pain that over took my body and made me go limp for a second. It hurts it hurts it hurts.

"You think you're so smart, huh?" The man spoke in English.

I didn't hear his next few sentences because I was gripped with a different terror.

The people in the parking lot were talking in a different language. English.

"Answer me!" The man roared in my face.

"Please let me go," I whimpered. You are so pathetic right now. "I want to go home. Just let me go please."

"Shhhhh." The man shushed me, nothing but a parody of comfort. He shifted his grip and now he had a tight grip on the back of my neck, making me arch in pain. I couldn't breathe and the road burns on my cheek hurt due to the tears falling from my face.

"This is what happens when you try to be a hero," he whispered in my face, his warm breath making me cringe. He then shoved my phone in my face. It was the photo of the car and its number plate. He then threw the phone on the floor of the car and stomped on it until its screen cracked into pieces. "You should have just stayed silent and pretended you didn't see anything."

They knew I was there.

"Now," The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Now we got to go through all the troubles of making you disappear."

Fuck. No. No no no no no. NO.

I pathetically tried to find anything to help myself, breathless due to sobbing and my view blurry with tears. The man squeezed my neck again making me whimper in pain and arch against his hand.

I started hyperventilating when he pulled out a small gun which he pointed at the shoulder and the—

…a dart?

No.

A tranquilizer.

Drugs.

I could already feel my body shutting down.

I was I I'm tired and everything is too hot and why do I hurt and I just I just want to go home and and and I I was