Marco liked dragonflies. It was not an instantaneous like, but a gradual like. His father told him that his gradual like of something was compared to a baby taking their first steps after crawling. Or when a child removes their training wheels from a bike. Even so, he had compared his gradual likeness to a child taking his first bite of a vegetable. Marco didn't like being called a child. But at fourteen years old, Hiro had the looks of being a child. His soft features made many mistake him for being in elementary school, despite that he was in his freshman year of high school. Many mistake him of being a child because of the his fondness for dragonflies. Seeing them gracefully dance around made the young Marco giggle and awe in wonder. He couldn't helped it. They remind him of his mother.
He could pictured the day when he was sitting on her lap in the rocking chair staring into the fire. The crackling of the fire provided background noise for the silence of mother and child. While she hugged him and kissed the back of his head, she told him of the story on how she started liking butterflies. In her childhood, she and her friends spent their fall evenings in search of dragonflies. She told Hiro that she and her friends watched them, observe them, and even played games with them. How many dragonflies can you collect in a jar? How many dragonflies can you catch with a net? Can you catch a dragonfly with your hand? One example that stood out to Hiro was a game that his mother learned from her mother. The goal was to use hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw in the air. His mother said that the objective was to convince the dragonfly that the small pebble was its prey. When the dragonfly makes the mistake, it gets tangled in the hair and gets dragged down by the weight of the pebble. With popsicles and milk tea, it was a wonderful afternoon for her friends. It was a wonderful childhood.
He spotted a dragonfly as he lied on the ground. He had watched it fly gracefully around a small puddle. Marco stared as it took a few sips before flying away. He remembered his mother told him that in Japanese, dragonflies meant strength, courage, and happiness. How much he desired for his mother. To be with him, to hold him, to nurture him, and to hug him, ensuring that everything was going to be alright. Even you can be a dragonfly, his mother told him. Dragonflies show symbolism on what it means to be brave. If you can be brave, then you could do anything. Even when you have a doubt in your mind, think on what a dragonfly would do.
That was not the feeling he was having at this particular juncture. Hiro looked up to the sky where he sees his captor looking into his wallet. Marco strained, but he was still feeling the pain from his back. Hiro tried to track the events leading to this moment.
He was walking home from the arcade. He noticed a four-door sedan trailing him. He thought that he could go to the gangway as a shortcut. As he approached, the captor got out of the car and held him at knifepoint. As the captor walked with Marco in the gangway, the captor hit him with a lead pipe, causing him to hit the ground. The captor tied Marco's hands with duct tape. The captor even used duct tape around his feet. The captor reached for Marco's pocket and got his wallet. He also took his cell phone.
The captor looked at his school ID before putting it into its back pocket. He went through the wallet to see if it can find something. The captor also took a debit card, social security card, and a picture of his family.
He couldn't tell whether the captor was male or female. The captor was wearing an all-black jumpsuit. The hoodie hid its hair, the sunglasses covered its eyes, and the gauze covered its mouth. The captor took heavy steps as it approached Marco. It put the lead pipe aside before reaching for a pocketknife. Hiro's eyes widened by this. He was becoming fearful.
"Twenty dollars," said the captor as it scoffed into the ground. "I thought kids like you would have more money than this. Thought kids from that school would have more money than that."
The voice was deep, but still couldn't determined it was male or female.
"I am broke," answered Marco. "I don't have those kinds of funds. I am only there on scholarship." Hiro tried to find something so that he make its captor go away. "You can take the money. I don't need it."
"Aren't you sweet," answered the captor with the tone of sarcasm. "But, I don't really care about the money. To be honest, it is more of a thrill to me."
"A thrill," retorted Hiro.
"A thrill," confirmed the captor. The captor leaned over Marco before kneeling next to him. He pulled the knife and gently placed it around Marco's throat. "I wonder whether I should cut your throat or should I stab you?" The captor slid the knife to his chest. "Maybe stabbing you here or cutting you up into tiny pieces?"
Marco shook his head in declination. "Please don't hurt me."
The captor smirked as it continued swaying its knife around Marco's neck. "Maybe I should kill you. I don't need to have witnesses anyway."
"How should I know about what you did," replied Marco. "You don't have nothing to show me on who you are."
The captor smirked. "You're right, but you saw my car. I mean you made it easier as you kept staring at it time after time. I won't be surprised if you saw my tags. And that is enough to kill you."
Marco's face was flushed. His body became tensed. He was trying his hardest to keep his composure until the captive put the knife to his cheek. Feeling the edge of the knife against his sunken cheek made whimpering.
The captor wrapped its hand around him, promoting silence. "Shh! Shh! Take it easy. Don't make it harder than it needs to be. You can call me the Collector." The captor continued sliding the knife down to Marco's thigh. "Maybe if I cut the dark meat. Would that be okay with you?" The captor returned the knife to Marco's wrist. "Maybe a wing? I can't compare the anatomy of a chicken to a human, but they can sure bleed."
Marco's eyes widened when the captor slid the knife around his butt. The captor slid it up and down his best, making Marco turn red. "I never pop a guy's cherry before." It chuckled. "With a knife, at least." Hiro began jerking and moving around to avoid the knife contact. He then the captor punch him in the face.
"Stop the damn moving," the captor demanded. "Or else, I am really going to cut you."
Marco started feeling a warm sensation around his crotch. Tears began flowing down his cheeks when he had realized he had urinated on himself. It didn't go unnoticed from his captor.
"Oh my God," the captor chuckled. "You had pissed yourself. You call yourself a man?"
Hiro remained silent, still sniffling from the embarrassment. The captor shook its head before looking around the gangway.
"Since you want to be a little girl, I know what I am gonna do," the captor said while snickering.
The captor grab a bandana from its pocket with a small bottle. The captor poured the substance over the bandana before returning it to its pocket. "You are going to feel quite dizzy," the captor said as it put the bandana over Hiro's nose. Marco screamed while muffling over the bandana. He kicked and tried to struggle before passing out on the concrete.
The captor dragged Marco's body to the car. The captor placed Marco in the backseat. The captor covered him in blankets so that he won't be identified. The captor returned to the car and drove away from the gangway.
As the captor was driving, a cell phone. Knowing it belonged to the captor, it answered the phone.
"Hello," asked the captor.
"Did you get him," asked the voice. It sounded feminine.
"Yeah, I did," answered the captor.
There was a smirk from the receiver.
"What is the matter," asked the captor.
"You can drop the act," said the voice. "You know he can't hear you."
"I know," replied the captor before dropping its voice. The voice became very feminine.
"Brittany," said the voice. "Are you there."
"Yeah," replied Brittany. "I am still here."
"So, what are we going to do with him?"
"Glad you asked, Chantelle," answered Brittany. "Whatever you want to do."
Brittany continued driving as she checked on the unconscious Marco.
"I have some things we can do with him when you get here," said Chantelle. "It has been so long since we had someone to play with."
"Rest assured, Chantelle," replied Brittany. "He is going to make a remarkable pet."
"Can't wait," said Chantelle
"Same as well," said Brittany. "Now, get everything set up by the time I get there."
"Yes, mistress," replied Chantelle before hanging up the phone.
