NOTE : I've been trying to match the lead song by the theme of the chapter. Hope I got close
Ch 8
There's no time for us
there's no place for us
what is this thing that builds our dreams yet,
slips away from us?
.
Who wants to live forever?
who wants to live forever?
Ohhhh
.
There's no chance for us
it's all decided for us
this world has only one sweet moment
set aside for us
-Queen-
Kouta lay in the hospital bed with tubes up his nose and things attached to him. He was aware of where he was, but he had no idea why he was here. He felt tingly all over. Random spasms hit him, making an arm, leg or his head twitch. It felt like something had slammed into him, hitting hm from the inside.
The last thing he remembered was walking home with Kaede and Kanae, then nothing but pain like his insides had exploded. He had a vague memory of lying on the sidewalk, looking at Kaede's hat. Where was Kaede? Where was Kanae? Did they get hit with whatever hit him? He laid there for who knew how long before a nurse showed his father into the room.
"Kouta!" Junso said with relief.
Kouta noted his Dad had been crying. He asked, "Dad, what happened?"
"Are you feeling OK, Kouta?" Junso asked.
"Kinda tingly, but OK. Where's Kaede and Kanae? Did they get hit too?"
Junso sat down in the chair beside his bed hard. "Son, you were all shocked by stun guns. Kaede was kidnapped. Kanae ... didn't survive."
"Huh?" Kouta didn't think he heard right. "Where are they?" he asked again.
The nurse came in and called his father out. He came back in with the nurse and said, "Kouta, Kaede was taken by some men in a white van. All three of you were shocked with electricity. Kanae was too small, her body couldn't take it. She died."
"Kanae died?" Kouta asked. How could Kanae die? He'd changed things, In this life, Kanae lived. "No, she lived," he insisted.
Junso shook his head. "No, Son, she died." he held his breath in a pause then said, "You're almost ready to leave. I'll be back soon to get you." He left quickly.
In a daze, Kouta said to no one. "Kanae lived, we all lived and got home safe. We got out of Kamakura. Kanae can't be dead!" Seeing the nurse come in, Kouta told her, "Kanae can't can't be dead!"
.
Kaede came around to semi consciousness. It was dark. Something had her wrapped up, she couldn't move. She felt she was upright. Whatever she was in was holding her up. "Kouta?" she asked.
No answer.
"Kouta? Where are you? Kouta, please answer me!" she cried and struggled to move. She tried to bring her hands out, but they wouldn't come. "KOUTA! I'm scared, where are you?" she yelled. Focusing hard, she tried again to make a hand come out.
A shock, like snakes racing through her head made her cry out in pain. She was trapped, held in a dark place all alone. "KOOOOUTAAA!" she screamed. "Kouta, I need you!" She struggled and cried, afraid of not knowing where she was, or what was holding her.
Why wouldn't he come?
.
Kouta went home with his father. Looking out the window of the cab, Kouta said again, "Kanae can't be dead. Kaede... Kaede will get away, she did before. Maybe Kaede can find Kanae."
Junso bit his lip and kept quiet. He had identified Kanae's body. He'd told Kouta that, but still Kouta wasn't believing it.
In one horrid moment, half their family was gone. Kanae was going to have a memorial ceremony just as soon as he contacted Takami and arraigned a time and date. In the meantime, he would accept Kanae's ashes and hold them at home. Although there was no word at all on Kaede, except the white van that took her was found abandoned. Junso had to think about the real possibility she was gone forever too. Kouta wasn't believing it.
"The beach," Kouta said to himself. "The beach at Kamakura. That's where Kaede will be. I've got to get to that beach."
"Kouta," Junso said, "The police are looking for Kaede. They will tell us the moment they know something."
"No. The police can't be trusted. No one can be trusted," Kouta said to the window. "If Kaede makes her escape, she'll go to Kamakura. That is where I found her."
Junso had a hard time not choking up again as his son went on. Yes, they had found Kaede in Kamakura, but this wasn't like when Kouta met her. Men had forcefully taken her away. He wondered what the ransom would be. Then again, he hoped there would be a ransom demand for that would mean she was still alive. If no ransom demand came that meant either she died, or this wasn't about money, and Kaede would end up a slave somewhere. That was truly a horrible thought. Then again, she had those invisible hands, and he knew if she got the chance, she was far from helpless.
Junso was not a violent man, but He hoped Kaede was going to slaughter the men who took her and killed his little Kanae.
.
Neither Junso nor Kouta were hungry when they got home. Kouta did call for Kaede as he went upstairs. He looked In Kaede's room, then his room, then the bathroom. "Maybe she hasn't gotten home yet," he said to himself.
Going back in her room to find her, the Voice came into his head again.
'So you delayed her capture a little and kept your sister alive for almost a year. Your success is waning, boy. Some things are different now, but only the time and places. You just might save yourself if you work hard at it.'
There was a sarcastic tone to the end of that thought. Kouta scowled at the thought. On Kaede's dresser was the picture he'd drawn of her. He picked it up and sat on the bed. His pretty Kaede. The same people had captured Kaede as they had before. Kanae still died. He hadn't changed anything but the time and place, just like the thought said. He had failed.
Junso heard a wailing cry from upstairs. Running upstairs, he found Kouta in Kaede's room. Kouta was kneeling on the floor, the upper part of his body on her bed as he wailed out his tears. He was gripping the drawing he'd made of Kaede in his hand. Junso slipped back out to let his son grieve.
.
By the time Takami and Yuka arrived, Kouta was all cried out. He was all worried out and only the defeat that he'd failed to save his sister or Kaede stayed with him. He wasn't going to cry for himself. A looser like him didn't deserve it.
Kouta stood limp as Aunt Takami then Yuka hugged him and gave him their condolences. He stayed mute and staring at nothing during the ceremony up until it was him time to give his offering to his sister's spirit. Going up to the memorial, he put his strip of paper on it and said what he'd written. "Kanae, I am so sorry I failed you."
Takami took note of Kouta's depression. Junso was mourning, but he was trying to deal with what happened. Kouta wasn't even trying to deal with it. He reminded her of those zombies in the movies. His walk was a shuffle his gaze was a vacant stare and unless someone got right in his face, he didn't even acknowledge they were there. Yuka stayed beside him, holding his arm and trying to reassure him. Takami cold see her words were falling on deaf ears. Kouta ate because he had to, and slept and did everything the same way. Kanae's death and Kaede's kidnapping had torn his guts out.
It didn't help either when a police detective came by and told them the National Health Agegny had no Kurama Hosoi on staff, or working as a contractor. The had the man's face on camera from when he entered Junso's store, but a nationwide search for him turned up nothing. After the detective explained his findings, Kouta did finally have something to say.
"I know where she is," Kouta said blankly. "Kaede came from the ocean, she was naked and had a head wound," he droned. "I remembered that last night in a nightmare. Since she came by water, the place she is at, must be on an island."
Junso and Takami looked at each other. "Son, we were nowhere near the beach when you first saw Kaede. You were up in the hills."
"We have no indication of that," Detective Koto said.
"Kamakura beach. She has to be on an island somewhere near Kamakura beach," Kouta said.
Frustrated at his son, Junso said, "Son, it was a nightmare! What's with your obsession with Kamakura?"
Kouta took a heavy breath like he was about to cry and said with a crack in his voice, "It's where we died."
"Your father's right, Kouta," Takami said gently, "You had a nightmare. That wasn't real."
Kouta only lowered his head and shook it in disappointment. "I understand. You've got no reason to believe me."
"Can you prove what you are saying?" the Detective asked.
Kouta knew Yuka was there when Kaede crawled out of the water. He glanced at her watching him. Since it hadn't happened yet in this life, she wouldn't know about it. "No," he said in a huff.
"I'm sorry, officer, my son is not taking things very well," Junso offered.
"I would suggest a psychologist or a grief counselor for him," Detective Koto said as he got up. To appease Kouta, he said, "We'll have it checked out. It won't take long for a helicopter to do a fly by of islands in that area," he offered. "Any that are occupied, we'll see who's on them."
"Thank you, Sir," Kouta told him.
Junso showed the Detective to the front door. Yuka came up and hugged Kouta's arm as she gazed at him in sympathy.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked gently.
"No. Unless I can get Kaede some help, she had to get herself out. I just pray to Kami she can do it," he said.
Takami wanted to tell him again that he'd only had a bad dream. Still, she'd heard tales of people having dreams that turned out to be true. Since Kouta was insistent, she offered, "Kouta, if there is anyone on those islands, the police will find out."
"They'll cover it up," he told her and headed for the stairs. If he couldn't have Kaede here, maybe looking at her picture would help give him some ideas as to how he might be able to help her. Feeling Yuka on him again, he asked, "Can you please let go?"
Yuka did and complained, "I was only trying to comfort you."
"I don't need comfort. I need to think," he replied not looking at her, and went upstairs.
.
Junso made an appointment with a grief counselor, then by Takami's suggestion, went with her to rent a few movies so they and especially Kouta, could get their minds off the tragic events just for a couple hours or so. He knew Kouta liked action movies so he picked out a few.
In Kaede's room, Kouta sat holding her picture and trying to figure out how to help Kaede. Kanae was gone, there was nothing he could do for her now. He'd blown his second chance to save her. If he couldn't save Kaede, he just might as well lie down and die. "I'm nothing without you," he told her picture.
"Hey, Kouta," Yuka said brightly as she appeared in the doorway. "Uncle Junso rented some movies, come on down and watch them with us!" she said happily.
"You go ahead," he said blankly. Movies had nothing to do with saving Kaede.
"Oh, come on!" Yuka said and came in.
Kouta noted she was reaching for Kaede's picture. He shot up, pulling the picture behind him as he shot her a glare.
Yuka backed off slightly. Growling in frustration, she said, "Kouta, there is nothing we can do to save Kaede! I am very sorry but that is how it is! If not for you, then for the rest of your family, can you do SOMETHING besides sit up here and look at that picture!"
Takami appeared in the doorway, her daughter wasn't handling this well. "Kouta?" she asked. "Junso is upset because you are withdrawing from everyone. Please, for his sake, come down with us."
Aunt Takami's words got through to him, He was making his Dad sad too. That was not his intent. He nodded, put Kaede's picture back on her desk and waited for Yuka to go first. She did. He followed her.
.
Yuka sat on the living room floor with her knees up and asked, "Kouta, can we do the me be your seat and you be mine?"
"YUKA!" Takami snapped. She knew that was a Kouta-Kaede thing. Yuka knew it too.
"I'm just going to lie on the floor," he told them. He did, giving Yuka plenty of room.
The movie started with a Christmas theme.
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock ...
The movie was Lethal Weapon, and right as it started, Junso was thinking he picked the wrong movie. The first scene was a mostly naked girl jumping out of a high rise and smashed herself down on a car. Takami did cast him an unhappy glance, but didn't say anything.
Kouta sat looking at the movie but not truly paying attention. He really didn't care about a suicidal cop. He character, Martin Riggs was in agony over his dead wife. At least that, he could relate to.
It was a decent plot he supposed, but held no hints until after Riggs' partner had his daughter kidnapped. While they were in the partner's living room, one thing Riggs said echoed in his mind, and the Voice agreed.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them'
Suddenly, Kouta became very interested in what was going on. It was a movie, so the cops got captured by the bad guys, then managed to escape with the daughter after some torture. But it was giving Kouta ideas. Offering a trade failed, and he could see how it would when it was two against many. One against possibly an army would be even worse. Getting inside, yes, that had to be done. Doing it by the bad guys taking you in was not good though. He was no ninja-martial arts fighter, and he couldn't even get a machine gun, let alone know how to operate one.
Maybe it was worthwhile to sit through a few movies.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them'
Everyone agreed that movie was a bit too adult, but it was good. The other one his father rented was Hudson hawk, a movie about a burglar who didn't want to burgle any more, but was blackmailed into it because he was so good at it.
This movie was silly, the burglars sang songs as they robbed for their timing.
Timing was important when stealing as was causing a distraction and avoiding being seen. Kouta watched what they did. Burglars prepared for 'the job'. Although he didn't think real burglars sang as they worked, things like bringing what you needed, and using things that were there to help do the job, did. He watched closely.
What would he need? He needed to know where this island was. He needed a boat to get there. The security office! Yes, he needed to know where that was. How to get building plans so he knew that and where Kaede was, was going to be a big problem. Strange and home made devices? Seeing Eddie look at things and write down what he needed helped. He'd have to do the same.
Mailing yourself to where you wanted to go was something Kouta would have never thought of. That was a great idea! He just had to figure out to and from where.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them' Words he was never going to forget.
.
The woman Kouta had to go see in the school office was nicely dressed and bore a pleasant smile. Being a bit more certain in what he had to do, Kouta knew two things. He would get Kaede back or die trying. The other was, if he even hinted at his plan, someone was sure to do their best to stop him.
The woman who's name he didn't bother to remember was kind and sympathetic. Kouta had the wits about him now to admit he was really shocked and saddened, so much had happened so quickly. He also agreed he had to maintain a 'brave face' for his father, aunt and Yuka. He did like Yuka, just not the way she wanted him to.
At home, Kouta insisted Kaede was coming back. Thankfully, his father agreed, though Kouta thought Dad did it just for him. Kouta agreed to keep Kaede's room clean as well as his own. This was important, for it gave Kouta a place to keep things and make plans without his father knowing.
Kouta became very interested in burglary movies and any burglary information by way of searching for things like 'how to keep your house safe'. Window and door alarms were usually little magnets that when the metal was pulled away from them, sounded an alarm. I Kaede's sketchbook, Kouta wrote everything down as he found it. He also found from movies how laser and motion detectors worked. He was skeptical about how to bypass them, and found myths about it on the internet. It seemed the only good way way to cut power to the devices. That was usually detected also, so the diversion tactic was needed.
Kouta saved his allowance for spending it on things like a glass cutter, a few sets of black gloves, and metal to make a grappling hook. He figured getting bigger things like coils of rope he was better off doing in Kamakura.
Trying to climb the rope in the gym, Kouta realized he wasn't strong enough, so he made it a point to exercise hard to build muscle. He did not want to fail because he was too weak to get it done.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them'
Doing a Goggle Earth search, Kouta looked over every island he could find off the coast of Kamakura. There were a few. There was only one with a substantial building, he noted where it was off the shore line. Looking at a nautical map, he found the ocean had a current flowing between the island and the main land. Twelve miles off shore, the current was like a big, slow river.
Kouta did his school work and burglary preparations. Instead of just walking, he ran to school and back home as part of his exercises. Many times he didn't want to, but pressed himself for Kaede.
Summer came and Junso convinced Kouta it was safe to go visit Aunt Takami and be in Kamakura a few days. Kouta wasn't ready to try and free Kaede yet, he did have more work to do before he tried. When they left, Kouta took all his money he'd saved and Kaede's money with him. He didn't think she'd mind if he use her money to try to save her. He wanted to see if he could find that island for himself before he tried to go there. He needed binoculars.
When Kouta wanted to go sketch, Jusno was happy, it showed Kouta was getting back to normal. Yuka begged to go with him to spend time with him. Kouta wasn't thrilled about it, for Yuka was a tattle tale. He still agreed and like some of the 'scouting' burglars did, he'd have to be discrete.
Luckily, Kouta found an island shrine that had a bridge to it. Going up to see the shrine with Yuka, he was thrilled to see a pair of bulky visitor binoculars on a pedestal. It took coins. That was much cheaper than buying his own pair. They were also fairly high up which helped him see in the distance.
Kouta paid his yen and searched for the island. The binoculars were not super-powerful, but did make things look bigger. Scanning the ocean, he did see a dot of land. Looking in the area the island should be in, he found another. This one was a little bigger and he made out the square structures of buildings. He didn't see any details, but he did find what he was looking for.
Kouta let Yuka take her turn as he took out a note pad and his compass, noting the direction the island was from here. He was on the north side of the bay, the side the current flowed to. This shrine island would be a good landmark. He wanted to get up on the mountain on the other side of the beach to see if it was far enough south to let him get over to the island before his boat went too far north with the current.
Whispering to himself, he said, "I'm coming, Kaede."
.
Time for Kaede meant nothing being trapped in her dark, enclosed world. Even the fact that she was awake or asleep no longer mattered. Some dreams of Kouta were true dreams, others memories of lying in bed cuddled up with him and feeling good. Humming Lilium as they sat naked by the stream. Some were daydreams in her semi-conscious mind. Kouta finding her to rip away the darkness and hold her lovingly like he used to do. Sitting back against Kouta to watch the fireworks with his arms protectively around her. She hummed Lilium quietly to herself in her fond memories, for that was all she had now.
There were physical sensations at times. Things were shoved into her skin in the inside of her elbow joints. Every now and then she felt a coolness as something was injected. Other times she felt a slight withdrawing. Smells and sounds came to her. Every now and then she heard far off talking. Men coming to 'take' the guard. These distant conversations were always the same, so she stopped paying attention to them. The happy memories she had of Kouta were all she cared about in her dark prison.
Where was Kouta? Ever since the powerful shock that exploded in her body, all she knew was darkness. Her one fear was that Kouta was experiencing the same thing. She'd stopped calling for him. She knew he would answer if he heard her. Was he far away, or was he near but prevented from hearing her? Was he calling out for her, locked in his own confined darkness? Not knowing was the worst.
A rumbling sounded. It went on for a short time, then Kaede heard new voices.
"As you can see Sir, she is well contained. We are monitoring her health and ensuring she is getting proper nutrition. We are keeping the calorie count low to ensure she does not retain much strength," a female voice said.
A deep gravelly voice said, "Superb. She can be maintained like this until her body matures?"
"Yes sir. I must ask, why are we holding her until maturity? Is there something more we can discover with a mature body, than we can with an adolescent one?"
"Indeed," the deep gravelly voice said. "Upon maturity, we inseminate her body and monitor as the fetus develops and grows. Perhaps there is a stage in development where the Diclonius traits can be snuffed out, yet the growing child is allowed to be brought to term."
"That is an interesting concept. Will we select a random doner?"
"No, Shirakawa, I will provide the needed sperm. We need to have a known DNA base to monitor any deviations. It is imperative we have a standard we can match against the DNA of her mother."
Kaede listened, wondering if they were walking about her. DNA? Fetus? inseminate? "What are you going to do to me!" she cried.
A heavy chuckle and the gravely voice said, "Lucy's listening! I thought you told me she was asleep?"
"She was, Sir. I will go increase the dosage."
"No need, there's not much she can do anyway. We're done here."
There was a rumbling sound again, followed by a heavy boom, like something gigantic closing. Shortly after that, the gravely voice sounded inside her prison.
"Be proud, Lucy! Soon, you will be the mother of a new race. With proper fertilization techniques, we should get twins or triplets out of you once a year as soon as your body is ready. They in turn will have many, many babies of their own. Your grandchildren will rule the world!"
"My name is Kaede! Who ARE you?" she asked angrily.
"Any name you had, no longer applies. You will bear my children, Lucy, and I will enjoy the experience much more that you will," the voice said and let out an evil laugh.
"Stop calling me that, my name is Kaede and I'm going to tear you apart!" Kaede yelled. "Go ahead, touch me and I'll rip that thing right off you and FEED it to you!" She tried to bring her hands out, and was hit with shocks again. When she recovered, she tried again to suffer more , she bellowed out a scream at her helplessness, then broke down and cried.
.
Kouta wasn't interested in the festival this year. He had been doing research, looking for shops that sold what he needed. It was frustrating because he knew he was still too weak to attempt going to that island. He needed to be bigger and stronger, and he still had many items he needed to collect. To appear normal for his father, Kouta did go to the festival and let Yuka hang onto him as they went around.
There was one item that got Kouta's attention that he had previously ignored. The hit the bell game where one hit the base with a big hammer and tried to make a weight fly up and ring the bell. He stood watching as many men tried it. That he saw, no one could do it. Even though full grown men were trying and failing, Kouta decided to give it a try. Kouta paid for an attempt then hefted the hammer over his head. If he could do this, then he could free Kaede.
Swinging down as hard as he could, he hit the pad. The weight jumped up about a third of the way. That was it.
Behind him he heard clapping.
"That was a hell of a try, kid!" one man called.
Kouta dropped the hammer and walked away. He hadn't even been close. He really needed to get stronger and faster.
The fireworks, Kouta avoided. Even going over to the slope where he'd held Kaede last year brought tears to his eyes. He so wanted to see Kaede again, to be so close to her and knowing she was safe. But Kaede wasn't safe, she was a captive on that island. Kouta didn't know how long it would take, but he was going to get her out of there or die trying.
"Kouta, what can I do for you?" Yuka asked, walking along beside him.
Kouta thought about it, then said, "Yuka, can I trust you?"
"You should know you can," Yuka replied.
Kouta wasn't sure. "How about with something no one else can know?" he asked.
"Like what?"
"Suppose I asked you to buy me a canoe and to paint it black?" he asked.
Yuka eyed him and asked, "Whatever for?"
"I can't tell you. If I give you the money, would you do it for me?"
"Why do you want something like that?" Yuka asked.
Kouta let out a huff. She was asking questions. He clearly remembered her yelling about hugging him naked by a stream last year. He couldn't risk telling her. "Never mind, just an idea," he said.
"I can understand getting a boat for the water, but why paint it black?" Yuka asked, confused.
"Never mind, it was just an idea," Kouta said again.
"Kouta that was a strange request."
"Forget it, please?" he begged.
"Kouta, I want to help you, but..." pausing, she asked, "Ohh, I see. You want to go someplace and not be seen ..."
Aww shit, he thought, she was going to figure it out why he wanted a boat.
"And take me someplace where no one can disturb us," she finished with a wide grin.
Then again, maybe not. "Yeah, Yuka, you found me out," he admitted.
"OH, Kouta!" she said with a blush, "You don't need to go through all that trouble! We shouldn't be doing stuff like that for a while yet anyway."
Yuka then went on rambling with a dreamy face about how they would date and eventually marry and spend all their time together. At least she showed him for certain that he could tell her nothing about his plans.
.
After the festival, Kouta was glad to be going home. He knew he wasn't ready yet, so he had to do his best to be ready next year. As with any burglary he found it took time to prepare to do it right. He HAD to get it right the first time if he was to get Kaede back.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them'
Study, do chores, save his money, plan Kaede's escape and prepare for it. That was Kouta's world his entire eleventh year. His Dad asked a simple favor of him, which he agreed to. They went to the store and bought a picture frame. He put his sketch of Kaede in it and his father put it up on the living room wall so it could be seen when someone entered the room.
The slowest progress was Kouta was making was on his own strength. He swore he wasn't doing any better at running, exercises or that stupid climbing rope in the gym. He kept trying for the ceiling where a couple kids had written their names. He always ran out or strength before he got there.
At least he had his boat ideas down solid, and everything was workable. On an internet video, this guy made a bicycle that could go on the water. Besides adding floats to it, the guy had used the high gear on the back wheel to run a short chain down to a 90 degree gearbox and stuck a propeller on it.
Kouta watched the video a few times, focusing on the propeller. The man's bike worked and drove it through the water. He even told where to get the parts. Doing this, Kouta could have his canoe driven by a propeller. It would be better than trying to paddle the 12 kilometers out to the island. Since stealth was critical, he had to avoid making motions that could be easily seen, either. Kouta made his own design. Exercise pedals on the bottom of the canoe, chains to go up the sides, short shafts to connect the chains to the gearboxes on the outsides, and shafts to hook the propellers on. Now, he just had to build it to make sure it worked. He'd need a rudder too.
Pursuing this idea, Kouta learned much about mechanics, as well as the use of seals to keep the bolt holes in the canoe from leaking water. The list of things he needed for his canoe was longer than he thought. He also realized as this canoe got more complex, it was going to take more time to build, and he'd have to do it in Kamakura.
Kouta began spending some of the 200,000 yen he'd saved up buying hardware. Kaede's room became a mini workshop. Using wood, he made a frame and worked at his invention. It took until Spring break, but he did it. He disassembled his device and put all the pieces in his travel bag.
The internet became a valuable tool. He made smoke bombs from soda bottles, made the grappling hook he needed, as well as a learned how to defeat magnetic window and door alarms with the proper jumper wire. He also got some strip magnets in case he needed them.
Another thing he learned was to move quietly, one needed the proper soles on the sneakers. Softer soles with good tread were the best. He got an extra pair jut to add to his travel bag that was now getting heavy.
The list of things he had to buy in Kamakura grew. Rope, a canoe, black plastic, bolts, tools, and a flashlight with extra batteries, he put in his travel bag too. He also put dark clothes in when he 'packed'. For all the stuff in his bag, he had very few clothes. There just wasn't any room for them.
Through all this, what kept him working so hard at what seemed impossible for a now eleven year old to do, was one thought.
'If you want her back, you're going to have to take her away from them'
