[sooo, a lot has happened since the last time I updated...I've had people at my house every weekend for the past three weeks, and I have a paper due next Monday, and, oh yeah, it seems as if I've found a new obsession, to join the others... anime, mainly Ouran High School Host Club (YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUT, IF YOU HAVE NETFLIX, IT'S ON THE INSTANT THINGIE!... netflix should pay me for that) ... anyways, I'm back now and I have more enjoy:]

Donnica picked up the phone from the front hall table. She stared at it, debating internally. Something had been off about the man claiming to Alley's father. Something about Alley's voice, the way she kept her distance, told Donnica that something was wrong. Surely, Alley knew him, but was he her father? Was she safe? And what was the talk about her being 'not all there'? she seemed fine to Donnica.

"Hon, what are you doing?" Pat asked, coming from the kitchen. "Where's Alley?"

"She just left. A man came and got her. I have to make a phone call." Donnica said, being shorter with Pat than she normally would have, this was an emergency. She dialed 9-1-1 and hit talk.

"Nine-one-one, what is the manner of your emergency?" a slightly tired sounding woman answered on the first ring.

"I think I've just witnessed a kidnapping." Donnica said softly.

"What is the location?" The woman asked.

Donnica gave her address. "The kidnapper was male, white, with graying black hair and glasses. He was driving a silver Honda Accord; the plates were in-state, MIZ-7199." Donnica read the number off on her arm, having written there as the man pulled out of the drive. She'd seen enough cop shows to know that it might help.

"And who was kidnapped?" the woman asked.

"A little girl, her name is Alley; she's about 3' 7 with shoulder length black hair, and blue eyes."

My arms were tied behind my back. I was lying face down on Scott's kitchen floor. My chest hurt, my burns hurt, my tummy hurt, I hurt.

"Hold still." Scott said. He grabbed my wing and stretched it all the way out. I screamed and tried to get away. He kicked me. "I said hold still! I'm not going to hurt you. I'm clipping your wings so you won't fly away." He showed me his big pair of scissors. "I'm going to cut some feathers, it won't hurt, I promise, like getting a haircut."

"No!" I shrieked. I kicked and twisted and folded my wing up tight against my back. I was not letting him clip my wings.

He kicked me again. "Just the first five, so you don't fly away, it won't hurt."

"Please, please no," I started crying. "Please, I won't fly away."

"You've broken my trust before, Alley; I have to, for your safety." He pulled my wing up again. Then he put his foot on my back. "Hold still."

I couldn't stop sobbing. Max would love me even less if I couldn't fly, but I'd never see Max again, which was good, because she'd hate me if I couldn't fly. They'd all hate me. If they didn't already. Even if Fang and Max were sort of my parents, in a messy way, they'd hate me.

I hated me, I couldn't fight back, I was too little, I wasn't worth anything.

I watched from the corner of my eye as bits of my feathers dropped to the tiled floor.

Scott took his foot off my back. "There, that'll do it." He untied me. "See, it wasn't that bad, now, was it?" he helped me to my feet.

I didn't say anything. I stared at the clippings. Now I was totally useless, I couldn't even fly.

"Oh, and about those stitches in your wrist, I'll take them out when it's time, all right?" he patted my head. "What would you like for dinner? Is pasta good?"

I kept staring. I was like a dodo bird now.

"Alley, would you like me to show you to your room?" he asked.

I felt like puking.

"This way," he grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall. "Here, hope this is big enough for you." He opened a door and pushed me in. it was a closet, the walls were too close, the ceiling too low. He slammed the door and locked it. "Dinner will be ready in a bit." He said.

His footsteps went back to the kitchen.

I stood there and cried. My eyes stung. I screamed and banged on the door. I fell on it and sobbed. It was too dark.

You can get out, Alley.

GO AWAY! I hit the door again. I don't trust the voice anymore. I didn't trust anyone anymore.

"Max?" Max heard Iggy's voice on the answering machine. "We found Scott's house. It's not far from the hotel; call us when you get this, I think he's got her and- Oh, crap! I hear sirens, I gotta go."

Max could hear them too, in the background of the recording. What the heck was going on?

[poor Alley, you should review, you know, if you feel bad for her, *I* do, so, you know, REVIEW!]