AN/ Hi. Wow it's been a long time. I am truly sorry for the long wait. I don't know but this chapter was really hard to write, and I'm still not sure that I'm completely satisfied with it...

This story is going to turn a bit darker in the next few chapters. But hope you'll enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own kickin' it.

Chapter 24

Trapped

My heart almost stopped by the sight of Evelyn. Cringing I pressed myself against Jack's neck for safety. He was as tense as can be as his eyes darted back and forth between Mr Brewer and Evelyn as if he wanted to make sure that this was really happening.

"What's going on?" Jack asked again, looking at the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I think you know, Jack…" She approached us. Jack looked at his father in a silent plea for help as Evelyn started circling him. Mr Brewer tried to keep his face blank, but sadness and worry showed through his eyes, which made me beyond worried.

"Why aren't you in school, son?" he said just before Evelyn slammed the door shut behind us. Startled by the sound, Jack turned around so quickly I lost my balance.

Catching myself before I'd hit the floor, I flew up to the chandelier where I would be out of reach for everyone. Jack gave me a glance and I felt like the worst coward ever. But what else could I do? I was just a sparrow.

It was driving me insane that I couldn't be to mo help and I hated to just watch.

With Evelyn blocking the only way out, Jack backed further into the room.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, don't play stupid," she said. "You know exactly what this is about. It's not good to keep secrets, Jack…" Her eyes glinted as Jack had backed so far he'd almost reached the door leading to the office. A satisfied smirk curved her lips before she simply spoke; "Get him."

Jack jerked startled as the door behind him was thrown opened and five men with masks covering the upper part of their faces practically ran out.

"GET HIM!" One of them yelled as they jumped Jack before he even had a chance to react, grabbing a hold of him. Jack began to struggle fiercely, trying to wrench himself free.

I watched in horror Jack sinking to the ground in an attempt to get away.

"No, please, no," Jack pleaded, kicking and squirming for all he was worth. The men didn't let go though and Jack looked to his father. "Dad, please! Help me!"

Mr Brewer didn't move from the chair.

"Please, I haven't done anything," Jack tried again as four of the men forced him to his knees, holding his arms out to the sides. "Dad!"

I think I saw a flash of pain in Mr Brewer's eyes as he sighed deeply and turned his head away, breaking the eye contact with his son. Jack's heart must've dropped to the bottom of his chest and his eyes started to water. His father was not going to help him.

"No! Dad! DAD!" Panicking, Jack did another desperate attempt to get away, with no result.

"Quickly, shut him up before he casts a spell," the man holding Jack's left arm ordered.

"What?!" Jack's head whipped around, looking fearfully at the one who'd spoken. "I'm not gonna…" he stopped himself when another man standing behind him suddenly brought a cloth in front of his face. Jack ducked, his eyes wide.

"No, please! Don't…" His cries for help got more frantic as he shook his head, doing everything that he could to avoid the rag. "Please, DAD!"

Being on the verge of tears, his shaking voice cut through my heart like a knife. I couldn't take it anymore and without giving it much thought I flew down.

At that moment I was too angry to feel any fear or to think rationally. Reaching the man; I gripped his hair and tugged on it with all the strength that I had. I was so small though, that my interference hardly made any difference. The man cursed slightly, dropping the cloth, and with a swift movement he smacked me away.

The hit sent me straight into the wall –hard. Sliding to the floor I felt the pain slowly set in.

"NO, KIM!" Jack screamed, not realizing his mistake before it was too late. Evelyn's head snapped around and her cold eyes focused on me.

"Get that bird!" she ordered, pointing at me.

"NO!" Jack struggled hysterically, as one of the men started to approach me. "Don't listen to her! She's Evempf-"

Being distracted by me possibly having gotten hurt, Jack failed to dodge the cloth that was shoved into his mouth and his cries were instantly turned into low muffles. He continued to protest as the piece of fabric was fastened behind his head with a couple of tight knots. His eyes locked with mine for a brief moment.

All sounds seemed to drown in the beating of my own heart. Evelyn had been one step ahead of us the entire time and we, foolish as we were had stepped right into her trap. I realized that she was going to win, if someone didn't stop her now. But who would?

The only one except for me and Jack who could tell them what a terrible mistake they were doing was far off by now…

A kick was suddenly placed to the back of my friend. Jack broke the eye contact with a groan as he was sent forward, his forehead almost touching the ground. His arms were forced behind his back and restrained with short-chained shackles, tying his wrists together.

I was so distressed about what they were doing to him that I had hardly noticed the man who now had reached me, until it was too late. I tried to move away, but my body ached so much I was unable to push through the pain. A pair of rough hands closed in on me, wrapping themselves around my small body. I cried out in fear as I tried to squirm myself out of their hold.

The man picked me up like I was nothing. His hands were pressing my wings to my sides, restricting my movements completely. I gave up much quicker than Jack had done. What was the point of fighting? The man holding me was probably ten times, if that's even enough, stronger than me.

It was over.

I was never going to be a human again. I would never wake up in my own bed again, never see my friends or arguing with mum about my karate training… Even though I had lost everything that really mattered to me, the worst thing by far was that I had brought Jack into this.

I shot him a glance as he was grabbed by the arms and pulled up onto his feet. Shackles with the same line of silver that every magic resistance item in the brotherhood's keep had, were placed around his ankles. All the pieces started to come together…

The way Finnegan had acted, the files, the information they had about Jack, Mr Brewer's crazy outbursts, the fact that they sent five men to get one teenager boy... It all made sense now…

"I believe that's that…" One of the men mumbled, after having double checked that the shackles were locked properly. He glanced at Mr Brewer who was still sitting unmoving on his chair. "We won't be disturbing you any longer. See you tonight, Mr Brewer."

Mr Brewer looked up, giving a nod in return. Jack's eyes found his father's one last time as he hoped with all his heart that he would help him out of this. Mr Brewer opened his mouth slightly and I almost believed that he would say something to help us out of this mess. But no words left his throat and Jack was pushed out of the room.

I looked back at Mr Brewer. I don't think that I ever have hated anyone so much before. How could he let this happen? How could he let them take away his son? Didn't Jack mean more to him?

As an answer to my question I saw a tear glint in the corner of his eye before he turned his face away, covering it with his hand.

Evelyn had taken the lead through the house and out into the garage where a big white van was waiting for us. Suddenly I became very aware of what was about to happen and I panicked.

"Tsipsi! IRRPS! Tsip!" I protested loudly, trying in vain to tell them what an awful mistake they were making. Jack stopped, looking at me over his shoulder. "TSIP!"

"Oh can't you get it to shut up?!" the man holding onto Jack's arm said annoyed, pulling the boy along. Jack frowned by the sound of his voice and I realized that he must've recognized it too. The man had been silent until now and with the mask on we hadn't been able to identify him, but hearing his voice it was easy to tell that it was Finnegan.

Anger rose in me. I felt betrayed.

"IRRTS-"

Suddenly the hand around my body tightened, squeezing the air out of me before it shook me violently. I got all dizzy and my bruised body felt as if it were about to explode and for a moment I thought that I would die from the rough treatment.

When it finally stopped I felt sick. Panting hard, I tried to focus my gaze on a spot to stop the room from spinning.

Evelyn opened up the van and the men were just about to push Jack into it when one of them suddenly hesitated, looking at Finnegan.

"Should we blindfold him?" he wondered, nodding towards Jack, who gave him a worried glance.

"No, Benny…" Finnegan said, after having giving it a thought. "There's no need to. He won't be able to tell anyone about this after tonight, anyway."

Finnegan's comment seemed to be some kind of intern joke, causing them all to chuckle. Jack's eyes darted back and forth between them before he was shoved into the vehicle.

He was placed in the back where the dark windows would keep anyone from seeing him. Finnegan and the one they called Benny sat down on either side of him, making sure he wouldn't try anything. The man holding me sat in front of them and next to us; Evelyn took a seat. I eyed her wearily. It was like looking at myself in the mirror, only different was that when I locked eyes with her; my blood turned cold.

A smug smile played on her lips and I wished that I could do something to wipe it off her face.

"Hey, watch it kid!" came a voice from behind us. Due to my position I couldn't see anything what was going on back there. I could only hear them moving around -a lot.

"Stop that!"

They were struggling for sure, which meant that Jack was putting up a fight.

"Don't even think-ompf"

Even though I was worried sick, I almost smiled. They didn't know who they were messing with. Jack wasn't one to give up easily and they were having problems controlling him.

Rolling her eyes, Evelyn turned around.

"Did you know that small birds easily die from stress, Jack?" she said casually, as if she were talking about the weather. I was raised in the air by my captor, making sure that the boy could see me.

Jack had somehow managed to tackle Finnegan, pressing him up against the side window. Benny was pulling on Jack's arms from behind, trying to get him off his fellow member. Jack froze as the meaning of Evelyn's question sunk in. Eying me, he let himself be pulled back onto his seat. Evelyn smiled satisfied, while Finnegan looked to be just about ready to punch Jack, glaring at him like crazy.

Jack sighed in frustration as they fastened the seat belt around him and I was brought down again. Fixing my eyes at nothing, my mind drifted away.

What were we going to do?

~~~Wings of Love~~~

The ride was over quickly and we were loaded out into what seemed to be another garage. Evelyn and the driver left while the four remaining brothers brought us through a door that was connected with the main building.

Once inside, I recognized the long dark corridors and a chill went down my spine. The headquarters seemed even creepier now. Jack looked around, his eyes silently scanning the doors we passed. He seemed calm, but I bet his mind was working like crazy, trying to figure out a way to get out of this.

We got to the passage with the pictures and the inscriptions on the walls.

Father against son they'll turn

For one of them…

I turned my head away. I didn't want to see the ominous words, knowing that they were on their good way to come true. Stepping through the double doors we entered the great hall.

Up front of the room there was an old man moving some chairs around, preparing for the ceremony tonight. He looked up at the sound of us entering. His familiar face frowned in concern as he saw Jack in chains.

"What's going on?" he wondered.

"Nothing that you have to worry yourself about, Bernard," Finnegan answered, pulling the boy along down the aisle.

"We finally have it," the man holding me filled in with a big smile. "Can you believe it? After all these years we finally have it." The rest of the men nodded in agreement.

"Huh," was Bernard's short reply before he got back to work. He obviously didn't share their enthusiasm.

Even though Bernard was facing away from us, minding his own business, I could still feel his gaze as we reached the door to the right of the altar.

Heading down the dark corridor, we turned a right corner and got to the grey stairs that led down to the cellar. It suddenly became clear to Jack where they were taking us and he stopped.

"C'mon, kid." Finnegan gave him a tug on the arm. Jack shook his head, refusing to move. Finnegan exchanged glances with Benny, giving him a meaning nod. Suddenly they jerked Jack forward, causing him to stumble down the steps. Although the chain between his ankles worked against him, he quickly found his balance again.

Continued to be forced forward, Jack threw himself backwards, pulling against his captors. The man who'd been leading the way joined in to help his friends with the struggling teen. Being three against one the brothers were winning, but Jack wasn't going to give in that easily.

When digging his heels into the ground didn't work as he step by step was forced downstairs, he suddenly jumped forward, ramming his should right into Finnegan.

Finnegan lost his balance and tumbled right into the man next to him, while pulling Jack along. All four of them somehow got tangled up in each other and fell ungracefully to the bottom floor with a series of thuds, landing in a huge heap.

Having landed on top Jack seemed to be alright, thank god. The man holding me was still at the top of the staircase and we looked shocked at the squirming pile of men below us. Jack was quick to try and get up, but with his hands secured behind his back; he wasn't quick enough. Benny beat him to it and as Jack was halfway up on his feet he got hit in the stomach by a fist that sent him right back to his knees again. Jack bended over, pressing his sore stomach against his thighs.

"What's wrong with you?!" Benny practically yelled at him. "Are you trying to get us killed?!"

Jack didn't react, keeping his eyes on the floor which provoked the man who couldn't resist kicking him in the side. The boy whimpered, but didn't move.

"You stupid…!" Benny continued, about to swing his foot again.

"Enough Benny!" Finnegan ordered, having gotten up on his feet. Benny looked at him, his rage fading a little as he tried to control himself. "He'll get what he deserves eventually." Finnegan reassured as he bent down to grab Jack.

"Hey Randolph, I found this!" a voice came from the corridor behind us. Randolph who obviously was the one holding me, turned around. Our driver who'd left us earlier was back, bringing a rather small birdcage with nothing more than a swing to sit on.

"Ah great," Randolph answered. "That will do just fine."

"Here you go," the man opened the cage for him when he reached us and before I knew it Randolph had shoved me inside. As he let go of me I fell to the bottom just as I heard the door shut, trapping me inside. Randolph took hold of the small ring on top of the cage and walked down the stairs.

"You guys okay?" he wondered.

"We're fine," Finnegan muttered through gritted teeth, pulling Jack up. My friend kept his eyes on the floor the entire time as all three of them grabbed him again. I almost thought that he'd given up, but when they tried to move him…-boy, did he fight back…

But being outnumber and restrained, he didn't stand much of a chance. Slowly he was taken through the awful rooms and passages, closer and closer to the place he dreaded the most. When the door came into view, Jack started to really panic. Struggling hysterically against the men pulling and pushing him, he began to scream through the rag in his mouth. Screams that made my chest contort painfully.

Randolph carried me passed them and opened the door to what couldn't be better described than 'the dungeons'.

"We'll put him in the juggs for now." Finnegan instructed.

My cage was hung on a hook in the ceiling, before Randolph walked over to the cupboard and started to search for something.

In the meantime the men were dragging the terrified boy to the wall on the left where an iron collar hanging in a one-foot chain was placed at face level.

Jack's legs gave away from underneath him and the men had to lift him up, holding him in an upright position while the iron collar was fastened around his neck.

Letting him go, Jack fell, hanging himself for a brief moment before his shaking legs were able to support him.

Randolph walked over to him, holding a small container he'd dug out from the cupboard. With a few swift movements of his wrist he sprinkled what looked like salt in a circle around Jack, while Finnegan double checked the restrains.

After having taking every precaution that they thought was necessary the men left the room, locking the heavy door behind them…

Hope that it was kind of worth the wait. And Please leave a review, so that I'll get to know if there still is any one who reads this. It's been so long that I'm afraid that you've all forgotten about it...

Anyway I'm not gonna let you wait three months until next chapter.

/MJ