Hey everyone! This story was brought to you by Defense Against the Dark Arts: Immortality Rituals assignment, Insane Prompt List, Ultimate Battle Competition, Meet Cute Marathon, Mario Day, Crazy Cone Contraptions, Wacky Wandmakers, and Supernatural Fanclub Merfolk on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also for Link Maker on Monthly Challenges for All.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Immortality Rituals assignment: Task 1 - Write about wishing to live longer or be immortal.
Insane Prompt List: 376. (romantic pairing) Alice/Bellatrix
Ultimate Battle Competition: Cursed Wing Price 1,000 words, a murder
Meet Cute Marathon: Prompt 10 - I just committed a crime and I need to use you as a hostage. I am so sorry! (Late)
Mario Day: 26. (action) yelling
Crazy Cone Contraption: Tart Tomato Twist (dialogue) "Pick me! Choose. Me."
Wacky Wandmakers: Rowan Wood Wand (pairing) Alice/Bellatrix, and Horned Serpent Horn Core (character) Bellatrix
Supernatural Fanclub Merfolk: Swim Club (word) deadly
Link Maker: Meet Cutes, 2,296 words
Warning for mentions of attempted robbery, and character death. Word count is 2,296 words. I hope you all enjoy the next chapter of The Cutest Meetings Hostage.
The day had started off quietly for Alice Prewett and her boyfriend, Frank Longbottom. They'd gotten to the store they'd bought together at the same time as they usually did. They always enjoyed opening the store together. It was one of their favorite times of day.
The usual customers began to trickle in as the dawn started to disperse and the morning began in earnest. Mrs. O'Leary, along with her five year old daughter Kathrine were one of Alice's favorite customers.
Katherine always smiled up at her and asked how she was. This morning was no different. The young girl had skipped immediately over to Frankie and Allie as she called them. She pulled at Alice's shirt sleeve.
"Hi, Allie," she said, waving shyly at Alice. "Hi, Frankie. How are you today?"
"We're quite fine, Katherine," Frank answered, as a woman in a long dark coat with sunglasses entered the store. "How is our most favorite customer today?"
"I went to the dentist," Katherine said, launching into a story about the dentist and how she had two cavities that had to be filled. How she had been very brave and allowed the dentist to do his work.
All the while Alice kept her attention on both Katherine's story and the strange woman in the dark coat. She'd never seen this woman in their store before and it was the middle of July so wearing a coat was just plain strange.
"Katherine," Frank interrupted as the little girl was about to launch into a story about her pet goldfish, "I believe you've been very brave and if you'll give me a minute I'm going to fetch you a special surprise for you bravery, alright?"
Katherine nodded excitedly.
Alice made eye contact with Frank as he walked away from them. She could have sworn she saw him mouth call the cops. She just didn't understand what was happening that the cops needed to be called.
Mrs. O'Leary was looking over the books to send an out of country purchase to a friend when things really got bad. The sound of a gun shot being fired sounded in the small store. People were screaming and running from the direction that Frank had just disappeared to. Then a few minutes later the woman with the dark coat walked out from between the alise of children's books and beauty supplies. Her coat was gone but Alice knew it was the same woman. The curly raven locks and pale complection gave her away.
"Nobody move," the voice that came from the woman was deadly and gorgeous at the same time. "You," she pointed at Alice, "go and lock the door. Then come right back and no one had better think of playing hero or you'll pay the price. Just like the other one."
Alice felt her heart pounding out of her chest. She knew that the woman was talking about Frank. She didn't have to see what happened, she just knew. Frank wouldn't have let her get away with doing whatever this woman was doing.
She raced over to the door and flipped the sign that said open to say closed. Quickly locking door afterwards. She pulled the shades down over the window. She knew that someone would know that was a call for help. She and Frank never drew the shades down when the store was open. Never.
"Where is she?" Alice could hear the woman snap at someone.
"S...She's doing what you asked, Miss," said Mrs. O'Leary shaking voice. "Please don't hurt my Katherine."
Alice hurried back over hearing the fear in Mrs. O'Leary's quavering voice. She knew that this woman, whoever she was, that had taken them hostage would follow through on her threat of violence if she didn't.
"There you are," snapped the woman. "What took you so long?"
"I was just locking the door and flipping the closed sign…"
"Stop lying. Did you signal to someone that you were in trouble?"
"No."
Stop lying."
"I'm not lying."
"Shall we go on a little trip to the other side of the store and you can see what happens to you if you keep lying to me?"
Alice shook her head.
"Then I'll ask you again. Did you signal to someone that you were in trouble?"
Alice shook her head again.
"Fine. Rejoin the others and I will be finished her in a matter of minutes."
Alice rejoined Katherine and Mrs. O'Leary and the rest of the terrified group of customers all sitting on the floor near the register. Alice couldn't help but feel the same fear they were feeling too. This woman who was holding them hostage didn't seem entirely stable of mind, and she must have done something to Frank. She'd mentioned doing something Frank. Alice watched the gun and couldn't help thinking that if she was go on from this life that wouldn't be fair.
The sound of police sirens pierced the air outside of the store and the red and blue light flashes cut through the blinds as though they were sheers. The sounds of car doors opening and closing came from outside. Then the phone started to ring.
Their captor looked at Alice and then nodded towards the phone. "Pick it up," she snapped, "and no funny business."
Alice picked up the phone and tried for her best cheery voice she could muster under the circumstances. "Hello, Alice Prewett of The Apple Core," she said, faking the happiness in her voice. "How can I help you?"
"Miss Prewett, we heard that you might be in a bit of trouble…"
Alice didn't hear the rest of the statement because the phone was yanked out of her hand by the woman with the raven hair and piercing black eyes that seemed to look into her soul. The woman glared towards the door.
"What do you want?" she sneered at the police officer on the phone.
"Who is this?" Alice could hear the voice ask over the phone. The concern held in that voice was making things even worse. She knew that if the police were concerned then something bad had or was going to happen. "Who are we talking?"
"Do you really think I'm going to tell you my name?" the woman asked, sounding incredulous. "Do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"Let's just calm down here, Miss. No one thinks you are stupid. We just want…"
"You can call me B and that is all you'll get for my name."
"That's a start, B. Is there any way we can get you to release the people in that store and come with us willingly?"
"Is there anyway you can stop being an imbecile?"
Miss. B, we would very much like to keep the casualties as limited as possible. Are you sure you aren't willing to let anyone go?"
B as the angry raven-haired woman asked to be called slammed the phone down. Cursing she turned towards Alice raising the gun.
"You signaled the police," she yelled pointing the gun with a trembling hand towards Alice. "You singaled them somehow."
"B," Alice said slowly, "you don't want to go to jail for long, do you?"
The woman shook her head. Flyaway curls bouncing every which way. Dark eyes glinting with both rage and fear.
"They'd go easier on you if you let these people go," Alice pointed out. "They'd take that into consideration at your sentencing."
That was obviously the wrong thing to say because that just made B more angry and unstable. Angry and unstable people were not the best at being reliable. Or for that matter for being good listeners.
"I'm not going to jail," B shouted. "I'm going to go free."
"You won't be going anywhere if they decide that you're a threat to us. They probably already have called SWAT and have them standing by."
"Allie," whimpered Katherine, "I'm scared."
"Would you think about letting at least Mrs. O'Leary and little Katherine go?" Alice asked, pointing towards the mother/daughter duo. She would try to get as many of these customers out of harm's way as possible.
"Why should…"
"It would go a long way into making you look with the mothers of young children portion of any jury. You spared a mother and her child and they won't forget that."
B thought about it for a second. The dark eyes looking deep in thought as she pondered what Alice had just told her, for which Alice was thankful. She must have come to the conclusion that Alice wanted her to because she nodded.
"Let them out then," B snapped, "and then come right back after locking the door. Do you hear me? If you don't one these others will pay the price for it."
Alice watched as the Mrs. O'Leary helped little Katherine off the ground. She glanced over at the two teenage employees, who were the only ones not fortunate enough to get out of the store fast enough.
"Go," snapped B, pointing the gun at Alice.
Alice moved quickly, leading Mrs. O'Leary and Katherine to the front door of the store. She quickly unlocked the door and opened it. The bright sunlight blocked her view for a second but as it clear she could the roads blocked. The police cars and newstrucks surrounding the area. People were standing around behind the police tape and watching in both fear and amazement at what was happening. Alice wished she was one of the spectators and not one the captives. This was one of the most scary things she'd ever been involved with and Frank had gotten them involved in a lot of scary things in his time.
"Come on, Miss," one the police called out to her, holding out a hand for her to take.
Shaking her head and sending her caramel colored locks flying. She moved back into the store after Mrs. O'Leary and Katherine were safely with the police. She quickly closed and locked the door before going back to were B waited.
"What took you so long?" asked B, her voice sounding like she didn't plan for this to go wrong in any way.
"I just wanted to make sure that Mrs. O'Leary and Katherine got to safety before coming back here," Alice said.
"And did they?"
Alice nodded. "No one will forget this. But…" She stopped as though she was thinking about something. She knew that B wasn't the type of person who was patient. She could see the impatience growing on the other woman's face by the minute.
"But what?"
"Maybe you could allow these two to go and fetch the person you injured and you could release them too?"
B chuckled darkly. "No one was injured," she said, confirming Alice's worst fear.
"Then just let the two of them go. You can choose to be what they know you to be or you can pick me and keep me as your hostage."
"What?"
"You heard me. Pick me! Choose. Me." She pointed at herself. "Let them go. They have families that care about them."
B sighed, seeing that Alice wasn't going to stop talking until she listened. "Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "Sappy sentimentalist." She turned to the two teenagers cowering next to Alice. "You can find your way of the store without her help, I'm sure?"
Both boys shared a frightened look and then looked over at Alice. Alice nodded and they went scampering towards the door with a quick 'see you tomorrow, Miss Prewet.'. Alice watched until they were out of sight.
"Now there are two," B said, pointing the gun at Alice as she walked over to the caramel-haired woman. She put her arm around Alice holding the gun to her temple. "I'm sure there is a back way out of here, isn't there?"
Alice felt ice run down her back at the pressure of the gun ot her temple. She didn't want to die. She figured that they would stay here and she could talk this B down from the ledge and make her see reason. But that seemed almost a lost cause now. Alice felt tears leak from her eyes as she nodded in answer to the question.
"Let's go," B said, motioning for her to lead the way.
Alice moved towards the back of the shop were the rear exit was. She could see the spot where Frank's body still lay unmoving. She didn't want to join him. She should be about to join him in death. She just couldn't think about that right now. She needed more time. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen in the space of the more time but she was sure she needed it.
"Why are you stalling?" B asked, concern in her voice.
"I would like to know the name of the person holding me hostage. So I can pray for them."
B looked at her like she'd grown an extra head. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Because you seem to need. That's the only way to explain why you were so desperate to get whatever you took from me."
B stuttered for a moment unsure of what to say. Then she sighed and answered the question. "Bellatrix," she said. "Bellatrix Black."
The next few seconds happened like a flash. The back exit's door flew open and Bellatrix must have accidentally squeezed the trigger of the gun because it went off. The sound was as deafening as the wound was painful. Alice felt herself being pushed away from Bellatrix and the sounds of handcuffs closing around Bellatrix's wrists.
Maybe one of these days she'll get Bellatrix to tell her why she chose her store that day. But for right now she's just happy it's over and done with.
I hope you all enjoyed Hostage.
