PROLOGUE

"A Daring Abduction"

The waxing moon shed a silvery glow upon the two people seated on the beach. The night was still and only the gentle lapping of the waves could be heard. One of the figures, a young man sporting a red bandana, slipped an arm around his companion's waist and pulled her close. The girl with long red hair looked at him and smiled. She placed her head on his shoulder and lightly caressed his chest. He glanced up at the stars and sighed softly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Leena?" he asked the girl next to him as he drew her nearer, his other arm encircling her in a hug.

Leena tilted her head up and grinned. "Positively spectacular." She took a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Serge?"

"Yeah, Leena?"

"It's been awhile since we've done this, hasn't it?"

The young man took his eyes off the heavens and rested them upon her. Her soft smile and the warmth of her embrace stirred within him in a longing he had not experienced before. They had been friends all their lives, but never before had he thought of his childhood companion as anything other than a confidant. He smirked playfully and replied, "Not for two months, anyway."

She chuckled. "But at least we know that we're not missing much." A comfortable silence briefly settled upon the two as neither wished to break the quietude. The cool breeze picked up and she nestled closer, her cheek resting against his collarbone. She was at comfort in his presence and the strong arms that surrounded her gave her a measure of security.

A mischievous smile formed on Serge's lips. "Leena?"

"Hmmm?"

Stifling his mirth, he enquired, "Do you find this frightfully boring too?"

The girl stared at him for a split second and burst into a fit of giggles. "I think I've aged ten years already!"

Serge joined in the hilarity and soon the echo of laughter resounded in the night air. Once they had quieted down, he took her by the hand and gazed into her eyes. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he began in earnest.

"Yes?" She could feel her heart racing. "What would you like to ask me?"

"You see, we've known each other for a long time now and…"

Leena suddenly felt light headed and giddy as her friend struggled with his words. He stuttered and gesticulated in a confused manner, attempting to make a point with words that he could not muster. "He wants to ask me to be his girlfriend!" she thought. "But the poor boy can't find the right way to say it." She gave him a sympathetic smile and gently brushed his cheek.

"Leena?"

"Serge?" She blinked several times as if awakened from a dream, her hand still on his face.

"Did you get that?" he asked in anticipation.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. My mind was wandering." She laughed nervously and quickly withdrew her outstretched arm. "Can you please repeat the question?"

"I was wondering if you'd be at all interested in…"

He was cut off mid-sentence by a blinding flash of light. She covered her face as fell on her side while Serge tumbled backwards, his arms shielding his eyes from the brilliant glow. Voices were heard following the brightness and Leena felt a pair of hands grip her right arm and another pair grab hold of her left. A sharp pull brought her roughly onto her feet. She opened her eyes and saw two men dressed in blue military uniforms holding Serge in the same manner.

"Let her go!" Serge cried, his voice quivering, but evidently filled with rage. He began to thrash about while his two captors fought to restrain him.

A fifth man, a military officer of unknown rank, walked up to Serge and struck him in the face with a vicious back hand. His head snapped to the left and he went limp in the hands of his kidnappers. Leena screamed and struggled to free herself from her arrested position, but the soldiers only strengthened their grip on her until she yelped in pain.

"Sorry, girlie," the officer said as he strode up to her, "but this business doesn't concern you." He dug his hands into a leather drawstring bag that hung at his waist and pulled out a fistful of powdery substance. He grinned maliciously at the contents of his hand and laughed. "This should keep you nice and quiet."

Leena bellowed Serge's name before the officer flung the peculiar matter in her face. She felt the fine particles enter her nostrils and sneezed twice before she sank to her knees, unconscious. The soldiers that still held her arms released their grip and she collapsed onto the sand. They looked down at her comatose form and snickered.

"What shall we do with her, sir?" One of the men asked.

"Let her be," the officer replied, "She'll wake up in due time."

The five men walked down the beach toward the shoreline dragging Serge with him. The officer produced a small pendant from his tunic pocket and the ground beneath him began to shimmer. He looked at his men, nodded, and within seconds the small troop of soldiers vanished in a bright green glow.