Chapter 4
She quickly put her plan into action, and swung down into the window. She tumbled, still clutching the cat, over the floor, somersaulting. The other person on the roof swung in behind her and leapfrogged over her. As she tried to open the trapdoor, she realized she couldn't. A man was standing squarely on top of it.
His face was dark, but his eyes lit up like a cat's. He looked hungry, as though Chibichibi were the most delectable mouse he had ever seen. She backed slowly away from him. No sudden moves, she thought to herself. You're on your own now. Suddenly, she heard something from him. Not words, no threat - - - laughter?!
"How dare you!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, Princess - save that for someone else. Please!"
She backed up, and suddenly, her bum hit the ledge of the window. She gulped... how stupid could she be? He was quickly upon her, shoving her over backwards. Below her, the world swam. Stella mewed, not aware of the danger. Don't drop me, she prayed, don't kill me... Just moments before, her death had seemed eons away.
He grabbed her collar, and by a grin visible in the moonlight, he pulled her in. "I wouldn't kill you," he said. "No money in it. Chop off a finger, maybe, send it to your folks. But I wouldn't kill you."
"What do you want from me?" she asked, now more angry than scared. Chibichibi stroked Stella, not to comfort the kitten, but to comfort herself.
He smiled. "Ah, yes, and finally the princess comes to her senses. I'm glad you realized that you are no longer in charge."
She had the strong, sudden desire to hit him and tell him to shut up, but she was still vulnerable, in front of the window.
"Oh don't look so scared. I'm not going to kill you." Though this was the second time he'd insisted that, something inside her didn't quite believe him. "Allow me," he said calmly, "To introduce myself. I am called Devon, or just Dev. I am what is known as a kidnapper for hire. Used to do assassinations, but God, after a while, what do you do with all those bodies?" She cringed and he smiled at that. He was all about saying things for the reaction. "I'm just here to kidnap you, have my employers make a few demands, and then you'll get returned. Perhaps you'll still have all your appendages. Wouldn't that be just ducky?" She looked warily at her fingers and back to him. He walked towards her, and she ducked underneath is outstretched arms, and ran from the window. He laughed.
"I'm not going to push you out - didn't I tell you that? If you die before my employer gives the word, I don't get paid! Now hold out your hands, love, and try and make this easy for both of us!" She held out one hand, but the other still clutched the kitten. "Both hands would be nice, Princess. Makes it easier to bind them together." She grunted, and pushed past him once more. She sat the cat on the bed, thrust her hands out, and waited.
"This is a change..." he said with a grin. He began to bind her hands together, tightly. He jerks the rope taught, and Chibichibi cried out. For a moment, his face flashed with something Chibichibi couldn't quite name. Regret? Sympathy? Was he still in fact human after all? He was young, perhaps ten years Chibichibi's senior. It wasn't too late for him.
"You don't have to do this, you know," she said softly, compassionately. "You could just leave me here. Wouldn't that be a great start down the right path? You know, the path of recovery?"
"Recovery from what? I don't regret anything - this is the most money I could ever make doing anything."
So much for that approach.
"I could scream, you know."
"We are twelve stories up."
"They would wake. Sound travels."
"I would slit your throat."
"You would make no money."
He was silenced, but only for a moment. "I would chop off your finger, toss it to the guards."
Her eyes widened and she once more glanced at her fingers. He takes out a knife, and now she was scared he was not bluffing. He traced it along her digits, and then her wrists. "Maybe I'd toss a whole hand. Are you a lefty or a righty?" She gulped and he grinned. "Or maybe just your whole arm." The cool knife traced along her shoulder. She was frightened, but still she spoke.
"You could not throw my left arm..."
"I could not?"
"I work out!"
He was silent for a moment before breaking out in a laugh. "So sorry, Princess, I did not realize."
She kicked him in the shin, and his face turned dark. She wondered why she had done such a foolish, rash thing. As his face turned dark and he held his knife threateningly, she taunted, "You will not kill me." She was shocked by her own words, and prayed her tongue would silence itself. This was not her father; this man actually would harm her! "You will not!" she repeated.
"I will make you wish I had!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The palace was bustling with the horrible news by midday. It was to be kept a secret from the public, but it leaked out, of course, and soon it was on every news station from Crystal Tokyo to Charon, Pluto's moon.
Serenity sobbed in the throne room, which was empty besides Endymion.
"My baby!" she sobbed. "My little girl!"
"Your baby? Your little girl?" Endymion said. Serenity looked like she was about to slap him.
"You know I loved her like my own!"
"Loved? It is far too soon to be using the past tense - we will get her back!" Serenity flung herself into Endymion's arms.
"I hope so... Those BRUTES!!" she started sobbing into Endymion's shirt. Soon it was soaked.
"There, there... You know I love - LOVE not LOVED - her too. How do you think I feel? The last thing I did to her was send her to her room. Come on, honey, we've got to make the public address."
"But they're not supposed to know!"
"They know any way..." he said, straightening his shirt in the mirror, running a hand through his hair. "We might as well make it official."
She quickly put her plan into action, and swung down into the window. She tumbled, still clutching the cat, over the floor, somersaulting. The other person on the roof swung in behind her and leapfrogged over her. As she tried to open the trapdoor, she realized she couldn't. A man was standing squarely on top of it.
His face was dark, but his eyes lit up like a cat's. He looked hungry, as though Chibichibi were the most delectable mouse he had ever seen. She backed slowly away from him. No sudden moves, she thought to herself. You're on your own now. Suddenly, she heard something from him. Not words, no threat - - - laughter?!
"How dare you!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, Princess - save that for someone else. Please!"
She backed up, and suddenly, her bum hit the ledge of the window. She gulped... how stupid could she be? He was quickly upon her, shoving her over backwards. Below her, the world swam. Stella mewed, not aware of the danger. Don't drop me, she prayed, don't kill me... Just moments before, her death had seemed eons away.
He grabbed her collar, and by a grin visible in the moonlight, he pulled her in. "I wouldn't kill you," he said. "No money in it. Chop off a finger, maybe, send it to your folks. But I wouldn't kill you."
"What do you want from me?" she asked, now more angry than scared. Chibichibi stroked Stella, not to comfort the kitten, but to comfort herself.
He smiled. "Ah, yes, and finally the princess comes to her senses. I'm glad you realized that you are no longer in charge."
She had the strong, sudden desire to hit him and tell him to shut up, but she was still vulnerable, in front of the window.
"Oh don't look so scared. I'm not going to kill you." Though this was the second time he'd insisted that, something inside her didn't quite believe him. "Allow me," he said calmly, "To introduce myself. I am called Devon, or just Dev. I am what is known as a kidnapper for hire. Used to do assassinations, but God, after a while, what do you do with all those bodies?" She cringed and he smiled at that. He was all about saying things for the reaction. "I'm just here to kidnap you, have my employers make a few demands, and then you'll get returned. Perhaps you'll still have all your appendages. Wouldn't that be just ducky?" She looked warily at her fingers and back to him. He walked towards her, and she ducked underneath is outstretched arms, and ran from the window. He laughed.
"I'm not going to push you out - didn't I tell you that? If you die before my employer gives the word, I don't get paid! Now hold out your hands, love, and try and make this easy for both of us!" She held out one hand, but the other still clutched the kitten. "Both hands would be nice, Princess. Makes it easier to bind them together." She grunted, and pushed past him once more. She sat the cat on the bed, thrust her hands out, and waited.
"This is a change..." he said with a grin. He began to bind her hands together, tightly. He jerks the rope taught, and Chibichibi cried out. For a moment, his face flashed with something Chibichibi couldn't quite name. Regret? Sympathy? Was he still in fact human after all? He was young, perhaps ten years Chibichibi's senior. It wasn't too late for him.
"You don't have to do this, you know," she said softly, compassionately. "You could just leave me here. Wouldn't that be a great start down the right path? You know, the path of recovery?"
"Recovery from what? I don't regret anything - this is the most money I could ever make doing anything."
So much for that approach.
"I could scream, you know."
"We are twelve stories up."
"They would wake. Sound travels."
"I would slit your throat."
"You would make no money."
He was silenced, but only for a moment. "I would chop off your finger, toss it to the guards."
Her eyes widened and she once more glanced at her fingers. He takes out a knife, and now she was scared he was not bluffing. He traced it along her digits, and then her wrists. "Maybe I'd toss a whole hand. Are you a lefty or a righty?" She gulped and he grinned. "Or maybe just your whole arm." The cool knife traced along her shoulder. She was frightened, but still she spoke.
"You could not throw my left arm..."
"I could not?"
"I work out!"
He was silent for a moment before breaking out in a laugh. "So sorry, Princess, I did not realize."
She kicked him in the shin, and his face turned dark. She wondered why she had done such a foolish, rash thing. As his face turned dark and he held his knife threateningly, she taunted, "You will not kill me." She was shocked by her own words, and prayed her tongue would silence itself. This was not her father; this man actually would harm her! "You will not!" she repeated.
"I will make you wish I had!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The palace was bustling with the horrible news by midday. It was to be kept a secret from the public, but it leaked out, of course, and soon it was on every news station from Crystal Tokyo to Charon, Pluto's moon.
Serenity sobbed in the throne room, which was empty besides Endymion.
"My baby!" she sobbed. "My little girl!"
"Your baby? Your little girl?" Endymion said. Serenity looked like she was about to slap him.
"You know I loved her like my own!"
"Loved? It is far too soon to be using the past tense - we will get her back!" Serenity flung herself into Endymion's arms.
"I hope so... Those BRUTES!!" she started sobbing into Endymion's shirt. Soon it was soaked.
"There, there... You know I love - LOVE not LOVED - her too. How do you think I feel? The last thing I did to her was send her to her room. Come on, honey, we've got to make the public address."
"But they're not supposed to know!"
"They know any way..." he said, straightening his shirt in the mirror, running a hand through his hair. "We might as well make it official."