Kristen stirred slightly, trying to remember where she was. Obviously she was on Earth, unless space aliens from Jupiter had kidnapped her or something like that. She remembered sand…and pyramids…Egypt! She and Talon were on their long awaited trip to Egypt! Then she remembered hooded figures and chloroform. And being tossed out a window…
She shuddered and opened her eyes. Not that there was much of a difference. Wherever she was, it was pitch black, so it looked the same with open eyes as it did with closed ones.
"Talon?"
No answer.
"Talon?"
Still no answer.
Kristen stood and took a step away from where she'd been lying. Reaching back, it appeared to be some sort of cot. Ah well…she wasn't picky…it was better than the floor. She took a few steps forward, but hadn't gone more than five before she bumped her knee on…a cot? Had she been going in circles? No, it felt like someone, or something, was on this one.
Maybe it was the grunt that clued her in.
"Talon?"
"Mm?"
"Talon!" Kristen hugged her friend tightly.
"Ack…Kristen…can't…breathe!"
Talon's head was still buzzing from the effects of the drug used to knock them unconscious. She'd really like to be able to breathe. Kristen released her friend after a few more seconds.
"I'm so glad I'm not alone!"
"Me too…where are we?"
"Umm…."
"'Cause it reminds me of that hole we dug when we were 10…"
Kristen looked around for a few seconds before realizing that wouldn't do her any good. She remembered that hole. It had taken them a week, but they had gotten it to a point where it had been about 12 feet deep, nearly three times as tall as they were at the time, though now…it was probably only a little over twice, as the girls were 5'6 (Kristen), and 5'9 (Talon). Just as they had climbed out and announced the hole complete, the ledge beneath Talon had given away and she'd slipped to the very bottom. The ropes they'd been using to get in and out had already been detached by Talon and went down with her, as she was still holding them.
'Talon! Are you okay?'
'I-I-I-I think…'
'Do you have your flashlight?'
'I…might…'
'Good, use it! Then toss the rope up here!'
'Kay!'
Shining the light around, Talon had found two necklaces knotted together. It took both girls three hours to untie them, so convoluted was the knot. The necklaces were identical, silver, shaped like a crescent moon with a small place to allow a stone to be set in.
(NOT A MILLENNIUM ITEM! OR A CENTENNIAL! NOT AN ITEM PERIOD! PERIOD!)
Impressed and overjoyed, the girls decided to use them as friendship necklaces, and never took them off. Except in the pool and in the shower, at that point, they were looped around their wrist. The girls had also convinced their parents to let them buy stones that fit into the setting places as well. Talon bought an amethyst one, while Kristen got a sapphire one. But the venture had a negative effect on the girls as well. Talon developed a fear of enclosed spaces, particularly dark ones, and Kristen disliked being in high places, and both were afraid of losing their friend forever next time.
"Kristen?"
"Huh?" Kristen was back in the current times again, her entire reverie only taking a few seconds.
"You spaced out…so where do you think…we are?"
Talon's voice was cracking, and she knew it. She was trying to keep her calm, but was definitely having trouble.
"I don't know…what I really want to know though is who!"
"Well…"
"Talon?"
"I have a hunch…."
"A hunch bout what?"
"About who those men were that carried us off."
"Oh I can't wait to hear this…who?"
"Rare Hunters."
"Oh please, Tal!"
"I'm serious! They didn't grab you until you said Marik Ishtar!"
"Please tell me there's a point to this?"
Ignoring her friend's comment, Talon continued. "But I still don't know why they grabbed me…" This thought was more to herself than to anyone else.
"Perhaps I can shed some light on that matter."
Both girls jumped and looked around. The door was open and they could see the silhouette of someone, a male being their best guess. It didn't seem to be one of the men who captured them…he wasn't wearing a hooded clock. Well…he was wearing something you might wear call a cloak, but not really. But they couldn't see his face, just his shadowy outline. He began to step away from the door, just as Talon made a mad dash toward it. However, even though no one was near enough to the door to close it, it slammed shut, plunging the room back into darkness. Talon's whimper was easily heard.
"What a pitiful try to escape. Hopefully you can do much better than that."
The voice, which had startled them too much for them to identify it the first time, now became recognizable. But they didn't believe what their brains were telling them. How could they?
The only light in the room came from a light in the room now was a dim glow, kind of like a glow stick, coming from something the person was holding. But the shape of that "glow stick" was what disturbed the girls the most. The handle was long and slender slightly pointed on one end, and on the other, rounded. Rounded with wings. Or…well…wing like decorations. But what really scared them was what was in the center of the rounded area. An eye shaped symbol that they most definitely recognized. The Millennium Eye.
When he raised the object, which the girls had identified as the Millennium Rod, it was no surprise that the eyes they could see were what they expected.
Lavender eyes just weren't that common.
As the light grows brighter, the sandy hair also comes into view. Oh yes…they knew who this was. This was Marik Ishtar. They HAD been kidnapped by Rare Hunters. But that had a lot more serious implications. A heck of a lot more serious implications.
Suddenly torches on the walls light and flickering flames make the girls blink as they see Marik smirk. This didn't look good. Not at all.