Chapter 1

Disclaimer: read prologue

Everything happened in slow motion. They could still hear Ellie Goulding's voice echo over and over.

"Now I am on the outside... Now I am on the outside..."

Neither girl could speak, hear, see, or move. They were all paralyzed head to toe thanks to the bittersweet concoction. It felt like days when it was really hours since the mysterious man escorted each one to his Underworld. Surely, families were worried sick about now, and no doubt called the police. But what could they do? No traces were left at the scene of the crime. Only Mr. Benoit was the key to identifying the kidnapper, but the man was smart. Surely, if he can knock four girls out in one spray, he can take care of an older man with same height and geek clothing.

Everyone was asking the same old questions. Why them? Why their children? How can this happen? Is this a dream? Are they dead, yet? If only it was simple.

"Lily? Lily?"

The teen moaned, blinking eyes awake to see everything in a blur. Judging the dimmed colors of musky orange and grey and the touch of cold stone, she guessed they were in a dungeon of sorts. She ran her free hand on wool fabric and bounced her body up and down to hear the squeaks of a spring bed.

"Lily?" the voice was shaky but crystal clear. The sharp, direct voice Lily knew too well.

"C-Claire?" Lily whispered, reaching out to touch face or hair, confirming that this was her reality.

"Yes. Yes, Lily-May, it's me." Her friend's voice was masked. She wanted to put on the brave face and act like the natural born leader she was at school. But they knew the truth. She was scared little girl, just like any other victim. It confirmed that what happened in the car was no dream.

"W-What's happening?" Lily pulled Claire into a hug, refusing to be alone. At least, she thought they were alone. "Where's Marcia and-"

"They are asleep. We're okay," Claire assured her with a sad grin.

Lily moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling the strain in her eyes. She shielded her eyes shut, until the pain has past before massaging the back of her skull to relieve the headache.

"What time is it? How long have we been out?"

"I don't know," Claire whispered. "He took our phones."

"Did you see him?"

"No... Not yet anyway... Do you remember anything? Did you see what he did to my dad?"

Lily shook her head in confirmation. She didn't need glasses to see that Claire was disappointed with the answer.

They perked at a moan nearby.

"What the hell?"

Claire breathed out with relief, leading blinded Lily to another springy bed.

"Marcie. Marcie, get up," Claire commanded.

The dark provocative girl jumped with a frightened gasp, "What the hell? What the hell!?"

"Marcie, it's okay. We're safe," Claire assured her friend.

Safe? Safe wasn't exactly the word they could describe in this situation. Although Marcia has a history of being extremely sensitive. If her cheerleading captain told her that she gained weight, the poor girl would cry for hours and tried dangerous tactics to lose weight. Luckily Donna and Claire stopped her from throwing up, and the entire group of girls including Lily pitched in to help guide Marcia towards a better path to a healthy lifestyle.

"Are you serious, Claire?" Marcia hissed. "Look where we are! We are going to die! Do you hear me? Die!"

Claire shushed Marcia, pulling her and Lily into a closed embrace. "Don't be scared. I am not going to let him hurt you. Never."

"How... How big is the room?" Lily asked, explaining that the man took her glasses. She couldn't see a lick, only a fog of dark colors.

"The room is a good size for all of us to move freely," Claire stated. "And there are two springy pieces of shit that creep call beds."

"Yeah," Marcia agreed. "There is also a bathroom behind you."

Lily nodded, "Claire, you can sleep with Casey, if you want."

Claire scoffed, "Why me?"

"Because she tried to kill me, remember?"

Claire shushed her, "Quiet, she is waking up."

Lily quieted down, listening to panting breaths of the last companion. It was calm and steady as a river bank. She was surprised that the girl didn't flip out like Marcia. The girl in the corner was the only one holding a record for fastest earn of detentions, beating bad boy James McDuff from Calculus.

"We woke up in here," Claire explained softly to the other girl. Then she decided to waste her breath and asked unnecessary questions. "Do you know anything? Do you know what happened to my dad?"

"Claire, we were all knocked unconscious," Lily argued. "If we don't know, how can she?"

A shush was made again, only this time Marcia was responsible. She gripped onto Lily's finger tightly.

"H-He's out there."

The girls remained quiet, listening intently for any signs of movement. A footstep. A squeak. A door click. Something. It didn't help when the huddled group's breathing escalated. The girl in the corner was the only one that was steady and calm, but far away.

A door slam jumped the girls in fright. The group of three held on to each other tight, refusing to let go, especially when the door opened slowly. Lily bit her lower lip down, but not enough to draw blood. She attempted to silence unnecessary noises as footsteps slowly echoed against the stone walls. Only small whimpers escaped. The girls tried to remain calm, facing the image of navy, white, and brown.

Lily didn't know whether to be afraid or relieved that she didn't have to see her captor in clear vision. The last thing she could visualize was the knotted face and menacing blue eyes that was blocked by the black square framed glasses and the white surgeon mask. Lily blinked away the horrid image for she might start to cry.

The brown blur turned out to be a chair, while the navy and white pulled out a new color - yellow. The yellow rag that was used to pick up trash from Mr. Benoit's messy car. He swiped the dirt and dust from the chair, before sitting down.

Silence remained in the empty room. The girls' hearts race in suspense, debating whether to speak first or let their captor talk. So far he wasn't doing anything other than stare at each individual with the creepy glim through his specs.

The second Lily released her bottom lip, words escaped form her.

"W-What do - do you want from u-us?" she asked, earning a shush from her companions.

There. She said it. No doubt her voice was shaky from fear, but she showed that Claire wasn't the only one trying to be the brave alpha to their pack.

The man didn't respond right away, but Lily could feel his predatory gaze at her. Her cheeks flushed, averting her gaze down on her muddy boots.

"I understand you all have questions." His voice was rich, disciplined with a hint of a Boston flare. He could compete with Country Boy Benny for the most dashing accent.

"But I assure you, young lady, you will know in good time."

She perked at the sudden shift, making her look up to see the colors of navy and white rising high. He was standing up from his chair, his body facing the group of three. A predator coming towards his prey. That was never a good sign.

"But first, you must come with me," he spoke, removing the chair from the room.

Lily widened her eyes. He wanted her to come with him? Now she regretted speaking out. Maybe, she should've let him do the talking or let Claire take over the role as the alpha.

She could feel her friends' arms around her protectively, while she held onto them for dear life.

"Don't worry," he assured. "It will only be a minute."

She waited for the pull, preparing for the fight of her life. Maybe he will drag her out with a weapon. She couldn't see to know, but all she could do was hold on, begging her friends not to let him take her.

They were screams, but it didn't come from Lily. Instead, Marcia was being pulled from the group. There were screeches of protest, tug a wars, and lots of struggle.

"Get off her!" Lily clawed the man's hand, earning a smack across the face, falling off the bed in one thud. She didn't smell or taste blood, luckily. She could still feel the harsh sting against her left cheek.

Under the bed, she should see black pairs hurrying towards the other bed. Marcia calling out to the girl in the corner for help. But the other girl did nothing as the man dragged Marcia out of the room. Lily climbed back on the bed, interlocking her hands together making a silent prayer for Marcia. Finally allowing the tears to fall. No doubt this man brought them here for sexual satisfaction. This was clearly the 11 year Cleveland Abduction over again. No doubt they will be in chains, dressed up in rags, and starve for days giving them no choice but to drink pee.

The only question Lily asked herself was how can she survive this horror. How did the inspiring captives survive the weeks, months, or years of torture? Fight? Manipulate? Be obedient till the time was right?

Claire wasn't going to sit around to think about her options. Lily could hear her banging the door, ordering the man to open the door and let Marcia go.

It was clear that God gave them a miracle. The captor did as Claire commanded and dropped the victim back into the room. From what Lily could hear was that the man was clearly displeased, almost crying in pain. He was grumbling something, until it was silenced by the door slam. She peered over the bed to no longer see the colors of navy and white. He was gone.

Lily followed the sound of Marcia's whimpers, nearly bumping her arm on the bed post or maybe it was Claire's leg. The blondes hurried to comfort Marcia.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked breathlessly.

"What happened? Did you kick him in the balls?" Lily asked.

"H-He..." Marcia overcame her shock to stand up from the ground. "He wanted me to dance for him."

Lily was clearly disgusted. Not only because of the captor's demand, but felt something wet on the floor. Judging by the smell, it was piss. Did Marcia pee on herself to get out of there? That was genius. Claire helped Marcia up, while Lily pulled herself up by using the bed as support.

"The outside door is locked," Marcia added.

Through blurred eyes, Lily could see Marcia's form walking towards a set of red, black, and white. The girl in the corner. Lily almost forgot that she was here. She thought she was hearing things, but she could've sworn she heard Marcia whispered her thanks to the girl in the corner. Why? Was peeing herself really the other girl's idea? The somewhat quiet people can be mysterious but almost dangerous. Lily debated which one to have as the leader, her best friend for three years or the freak that tried to kill her?

"Everything is okay," Claire breathlessly whispered with a forced assuring smile across her lips. "We're okay."

"Okay?!" Lily snapped, glared sharply at her friend in shock. "Okay?! Are you kidding me, Claire?"

"He hasn't done anything... or at least accomplished anything."

"He did accomplish something. He fuckin' kidnapped us, remember?!"

"Lily, please," Marcia pleaded. "Now is not the time."

"Time for what?! Wait until the creep tries something else?!"

"We're not going to give him the satisfaction by crying and screaming," Claire declared. "We need to think of a plan. We have to get out of here."

"Wow, gee. Thanks Claire, wished I ever thought of it."

"Lily," Claire's voice was stern, equal to her mother's.

Lily sighed, running her fingers through her loose strands of hair. "I'm sorry, guys... This... This is only a defense mechanism."

"It's okay, Lily," Marcia forgave her.

Lily nodded, slowly finding her way down to the empty bed to sit. "If any of you guys have a plan to escape, I will like to hear it."

Claire didn't say anything, only rushed inside the bathroom to puke. So much for being the tough alpha.

~000~000~000~

Once everyone gained their composure, they went straight to planning.

"I noticed the flowers on the pillows," The girl in the corner spoke. Finally.

Lily stuck her right arm out to the side for the pillow, and felt the short stem and blooming petals. She lifted it up to see the flower was yellow. A carnation maybe?

"And the bathroom."

"Poor attempt for interior decorating," Lily grumbled.

The girl in the corner didn't hear the sarcasm, only explained her thoughts. "It's almost as if we are important."

Claire scoffed in disgust, "He wants to make us his brides. You know one of those guys who wants to Stockholm Syndrome our asses and keep us here for another ten-fifteen years."

"Or worse, make us sex slaves," Lily interjected, rolling her eyes. "I knew it. This is the Cleveland Abduction all over again."

"There are no cabinets. No clothes," The girl in the corner whispered. "We won't be staying long. If he wanted us to be brides or slaves, he would've wanted us to look the part. He is a clean freak."

The thought of being killed by the creep almost made their hearts stopped. It made Marcia cry, earning hushes from Lily.

"So what do we do?" Lily asked.

"Well, we are not going to let him take one of us out again," Claire paced the room back and forth frantically. "Next time, we won't be lucky. We can only cry and scream and beg, be scared that he could do worse if we resist! God! That is victim shit! Jesus!"

"Hey! Hey. Hey. Don't bring the Son of God's name in vain," Lily scolded. "Remember the Ten Commandments at Sunday School?"

"Shut up!" Claire snapped. "You know what?" She clapped her hands, nodding her head. "We should fight him. We should drop a crazy ass bomb on him."

"Bad idea," The girl in the corner grumbled.

"And why not?"

"Because I saw him carry one of you to the bed. Like you weighed nothing. One punch from him could knock one of us out."

"Not really," Lily stated. "He hit me in the face, yet I'm still standing." Although, her left cheek turned from sparks of needles to numbness. She moved her jaw around, trying to gain the feeling back.

"I took six months of Kenpo Karate class. You're supposed to distract the assailant with pain."

Claire was cut off by a laugh. The girl in the corner's laugh.

"What's so funny?" Marcia asked.

"Everything is so easy for you guys," The girl in the corner whispered with a smile curled across her lips. "You do one thing, you predict the next. It's not the way it's going to be in this situation."

"We're not going to get out of here!" Claire snapped, tears glistened from her eyes. Her voice becoming hoarse from all the screams and ramblings. "Are you saying that you are not going to fight with everything you got?! It's four against one! We got one chance... One chance... if the four of us go crazy on this guy!"

"And then what?" The girl in the corner challenged. "What will happen after that?"

Lily paused to think of the possibilities. They could escape, or the guy will take them down, or there's more than one in the Underworld to take them all down.

"I-I'm in," Marcia declared. "If only you guys are in too. Claire is smart, let's listen to her."

"But what if, Marcie?" Lily asked. "What if there is more than one guy here? What if the guy locks the outside door every time he comes in here? You said there is another door to get through, right?"

Marcie nodded.

"We can try gaining the man's trust. Like the survivors did. Until the time is right."

"How would you know when the time is right, if you can't see, Lily?" Claire snapped.

"Well, excuse me?! I am going through all our options, while your only solution is to go crazy! Just like the soriorty party we made us sneak into last year."

"Guys, please!" Marcia pleaded in tears. "Fighting won't get us anywhere."

"No one made you come! And we got kicked out afterwards! I'm not going to sit here and allow this man to come onto me. You can play rape victim, but I am not! We don't have much time. We have to hurry."

"Shut up," the girl in the corner declared. It didn't hold anger like any of the girls would when using the word. It was surprisingly calm, almost in defeat. From the deep breathing and clenching jaw and fist, Claire didn't take a liking to the girl's tone. "Shut up. All of you."

"How about you shut up?" Claire snapped. "You are going to pick your miserable ass up and help us get out of here."

"Or what?" she challenged. "You are going to go crazy on me, too? Blow me. You and your six months of karate at the King of Prussia Mall."

The girls furrowed their brows, questioning the girl's choice of words. How did she know that Claire took karate at the specific mall? Was she a stalker? What a creep.

Marcia rested her head on top of Lily's shoulder. "You know we can't do anything with all this fighting. We have to get in the same page."

"How can we?" Claire asked. "She..." The blonde pointed at the girl in the corner. "is not one of us."

"Maybe not," Lily admitted. "But not everyone is okay with your crazy ass plan either."

Claire scoffed, stomping herself back in the bathroom.

"Okay, Casey," Marcia began, using the girl's real name. "Do you have a plan to get us out of here?"

"No," the other girl admitted. "But I will let you know when I hear something that makes sense. We don't even know what this is, yet."

Lily sighed, nodding her head, "Okay."

She laid back against the bed, burying herself in her pillow. All she could think about was her family, the horses, Benny. How did they react to the abduction? The animals on the farm will know that something was wrong. They were smart, always gained an instinct. No doubt they will go searching for her as well as Benny. The thought of her cowboy sweetheart made her touch the silver locket around her neck. She could feel the lines and trances of the horse pendant. She allowed herself to cry in her sleep that was soothed by her friend's meaningless comfort.

"Everything is okay, Lily. We have to be strong. We will get out of here... Everything is okay..."

A/N: I know it has been three months since I posted this, and was pleasantly surprised at the number of followers and favorites this story received. Thank you all so much for giving the story a chance. I probably might update this story, maybe not - I have my job and other stories to focus on too. I know there is nothing exciting going on in this chapter, but it will get better.

I hope you like his either way.

Thank you: inperfection, K . Riley, Your Delusional Fantasies, musicluvur246, cmxx, Ms . An0nymous, 0001234, KD, Guest, The true Hero of Skill, and LadyRedStar for reviewing. You guys ROCK!