A/N: Hey, that was quick! Lol...
"She's WHAT!" screeched Mariah. "Hilary, you told me she's gone to bed."
"No, I said I thought she's gone to bed!" replied Hilary, her face white with worry. "Raul, how do you know?"
"I have this feeling!" said Raul frantically. Seeing the confused look on the others' faces, he said, "It's a twin thing, okay? Like when she got lost in the woods once and I had that feeling and we went to look for her, the circus family and I, and we found her. It was all because of my feeling!"
Kai raised an eyebrow. "All right, don't get frantic," he said, thinking of what they could do.
"Don't get frantic?" exclaimed Raul. "How could I not get frantic? My twin's been kidnapped, Kai, kidnapped! Do you have a twin, Kai? NO! You don't! So you have no idea how it feels if your twin gets kidnapped. So don't tell me not to get frantic just because you're not frantic!"
"Calm down," said Tala. "You're not getting anywhere by fretting."
"JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT MY TWIN DOESN"T MEAN I DON'T!" he bellowed. Matilda got up and put a hand on his shoulder timidly. "We all care about Julia," she said in a low voice. "But we need to think calmly." Raul quieted down and sat on a nearby armchair, casting murderous looks at Kai and Tala every now and then.
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Julia glared up at Dave. "Let me go, Dave," she said through clenched teeth. He laughed and let her go, retaining his hold on only one arm. Untying a black neck cloth from around his neck, he tied it over Julia's eyes. "So that you don't see the way to our hideout," he explained, carefully tying a knot. By now Julia was completely resigned to her fate, and walked beside him limply.
After about 20 minutes of walking, she heard a door opening and Dave pulled her into a deliciously warm place. At the same time, he pulled off the blindfold, tying it back around his neck. Julia gasped. They were in what looked like a very luxuriously furnished, heated warehouse.
"Make yourself comfortable," said Dave, taking the coat back and locking the door. All of Dave's cronies had also stepped in. and were now lounging about on sofas or chairs.
Julia made her ay to the most uncomfortable chair she could find and sat in it rigidly, staring glassily ahead. Dave saw her and laughed quietly. "She's very obstinate" he thought, walking towards her. When he reached her, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and shook it gently. "You don't need to be stubborn," he smiled. "It will be much easier for you."
She jerked her face away. "Why did you kidnap me?" she said in a low voice.
"For the heck of it," he shrugged. She looked up in shock and anger. "You kidnapped me for the heck of it?" she hissed. "And I suppose all this stuff is stolen," gesturing towards the furniture and all the other facilities. "I suppose you're a thief too, right, kidnapping wasn't enough…"
"No, this stuff is bought from my own money," he replied with a frown. "My uncle died a few years back and he left me a good deal of estates and property. I don't steal. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to send a ransom note to your team, Julia."
"Why do you need a ransom if you're already rich?" exclaimed Julia.
Dave stopped in his tracks and turned around. He had an inexplicable smirk on his face s he said, "It would go against the principles of kidnapping if I didn't ask for a ransom." Tying his black neck cloth over the lower half of his face, he kissed his fingers to her tauntingly and winked before throwing his hood over his head and leaving.
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At the hotel, Raul got a phone call at the reception of the hotel. "Hello?" he said, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice.
"Are you Raul, from the F-Dynasty?" asked a voice over the phone.
"Yes, yes I am," replied Raul, surprised.
"We have your sister."
"YOU kidnapped her?" exclaimed Raul. "Wait till I get my hands on you!"
"That will be rather hard for you. Now, I'm giving you a place to meet me at. Meet me there in half an hour. We'll negotiate her return."
He gave Raul the address and hung up. "I don't know my way around Russia!" thought Raul. "Aw, this stinks…" Then, he got an idea: he would get Kai to go with him!
"Kai!" he called, seeing the Russian on the opposite side of the lobby, walking towards the elevators. He stopped, waiting for Raul to catch up. "Kai, I need your help," said Raul, handing Kai a slip of paper with the address written on it. "Do you know this place?"
Kai nodded. "Let's go," he said. "It's a good 25 minutes' walk from here.
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Julia crept out of the warehouse. No one had seen her. She sighed in relief. She would come back later for her beyblade, this time with help. But when she saw where she was, she stopped short. She had no idea where to go! Closing her eyes for a second, she plunged into the direction of the nearest alleyway.
After a while, she came to a dead end which looked very familiar. This was where she had ended up before! Cursing mentally, she turned around to go, but yet again found herself confronted by a bunch of men. This time they were different.
The leader stepped up and pushed her against the wall. "What're you doing in this here locality, little girl?" he leered, showing yellow teeth. She glared at him, her heart pounding. She was scared out of her wits, looking around for means of escape. The man had taken out a dagger.
Just then, a familiar figure jumped in front of her. "Well, well, well," he said. "You've stooped low enough to steal other people's hostages, have you, Roger?"
Julia stared. It was Dave! The man whom Dave had called Roger looked at him sullenly, and then muttered "Come on," to his men, disappearing.
Dave turned around, surveying Julia. "You shouldn't have tried to escape, you know that?" he said, taking hold of her arm. "We're not going to harm you. Now come. Your brother wants to meet you."
A/N: Well, I think it was better than the previous chapter, albeit a little short than usual. What'd you think? REVIEW!