I'd like to thank Kelsea Scarlett for this chapter. That very long e-mail had made this chapter ten times better!

Chapter Three

Clarisse put down the book she was looking at in the bookstore. She had only been there five minutes, but decided it was time to go and meet Mia back at the café. She could hardly see as she walked out of the bookstore because of the bright sunlight. She smiled into the clear sky, walking slowly towards the café. She hardly ever was given the opportunity to enjoy the weather, with all the time she spent with her paperwork! It was good to be out and about; Mia was really helping her branch out in life. She never would have roamed the streets alone before this, and, she had to admit, it felt nice not to be surrounded by armed guards. She felt free.

Suddenly, a young boy on a bicycle came tearing down the sidewalk. Clarisse jumped out of the way, holding her hand over her wildly thumping heart as she watched the bike zoom by, and the young boy saying sorry over his shoulder as he passed by. She could only thank God she hadn't been hit. Her breathing steadied, and she prepared to step out of the alleyway she had used to clear the path. But seemingly out of nowhere, she felt a great deal of weight surround her, strong arms holding her struggling frame and a large hand firmly clasped over her protesting mouth. A sinking sensation filled her stomach. Her captor dragged her into the back of the dark alley.

Her senses were weakening. All she could feel was a hard, cold fear enveloping her soul and the force of the man behind her. She fought to maintain even breathing, unsuccessfully straining against the powerful force with all her might. The man pinned Clarisse against the hard, brick wall and cornered her so she couldn't get away. When she saw who the man was, she almost fainted. It was Viscount Mabrey. Before he took his hand off her mouth he said "If you scream, I'll be forced to take drastic measures."

Clarisse obeyed. She was so scared, that she was shaking and almost in tears. "I wish I had let Joseph come with Mia and I today. He would have protected me. But now it's too late, and he is miles away at the palace, with no idea what is happening to me." She thought to herself. "Dear Joseph, he's always been there for me…And he will be now…eventually. I hope Mia figures out I'm not at the bookstore soon."

"What do you want with me?" Her voice wavered. She breathed deeply several times in an attempt to appear composed.

"Oh, not much." Mabrey said calmly. "I just wanted to thank you for all of the humiliation you and your dreadful granddaughter have cost me."

"There is nothing wrong with Mia, and you brought everything on yourself." Clarisse said coldly. She was afraid of what he would do next.

"Oh I did, did I? Well, I guess your right, since I wanted Nicholas to get the crown so I could have more power." Mabrey said plainly. Before Clarisse could say anything, he had taped her mouth shut. Clarisse went to hit him, but someone came up beside him and caught her arm. The man turned her around and was tying her hands behind her back as Mabrey said "Thanks Doug, I owe you one."

"Hey, I need excitement like this once in a while. Ever since that old gang of ours stopped thirty years ago because everyone else thought it was too childish." Doug said.

Mabrey turned back to Clarisse, who was crying by now. He grabbed her hair to force her to move closer to him. "Do everything we tell you, and don't try to do anything stupid." He said. Since Clarisse couldn't say anything, and had no option anyway, she nodded in agreement. He guided her to an old parking lot and opened the trunk of a car for her to get in. Her eyes widened at the thought of having to squeeze in to that tiny space. Let alone having to do it with her hands tied behind her back. She tried her best but it was no use. Doug and Arthur Mabrey had to do it for her. Then Doug and Arthur got into the front of the car, and Arthur put on a disguise. It looked horrible. He had a hard time looking different because of his beard, so he put on a fake white beard, sunglasses, and a big hat. Hopefully no one would notice him.

Clarisse heard the car start and drive away. Where it was headed, she had no idea. But right now all she could think about was how scared she was and how little air and space she had.

Joseph, Nicholas, Mia, Shades, and the security guards went to the bookstore. When they got there, they were disappointed. The store owner said that Clarisse had left about fifteen minutes ago. How were they ever going to find her now? Mia was so upset about her grandmother being missing. She kept blaming herself. "I shouldn't have came to pick out a wedding dress today. This wouldn't have happened." She kept saying. Joseph and Nicholas had to keep telling her it wasn't her fault. Joseph was having a hard time making Mia feel better though, because he was worried about Clarisse so much. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't know what to do.

They drove around for a long time, but Clarisse was nowhere to be seen. At one point there was a car that drove passed them. Nicholas thought he recognized one of the men, but not the other one. Joseph thought the same. The man they recognized look familiar, but Joseph had never seen him before. The man had a white beard and was wearing sunglasses and a hat.

After searching all night with no luck, they all went back to the palace. They also decided not to call the police since the police couldn't do any better than the palace's security. All calling the police would do, is get the press involved, which would make it even harder for Joseph and the others to find Clarisse.

That night Joseph went to bed without Clarisse, for the first time since their wedding. He lay wide awake, staring at Clarisse's side of the bed for a while. Oh how he longed to be able to hold her safely in his arms once again. He prayed that she was okay. He also thought about what he would do to Arthur Mabrey if he found him. There was no doubt that it was Arthur who was behind Clarisse's disappearance.

Clarisse, Arthur and Doug were at Doug and Arthur's old gang hideout. Clarisse was so used to the palace that this place was a nightmare. It was so messy and filthy. She was put in a locked room with no windows so she couldn't get away. She still didn't know what they wanted with her, but she guessed she would have to wait until tomorrow to find out. Then she thought about Joseph. She wondered how he was handling her disappearance. If he had come looking for her. If he was having as much trouble sleeping as she was.

I know I made the Viscount more evil than he is, but hey, it's fanfiction. And I really hate him so I made him mean.