Hello People!

Here's another chappy! I'm sorry if I didn't update for The Fateful Encounter, mainly because I'm on a writer's block... However, please enjoy this new chap! Oh... And there is little Usui helping little Misaki out! So kawaii!

Anyways, if the genre bothers you, just ignore it... I know it sucks but I can promise that Misaki won't die, hehe.

Happy Chapter 4!

Chapter 4: The Escape

After a couple of hours of staring at the ceiling of the ugly basement, I felt disgusted. And I was bored. The afternoon sunlight made it obvious that it was not morning anymore and made me homesick all of a sudden.

"There must be some way out of here." I kept muttering to myself.

"Forget it, nobody's ever escaped from here," Harriet said hopelessly.

I stayed silent for a while, deep in my thoughts. Then the sound of dripping water awoke me. I quickly glanced around the room again. My eyes followed the walls stacked with huge china barrels that was large enough to fit me inside to the sound of the water.

"What's in those big china barrels?" I asked Harriet.

"I don't know."

I thought for a moment. "Everyone!" I called to get the children's attention.

All the children looked at me. I felt slightly uneasy, especially when the boy with emerald eyes looked at me. It was more like a glare...

"I... have a plan to escape this place."

There was murmurs around the room.

"That's impossible!" A girl shouted.

"What if we get caught?" A boy said outloud.

"Why should we trust you?"

The comments continued on and on. The blonde by remained silent.

"Look, everyone. I know that all of you are scared, terrified about what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after. However, what else can we do besides sitting here all day, waiting for our days of slavery in a foreign country or the auctions int he black market?" I tried to speak, calmly as I could.

"But what else can we do?" The same brown haired girl asked.

"What else can you all do?" I repeated her question. "All of you, all thirty-seven of you, including me are caged in here like animals, are being treated like objects to sell off by these ruthless criminals. Do you want to that to be your fate? Is that the path you choose?"

"That's our fate, and we can't change it." The blonde boy said. His eyes seemed to fill with hopelessness, but he kept his composed face.

"That's our fate?" I glared at him. "You think our fate was to be kidnapped? Don't you have any family and friends back home waiting for you, worrying for you? Let me tell you one thing, only you can control your future. You are the only one who can make decisions for your life, there's no one who can force you to do anything. Do you think I give a damn about your life? No, because it's yours and I have my own busy life to take care of."

The room was quiet and the sound of drips of leaking water echoed throughout the room.

"Then... what do we do first?" A little boy asked.

Everyone in the room turned their eyes on me, waiting for an order. Wait, what? An order?

For some reason, this feeling felt good. I didn't mean bossing people around was good but... the feeling you get when others will finally listen to you.

I smiled. "First, we get ourselves untied."

"How do we do that?"

I walked over to one of the china barrels and pushed it over with all my might. It crashed onto the ground and shards of broken china splattered all over the floor.

"Everyone," I called, "take one of these china shards and help untie each other. Cut the rope with these shards."

I then picked up one piece of broken china and demonstrated with Harriet. I moved the shard back and forth, slicing the rope bit by bit like a miniature saw. After Harriet's hands were untied, she repeated the same process to untie me. Soon, without any further orders, everyone started to help each other untie.

I glanced around the room and felt a little happy. My plan is working.

My happiness faded when my eyes contacted with the cold eyes of the blonde boy, bounded by chains.

I walked over to him. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you." I smoothly slipped a bobby pin of my hair which released my bangs. I stuck the bobby pin into the chain's lock. With a few clicks and churns, the lock popped open and the boy freed himself.

"Thanks."

"Your welcome."

I helped the last girl with untying and all thirty-seven of us were finally free. The little girl thanked me and ran to her sister.

"So what's next, smart one?" The blonde boy asked, half teasing me.

"Hmm..." I thought for a bit. "Our only escape route is that caged window."

"But it's caged, what can you do? Bend metal bars?" A boy asked sarcastically.

"Actually, yes."

"What?" He asked with a confused look.

"But, first we have to block the door so those criminal dudes can't get in. That can buy us more time to escape." I walked to the nearest china barrel and tried to push it. "Guys… a little help here?"

The blonde boy immediate ran to me and helped me move the heavy barrel in front of the door. He picked the thing up like it was nothing. What a creepy boy yet amazing boy.

"So how are you going to bend metal?" The boy from before asked.

"You'll see. Now… it's time for some magic." I skipped back to the broken china barrel. I dipped my finger in some of the leaking liquid that was still trap in some large pieces of china and tasted it.

"Rice wine." I said suddenly.

The blonde boy dipped his finger and too tasted it. "How do you know?"

"My grandfather used love drink a lot. He sometimes let me take some sips. I remember this taste," I replied confidently. I looked back a t the metal bars stuck on the window. Another idea crept up my mind.

"What do you have up your sleeve, princess?" The blonde boy asked.

I smirked. "Princess? That's new." I pushed another barrel down, but this time I only let it crack a slight hole.

"Won't they hear us?" A girl asked worriedly while staring at the door.

"Don't worry, they're probably drunk and sleeping like pigs. Didn't you notice? Criminal A had big puffy red cheeks and his breath smelled of alcohol. His symptoms look exactly like grandfather when he's drunk," I assured.

I unwrapped my scarf and stuffed it inside the barrel, making sure it gets soaked. I found a nice sturdy stick somewhere and took the wet soaking scarf with me. Climbing up the boxes of cargo and illegal smuggled drugs, I finally reached the tiny opening metal bars. I tied the scarf and stick together tightly in a loop and made sure two of the bars were trapped inside. I kept on twisting and twisting the stick.

"What are you doing?" Someone asked.

"I am using the force of the stick and wet cloth to borrow strength." I kept on twisting and twisting the stick until the scarf forced the two bars to bend towards each other, creating a huge gap between the bent bar and the other unbent bar. There was a few gasps of awe.

I repeated the process with the other two unbent metal bars, finally establishing a large hole in the opening. "Everyone, this is our chance. Come one!"

The children lined up one by one and filed out throughout the opening, each one giving a thankful smile or a "thank you".

Every thing went accordingly well, until... the locks of the door started clicking. Once all the locks were done, the kidnappers tried to open the door, but the barrrels blocked the doors which caused the handles to shake. "What are you brats up to!" IT was obviously Criminal A's voice. His voice sounded angry, scratch that, he sound pissed. Very pissed.

"Come on! Hurry! They're coming!" I yelled as I pushed more kids through the opening.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~ I left a cliffy there. I'm gonna make you guys wait! HEHEHEHEHEHE...

Please remember to review, PLEASE! IF I don't get reviews, I won't write or update!

Thanx,

CC