It's Christmas
Chapter 1
Rick was standing there looking at a massive Christmas tree. It was all lit up in lights. It had ornaments and Christmas presents all wrapped up sitting under it. It was gorgeous. He was close to it and was looking up at it. It was really tall. "I'm glad I didn't have to put up all the lights up there."
"Hello, Santa," a feminine voice called out. Hearing that had Rick turning to look at where that voice came from.
She was short. Maybe four feet tall in heels, if she was even wearing heels. She wore a colorful dress, striped stockings, and boots with a curl at the tips. She was wearing a vest, maybe. But it was her hat that had Rick's attention. It was long, and at the tip, there was an ornament that looked like a bulb. It was full of flowers and leaves.
Next, he looked at her face. She had big eyes and the cutest little nose he had ever seen. Her lips were small and plump. She was cute. No, that didn't fit what she was. She was beautiful. Her hair was long, with a slight purple tinge to it, and it was full of curls. Yes, she was beautiful.
"Why, thank you, Santa. And I must say you're quite handsome yourself. My name is Lucy, and I'm the head Elf around here."
Somehow, even her voice fit her. It almost had a song to it.
*~{[}~*
Flashback
*~{[}~*
Rick was fresh out of college, number four, to be precise, given that the first three had kicked him out. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't! Even if it was. They just couldn't take a joke.
But it helped him grow up a little. He had written a book and was trying to get it published. Except, no one was interested in him so far. Maybe it was his name. Richard Rodgers didn't just roll off the tongue. It didn't sound powerful, but he didn't know what to change it to that could help him.
He got to their apartment and came in. "Hello, Mother." It wasn't much of a home, but it gave him a roof over his head.
"Richard!" Martha was happy to have him there. "Are you hungry? Of course, you're hungry. You're a growing boy. Let me get you something." Martha retreated to the kitchen.
"Any mail, Mother?"
"On the table," Martha told him.
He went through the mail. One was a Vote for Me. "Trash." Rick wasn't interested in voting for anyone. They were all crooks. They had insider trading and didn't get caught. They didn't have to vote themselves for a pay raise. They had to vote to NOT give them a raise, and he knew no one would do that. It didn't matter who he voted for. He was going to get screwed no matter who won.
He found a power bill; it was a Second Notice. If he would only get his book published, he could help with the bills. Then he found one sent to him, so he ripped it open.
"Mister Rodgers. We find your book to be fascinating, but it's just not us. Blah, blah, blah." Rick crumpled it up and threw it away, another rejection.
"I get paid tomorrow, Mother. I can pay the power bill. Don't worry about it." But she wasn't listening to him.
"Dinner, Richard." She poured the soup she'd warmed up from a can and put it in a bowl. She sat it on the table and put a spoon next to it; she sat down to watch him eat.
"You're not eating?" Rick questioned her.
"I'm not hungry. Eat, eat," Martha told him. Instead, she watched him get up, take out another bowl and a spoon, and pour half of his bowl into hers.
"Eat, and don't tell me you're not hungry when I know you are. Now eat. Please, Mother."
"I raised a good son." Martha was ready to cry; she picked up her spoon and ate her soup. "I've got a Stage Reading tomorrow."
"That's great! Does it mean you got a part?" Rick asked her.
"Stage Reading actors will move around the stage more like they would in a full production but still with their scripts in hand. It's more of an audition," Martha explained.
"You'll get the part, I know you will. You're good, and you're still pretty."
"Oh, Richard." Martha knew she wasn't that kind of pretty any longer. Those years were behind her. She touched her son's hand. "Thank you."
*~{[}~*
Rick got out of bed and took a quick shower using as little water as possible. Water cost money. He brushed his teeth with a well-used toothbrush and squeezed out as much toothpaste as possible since the tube was almost empty.
Then he got dressed and put his coat on. He looked in on his mother, who was still fast asleep. "Knock them dead, Mother." And he left to go to work. It was still dark outside, and it was snowing. It was February, so it was possible. February 2nd, to be precise.
He pulled up his collar and started walking against the wind.
All of a sudden, it stopped blowing in his face. He looked up, and what he saw was impossible, totally impossible. It looked like a walking snowflake. He could see right through parts of it.
Then he watched as it reached out to touch him. He was scared but wasn't really scared. Then it vanished, and he was standing before a massive Christmas tree.
It was beautiful. But Rick didn't understand just where he was now. Then suddenly, a voice called out, "Hello, Santa."
*~{[}~*
End Flashback
*~{[}~*
Johanna walked into the room. "What are you doing, Jim?"
"Almost done," Jim told her. When he finished it, he handed it to her.
Dear Santa,
We're terribly sorry we stopped believing in you years ago. We swear will make it up to you. We'll go to soup kitchens, donate food, and our time. We'll give to food drives and toy drives.
Please, all we want is our Katie. That's all we want. Please return her to us. We're begging you. You're our last hope.
Yours forever,
Jim and Johanna Beckett
"A Dear Santa letter?" Johanna looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"We're desperate, Jo. We are, admit it. The police haven't got anything. We've hired two, count them, two private detectives, and they've found nothing. Nothing, Jo. The FBI hasn't even bothered to respond.
"We're desperate." Jim held up a pen for her to use to sign her name.
"It's been two whole years, Jo. I'm betting the police have long since given up on us. What have we got to lose? Food, toys, time." Jim continued to hold up the pen for her to use.
"But a Dear Santa letter? It's not even Christmas any longer," Johanna told him. But she looked at his pleading face. "You're right, we are desperate. Alright, I'll sign and spend time in a soup kitchen and donate food." Johanna took the pen out of his hand and signed her name.
As she watched, Jim signed, folded it up, and put it in an envelope. He wrote Dear Santa on the outside of it and attached postage.
Jim looked over at his wife. "I'll go put this in the post office box." He got up and pulled on a jacket.
"A Dear Santa letter." Johanna shook her head. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel here.
"What have we got to lose, Jo?" Jim kissed her and left to deliver the letter.
"But a Dear Santa letter?" Jo said after he closed the door and left.
*~{[}~*
Flashback
*~{[}~*
Kate was walking home from school, high school, to be precise. She had her head down to try and block it from the wind and the cold.
Then suddenly, there was a black hood over her head, and someone was actually tossing her somewhere.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Kate complained as she felt her arms pulled behind her back and zip ties applied to her wrists. "OW!"
"Look, I have a little money on me. It's yours if you'll let me go. Where are you taking me anyway?" Kate asked them, but no one was talking.
Eventually, she felt the van, or whatever she was in, remain stopped for longer than just stopping at a red light. Then she heard the door open, and a man dragged her out. Only a man had the strength that person had.
She stumbled a little, and he held her up with his hand on her arm. She felt him drag her somewhere, but she didn't know where.
Then he yanked the hood off her head, and she saw a cage clang shut. She watched as he put a lock on her door. "Hey, where am I?" But Kate watched him walk away without answering.
"I'm in a cage, great," Kate told herself, then she heard someone crying. She looked that way and saw another girl in a cage sitting there with her hands behind her back, crying.
"What's your name? Do you know where we are?" Kate asked her. "Hey, I'm talking to you." But she just sat there and cried.
"I'm in a cage; my only roommate is a crying girl. HEY! Where am I?" Kate tried again, but all she did was sit there and cry.
Kate decided to sit down, even with her hands tied behind her back.
*~{[}~*
Kate was still awake when she saw a man come back and unlock her cage. Unlike her roommate, she would show him she wasn't some helpless little girl. She had plans for him.
"Come on. UP." He grabbed her by the arm, yanked her to a standing position, and pulled her out of the cage. Then he took her into a side room.
Kate saw her opening, so she took it. She kicked him squarely in the balls. But instead, she ended up kicking something else.
He smiled at her. "Cup." Then he hit her squarely in the jaw with his fist, sending Kate flying. Then he grabbed her and hauled her up. "Don't try that again," he growled at her.
Kate spat blood on his face in defiance. He just smiled at her. He left her standing there as he walked over to a chair, picked something up, and showed it to her. "Put this on."
"The hell I will," Kate snapped. She got backhanded on her chin instantly, which knocked her down again.
Kate could taste the blood in her mouth and used her tongue to see if she had any loose teeth. He yanked her up by the arm. "Put this on, or I'll do it for you. And I'll enjoy it," he told her.
Then he cut her zip ties off of her and threw the dress at her, which Kate caught, and she rubbed her wrists since they hurt. "Fine. Turn around."
She watched him shake his head and leer at her. "Fine." Kate turned around so he couldn't see everything and began removing her clothes. She could feel his eyes on her when she took off her bra. She really felt his eyes on her when her panties came off.
Then she looked at the dress. "That jerk wants me to put this thing on?" Kate muttered to herself. There wasn't much to it. It had a deep V cut showing off her tits. There wasn't even a single button on this thing.
"Okay, stand here and move a little. Show some of those tits," the man told her.
"And if I don't?" Kate got backhanded a second time, which sent her flying. Kate could taste blood in her mouth. She used her tongue again to check for any loose teeth.
He grabbed hold of her, yanked her up, and told her to stand there and show some tits again.
Kate did as the man told her this time. "You're going to get yours. Just wait," she told herself.
She found herself back in her cage again and was next to that girl who, thankfully, wasn't crying anymore.
"Hey, do you know where we are?" Kate asked her, but she didn't even look at her. "Be that way, but I'm getting out of here."
*~{[}~*
She must have fallen asleep because she realized her hands were tied behind her back again, and a black hood was going over her head. She tried to fight it, but it was useless.
She ended up in the van again, but she could tell she wasn't alone. At least the girl next to her was with her.
They seemed to drive forever. They stopped occasionally, probably thanks to stop signs or red lights. Then they stopped for a while. Kate heard the door open, and someone yanked her out of the van.
Kate stumbled a little but was jerked to a standing position again. She heard some strange noises that she couldn't make out. Then she was led up some steep stairs and forced to duck her head.
Someone shoved her into a chair, still in what little she was wearing. She was betting her tits were no longer covered. They could see everything now, and by everything, she meant everything.
She felt another person thrown into a chair, more than seeing or hearing them. A hand grabbed the black hood and pulled it off, and she shook her head. She saw two more girls whose hoods were gone.
"Bye, Bitches," he told them and left them sitting there.
Kate looked around. "I'm in a PLANE!" She was shocked. "No way! I'm out of here," Kate said out loud and got up to get off the plane. But suddenly, a hand came down on her from behind. Then she felt a knife at her throat that actually cut her a little. "You. Stay. Or I cut you," the man told her with a heavy accent. Then the knife went away.
"Fine." Kate sat there and fumed.
She watched as the door closed, and they were taxiing and taking off. "This is not good. Not good at all," Kate told herself.
Kate didn't just sit there like the other girls were. She was trying to break her zip ties. What she'd do after that, she didn't know. But one thing at a time. She needed to get free first.
*~{[}~*
They landed, and Kate thought this might be her chance. She couldn't do anything in the air. The cock pit door was closed and probably locked.
"I need to use the bathroom," Kate announced, thinking they had to let her off the plane to use the bathroom.
"Me too," one of the girls told them.
"Me three," the other one told them.
The guy behind them got up, and Kate finally got a good look at him. He was a big, fat man. Maybe 6 foot five, she guessed, and he had to weigh at least 250 pounds.
"You." He pointed at one of the girls. He went forward and opened a little door. "Go." So she got up and went into the little bathroom. There was barely room to turn around.
She came back out and sat down. "You." He pointed to the other girl, and she got up and hurried into the space. She came back out eventually. Then, he pointed at Kate. "You."
Kate, he showed his knife. "Go." He motioned for her to go inside.
Kate went inside, and she saw a very tiny room. "Damn it." She wanted to get off of this plane. Still, she sat down and peed, then got back up and used her head to knock on the door to be let back out. She returned to her seat and sat down. She watched as he went past her and sat down.
"He wouldn't fit in that tiny room anyway," Kate mumbled.
*~{[}~*
They landed yet again, only this time Kate found the black hood going over her head again. Someone guided her out of her seat and into the back of what she was guessing was another van.
"I wonder where we are now? You can bet it's not New York City," Kate commented.
She felt the other two girls joining her, and the van started moving. They stopped several times, but not for long. "More red lights, I'm guessing."
Finally, they stopped longer, and someone opened the door. One by one, they were dragged out and guided out of the van and inside. Kate could tell they were inside a building because of the A/C.
Then, shoved into a room, someone cut her zip ties off and removed the hood.
Kate shook her head and looked around. She saw the other two girls dressed like she was, meaning pretty much in nothing. She also saw three mattresses on the floor. The other two girls had chosen their mattresses, leaving her with one.
Kate walked over to the lone window in the room and saw iron bars on the window. She looked out and saw trees and palm trees. Palm trees could be anywhere. She tried to but couldn't see any buildings, either close or distant.
She went to the door to try it and found it locked. "No surprise there. WHERE AM I?" Kate yelled. She gave up after a while, went over to her mattress, and plopped down. "Have you two got any ideas where we are?" Kate asked the other girls, but they remained silent. "Fine, don't talk, but I'm gonna try to get out of here. Where ever here is."