by J. E Hanson
“Who has my sister?” I demand, ignoring his command.
He turns to the others. “Yes, gentlemen, this is definitely the right one. We will take her.”
Ian asks me, “Which is your room?”
I point to the back bedroom at the end of the hallway. He glances at the others, receiving nods, and he with the two of them go into my bedroom. Ian returns a few minutes later, and he stares at me in an odd way, before pressing his thumb hard into the back of my neck.
“Sorry, chick, but I have to knock you out. But, it is time to say goodnight!”
I glance around the room, but it soon fades to black.
Chapter 3
The once angry sun, now warmly embraces my skin. The dew on the knee-high grass kisses the backs of my calves. The blanket of wildflowers blends in with the emerald meadow from a distance. I stretch out my arms to make sure the sun isn’t angry with me.
There’s a little girl laughing from a distance. I’m cautiously walking through the grass following the sounds of her laughter. There’s a beautiful and angular little girl just standing there. She has long snowy curls with piercing ultramarine eyes. She wears an ivory feather dress. She points at the ground motioning for me to kneel, and I kneel in front of her. She places both of her tiny hands on my cheeks.
“Now your dreams will come true. My mommy and daddy are finally together.”
“Who are you?” I ask as I’m trying to make sense of this.
The little girl instantly giggles, running from me through another field of wildflowers.
I try to chase after her, but someone shakes me roughly. “It is time to wake up, Princess!”
My eyes reopen and refocus on Ian staring back at me. “Why do you keep calling me Princess, and where is my sister?”
“You are a princess, and I’m sorry to tell you this, but she is still missing. We are still searching for her. You should be happy that you’re still alive.”
Jerking myself awake, I notice that I’m lying on a plush crimson blanket in the backseat of a vehicle. The backseat is onyx leather with soft padding. The oddest thing is that there are four men staring in my direction. One man curses under his breath while he drives. The familiar faces, remind me of the same men, who were inside my house, but with an extra member. The new man glances at me with sadness in his eyes. He also wears a matching charcoal beanie with dirty blonde hair escaping. His hazel eyes remain focused on me. He could easily pass as Leo's twin brother, but he also reminds me of Principal Peter Jefferson except with longer hair.
The intimidating Viking currently drives this unknown vehicle through the curvy road. “You should have bloody known that Saber left the young lass for Chris and Alex to take care of! Saber will keep searching for the other bird right now! Chill out Erik,” the auburn haired man, scolds as he turns his head, to inform the Viking with shades over his eyes.
The intimidating Viking now has a name. “Charlie, how the fuck will we keep up with the rogues, and train an out of shape princess? She is more of a burden to us than you realize.”
The pang of guilt almost causes me to speak up, but Ian quickly cups his hand over my mouth. “I think I should warn you dudes that the Princess is wide awake.”
Charlie tilts his head over to me, “Ah… pay him no mind, love. Erik is just a grouchy man who doesn’t want anyone to disturb him from reading his bloody newspaper. We are happy to train you, Princess. We want to help you out in any way possible, darling.”
Erik groans loudly, mumbling from under his breath. Charlie interrupts Erik mumbles by tapping him on the shoulder. “You will learn to bloody deal with it. You also have to train the others, if one of the guys perishes.”
We travel along the bumpy road. I’m tuning them out, trying to figure out a way to escape from my kidnappers. I check myself over, and happen to glance at my dress. It has tarry stains with dried blood over it. Instead of a plump ivory cotton ball, I now look like I came from a horror movie.
Ian leans in my direction. “We are extremely sorry about your dress. You were extremely pretty last night.”
I’m still unhappy, and I try to ignore his compliment. I keep my chin down, focusing on the foreign substances on my dress. That has to be sarcasm, and he has to be mocking me. That is what I’m used to receiving throughout the years. Nobody actually believes that I’m pretty.
“You could at least say thank you for the compliment. It is customary for one to say thanks after receiving a compliment,” Ian lectures me, while he helps me sit up.
“I’m not pretty. So, please save your fucking compliments for someone who is,” I speak to him as a matter-of-fact.
The men gasp at my statement with surprise.
Leo shakes his head at me. “Dudes, we have our fucking work cut out for us, shit!”
Erik keeps hitting the brakes roughly. I’m still searching for an escape route, and my focus turns to the nearest door. The windows on this vehicle are pitch-black, so nobody can see that I’m in here anyway. As I attempt my getaway, I realize that I’m in unfamiliar territory. This place doesn’t resemble Kentucky. I’m completely confused with my new surroundings. The newfound confusion creates panic, and an instant tremble with fear.
“This classifies as kidnapping!” I boldly make my announcement to my kidnappers.
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but we don’t recognize your laws here. They won’t exactly be missing you anyway,” Leo abruptly informs me.
I instantly spring into action. I remember placing my cell phone inside my purse along with my lotions. “Did anyone happen to bring my purse?”
To my surprise, Ian smiles warmly at me, and he hands over my purse. To my dismay, my cell phone isn’t in my purse; however; my lotions are still here. Without thinking about the welfare of others due to the foul stench these lotions permeate, I twist off the caps. My captors immediately gag and make dirty faces at me.
Ian is downwind from the scent. He pinches his nose, gagging from the scent. “What’s that terrible smell?”
My cheeks flush with immediate embarrassment. “I’m extremely sorry, but I have severe allergies,” I continue to inform my kidnappers; “these lotions make it possible for me to walk in the sun without burning.” They need information pertaining to my severe sun allergy. I apologize to these kidnappers out of habit too.
My captors remain comatose, trying not to inhale the rotten egg stench. None of them speaks another word to me about my allergy.
The neon-green hair man leans in next. “You won’t ever need those lotions again, because you’re in an area without sun.”
“Yep, she’s definitely Saber’s granddaughter,” Leo expresses as he’s finally convinced of my identity.
The relationship of granddaughter bugs me. “I don’t have any family members left. My parents were brutally murdered over a year ago. All that is left from my family is my sister and me. I have to find my sister!”
Erik scowls, giving me a snarly look from the rear-view mirror. “You’re not worth anything to your sister until you have received your training.”
The panic alarms echo inside my head. “Please, let me find her! She’s the only family I have left! Please let me go!”
Charlie wrinkles his nose, peering over at me from the front passenger’s seat. “Eventually, you will find your sister, but you really need to worry about yourself. You’re not bloody well right now, darling.”
Charlie’s soothing voice puts me at ease.
Ian instantly notices, “Charlie has a way to calm people,” Ian continues to inform me; “you will feel more at ease, when you have been around us for a while.”
I don’t want to be with these strangers for a while! My anger climaxes at a boiling point. “I can find her myself, and I don’t need any help!”
Leo rolls his eyes at the neon-green hair man. “Zane, you got to talk some sense into this girl!”
Zane closes his book, and he leans over. “I’m sorry to inform you, but you’re not exactly in fantastic
shape, Princess. Please allow us to help you, and then you can find your sister on your own, if you like. Do you believe that you can actually face all those nasty rogues on your own? They will kill you in less than five seconds. You will have to learn to trust us, as we will have to learn to trust you in return. Currently, there are members searching for her whereabouts as we speak, but our main concern is to help you,” Zane pauses for a minute then continues, “do you even understand what I’m trying to say to you right now?” Zane keeps his eyes on mine, anticipating my answer.
Zane speaks with superior intellect. and he takes me off guard that someone so young can speak so eloquently. I notice that he also has a thick northern accent. I try to peg where he’s from. He has to be either from Boston, New Jersey, or from New York. The Northern accent allures me to ask him, but right now, I’m too afraid.
My protests crumble in a blaze of glory. Instead of arguing with my kidnappers, we pull in front a pair of enormous gates. These gates are gold, pearl, and ivory. They stand at least a hundred feet tall. The gates meet together with a gigantic letter H sparkling in pearl. Erik pushes a tiny green button above his head, and the gates automatically swing open. I should make my escape, but I’m awestruck by the sheer beauty of the front gates.
Erik presses the gas pedal, lunging the unknown vehicle forward, revealing a smooth, blacktop driveway. On either sides of the driveway, there are dreadful-looking oak trees. The trees have leaves on them, but they are oddly misshapen, and seem to come alive on their own. Erik drives by the depressing trees to reveal something I have ever seen before in my life. Beyond the oak trees, sits a breathtaking stone castle. He whips the unknown vehicle around the circular driveway in front of this castle. There has to be someone with a sick sense of humor, because in the front lawn of this castle, there is a naked woman as a water fountain. The naked statue has red water pouring from between her legs, her neck, and her wrists. The vulgar statue has red water pouring from her, imitating blood. The large water fountain also contains gold with ivory. Even the morbid statue appears alive, and the gothic statue continues to freak me out. I’m still jumping out of my skin with fear. Erik once again stomps roughly on the brakes, to halt this vehicle.
“Honey we’re home!” Ian jokingly announces our arrival at this breathtaking castle.
Erik mumbles a few unrecognizable words in a foreign language.
The doors to this vehicle swings open. All of my kidnappers exit this vehicle, except for me. I’m still sitting here, shaking violently.
I want to hide from my kidnappers, but Ian holds out his hand to me first. “You got to learn to trust someone sooner or later,” and Ian continues to coax me, “you see this is where that trust plays a huge factor right now. Please take my hand, Princess. That would be an excellent start. Stop thinking we are kidnapping you. We are here to help and protect you. If we were going to kill you, we would have already done it by now.”
I’m contemplating what he says for a minute, but Ian has a valid point. Out of curiosity, I take his hand and step out of the vehicle. Ian places a nice warm crimson wool jacket over my shoulders. He escorts me inside the stone castle. I shake violently as I walk, and every little noise forges me to jump.
The men escort me inside the castle, and into an enormous foyer. The view is exceptionally breathtaking inside. I could never afford a castle this size, or as beautiful in my lifetime. The steps and the floor are a smooth alabaster marble with gold trim on the edges of each step.
Above us, there is a large chandelier glistening. The chandelier appears to have diamonds from the way it sparkles. It drapes with ivory, gold, and pearls. It is gigantic and stunning. It shines brightly from the ceiling illuminating the foyer. Either this is another dream, or I’m already dead. My hand quickly covers my heart to make sure that it still beats inside my chest. My heart is definitely doing its job.
There are four men eyeing me inquisitively. There are two new and additional dark auburn hair men with two extra men standing in the foyer with ginger hair. From studying the ginger hair men, they have to be twins, because they look identical to each other. The new men are either wearing shorts, leather pants, or jeans with tanks. I jump at my own shadow out of fear, and so I move closer to Ian.
Ian glances at me. “I promise you, Princess that you’re safe with us,” Ian takes my hand, and he continues, “come and follow us. We will inform you who exactly we are. We don’t want you to be afraid of us.”
One of the slender dark auburn hair men with dark ocean eyes walks over to me shaking his head in disgust. This man has to be one hundred and twenty pounds or fewer. He is also taller than I am, which doesn’t surprise me, but he acts differently from the others.
He is able to put a small crack in my lips. “Ian is the last bitch in this castle I would trust! He loves to cop a feel! You’re better off with Charlie's daughter, Willow.”
The man points upstairs to a woman who slowly descends the stairs. This woman approaching us is extremely gorgeous. The way she walks is smooth and graceful. Willow isn’t only soothing, but also confident. She could easily pass for a supermodel from not only her looks, but also her height. Her skin is a light bronze, and she has long wavy dark hair. Her sapphire eyes match her dad’s eyes. I’m in disbelief with the fact that she’s Charlie's daughter. She is exceptionally beautiful. The only things they have in common are their eyes and height.
Willow gently takes my hand. “I know you’re scared right now, but we want to help you in any way we can. My name is Willow Black, and just as Louie spoke, I’m Charlie's daughter.”
The only way I know they are at least six-feet tall is because I’m five feet and six inches tall. I try to guess their names, by watching them interact with each other. My next guess is that the skinny man’s name is Louie.
Out of all these vast array of characters, Willow is the most relaxing, but I remain cautious, fearful, and sick from confusion. I worry about my only sister, who is currently missing. I pray that this is all just some sort of sick joke.
Willow continues to rub her thumb in the back of my hand, relieving some of the tension that I’m currently feeling. We trail behind the men into an enormous library with bookshelves sitting on top of bookshelves. My mouth gapes open wide with astonishment. This feels exactly as a familiar animated movie that I’ve seen as a small child. Except this isn’t an animated movie, and this is real. How does one library have so many shelves with so many books? All the books are in perfect alignment. It appears that there isn’t a speck of dust anywhere. My impression of the castle thus far is the overall cleanliness.
My head stares at the ground until I hear two additional men converse in an unrecognizable foreign language. The unusual dialect springs my head up from the ground. One man stands in front of another, who sits behind the table. The other man isn’t in my peripheral vision. The one, who I currently focus on, has long platinum-blonde hair, and the tips of his long platinum-blonde hair are jet-black. He wears an incredibly tight ivory cotton tank. The jeans hang tightly on this unknown stranger. His jeans reveal an incredibly drool worthy firm ass. I lower my gaze back to the floor, to notice that he wears a pair of charcoal leather cowboy boots.
I finally pay attention to his guns, and guns instantly frighten me. This man wears a slate holster with a gun in both sides. This man has muscles protruding through his tanned skin. His body is visibly fit.
I shift my thoughts to high school. There were high school boys who seem fit, but this man elevates physical appearance by at least a hundred notches. The mysterious stranger is taller than I am. He has to be beyond six-feet tall. He seems to notice my arrival, because he quickly ceases his current conversation. He wheels around on his heels to face me. This man steps to the side, revealing the other man he was conversing with behind the mahogany table. That is when my jaw hits the ground. I have a hard time shifting my gaze back to the ground. The beauty of this new man causes my cheeks to redden instantly.
Chapter 4
The unknown man is sheer perfection. The mysterious stranger remains sitting behind the mahogany library table with dark shades over his eyes. I try to return my gaze to the floor, but I’m struggling. This total confusion produces anxiety, and makes me believe that this isn’t really happening to me.
Willow grips my shoulders tightly, interrupting my train of thought, “I’m warning you that instead of shaking their hand, you will nod your head once like this,” she informs me, she demonstrates her head nod, and then she continues, “this is extremely important that you’re aware of this. Despite the fact that the younger men are prone to handshakes, the older men will never acknowledge handshakes. They consider handshakes a threat in their ways. They have special training with killing people, who shake hands. Do you understand, what I’m saying to you? Never reach out to them. Just nod your head one time, and you will live to see another day.”
I comply with her wishes; by showing her, I can nod my head once. “I’m so ecstatic that you’re a quick learner!” she praises my quick adaptability.
Willow begins the introductions. To ensure that I don’t offer to shake their hands, she pins my arms at my sides.
The first man she introduces me to is a familiar man. Ian is just a couple of inches taller than I am. But, he’s the shortest man inside this library. His hair on the other hand, makes up for his lack in height. Ian has the neon-blue Mohawk. His face is narrow in a diamond shape. I can see a hint of stubble on his face.
“This man is one who you’re already familiar with, and his name is Ian McGregor.”
My head nods once in his direction and he reciprocates. I’m surprised that he has guns too. He takes off his floor length charcoal leather jacket revealing a charcoal tank. His holster reveals two solid gold guns. He has tattoo sleeves, and there are tattoos on his neck too. Ian is extremely muscular. He has facial piercings and earrings in his ears. I notice that when he talks, you can see two gold studs in his tongue.
