Attempted kidnapping in public? Scream your lungs out. The odds of them hurting you with an audience is far less likely than if they get you alone.
Locked in a trunk? Kick the tail light and stick your hand out until another driver notices you.
Being kept in multiple places? Leave clues for the police. Strands of hair. Spit. Blood. Whatever.
Be observant. Gain your abductor’s trust. Stay calm and find an opportunity to escape.
I’m pretty sure Mom and I watched most, if not all, of the Dateline episodes from the last ten years. None of them featured paralysis-by-potion, abduction to a new world, or a vampire assailant.
In other words, I’m screwed.
“Okay, focus,” I whisper to myself. “Figure it out.”
Avoiding or escaping a kidnapping seemed so much easier when I watched it on TV. Now that I’m here, kept in a barren room with one door and no windows…I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.
I don’t even know how long I’ve been here. I’ve been pacing the room ever since the paralysis faded. My brain is too overloaded with the past twelve hours to make sense of anything. From being sped across Aberlena, to entering Aberlena University and somehow exiting in this unfamiliar world, my brain doesn’twantto think. It doesn’t want to stay calm. It wants to panic, to leave me huddled in a ball, scream crying until I wake up.
I wonder if Tessa has woken up, or if that’s just another of Sebastian’s lies. If she’s dead, it’s all my fault. A ragged sob leaves my throat before I can stop it. I should be out of tears by now, but they’re still coming, steadily streaming down my face.
“No,” I snap at myself. “Focus, Grace. You have to stay calm.”
I know I’m in some sort of stone mansion. It was hard to make sense of anything while we were moving, but I think I’m several miles from the Aberlena University look-alike building. Even if I manage to break out of this room, I’ll have to figure out how to get back to it. There’s got to be a map somewhere in this place. Or maybe, I’ll find an empathetic soul who will help me escape.
An empathetic vampire, Grace, really?
I pace the room again. It’s about the size of my college dorm room. It’s all grey stones, weathered wood floor, and a twin-size bed in the center. There isn’t a dresser or a TV or anything that suggests I’m not an absolute prisoner.
There’s no toilet either. So if Sebastian doesn’t comeback in the next couple of hours, I’m going to have to pee in the corner like an actual animal.
Pace.
The police will be at my and Tessa’s apartment. They’ll make sure she survives Sebastian’s attack, and same with the landlord. They’ll both be fine, and they’ll make sure the police know what happened to me. There will be footage of Sebastian arriving at the building…
Unless vampires don’t show up on film? Is that just mirrors? Is that eventrue?
Pace.
Realistically, I don’tactuallyknow Sebastian is a vampire. That’s what he said, and he’s proven to be far more dishonest than honest. He’s probably just an insane cult leader, and that liquid he gave me was some sort of muscle relaxing drug. The wound IthoughtI gave him was actually just an illusion. A prank, a magic trick,somethinglogical.
This is all fake. That’s it. It has to be.
I stride to the wooden door. Iron stripes line it, but there’s no handle on this side. I slam my fist against the wood.
“Hey!” I scream. “You can’t just leave me in here!”
No one responds.
I press my ear to the door, straining for sound. It must be too thick, or maybe I’ve been left here to rot. That might be the best case scenario. Something tells me starvation will be better than whatever Sebastian is planning.
I wet my lips. My stomach curdles at the thought of torture. I’ve never claimed to be tough. I’m fragile, delicate, and I’m not too proud to admit I’ve got a low pain tolerance. If Sebastian is gearing up to torture me, I’m never going to last.
I don’t knock again, too afraid of what will happen if he answers.
He comes hours later.At least, I think it’s multiple hours. It’s impossible to know without a clock or a window. All I do know is that I’ve been sitting on this bed, knees drawn to my chest, long enough that my butt hurts. I’ve been thinking about New York and what Ishouldbe doing with Libby. Depending on the time, she’s probably out with friends for dinner, having bougie drinks and making weekend plans. Maybe they’re celebrating her new job.
“Hello, little witch,” Sebastian says. He stands in the doorway, studying me with a careful expression. “It’s time to go.”
“Back to Aberlena?” I ask, even though I know it’s stupid.
