Only Herself to Blame...

Chapter 1 - Wicked is Good

Ugh. Walking. Usually I love walking. Well, running. I run everywhere. But today I just didn't feel like it. Even if I was with Jai.

My family had arranged to go walking around a huge park. I watched as they all walked infront of me. There was my mum, with short red hair, pushing my sisters pram. My dad was talking to his brother, who had also brought his family along. My younger sisters, Annabelle and Annastasia (they were twins), we're playing tiggy with my uncles children, and they were having the time of their lives.

I was walking next to Jai, wishing I had brought a drink with me. I was really close to Jai, and we have been best friends since we knew what the word meant.

Wow, information overload. Anyway...

We lagged behind a bit, while the adults talked about adult stuff and the younger ones played tag.

I looked around the park and smiled. It wasn't really a park; more of a huge field with a rusted swing set, but it was still beautiful. Huge green trees surrounded the perimeter of the field, blocking the road from view. The grass was littered with buttercups and daisies, and many people had set up picnic blankets under the sun.

Jai just ked me out of my little daydream. "So, how's the running coming along?" He asked, running a hand through his blonde hair.

I punched him in his arm, annoyed. "Shut up!"

He was always teasing me. I was a few a seconds slower than him, when we last checked our speed, and he never forgot that.

I was just about to set off running, and challenge him to a race, when I bumped into an old woman. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I told her, taking a step back.

She smiled. She was wearing hiking boots, tan shorts and a white polo shirt. A man was stood at her side, equally ad old, and he was wearing exacally the same thing as her. "Not to worry, dear." She said, and then grabbed my arm. She was still smiling, but it was more of an evil grin than a smile.

I looked at her blankly. "What are you doing?" To say she was old, she had a grip like a vice.

"Come with us. Both of you." She snarled.

The man lunged at Jai and grabbed his arm, too. Brilliant. We were getting kidnapped by eighty year olds.

"Get off!" Jai yelled, trying to pull his grip from the man.

"Dad!" I shouted, squirming away from the woman, but her grip didn't loosen.

The man and woman just laughed. "You can shout them all you want, but they can't here you."

"DAD!!" I screamed. He didn't even look around. How? He was only a couple of metres ahead, and he should have heard me clearly.

"HELP!" Jai yelled. "HELP!"

Again, the man and woman laughed. "They will never hear your voices again. They will never see you again. They don't even know who you are. They don't know that you exist." The man said.

"What? How? We're their children!" I said, looking at the couple like they were crazy. What were they talking about?

"You were." The woman corrected. "They don't know you any more."

I glanced at Jai and he nodded. We were on the same wavelength. I took in a deep breath and screamed. I screamed and screamed until I could feel my throat, and Jai joined in, his screams mixed with mine, but our family didn't even flinch. They just carried on walking without a care in the world.

"Have you finished?" The man asked. He looked annoyed. Good.

"Follow us now, please." The woman said, and she started marching the oposite way to out parents. They still had hold of our arms.

Were we really getting kidnapped? Did out families really not know who we were?

I looked at Jai again and he gave me a look, as though he was planning soemthing, but it looked more like a grimace.

The man and woman still dragged us along, even though we were putting up a good fight. We kicked and scratched and punched, but their grip didn't even waver.

Finally, we reached the car park and they took us to a van. On the side, three words were written: Wicked is Good.

What was wicked? Didn't wicked mean bad, horrible, evil? How could that mean good? Again, I looked at Jai. He glanced at his arm. He man had let it go to open up the door of the van. Idiot.

Without wasting any time, Jai punched the woman in the arm she was holding me with all his strength. She yelped and let go.

We didnt hesitate. We ran along the carpark, weaving in and out of cars. We were escaping! We did it!

"Oof."

I looked up to see a man who had caught me. He was wearing the same thing as the old couple, but he looked way younger. The couple were old enough to be his grandparents. "Good try, beautiful." He chuckled, winking at me. He was about twenty, with an acne covered face and greasy brown hair.

I spat at his face in disgust.

"Eww!" He gagged, but didn't let me go.

"Never call me that again." I snarled, struggling once again to brake free. The man had caught me around the waist, and was now holding my shoulders with the same, inhuman strength as the old man and woman.

"Ok, darling." He said, smirking.

I stamped on his foot.

"Feisty, aren't you?" He chuckled, trying to cover his wince.

I glanced over and saw Jai had been caught too. The man who was holding him was tall and muscular with dark tanned skin. I looked at the man who was holding me and laughed. I couldn't help it. His arms were like sticks compared to the guy who had Jai.

"What's so funny, chick?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Nothing, stick." I replied.

"Stick?" He looked puzzled.

Impossibly, I laughed again, but stopped suddenly. How could i laugh when i was getting kidnapped? I needed serious mental help.

The original man and woman were walking over to us.

"Nice try. I'll give you an eight out of ten for effort." The man said, clapping slowly and sarcastically.

"Bring 'em back." The woman said.

The people dragged us back to the van. I was struggling, but the guy was stronger than he looked. I screamed and kicked and punched and fought, once again, but with no luck.

Jai and I got flung into the back of the van and the man came in. He had to duck his head as to not hit his head, and he knelt down next to us.

"Sorry it had to be done this way, guys, but it's the only way. I hope you enjoy your time. And remember: Wicked is Good."

With that, he stuck a needle into my neck and I blacked out.