The Long Awaited ......

An early scene from my "book" ... "story" ... thing ... (it hasn't been edited yet so please be kind)

"I figured it out! Romeo hired you to scare me so that I'd move back home where Maman and Papa can watch me for the rest of my life. That's it, isn't it? Come on, admit it." When the two men who had abruptly stuffed her in the dent, rusted white van continued to ignore her, as they had for the last hour, Adeline's bound hands darted out and poked the arm of the one sitting on the passenger's side. "Talk to me," she said imploringly.

Although there was a growl, she didn't get any sort of answer.

"Fine," she huffed, "Ignore me." She scooted back along the slick, metal floor of the van until she was leaning against the far wall. Since they'd tackled her, bundled her up, and carried her off to the van, she'd and that wall had become very good friends. At first, she'd spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to open the door. But, being above-average villains, her captors had already removed the inside door handle from the side door. The only ways out were through one of the front doors, carefully guarded by one captor each, or through the windshield. Adeline shuddered to think what it would take to get through that windshield.

Although, on the whole, it might be easier than trying to get through one, or both, of her kidnappers.

Reminded of her plight, she realized she was supposed to be sulking. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and aimed her most furious glare at the front in case one of them decided to glance back and check on her. But, all remained silent except for the soft whisper of air passing around the van. She listened for as long as she could stand it, an approximate total of two minutes, then started chattering again.

"There's no sane reason for you to have kidnapped me. Of course, kidnapping isn't exactly a mark of sanity considering the very long jail sentence attached to the crime so maybe that's the explanation in and of itself. You two are nuts so you stole me." Adeline paused in her monologue to wrinkle up her face in disgust. "But, that's just a boring reason. I really hope you have a better one than that because that's not going to make a very good defense." She dropped her voice, imitating a male's baritone. "'I'm sorry, Your Honor. We were crazy. But, now we're not. Please acquit us.' You know that won't work, right?"

Her captors both stared out into the inky night unprovoked by her babbling.

"So, if not insanity, what is the underlying cause of this crime?" Adeline wiggled her shoulders against the hard metal of the van trying to comfortable. "Well, I know that it's not because a Middle Eastern sheik hired you to steal me for his harem. I definitely heard you laughing at that one when I asked even if you did try to muffle it. And I'm not the President's daughter so I'm not even going to explore the theory you kidnapped me to change international policy.

"Hey, did you guys decide you wanted to be like Thelma and Louise? I could call you Elmer and Lou! I mean, there's a big difference between bank robbery and people robbery, but stealing's still stealing. Of course, the money's better if you rob a bank. You've got a guaranteed salary. Kidnapping's a bit iffy. What if the family doesn't pay off the ransom? You guys ever have that problem?" She continued without waiting for them to answer. She knew they wouldn't anyway, and she was starting to enjoy her desperate rambling attempt to keep herself from going numb from fear. "I've got a great idea! Why don't you let me out, and you can go try that bank robbing thing? I promise I won't say a word. Besides, I might be able to remember that you've got brown hair, Lou, but Elmer's going to be impossible."

She leaned forward to peek around the driver's seat at the featureless man driving. "Elmer, you really are a masterpiece of a henchman. I don't think I could pick you out of a line up if you were the only one there."

In the seat next to "Elmer", Lou shifted to stare out the passenger side window. Her eyes darted between the two looking for even a sign that they were responding to her. If they were human, she would be able to get them to laugh, and surely even the bad guys didn't kill a girl who could make them laugh.

Lou turned his head away from the window to look back at her. For the first time, she noticed his eyes. They were a cold, lifeless ice blue. She'd never been much of a person for looking at eyes. She was simply too busy, constantly moving, to be able to read emotions behind the glittering color of an iris so she just ignored that facial feature. But, in Lou's eyes, she could see death as clearly as if he had written it out for her.

Then again, maybe these two could kill a girl who made them laugh.

Without another word, she shrunk back. Her lips rolled in on themselves, a frantic attempt to silence everything she'd already said, and she pulled her legs up to her chest making herself as small as she possibly could.

Then, Lou spoke for the first time. His voice had a slight accent that sent a chill down her spine. "'Ey, whaddaya say we gag her? Boss dinna say not'ing about not gaggin' her."

Elmer's sole response was a jerky nod.

Adeline pressed her lips together more tightly turning the delicate pink skin a stark white. She quickly shut her eyes as Lou climbed out of his seat and started along the length of the van toward her.