I (Accidentally) Kidnapped 5SOS

Prologue: Hot and Spicy

Prologue: Hot and Spicy

The light suddenly flashed on, nearly blinding me. I squinted my eyes and put a hand across my forehead, trying to shield them from the unexpected brightness.

I squirmed in the cold metal chair beneath me, pushing the hems of my shorts lower over my thighs. I folded my hands on the table in front of me and bit my lip nervously.

The man in the official-looking black suit was making me uncomfortable. He walked around me and the table, keeping a sharp eye out. Well, I think he was. It was hard to tell with his dark sunglasses over his eyes. He had a shiny silver badge on his chest pocket, identifying him as the police interrogator. I wondered if he was the good cop or the bad cop. Or both.

The man finally stopped circling me like a shark and stood across from me. He placed his hands on the table, spread-eagled. His mouth was set in a tight line, his face expressionless. Just when I was about to crack and plead for mercy under his patronizing (and yet completely invisible) stare, he spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

"My name is Officer Greene," he said. "What's yours?"

"Don't you know already?" I pointed out. "I've been detained for almost a week. I would think that you guys have a record of who I am by now."

Even though I was scared out of my mind and confused beyond comprehension, I still had an attitude with me.

Officer Greene glared at me. I think. "Don't play games with me, miss. Do you think this is a joke?"

The way he said that implied that it really, really wasn't. "No, sir," I mumbled, averting my eyes from his sunglasses.

"State your name," he ordered.

"Full name, or the shortened version?" I asked.

"Full birth name."

"Does that include my middle name?"

"Yes!" the officer exclaimed, then quickly regained his cool. I hid a smirk. The guys had taught me well, but I was annoying long before they came into the picture.

"My name is Reese Lucille Ortega, but you can call me Hot and Spicy," I introduced myself grandly. "Like a buffalo wing."

"Miss Ortega!" Officer Greene scolded me sharply.

"Alright, you can just call me Reese," I said, holding up my hands in surrender.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Do you know why you're here, Miss Ortega?"

"I believe it's because you police guys think that Allison and I are evil kidnappers, but we really aren't," I insisted. "I'm not, anyway."

"Why do I find that hard to believe?" he remarked sarcastically. "Explain why the well-known pop/punk boy band 5 Seconds of Summer--"

"Actually, they play their own instruments, so they're not technically a boy band," I interrupted. "But don't worry, it's a common mistake to make."

The officer whipped off his glasses Hollywood policeman-style and gave me a hard stare. I shut my mouth and glanced away from him, at the corner of the room.

"As I was saying," he continued. "Explain why the well-known pop/punk band 5 Seconds of Summer disappeared for four months and was found being held against their will under your custody. Explain how that doesn't make you, as you had put it, an 'evil kidnapper'."

"Wait, I can actually explain?" I asked for clarification. "I can tell the whole truth?"

"That's what I just said, isn't it?"

"Great," I sighed in relief. I leaned backwards in my chair comfortably. "Finally. I promise that I can convince you that I'm not an evil kidnapper. It was all just an accident, really."

"How is kidnapping a band an 'accident'?" Officer Greene said doubtfully. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

I glared at him. "If you'd just let me explain like you asked, you can see how I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Now, no more interruptions. Um, wow, where do I even begin? I suppose it kind of was against their will at one point, but then.... No, that's too late...."

"Make it quick, Miss Ortega," Officer Greene said impatiently. "Our time here is limited."

"You have to give me more time," I pleaded. "I can't talk about the whole four months in under an hour! Don't you want to know the entire truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then give me some time. You won't understand the situation unless you hear the full story."

The man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. He put the sunglasses back on his face and leaned forward. "I'll give you as much time as I see fit. Tick tock, Miss Ortega. How was kidnapping 5 Seconds of Summer an accident, and what was your purpose?"

"There are several things wrong with that question," I said quickly. "But thank you, sir, I'll tell you as much as I can."

He didn't believe me. I could see it in the expression on his face and the way he checked an imaginary watch. He thought I was guilty, and no amount of begging or vouching would change his mind. But I was an avid storyteller, and I was prepared to blow his mind with the truth.

"Okay," I said haltingly. I collected my thoughts properly before beginning the story. "It all started on a weekend in May, one month after the Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour began...."