Taken

Chapter one

The smell of hand sanitizer was choking me, and I had a headache so bad that my head might just explode.

What was Mom thinking? She knew the smell of sanitizer gave me terrible headaches. Whatever. I’d just get some ibuprofen from the kitchen.

I yawned and tried to sit up. My wrists caught on something. I forced my eyes open. This wasn’t my room. Cold bands of metal encircled my wrists and ankles. The bed looked like it had come from a hospital. The floor and walls were bright white tile. The light reflecting off their surfaces hurt my eyes. I closed them.
Where am I? Could I be sick? This seemed like it could be a hospital room.
No, that couldn’t be it. Hospitals didn’t restrain people.

I felt my heartbeat quicken. I wasn’t at home, and I wasn’t in a hospital, so where was I? I strained to remember how I’d gotten here. It had been Tuesday, and my sister and I were baking cookies. We were halfway done before we realized that we didn’t have sugar. I’d volunteered to go get some. The store was only a few blocks away. I walked over and bought sugar. I been walking home and then…nothing. I couldn’t remember what came after that.

The door slammed open. My eyes flew open. I reflexively tried to sit up, but only ended up bruising myself on the restraints. I laid back down and focused on the man who’d entered the room. He was wearing a lab coat and pushing a metal cart. He brought it to my bedside, let go, and bent down over me.

“I’m glad you’re awake, that sedative ended up being a lot more potent than expected.” He chuckled. “It’s so nice to talk to you. It’s been hard keeping my distance these last few months.”

Months? This guy had been watching me for months? And a sedative? He’d kidnapped me? I had to get out of here. I think I remember reading someone that one you were taken to somewhere by a kidnapped you were a lot less likely to survive. The longer I was here the more likely I’d be killed.

I thrashed against my restraints. They cut into my arms and legs but didn’t budge.

“Stop!” The man pinned my arms down, but I continued thrashing my legs.
“Sedating you again so soon could be dangerous, but I will if I have to.”
I froze. The man waited a second before letting go. Something trickled down my arm. I looked down and saw that it was blood.

The man sighed, “I was supposed to keep you in perfect condition. The Council won’t like this.”

He pulled open a drawer on the metal cart and muttered to himself and he rummaged around. He pulled out some gauze and a pair of scissors. I watched him carefully as bent over me. I heard a click. It took me a moment to register what it was. My restraint was open!
I moved to try and open the others, but it was too late. The man had already grabbed my arm pressing it painfully to the bed.

“Behave yourself. The sooner you accept that you can’t escape the easier this will be for the both of us.” He lifted my wrist and wrapped it in gauze. “Besides, where would you go? Xatera is not nearly so forgiving as your home planet.” The man chuckled.

Icy terror ran through my veins. This man was saying I was no longer on earth. That should be impossible, right? I looked up into his eyes and saw no hints of a lie there.

My heartbeat quicked I was kidnapped, I wasn’t on earth, and this man, whoever he was, seemed to find it amusing.