Hooked

Chapter One

I smiled at the act my brothers made as they ran around the room shouting. Not twenty minutes ago, they had found a few cardboard boxes and cut swords out of them. They had also found a few sheets and blankets as well to use as capes.

I laughed as Jordan yelled, "Engarde!" Sticking his weapon out at his brother.

"No! ENGARDE!" Piper yelled back, poking Jordan in the ribs with his make-shift sword.

I looked at the clock. It read nine, but it felt like seven.

"Alright boys. Time to go to bed."

"Aww!" They said in unison, dropping their swords in defeat.

"Now don't make me tell mother..." I warned.

"Oh alright." They crawled under the sheets restlessly, letting out sighs on the way.

"Maddy?" I looked towards the area of the room my name came from. Jordan must've said it, for it came from his bed.

"Yes?"

"Can you get me a cup of water?"

"Oh me too," Piper smiled.

"Alright, but then you must go to bed," I said sternly.

They nodded their heads vigorously.

I opened the door with a creak, and stepped gingerly down the flight of wooden stairs, trying not to wake up mother or father.

I heard a slightly chilling sound as I reached the bottom of the steps. I couldn't place my finger on it. I walked on to the kitchen, not thinking twice about the sound. 'Must be just the house settling,' I convinced myself.

I got two glasses out of the cupboard steadily. I slightly hummed as I put the cups under the ice dispenser of my fridge. I heard the 'clink clink clink' of ice cubes as they dropped into both of them. One at a time.

I then placed both under the water dispenser and heard it fill up with the crystal-clear freezing water. I turned to go, but gasped - rather loudly I might add.

A figure stood with arms crossed, right in front of me. From what I saw he was strong, and good looking. Very.

I held my breath as I watched him shift his weight to his other foot, waiting for me to react.

"Who... How...?"

He sighed. He had an accent I couldn't put my finger on when he said, "It took you long enough to realize I was here. You would think a squeak of a shoe or a snap of a twig might help."

I stood in shock and fright as he picked up an apple and bit into it. "Why are you here?" I say, stepping back.

"Just for the fun of it."

"...of what?"

He smirked, "Looting."

I suddenly realized what he was. A pirate. We lived near the shore, but I didn't think there were pirates around these parts of the ocean. I didn't even know how he made his way through the palace. Nor did I want to know. "No! I won't let you!" I yelled, my back now against the fridge as I tried to get as much distance away from him as possible.

He chuckled. Lightning flashed outside, and I got the glimpse of his facial features.

He had a short, black chin strap/mustache combo on his thin face. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked stressed, slightly mischievous, and especially devious. His eyes were strong and almost cold. They were a striking gray-blue. I couldn't tell much by his eyes. He kept his secrets well-hidden, that's for sure. His short black hair was messily done by his fingers running through it a few times.

"...What do you want?" I said, my voice shaking.

"Hmm... Anything you will let me take. Obviously I will have to take a few of these..." He reached for the fruit bowl and dumped the whole assortment of colorful strawberries, bananas, grapes, oranges, and apples into a brown sack I just realized he had been holding in his hand. "And maybe some other provisions..."

I watched silently, only hearing my heart beating in my chest, as he totally ransacked my home of the foods in every.single.cupboard.and.drawer.

He looked at me while breathing out of his mouth, "And I might have to take a prisoner... Or in this case, you." He spat on the last word. I shook with fear.

Me? What could he want with me?! "No!"

I felt him pick me up and throw me over his shoulders. I hit him on his back multiple times, making slight 'thuds', not knowing if it hurt him or not. I was hoping it did though. He deserved it, as far as I thought.

"No!" I repeated. "Let me down!"

"Oh I will..." I almost let out a sigh of relief. Until... "...on my ship."

I screamed, hoping to wake someone up. It obviously didn't work. I swore, if I made it back to my home safely and alive, then I wouldn't bother trying to come downstairs slowly, hoping not to wake someone up. They didn't wake up when I screamed, being carried away by a stranger. A captain of a pirate ship, no less.

I struggled and screamed all the way out of the palace, away from my royal family. I would miss them. I missed them now, and we weren't even near the ocean yet.

"Why my palace?" The question had escaped my lips before I knew it.

"You're the daughter of Cinderella, correct?"

I was silent. His accusation was right, but he didn't need to know that. I guess he took my silence as a confirmation anyway.

"Well that in itself is an explanation," I could sense him giving a crooked smile after he said that.

"My brothers will tell our parents that I'm gone. They will be worried. They will send out a search party and... And hunt you down! They won't stop until they've found me."

He gave a hardy, intimidating, edgy laugh and said calmly, "My dear, where I'm taking you, no time will pass. They won't even know your gone."