I kidnapped Josh Hutcherson

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"It would be nice to at least have a harmonica," Paige muttered. She sat in the gloom of the basement, her arms wrapped around her knees. Who knew how long she'd be stuck here. Her parents were away to Dublin to be with her sick grandfather. She didn't know when they'd be coming back. It could be weeks. Weeks down here, in her best friend's basement, stuck with a celebrity bound to a chair who she wasn't allowed to acknowledge at all.

She could practically feel the rage radiating off the captured actor. She understood why Josh was mad, but why at her? She was now just as stuck as he was. Except for the fact that she hadn't been dragged to the other side of the world. Well, if they were going to be trapped down here, they were going to have to speak to each other somehow.

"I suppose they thought they were being clever, putting a flour bag over your head and all," she said, not really talking to him but not talking to herself either. It caught his attention, he turned his head and gave her a funny look. "You were Peeta Mellark right? I read that book series . . . haven't seen the movies mind you . . . but he was a baker, right? Knowing Jenni she'd probably planned it all out. Baker, flour, she probably thought she was being hilarious."

Paige crossed her legs and blew a raspberry. "I don't suppose you aren't going to call the police if we ever get out of here?"

 Josh gave her a look that asked, 'You're joking, right?'

"You know Jenni really is a nice girl. She just gets overly attached to stuff," Paige said. "I've never been able to keep up with her fandoms, there's so many. Ray isn't that bad either. Maybe a bit overly sexual . . . but there's always someone like that in a friendship group, isn't there? And Ingrid . . . well . . . Ingrid's there . . . They're not bad people. I'm sure you've met fangirls before, right? Then again . . . you've never been kidnapped before . . ."

Paige dared to glance at him. He was chewing on Ray's scarf, trying to get it off his mouth. "Okay," she said, pushing up onto her knees. "If I take this off, you promise you won't scream? This basement is sound proof so there's no point anyway, all you'll do is catch the crazies' attention again. So, no screaming, agreed?"

Rolling his eyes, Josh nodded.

Paige nodded back and started fiddling with the scarf, pulling out the knot and throwing it away behind her. Exhaling in relief, Josh licked his chapped lips and said, "Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, I've met fangirls before."

"Oh, right."

"But no, I've never been kidnapped."

"Right."

Noticing just how chapped and cracked his lips looked, Paige stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out a Vaseline stick. "Do you want some of this? It moisturizes and stops chapping."

Josh shook his head. "I can't, my hands are tied."

Paige frowned. "You aren't busy, you're-oh right, you mean your hands are actually tied. Okay, that makes sense." She sat back down on the ground and tucked her knees under her chin. "I'm sorry about this. All of it. I'm sure the last thing you expected was to be kidnapped and smuggled to Ireland . . ."

"I'd always wanted to come to Ireland but not like this."

"How did they even manage?" Paige asked. "They're just a bunch of girls."

"Lots of chloroform and a big white van."

Paige shook her head, groaning in exasperation. "Oh god, who would give a pack of girls chloroform!" she exclaimed. "I'm surprised they didn't go after Jamie Campbell Bower and Theo James while they were over there!"