Kidnapped

It was a fairly dark evening in Chicago when Maddie, a ten year old girl, and her mother approached the grocery store. "Mom, do I have to shop with you? Can't I just sit on this bench and wait for you?" Maddie's mother was reluctant to leave her daughter alone, but she could get the job done much quicker, and after all, Maddie was very responsible. She finally agreed.

"Alright, but stay right here. Come inside if you need me. I will be done in no more than twenty minutes." And with that, Maddie sat down on the bench while her mother walked inside the store. She was thinking how glad she was that she didn't have to walk down all those aisles, when something caught Maddie's attention. The streets were empty, but two shadows crept along the side of the building toward her. Maddie wasn't worried, only a little but curious, until two people sprang out of the darkness that had kept them hidden.

"Who are you?" Maddie screamed, suddenly beginning to understand the situation with a feeling of dread.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," snarled one of the women. The other woman roughly pulled Maddie along the road by her arm, causing Maddie's bracelet to fall off. She struggled to break free, knocking off the woman's necklace.

"We'll have to make her... fall asleep," said the snarling woman with a smirk. Whatever they wanted to do, Maddie didn't really want to know, but the other woman quickly stuck a needle in her arm, and she became limp. The two woman threw Maddie into the backseat of a car parked in an alley, hopped in, and sped away. They did not realize that the bracelet and necklace they had left behind would be used as evidence to find them and convict them in the courtroom.

When Maddie woke up, she was in a car that was stopped in the parking lot of an abandoned mall. She looked around, wondering how long she's been out. Then she saw the sign. Manhattan, New York? They must have driven a long, long way to get here. She started to ask what the women wanted with her, but stopped herself. They were whispering together. "Hailey, you know we can't do that," insisted the woman who had pulled Maddie along the road and given her the shot. "Of course we can!" retorted the one who must be Hailey. "You just don't know how to operate these kidnappings, Brooke." So, the woman who snarled was Hailey, and the woman who knocked her out was Brooke.

"Wait, quiet, she might be awake," Brooke said, peering behind her seat at Maddie. Maddie instantly faked being unconscious. She wanted to escape.

"No she's not, now let's go get some breakfast. Put on your disguise," Hailey ordered. Soon, the women were walking somewhat discreetly down the street looking like completely different people. Maddie had no idea how they pulled it off. But she took advantage of their absence. She knew that she couldn't run away now, because they would probably be back quickly and she wouldn't get far. Maddie couldn't be sure where they were going or what they were doing, but she could only hope to be rescued. And she wanted to help her rescuers. Luckily, she had a scrap of paper and a pen in her pocket. She quickly scrawled out a note written:

"June 12, 2010

I have been kidnapped by two woman who are experts at disguise. We are currently in Manhattan, but might be somewhere else later.

Maddie".

She folded up the note and cautiously looked around. No sign of Hailey or Brooke, yet. She tried to aim as best as possible, and threw out the paper out the window on the sidewalk. Then Hailey and Brooke came walking back toward the car, and Maddie faked unconsciousness again.

"Hey, at least we're having no trouble with the kid," said Brooke. "The drug must have really worked," she finished. It made Maddie sick to think about what they put in her body, but right now, she just wanted to get home.