Innocently Taken

Six

Ariana laughed as she tripped, catching herself on her hands and knees. "Fuck Gabby I know you want me but at least ask my permission," she said as she stood up.

"You tripped all on your own," Gabby said.

"Rude ass."

"Ariana, you have five minutes until your last set," a stagehand said.

"Alright, thanks," she said before turning to Scott and Brian and giving them each a kiss on the cheek. "Let's hope I don't set myself on fire."

"With your luck you will," Brian said said as he kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, yeah. Help me change into my dress," she said before taking her mic pack off.

"Gladly."

"Perv."

Twenty minutes later, Ariana walked down the steps as she went backstage, immediately stripping out of her dress and handing it to her stylist before making her way to her dressing room. She got changed into a t shirt and shorts before sliding a pair of converse on.

"I'm ready to knock the fuck out," she said as she ran a brush through her hair and set it back down.

"As soon as we get to the hotel we will," Scott said.

Ariana turned to face him and hugged him, but they both quickly pulled away once they heard a loud bang.

"What the fuck was that?" Ariana asked.

"I don't know."

Ariana walked towards the side entrance of the stage and her brows furrowed. The audience was screaming and running for the exits. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked a security guard.

"We're not sure, our outside security is checking. Stay back here," he said.

Ariana watched for a few seconds, tears filling her eyes as panic rose in her chest.

"A bomb went off outside the arena," the security guards radio said. "There are several fatalities. We're calling the police."

"Fatalities?" She asked. "A bomb?"

"Yes ma'am," the security guard said. "Stay back here."

"Oh my god," her voice cracked. Ariana ran back to where Brian and Scott were. "It's a bomb. A bomb just exploded outside, the outside guards said people are dead, what's going on?" Her voice cracked.

"Calm down," Brian said. "We don't know the details."

"It's a fucking bomb, Brian, there's no time to calm down, why the fuck are we still in here? We need to leave."

"We need to wait for officials," Scott said.

"Hey did you guys hear that?" Gabby asked as she made her way to them.

"It was a bomb," Ariana's voice cracked. "Oh my god. Where's Alexa and my mom? They were in the audience, where are they? I want my mom."

"I'll find them, calm down," Brian said before running toward the exit.

"Sit down and calm down," Scott said. "It's gonna be okay."

"I can't breathe," Ariana sobbed. "I can't breathe, I don't feel good."

"Where's your inhaler?" Gabby asked.

"I don't know."

"She keeps one in her purse, go find it," Scott said.

Ariana let out a rack of sobs, pacing back and forth. "I want my mom, please find my mom."

"Miss Grande, we have first responders in their way to escort you to a safe house," the security guard said.

"No. Not without my mom."

"They'll be here in a few minutes."

Ariana sobbed again, wrapping her arms around Scott. "I'm scared, I just wanna go home."

"Here," Gabby said as she returned holding an inhaler.

Ariana took it from her and shook it, inhaling the medicine before putting it in her shorts pocket.

Within a few minutes, several policemen were backstage and Ariana was grasped by the upper arm and being led away from everyone.

"Wait, no I need my mom, I-"

"Miss Grande we need to get you to safety. We don't know what kind of attack this was. Your family will be escorted to the same place as soon as they're found," the officer said as he led her towards a door.

They went through several doors and up countless flights of stairs before climbing a ladder and finally ending up on the roof. She was lifted into a helicopter, which took off within seconds.

As she sobbed, she watched out of the window. As they passed the front of the building she saw bodies lying on the ground, just a few yards from where the helicopter landed again.

Ariana was helped out of the helicopter just soon enough before the started throwing up on the pavement. The officer kindly held back her hair until she was finished.

"Are you alright?" The officer asked.

As Ariana nodded, she was taken by the arm again but she pulled away. "I want my mom, please let me go to my mom, she was in there, she's still in the building," she sobbed.

"Miss Grande we will find your mom. She's going to be fine, the attack was out here."

Ariana's eyes scanned the outside of the building and she sobbed again, tugging at her hair in frustration. She crouched into a small ball, holding her knees as she cried.

"Grab her so we can get her in a patrol car. We need to get her out of here."

As soon as she was lifted up, she started thrashing around and screaming. "Let me go!" She screamed. "Let me go, I need my mom!"

She was forced into the back of an SUV squad car and tried to open the door, but it was locked. As the police officer got into the back from the other side, Ariana started hitting the window.

"I want out! I have to make sure they're okay, please let me see if they're alright, this was my fault!"

"None of this was your fault Miss Grande," the officer said. "There are dead bodies over there, it's nothing you need to see but you need to calm down."

"Let me out!" She yelled, hitting the window with her fiat as the car sped away from the scene. "No! I need my mom!"

The officer quickly pulled Ariana's hands behind her back and she felt something cold and hard against her wrists and heard a strange clicking noise. Then she realized she'd been handcuffed, so she let out a frustrated scream, kicking the seat in front of her.

An hour or so passed and she'd been at the police station in custody until the situation was adverted. Ariana was now uncuffed, sitting on a couch in the police lounge, coming out of an anxiety attack.

"Baby," Joan said as she made her way to Ariana.

Ariana quickly stood up and sobbed as she hugged her mother, holding her as tight as she could. "Mommy, I'm so scared..." she sobbed.

"I know baby. Me too."

"Where's Lexie?"

"She's in the bathroom. She'll be out in a minute. Are you okay?"

Ariana shook her head. "I'm scared. I don't feel good. I keep having anxiety attacks. They handcuffed me in the car..."

"Why? You're not the one that set off the bomb."

"They said I was a danger to myself... mommy, people are dead..."

"I know honey."

"I saw them. I saw them just laying there, I saw other people crying and holding them, I saw - I saw kids, mommy... babies..."

"It's gonna be okay sweetheart. It'll be fine. I promise."

"I wanna go home... I want Daddy, I want Frankie, I want the family, please take me home, please," she sobbed.

"We'll go home... we will. We'll be home soon..."