Laugh For Me - Book 1

#Lamber and Northland People

Stella's POV
I sat with a blank look on my face as I threw a rock and it skipped across the road. I mean I'm stuck in a world from God knows what and my best friend ditched me to go on a date.
I thought back to all the previous things we did together. There was always a hint of playfulness. How lucky am I to have her as a friend, but be so far away from her in reality?
I sighed in my oblivious frustration. Noticing that Chelsie had taken a seat beside me.
"If you're here to tickle me, I'm really not in the mood." I said, frowning slightly.
"No, I was just thinking we could talk. You seem so down." She said looking at me eyes with concern.
"I'm finally close to my best friend and I know I sound so stupid, but she's on a date with your brother instead of hanging out with me." Stella sighed again.
Chelsie took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.
"I think the date has gone on long enough by now." She said and looked at me with some sort of smirk.
"What are you suggesting?" I ask, looking at the mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Let's go crash it, I'm sure they won't mind a little sneak attack." Chelsie said, snickering.
"Okay deal, but I call Amber." I say.
"Of course, she's your best friend." Chelsie said and we began to make our way towards where they were.

Amber's POV
We entered a game of laser tag, which had to be my favorite from the beginning. It was a game of around 50 people, but you had partners. I was teamed up with Lucas of course and we begin to sneak around corners in the room. Back to back.
"I swear if I get shot-" I start to say.
"If you get shot, I'm ditching you." Lucas says and I gasp. "I'm kidding, I'd never do that."
"Get down" I say as I see something move out of the corner of my eye. Lucas quickly turn and fires at the dark figure and it hits because I begin to hear laughter come from that area.
"Let's keep moving." Lucas says as we continue to sneak around the edges of the room. When someone hits me on the stomach and I try to force my mouth shut as I look up to the upper level to see two guys looking at me, guns pointed.
"Lucas hehehe." I giggle as I say his name.
He quickly looks up and then pulls me around a corner.
"Come on Lucas, let us have a shot at the girl." I hear a boys voice say and another one snickers.
Lucas clenches his jaw.
"I think I'll pass on your kind offer." He says and they snicker again.
"Fine, we'll come get her then." They say and my heart sinks.
"Who are they?" I ask as Lucas grabs my hand and begins to pull me away.
"Just some guys from the northlands, it's not exactly the best place." He sighs and pulls me through many twists and turns until we are up on the highest level, I take a shot at a few people and hit them.
"The north?" I ask, suddenly intrigued.
"Yeah, you see, the people sent to my area or ours I should say are sent to reopen their happiness. The north is where misbehaving people are sent, to be punished." Lucas says quietly.
"Oh." I respond, not sure what else to say.
"Duck." He says and I quickly get down as he shoots someone behind me. "So, they grew up on a different set of morals, we see tickling as fun, they see it as a punishment, or better yet a way to get what they want."
"Have you ever been there?" I ask out of curiosity.
"Not on purpose." He replies and I look over and he avoids making eye contact.
Out of nowhere, I get shot in two places and Lucas also takes a shot to the stomach, I briefly turn to see no one other than Chelsie and Stella, guns pointed, as I fall to the floor.
"Surprise!" Stella cheers as she straddles my hips and begins tickling my sides.
"Gethahaha offhehehe!" I laugh as I try to shove her.
Suddenly she takes a shot and I look to see where it came from, Chelsie also gets hit. I look over to see the same two guys that were laughing earlier. They continually hit Chelsie, Lucas, and Stella until they are laughing messes on the floor. As they squirm and laugh on the floor they look at each other then at me.
My heart sinks and I get up and try to dart away, but as soon as I take a step, I get shot in the back of the knee and they both approach me before grabbing my arms and pulling me around a corner.
"Get off of me!" I yell as I struggle fiercely in their grip.
"No princess, we just want to hear that pretty laugh of yours." One says, with chestnut brown hair and piercing green eyes.
"I am not a princess." I growl and I act fast enough to give him a hard kick to the shin. He glances down with only the slightest bit of pain, rippling across his features. He makes eye contact with me and it is like his eyes are suddenly filled with fire. The fear bubbles up inside of me. He snaps his fingers and points to me.
Suddenly, the guy behind me forces me into my knees, pinning my arms over my head. The green eyed man circles around me before touching my cheek briefly and I turn my head away from his touch.
"Okay, now I want to hear that laugh more than ever." He says with a menacing grin on his face as he begins to reach his hands out to my exposed armpits.
"Please don't. Just leave me alone, just-"
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER." I hear just as his hands touch me. Several shots are fired and the guys behind me releases his grip as he is now writhing on the floor with laughter. I look up to Lucas, Stella and Chelsie standing on either side, looking concerned and they all run to me.
I take a deep breath of relief as Lucas wraps his arms around me and I finally feel safe.