The Star-Crossed Guardians

Chapter Nine- Kidnapped

"What are we going to do?" I asked.

"Deal wi'h 'er," Bunny grunted, pointing to Eris, who was now lying on the floor, Lethe looming over her like a bodyguard.

"We can't. We don't know what Lethe is capable of," I threw in.

"She's right," agreed Jack.

I turned towards the mother and son pair. Lethe's and I's eyes met and we stared each other down. He looked... solemn. Then, he broke eye contact and bent down to pick up his mother. He wrapped her left arm around his shoulder and they vanished.

"They're gone. Now, we have to clean up this mess," I sighed. Then, I heard a light chuckle come from my left. We all turned towards it and saw North, his back towards us and he was looking at something on the desk I was hiding behind before.

"Uh, Nick? You a'right?" Bunny asked warily.

He was whispering something unintelligible at something on the desk, so I creeped forward, Jack and Bunny flanking my sides for protection.

"North?" I prodded him with my bow and he whipped around, a crazed look in his eyes. I jumped back, startled, landing on the floor behind me.

"Mine, mine, MINE! IT'S ALL MINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY!" he screeched. He turned back to the table and gathered up the broken and whole toys that were there and ran to another desk.

"Oh no... What are we going to do now?" I moaned.

"Well, we kinda lost the one with all of the imagination in the group, so... We really don't know," Jack answered.

"You guys don't know anyone that might be able to help us?"

They were silent for a minute, then a lightbulb must have gone off in their heads, because they looked at each other and grinned.

"Why don't we take your rabbit holes?"

"Bu' whu' if they moved?"

"Don't worry, he sends me letters all the time. I know where he lives. It's the same place."

"Well then, le's go!" Bunny tapped the floor twice with his foot and jumped in. Jack held out his hand.

"He has no class, ladies first."

"What about North? Will he be okay?" I turned back to him. He had now started collecting all of the toys in one spot. Almost like what a spoiled toddler would do.

"Yeah he'll be fine. Besides, the yetis'll look after him.

I turned back and smiled at him. "Okay, I'll believe you. But you should go down first, that way, I know how's it's done."

"Suit yourself. It's a wild ride!" And he jumped. I stood on the edge of it, still a little wary, when someone grabbed me from behind and everything went black.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I woke up in a cage. When I moved, the whole thing swayed, so I gathered that it must be hanging from some sort of ceiling. Everything was foggy. I remembered Bunny's hole, then darkness.

"Welcome to my lair," said a deep, soothing voice. It practically calmed me to my very core. He was standing somewhere below me. Another hint that I was in the air.

"Who... are... you?" I managed to choke out.

"You know me, kind of. But, I know you very well, Cupid."

"Then maybe you can give me some insight as to your name, maybe?" I held my head. I felt like I had something I needed to do. And I had a bad feeling about where I was at the moment.

Suddenly, the cage dropped, then slowed to lower me to the ground. The person who was speaking was standing there, still as a statue, in the dark.

"Take a look around. Do you recognize where you are?"

I looked. All I could see was stone, stone, globe, and more stone. Wait, globe? I looked back at it and saw a few lights shining around it. It reminds me of the one at... Where? Why can't I remember?

"I... I don't know. I can't remember much."

"What do you remember?"

"I remember my name. It's Cupid. And I have a bow, and arrows... Where's my arrows? And my bow?" I asked.

He grinned. "You'll have no need for them now. What else?"

"Nothing. That's all I remember. Wait..." I remembered a boy. A sweet, white haired boy with a long staff and a light blue sweatshirt. No, dark blue, with icy crystals on the shoulders.

"Jack!" I cried out.

"Oh, him. You need not to worry about him. He has not been harmed. Please rest. There's nothing to be afraid of." He sat down in front of the cage, shadows still overlooking his face, and he began to sing. A slow, solemn song with a dark undertone. It was so lovely. The floor felt very nice, very soft. A pillow... My head...

"Sleep."