Mandie Coombes's Story

I sat slumped in my seat at the airport, earbuds firmly planted in my ears playing me sweet dubstep lullabies. A random guy passed by me, staring more than was publicly acceptable, and I instinctively giggled and looked down at my outfit. Which I rocked, by the way: black leather shorts with an adorable open-backed slouchy sweater and stylish Madden Girl booties. My hair was a bit less tame, waist length strawberry blonde hair teased in some areas to give it volume that did not come naturally.
I checked the clock on my iPhone. Ten minutes to go until they started boarding the flight to the UK, and I’d be off to see my best friend, Kai. Or Aya, as I usually call her. That woman has thousands of names she goes by. And apparently a motorcycle now, which I was planning to take for a joyride at least once during this trip. A responsible joyride, don’t worry.
I was also quite interested in meeting this new beau of Aya’s. And to find out if he was treating her right. Because if he wasn’t, he was gonna hear it from me!
5 more minutes. I started jiggling my leg up and down out of excitement. I grabbed my trench and wrapped it around my arms and made sure my carry on bag was still at my feet.
I was just excited to get out of the country. I'd never been out of the U.S., which was torture for my wanderlusting soul. Going to Europe had always been one of my dreams, and now that Aya moved there, I had a reason to get out! It was going to be an awesome week.
The airline announced that my plane was now boarding, so I picked up my stuff and got in line, beaming from ear to ear. Finally!

After what seemed like FOREVER, the plane boarded at the UK airport and I took my luggage outside to where my rented Mini Cooper sat waiting for me. I plugged in Danny and Ren's address into my GPS and headed off in their direction. A few times I had to swerve to the other side of the road because I forgot I wasn't in America anymore. These roads are gonna be the death of me...!
Their place was fairly easy to find. I pulled up right in front of the house to see my best friend and what I assumed to be her man snogging in the garage. I shook my head, laughed, then opened the car door and peeked over the top of the Mini Cooper. "Ay!" I shouted. "Am I interrupting something?!"

No sooner had I spoke, I heard a loud "Ay!" come from behind us. I looked and saw the bright red hair of my best friend. A grin stretched across my face. "Am I interrupting something?! She shouted and I squealed. Interrupting? No. Stopping things before they got started again. There was a good chance of that. I slipped gingerly away from Danny. I always felt a little chill after I moved away from him but I didn't worry too much, I'd be back there soon enough.
I darted over to her. "It's about damn time!" I shrieked happily. We hadn't physically seen in each other since Prom...kill me now. It's been a good while since then and I was glad to have her here. Although, the first thing she didn't need to see was me making out with my boyfriend. That I could have done without.
I gave her a huge hug before stepping back to get a good look at her. Last time I saw her, Her hair was much shorter, but other then that she pretty much looked the same. It seemed that was a theme with us. I looked the same too save for my hair. It used to be straight but I got sick of dealing with it and I went to dreads.

“Wow, it's been forever.” I sighed and then I looked back at my Danny. I smiled at him. I took her hand and pulled her to him. I figured let's get this part over with now and have fun later. ”Danny, Mandie, Mandie, Danny.” I said gesturing between the two of them with a large smile.

Welp, my job is done.

“Soon, she boarded last night, so she should be landing soon, if not already on her way,” Kai said and I nodded some, a small smile still lingering on my lips. She hooked her arm around my waist and I probably would have gone in for another kiss if she hadn't spoken again. ”C'mon, we should head back inside, before we end up in trouble," she continued. I frowned some, my bottom lip sticking out into a pout. "But trouble can be so fun," I whined, but decided that enough was enough... for now, anyway. No doubt there would be another kiss at some point in the day, and no doubt it would come soon. I noticed the mischief evident in her grin and I couldn't help but allow a faint smirk to line my lips. Now that was sexy, especially on her.

For some odd reason, I didn't pull away from her instantly after she'd suggested going inside, however a voice from behind us made me turn my head. A red-headed girl was poking her head out of the car to look at us. "Am I interrupting something?" the girl - who I now assumed was Mandie based off of my terrible memory of the video chat that happened not long ago - said. Yeah, my memory was absolutely terrible, if you hadn't already guessed. With that, Kai moved from between me and the bike to run towards Mandie. I watched with a smile as they embraced each other in a hug.

The two girls exchanged words before Kai dragged her over to me. "Danny, Mandie. Mandie, Danny," she said and I flashed Mandie a welcoming smile. Mandie extended her hand to me as she spoke. "Well it's good to finally meet you, Danny," she greeted and I took her hand gingerly. While I was trying to make a good first impression, she was completely new to me and I still don't like being touched by strangers. If it were anyone else, I'd have just stared at her hand until it fell back to her side. "Likewise," I said, my hand moving from hers as I attempted to make the handshake as brief as possible without appearing too rude about it. "I ain't seen this girl in ages, I hope you been treatin' her right!" Mandie said, causing a small chuckle to leave my lips. "Of course I've been treating her right. Is there any other way to treat a woman?" I asked, rhetorically. I glanced over at Kai, then back over at Mandie.

I noticed that behind her, another car had pulled into the drive. I squinted some and stepped around them after mumbling a quiet 'excuse me'. I walked towards the car just as my sister got out the driver's seat. I stopped walking literally as soon as I saw her and turned to walk back but she snapped my name from her gobby little mouth and forced me to turn to her. "I'm dropping Dylan off, shithead, don't ignore me," she muttered, and soon after Dylan scurried out of the passenger's seat. With his head held low, he walked over to me. He was unusually quiet and I completely understood why. I'd be exactly the same if I had to sit in a car with that bitch for 20 minutes. "I'm going to go see Ren or something," he said and made his way past the two girls without looking up at them. I glared over at my sister. "Don't look at me like that," she said, and with every word she said I just wanted to rip her tongue out and ram it down her throat. Without so much as another word, I made my way back over to Kai.

It was then that I realised Kai hadn't had the chance to meet my brother or sister before. Oh, fantastic... Just fantastic. Hopefully Dylan would warm up to them both a bit. He was always quiet at first but before you know it he'll be jumping around and cackling like an idiot. "I'm going to go sort stuff out. I trust you two can sort out your sleeping arrangements and things like that," I said as I leaned in to kiss Kai's cheek. "I'll be out in the garden if you need me." And with that, I made my way through the house and into the garden.

I stood there watching my two favorite people in the world...literally finally meet with the biggest grin. I was shocked to see Danny give her a handshake. I was like the only person that could touch him. Something I exploited as often as I could by the way. . "I ain't seen this girl in ages, I hope you been treatin' her right!" Mandie said, and Danny chuckled. I just stood there, grinning still. . "Of course I've been treating her right. Is there any other way to treat a woman?" He said and I could help but giggle like an idiot as he glanced at me.  
Just then another car pulled up and Danny excused himself before walking off but stopping when a girl stepped out the car. With that, I knew just who this was, while I never official met his sister, He told me enough to make me want to keep my distance, not for fear of making a bad impression but because I know how I can get, Let her say one thing wrong about my Danny and we'll have some serious issues that may require medical attention. Just saying.

 "I'm dropping Dylan off, shithead, don't ignore me," His sister said and I got tense but didn't react much beyond that as a sullen boy came out of the car and I just wanted to hug him. He looked either sad or annoyed, or a combination of both. I didn't know him either but I knew he was Danny's little brother, I think about the only person of Danny's family he actually liked. . ”I'm going to go see Ren or something," Said Dylan as he walked past Mandie and I and I watched him walk off. I didn't know why I felt bad but he looked down. . "Don't look at me like that," His sister spoke drawing my attention back to them. I could see Danny was tense now. Great, Way to ruin the happy moment. I was completely expressionless which could be very bad depending on the situation and with Danny, I was just as protective of him as he was of me so I was on edge.

 "I'm going to go sort stuff out. I trust you two can sort out your sleeping arrangements and things like that," He said and kissed my cheek. Great. He wasn't in the best of moods. I smiled regardless. The last thing he needed to see was me upset at all. That would not end well.  "I'll be out in the garden if you need me." He said and I grinned. ”But I always need you.” I said hoping to lighten his mood as he made his way through house and presumably the backyard like he said. I looked at Mandie. She probably noticed how tense I was and probably could read the majority of my thoughts. We always had a weird connection thing where we practically read each other's thoughts. Once, I felt her pain, like for real. That was nuts.
”Okay, so, Let's get on inside, yeah?” I said and turned and nearly ran into my bike. Real Smooth. But that reminded me. “ But First, Check it. My baby.” I said holding out my arms gesturing to my bike. ”I'm thinking of calling it' Arcee, I mean It looks like a freakin Transformer.” I said with a smirk, I love how I could explain that to her and she'd known what I meant.

"Don't look at me like that," the woman who had pulled in front of the house snapped at Danny. I could feel the atmosphere around us immediately get tense, and by the expression on Aya's face, or lack thereof, things could get very bad for the woman if she didn't leave now. I knew Aya well enough to know that she didn't tolerate that crap, especially when it was aimed toward someone she cared about.
Danny said he was going to the garden and headed into the house, and I sidled up to Aya, crossing my arms and putting a finger to my chin curiously. "Ex-girlfriend? Or family issues?"

"Okay, so let's get on inside, yeah?" Aya said, turning and almost running smack into her shiny new toy that I had been itching to get my hands on. It was sleek and beautiful, and when Aya turned back to face me I could tell she was very proud of it. "But first, check it. My baby. I'm thinking of calling it Arcee. I mean, it looks like a freakin' Transformer."
"Brilliant, it totally does! I know you were really wanting a bike, but damn. This thing is wicked sweet," I said, taking a lap around the bike to take in every detail. "You know what I'm gonna have to do. You know. But don't worry, I'll be responsible." I flashed her a reassuring, goofy grin.

"Brilliant, It totally does! I know you were really wanting a bike, but damn. This thing is wicked sweet," Mandie said circling the bike. I gave a smirk that faded when I saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know what I'm gonna have to do. You know. But don't worry, I'll be responsible."She said with a goofy grin. I shook my head. I had pretty much anticipated this and the next several responses. "Do you have any idea how much that statement j-scares me." I said, dryly but grinned shortly after with a laugh.

"But seriously, We'll take it out later, I wanna go out, and you need to meet Ren and Winny." I said with gesturing for her to follow me. "This way, make sure you take off your shoes."I said as we entered into the house. I then lead her into living room where Ren, and Winny were. "Hey guys, This be mah bestie, Mandie. Mandie, This here is Ren," I said gesturing to the dark haired fellow and then to the ombre haired girl."And this is Winny."

After Aya went out to find Danny, I sat down with Ren and Winny and got to small-talking with them. It wasn't as awkward as I thought without Aya there; Winny seemed very bubbly and fun, whereas Ren had a very dry sense of humor, much like myself.
About 10 minutes after Danny and Aya went outside, I felt a surge of panic that made me sit up in my seat very suddenly.
"Aya," I blurted out. I could feel that something was very wrong, and it involved my best friend and most likely Danny. Aya and I had always had a very strange connection...we could feel each other's pain and sense what the other was feeling, and the fear that I felt now was making me nauseous. We needed to find Aya and Danny, and get away from this place.
"We need to get out of here. Now," I quickly said to Ren, and without any explanation I dragged him and Winny out the front door. I told Winny to get back to her house and stay there with all of the windows and doors shut and locked tight, and Ren and I made our way to the only form of transportation available - Aya's bike.
"Man...this was supposed to be a joy ride," I commented dryly, shifting the bike into gear and starting it up. "I don't feel very joyful."
Ren climbed on the bike behind me and we shot down the driveway and into the street. I had no idea where I was going, I just knew we needed get far away from whatever danger we were in. I only hoped that Aya and Danny made it out safe, but the growing fear in my stomach told me otherwise. As we reached a sharp turn in the road, the back of my head panged abruptly and excruciatingly, causing me to gasp aloud and swerve the bike. Ren and I flew to one side of the street as the bike skidded across the street and slammed into a lightpost. A sharp pain shot up my back where I had landed, and I looked over to see a group of men in full combat gear swarm Ren before a cloth with a funny smell was forced against my face and everything went black.

Consciousness overcame my senses and I was greeted by all of my nerves screaming in pain. I noted that I was starting to feel a bit feverish. Probably from the stress of being, oh, kidnapped maybe?
I sat up very gingerly with my hand keeping my head stable as the room swayed before me. The walls were a blinding white, so I squeezed my eyes shut so the light wouldn't get a chance to intensify my already intense headache. Also, my back felt like it was on fire. That was always a wonderful feeling.
I could still feel Aya’s fear and panic, and coupled with my own it was almost too much to bear. My whole being trembled and I collapsed in on myself, trying to get as small as possible, desperate for some semblance of safety and security.
I didn’t understand why this was happening. I’d hardly ever done anything wrong (I was pretty intimidated by authority), and one of the only times I really got in trouble was when I Sparta-kicked a boy in the stomach because he was annoying me.
I laughed bitterly at that memory. I wouldn’t be able to Sparta-kick my way out of this one.
Anger began to rise in my chest and I recognized it as Aya’s emotions. We’d always had a connection, we always knew what the other was thinking, but I’d never felt her emotions before like this…and I could only imagine what was happening to her.
Aya, I thought to myself, we gotta get out of this…but how? What is going on? Why is this happening?
I’d only seen these types of things happen in movies and tv shows. Those were always thrilling to watch, but now that it was happening to me…yeah, not so much. I kept running thoughts through my head, imagining all of the things that these people could possibly want with me. Did I have something of value that they wanted? Was this gonna be some crazy, real life version of the Saw movies? Did they want to torture me, rape me, kill me…? Expose me to radiation and turn me into a mutant with superpowers? Being the total nerd that I was, I was kind of hoping for that last choice. That was the most preferable of all the other scenarios I had thought up.
My forehead started to burn more furiously and I tried to quell the nausea brewing in my stomach as I wiped the sweat from my brow. I started to practice deep vinyasa breathing to calm myself down and thought, I’d kill for a yoga mat and some water right about now.
Suddenly the door my cell swung open, and before I could saw anything I was roughly grabbed and pulled up off the bed. My head pounded as I tried to open my eyes to see anything, try to find anything that would give me a clue as to where I was. But all I could see were huge man hands grasping my upper arms and my toes barely reaching the floor as I was relocated to a room at the far end of a long hallway. I was plopped down into a cold, steel chair that sent shivers all throughout my body. The coolness was a brief comfort to my molten skin.
I could only squint but I saw a metal table before me, and a moment later a poised Indian woman stepped into the room and smiled down at me. I grimaced in return. Assuming that this was the person who was going to ask me all sorts of fun questions, I sat back in the chair and tried to look as relaxed and indifferent as possible. It was going to be hard to try and fight my extreme discomfort.