The room was dark.  She could hear voices.  Something shattered in the distance.

     Startled, the three year old girl dashed out of bed.  She really wanted her mommy and daddy, but wasn’t sure if she should make a sound.  Her gut instinct told her to hide. 

     As silent as a rabbit evading a fox, she scampered to her closet then ducked into the cabinet part of the old end table her daddy had put in there as a place to store her stuffed animals.  At first glance, unless someone took a good look at it, they would not notice that the little table that held a stack of books on top could store things as well.  Hopefully, whomever the strange voices belonged to wouldn’t think of such a possibility.

     Squeezing her eyes shut, the little girl scrunched herself up as tiny as she could.  The words ‘I’m not here,’ echoed in her head like a mantra.

     A loud thud broke her free of her thoughts as her tiny sanctuary filled with a bright light.  She screamed.

 

* * *

 
     Kassie Madison groaned as her cousin thrashed around in her bed in their shared dorm room.  Squinting through the sunlight bleeding in through the blinds, she sat up then grabbed the alarm clock.  It read 7:07am. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep Kassie swung to the edge of the bed, dropping her feet on the floor.  She growled as various puzzle pieces clung to her soles.  Annoyed, she threw a pillow at the dark haired young woman lying a few feet away from her.  “Becca!”

     Becca Alexander awoke with a squeal.  She shoved at her long tangled hair then blinked.  “What?  It’s morning already?”

     “You were having another one of your dreams again.”

     “Oh.  I don’t remember it.”  She stretched as the red head flopped back down on her bed.  “Is something wrong?”

     “You forgot to put away your damn jigsaw puzzles again.  Why the hell are you so obsessed with them?  You’re gonna lose pieces if you keep spreading them out all over the room!”

     “Sorry,” Becca winced, lowering her gaze to the mess.  “I’ll try to be more careful.”

     Kassie sighed, pulling several pieces off the bottoms of her feet.  A part of her felt guilty for grumbling at her cousin.  Becca was practically her sister at this point.  She could still remember the day that the petite dark haired girl came to live with her family.  Becca was like a tiny mouse living with a gaggle of noisy geese.  To say they were complete opposites would be an understatement.  It was a wonder they hadn’t murdered each other yet. She supposed the University of North Carolina could have given her someone worse than an odd little mouse to room with.

     The brunette climbed out of bed with a thoughtful expression on her face.  “I think I want breakfast before heading to class.  Do you?”

     Typical Becca and her strange way of speaking.  Kassie lifted her gaze to the waterscape calendar hanging over her desk where a bright blue marker had encircled a particular date.  September 2nd.  She frowned in disbelief. “Don’t you even remember what today is?”

     Becca’s eyebrows knitted together in thought.  “I don’t believe I have anything due today…”

     “It’s your twenty-first birthday, and you forgot?  What kind of college student are you?”  Kassie threw her arms up in exasperation, wild curls flying around with the movement.  “You’re legal now.  You can drink!”

     “I don’t see how that’s anything to get excited over.”  Deep blue eyes stared curiously into sea green ones.  “It’s just an age.  Nothing special.”

     “You’re hopeless.”

     Becca shrugged as she grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans from the closet.  “I’m not a party girl like you.”

     “Have you ever been to a party?”

     “No.”

     Kassie raised her eyebrows in surprise.  “Really?”

     Becca finished changing.  “No one ever invited me.  It’s not that big of a deal.”

     “We need to get you out more…”

     “That won’t be necessary.  I’m happy the way I am.”

     “Bec, you’re not living.  You’re just existing in the world.”  Kassie grinned as her cousin scowled at her.  “I’m going to change that tonight!  After all, tomorrow is Saturday.  No classes!”

     “Kassie-”

     “We’re going to party hard and I refuse to take no for an answer.  I’ll drag you out kicking and screaming if I have to!”

     Becca shook her head.  “But I don’t want to go.”

     “Tough!  You better get your puzzle fix taken care of early, chica.”  The red head smirked at her bewildered cousin.  “Tonight, your fate lies in my hands.”

 

* * *

 
     Kassie scanned the crowded dining hall, yogurt parfait and orange juice in hand.  Her face lit up at the sight of her two best friends.  Excited to see them, she rushed to their table.  “Hey!”

     “Morning.”  Nina Lloyd, a pretty blonde grinned up from her coffee cup.  She tucked a strand of shoulder length hair behind her ear as Kassie sat in front of her.  “What’s got you so happy?”

     “Maybe she had a hook up,” purred Taryn Copper, her brown eyes glinting mischievously.

     Kassie shook her head.  “What do you say to hitting the clubs tonight?  Today is Becca’s twenty-first birthday.  So, I was wondering if you guys wanted to join me in the celebration.”

     Two sets of perfectly shaped eyebrows arched at the suggestion.

     “Becca?”  Taryn snickered.  “Do you mean that weird girl you room with?”

     “Yeah, she’s my cousin.  So?”

     Nina blinked in surprise. “Really?  You two are nothing alike!  Plus, she’s so quiet, which if you ask me is kind of creepy.”

     “That’s just how she is-”

     “Does she even want to go?”  Taryn interrupted.  “She doesn’t seem the party type.”

     Kassie flinched.  “Well, no-”

     “Then why would you even bother?”

     “But she’s family.”

     Taryn scoffed, twirling her fork with impatience.  “So?  That doesn’t mean anything.”

     “You two don’t even look related.”  The blonde added thoughtfully.

     Kassie clenched her jaw.  She was beginning to rethink the best friend thing, she rose from her seat - breakfast in hand.  “Look, I wanted to offer, but if you two are too busy competing in the Miss Bitchy USA Pageant I understand.”

     “Kas-” the duo began in protest.

     “Forget it.”  The redhead rolled her eyes, brushing them off.  She paused by a garbage can to dump her meal.  She had lost her appetite.  Damn them.  She was really looking forward to those strawberries too!  Oh well.  At least she usually had a few granola bars stashed in her bag for emergencies.

     Her legs were starting to itch.  She’d have to make mental note to go to the beach in a few days.  A shaker of sea salt and a bathtub would sometimes help in a pinch, but Kassie preferred an actual ocean to a makeshift remedy.  She would just have to deal with her drying out skin until then. 

     “Kassie!”

     Her head snapped up, eyes flashed with warning then cooled at the familiar male face as one of her classmates raced towards her.  “Hi Evan.”

     The dark haired young man gave her a cocky grin.  “Hey, I heard you joined the ‘ship.”

     “You mean the internship at Nutra-G?”

     “Yeah.”

     She smiled.  “Why do you ask?”

     “I was wondering how you got in.  They are really picky about who they take.”

     Kassie giggled, batting her eyelashes at the bewildered male.  “Just luck I guess.  Catch you later, Evan.” 

     With that she flipped her hair over a shoulder then dashed off, satisfied with the change to her horrible morning.  A little flirting always seemed to make her day just a bit brighter.

 

* * *

 
     Kassie adjusted her knee length skirt then drew a breath.  It was her first day interning at Nutra-G, the esteemed vitality company, or so they dubbed themselves.  All she really knew about it was that they made a bunch of health stuff.  At least it would suit her internship requirements for her business major.  She just hoped it wouldn’t bore her to tears.

     As soon as Kassie set foot in the door she found herself and a few other interns corralled into a small office. 

     “Welcome everyone!”  A perky slender woman with strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a bun grinned at the small group of college students.  “We are so happy to have each and every one of you here.  Please take a seat.  You will find a folder and a bag of some goodies you get to take with you.  I will give you a moment to fill out the paperwork contained within your folders before we begin.”

     Kassie lifted her eyebrows at the bag filled with samples of everything from vitamins to energy bars.  She pushed them to the side then flipped open the bright green folder and groaned.  She had read novels thinner than the monstrosity in front of her!  She would probably get carpal tunnel before she even reached the middle of it.  What exactly was all this?  Was she going to sign over her first born child?  She supposed she had no choice.  With a sigh Kassie picked up the pen they had also provided and got to work.

     Once that torture was out of the way Kassie realized that it was only the beginning.  She had to endure a rambling of the company complete with slideshow on what it represented, their goals, how they could better their vitality, the importance of good health, blah, blah, blah.  Kassie had sat in lectures that were way more entertaining.  The only thing that kept her awake was the fluctuation of the woman’s squeaky voice.

     When the orientation finally finished a rail thin greasy looking man with dirty blonde hair approached her.  “Miss Madison?”

     She shifted in her seat.  “Yes?”

     Melvin Fry, I’ll be your handler.  It’s very good to meet you.”  He thrust out his hand.

     “Nice to meet you too,” Kassie accepted it then inwardly cringed as they shook.  There was something very unsettling about this man.  He was making her skin crawl.

     “I’m really looking forward to working with you.  Please follow me.”

     Knowing she had no other alternative, she gathered her stuff and accompanied him out of the room.  She hoped time would move by fast.  She didn’t know how much more she could take.  At least she had dragging Becca to her first club to look forward to.  It would be an awesome night.

 

* * *

 
     Becca shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as loud music boomed out around them.  She felt very self-conscious in the halter-top and asymmetrical skirt that Kassie had insisted on her wearing.  The skirt wasn’t too short thankfully, but she wasn’t used to showing so much skin. 

     “Stop slouching,” her cousin whispered from her side.  “You look hot.  Enjoy it.”

     The flashing lights pulsed around them as they strolled towards the bartender.  Becca fought the urge to rub at her eyes knowing that she would smear the makeup that Kassie had painstakingly applied to her face.  She pushed a curled strand of hair from her eyes, also done by her cousin.  Now that Becca thought of it she probably didn’t look anything like herself thanks to Kassie’s makeover.  She sucked in a breath, pleading for the night to move by quickly without any horrible incidents.

     “Kassie, my favorite girl,” grinned the bartender at the sight of the vivacious redhead.  “What’ll it be?”

     “Seth, it’s good to see you.”  Kassie yanked Becca to a vacant stool.  “Need something special tonight.  It’s my cousin’s 21st.”

     “I’ll just have a water,” Becca squeaked out, wincing at the timid tone to her voice.

     “She’s kidding.”

     The bartender laughed.  “How about Birthday Cake then?”

     “Perfect!  I’ll take the same.”  Kassie slid onto the stool next to Becca as Seth set to mixing the drinks.  “Loosen up a bit.  This is your chance to have some fun for a change.”

     “I know how to have fun!”  The brunette snorted, annoyed by her cousin’s ‘’gift.’  She thought longingly of her laptop back at the dorm.  If only Kassie hadn’t hid it on her she could be listening to a new audio book while putting together her puzzle instead of being held against her will at a head-splitting club.  At least it seemed she would be given cake first before being forced to down God knew what.

     Becca’s eyes widened as Seth set a shot glass with some sort of brownish liquid in it and a small plate with a lemon wedge dusted in what looked like sugar in front of her.  That wasn’t a slice of cake… “I-”

     “Throw down the shot and follow immediately with the lemon,” Kassie grinned, lifting her glass then demonstrated exactly what she had explained.  “It’s good!  Trust me.”

     “I don’t know about this…”

     “Just do what I did.  Come on, it’s a rite of passage.  You’ll like it.”

     Becca had her doubts.  She sniffed it.  It had an odd almost spicy scent to it.  She really wished she could leave, but didn’t want to hurt Kassie.  Her cousin meant well, in her own strange way.  It couldn’t be as horrible as bad gas station coffee.

     Gathering her courage, Becca sucked in a breath, took a sip, and nearly gagged.

     “Down it, Bec!  The whole thing!”

     She winced but did as she was ordered immediately regretting it.  Her eyes watered.  How did Kassie even think she would enjoy this?

     “Suck on the lemon!  Fast!”

     Once again, Becca complied then blinked.  Weird.  Now she tasted chocolate cake!  How could that even be possible?  Maybe the night wouldn’t be so bad after all.

 

* * *

 
     Kassie slid a pair of sunglasses over her head then glanced in at the mirrored closet doors.  She inspected her attire consisting of denim shorts, a turquoise tank top over her favorite flowered bikini.  She fluffed her red hair humming in approval. She slipped on a pair of sandals and grinned.  She couldn’t wait to hit the beach!  The ocean waters were calling her name in a voice of seduction.

     She checked through her beach bag to ensure she had all her necessities: sunscreen, towel, a few magazines, cell phone, makeup, change of clothes just in case, wallet… something was missing.  Water!  Kassie dug up a few chilled bottles out of the mini fridge.  She put one on the table between her bed and Becca’s then stuffed the others in her bag.  She hoped her cousin wouldn’t awaken with a killer hangover.  At least she was still unconscious.

     Kassie grabbed her supplies snickering lightly as she reflected on her mild-mannered cousin giggling like a schoolgirl as she bounced around to the music at the club.  The girl had some incredible moves.  At one point Becca even sang along slurring the lines, but surprisingly wasn’t too bad.  Kassie would have to make a mental note to take her to a karaoke bar next time.  That should be a laugh riot if she got the petite brunette tipsy enough.

     Kassie locked their door behind her then headed for the stairs.  This was going to be the best day ever!

 

* * *

 
     She wanted to die.  Becca clutched at her pounding skull.  She could still feel the bass from the club in her teeth.  She would have sworn she was still there if not for her cloud covered sheets.  Groaning she crawled out of bed; her long dark hair hung in her face as she shoved herself to her feet.  She was never going to drink again.  The sheer agony she was suffering through was not worth the temporary buzz. 

     Becca noticed the bottle of water on the table.  Perhaps Kassie had redeemed herself after all.  She picked it up, twisted off the cap and took a deep drink.  She didn’t feel any better, but she didn’t feel worse either.  Perhaps some painkillers with a simple computer game; her head hurt too much to concentrate on her puzzles.

     She tugged at the strap of her blue tank top then cursed as her eyes fell upon her empty desk.  She was going to kill her cousin.  Not only did Kassie make her suffer through the worst pain imaginable, but she never unearthed the computer science major’s laptop after she hid it last night either!  Two could play this game…

     Becca marched to Kassie’s desk where the red head left her laptop up and running.  She tapped the touchpad.  The screen flickered then prompted her to sign in.  She scowled.  Something had to be done about the hammering in her skull!  Spotting a bottle on the corner of the desk, Becca snatched it, popping two pills then returned to the computer.  It took a few tries, but finally she nailed Kassie’s password.  The screen filled with an oceanic scene.  Becca rolled her blue eyes.  Her cousin was always obsessed with the sea.  She would bet her full scholarship that the flirtatious red head was there right now. 

     “Now, what do I want to do first…” rather than getting her revenge by posting something embarrassing from Kassie’s files, she decided to do what she planned to do in the first place; find a game.

     Becca opened one of her cousin’s energy bars.  If she made a fuss, Becca could always pay her back after all.  She set to work on hunting down one that fit her mood.  She winced; it felt like her head was getting worse.  Just as she finally clicked on something, everything went black.

 

* * *

 
     Kassie returned to her dorm feeling completely rejuvenated.  She wished her cousin knew how much enjoyment the water could bring.  Then again, Becca wasn’t exactly like her.  She hoped the girl wasn’t curled up in the fetal position due to a hangover.  Her eyes widened as she remembered something she meant to do that morning.  “Damn, she’s going kill me… Please don’t be awake yet…”

     She unlocked the door as quietly as she could and then stepped inside.  Odd.  Her cousin was nowhere to be seen.  Kassie dropped her bag on her bed then frown at her laptop.  Why was the screen on Dolfun Games?  She hadn’t been to the site in days.  Did Becca hack her computer?  If so then where was she?  “Bec?  Are you here?  I’m sorry about your laptop.  I’ll make it up to you.  Becca?”

     Kassie walked to the small erase board where they usually wrote notes to each other if they went out, but it was blank.  Her eyes widened at the sight of the brunette’s keys sitting on her desk.  How could she have locked the door yet left her keys behind?  The deadbolt had been locked!  Panic flooded Kassie.  She yelled out her cousin’s name repeatedly, but there was no answer.  Tears stung her eyes as she collapsed to her knees clutching at her head.  What was she going to do?  How could this have happened?  She should call someone!  That’s it!

     Just as Kassie dug her cell phone out of her pocket it rang.  She screamed, dropping it on the carpeted floor.  Drawing a shaky deep breath she answered it.  “Hello?”

     A strange odor filled the air.  The red head’s vision wavered as her ears rang.  Then all went fuzzy as she lost consciousness. 

 

* * *

 
     Kassie’s green eyes fluttered open then widened.  “Where am I?”

     Somehow she found herself sitting in the drivers’ seat of what looked like a Mustang.  What was going on?  The last thing she remembered was her phone ringing…  Her gaze fell upon a note stuck to the steering wheel. 

     ‘Go here.’  Below was a roughly sketched map.

     She frowned.  This had to be the weirdest thing that had ever happened to her.  Perhaps she was dreaming?  Her mind flashed to Becca.  Dream or not, her cousin was still missing.  Since it seemed whoever was leading her around with breadcrumbs didn’t want to hurt her, she guessed it wouldn’t hurt to follow the trail.  Plus she was curious.  She had always been known to have an adventurous streak; as long as whatever was entailed did not involve flying.  That was where she drew the line.

     “Down the rabbit hole we go,” Kassie muttered, she pulled the keys from the ignition then got out of the car before locking it.  She narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar parking lot.  It appeared that she was at some sort of park.  How the hell did she get there?  “Definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”

 

* * *

 
     It took some time, but Kassie finally found her way along the path.  A part of her wondered if it was all some weird prank or payback for hiding Becca’s laptop.  If that was the case, how did she lock the door behind her?  The questions swimming around in Kassie’s mind were enough to make her head hurt.

     At last she caught sight of Becca lying on a bench.  Her heart skipped a beat as she raced towards her.  She prayed that her cousin was all right.

     “Becca!  Wake up!”

     The brunette’s eyelids drifted open then blinked.  What?  Where are we?”

     “Thank God you’re okay!”  Kassie came to a halt in front of the young woman.  “You aren’t hurt, right?”

     No, but…” Becca pushed herself upright, frowned.  “Why am I still in my PJs?  Isn’t this a bit indecent?”

     “It’s not like it’s a sheer teddy.  Get up.  Let’s get you out of here.”

     The dazed young woman stared at her cousin before rising to her feet.  She stumbled a few steps, but managed to keep her balance.  “Are we in some sort of park?”

     “Sure looks that way.”  Kassie grabbed her arm, leading her away.  “We better go in case-”

     The sound of gunshots stopped her mid-sentence.  Running footsteps soon followed. 

     “Shit!  Run!”  The two girls took off at a sprint, dodging bullets as they wove around trees, deviating from the walking trail. 

     “Why are they after us?”  Becca cried out.

     “I don’t know!  Just keep going!” Kassie bit her lip.  She knew of one way to buy them time.  Unfortunately Becca would be affected as well.  “Cover your ears and run on ahead.”

     “What?”

     “Do it!”

     The brunette gave her a skeptical expression, but relented.  “Be careful."

     Kassie drew a deep breath.  Once she was satisfied with the distance between her and her cousin she released a shrill scream.  The sound vibrated several feet around her, disorienting anyone that heard it.  It was one of the bonuses to being a Siren. 

     A chorus of groans followed prompting the redhead to track down her cousin.  She hoped she remembered where the car was parked.

 

* * *

 
     It didn’t take long before she found Becca kneeling on the ground, clutching at her head.  Damn.  Perhaps she underestimated her cry.  “Can you get up?”

     Becca winced.  “My ears are still ringing, but I think so.  What was that sound?  It was terrible!”

     “Later.  Let’s get out of here.”  She yanked her cousin to her feet then together they ran.  It only took several more minutes before the parking lot came into view.  Kassie thought she’d never be so happy to drive a vehicle that wasn’t her own.

     “Wait.  That’s not your car,” Becca protested as Kassie stopped in front of the black Mustang.

     “Hurry and get in!”

     Gasping for air, they both climbed in.  The red head quickly started up the car then peeled out. 

     “What is going on?”  Becca cried out, swiping the sweat from her face.  “Why are they after us?”

     “I don’t know!  Just shut up and let me drive!”  Kassie gritted her teeth as she switched gears, trying desperately to gain more speed.  The more distance she put between them and those men, the better off they would be.

     A loud buzzing sound nearly ran her off the road.  She hissed and corrected herself.  “Bec, find out whatever the hell is making that noise and smash it!”

     Becca opened the glove box to find a cell phone and a large manila envelope.  She looked at the screen, scowled.  “It’s a text.  It says to turn on the radio.”

     They exchanged glances for a second.  Kassie sighed as she flipped it on.  “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

     “The fire at the Nutra-G factory is in question.  Police say they have a few leads”

     “Shit!”

     “At least we don’t seem to be being followed anymore…” Becca murmured.

     “Thank God for small blessings,” she grumbled turning off the radio.  She eased up on the gas.  The last thing she needed at that moment was to get pulled over.  Especially since she didn’t have her driver’s license or even owned the car for that matter.

     Becca lowered her gaze to the phone as another text was sent.  She read it out loud.  “Do not return to the school.  They suspect you.  Open the envelope.”

     “I’ll repeat, what the hell is going on!” 

     “I don’t know.  It’s very troublesome, isn’t it.”  The brunette broke the seal on the envelope then peered inside.  “Holy crap!”

     “What is it?”

     Becca pulled out a stack of twenties, a second phone, two fake ids with their pictures on them and another letter.  “There’s a list of instructions for payment on saving our lives.  It says here we need to go to... Miami?  They want us to help someone there.  What do we do?  Should we contact your parents?”

     Kassie clenched her jaw.  “No.  I don’t want them involved in… whatever mess we’re in.  I don’t know what’s going on but if there’s a debt to pay, I guess we have no choice.  Perfect - just what I always wanted, to do favors for a mysterious person.  I imagine this is all going to cost us a pretty penny.” 

     “So we’re really going to Miami?”

     “Given the fact that we are certainly not in North Carolina anymore I would say we probably owe whoever big.”

     Becca’s eyes widened.  “Wait?  Then where are we?”

     Her cousin pointed to a sign that read, ‘Now leaving Colorado.’

     “You have got to be kidding me!  How is that even possible?”

     “No clue.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”  Kassie slid her sunglasses over her eyes and flipped through the radio stations until she found the perfect one.  This was going to be a long car trip.