T.N - Chapter 13

Ms. Craven was a fast worker, and diligent too. Within the half hour, she managed to cut all the pieces to size and almost finish pinning it to my form.

Unfortunately, it looked like the dress was going to turn out to be something from a white nightmare. The skirt had a long, maybe a meter long train; the strapless bodice was weighted down with tiny, crystal beads; I had maybe 5 layers of tulle underneath the overly lacy overskirt. This dress was probably the farthest away from being “simple.”

“And…done!” she said, putting in the last pin. “Now let’s go show it to your beau.”

We headed towards the door, and all of a sudden, I heard a very large and resonating bang. It sounded like a mixture of shattering glass, snapping wood, and screeching steel as it scrapes against something. I pushed past Ms. Craven and opened the door (which was surprisingly unlocked).

I came across quite the interesting scene. All of the Tiger’s men were standing around two, well-dressed men, whose backs were facing me. The Tiger faced the two men, and I could tell by the way he was smiling and tossing his gun around that he was teasing them, playing with them. Behind the two men in suits, the door was smashed in, and a smoldering wreck of what looked like what was the remains of a car lay at the entrance of the door. I decided to inch closer as to see what was happening.

“What have you done with her, you villain?!” said a voice I recognized immediately. His voice hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw him 6 years ago. Think deep, suave English accented voice, except with a little more…shrillness in it.

“Me, a villain?” asked the Tiger. “You are the one breaking into private property, causing a lot of damage. And are you intoxicated?”

“Do not try to distract me, you vile criminal! You have captured Miss Theodora, the prestigious rose of the North family. I am her suitor, Heathcliff—“ Heathcliff’s voice is muffled by something.

“I’m afraid it’s too late, fellow,” replied the Tiger. “She’s already engaged. To me.”

Now I didn’t care much for Heathcliff, but being held here against my will, and getting married against my will to anybody is and was not a pleasant prospect. So I stomped my way over, and pushed through the crowd of men encircling Heathcliff, his mysterious friend, and the Tiger.

“What is the matter?” I asked politely.

Heathcliff turned and fell into what looked like an apoplectic seizure. I just looked at him calmly; he’s always been like that. His friend knelt over, and helped him back up to his feet again.

“Nothing, darling,” said the Tiger. “Just taking care of some intruders. And by the way, the dress looks perfect. You may want to lose your boots though, we’ll have to find you some appropriate heels.”

I looked down at my feet, and saw the scuffed tip of my boots peeking out from under the dress. I suppose it did look strange with the whole ensemble, but I didn’t plan to be in that dress.

The Tiger glanced at Heathcliff, who still seemed to be in some sort of shock. “Is he all right?”

“It’s fine. He’s been like that forever.”

“Oh, so you know him?”

“Family business associates. He’s the son of the president of one of our associated companies.”

“I see. So he’s not…your beau?” There was a hint of jealousy in the Tiger’s voice.

“Heathcliff?” I sputtered. “No, not at all. At most, a childhood friend. I haven’t seen him for more than 6 years.”

“I see.”

By this time, Heathcliff had recovered. “Miss Theodora, darling, princess! Are you all right? Have you been harmed? You look absolutely ravishing!” He nearly pounces on me in an attempt to hug me, but the Tiger catches him by the scruff of his neck. He held up his gun to Heathcliff’s head.

“Let go of me, you felon! Let’s settle this like men!” Heathcliff unsheathed a gun from his own pocket, and pointed it at the Tiger’s head. The Tiger let go of him, and Heathcliff spun around, still holding the gun. “Let’s settle this in a shooting challenge.”

Within a few minutes, Heathcliff and the Tiger had a target set up, and they stood quite a distance away. I was standing off to the side, near the still smoking wreck of the car. Heathcliff’s mysterious friend also stood besides me. He was tall (nearly a head taller than I am) and lean, with tanned skin as if he’s been under the sun for some time. He stood slightly hunched, dark brown hair swept over his eyes.

Heathcliff and the Tiger started shooting at the target, creating quite a bit of noise. All of the men had their attention on the pair, silently cheering on their boss. That’s when I noticed my chance. I started sneaking towards the large gash in the door, my footprints disguised by the sound of gunshots. I started to run when I got out of the warehouse.

I saw a car in the parking lot, the only one there. I tried getting into it, but the door was unsurprisingly locked.

“Hey, need some help there?” asked someone behind me. 

C.N. - chapter 12

By the time I had gotten changed, Heathcliff was in front of one of the bathroom mirror, in a new (black) suit from the closet, combing his hair and applying gel to produce a glossy look. He took one look at me and did a double-take.
'By God! What do you think you're doing?!' He exclaimed sternly.
'Doing what?' I had three packets of gummy bears stuffed in my pocket and there's a heavy bulge. I did this because I had a feeling I wasn't going to return to the suite any time soon. I thought maybe he noticed and thought I was stealing from the hotel.
'What are you wearing?' The look in his eyes were clear expressions of shock and surprise, something I've seen before when my cousin fell off the back of a pickup truck and fractured his skull. I did not understand what Heathcliff was so concerned about, he continued his sputtering, 'And-and that shirt, God that shirt! It's hideous! And oh heavens almighty! Your shirt is tucked into your pants!' Heathcliff marched over to me and said, 'Change at once! There are suits in the closet, go immediately!'
'What? What are you talking about? I like this button-up, it fits me.' I said, still unsure what he was trying to get at.
'It's unacceptable! You have to change!' Heathcliff insisted.
'Why?' I asked.
'Because you have to look like me! Like me! Just look at this suit, I look professional! And if you're going to be my sidekick, you have to at least look professional! Follow my example! Sidekick!'
'Not with the sidekick thing again.' I shook my head and dejectedly went to pick a suit, 'By the way, shouldn't we hurry? Your possibly-future-fiance's been kidnapped and we promised to look for her. She did say to come quickly'
'Yes, I'm no idiot! (I like your referring to Miss. Theodora as my fiance, just to mention, a very obvious but kind remark) But all suitors know, you must suit up before rescuing the damsel in distress! I have suited up to look presentable. Now stop wasting time and suit up!'

Fifteen minutes later, Heathcliff and I were sitting in my old car, in suits, and Heathcliff was making a fuss about the state of our 'chariot'. I assured him the car is perfectly in good condition and capable of at least ten thousand more kilometers, and I learned that Heathcliff was not complaining about the car, but the paint job, which is peeling and rusted. I assured him most cars in the country are like this and people wouldn't take notice at all. There was a bit more assuring that I did and by the time I thought of something important, thrity minutes had passed and we were yet out of the parking lot.
'Heathcliff,' I asked, interrupting a long, poetic monologue about the undesirable appearance of my car, 'do you think we should bring the fax machine with us? Just in case Theodora sends us another message, there's an outlet there where the radio's supposed to be, so we can plug the fax right there.' I said.
Heathcliff stopped to consider, 'Yes! A very good point! See to it at once, sidekick!'
I didn't want to dispute the sidekick thing again, so I saw to it. As I was leaving the parking lot to retrieve the fax machine, Heathcliff bellowed out, 'And that's MISS. Theodora for you!'

Back at the suite, I found out that there's a Caller ID device next to the fax, it displayed where the message from Theodora came from, a number that I could look up in a phone book. This will make the search a lot easier, I thought. I scribbled down the ID on a piece of paper and unplugged the fax machine, which was a lot heavier than what I didn't anticipate, and brought it down to my car. I also took a copy of the phone book, hopefully that's not considered stealing from the hotel.
'I found a fax address from the Caller ID device too,' I said to Heathcliff, 'We can look up the number on the phone book, how easy is that?' I took out the piece of paper with the address and gave it to Heathcliff, I also gave the hardcover phone book of the hotel.
'It is not this simple.' Heathcliff said, 'A vile criminal and a direct descendant of the despicable Dragon should know better than to use a listed address. That ID is false.'
'We don't know for sure, check it out. You never know.' I said. The phone book had never failed me before, and I had a sort of gut feeling it won't fail me soon.
'It is pointless, we shall go to a five-star restaurant, calculate the distance from which that fax was sent as we dine, and search the radius around the hotel of that distance.' Heathcliff said under his breath, 'That, is the professional way.'
'I'll still look anyways.' I said and took the phone book from him. I searched the ID number, and sure enough, the phone book did not fail me. 'Look! It's right here, 167, 5th Dock Street, area code 250. I think that's not far from here.'
'Impossible!' Heathcliff snatched the phone book, triple-checked the address, and did a double take.
'See? Let's go there right now.' I said, and started the engine.
'No! This has to be a false address! The son of the despicable Dragon can not be this stupid!' Heathcliff was sputtering again and looked to be close to another spasm.
'But it's a lead, better than no lead, and no better than a better lead. What's the loss not to try it?' I reasoned.
'But-but-b-b-but...' Heathcliff was speechless.
'Trust me, I got a good feeling that I won't disappoint you.' I gave his a friendly pat, which didn't work so well in an awkward suit, and drove.
As I drove the way to the docks, I thought to myself, rich people sure are bloated. Here I was, driving an overblown and self-important rich billionaire to save another rich billionaire who happened to be his desired future fiance who was kidnapped by a likely rich son of a formerly rich terrorist kind of guy. And strangely, I felt no sense of danger. A rich young man kidnaps a rich young woman because he wants to marry her, and another jealous rich young man plays the overbearing hero and attempts to 'rescue' her because he too  wants to marry her, at even the tenth glance I'd say this is a the plot of a slapstick comedy, something I would very much love to go see.
'What in God's name is that horrendous music?' Heathcliff interrupted my thoughts.
'What, this? It's Singin' in the Rain, old Gene Kelly song. Ever seen the movie?' I said, glad to discuss music at this time.
'No I have not seen the blasted movie! Put on something else!' Heathcliff demanded.
'Okay,' I said, and slipped another disc into the CD player. This one's Ben E. King's greatest hits, when that didn't work, I tried Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, the Eagles, and Bee Gees.
'Stop it! It's horrible, put on something desirable to the ears will you!' Heathcliff covered his ears for another time and shouted.
'Well what do you want to listen to?' I asked.
'Taylor Swift, of course!'

With a GPS, we arrived at the location the fax ID directed up to. It's a large old warehouse and looks completely deserted on the outside, flanked by two other identical warehouses to the left and right, and the dock with the sun and waters in the background. I pulled up to the large wooden sliding front doors where the shipments probably come in and out, and slowed to a stop.
'Hey! Why have we stopped? Why did you stop?' Heathcliff was puzzled from his look at me from the shotgun seat, I looked back at him.
'I thought we should go in quietly, you know, so we don't disturb anything and anyone.' I said.
'No! Our entrance must be spectacular! Keep driving, straight ahead!' Heathcliff hissed in agitation.
'What? There's a solid door up ahead! I can't just keep driving forward!'
'Yes you can!' With that, Heathcliff stomped his foot on my foot, which was on the gas pedal, and we raced towards the sliding wooden doors. I screamed, and then stopped, because I heard Heathcliff howling. His howl sounded excited about this, and the surprise of that dwarfed my own fear. The car connected with the wood in a deafening sound, the front glass panel shattered and showered onto us as we crashed right through, leaving a hole in the door, my totaled car, and later my prediction confirmed, a lot of surprised people.

T.N - Chapter 11

“What do you mean, speed it up? You’re already going much too quickly for my taste.” I sighed. I tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, although I feared the worse.

“I’m having the dress maker come in. She’ll be here any moment now. She’s the best in the town, and of course, she’ll be paid off well enough so that she stays quiet.”

“A wedding dress? I thought you wanted something quick and under wraps. Besides, you aren’t as flashy as your father.”

“Oh, we’ll do that before the ceremony. We’ll get legally married beforehand, do all the paperwork and so on. Then we’ll have the fancy ceremony. Isn’t that what all girls dream of? And by marrying under wraps before hand, your family can’t really object, can they?” 

“I’m sure my family would find a way to break up a marriage even I don’t want. We are the North family, anyways.”

“Yes, but remember, as soon as I become your legal husband, I am technically related to the Norths and have as much power. I do have power of my own, and old money behind me.”

“Yes, the old money that your father gained by dirtying their hands. And now you carry the legacy, to the very last word and action. When I met you, I was expecting someone who realizes how cruel he is, someone who lived under the same roof as him, to understand that what he did was evil.”

“Evil? No, what my father did was find a way for the family to thrive! He, and my family, has always suffered from being the lower end of the spectrum, while your family and everyone else looked down at us, as if we were lower than dirt. You would not understand, as you being on the upper end of the spectrum.”

“So are you just using me for some sort of revenge? What a round-a-bout way to do it.”

“Well at first,” he admitted, rather sheepishly, “but it’s become a lot more than that now.”  

“As in?”

He shook his head. “Never mind. Just remember that it’s in your best interest that you behave.”

There was a large hustle over at the door, as it creaked open. A woman with a severe, drawn face clacked into the room, the sound of her stilettos hitting the cement floor resounded all throughout the warehouse. I got a better look at her face.

She must’ve been quite the beauty sometime in her life, but now it looks like those looks have disappeared. Her skin was stretched tautly over her cheekbones, her chin came into a point, and her hair was dry and brittle from the red hair dye. She gave, unfortunately, the overall impression of a fox. I remember her. She designed the dress for my sister-in-law’s wedding to my brother Kyle. The famous designer Michelle Craven.  

“Hello,” she said to the Tiger.  “So where’s the lucky girl?”

“On the chair besides you,” he stated drily. She turned, and I could see her eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh, I wasn’t really expecting this…”

“I’m sure she’ll co-operate now. She just needed some calm time.” He made me sound like some temperamental child.

“Ok then…so where will I be working?”

“In my office, here in the warehouse. I will have some of my men take you there.” He snapped his fingers, and two men stood up. One of them untied me from the chair while still keeping one rope around my arms, and the other started escorting Ms. Craven to the back of the warehouse, in the opposite direction of the office I was in.

We arrived in a well-kept study, with bookshelves lining the wall, and a polished mahogany desk in the middle. As soon as Ms. Craven put down her stuff, she immediately set to work on me.

“Untie her arms, I need her free to work,” she ordered one of the men, and he obeyed. “Now leave, I cannot have spectators watching while I work.” The men left, and closed the door behind them.

“Now then,” she said, turning her attention to me. “What can I make for you?”

“I don’t have much say in the matter. I’m sure he briefed you on what he wanted.”

“True,” she said, “but is there anything in particular you want? You are the one wearing it.”

I pause to think. “Please keep it as simple as possible. I hate looking gaudy.”

She looked me over. “I’ll try. He did want the entire works done on you.”

Oh brother. Last thing I need is to look like something out of a white nightmare.

“Just try please. I really don’t like this, so get it over with as soon as possible

C.N. - chapter 10

We rushed to the study where the antique fax machine sat undisturbed on the oak desk. It was ejecting a piece of paper, like last time. The message seemed to be capitalized. When Heathcliff saw the fax, he pushed past me (who was leading the way) and tore the piece of paper while it was still coming out. He read, did a double-take, and choked. While he was having another spasm on the floor, I read the fax message. I didn't mind too much for Heathcliff, since the last he had a fit, he came out alright.
The message said:
HELP SOMEONE. I’VE BEEN KIDNAPPED.
I was a bit puzzled at first. What would you have done if you read a piece of paper from a fax machine that said "HELP SOMEONE. I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED"? The first thing I thought of was 'Kidnapped' by Robert Louis Stevenson, a great book (it was the first book I read by myself), and then I thought that the person who sent this message must have been kidnapped, so I had a brief panic while I decided what to do, and then I replied. Normally, my writing would be considered a model in the school I go to, but I was trying to get a lot of questions through. So at best, the scrawl I produced had S's that look like D's.
My message in reply said:
Where are you? How can we help you? Who kidnapped you? Are they armed? (All the questions I've seen the detectives ask hostages via secret communication on crime TV shows that I could think of at the moment)
I got that far until Heathcliff suddenly recovered, shifted into action mode, knocked me over, and continued the message from where I had left off. I got back up to him writing furiously in cursive; ridiculously flowery sentences probably only a professional with years of practice could accomplish.
'Hey! I was writing that!' I said and budded my way back to having a pen on the paper. I did a quick scan of what he wrote, which I found too silly to mention here, and I said, 'Can we keep some consistency here? You might confuse the hostage.'
'Well, excuse me!' He ejaculated, 'I was trying to calm dear Miss. Theodora down! After all, I'm the professional one here!'
'What? Bumbling sidekick? Were you taking about me?' I read a bit (with some difficulty) where he mentioned a prince charming and his bumbling sidekick coming to rescue the damsel in distress. 'I'm not a bumbling sidekick!' I wrote that down as I said this, and then I added in brackets on the paper, 'if anyone is bumbling it's this intoxicated fool.' I recalled two more questions that I saw on TV, I wrote, 'Can you tell us where you are? Are you in immediate danger?'
I fed the paper in to the fax before Heathcliff could reclaim his position with pen on paper. We waited for a reply, and then I noticed Heathcliff was biting his fingernails. The reply came.
'I don not know the exact location of the place in which I am being held captive, I do believe it is somewhere near the coastline, and I am in the interior of a very large warehouse, the kidnappers are under the order of someone named the Tiger, who is supposedly the son of the Dragon, who by the way WANTS TO MARRY ME! All the guards arm armed, but I am not in grave danger, because of said reason mentioned in previous sentence which I do not want to repeat again.' The messaged ended with capitalized letters, 'FIND ME! QUICKLY!'
Heathcliff was reading the message over my shoulder, and he did a double double-take when he got to the marriage part which I didn't understand. He switched into (presumably) full action mode and delivered a short speech that could very well be heard 3 blocks away.
'THE VILE DRAGON HAD A SON! THIS VILLAIN DARES STEAL MISS THEODORA AWAY FROM ME! ME! MY HEART THIRSTS FOR RETRIBUTION! MY PASSION SEEKS VENGEANCE! I WILL FIND THIS TIGER AND DEFEAT HIM! THAT WILL TEACH HIM TO RECKON WITH HEATHCLIFF CAROLUS VON CURTIN. HE WILL PAY!'
I had my ears covered, so I didn't hear all of what he said, but that came pretty close to the original.
'Who's this Dragon person by the way?' I asked, since I didn't exactly account for all the players apparently involved in this frenzy of situations. I guess I had landed myself in a turf war between rich people and rich people, with kidnappings, marriage proposals, firearms, an intoxicated prince charming, and a damsel in distress who didn't sound too distressed.
'You do not know?' Heathcliff asked, with surprise written across his face, and then he understood, 'Oh yes! Of course you don't! You are a farmer boy, that explains it! You listen carefully, as my bumbling sidekick in this rescue mission that I am about to force you to undertake, you must know some family history. Once upon a time, the Dragon was an old-money in his tender years, he was well known among us folks, and then, scandal came about, it was discovered, by my father and the grandfather of Miss Theodora, that the Dragon obtained his wealth by fraud and extortion and all kinds of villainous crimes imaginable, his family had been doing it for generations, there was more blood on his hands alone that in yours and my bodies combined! And my family, working with the North family, we exposed his dirty work and he was put behind bars for good!' Heathcliff stopped to take a breath.
'And he escaped, didn't he?' I asked, it was very predictable.
'No, his agents broke him out, blew up the prison, and killed everyone in it. He's been in hiding since.' Heathcliff concluded the epic tale.
'Sounds like he's the terrorist kind.' I pointed out.
'It's believed that he is living with terrorists right now in the mountains, yes, that is correct.' Heathcliff looked at me in the eyes, his eyes are very captivating, they are deep brown, like a cocoa color, I'd say 85% cocoa dark chocolate color.
'Okay, should I go and call the police?' I asked him, 'And get in touch with the missing persons hotline?'
'No! Don't do that! This is a very dire situation and it requires action undercover, therefore I enlist you, Charlie North, as my sidekick in this operation, because every hero needs an aid, and I choose you because you are a commoner, and commoners are excellent diversions in professional situations!'
'A sidekick? That's a little degrading, if I heard correctly.' I protested.
'You don't expect a person such as your lowly self to receive more credit that that? Do you?' Heathcliff countered. 'Tell you what, I'll give you all the money in my wallet right now if you will help me out here, now are you bought?'
'How much is that?'
He checked his wallet, and came up with ten all-purpose 1000 dollar gift cards and a hundred dollar bill. I accepted his offer on the grounds that he wouldn't accuse me of impersonating a billionaire heiress, plus the money in his wallet and I wouldn't report his to the authority for drinking and driving and carrying an unlicensed firearm.
'Now, we need a vehicle, I can not use my limousine, for it will attract too much attention, do you have an available vehicle?' Heathcliff asked me.
'I do, but it's not in-'
'Does not matter! Let's go! We got my darling to save!' Heathcliff marched out of they room, yelling, 'GET CHANGED!'
When I look back to that, I think I must have been crazy on that day, or maybe Heathcliff was crazy, but his crazy was infectious.

T.N - Chapter 9

I hadn’t gotten a reply to my fax, and if someone really has checked out my room, I’m sure they would’ve seen the fax…from what I know, fax machines are pretty loud!

Maybe I didn’t explain myself clearly. I looked back at my message. Yeah, it looked a list for something…some of them sounded like titles for cheesy books or movies. I decide to be blunter about my situation. I flipped the sheet over and wrote in the biggest letters I could: HELP SOMEONE. I’VE BEEN KIDNAPPED.

I fed it into the fax machine. It was as loud as the last time, but it fed through as smoothly as before. I placed some paper in the tray, and stood there waiting.

Nothing came through. I sighed, and walked back to the couch.

All of a sudden, I heard a whirring sound. I turned quickly back around. The fax machine sucked up one the papers from the tray, and started printing out something. I waited for it to finish, and then I grabbed it from the printout tray.

On it was written in an almost unintelligible scrawl: Where are you? How can we help you? Who kidnapped you? Are they armed?

As my eyes traveled down the page, the scrawls suddenly stop and a new (rather sickeningly fancy) message starts: Theodora, my darling! I’ll come to your rescue! It’ll just be like fairytales, with the damsel in distress lost and the Prince Charming (me) of course comes to the rescue with his bumbling sidekick. No, you are not just any damsel, you are the fairy queen, my thorn less rose, my ethereal princess! I cannot wait to take you into my arms and—

The scrawls start again: I am not a bumbling sidekick! If anyone is bumbling, it’s this intoxicated fool. So can you tell us where you are? Are you in immediate danger?

As far I know, no. I start writing down my answers to his questions, filling in as much information as I can provide. I ignore the absolutely ridiculous part. When I was finished answering the questions, I read the fancy part again. I could only remember one person in my life who ever spoke that way: Heathcliff Carolus von Curtin the third. He hasn’t changed one bit since we were childhood friends(ish).

Honestly, I would rather be kept here then be rescued by Heathcliff.

I sent the reply back, and wait for an answer. I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Oh shit! I leapt to the back of the machine and unplugged it. I ran back to the couch, and managed to seat myself just in time for the Tiger’s entrance.

He came in carrying a pizza box, and to my surprise, I found that I was actually hungry. He placed the pizza on the desk.

I stood up. “Thanks,” I said, rather begrudgingly. I turned and opened the box. It’s plain cheese, just the way I like it.

He cocks his head. “Is that all I get for my troubles?” he asked, and wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Don’t I get a kiss?”

“Nope,” I said, rather to his disappointment. “But have a pizza slice.” He accepted it. He gulped it down in a few bites.

“Now can I get a kiss?” He embraced me, and I was nearly engulfed. He was much taller than I was. When I realized I probably wasn’t going to get out of his grasp, I just thought about how to escape from here. I couldn’t wait for Heathcliff to show up (he’d probably show up on a white horse and in armour). Then I remembered that the only way to get through this door was with a key. And that key must be in the Tiger’s pocket!

I pretended to embrace the Tiger back, and he clearly enjoyed it. One of my hands slowly crept towards his jean pocket. I could feel the key ring just peeking out of his pocket. I slowly inched it up and out of his pocket. When I had it firmly in my grasp, I let go of the Tiger.

“Fine, I’ll give you a little kiss,” I lied. “But close your eyes and sit down. It’s…embarrassing.” I blushed for good measure.

The Tiger smiled and complied. I took his hat, and slipped it on my head. I then crept towards the door as quietly and quickly as I could. As soon as I reached the door, I quickly shut it and locked it. The men guarding glanced up briefly, but all they saw was a figure with the Tiger’s hat on so they returned to playing cards.

I ran down the stairs and sprinted towards the warehouse door.

The men realized I wasn’t the Tiger, and gave chase. Some pulled out their guns, but they were stopped when some banging came from the office. It was the Tiger, acting out that if a single one of the men harmed me, they were dead. That made my life a lot easier.

I reached the door, but I saw that key could open it. I fumbled around with the keys I stole from the Tiger, but none of them looked like they would fit in. I quickly tried all of them. All of a sudden, I felt several hands on my arms and waist. They quickly dragged me back away from the door. They seated me back on the chair from before, and several hands worked to tie me to the chair. When I was done, I couldn’t move at all. Someone picked the hat off of my head, and sat down in front of me. I couldn’t believe it. Somehow, the Tiger had managed to escape from the office.

“Well then, Theo darling. I see we must speed things up. I can’t have you running away on me again.”

C.N. - chapter 8

'You were at that point where you were going to interrogate me, and then you had a fit.' I answered his question. I didn't know if it was gut instinct or the five minutes in the suite with him prior, but I did not feel threatened by this blabbering young man at all. He has long blond hair, like the standard Prince Charming. His facial features are crisp and spotless, all in perfect proportion and speaks youth in volumes. Any girl in the country would faint at the sight of this guy, including my sister, and my mum too probably.
'Ah yes, now I see! Alright, slimy swindler, answer me with truth! What did you do to my dear Theodora? Where is she!?' The young man ejaculated (this word was applied to a manner of delivering speech in Anne of Green Gables, I am using it here to prove that it is not strictly a verb associated with getting off) with vigor.
'Who? I don't know any Theodora, let me explain, I-' He lunged at he and his hands stopped short at my neck, I suppose he was trying to grab at a collar which doesn't exist, finding no collar, he backed off, chest heaving.
'So you will not answer me?' And then under his breath I heard, 'Geez! This is more difficult than I thought!' He caught me looking at him. 'Stop staring! Look away, I demand you to look away, lowly trickster!'
I stopped staring, though for a bit, and asked, 'So what wind blew you here, my friend?' I asked this question, the rural approach, it's friendlier than 'why are you here?'
'I am not your friend, enemy! I come to deliver a declaration of love to the young lady Miss Theodora North, instead I find you! You vile impersonator! You are not Miss Theodora North! By your shabby looks, scrawny posture, and dull naked appearance I'd say you're from the country outright!'
'That's correct as a matter of fact, I'm Charlie, Charlie North from Danforth County, nice to meet you.' I extended a hand for him to shake, seeing that he's gotten friendlier. He didn't take it.
'Well, my name is Heathcliff Carolus von Curtin the third, heir to the Curtin clan and eldest of three children of my father Heathcliff Carolus von Curtin the second. Did you say you are a North? You lie!' Heathcliff inspected me another time, and apparently drew no conclusions.
'I am a North, honest (truth, a farmer likes to deal straight), and until a few hours ago I thought I was in the only North family in the entire country.' I said, thinking back on that receptionist's remark. 'How many Norths can there be?'
'A North! And you are not related to Theodora North or the North family in any way?' He questioned further.
'No, I don't know then at all, never heard of them. My family's been North for centuries and we've been residing as farmers in Danforth County for that long. I'm not even supposed to be here, I think, now that you show up like that.' In my mind, I detected a few clicks.
'A North not affiliated with the exalted North Family, this is most peculiar!' Heathcliff stroked his chin.
'Well you got that right! The receptionist downstairs directed me straight to this suite when I arrived, the guy greeted me as some Theo North, and the porter told me I'm a billionaire! I didn't book this suite, I booked a single bedroom that costs five thousand a night, I'm here because my sister won the lottery, not because I'm a billionaire, and you know what? I think I should be leaving.' I headed for the door to get my boxers.
'Not so fast, petty crook! You say you did not book this suite, so there must have been a mix-up, so why were you in the bathtub reading superman comics when I stumbled upon the horrendous sight that is you!?' Heathcliff had a hand on my shoulder.
'I though I might as well enjoy the mix-up while I can, that's why!' I decided to go straight, as all country folks do, with Heathcliff, 'There's a card there on the dining room table that says whoever this suite was for wouldn't get disturbed by anyone, so I took the opportunity and stayed. Clearly the guy who wrote the card forgot about you and now that you're here I might as well leave. I mean, how many Norths are there in the world?' I shrugged.
'Not so fast, sneaky swindler! You just impersonated a person - a billionaire heiress - and you just admitted you were aware of what you were doing! You've confessed to crime! I hereby charge you under the jurisdiction of the law for deliberate impersonation of other persons for benefit to oneself! I arrest you on said charge!' Heathcliff declared.
'What? Are you for real? Are you a policeman? Where's your badge, I want to see it to believe it!' I was shocked, unless a civilian can arrest another person, he was impersonating an officer of the law as we speak!
'No! Of course not! I'm Heathcliff Carolus von Curtin the third! I'm a billionaire heir, not a policeman!'
'And do you have a license on that revolver?' I pointed out.
'What? This one?' He pulled out the small revolver from the pocket of his white suit.
'Yeah, I heard from somewhere that all guns have to have a license.'
'Well, um, I-I...' He looked sweaty all of a sudden.
'Do people go to prison for carrying unlicensed firearms?' I tried to remember what Uncle Sam told me.
'Okay, okay! I don't have a license for this!' Heathcliff tossed it away, it struck a glass display cabinet and shattered a door. Oops. 'I came across the revolver in the home, it's antique, and I brought it here to impress Miss Theodora and perhaps show her my marksman skills.' He became red in the face, very red. I though Prince Charming don't blush.
'If I see it right I think we're even. You've accused me and I've made you accuse yourself.' I concluded, this brought a good smile to my face.
'Yes, I suppose so.' Heathcliff sighed. 'And I'm also intoxicated.'
'You are?'
'Yes, I had a shot of odorless vodka before I arrived, to boost my confidence. You see, wooing a young lady is hard task and Miss Theodora's grandfather placed great trust in that I would display myself to be a suitor of her liking. I can not fail her grandfather nor her, for I am Heathcliff Carolus von Curtin the third!' This self-consolation seemed to enrich his spirit quite well. 'And God forbid! I drove my way here! I committed drinking and driving!'
I could do nothing but let out a whistle. Heathcliff was breaking down in confession right in front of me.
'Listen, let's sort this out slowly,' I started, 'do you want to shower?'
'No, thank you, right now, all my heart's desire is in Miss Theodora, I must see her.'
'Good point, where is she?'
'I do not know, where is she indeed?'
'I don't know, if this suite is for her, and she's not here, and the receptionist mixed her name up with mine, then is she not coming?' I scratched my head.
'Impossible, she has to be here, and she had to have come! Her grandfather detailed everything to me personally prior to my voyage here, he ascertained her residence is currently right here!' Heathcliff was a little worried now.
We were both silent, until we heard the fax machine in the other room sputtering again.

C.N. - chapter 7

Have you ever had anyone walk in on you while you're in an inconvenient situation such as in a bathtub? I once walked in on my sister taking a bath (she had been in there for an hour or two and I thought she had finished by then), but that was between family, which made it less shocking but more painful in experience. This, however, was not between family.
The guy in the white suit must have a slower reaction time than me, because he was still screaming (and he dropped those roses down onto the floor) when I leaped out of the tub and made for the exit in a speed that would have amazed an Olympic 100 m dash record holder. Since I didn't have any boxers on, I grabbed a towel on the way out. Not that I'm a very composed person, but it's the survival instincts (how, I'm not sure) that must have kicked in when the handsome young man in the white suit barged into my bathing session.
'STOP RIGHT THERE! INTRUDER!' I was bounding halfway down the main hall when the voice of presumably the handsome young man, initiated then, didn't stopped me in my tracks, but made me book it faster. I mean, if this happened to you, would you stop in your tracks like a good dog or abandon ship (or bath) like a thief caught with his hands in a man's pocket (no, that does not suggest I'm a thief)?
Just then, the sound of a firearm going off stopped me in my tracks. I looked back. The handsome young man, his face a mask of aftershock, confusion, and forced bravery, was holding a small revolver (the smallest I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them, one of my uncles, an Uncle Sam, owns a gun store).
I slowly wrapping the towel around my waist, and I said (like they do in the movies), 'Okay, let's take it easy-'
'I will not take it easy! I will certainly not take it in any ways easy! This is outrageous! I am deeply insulted!' He then let off a string of upper-class obscenities I consider too silly to mention here; that was how I found out he had to be upper-class.
'Okay, so take it the hard way but don't shoot!' I said. Don't think I wasn't panicking. I did not order this on a mix-up even if it's a million dollar hotel suite.
'I will not shoot, of course I will not shoot! I will hold this gun in this position until you explain yourself! Where is-' He slipped on the bath water now overfilling the tub and pouring over the rims, he went down and wet his suit, accompanied by another high-pitched scream. The gun thankfully did not go off.
I booked it again. This time, I made it out of the corridor, I was a hand's reach towards the glass paneled door that separates the dormitories from the living room where I can lock this white-suited guy in when a body mass of considerable force tackled me from behind and I was downed.
The body massed that downed me hard onto the tiles was, of course, the handsome young man, who had the courtesy to get off me and move back a step or two for me to catch my breath and face him.
'Do not fight me and lose, vile trespasser, I am trained in the arts of fighting in the highest mountains of Tibet, I have mastered the skill of ancient Kung Fu masters, I have eaten the fruit of hundred year old trees-'
'Wait, how does that relate to what you're saying?' I asked. How often do you meet a guy who talks to you about Kung Fu and food in the same list?
'What do you mean by how does what relate to what who's saying?' The young man said, puzzled.
'That last part with the fruit of hundred year old trees, you were talking-'
'Ah-ha! You are trying to distract me to get the upper hand, aren't you? I have warned you and I do not want to do it again! Do not fight me and lose, I am trained-' He would have rambled on if I hadn't stopped him short.
'Never mind, I give up.' I raised my hands in defeat, and we didn't even fight.
'That's clever, villain! Now I shall ask the questions and you shall answer them, I shall find out the truth! Don't try any tricks you devious highwayman, I am trained-'
'What's a highwayman?' I don't consider myself to possess a limited vocabulary, but I've never read Shakespeare.
'I WILL ASK THE QUESTIONS!' He roared, and then he choked, and then he spat, and then he had a spasm as I waited patiently, and finally he recollected himself, 'Now, where was I?'

C.N. - chapter 6

The fax machine jammed as the first half of a slip of paper was being ejected, and it wouldn't go out further (that proved antique does not mean quality, granddad would have said), I tore off what came out and read, the note from the fax machine said:
'kidnapped, held hostage, warehouse, on the waterfront, men in black with guns everywhere, mastermind seems to be some person named the tiger...'
And the rest of the message was torn off. I read it over again. The only phrase I recognized was On the Waterfront, which is the name of a Marlon Brando movie, I guess the fax was spilling out a list of movies for some reason I did not thing twice about (some of them are pretty terrible titles, I must admit), I should check them out later, so I put the paper on the table and bolted off, eager to explore the rest of the suite.

During my second hour there, I explored the entire suite, sat in the tanning chair out in the patio for some time, and ate some sweets the refrigerator was stocked full of. I read on a label from a package of gummy bears that the candies contain 20 percent real fruit juice with 10 different flavors (never had or heard of such exotic gummy bears), and it actually does! Most amazing moment I've ever had with gummy bears, I finished off 9 packs of it and rung the room service for another 9 packs. The porter who carried my single bag (which I've yet to open, the suite already had everything I need, including four pairs of ironed suits I suppose were prepared for Theo) and who had called me a fob came to deliver 9 packs of gummy bears on a platter.
The first moment I saw him, I seized it and asked him, 'If you don't mind me asking, what's a fob?'
The porter looked at me in a funny way, sometimes in the country two people get into a brawl if one person looks at someone else in a funny way, but I've never fought anyone for looking at me in a funny way, so I wasn't sure how to respond to that look. After some puzzling moments, he said, 'Listen buddy, you really have no clue, do you?'
'What clue?' I asked.
He gave over the platter with the packages of gummy bears on it without another word, I received it and decided to try a different approach. 'Should I tip you?' I asked.
'Ugh! Stop asking all those stupid questions! It's not funny to abuse the porter like this!' The porter shouted.
'I'm not asking stupid questions!' I said, 'I'm asking perfectly logical questions, and if you ask me, I think I'm also being rather polite with you, who, on the other hand, is not in return.' I was becoming annoyed at the porter too, maybe this was the sign that a fight shall take place.
'Don't you get it! You freaking fob! You're not supposed to ask me whether I was a tip or not! You're not supposed to speak to the porter! You're supposed to be way too high on the social ladder for all that converse with lowly servants like me! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO IGNORE ME!' The porter was spitting and shouting and I thought he was going to burst a vein in the head.
'I still don't get it, I read in the Holy Book from where I come from that I should treat others as I wish to be treated, it's the Golden Rule, I mean, I can't be sure whether you want a tip or not, maybe you do because you haven't gotten enough today and your pay cheque is lousy, or maybe you don't want a tip from me because you've already collected enough for today. I want to give you what you want, or nothing, if you don't want anything.' This did not comfort the porter.
'THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK! You should know that! You're a billionaire, a heir to one of the world's largest, most powerful enterprises of the entire freaking world! You are a god (or at least a demigod)! And, and you act like a total fob who may have forgotten who he really is! This is humiliating!' The porter shouted, breathing loudly.
I didn't know what to say, so I tried to start a new topic, 'So um, what's your name, mate?' I extended a hand for him to shake.
'AH!' The porter screamed and ran, banged his body on the doors of the nearest elevator, which opened with a ding, and he ran inside, the doors slid shut, and he was gone. I still didn't find out what a fob is.
To clear up my mind from all this confusion I was subjected to, I decided to try out the bathtub.

I filled up the tub to the brim and I was soaked in hot water, reading some superman comic books I brought in my suitcase, with a towel wrapped around my head when a guy wearing some kind of white suit with golden collars, holding a walking stick in one hand and a bundle of roses in the other, and looking freshly groomed walked in and screamed. I wasn't able to see him very well because of the steam, and moreover because I was screaming along with him in the next second and in a mad dash for the exit.

T. N - Chapter 5

I awoke much later, how much later I don’t know. Probably well into the afternoon. I sat up and stretched, then rubbed my eyes of the sleep. I placed my glasses (which had fallen off in the middle of my nap) back onto my nose. Then I noticed the Tiger was sitting on the desk watching me.

I couldn’t help but give a little yelp. I mean, having some guy sneak in and watch you sleep is a little on the creepy side. Besides, I was tired, and when I’m tired, I freak out more easily.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” I asked, trying to hide just how freaked out I was.

“You know, you’re cute when you sleep,” he smirked.

“You didn’t answer my question! What the hell are you doing watching me sleep, you creep?”

“Ah, such harsh words coming from such a pretty mouth. Is it because you’re embarrassed?”

“No! I’m not embarrassed by the likes of you!”

“Aw, come on now, is that the way to speak to your future fiancé?”

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm myself. “At first, I thought you were just an idiotic zoophyte. Now, you’ve proven yourself to be even more acerebral than I originally thought. Whoever said I was marrying you?”

“Because no one else has ever captured my heart like you.” He got off of the desk and came over. He bent over, took my hand, and planted a sound kiss on it. “I intend to make you mine, even if it takes years.”

I ripped my hand away from his. “You intend to keep me here for years? You don’t think I’m that helpless, do you?”

“Take a look,” he said, and motioned to the window. I looked at him warily, then stood up and walked to the dust-coated window.

I saw the two men that had brought me up here standing at the bottom of the stairs. A few other men loitered about in the giant warehouse, playing cards or chatting. What unnerved me was that their pistols were in plain view on their belts, gleaming in the light.

“You see, I’m not such a small fish. I have lots of men, and when I want something, I get it,” said the Tiger behind me, and he caught my wrists in his hands. I tried to shake him off, but he had them too tightly in his grip. I couldn’t turn around without twisting my arms, so I was stuck looking out the window.

“My father…you might’ve known him as the Dragon. He was quite well known, no?” he whispered close into my ear.

“The Dragon? I didn’t hear anything about him dying,” I replied, quite shocked. “And I didn’t know he had a son.” I was so shocked at the moment that I didn’t realize how uncomfortably close the Tiger was to my face.

“Well, I decided to keep it all quiet. He might’ve liked being flashy, but me? I prefer being in the shadows. It makes business a lot easier.”

“Impressive. But what if someone realizes I’m gone? And then they try looking for me?”

“Well someone already checked out your hotel room, so your Grandfather won’t notice. Your family is all occupied, and your friends are…too busy, I shall say.”

My family being occupied isn’t anything new. Grandfather worked at the company, and my oldest brother Kyle usually accompanied him. Father died a few years back of cancer, leaving Kyle as the sole heir. My other brother Dennis is usually busy at his own company, which was booming thanks to Grandfather’s donations. Mother was usually out with her friends, out into the wee hours of the morning going who-knows-where.

But I do wonder who was able to check out my room. It wasn’t even a few hours ago that I was supposed to be there, so they shouldn’t have cancelled the reservation yet. Knowing Grandfather, he probably got it made just for me (and probably went overboard while he was at it), and put it under my name. Is there someone else named North out there? I know that the North family name isn’t that well known (Grandfather had made it so that the company was not named after him, so that any attention could be drawn away), so it would be understandable if no one recognized my name. It makes it harder for people to recognize my name especially since I’ve made it sound like it belongs to a boy. But I’ve never heard of a North outside of the family.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of something near my face. I whipped my head towards it, and came literally nose-to-nose with the Tiger. In my surprise, I tried moving my head back, which resulted in me hitting my head against the window. Now I was really stuck. The Tiger swiftly leaned in and without warning, placed a kiss on my lips.

For a moment, I had no idea what to do. My suitors have tried to do this to me before, but I’ve always managed to prevent it. But now… something snapped, and I kicked the Tiger as hard as I could in the shin.

“Ow!” he yelled, and grabbed his leg, finally letting go of me. I stepped away from him and towards the desk.

“What. On. Earth. Was. That. For?!” I nearly screamed at him.

“That kick really hurt, but honestly it was worth it. It was your first kiss, wasn’t it?” He grinned at me. I was too mad to even respond.

I heard people running up the stairs, and a few of the men burst into the room with their pistols out. “Are you alright, boss?” asked one of the men. “She didn’t do anything, did she? If she did, we’ll—“

“It’s nothing I didn’t deserve,” replied the Tiger. “What are you doing out of your posts. Shoo!” He waved them away.

The men looked relieved, but some of them looked over at me and gave me suspicious glances. Great. Now the guards are going to be watching me even more carefully than ever. The men went out the door, and the Tiger started walking out as well. Then he stopped.

“I’ll be up again to bring you some food.” Then he winked at me. “And possibly to steal a few more kisses.”

Before I could throw something at him, he exited without another word. I sat down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. I really need to get out of here!

C. N. - chapter 4

I wasn't sure how much I should gave the porter, so I asked him, 'How much should I tip you?' I didn't want to give him the impression that just because I come from a middle-class family, that all middle-class families are stingy non-tipping cheapskates. As for the mix-up with the suites, well, I'll settle that later.
The porter looked at me strangely, 'Hey dude, I don't mean any disrespect but for a billionaire, you sure are a fob. I mean, are all billionaires sheltered like you these days?'
I was taken aback, for two reasons, I don't know what a fob is, and I'm pretty sure my ancestry for the past several centuries since the colonial ages have been farmers and later mechanics. I'm no millionaire, let alone a billionaire (unless he's referring to my sister, who is sort of a millionaire, but does dumb luck count? I don't know). 'Quite frankly, I'm not a billionaire, unless you...'
'Okay, okay, fob, stop talking, I know your well-to-do parents taught you to be humble and all that cal but I don't give two cents about that, just give me your credit card and I'll swipe off a twenty, just 'cause I'm generous, okay?'
'Um, I don't carry a credit card, I do have twenty, I think, but not a twenty dollar bill, do you want that?' I couldn't understand this guy, I mean, he talks dealings like  a professional tradesman twenty years into his craft and he's not older than me by three years.
'Are you for real?' He said, not asked.
'I'll show you,' I pulled out my small wallet, got down on one knee, and dumped a weight of coins onto the carpet, I started to count for twenty dollars. While I'm doing this, the porter did a facepalm for some reason.
'You need lessons on how to be a billionaire, seriously. Forget it, keep the twenty. I pity you, you know, I really do.' He turned around and left. That left me confused, things were a lot simpler in the country.
The key to the suite was fashioned around a strap that has some letters engraved onto it on gold, it said 'North' in cursive (which I took a bit of time to decipher). I turned the key into the lock and the double doors opened to reveal a hotel room that I could tell does not charge five thousand a night, by the looks of it, it probably charges a million dollars a night! The 3D high definition TV screen covers an entire wall (imagine watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on that one), the patio outside overlooks the whole length of the coastline until they dip away from view, there are three living room sized bedrooms, a what I would call a grand bathroom with a bathtub the size of a four-wheel drive, and the white tiles are so shiny I stared into a perfect reflection of myself (not too shabby looking wither). There was a plain white card on the dark wooden dining room table (by the way it's the size of three ping pong tables), I opened it and there were more cursive writing, it looked to be hand written in gold ink too.
It said, 'Dear Theo, I hope you are happy with this temporary lodging, I've arranged everything and you don't have to worry about a detail, everything to your preference. Sadly, there is urgent business to be dealt with in my position here, so I may not be able to see you for quite some time, and as the mansion is under renovation, make yourself at home here, it is the best hotel in the city. I also understand you are looking for some 'alone time', I clearly overdid the suitor thing and I apologize; I promise, there will be no visitors for you unless of the most absolute importance. Love, You Know Who! (Ha, ha! Get it?)'
I didn't understand the letter completely, and I didn't know who Theo is, so I kept the letter where it was on the table and thought a bit. I looked around the suite and at the giant TV, the desire to stay there was swelling up faster than a sun about to unleash a supernova, I really wanted to watch that TV, and try out that fluffy bed, and check out that bathtub!
Finally, I concluded that the recipient of the strange card was supposed to have arrived at the hotel some time ago, since the letter was dated two days ago, and it looked like Theo, probably Theo North, wasn't coming. The receptionist had checked off my name downstairs indicating that I've arrived, not Theo North...and there's not going to be any visitors, at the strange card promises...this unnoticed mix up landed me in a million dollar hotel suite!
I felt as happy as my sister when she crashed through our apartment door screaming that she won ten million dollars, I danced on the dining room table right there. I mean, what are the odds that both us North siblings get this lucky?
Just then, I heard a beeping sound emitting from the den, I went to investigate and found an antique fax machine on a wooden working table, spewing out a slip of paper.

T.N - Chapter 3

He gave me a rather conceited half-smile. “Well then, Theo, you can call me The Tiger for now. Are you comfortable?”

“As comfortable as I can be with my arms tied behind me for an hour and in a hard chair,” I quipped, and stared into his eyes. The Tiger’s eyes are a warm hazel green, and they stared back at me without wavering.

“You are as witty as you are beautiful,” said the Tiger, this time with a genuine looking smile on his face. “I was told you were pretty and smart, but you’ve blown me away.”

I rolled my eyes. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that line…maybe 20? My suitors were always so unoriginal. Why does Grandfather insist I spend the rest of my life with one of those bores? I don’t care about status or money, or anything like that.

“What do you want with me?” I fully knew the answer to that. All of those suitors, all of my ‘friends’… even my parents are just after the money. Without it, I would be nothing to them.

“It’s not just the money,” he said, and stood up. “It was at first. I was going to hold you hostage, but now that I’ve seen you, I have something else in mind.” He got down on one knee in front of me. “Theo North, will you marry me?”

I just stared at him. Then I burst out into laughter. I couldn’t help myself. “Oh my, Tiger. We’ve barely known each other for 10 minutes and you’ve already proposed to me? You’ll regret it someday.”

“Oh no, I’m sure I won’t. I mean my deceased father paraded all these rather dull and empty possible fiancées in front of me. I mean, they were attractive, but so boring. Just a bunch of airheaded bimbos. And after awhile, that beauty will fade away. But you, you’re like an eternal rose, that’ll bloom forever…”

“Enough with the soppy compliments. That might’ve worked on other girls, but that’s no way to win this one’s heart,” I said, probably sounding haughtier than I wanted to. “I need someone who I know well, and who won’t bore me to death.”

“Very well then,” said the Tiger. He stood up and brushed off his pants of the dust from the floor. “I suppose we should get to know each other better.” He snapped his fingers, and the two men beside me hauled me up. “Take her to the old office. Make sure she stays there.”

The two men started marching towards the back of the warehouse, with me in tow. They dragged me up some metal stairs, which rather hurt when I stumbled. They brought me to a dusty room that overlooked where I was sitting earlier. It had a wooden desk, an old couch with the stuffing falling out and an old, dusty  fax machine by the corner.

“If you need anything, use the fax machine to call us. The number is in the address book on the desk. Wait for us to pick up,” said one of the two men, before shutting the door. I heard the click of a lock, and the footsteps of the men as they descended the stairs.

Well that did it. Now I’m being held here until I agree to marry the Tiger, or someone miraculously comes to my rescue. I collapsed onto the couch, sending pieces of couch guts flying. What now?

I glanced over at the fax machine. That’s it! I ran over to it and pressed the on button. I won’t risk calling, in case the lines are tapped. I tapped some buttons, trying to see if one of them ends up being the “fax” button. None of the buttons are labeled, which made it a lot harder.

Finally, I managed to get it set up. Now, I just needed to find some paper, and some form of writing utensil. After some scrounging, I manage to find a pad of paper in the desk’s drawer (I had to pry it open with brute strength) and a pen. Either the Tiger wasn’t careful enough to get rid of them, or thought that anybody locked in here would be too stupid to use the fax machine.

On the top of the first sheet of paper, I carefully explained my situation, and where I believe I am. I then carefully tore it off from the rest of the pad, and placed it on the tray.

I wiped the dust off of the display. On it, it read “Please type in receiver’s number and press OK.”

Shoots. Numbers are my weak spot! I can’t remember more than one figure at a time, especially phone numbers. Even Grandfather North’s number, which I’ve used so many times, escaped my mind. The only number I can remember is the one that belongs to the hotel suite I was supposed to be in.

I guess I’ll have to send it there. At least a maid will go there, or if they decide to cancel my reservation, the new guest will find it. I typed in the number, and pressed OK.

The fax machine coughed and sputtered, then slowly started to feed the message through. It was so noisy that I thought that one of the men would hear and come upstairs to investigate. Thankfully, no one did.

The message fed through properly without jamming the machine, somehow. Now, I just need to wait for a reply. I decided to take a nap. After this morning, I’m exhausted. I lay myself down on the couch, trying to avoid the spots where the couch was slit open. I closed my eyes, and within moments, I was asleep.