What else did I need?
Nothing, I was a princess, ask and it would be granted and all that. I tossed some of my jewelry into the pack, some hair scrunchies. I turned to run for the stairs, but then remembered the tampons. I did not want to ask a bunch of strangers on a military base to scrounge me some royal tampons. I returned to my room, digging into the box under the sink in the bathroom, shoving handfuls of tampons into the bag, as many as I had — but next thing I knew, something hit me hard on the back of the head, a sharp pain, and then blackness — I didn’t remember anything else.
32
TORIN
JULY 9TH, 2004 - LAUREL RIDGE
Ientered the paddock, commandin’ the horses tae gather in one place, but Trì and Dà seemed spooked and followed the fence tae the back of the yard. “Och, ye ought tae listen.” I tossed saddles and tack intae a pile. My plan was tae stand on it, wrappin’ the straps around m’leg. I would hold ontae the horses around their necks — but it came tae me that I would need reins on the horses.
Lambo ran in a circle.
I dinna hae time tae harness them. I yanked a roll of rope from the wall, plannin’ tae lash them taegether.
I knotted it intae a loop, the horses were unlikely tae allow it, but I would try.
I lifted my eyes tae scan the dusky, shadowy landscape, once more,where was Dude?
I called, “Dude! Come boy!”
I pulled the ropes tighter, feelin’ a cold shadow cross over me, a chill. My hair raised. I glanced behind me at the woods,was someone there?
I heard a crashin’ sound come from the house. “Alexandria!” I crossed the paddock and jumped the fence.
The front door slammed, pullin’ me tae a stop.
There was a man on the porch.
I raised my gun — a group of men were dragging Alexandria between them. Then, before I could shoot, there was a blast of white light, hot as lightning, and something burst apart, the force of it liftin’ me from the ground.
I was thrown back, crashin’ tae the earth in total blackness. I had nothing but snow in my eyes and a scream in my ears.Och nae.
33
ALEXANDRIA
JULY 9TH, 2004 - SOMEWHERE, WHERE?
Icame round, lying on the ground in the woods. My head throbbed. My wrists were zip-tied. There was a van beside me, I had been transported somewhere,where the heck was I?
Had I been time-trafficked already?
The time of day felt the same. It smelled like North Carolina, the hum of the bugs was familiar. There was already a mosquito on my arm. My head pounded from being knocked out, but I had to think, I had to get away.
The men were looking down on something.
Shit, it was a vessel.They were about to jump us somewhere.
My backpack was right in front of my face.
Barely moving, without a sound, I got my hand inside it.
I kept my breathing slow. I concentrated on the men, while my fingers found the Glock that Ryan had given me, still in my bag buried under almost a hundred tampons. If they had looked in there they had decided not to bother. And they had left my bag right beside me,idiots.
Of course, I was not practiced in shooting. Had never done it before and not while my wrists were bound.
But I had to move, I had to kill these men.Now, right now.Shooting one would make the others come at me, probably. I had to be ready to fight and shoot, kill and get away.
