My breath doesn’t take long to become steady after the air finally fills my lungs. My hands were tied—far too loose, I might add—behind the rickety wooden chair I had been sat in. An annoying fluorescent light shone into my eyes as I continue to work on breathing steadily. If my body wasn’t calm, my mind certainly wouldn’t be, and a scatter-brain is a recipe for disaster whilst being kidnapped.

The man who kidnapped me was eerily tall and he had blonde, swooped-back hair. This man had on a tuxedo—oddly formal, maybe he disguised himself as some sort of businessman?—and a tie that was tied too perfectly. It was weird. His grin was crooked and his teeth were too shiny to be true. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he wasn’t human.

“The self-esteemed Ava Blackwood has been, finally, taken down. How humiliating,” he mutters, chuckling darkly at his words.

I knew a thing or two about self-defense, so I knew my chances of being found were slim. Considering the fact that I was already at the 2nd location. I would have to either charm my way out, or fight until my last breath.

I smirk to hide the chills running down my body. “And who might you be?” I struggle to hide the venom dripping in my voice.

He leans in, his breath smelling like literal shit, as his crooked, shiny grin blinds me. “My identity will remain hidden to you,” he hisses, his eyes narrowing with malice.

I resist the urge to break out of these too-loose ropes and punch him in the nose.

He straightens back up, towering over me with his odd height, and crosses his hands behind his back. I watch as he paces in front of my chair. I groan in annoyance as his figure covers and uncovers the fluorescent light, making it flash.

“You see, I am well aware of the abilites you have, most everyone is.” He clears his throat. “That is why I will not be easy on you, whether you are a girl or not.”

I struggle not roll my eyes at the way he said the word ‘girl,’ like it was an insult.

“And who is to say I won’t use my abilities against you?” I question, my eyes narrowing with fury I so terribly hid.

“Who is stopping you?” My eyes widen at his question. He chuckles at my surprise. “I am simply a businessman, I know nothing of the survival instincts you have except for the fact that they are there.”

I open my mouth to speak. Finding no words, my mouth shuts again. He was right. Why hadn’t I busted out of these ropes already and bolted out of that door behind him? My hair was down and I had clothes on that clung to my figure, nothing easy to grab if I bolted past him.

He sees me eyeing the open window behind him and steps in front of it. “Look at you, already planning on making your daring escape. I’m offended.” He holds a hand to his heart—like he took my glances at the window as an insult—before doing another one of his disturbingly dark chuckles.

“Why would you care? It isn’t like you.. want me here. You are just doing this so the whole world knows that the extraordinary Ava Blackwood has been toppled,” I snarl, my eyes narrowing with my no-longer contained rage.

He simply laughs faintly and glances over his shoulder at the window curtly before turning back to me. I wanted to slap that crooked grin right off of his face.

After my rage subsided, I slide the rope off of my small wrists and stretch it out by opening and closing my hands. I had learned—and successfully completed—this trick and knew it was my only hope; I was right. The rope slides off of my hands silently and I hold back the twitch in my lips that was trying to make them shoot upwards.

In the blink of an eye, I have kicked the man in unspeakable places and have leaped out of the window like a hurdler. I immediately look for street signs and landmarks so I could figure out where I was at, sprinting for my life as I do so.

                               *A few hours later*

I groan in annoyance as I see another newspaper headline, featuring my name. ‘The almighty Ava Blackwood… escapes capture..?’ I roll my eyes as one after another newspaper gets handed to me as I walk the streets. I couldn’t help but notice a crowd around a few policemen.

A man in a tuxedo with blonde, swoopy hair catches my attention. His face had wrinkles that looked like he smiled quite crookedly. My eyes widen as he looks at me, his eyes burning with rage. Then, as he flashes that crooked grin I knew my captor had been caught.

Too easy.