Tammy questioned whether to explore the grand house or to find an exit.

Tammy had lived in Viller Mile all her life; the small town was home to her.

Loneliness was her only friend. That is, other than her goldfish, Pop. The fish hadn't been fed for days now, if he hadn't gone pop yet, he was definitely close.

A sudden guilt crashed over her, and Tammy felt her knees wobble. She'd had that fish for years, a present from her parents for her fourteenth birthday in place of the puppy she'd been expecting.

The rush of empathy spurred her on. She needed to find a way out, if not for her, then for her fish.

"7...8..."

Aidan counted, hope fading with each number.

The wind grew wild. Tammy shook as it growled, battering against the window which stood opposite her.

The window.

Tammy could climb out of that, right? It was small but so was she. Tammy could squeeze through it, she was sure of it.

"Eight and a half," Aidan called from down the hallway, his distant cries ringing in her ear.

~

The window clattered shut behind her, a tiny bit of blood and cloth hanging on a nail as the window's permanent souvenir.

The sun beat down on her back as she crashed into the mud, and the thought crossed her mind that it was quite warm for late February.

That didn't stop the vicious wind from chilling her to the bone, however. It might have been a nice day, if not for that damned wind.

When she finally cast her gaze up to take stock of her surroundings, she found there was nothing to take stock of.

There was nothing but fields for miles, with only the occasional outcropping of trees to break off the landscape.

Tammy searched with tears in her eyes. The cold air bit into her skin, and she pondered if she should have escaped the warmth at all.

As her gaze raked the landscape, she almost looked past a small bungalow off in the distance, tucked up behind the trees.

Upon first glance, it looked like an abandoned shed, but as Tammy took another look, she realized; lights were on.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Tammy hurtled towards the building with hope burning inside her.

It rose in front of her quicker than she expected, and soon she crashed into the outcropping of trees, her full-body slamming into the bungalow with the momentum.

She battered the dusty yellow door with desperate knocks, but nobody answered. As her breathing slowed, Tammy turned back, giving into the idea of taking a loss.

"Can I help you, dear?" An elderly woman with short, silver hair watched closely at the door, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses.

"I've been kidnapped," Tammy exclaimed, inviting herself into the woman's home. "You need to help me. Have you got a phone?"

The woman stared for a second before ushering Tammy inside, closing the door quickly.

"Oh dear," she spoke softly as she rushed around, searching for something. "Yes, I'll just get it for you."

She returned moments later, grasping something in her hand. Relieved, Tammy let out the breath she had been holding on to.

"Here," the woman offered before holding her hand out. "Do what you need to do."

Tammy grabbed the object without thinking, excitement getting the better of her.

The banana squished in her grip, and Tammy peered at the woman with disgust.

"This isn't--" she started, but was interrupted by the woman, who was deadly serious.

"Is it them?" she asked, biting her fingertips. "The pirates. They took my husband."

Before she could make sense of the situation, Tammy went dizzy. 1

"Joyce, you in there?" a familiar voice shouted, before bursting through the door.

Aidan smiled as he kicked the door shut behind him, "Found you."