CHAPTER ONE: TAKEN
Tara was a normal girl, but what she didn't have was a normal family. She lived with her dad and her younger brother, Saint. She never really had any conversations with her father. It wasn't like he was a bad dad or didn't pay any attention to her. It was hard talking to him like nothing happened between him and her mother. Who was in jail…for attempted murder.
Her family was in the news everywhere. She would get stares from everyone, and she would hear whispers in the hall. she still hears the whispers and feels the stares every now and then but tonight, tonight that ends. tonight is prom night, the last day she would have to step foot into her school again. She was happy about it, but not so happy about leaving her friends. The group of four were already drifting apart as it is but, little did they know… The next few days would bring them closer than they ever have been.
The friends were supposed to meet up at Tara's house, so they could all ride together. They all arrive in an orderly fashion. First Dana, then Theo, then Zach. Tara's father takes pictures of the friends together, of Tara alone, then of the happy couple; Theo and Tara. He let her take his car for the night, and they were all pumped. They even thought about ditching prom. But they all know they wouldn't have made it back in time and they all would've been busted. They load into the car and drive off going " the long way" and stopping at the liquor store.
" You need anything, T?" Zach asks. Tara jangles the keys, and sighs. " designated driver." she says. Zach runs into the store and not even a minute later he comes out with a crate full of liquor and loads it into the trunk. " Are we going to the after-party tonight?" Zach asks, climbing back into the car. The other three all have excuses. " I have a curfew," Dana says, shrugging her shoulders. "My dad would kill me if I go to another one of Ashton's parties," Theo says. Then they all turn to Tara, " So you in, T?" Zach asks, poking out his lip. " You don't want me to go to a party alone, do you? I might get kidnapped" he jokes, and Tara laughs. " Fine, I'll go," she says, and Zach smiles, leaning back into his seat.
The friends drive a couple more miles down the road when the car starts slowing down. Soon, it comes to a complete stop. Tara becomes confused, her father filled up the tank so what was the issue? " What's going on?" Theo asks. Tara shakes her head, " I don't know, it was working perfectly fine," she says, turning the key in the ignition a few times. " The batteries dead, Sherlock. " Dana says, and Tara groans, laying her head on the steering wheel. "God!" she mutters. " There's a van…it's stopping," Zach says. Tara raises her head, looking at the van, it was white and rusty and it made lots of noise while it was running.
They stare at the van until a lady gets out. She was short, white, and had long blonde hair, and a horror movie smile but yet it was very comforting. " You guys need any help?" she asks. Theo and Zach get out of the car, " Yeah, our batteries dead" Theo announces, walking closer to the lady. " Well, I have some electric cables in my van if you boys could help me carry them?" she offers. The two boys nod, following the lady to the back of her van. Ten minutes had passed and Tara noticed that the boys had been behind there for a while. " Hey, Dana. Don't you think they should be back by now?" she asks, turning around. But Dana's lying across the backseat, with blood leaking from her head. "Oh my god!" Tara screams before she feels a hard blow to her head and everything goes black.
Tara wakes up and hears music coming from behind her. It sounded like old music; like it was being played on a record player. Tara winces and feels instant pain in her head. she reaches up to feel it and her forehead's bleeding. she breathes roughly as she looks around the room at her friends lying on the ground. Are they dead? she asks herself and realizes she's the only one in a chair. almost like, she was favored. " Hello!" she yells, her voice echoing in the big room, " Why are we here?!" she yells again, ' What do you want!?'. The music stops and Tara hears a voice from behind her. " Shh, quiet" the lady whispers. Tara couldn't turn around so she waited until they walked in front of her.
They were walking slowly; their heels echoing each step they take. " What do you want? We don't have any money!" Tara cries. The lady steps in front of her; It was the lady who gave them help. " I don't want your money" the lady smiles innocently. Tara shakes her head, "I don't understand, what do you want?" she asks." I want to have the perfect prom night" the lady says, " And what do we have to do with that!" Tara yells, confused. " You're going to be remaking it. you and your friends and if you mess up, I will kill you…in the worse way you could imagine."