Pierce flips the book open, takes a breath and begins with an open mouth. John stares at her lips with lust.

Through every city shall he hunt her down,

Until he shall have driven her back to Hell,

There from whence envy first did let her loose.

DANTE ALIGHIERI, Inferno, Canto I

"That's weird," Alex says. Pierce rolls her eyes and leafs through the pages, flicking them with her thumb as she begins to read aloud.

Anything can happen in the blink of an eye. Anything at all.

"You're worrying me." Deborah moans at her daughter. She didn't like not knowing much at all.

"You better get used to it, Mom." Pierce says, before returning her eyes to the book.

One.

Two.

Three.

Blink.

"You have weird thoughts, Pierce." Alex says. His eyes are bright, though, so he isn't bored. She eyes him with exasperation.

A girl is laughing with her friends.

Suddenly, a crater splits apart the earth. Through it bursts a man in an ink black chariot forged in the deepest pits of hell, drawn by stallions with hooves of steel and eyes of flame.

"Is this a dream? Or some sort of story that relates to your life?" Deborah wonders. She's leaning elegantly against her couch with Zack on her left. They're closer than they usually are, and Pierce notices and keep quiet about her dad's palm resting on her mother's designer pants.

Realization dawns on John Hayden. "This is the myth of Persephone." How appropriate, he thinks, eyes trained on Pierce's face. He hadn't really kidnapped her; she'd died, in fact, and he was giving her another chance, to live with him on his island. And she'd re-payed him by tossing tea in his face. What a naughty girl.

Before anyone can shout a warning, before the girl can turn and run, those thundering hooves are upon her.

The girl isn't laughing anymore. Instead, she's screaming.

It's too late. The man has leaned out of his ink black chariot to," Pierce turns the page quickly, "seize her up by the waist and pull her back down into that crater with him.

'Some sort of story that relates to your life?' muses Uncle Chris. "So you were kidnapped?" What else would this mean?

Pierce shrugs. "Kind of." Everyone looks at her. Actually, basically she was the focus of their attention, so unless I say differently, everyone is staring creepily at her.

Life as she knew it will never be the same.

You don't have to worry about that girl, though. She's just a character from a book. Her name was Persephone and her being kidnapped by Hades, the god of the dead, and taken to live with him in the Underworld was how the Greeks explained the changing of the seasons. It's now known as an origin myth.

Alex laughs. "I wasn't actually worrying about her anyway."

OH. "Thanks," Pierce replies.

What happened to me? That's no myth.

"Yeah, but it's a mystery to the rest of us!" Alex exclaims.

A few days ago, if you'd told me some story about a girl who had to go live with a guy in his underground palace for six months out of the year, I'd just have laughed. You think that girl has problems? I'll tell you who has problems: me. Way bigger ones than Persephone.

Deborah and Zack look at her. "Bigger problems? We weren't even aware you were having many problems."

Especially now, after what happened the other night in the cemetery. What really happened, I mean.

"Really happened?" Deborah asks with a warning tone.

The police think they know, of course. So does everyone at school. Everyone on the whole island, it seems, has a theory.

That's the difference between them and me. They all have theories.

I know.

"Are you trying to worry us to death?" Uncle Chris exclaims.

"What actually happened?" Alex wonders, excited to get the inside scoop. Pierce exchanges a glance with John that goes unnoticed by everyone else. He provides some reassurance.

"Well, I can't tell you yet."

So who cares what happened to Persephone? Compared to what happened to me, that's nothing.

"Must you be so ominous?" Zack protests.

Persephone was lucky, actually. Alex cuts Pierce off.

"How? She got kidnapped, remember?"

Because her mom showed up to bail her out.

"Oh."

No one's coming to rescue me.

"We'll always show up to rescue you, Piercey," Uncle Chris promises. Pierce smiles faintly.

So take my advice: whatever you do?

"Pierce giving advice?" Alex burst out laughing. His sides shake. "Now that's funny!"

Don't blink.

Pierce finishes, and hands the open book to John. He smiles at her, and she turns away.

How did you like it?

Sorry this chapter wasn't even slightly funny and I didn't know what to do with it.

Love yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.

Wish more people wrote Abandon fics. That'd be awesome.

Since I have room down here, I'll talk about my odd need for a hairbrush. No i won't..

Let it go, let it go

Can't hold me back anymore

Let it snow, petting goats

La la la la

So i haven't even watched frozen or rise of the gaurdians and I still ship Jack Frost and Elsa. Does anyone, by chance, know the real story of the Snow Queen and where I could read it? I read it once when I was a chils, but I barely remember it now.

Sooooo so so so

Jelsa shipper, UNITE!

Anyone else think the Easter bunny is a kangaroo?

Just wunderin'.

Soooooo I'm working on the next chapppie, but its Annnnnoying where Im getting it from, copy paste stuff lol, because it cuts off in the middle of sentances and all that jazz.

LOVE YA ALL kudo congrats love