“Are you crazy? You can’t leave! Not now, of all times!” The 36-year old woman said to the phone in her hand in an exasperated tone. She shook her head, long, curly black hair brushing against the collar of her very professional burgundy business suit. Her name was Alice Keyes: agent to the stars...or more accurately: star. “Your new movie is coming out in three months! You’ve got to get out there and promote it. Make appearances...do interviews…” 

“No way! You’ve worked me to the bone on this project! I’m exhausted…” Though Alice was alone in her office, she could still see the 19-year old she was talking to. A poster for Elizabeth Swanson’s soon-to-be new smash hit was still set up across from Alice’s desk. The artist had done a good job on the revisions Alice had demanded. Elizabeth’s costars had been pushed to the background, leaving the tall, gorgeous blonde teen front and center. Alice had insisted the starlet be in the skimpy slave girl costume. Sure, Elizabeth wore it longer in the trailers than in the actual movie, but the response it had gotten when Alice had leaked those backstage photos proved it was a winner, sure to wow the crowds of adolescent boys...and older men drooling over the starlet. 

“You promised me I could take some time off after filming wrapped.” Elizabeth continued. “I’ve decided that I’m taking the next week off and heading up to the country house. End of discussion!” 

“Fine…” Alice conceded. “We can shoot some quick promos from there...I can get film and make up there tomorrow and…” 

“Not a chance! This is meant to be my vacation.” Elizabeth snapped back. “So it’s just going to be me, myself and I. No film crew, no entourage, nobody. Got it? Or do I need to look for a new agent when I get back?” 

Alice gritted her teeth. Elizabeth had her there and knew it. Alice had, once upon a time, represented a dozen or so up and coming actors and actresses, but out of all of them, Elizabeth Swanson was the only one whose career had actually gone anywhere. The rest had all left the business entirely or were scraping by, doing commercials and whatever bit parts Alice could find for them. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was riding hot on a string of blockbusters that had already made the teen a multi-millionaire. 

The infuriating part, from Alice’s perspective, was that she had the worst deal with Elizabeth of all her clients. Had some of the others made it big, Alice could have easily steered half that fortune, or more, into her own pockets, but Elizabeth’s parents had been tough negotiators and locked her into an ironclad contract. Alice got her 10%, net even, and had to be happy with it. Surprisingly, the two had seemed to actually care about their daughter and her future, instead of simply looking to cash in on the girl’s success. A year or two before their untimely car accident, they’d set up a trust in their daughter’s name, administered by the family’s longtime attorney. Every dollar of the millions Elizabeth had made so far, minus a modest monthly allowance and Alice’s own pittance, went into that trust, which she would only get full access to on the day of her 21st birthday, not a day earlier. 

“Fine…” Alice conceded. “Enjoy your vacation. We’ll talk about the promotional tour when you get back.” Though the words were friendly, the woman’s tone was anything but. 

“Oh don’t pout!” Elizabeth replied, suddenly cheerful now she’d gotten her way. “Just think, with me off the grid for a whole week, you can cook up all sorts of rumors about affairs and secret meetings and scandals and get everyone talking about me online, without even needing me. Anyway, I’ve a plane to catch, so see you in a week!” With that, she hung up. 

Alice was quiet for a moment. Then she carefully dialed another number, a grin crossing her face. “Heh...I thought she’d never go.” She muttered to herself, as the phone rang. “Best way to get that brat to do something, tell her I’m against it!” 

Someone on the other end picked up, but said nothing, simply waiting for Alice to speak. “She’s on her way.” Alice spoke into the receiver. “She’ll be all alone…”

***  

Elizabeth Swanson paused at the crest of a ridge, enjoying the sight of the countryside laid out before her: green fields interspersed with clusters of forests, the leaves just starting to turn bright oranges, yellows and reds, all overlooked by the rolling, craggy hills which she was currently hiking along. All around was still and peaceful, only the occasional plane going by overhead to remind one of the civilization they had left behind.  

The teenage girl sighed. It was good to get away from it all, when she could manage it. Life had become so hectic ever since she’d gotten her big break: playing a supporting role in a big budget fantasy flick. Her character had stolen the show, more or less, and it was barely out of theaters before there were talks of spin-offs, a franchise of her own… All of a sudden, little Elizabeth Swanson had gone from dorky theater kid doing bit parts between classes to a major celebrity helming an entire trilogy. 

“Still, sometimes I wish I could get back to the old days, when there wasn’t so much pressure.” It hadn’t been so bad, at first. Losing her parents had been hard and throwing herself into roles had made for a good way to cope, until she could come to terms with things, but it had been a couple years now and she was ready for a change of pace. “Maybe when this deal for the Embersword franchise wraps up, I’ll switch to smaller, more artistic pics. One where they aren’t always trying to get me into those silly outfits with my tits half out. Not like I need the money. I’ve made enough from those movies to last the rest of my life, if I’m careful spending it. I can pick my roles based on the art, not the money.” 

She smiled. Alice would hate that, of course, less money for her, but truth be told, Elizabeth was getting rather fed up with her agent. She’d only stuck with her so long because of the contract daddy had written up and Elizabeth was sure Alice’s terms had only been so good because she’d never expected Elizabeth’s career to go anywhere, unlike some of her friends who’d all signed on at the same time. Little did she expect that in just a few short years, that gawky, nerdy theater kid would blossom into a worldwide starlet…

Elizabeth shook her head, with a rueful smile. “You’re here to get away from work, remember, Liz?” The teen told herself. “Plenty of time to make career decisions when we’re back in the big city. Right now, let’s just relax while we have the chance.” Taking one last look around, Elizabeth turned and started hiking back down to the country house. It had been in the family for generations now, having been built by her grandfather as a vacation home. It was a small, rustic, ranch-style house, but comfortable none-the-less. Not to mention all the happy memories that were tied up in the old place. Elizabeth wished she could get out here more often than she did.  

Stepping onto the porch, the young woman fished the keys to the house out of her pockets and unlocked the front door. As she came in, she was busy thinking about what she’d prepare for dinner that evening. She was only a middling cook, and the house’s kitchenware was nothing fancy, but she knew a number of simple, but tasty dishes she could fix up easily enough and she’d stocked up for the coming week on her drive up here. Before she could get to the pantry and make a decision, though, the teen was suddenly and roughly grabbed from behind by the intruder.

He’d been lurking in the living room, waiting by the door which connected it to the entry hall, guessing his unwitting hostess might come that way upon her return. The brief glimpse Elizabeth got of him didn’t tell her much: a tall man, dressed in baggy black clothes that hid his build, with a ski mask that hid his features. Whoever he was, though, he knew his stuff. The teen had been grabbed with speed and efficiency: one long arm around her torso, trapping her arms and pressing the startled girl up against her captor while the other hand clapped tight over her mouth, muffling the startled yelp she’d only just begun. 

“Hey guys! I got her!” Elizabeth’s attacker called out, still holding onto his captive. The teen had, by this time, started to struggle in earnest, but her thrashing about had little impression. She might have been caught in a vice for all the man’s grip budged. Presently, two more men came into the room, from where they’d been watching for the starlet. Like the first, these two newcomers were big, burly men in masks and coasts that obscured all but the most basic of details. The young woman’s eyes widened with terror. She’d assumed, on first being grabbed, this was another crazed fan, but these three seemed too collected, too professional for that. As they produced several coils of rope from the pockets of their coats, she realized they meant to kidnap her.

The men said nothing to Elizabeth, though she kept up a stream of questions, all reduced to grunts and moans by the hand gag. Instead, they proceeded to truss her up with quiet, brusque, efficiency. The third man, holding Elizabeth, dragged her over, despite her struggling and pushed down onto the couch, face pressed into a throw pillow, that did just as good a job muffling her complaints as his hand had.  

She felt rope being wrapped around her wrists and ankles. In mere moments she was efficiently and helplessly tied up. One of the intruders lifted Elizabeth’s head up, off the couch. As she opened her mouth to scream, a large, black rubber ballgag was jammed between her lips and buckled on tight. Finally, a padded blindfold was strapped over her eyes, plunging the girl into total darkness. 

One of the men picked Elizabeth up from the couch. The starlet felt herself being tossed roughly over one broad shoulder. Helplessly, the teen was carried out of the house. For a couple minutes, they hiked up the gravel trail until they reached a vehicle. Elizabeth heard a trunk being unlocked and opened, then she was unceremoniously dumped inside. As she grunted indignantly at this treatment, her kidnappers slammed the lid shut. The starlet heard them climb in the front of the car. The engines started up and, with a sudden lurch, it rolled forward, carrying her off…