I didn’t have that much experience with tranquilizers. Even though I couldn’t move my limbs or open my eyes, I knew that was what had been used on me. More than being afraid that I had been kidnapped, I was pissed off. No matter what urgency I felt inside as my body bumped in the backseat of a car, I couldn’t move to stop what was happening. I could hear voices, but I couldn’t identify them.

Soon, I stopped hearing the conspiring voices, stopping feeling the humming rhythm of the vehicle and stopped sensing anything at all.

My sight was foggy and fuzzy as I awoke.

Morning sunlight blistered through my eyelids. I breathed and coughed. As I opened my eyes, I saw things that didn’t make sense. The ceiling was yellow. No one painted ceilings yellow. Not even my mad mother. I saw a kitchen cabinet even though I was lying on a bed. I saw a steering wheel.

Then suddenly, I realized that I had never been in a car.

I tried to sit up but unsuccessful, I fell back down. I was in a camper, and someone was in the bed with me. A foot hit my leg.

I turned to see who it was. I couldn’t see their face, but I saw the hair so purple it could only belong to Ringlet. I didn’t want to call her Rin anymore, not after what she’d helped Carver do at the last concert, but using all seven letters of her name instead of three seemed like paying her too much respect.

Managing to get to my feet, I bumped my way down the corridor of the camper to the driver’s seat. From that vantage point, all I could see were rolling hills and sky. No people and no buildings in sight. We were nowhere, but the keys were in the ignition. When I tried them, the engine turned over, but only once. Looking at the dials, it was easy to see what was wrong. The camper was out of gas.

I left it and went back to Rin. I tapped her with my shoeless foot. “Wake up,” I ordered loudly.

She rolled over and pretended to be as drugged and groggy as I was, but I knew it was an act.

I prodded her again. “Look, whatever you’re going to say you did to land yourself in this situation, I already know it’s a lie. Carver added that mini fruit pizza to our order and paid the pizza boy to deliver it saying it was a promotional item. My boys didn’t eat it because I was the one getting married today, so they left it for me. I felt tired and went to bed early. You and Carver snuck into the house and pulled me out of bed, and I was too out of it to do anything about it. You managed to get me in this camper. He left and you drove around until you ran out of gas, and now you’re pretending that you were drugged too, when, actually, you’re fine. You’re just here to make sure I stay here for the rest of the day and miss my wedding.”

“You’re wrong. I’m as much of a victim as you are,” she said drowsily.

In a rage, I grabbed the mattress and pulled it out from under her. “Don’t act like you’re drugged!”

She fell on her butt and righted herself as quickly as a cat. “Okay, fine,” she panted from the corner of the camper. “I’m not drugged, but that doesn’t mean I’m not cornered. Carver said he’d cancel Blades and Blasters’ contract if I didn’t help him. I can’t lose that contract.”

“And we’re just supposed to stay here for the day?” I asked, tossing the foam mattress next to her.

“Yeah,” she affirmed, putting the mattress back in place.

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“You don’t have a phone?”

“Carver will get us at midnight,” she replied, still rattled.

I looked down at my feet. I wasn’t even wearing shoes. They were trying to make it so I couldn’t even walk out.

She got up and opened the minifridge. “He’s not trying to torture you. There’s enough food here to last until he comes to get us. I’m here to keep you company and entertain you.”

The sound that came out of my mouth was almost the same as the one a drunk makes when they're vomiting in the bathroom. “Entertain me? Like you could.”

She huffed. “I’m sure I could entertain you. After all, I’m an entertainer.”

I ground my teeth together. “If you try to sing to me, I swear, I’ll break something. Maybe everything.”

“Well, you don’t have to take it out on me. I am here, but I didn’t do this to you. It wasn’t my idea,” she justified as she covered her tank top with a plaid shirt.

“I can’t think of a single reason not to take it out on you,” I said frostily. “Have you ever wanted to marry someone?”

She looked at me like she couldn’t believe that anyone was that stupid. That anyone was stupid enough to believe in marriage.

“You haven’t, huh?”

With those words, she was reduced to a little girl who hadn’t properly plunged the depths of human emotion. That wouldn’t bother most people, but Rin was a songwriter, and even hinting at her being immature made her insane.

She opened her mouth, but I cut her off. “If you start singing, I’ll rip the fridge out of the wall. You’re here to be my punching bag. What did you think was going to happen? I was going to think this was a sweet little waiting room? You’d feed me grapes, sing to me, and I’d be so blown away by your talent that I wouldn’t mind missing my wedding?”

Rin averted her eyes.

“Argh!” I balled my fists together and instead of punching anything, I merely held them at my temples while I screamed. Then I dropped my hands. “You know what, Rin? Do you know what I wanted for my life? I wanted music, just like you, but not as much as you. I wanted to have someone in the audience who was just for me. Fans? It’s nice when people appreciate your music. That leaves a good feeling, but it wasn’t the same as having her in my audience. I have never wanted another person’s approval so much in my life. That first night, I was playing the triangle, but she told me it sounded like a baby star being born. I have been hooked, addicted, and completely hers since I met her. And you and Carver put all those gross inky words all over her. I never want to see you again. How could this be friendly? How could I think anything good about you again? How will I sit through a car ride back to the city without killing Carver? My wedding wasn’t supposed to be a big event. I wasn’t doing it for attention. I just wanted to tie her to me in a way so that everyone understands how much I adore her, that I would do anything for her, even let myself be tied down.” I kicked the fridge and sat back on the bed in a huff.

“Fletch,” she said quietly. “You should forget all about Shannon. Even if you marry her, you’ll never shake Carver. For whatever reason, he’s just as obsessed with her as you are, except he’s not normal. He doesn’t understand boundaries and I don’t know if he’ll ever leave her alone.”

I shook my head. “I don’t care what he wants. What size are your shoes?”

“There’s no way you can wear my shoes. They’re size seven.”

“What’s that in mens'?”

“It’s a five and a half,” she answered coldly.

I gnawed on the side of my cheek. “That’s not going to work.”

Thinking, I opened the door to the camper and felt the wind in the spring air. If I didn’t get a lot more clothes, a walk anywhere was going to be out of the question. I closed the door and went back to the driver’s seat. I couldn’t see any road signs.

“Where are we?” I yelled to Rin.

“I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“How is Carver going to find us?”

“He told me where to drive. He’ll drive the way he told me and pick us up at midnight. I already told you.”

I looked out at the pavement. We were on a side road. Someone might drive by. I turned on the emergency lights. If someone drove by I’d flag them down. Ringlet pouted in the back while I kept my eyes on the road and the side view mirror.

“I’m cold,” I called back to her. “I saw you put on another shirt. Is there anything else for me to wear?”

She threw me the blanket that had been on the bed. I put it over my knees and kept watching.