Prologue

the kidnapping scene

“How many times have I told you to wash the dishes huh,” shouted her father.  She looked away and rolled her eyes. “What are those dishes still doing in the sink?”

“We don’t have any dish detergent Daddy. I told Mama, but she didn’t listen to me.”

“That’s no excuse Ophelia. You could have walked you big butt to the store.” He looked down at the floor. “Didn’t I tell you to sweep this floor?”

“Yes sir, I did but”

“But nothing, look at those papers! Pick it up! Get the broom and clean this place up get off the computer.” He picked up the lap top and turned it off disregarding whatever it was that she was working on.

‘Good thing, I saved it,’ she thought to herself. Her father kept on yelling and nagging about little things.  ‘Would you just shut-up? I’m tired of hearing your mouth. Just go back into your room and go to sleep and leave me alone. Just shut-up. Shut-up! Shut-up! Shut-up!’

Finally, he got tired of yelling, “I’m tired of dealing with you. You’re the reason why my blood pressure is up. After you clean this mess up,” he handed her a five-dollar bill. “Go down to the store and get a bottle of detergent. Bring me a Baby Ruth too.” He went back into his room slamming the door behind him.

She sighed and began sweeping the floor while thinking of all the mean cruel things she could do to her father. ‘A close shave like Sweeney Todd? nah too bloody.  Poison like Madame Villefort? no I don’t know where I would find brucine. This is pointless. I couldn’t kill him. He’s my dad. He always will be, dead or not. Jehovah, please forgive me for my bad thoughts.’

To cheer herself, she put on the soundtrack of the musical, Wicked and began to “defy gravity” in her imagination along with Elphaba. She picked up her little Pekingese puppy, Davie and spun him around the room in her arms. The pup licked her breath and held on as tightly as it could while being spun around in circles. In its year of life, it had grown accustomed to its master’s mood swings and temperament. Davie looked to her as his mother and Ophelia called him mijo. (Spanish slang meaning my son)

In about twenty minutes she finished. She went into her room and changed out of her pajamas and into regular clothes: a pair of dark jeans, ripped at one knee, brown running shoes and a brown layered shirt with pink and white butterflies that had a white undershirt attached with brown and pink butterflies. It was her favorite outfit. After hugging Davie and kissing the top of his head, she gave him a doggie treat and walked out of the door.

The neighborhood was quiet as it usually was around mid-morning time. The only sounds to be heard came from little flittering birds in the treetops. She took out her headphones and MP3 player and went back into the world of musicals. Inside she was twisting and shouting with Tracie Turnblad to Good Morning Baltimore, while on the outside she somberly walked down the street. She was unaware of a car that had been creeping behind her since she step out of the house. For a moment she closed her eyes, the song had ended and now the Phantom of the Opera started to sing Music of the Night. It was the song that she would close her eyes to and imagine the Phantom guiding her through his lair under the Paris Opera house. She was so entranced that she disregarded the sound of a car coming to a screeching halt. She suddenly felt someone grabbing her from behind and put a cloth over her face. She was immediately swooned from the scent and fell into the arms of a stranger.