Famous, but not Free: The Price of Internet Stardom

Chapter 1: The Abduction

Chapter 1: The Abduction

The first thing that went through Lila's mind when she woke up was that she was in a room. A small, windowless room with white walls and a single door. The second thing that went through her mind was that she was tied to a chair. Her hands were tied behind her back, her feet were tied to the legs of the chair, and there was a thick piece of duct tape over her mouth.

Lila tried to move, but the ropes were tight and the chair was solid. She tried to speak, but the tape muffled her words. All she could do was blink and take in her surroundings.

She was not alone. There were five other people in the room, all of them tied to chairs just like hers. She recognized them all, of course. They were all social media influencers, just like her. They were all famous, or at least they were all famous online. They had thousands of followers on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. They had millions of views on their videos, likes on their photos, and comments on their posts. They were all young, attractive, and successful.

They were all terrified.

The door opened and a man walked in. He was tall, with a shaved head and a thick beard. He was wearing a black suit and a black tie. He looked like a secret agent, or a hitman, or a terrorist. He looked like someone who meant business.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," he said. His voice was deep and menacing. "Welcome to your new home."

He walked up to Lila and looked her in the eyes. She tried to look away, but she couldn't. He reached out and touched her cheek, and she flinched.

"You're all very famous," he said. "You're all very popular. You're all very rich. You're all very powerful."

He walked to the next person, a young man with bleached blonde hair and a diamond stud in his ear.

"You have thousands of followers," he said. "You have millions of views. You have hundreds of thousands of likes. You have tens of thousands of comments."

He walked to the next person, a young woman with long dark hair and a nose ring.

"You have sponsorships. You have collaborations. You have brand deals. You have merchandise."

He walked to the next person, a young man with a buzz cut and a tattoo on his neck.

"You have fans. You have admirers. You have groupies. You have stalkers."

He walked to the next person, a young woman with curly hair and a lip ring.

"You have influence. You have power. You have control. You have impact."

He walked to the last person, a young man with a mohawk and a septum piercing.

"You have fame. You have glory. You have success. You have status."

He walked back to the center of the room and looked at all of them.

"You are all very valuable," he said. "You are all very valuable assets."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and held it up.

"This is a ransom note," he said. "This is a ransom demand. This is a ransom ultimatum. This is a ransom instruction."

Hewalked to Lila and placed the piece of paper in her lap. She could not read it,but she could see the numbers. They were big numbers. They were big