𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇, Fitz Vacker

II

The first thing Amber felt when she woke up was...soft. Cloud soft. What? She sat up. She was...in a large, poofy, pink bed. Right. She blinked, going back to what had happened yesterday...or what she thought was yesterday. That guy-what did Sophie call him? Fitz?-tried to kidnap Sophie, or something. And she stabbed him with the kubaton from her purse...which was probably a good idea to take now, just in case.

She looked around for her purse, at last finding it on the dresser. But the kubaton wasn't there. She gritted her teeth-Amber had spent money on that thing. Just 'cause these people was rich and fancy they had to take it away? Armed with nothing, she slowly advanced to the door and pulled the handle outwards while simultaneously turning. It made the whole thing quieter, which she had learnt at boarding school.

She left the door open and crept alongside the walls, passing a very large crystal chandelier, until she reached a place that looked to be the kitchen. A glance inside and the opposite wall was expanding out to a huge garden. The kitchen itself was huge-who needs three double fridges? - and they clearly had a dining room too, since there was no sitting table. Amber peered out cautiously and she saw faint figures playing around outside.

She went into the kitchen and stopped, peering wistfully at the fridge. She could really go for some comfort food, so she carefully checked how far the figures were-really far-and opened the fridge. Her jaw dropped. The fridge was half-empty and there were just leaves and vegetables in here! What bullshit was this? Did they all live like rabbits?

The second and third fridges were the same story, even when she scrounged around in the freezer. Ugh. She turned, deciding to check the pantry. There was just...candy. Like, everywhere. She grabbed a random box out and closed the door, opening it in curiosity. There was a little pin that she took out and squinted at. It looked to be some sort of unicorn. Weird.

She pinned the thing to her jeans and took out a candy. It looked like a candied cashew but smaller. She popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. It was good, Amber thought. I could eat these. She grabbed a tiny-looking bottle of the clearest water she'd ever seen and tried to follow her route upstairs, only to wind up in a room that was completely covered in...sparkles.

What the hell was it with these people and their crystals? They were clearly rich. Amber heard footsteps and she panicked, throwing open the door to a walk-in closet and burrowing in the mounds of clothes. A girl's voice walked in, talking to someone. "...I'll meet you back on Monday at Foxfire, Maruca." she seemed to hang up the phone and make for the closet.

Crap.

The girl opened the doors and Amber heard her muttering. "Where's my pink tunic?" before she lifted a pile of clothing and saw Amber crouching.

Her jaw dropped.

Crap.

She started to scream but Amber acted faster, spinning up and around with her hand against the girl's mouth. Someone-Fitz?-called. "Biana, you good? Hurry up, Mom's bringing out the mallowmelt soon!" Amber cleared her throat and tried to call back in her most accurate interpretation of Biana's voice.

"Coming!" Biana grumbled against her hand and Amber glared.

"Okay, listen," she whispered harshly. "I'll let you go, but if you tell another soul that I was here, I'll rip every single one of your clothes and-" she looked around for inspiration. "I'll tear off the heels of your shoes, and I'll cut all of your jewellery. Or pawn it off."

She let Biana go cautiously. She licked her lips and then spoke, looking defiant. "I have more than 200 clothes and 50 heels."

"Doesn't matter. I'll do it."