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(XXXI.)

The first thing she felt was pain. So much pain. It came from somewhere at the back of her head. She tried to open her eyes but her eyelids felt heavier than normal. Her mind wasn't coordinated yet so she couldn't tell where she was in.

Sleep, please come. Come now. If only I could sleep away this pain.

At least, she could think. That was something.

She waited and waited. Nothing happened. No sleep came. No sound was made.

Wait, who the heck had kidnapped her, anyway? Didn't they consider it rude not to at least check on their captive?

Jess didn't know how long it took, but after some time, she began to feel sensations. First, in her head. And the first feeling was more pain. This time, at the sides of her head. What the heck?

She tried moving. Only her fingers and toes twitched. Okay, progress there. Now, over to the eyes. One of her eyelids twitched, then opened. It was followed by the other. She blinked rapidly so her vision could adjust to the darkness around her.

Darkness. Oh, great. Nice way to make sure she couldn't feel her way around.

She shifted her body and finally sat up. Her fingers felt the surface she was sitting on. Cold. Hard. Damp. Concrete. Basement.

Jess had never been kidnapped before. She'd never even found herself locked up in a cold, hard place underground. So, this was new. Helplessness seeped into her mind, gnawing at her harshly. She felt for the wall, shifted again, and leaned against it.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Everything's gonna be fine. You'll find a way out of here. You're stronger than this. Ken would want you to remain strong. Don't show your weakness to your enemy. You're psychic, a different kind of person.

Whew! That was enough pep talk to boost her assurance. The next thing now was taking action. She wondered if she should make a fire that'd light her way.

No, no, no, no! Not that. Remember what happens when you make fire? She shivered as a memory flashed through her mind. Yeah, that. Try it and you may be toast.

Well, she didn't want to be toast, so she had find another way out.

Think, think, think... Come up with something. You're a genius. You don't have an IQ of 172 for nothing. Use your brain. And your powers.

She felt for her bag but got nothing. Really now? Was taking her bag part of the plan? That thing was expensive - it had cost her thirty-four grand to get it. They had better handle it carefully.

Hello? Next action? You should be doing something not thinking about some Vuitton trash.

Oh, yeah. Right.

"Hello?" she called out to the darkness. "Hello?! Who's here?" Silence. "You've got someone down here, remember?" No answer. "Fine. Don't forget you'd have to ask for ransom. I think that's what you kidnappers do." A brief pause. "Whatever. Anyway, you better not demand for more than a million bucks. That'd be extortion. I don't even know if my stepdad has that amount of money to spare."

When the heavy silence became unbearable, she released a loud groan. "Guy, you better get down here with pain killers. I've got a damn headache."

She rose to her feet and stretched. Bones and muscles cracked. She stretched some more. The pain in her head eased a little bit. When she bent down, it intensified.

"Damn! Crap!" She wasn't keeping her head down again.

It was too dark but she had to rely on her instincts to move around. Her foot struck something soft. She squatted and reached down. It was her handbag. At last, she sighed out.