The Beginning of the End (Book 1 of the Captured Series)

Chapter 2

"Mama," Elizabeth tugged on her mother's apron, "why can't I go play outside like the kids on TV?"

Wendy glanced down at her daughter, and quickly finished cutting the last tomato for the sauce she was preparing. She wiped her hands on her apron and kneeled down to come face to face with Elizabeth.

The six year old was rather curious about the outside world, which made Wendy's job as her guardian even more difficult. The little girl had fair skin and pitch black hair, making her blue eyes stand out with a striking contrast. In short, Elizabeth was beautiful, and it was expected, as she was bred that way.

"Because it's not safe." Wendy sighed. She hated being the bearer of bad news, keeping her daughter locked away like a modern day Rapunzel. However, the idea of her precious, onyx-haired cherub stepping even one foot into the outside world was enough to keep her emotions at bay. Things were far more dangerous for a half-breed like Elizabeth.

"Maybe one day?" The tiniest member of the Black family squeaked out the first part of their token exchange as mother and daughter.

"Maybe one day." Wendy replied, smoothing down her daughter's ruffled hair before holding her chubby cheeks. "Maybe one day." She whispered again, planting a kiss to Elizabeth's forehead.

Elizabeth gave her mother a toothy grin before bounding off back towards the television, which was blaring the latest broadcast on how having a pet in the house could greatly improve your quality of life. The perfect girl had no idea how perfect she really was.

The telephone ringing snapped Wendy out of her thoughts, and she picked it up off the counter, flicking it open with her thumb.

"Wendy Black." She shifted to hold the cellphone between her shoulder and her ear, scooping the tomatoes into a pot with some boiling water.

"Hello, Mrs. Black." A dark voice sounded over the speaker. "Elizabeth is six years old now. If we are not allowed access to her soon, there will dire consequences for you and your fellow guardian."

Wendy's breath caught in her throat, and she took the phone into her hand, checking the caller ID. A private number. With a shaky voice, she spoke into the device, "You can't take her. She's too young. She's just a baby." Wendy felt tears well up in her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away.

"You've been warned, Mrs. Black. The child will be directly contacted next time, and you will not be there to stop it. The Brotherhood is not something you should be messing with. We have a deal. Tread lightly, Mrs. Black." And with that, the line clicked off.

Wendy punched in her husband's number right away, her heart clenching in her chest as she watched the screen light up with his smiling face. She turned and leaned against the front of the stove, biting the inside of her cheek as the line rang in her ear.

The line clicked on, and before David Black could utter a greeting, the words were flying out of Wendy's mouth. "They found us."

Silence.

"David?"

"Yeah, I'm here." His voice was quiet, and Wendy could tell her husband was deep in thought.

"Well?" Wendy choked out, peeking around the corner to see if Elizabeth was still watching the nightly news. "What are we going to do?"

Silence.

"David."

"Pack your things. Get everything ready. We're getting out of there." He spoke in a hurry, mumbled a quick goodbye, and hung up.

Wendy continued to hold the phone, which was still droning on, up to her ear. Tears clouded her vision as she watched her daughter happily jump up and down at the sight of another child on the screen.

"If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." The machine's automated voice spoke.

She clicked the end call button and tucked the phone into her back pocket, sniffling a bit. Wendy felt like she might go insane. This never would have happened if they had just gotten out of the country while they could, but once Wendy was showing sign of bearing a child, they wouldn't let her. Her family was trapped in America.

Not wanting to disturb Elizabeth, she rushed upstairs and began neatly packing her clothes into a duffel bag. Once she was done with that, she picked up a pile of her husband's work shirts and tucked them into the bag as well, before realizing that he wouldn't be needing them wherever they were moving. He'd have to quit his job. She would have to quit hers too.

Wendy sighed and smoothed down her pleated shirt, wringing her fingers together. Her wedding ring scratched her skin slightly, which made her swallow hard. She remembered the day he proposed. It was exactly three weeks before they figured out they were having a baby girl. Exactly three weeks before their lives changed for the worse.

A life in the year 2060 in the United States was a difficult one to lead, especially as the parent of a daughter. Although Wendy herself never had to be a victim of the medical malpractice that was the latest fad in modern America, her daughter was one of the most major patients to undergo the changes.

As a fetus, made of both her mother's and her father's DNA, Elizabeth was injected with the DNA of something sinister; something not of the mortal world, and, in turn, was deemed the Earth's first, and last, "half-breed". Wendy would do whatever it took to keep Elizabeth from knowing the truth about who she really was, because with that truth, her daughter could make or break the whole world.

"Mama?" The tiny voice snapped Wendy out of her thoughts and she turned on her heels to face her daughter, who was rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, darling?" She tried to keep her voice was wavering.

"When is Papa gonna be home?" She yawned. "I'm hungry for dinner."

At the mention of dinner, Wendy remembered the tomatoes she had left to simmer on the stove. She huffed, knowing they'd be burnt by now. "How about we call Papa and ask him to bring us some pizza?" Wendy smiled down at her daughter. "How does that sound?"

Elizabeth, who was notorious in their household for loving anything with cheese smothered over it, grinned. Her tired eyes suddenly perked up and she bounced on her heels. "Yes, yes, yes!" She rushed out, clapping her chubby hands together. "Pizza!"

"Alright, alright." For a few moments, Wendy let herself revel in the happiness of her daughter. "But before that, I need you to go to your room and take out your pink bag, okay?"

"What for, Mama?"

"I want you to put all of your favorite clothes and toys in the bag for me, okay?" Wendy gave her daughter a pointed look, letting her know this was something that needed to be done. "And don't forget to put underwear in there too."

"Are we going somewhere, Mama?"

"Yes, sweetheart, now go put your clothes in your bag while I call Papa." She gently nudged her daughter into the hallway, a nauseous feeling striking her as she sensed the next question. Wendy hated letting her daughter down, and she hated it even more to have to answer her upcoming inquiry.

"Can I be awake this time, Mama?" Elizabeth's voice was quiet. She already knew the answer.

"No, sweetheart," Wendy's voice was even quieter, barely a whisper, "now go pack."