Snatched

Prologue- Cressida age 6

“Get out of here kid!” The butcher threw an empty pop can at me. I wasn’t even doing nothing. Just looking at their trash to see if they had any scraps.
There was nothing. Just a few cut crusts and some rotten bananas. Everything else was napkins or cups. Not edible stuff.
The sun wouldn’t be setting for a while, and I needed to get out of here. I shouldn’t have come anyway. Old man Tabor threatened to put me in the “system” the next time he saw me. I didn’t know what that was, but it sounded bad. Like they might have food, but no playtime.
Aunt Erin said it was terrible and I’d hate it. So I avoided him, ducking down alleys and hiding behind dumpsters every time I saw him.
I kicked rocks, watching the pebbles skid away as I walked to the woods. It was hilly here, and too much time in the woods would make me more hungry. Looking back at the alley, I sighed and kept going. Hungry was better than the “system”.
At least it wasn’t cold. I think it was summer, maybe? Warm, and comfy…
In the woods, I walked until I couldn’t hear the cars anymore. Then I walked some more. I crossed a couple vacant roads, and moved even deeper. As long as I took my time, I wouldn’t have to try and find any more food.
I clutched some pebbles in my pocket, stroking them with my thumb. There were pebbles everywhere, but these were pretty. So pretty I had to keep them. They were the best things I owned.
A big cloud covered the sun, and I glanced up. It was too dark. That meant rain. I started to jog through the woods, heading deeper under the thicker trees. If it rained, I’d get wet and have to sleep in wet clothes.
Large rain drops pelted the leaves and echoed around me, but I stayed mostly dry. Thunder cracked in the distance and I stopped, bracing my hands on my knees. My sides hurt, but in a good way. I didn’t get to run like that very often unless it was from a grownup in town.
This was more fun.
A strange shout had me diving under a bush, and I waited to see what was coming as my heart pounded against my chest. No footsteps came my way. No brush was moving. It must have been an animal.
“Lake! Give it–!” The sound was so distant, I barely made out the words. But that could be the woods swallowing up their sounds, making them hard to hear.
Was that a kid? Out here? I rolled out from under the bush and stood up. Why was there a house back here?
I slowly walked closer, avoiding stepping on sticks or anything that might crunch. Soon, the trees thinned out just enough that a house was visible. But it was old. Nothing like the houses close to the food and the people.
A huge, shiny chain link fence surrounded it. That was weird. The house was old. Like really old. Falling down, and lopsided. But the fence looked new. The flowers climbing up through the links were different than the ones I saw in pots in town.
I crept even closer. Careful not to make a sound.
Two boys wrestled in the yard, one bigger than the other, but they were both scrawny like me. Their clothes were better, though. Not dirty and holey like mine.
They grunted as they rolled and punched each other's sides. “I told you that was mine!” The smaller boy said.
“You have to share, Isaac,” the other boy growled.
While they fought, I peered around the house. There didn’t seem to be any lights on. Were they the only ones here?
“Hey!” I whispered. I wasn’t sure why I did it. They could be mean and try to run me off. But…I just wanted to talk to them. I wasn’t allowed to talk to kids in town. Parents didn’t like me.
I didn’t know why, though.
Both boys stopped, and the older boy turned his head slowly, his eyes widened when he saw me staring at the fence. In a snap, they jumped up, the smaller boy running over to me.
I held my breath as he got closer. He was the most beautiful boy I’d ever seen. His eyes were fairy shaped. Was that a real thing? Tilted up at the corners. And they glistened with unshed tears.
“Hi,” he whispered, so different from the screaming banshee from a bit ago.
“What’s your name?” I asked, then shook my head. “Isaac. Your name’s Isaac.”
The older boy stopped behind Isaac, close but not touching, and he looked at me funny. Like I was a ghost or something. He was just as good-looking with white-blond hair and light brown-ish blue eyes. He looked like Elsa’s brother. I’d seen that movie in the windows in town. Especially around Christmas.
“What’s your name?” he croaked, like he was gonna cry too.