Chapter 1

Dad didn't like Mom.

I heard from her kindergarten friends that moms and dads always slept in the same bed, but her parents never slept together.

Until one day, we were kidnapped by a group of bad men. Mom Dailed Dad.

Dad's furious voice blasted through the phone. "If you want to die, just go ahead. But don't drag Christine into your drama and act in front of me."

Mom quickly covered my ears. But Dad's voice still came through the phone.

By the seventh day, Mom was lying quietly next to me, fast asleep. She looked so peaceful as she slept beside me.

So hungry my head was spinning, I scooped up some muddy water streaked with red and forced it down, hoping it would help.

Ugh, it was so bitter. Dad was crying, pleading with me not to drift off.

With my grubby little hands, I wiped his face, my stomach aching. "Don't cry, Dad. I'll turn into a star just like Mom did."

*****

When a bad guy called Wilmot tied me up, Mom dropped to her knees, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

She begged, "Please, don't lay a finger on Christine. She doesn't know anything."

Wilmot sneered. "Then call Mr. Lawson and tell him to cough up 1.5 million dollars in ransom if he wants to save you."

Mom was kowtowing on the ground, her forehead hitting the floor again and again as she begged.

"He won't come for me. I'm not worth 1.5 million dollars to him. How about 300 thousand dollars? I have 300 thousand dollars."

Before she could finish, the fat man, Wilmot, smacked her hard across the face.

I jumped at him and bit down hard on his hand. "Don't bully my mom."

Wilmot tossed me aside, then swung his foot at me, ready to kick.

Mom dropped to her knees and hugged me tight, her whole body trembling.

"Christine..." Mom's voice was barely a whisper.

I couldn't tell how long Wilmot kept kicking us.

Mom threw up, just like when I used to get sick as a kid. It was red water, bright red like those prize ribbons at school, and there was so much of it.

My heart just ached so much. "Mom... Mom..." I called out, my voice trembling.

"Be good, Christine. Don't be scared," Mom whispered, trying to comfort me.

Wilmot made another call, forced Mom to her feet, and pressed the phone into her hand. "Hurry up, beg him. If he gives me the money, I'll let you go."

Mom's voice was shaky and desperate. "Bud, I've been kidnapped. Can you please save me and Christine?"

Mom was sobbing so hard she could barely speak, but Dad cut her off, his voice cold and harsh. "Seriously, Emily? Faking a kidnapping now just to get me to notice you?"

I tried to run to Mom, but Wilmot locked me in a vice grip, smothering my mouth so I couldn't even scream.

Mom was in even more agony, clutching her chest in pain. "Christine is your child too.

"They're dangerous criminals. If you don't pay the ransom, we're really going to die here."

Dad's voice came through the phone, chillingly clear and cold. "If you want to die, just go ahead.

"But don't drag Christine into your games and act in front of me."

I lunged forward and sank my teeth into Wilmot's arm. "Dad," I shouted.

The phone screen went dark. I wasn't sure if Dad had heard me, or if he'd come to save me.

Someone slammed me down and drove a kick right into my stomach. "You little bastard," he snarled.

Mom broke free and rushed over, throwing herself over me, shielding me with her whole body like a desperate mother hen.

"Please, don't hurt her! Don't hurt her," Mom sobbed, her voice shaking with terror. "Just one more day, I beg you. Just one more day."

The men backed off, faces hard. "If you don't have the cash by tomorrow, don't expect any mercy from us."

By nightfall, I was burning up one minute and shivering the next.

"Mommy, my tummy hurts," I whimpered, unable to hold back my tears.

Mom hugged me tight, her arms wrapped around me like she'd never let go. "Be good, Christine. Just hang in there a little longer. Dad will come save us."

Honestly, I knew Dad really couldn't stand me and Mom.

But Mom's eyes had lost almost all their sparkle. I just couldn't tell her the truth.