Chapter 2

The next morning Sally woke slowly, opening her eyes she focused on her clock radio. 11:00 I must have been more tired than I thought. She was about to roll over and see if she could get some more sleep, when she jumped at a knocking on her bedroom door.

"Sally, are you ever going to get up?" her mother called through the door. "Come on, your father and I are going out for brunch. Do you want to come?"

At that moment, Sally's stomach decided to remind her that she had not eaten anything, since the night before. "Sure mom. Give me a couple minutes to get dressed."

Sally quickly jumped out of bed. Still nude, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out some fresh underwear. She quickly got dressed and ran across the hall to the bathroom. Picking up her brush she ran it through her hair. Not wanting to waste a lot more time, Sally grabbed a scrunchie and put her hair into a pony tail.

"I'm ready," Sally said, running downstairs.

She saw her mother and father look up at her. "Did you just get home dad?" Sally asked, when she noticed he was still wearing the same clothes she saw him in yesterday. He also needed a shave and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"Yes, it's been a long night, but I need something more to eat than doughnuts and coffee before I crash."

Sally opened the front door and stepped outside. They waited for her mother to lock the door. Putting his arm around his daughters shoulders and the other around his wife's, Frank hugged both women close, kissing Sally on top of her head.

"Dad!" Sally said looking around with embarrassment. She was glad when she didn't see anyone looking.

Frank grinned down at his daughter. "I am just so glad that your mother and I have never had to deal with you being taken from us," Frank explained to her. "If I let you drive, will that make up for the hardship of your old father showing his affection for his daughter."

"Well," Sally answered playing along, "it's a start. Just don't let it happen again."

Frank solemnly handed Sally the keys. She quickly grabbed them out of his hand and ran ahead. Pressing the fob, she unlocked the doors to the family mini-van and got behind the wheel. Before her parents climbed in, Sally had carefully adjusted her seat and mirrors. Frank climbed in to the front passenger seat, her mother got in the back.

Once Sally was sure everyone was safely inside, she put the key into the ignition and started up the vehicle. Looking behind, Sally carefully backed the mini-van out of the driveway and onto the street. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"You're the driver, you decide," Frank answered.

Sally suspected her father was expecting McDonald's, but she simply nodded her head and started to drive. Just to play with him, she headed straight for the nearest Raunchy Ron's, but kept driving right by and instead tuned in two blocks later at Jennifer's. A locally owned and operated restaurant, Sally and her family loved the food there.

Because it was Saturday morning; the restaurant's parking lot was fairly full, with others going out for breakfast and brunch. Still not fully comfortable parking in tight spaces, Sally looked for an open spot on the far side of the lot. She pulled in beside one car that had three open spots next to it. She was proud of herself when she realized she managed to pull right in and didn't have to make any adjustments.

Everybody climbed out. Sally waited until her mother closed her door, before using the fob again. She locked the doors and hit the button again, she waited to hear the horn give a short beep, before putting the keys into her pocket. She led her family, towards the entrance to the restaurant. Pushing open the door, Sally stepped inside and held it open for both of her parents. Her Father held the second door open and Sally followed her mother inside.

Sally walked inside and saw her mother already talking with Jenny Hatch, the restaurant's namesake, who ran it with her husband Rob. "Hey guys, we are just cleaning off a table and then you can sit."

Sally saw her friend Emily, who worked weekends with her parents... She wiped off a table by the window and then put fresh cutlery down for them. When Jenny saw that Emily was finished setting the table, she picked up some menus and guided them to there seats. Emily returned, "Hey Sally, what happened? You just disappeared from school yesterday. Mr. Drysen was pissed."

Sally groaned inside, imagining what her cantankerous Social Studies teacher would do if he thought she had cut class. Emily was the only person outside of her family and the local police that knew about her special ability. "I was helping dad with a kidnap case," Sally answered.

"That little girl, on the news last night?" Emily asked.

"Yep."

"Cool. Is she alright now?" Emily asked, with honest concern in her voice.

"We put her and her family into contact with a psychologist that specializes in helping people deal with post traumatic stress. It will take awhile, but I think they should be fine." Frank answered.

"That's great. Anyway, can I get you all something to drink?" Emily asked, changing the subject.

"Coffee," Clair quickly answered.

"A large orange juice," Frank ordered.

"Same for me," was Sally's answer.

"Coming right up," Emily said leaving them alone to look over the menus.

A few minutes later, Emily returned with their drinks. "Are you ready to order, or do you need a few more minutes?"

Sally's family all looked at one another. Sally answered, "No, I think we are all ready."

Sally and her father both ordered the house special omelet and her mother asked for pancakes. Sally watched as her friend walked towards the kitchen to give their orders. Emily was what most would refer to as petite. She stood only at 5' 2" and Sally knew from past conversations, that she had resigned herself to having small tits.

Today Emily was wearing her uniform for the restaurant, but at school she liked to wear lots of black, to go along with her short black hair. She also was usually seen wearing black lipstick and lots of mascara. Emily was really into the whole goth look when she could, but was still pretty in a pixie sort of way when she left off the makeup. Sally secretly enjoyed watching her friend's tight ass under her peach coloured skirt as she walked away.

Everyone was just finishing eating when Frank's cell phone rang. Frank took the phone out of its holster and looked at the display. With a grimace he said, "No rest for the wicked, or those that have to deal with them."

Flipping the phone open he said, "Frank Turner."

Sally watched as her father listened to the person on the phone. At first, his face was just showing how tired he was and irritation that he was being called. As the call continued though, shock and then anger replaced his expression. "OK, give me an hour and I will be there."

"I'm sorry girls. There has been another, possible kidnaping. A picture of an unidentified girl was sent by courier to the station. Apparently, the sick bastard heard about what happened last night and wants to give us a challenge. He is demanding the city pay 2 million dollars, or he is going to kill her."

"I think we are going to need your help again on this one kiddo. Are you up for it?"

"Sure dad, anything to help."

"I should let you know, the media has also been sent the same message. I will try to keep quiet who is helping us, but it may be difficult."

"Don't worry about it. I know you will do your best."

"Now wait just a minute!" Clair interrupted. "I am sorry about the girl, but this is our daughter we are talking about. Frank, you promised me, if Sally helped you that nobody would ever find out who she is."

"Clair, if you don't keep your voice down the whole restaurant is going to know who she is. Sally, your mother is right, are you sure you want to get involved with this? I will understand, if you don't."

"I'm sure. If it happens, it happens but I could never forgive myself, if I didn't do everything I could to help."

"But..." Clair said.

"No buts, Sally is growing up and she can make this decision for herself."

Frank waved to get Emily's attention. When she got to the table Frank said, "We need to get going, can we get the bill please?"

Emily reached into her apron pocket and found the bill. "OK no problem. Can I come over tonight? We can go over what you missed, in class yesterday."

"That sounds good. I will call you after you get off work if I am still not busy. See ya." She hugged her friend goodbye.

"We need to hurry, I think I should drive." Frank said.

Sally got the hint and handed him the keys. They all climbed back into the van, Sally had barely gotten her seat-belt fastened, before they were already speeding out of the parking lot.

"Frank, I don't like this." Clair said to her husband.

"Mom. I think it is time you let me make decisions that effect me, for myself."

"OK, but I want you both to be careful."

"Yes mom."

"Yes dear."

It was not long before they returned to their house. "Sally, I just need to get a shower and shave, then we will be heading out again."

"Sure dad, no problem." Sally watched her father quickly climb out from the van and run inside the house.

Sally was fidgeting on the couch a half hour later, when her father came downstairs looking at least a little refreshed. "Let's go."

Sally followed her father back outside, he went to his car and unlocked the door for her. She climbed into the passenger seat and quick fastened her seat belt. Frank got in the other side, he took his phone off his belt clip and plugged it into the hands-free cradle in the car. He started the car then dialed the phone.

"Detective Stiles," Sally heard a woman's voice, over the speakers.

"Jane, it's Frank. I'm on my way in now. Any more information?"

"No, forensics has examined the picture, but they could not find anything. We know it was taken with a digital camera and printed with a standard ink photo printer, but that is about it."

"OK, keep me posted if you hear anything else. I should be there in about 15 minutes."

"Sure boss, will do."

Frank disconnected the call never taking his eyes off the road. Neither Sally or her father said anything for the rest of the trip.

When the police station was just coming into view, Frank spoke to his daughter. "You're sure, you want to do this?"

"Yes. I'm very sure."

"OK. Just before we get there, I want you to duck down and keep out of sight." Frank hit the re-dial on his phone. As soon as he heard the click that the phone was picked up he, quickly said. "Jane we are just about there, can you please have someone open the garage door? If there are any reporters hanging around outside, I don't want them seeing Sally."

"No problem," Jane responded before she hung up.

Frank pulled around behind the police station. A man was standing next to a chain-link fence gate. When he saw Frank's car, he unlocked the padlock and rolled the gate open. Frank continued into the yard and drove through an open roll-down door leading into the building. Sally sat back up in her seat when her father told her they were clear. She looked around, seeing they were in what looked like a mechanics shop, with several patrol cars in the bays being worked on. Turning into an unused bay, Frank parked and shut off the car.

"Let's go."

They both climbed back out of the car. Frank handed over his keys so that someone could park it back outside for him. Sally had never been in this part of the building before; she just followed along behind her father. They both walked quickly up a couple flights of stairs to reach the third floor, where she knew her father had an office.

Frank opened the door to his office and Sally saw his partner Jane lookup. "Hey Sally, good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Well, hopefully you can still come over for a Barbecue next weekend. Mom wants to visit with you."

"I hope we can do that also," Jane responded with a smile. "Well before we can have fun, we have another case to solve. This one is perplexing. We have checked all the databases; there have been no reports anywhere in Canada or the United States of anyone missing fitting the girl's description. The RCMP have been informed but for now they are letting us take the lead on this."

Jane pulled out a photo and handed it to Frank. Sally looked at the picture in her fathers hand. It was of a girl, who appeared to be about Sally's age. Her hands, appeared to be tied behind her back. She was sitting in a non-descript room, with wood paneled walls. There were no windows in the picture that may have given some clue to where she was being kept.

The girl had messy blonde hair that was falling loose around her dirty face. She appeared to be crying in the picture. One eye was blackened and her lip was split, with some dry blood on her chin. She could be seen wearing a dirty sweat shirt, with a Nike swoop on the left breast...

Sally tried to reach out and take the picture from her father, but he held it away from her. "Not yet." Frank took Sally by the shoulder and turned her to fully face him. He looked her straight in the eyes. "Remember, we have no idea what might be happening right now. If what you see is too much, there is no shame in you stopping."

Sally took a deep breath and said, "I'll remember. I love you dad."

Frank hugged Sally close for a moment, he pressed his face into her hair. "I love you too. Are you ready?"

Sally took the picture and sat down on a chair, in the corner of the office. Sally closed her eyes and reached into the picture with her mind. She was quickly standing in the room, with the motionless girl. She looked around and saw a man wearing a mask over his face, holding a camera. She saw behind him a dark window. Outside it was pitch dark, with no sign of any street lights. Sally walked up to the window to take a better look, but still could not see anything outside.

She let the world start moving around her just observing unseen what happened after the moment the picture was taken. The captive girl was still crying and asked, judging by her tone of voice not for the first time, "Why are you doing this? Let me go!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Shut-up you whiney little bitch! Keep it up and I will gag you."

The girl continued to sob quietly to herself, but didn't say anything else. The man never took off his mask. Sally watched as he lit a camp stove on a counter. Sally thought this must be some kind of hunting lodge somewhere. He picked up a large blue, 20 liter water jug and put it on its side with a valve pointed down. He opened the valve, pouring water into a metal pot. He placed the pot onto the stove, he pulled out a package of soup noodles, banging the plastic packaging and breaking up the noodles inside.

The girl occasionally pulled on the ropes, holding her hands fastened to the chair she was sitting on, but appeared to be trying to not catch her captor's attention, by being too obvious about it. Neither person said anything more to each other. Sally moved through the wall to see if she could find anything outside. It took her eyes a minute to adjust to the minimal light outside. She could faintly make out ever green trees around her, but it was too dark to see anything else. Sally moved back inside to observe.

As the minutes went by with nothing happening, Sally started to feel the strain of keeping the action rooted. The man had waited until the water came to a boil, before adding the dry noodles to the water. It was about 10 minutes, before Sally couldn't hold any longer and everything blurred around her for less than a second, until things settled down again. It was now daylight. The girl was laying asleep, on a bed in the back of the room. There was a cuff attached to her ankle, with a long heavy chain, leading to a spike with a loop, holding the other end of the chain. Sally saw no sign of the girl's captor.

She again moved outside. In the bright sunshine she could make out her surroundings better. She was standing next to a one room shack, in a clearing of trees. Around her, she could hear birds twittering and small animals rustling in the branches, but there was no sound of traffic, indicating a nearby road. She looked to what she thought was the south, over the trees on a steep downslope; she could make out a mountain in the distance. To her right, she heard the sound of a small stream running down the hill.

She moved down the path following it through the trees, but there was still no sign of human life. After about 15 minutes, she was moving along and felt like she walked into a smooth glass wall. She tried to push against the invisible barrier but as she had found in the past, it was impossible to move any further unless the subject of the original picture moved closer to her.

She decided she would try one last thing, before returning to report her father who was surely starting to worry. She quickly moved back up to the shack and went back inside. The girl was still sleeping. She concentrated for a moment and everything returned back to the moment the picture was taken. This time, Sally gave that push - the one that she'd discovered the night before with Ms. Wilson.

The action once again started up. "Why are you doing this? Let me go!" The girl cried.

"How many times... Where the fuck did you come from?" the man shouted, noticing Sally standing there. He stated to move towards her. Sally willed him to stop, but he kept right on coming closer. Sally gasped in pain when he grabbed her right arm in a crushing grip. He reached back and slapped her hard across the face. Sally panicked and released the picture from her mind.

She instinctively jumped to her feet and punched out with her left arm, before she fully realized she was back safe in her father's office. Frank watched his daughters actions with concern. "What's wrong?" He then noticed her split lip and a growing bruise on her arm. "What the hell?"

He grabbed a box of tissues sitting on his desk. He took out a couple and pressed them to Sally's bleeding lip. She replaced her father's hand with her own, wincing at the sting she felt. "Sorry. Tried something new. Didn't quite work the way I thought it would."

"Well be more careful, you might have been killed!"

"I said I was sorry dad. I'll be more careful."

"You were gone a long time; did you learn anything?"

"Not a lot." Sally told her father and Jane what she had seen.

"Well still you have given us a place to start." Jane said. "At least we know, she's not still in the city."

Jane picked up her phone and talked with the RCMP for several minutes, letting them know what they had found so far. She hung up the phone and turned back to Sally. "Do you think you could get us a name? Maybe where she was taken from? Maybe if someone saw her being taken, we can get a better description of the kidnapper."

"I can try. It may take awhile though. I can't exactly talk with her when he is around."

"Do your best, but please be careful." Frank said.

"Yes dad. Can I get a drink first?"

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Coke?"

"Sorry, only Pepsi."

"That's fine."

"I'll be back in a minute."

Frank came back and gave Sally her can of pop. Sally opened the can and quickly chugged it down. She grinned at her father when she let out a good belch, causing Jane to laugh.

Sally picked up the picture and once again entered it with her mind. Once she was standing in front of the girl, she looked around for some place to hide. The bed, off to the side of the room, was in shadows. Sally decided to take a gamble and hide under the bed. Thankfully there was not anything beneath and there was enough room for her to slide underneath, past a blanket hanging off the edge. With the world around her in its present frozen state that soft looking blanket may as well have been made out of steel, if it was blocking her intended path.

She wiggled and squirmed to get past this barrier, until she was finally underneath the bed, still with a view of the rest of the room. Sally gave the world around her the push and things began to move again. Sally again watched the man prepare supper for his captive. The time finally moved past where Sally was snapped to the present on her last visit. She watched as the kidnapper attached the chain, she had seen earlier to the girl's ankle and the bolt and loop in the middle of the room. Pulling out a large knife from a sheath at his hip, he grinned when he heard the girl whimper in fright. Obviously enjoying scaring her, he pressed the blade against her neck. He then moved the blade down towards her bound hands and cut the ropes around her wrists.

The girl started to rub her abraded skin. The man handed her a bowl of soup. Sally only kept minimal attention, as he started to explain where she could goto the bathroom and how to light and turn off the gas lamps. Sally knew that apparently, she could not control the kidnapper but she had no problems having Ms. Wilson do anything she wanted her to do, or think the night before. Remembering what happened when she first entered Ms. Wilson's picture, Sally realized that although Ms. Wilson did not seem to be overly concerned by that fact that Sally was nearly naked, everybody else acted normally to the situation.

Maybe I can only affect a person that is contained in the picture. Looking over at the girl and her captor she concentrated. A moment later the girl nearly dropped her bowl when her body spasmed from a strong sneeze. The man just looked at her, nothing happening with him. OK. So I can still affect her, but not him.

Another idea came to Sally. She concentrated again for a moment and a baseball bat appeared in her hands. She then willed it to disappear, realizing if the man managed to take it from her he could be use against her. She then looked at her hands and watched as they disappeared from view. She could still feel the floor underneath her and when she tried to touch her face it still felt normal. Sally raised her hand till it was pressing against the underside of the bed feeling the springs holding the mattress in place. With just a thought the bed became immaterial to her touch.

Gambling and keeping ready to release the picture if necessary, Sally stood up passing right through the bed. She moved out of the shadows, but neither person reacted to her presence so Sally relaxed. It appeared that the man was getting ready to leave the girl alone. Sally observed as he gave her a few final instructions and left the building. Sally followed him outside, hoping to get some clues about who he was.

Once they were outside and clear of the building the man took off his mask. He pulled out a flashlight. Turning it on he shone it down the path, but Sally still could not make out his features except for a vague impression that he had a goatee. Sally followed along behind him, hoping he would lead her to a vehicle. The minutes passed slowly; she was starting to feel the cold of the night mountain air. Imagining a warm coat around herself, Sally could feel one form.

She continued following, but her hopes were dashed when she once again ran into that impenetrable barrier. She watched hopelessly as the man continued down the path, out of her sight. Sighing she turned around to go back to the shack again. It hit her again just how dark it was outside. Thinking for a moment, Sally created her own flashlight and headed back up the path.

She let herself become visible and solid again when she reached the shack. Sally realized that even though she could not see what was happening, she could still sense the girl inside. She let the flashlight disappear and opened the door.

The girl looked up at the sound of the opening door. Sally could see confusion cross her face when the girl saw her. Keeping her voice sounding like everything was perfectly normal, Sally held out her hand and said, "Hi, my name is Sally, Sally Turner."

The girl reached out and shook her hand looking bemused, "Jessie Mckiernan. Are you here to free me?"

"Sort of. I need to know where you were taken from. Where are your parents?"

"My parents are dead and my foster family were dicks so I took off. I have been living on the street, for the past three weeks."

"What city are you from? Do you remember what date you were taken on and about what time?"

"I'm from Newton. It was the 29^th. I remember seeing a news paper I don't have a watch but it was late afternoon. I don't understand why you can't just get me out of here. What difference does this all make?"

Sally did her best to try and explain what was happening. She used her abilities to make Jessie just accept what she was being told, to stop any arguments about this not being possible. "Look I need any information that you can give me, so that we can find the real world you. Did you see what the man looked like? What he was driving? Anything."

Jessie thought for a moment before she started to speak. "I was walking down an alley behind 100^th street. You know, where all the restaurants are. I was looking for some food. I hadn't eaten anything for a few days and I know sometimes there is some good stuff, thrown out in the dumpsters back there. I had just climbed out of one, when someone grabbed me from behind and put a cloth bag over my head. I tried to scream out, but I have no idea if anyone heard me. I know I didn't hear anyone else say anything. He tied up my hands and threw me over his shoulder. Next thing I knew, he was tossing me into the back of a van or SUV. He never said anything else to me and never took off the bag until we got here."

Jessie paused, she looked at Sally worry clear in her eyes. "It is good, that he is not letting me see his face right? Maybe, he will let me go. How did you find out about this?"

"He has sent a ransom demand for 2 million dollars to the city. He has also got the media involved. I think he is hoping that the city will give in, so that the media doesn't accuse them of being uncaring. You were probably just an easy target to grab. I need to go and tell my father all this."

Sally hugged Jessie to try and comfort her and was ashamed with herself, when she felt her breasts pressing against Jessie's and felt a tingle of excitement at the touch. She couldn't resist, giving Jessie a deep kiss before she pulled away.

"Don't worry. My dad is very good. We'll find you."

Sally then let go of the picture. She opened her eyes and saw her father and Jane watching. She saw her father sigh in relief, when he saw her eyes open. Feeling a sense of unreasonable guilt for worrying her father Sally told him and Jane everything that she had discovered.

"Still, this is a great help. You have given us lots to work with. Jane, could you take Sally back home? I will get the guys working on this and make a statement to the media."

"Sure, no problem."

"Dad, can I keep this picture? Maybe if something else comes up, I can help you from home, rather than having to come back here again."

Jane said, "I don't think that would be a problem, that picture is a copy anyway."

"OK," Frank agreed, "if you find anything else new, you will call me immediately."

"Yes dad."

Sally grabbed her coat and followed Jane outside. As her father suspected, there were reporters outside, but they were not paying any attention to a young girl leaving the station. The pair, simply walked to Jane's car and got in.

Jane quickly returned Sally home. She got out of the car and watched her father's partner drive away. Sally walked to the front door and found it locked. She used her key and walked inside. "Mom, are you here?" she called out.

Getting no response, she assumed her mother must have gone out somewhere. Sally took off her jacket and saw Jessie's picture sticking out of the pocket. She decided she would check up on Jessie and make sure she was still alright. Sally went up to her room, she laid down on her back on her bed and looked at the picture again. She realized that she found Jessie quite attractive, despite the dirt on her face and clothes.

Sally entered the picture and immediately let it accelerate to the present. Jessie was now awake. She was sitting at a small table in the room, looking out the window, while she munched on some cereal. Sally went outside again to see if there was anything that she missed the first time. Rather than heading down the main path, Sally decided to head off in a random direction and see what she could find. She found a break in the surrounding trees, at the back of the shack. Under the trees the ground was reasonably clear with only the occasional fallen tree breaking up the view, of pine needle covered ground, between many branches. The big pine trees were so interlaced above, that nothing could easily grow beneath them. While not exactly dark under the trees, there was a certain quiet dimness, that Sally found soothing. Picking her direction by going upwards, Sally started to move. She went as far as she could, before she ran into the invisible barrier again, without finding any other sign of habitation. Sally could still sense the direction Jessie was in and went back to her again.