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off this ship with or without your help!”
    Summer practically falls over herself trying to get to Jaden before she wraps her tiny arms around her. Those words are the most beautiful thing she’s ever heard. Freedom is like one of the creatures she reads about—mythical. She wants to tell Landon that if it’s possible for them to be free, then it’s sure as hell possible there are faeries!
    “ Whoa there!” Jaden giggles. “I know it’s been bad—for all of us. But this is our chance to escape.”
    “ If Summer’s going, so am I,” declares Landon.
    “ Great! I’ve got an idea,” says Jaden. And with that, they begin to plan.

CHAPTER 6: HELL

     
    4 years old
     
    Jag is a jack of many trades: black market, smuggling, pirating, bootlegging, and—his favorite—the slave trade. He especially loves it when he finds the young ones because they are easily trained to do as you wish. To his disappointment, he won’t have the time he wants with the young girl he’s trapped in his human market. The people who want her, whoever they are, offered to pay for him to capture her specifically. He finds that very interesting and is only intrigued more by the little blonde girl who cries too much for his liking. When he had finally caught up with her and her mother, he was worried about the open space. With the help of his crew, the kidnapping went better than he would have predicted. He grins at the fond memory as he opens the door to the long hallway full of boys and girls for sale. It’s feeding time.
    A tray full of orange peels, an empty yogurt cup, and a moldy piece of bread is shoved through a slot in the door. Summer scoots away from it to sit in the corner and weep. When she was first shoved into the small room, she didn’t understand what was going on. A girl’s soft voice had informed her that she will never see her family again. Summer refuses to believe it.
    “ That’s your supper,” the voice informs her through the wall.
    The room is full of dirt and straw, like she’s some barn animal. Summer gathers the straw around her and squeaks, “That’s supper?”
    “ Yes. It doesn’t get better so eat.” The girl keeps quiet after that.
    Summer kicks the tray away from her in a tantrum. As the room grows dark she curls into a ball, shaking and crying. She doesn’t know where she is or why. But she does know one thing—she misses her mummy.
    “ Jezz’us!” a male voice growls out. “Keep your ruddy mouth shut.”
    She’s hiccupping now and rises to bang on the door. Fear and anger are beginning to rise up like a monstrous tidal wave in her. Her tiny fists slam over and over into the door. There is no knob on her side for her to turn. She screams and shouts, “Let me out! I want my mummy!” Her hands grow sore quickly so she resorts to kicking with all the strength she can muster.
    “ Bloody hell,” the same man barks, his voice closer now. “I hate new arrivals. Always causin’ us trouble.”
    “ You have to stop,” the girl’s quivering voice in the other room begs quietly. “They’ll punish you.”
    Summer ignores the threat. At home punishment means sitting out for five minutes in shame. Her mum never raised a hand to her. If sitting out for five minutes is all she’ll have to do she’ll take it, as long as they open the door.
    “ Let me out,” she screams at the top of her lungs, her throat sore from shouting, but refusing to give up. “Let. Me. Out!”
    “ It’s always the new ones,” mutters the man as the door flings open.
    Summer sprints under his arm and takes off down the hallway.
    “ Blimey,” the man grumbles in surprise.
    Summer turns down another hallway, constantly glances over her shoulder, and picks up speed. If she can get outside she’ll be okay. Her mummy taught her how to call the police in emergencies. If this isn’t an emergency , Summer thinks, I don’t know what is . Without warning, she slams into a body and comes to a dead halt. The tall, lanky man