Read The Spanish Kidnapping Disaster for Free Online Page B

one gold hoop out of my ear and then the other. Fighting back tears, I hurled them at Grace. "You're right," I said, "I don't want to be anything like you, not now, not ever!"
    Without looking at Amy or Phillip, I threw myself down
next to them and stared at the back of Grace's head. At that moment, I hated her with all my heart.
    Hearing a car engine start, I glanced out the window and saw the other man at the wheel of the Citroen. He was still wearing the stocking over his head. From where I sat, I could see a machine gun on the seat beside him.
    Then Grace turned the key in the Volkswagen's ignition. The bus jolted and jumped as she struggled to get it into gear. The Englishman said, "Can't you do any better than that?"
    She glared at him. "It is an old wreck," she said, "and difficult to start. You know that, Charles."
    In a few seconds, the bus sputtered and moved forward, more or less smoothly.
    Cautiously I stole a glance at Amy. Her face was ashy white and shiny with tears. "This is all your fault," she said. "I told you she was weird, but you wouldn't listen. I hope you're proud of yourself!"
    As Amy began sobbing, I leaned toward Grace. "You better take us back to Segovia," I told her. "My father's an important person and he'll send the Marines after you!"
    Charles turned around and squinted at me through his stocking mask. "The Marines can't help you now," he said. "So, if you want to see your parents again, I suggest you behave yourself."
    "Yes," Grace said. "You must please be quiet and cooperate. This is not a game."
    Beside me, Phillip snuffled and sniffed, and Amy squeezed my arm. "Can't you see you're just making things worse?" she sobbed.
    Turning my head away, I said nothing. The bus bounced on, lurching and swaying, climbing slowly uphill, its gears grinding and slipping. Speechless with disillusion, I stared out the dirty window. We were driving deeper into the mountains, not back toward the road.
    Glancing at my watch, I saw it was almost seven o'clock. The sun had dropped behind the mountains, and as the sky darkened, a few stars appeared. Mom and Don were probably still drinking wine in a little cafe, enjoying our absence. I wondered how long it would be before they remembered they were supposed to meet us in the parking lot. If they called the police right away, maybe they would find us before anything really horrible happened.
    ***
    After at least an hour of creeping up a steep winding road in first gear, the Volkswagen stopped. Charles got out and came round to the side. Opening the door, he gestured at us. "Come along," he said.
    Shivering, I followed Amy and Phillip into the darkness. The night air was cold, and the mountains were a black mass against the starry sky. There wasn't a sign of a house or a town, not a light, not a sound. All around us were rocks. Had they brought us here to kill us?
    "This way now, please," Grace said, touching my shoulder lightly.
    I hesitated, and Charles nudged me forward with his gun. "Go," he said, as the lights of the Citroen swept over us.
    "Into the cave," Grace added.
    Amy whispered when she saw the small, dark opening in the rocky hillside, but she dropped to her knees obediently and crawled into it. Phillip followed her.
    "You," Charles said to me. "After your brother."
    "He's not my brother," I said, but I did as I was told.
    After creeping on my hands and knees for several yards, I found myself in a large cavern, dimly lit by a fire burning on a hearth. An old woman dressed in black was stirring something in a pot. She glanced at us, but her face was expressionless. In the flickering light, she looked like a witch.
    "Sit down over there," Grace said, brandishing a flashlight. "Against the wall."
    "You're making a big mistake," Amy sobbed. "We aren't rich. Felix was lying."
    "All Americans are rich, compared to the rest of the world," Charles said. "If your parents can't pay, your government will."
    Turning away from us, he said something in Spanish to the