Captive in Plain Sight

Opt || Sacrifice

(Above is a real picture of gum wall alley. The first door on the right is the Alibi Room.)

As Mila got off the bus and walked to Pike Place Market, she felt uneasy. This could be one of Alec's tricks. What made her go against her better judgment was the fact she desperately needed an ally. If the person who contacted her knew how Alec worked, it could be a vital step toward beating his twisted game.

Normally, she would never come to Pike Place Market on the weekend because it was inundated with tourists. It worked to her advantage today because they provided cover in case she was being watched.

It was a typical Saturday at the market, and seafood vendors threw around fish for entertainment, while tourists carried vibrantly-colored flower bouquets wrapped in brown paper.

The smell of salty sea water blew past her as she made her way down the cobblestone path below the market. She doubled back for a moment to see if anyone was following, but none of the busy tourists were paying her attention. Continuing into the dark curved street, she hit a wall of people trying to take pictures with the infamous gum wall.

Mila didn't know why it was such a thing, it seemed quite unsanitary. It was a brick alleyway where people stuck thousands of pieces of gum to the wall. It was kind of cool, she thought, and the bright colors did look good in pictures. Unless you knew where to find the alley, it could be easy to miss.

A teenage girl came up to her. "Could you possibly take a photo of us?" She pointed to her mom, dad and brother standing to the side.

"Sure," Mila took her phone. They all huddled together. "Ok. 1...2...3!" Mila said as she took the picture. She looked at the photo. "Let's do one more, just to be thorough." The mom gave her a thankful nod, and she took one more from a higher angel.

"Thanks!" The girl said taking back her cellphone, "These look great!"

The cute family of four was similar to hers, and reminded her of the sacrifice she would make by placing trust in the wrong person.

Mila made her way through the crowd a few times, until she felt self conscious about walking with no purpose. She had no idea who she was looking for.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around to see who it was, it was definitely a surprise.

It was Alec's expensive-looking ex-girlfriend. She looked ultra chic in nude designer heels, black skinny jeans, and a flowy cream top. Her outfit was accented with funky gold earrings and bracelets in eclectic designs. Mila could never hope to be as cool as her.

Before she could say anything, the girl motioned for her to follow. They made their way to a dark wooden door on the side of the alley, with a sign that read 'The Alibi Room.' How fitting, Mila thought.

When they entered, the delicious smell of garlic and warm, cheesy, pizza filled the room. She had been so upset all morning, eating was the last thing on her mind - until now.

The girl continued leading her to the back of the restaraunt, to a private room located behind a dark red curtain. Everything in the room was dark brown except for the natural light coming in from the window facing the Puget Sound. It made Mila feel like she was on a pirate ship, in the captain's quarters.