Leetzia was absolutely certain she’d left her door closed, but, maybe, just maybe, she’d forgotten to lock it…and it was open now. Her first impulse was to walk away; yeah for instincts she was to think later, but she was curious--- and worried. Someone could be in there doing terrible things to her beloved Bug---if they damaged the hard drive---next, she thought of her Fender, for some reason banging into a wall, the strings' dischordant shock. She sighed, and then her wondering was over. There were suddenly two men beside her, special security ops she guessed by their looks, and she knew what this was about. Somehow she had never imagined this could happen to her; in fact, the thought of it really happening anywhere she knew seemed ludicrous, melodramatic, and yet, she was well aware that these two dark shadows at her shoulders were not going to disappear. They were standing far too close, in stances that let her know, there was no hope in trying to run. Oddly, she couldn’t quite focus on their faces, couldn’t help the quick glance around her, noticing for the first time the two strange vans parked on her street, wishing that one of her neighbours would appear right now, on their way to work early or going out to walk their dog, because then at least someone would see her, someone would know, she wouldn’t just disappear… There was no longer a message cached for Uncle Jack or her Mom; there would be no sign, nothing to show she hadn’t just walked away, although sooner or later they would look; they would miss her and start searching…

Her heart was beating much too fast, her mouth and tongue were dry; she could hardly hear what the op on her left was saying to her. But she heard her self answering anyway, “Yes, I am Lateisha Marley O’Donahue, and I live here. Why? What is going on; I mean, is there a problem? Maybe you can explain why the door to my house is open?” She felt angry, and with a sudden flash of coming back to herself, she looked him in the eyes. She saw the subcutaneous look of someone who had locked his jaw against anything inside; a mask against himself that had now been turned on her with opaque blue eyes and a scarred nose. They both closed their gloved hands onto her arms; never had she noticed so keenly the strangeness of someone else’s touch. She didn’t have to think about it---at once from deep inside her, louder than any sound she had imagined she could make, she screamed. But it was too late; they were ready for that. The cloth one of them thrust on her face made her gag, suddenly nauseous, and gasp for air.