<span style="font-family:Risque">She truly had been heading in the right direction that time and anyone who knew her would’ve been able to confirm it. Adelaide hadn’t been on a path that would’ve gotten her lost and she hadn’t been on a path that was unfamiliar to her. Actually, if she’d been thinking about it, she would’ve realized that she’d walked the path a thousand times. Well, not literally one thousand times, but more often than most people walked any path at all for sure. That was because it just so happened that the cop had bumped into her near her favorite coffee shop; it was where she went whenever she was actually assigned an article to write. They didn’t trust her with her own article often, but it happened from time to time. <br/>
<br/>
Even if she had realized that she knew where she was, though, it probably wouldn’t have been enough to save her from what happened. Even sure footsteps wouldn’t have scared away the traffickers who were bound to grab her. In fact, a confident woman was probably worth more than one who was so easily petrified anyway, so it might have even made things worse. <br/>
<br/>
There was no way of knowing for sure. <br/>
<br/>
All that Adelaide could know for sure was that as her senses came back to her, she was naked, nearly blinded by the brightness of the light that shined down on her, and there was noise as well. It wasn’t just any noise, either. First came an announcement that made it clear to her - if she’d had any doubt the first time - that she was on sale and that she’d been kidnapped. The second sound was the sound of men - and women, she thought - who sounded like they were just on the other side of whatever this cage happened to be. Of course, Adelaide couldn’t see them, but as a reporter, she’d learned long ago to use all of her senses. <br/>
<br/>
Her first movements were, of course, completely frantic and disorganized. She pulled at her hands and realized the pain of the zip ties that held her wrists was too much to deal with so she gave up on that quite quickly. Adelaide’s second action, though, was far more interesting to watch. She dropped to the ground and squished herself real small. Then her feet kicked forward, attempting to break the cage although she doubted it would be possible. <br/>
<br/>
It didn’t actually work, but Adelaide had to try. <br/>
<br/>
“Y’all are a bunch o’ bastards, you know that!?” she yelled out. Her vocabulary certainly didn’t match with the description of a “beautiful French maiden” on any level at all.</span>