Songbird

"Like I said" a grin plays across my face as I interrupt her" ...we're not finished yet."

I take the item tucked uncomfortably into my waistband and immediately drop to a crouched position. Pulling Alice's legs together at her feet. I take the wide roll of heavy duty kitchen film and start to wrap her boot covered ankles and lowering legs. I stretch the plastic wrap three to four times at round her before she even begins to react,

"What... what... are you?" She stammers attempting to move her legs finally. Fast realising she'll fall if she looses her balance, with her cuffed hands further impacting her stability. I wrap her upper thighs still encased in what remains of her torn tights and then wrap her waist and crotch. She complies she falls still as standing now I simply walk around her applying later after layer of taught plastic film. Her arms held to her back in the cuffs, her upper arms forced against her ribs as I encase her breasts and shoulders, obscuring the last of the scrawled insults that adorn her slender upper body. I look into her eyes.

"Jesus Christ," she utters, realising how fully immobilised she now is.

"Tight enough." I retort with a sardonic grin as I tear the film from the roll in my hand and stretch it over her left shoulder.

I watch her attempt to move as she tests the improvised but highly effective restraint. "I cant... I can't fucking..."

"Good" I cut across her again, stepping behind her and slipping my right arm around her waist over the unnatural feel of the plastic film. "Let's show you to your accommodation."

"Accomo... what... what accommodation?" She gasps as I wrap my left arm around her and lift her by the waist a little then drag her backwards through the bar on the heels of her boots.

"No... no ...fucking hell... what are you doing... what are you doing?"

Carrying her, opting to lift her light frame with ease I take her behind the bar and stand her before the gaping trap door and the cold dark cellar below. I leave her perilously close to the edge, reaching over I grab her mobile off the bar "Pin Code?"

"Please no ...please no..." she begs "what are you... why are you?"

"Pin Code," I near shout at her.

"Two... one... zero... four," Alice offers up remarkably easily as I type the digits into the phone. Pulling up her recent contacts I find call after call received from Simon M, who I presume to be her manager, the man with whom she'd been exchanging words with to her right, sat the other side of the bar barely two hours ago. Doubling back I check her sent messages and mentally note the tone of her message content, and how she ends such messages.

Entering his contact details I type out the simple SMS message. "This is all getting too much for me. Can't cope, Need my space, give me space to breath a little. I'm sorry. Ali"

Hitting send I power down the phone and fling it to the surface of the bar. My eyes meet hers once more seeing the utter confusion mixed with the fear of what literally was before her.

"Think of the publicity." I offer, watching her brow furrowed further with confusion.

"Pub...pub.."

"Yes Alice... the lead singer of the band who had it all before her... career about to explode ...the lifestyle ...all those fucking trappings that you desperately crave even if your pride won't admit it" I keep my voice calm as I reason with her.

"What better publicity than 'The Disappearing Singer' ...I can just see the fucking headlines now."

Stood there dishevelled, wrapped in the thick layers of plastic film she shakes her head, she trembles as she faces the gloom literally beneath her feet. As she brings her eyes to meet mine this time, I watch a dark grin creep across her face.

I have her.

Stepping forward I retrieve the 'Sharpie' from my back pocket. I pop the lid off and raise it to her face.

Alice doesnt flinch as i draw three black tears from the corner of her left eye down her left cheek.

**********

I tie of the last length of course thick rope around her ankles holding her bound upright to the thick square wooden pillar that supports the floor above her. Alice's whole hear and body now mummified in the thick layers of plastic kitchen wrap, in the dim light I can barely see her face before I'd wrapped her head and face now through the cling film I don't have a hope of seeing her. I check once more that there's sufficient gapping in the film under her nose to allow her to breath.

"I think I wrote Desperate on your chest..." I offer stepping back from her "...if I didn't then I should've done."

I turn and walk away, conscious of the heat her disappearance might bring. I'd ready my story. I'd be prepared.

"Hey there Nursery..." I state looking into the wide eyes of the little blonde that Steve has become rather fond of as she stands there tied to another pillar in the cellar, "...I brought you some company."

"This is Alice..." I raise an eyebrow, "...conversation might be difficult between the two of you."

The blonde flinches slightly as I reach out and clench her tape gagged jaw.

"Alice..." I call out Georgina here will keep you company."