Tangled

She was alone.

In a dark, creepy, old, abandoned museum.

The storm rumbled breaking the heavy silence. Vanessa jumped and let out a shriek as she lost her balance and fell backward landing hard on the cold, dusty floor.

"Ow!" she cried out as a throbbing pain shot up through her hips and into her body.

How the hell did she get talked into coming in this creepy place she thought. Furthermore, who's idea was it that they split up and play hide and seek. Vanessa sighed as she immediately knew the answer.

Frank and Justine.

"Okay okay, the road was flooded I'll give them that," she muttered to herself as she got back to her feet. "And it was cold and raining and this place seemed a better shelter than Frank's beat up old van.

Vanessa dusted herself off and checked the small light brown leather bag that held her medicine inside. Unzipping it and quickly checking for anything broken inside, she breathed a sigh of relief when the bottles and syringes looked intact.

"Thank goodness. Last thing I need is to have an attack while I'm stuck here," she reminded herself. "Now where could Cooper and the others be hiding?"

"Cooper....Frank...Justine...Bradley....anybody?" she called out.

Her voice getting drowned out by the rumbling thunder and rain of the storm storm. She walked around the wax statues and glass exhibits that filled the room.

Thunder boomed from outside and the room seemed to shake. Vanessa braced herself on a wax statue of Genghis Khan.

Even though it looked dry, the surface of the statue felt cold and slimy to her hands. Vanessa's stomach crawled and she let go of the thing as soon as she felt steady enough.

"Eww" she said disgusted.

She wiped her hands on the front of her black tuxedo jacket that made up her magician costume. It was supposed to be a replica of what Zatanna, a magician super heroine from her favorite comics looked like. Unfortunately none of her friends had gotten the reference.

She and her friends were supposed to be at a costume party to celebrate Halloween. Unfortunately, the party as in the next state over.

None of them had the money for all of them to fly. The only alternative was a long, boring road trip in the back of Frank's old van.

Everything was going fine until Frank decided to go on a back road detour and get them lost. Even worse when a wicked thunderstorm came out of no where and rained out the roads.

They spent hours looking for shelter from the storm. Frank's van was not equipped with heat and the cold began to seep into the interior of the van making it ll the more uncomfortable. Especially since everyone had put on their costumes to wear that day.

Vanessa had thought that was the extent of their troubles but she would have been wrong.

Frank had brought along his new girlfriend, Justine.

She was none too pleased with the fact that she, like everyone else, was cold however unlike everyone else, she felt the cold, the storm and the whole trip was entirely Frank's fault and had no problems yelling and complaining how she deserved better in his ear.

To Frank's credit, he took it like a man and just kept driving while Justine kept complaining and accusing Frank of being totally incompetent.

Nothing but wheat fields, and open pastures for miles. Then the van stopped suddenly. Cooper looked out the small window on the side of the van.

Outside stood an old, rundown two story wax museum that had been condemned but had apparently not been deemed fit for demolition. Some of the windows were boarded up.

Graffiti the faded gray brick walls in various places. Tall weeds and grasses had overtaken the cracked pavement that had at one time served as a walkway to the front door.

Frank was the one that suggested they break in. Everyone else thought it a bad idea. But then the alternative was to stay out in the van all night and freeze or even worse be stuck listening to Justine's incessant bitching.

And no one wanted that.

As a group the five friends jumped out of the van and ran across the sprawling overgrown lawn through the cold, pounding rain to the front of the museum. By the time all of them had reached the grimy, glass double doors, they were all drenched head to toe.

Luckily the doors were unlocked.

Once inside, they took time to shake off and squeeze out as much of the cold and rain out of their clothes.

The grey sky lightened the the gloom of the lobby somewhat. They could see a little ways past the front desk that was long devoid of any greeter or tour supervisor.

It got considerably darker past the desk and into the actual museum. There were no lights visible of any kind which indicated that the power had long been turned off. with the heavy darkness inside and the storm outside, the place seemed very creepy and ominous.

This of course did not deter Frank who quickly decided they should split up and explore the museum for signs of a generator.

That was over an hour ago. Vanessa wrapped her arms around herself as she still felt cold in her outfit. She had on black shorts but they were very thin and offered no protection the cold rain.

Her hair was still dripping wet and she could not stop shaving even though inside the building was warmer.

Her white corset style shirt covered her mid section and most of her breasts though it did reveal more towards the top and left her feeling chills.

The short, black briefs and fishnet stockings did little to help either as they revealed her entire thigh all the way down to her knee where the tops of her wet leather boots started.

She felt chills run all over her body every step as she went room to room looking for her friends. She soon came to a set of double doors labeled Celebrity Exhibit.

Moving through the doors, she hoped to find a sign of someone she knew. Right as she took her first step into the room, Vanessa felt something sticky cling to her face. It took her a few moments to realize she'd walked into patch of cobwebs.

"Ecckk" she cried out, clawing and batting away the webs from her face.

Except for the occasional lightning flash, the whole place was pitch black. It was hard just trying to make out what was in front of her much less avoiding hazards.

Vanessa struggled a few more moments pulling the remnants of the webs out of her hair and from her face. She spit on the floor a few times thinking she'd gotten some in her mouth.

"I hate old museums!" she complained, "when I find you Frank I'm going to kill you!"

Her boots thudded against the musty, dust covered floor as she stumbled and felt her way through the room. She could see the shapes of statues in the darkness.

At least she hoped they were statues.Vanessa shuddered again as she stepped carefully around each exhibit. The only comfort she had was the feeling of her leather tote as it brushed against her side when she walked.

Lightning flashed through a set of windows set high up on the wall. From the sudden burst, she could see a small doorway at the other end of the room. Hurriedly, she dashed to the door way as quickly as she could.

Just as she passed the last wax statue, the side of her foot caught the edge of the bottom of the stand. Vanessa felt herself losing balance but couldn't halt her forward momentum and fell forward.

She managed together hands up to cushion the impact from her face. Her body landed with a hard thud. She lay there face down in the floor a moment, making sure she was alright.

Her legs were in a jumble, entwined with each other. Besides the initial ache of the fall she felt no pain or injury. Slowly she pushed herself off the floor to her knees to examine herself further.

Looking over herself, Vanessa found no bruises or scratches. She wiggled her feet and discovered to her relief she hadn't sprained an ankle. Getting to one knee, she reached down to grab the strap of her bag.

Her face turned from relief to horror as she lifted the bag and heard the distinct crackle and tinkle sound of broken glass.

"No....oh shit..shit..No..please don't be broken.."

Vanessa pleaded with the bag as she grabbed the zipper with trembling fingers and pulled it open and looked inside. All five of the glass syringes were broken somewhere and the small bottle that held her medicine was cracked.

The fluid had leaked out and absorbed into the bottom of the bag. Vanessa held the empty bottom of the little container woefully.

"no..no ..no No!" her whisper grew to a scream as she realized what had happened.

The bag must have went under her when she fell. She must have landed on it. She threw the now useless bag and its contents to the floor as she panicked.

Her mind whirled and spun as she tried to think of what to do. Her right hand hand to keep brushing her long brown hair out of her face as she shook.

What if she got sick while stuck here in this run down museum? She hugged herself tighter at the thought.

Vanessa cringed as she remembered the last time she had been without her medicine. She'd gotten very ill. Almost to the point she thought she was dying.

Ever since she was little she had had to take these injections or else she would get weak, and dizzy and the excruciating pain that came with the illness would rack her body. It felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside.

Doctors had told her parents it was something wrong in her body. Some sort of enzyme or chemical in her body was missing from her genetic make up they had said. It was some rare form of diabetes.

Of course the medicine had kept the illness at bay but now she had lost her only way of keeping the pain at bay. Now she was on her own.

Her only option was to find her friends and get the fuck out of here. Vanessa forced herself to calm down as she rose to her feet. She made herself breath slow breaths as she walked through the doorway and into a long, narrow hall.

She followed the path using her hand to feel along the walls in the darkness. The hallway took numerous turns. Lefts and rights. Her gut went cold and began knotting in on itself as she began to feel more and more lost

"Cooper...Frank...guys..where are you?" She called out frantically.

Her hand pressed to the wall as she went. she was beginning to lose hope entirely when she spotted a dim light up ahead. A soft yellowish light was bobbing slightly as it moved in front of her.

Vanessa sped up her pace, though was careful not to run in long boots for fear she might actually trip and break a leg this time.

"Coop is that you?" she asked when she got closer to light.

She could make out a person in the dim light. they were holding a candle. their back was turned to her and going further down the hall. She couldn't really tell who it was in the gloomy hall.

"Cooper?" she whispered.

She gently put a hand on the their shoulder. Who ever it was freaked out at her touch and jerked away and turned around sharply. For a brief second, Vanessa saw the familiar green face paint on the person's face.

It was Cooper. She recognized the paint form his Frankenstein costume. His eyes were wide and he was shaking in fright. She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around cooper's neck ecstatic that she'd found someone.

"Coop!" she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly.

Cooper was still shocked from the initial scare and dropped his candle tot he floor as an unknown person suddenly jumped at him out of the dark and grabbed him tight around the shoulders and neck.

He went tense with fear thinking he was being attacked. It took Cooper a few moments for the voice to register in his ears before he calmed down.

"V..Vanessa..y..you scared me.." his voice shaky as he was still trying to calm down.

His knees were clattering together as he stood there in the dark. The candle had gone out when he had dropped it. He smelled honey and vanilla perfume as Vanessa's body pressed to his.

Her cheek brushed against his face as she leaned in. He blushed and had to force his body to calm down this time from and impending erection. When he finally stopped shaking, he let his arms wrap around her in a gentle hug.

"I'm so glad I found you Coop," she said, her voice cracking like she was on the verge of tears. "I got lost and I don't have my medicine..I was afraid..."

Cooper hugged her tighter and let her head rest on his shoulder. He was happy for once in his life he was a short guy and that he and Vanessa were almost the same height.

It made tight hugs and cuddling that much more enjoyable. His hand caressed her back gently trying to comfort her then he gently broke the hug and took her hands in his.

"Well you did okay finding me. I know where Brad and Justine are. Though I was out looking for Frank when I got lost," he explained. "Come on I'll take you to Brad and Justine and then we can get the heck out of here."

"Sounds great to me Coop." Vanessa replied.

She kept one hand tightly in his as she followed him down the hall. He heard the smile in her voice and smiled back even though she probably couldn't see him in the dark.

"It's just a long ass hall really. They're in the next room." Cooper told her as they made the way along the corridor. Thunder could be heard distantly through the walls as they went.

They soon came upon another doorway. Light spilled out of the door and greeted Cooper and Vanessa warmly. She looked around wondering where all the light had come from.

Replicas of medieval torches that lined the walls were lit bathing the room in a warm, orange light. Brad was sitting at a small oak table that was covered in an old map that was supposed to be of Camelot.

His white wig had been soaked and hug loosely to the top of his head and his fake white mustache and goatee half hung from his face. The rain had melted away the adhesive he'd applied.

With his white jacket, white pants, and matching shoes he was supposed to be Mark Twain but the rain had gone and ruined it and now he just looked like a sad, soaked Colonel Sanders. The look on Brad's face as he looked up from the table to them told Vanessa he was aware of how he looked and was not thrilled one bit.

Brad smiled a little seeing Cooper and Vanessa though that smile soon turned to a scowl as he turned his head back and yelled over his shoulder.

"Coop found Vanessa Justine...She's okay!" Brad called.

"I told you he would you dumb ass." Justine answered back harshly. Brad shot her an angry stare.

Justine was always saying something mean to someone. The only reason they'd let her tag along was that she was Frank's girlfriend. Vanessa couldn't understand why Justine had to be so mean all the time.

She was pretty, and very tall. Her long, impossibly smooth and soft hair was the envy of many of the girls back at home. Not to mention Justine's nineteen inch legs that made men drool over her every day all day.

Honestly if her attitude had not scared everyone else away except for frank who was also an asshole, Justine could have had any man she wanted.

Vanessa stepped up to stand at Cooper's side. She decided before it got too heated between Brad and and Justine she had better ask what was on her mind.

"Where's Frank?"

Brad looked back to Vanessa. The sudden anger disappeared from his face and was replaced by confusion. He shrugged and his wig slid off the back of his head to the floor revealing his natural brown locks.

"Dammit!" Brad cursed.

Annoyed, he leaned back and grabbed the soaked wig, which looked more like a wet fur ball, and placed it back on his head rather sloppily.

Vanessa had to put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from giggling. Cooper turned his attention to her. He had a wide grin on his face too.

She could see the lousy Grey satin collar Coop had buttoned around his neck that had a fake die cast bolt on either side to give the appearance of the bolt coming out of his neck. His gray coat collar somewhat hid it, but if you looked close enough like Vanessa was now, you could easily see it.

Cooper shrugged then both turned their attention to the rest of the room as Justine walked around one of the four stone pillars that stood in the middle of the room.

Justine was dressed from head to toe in shining gold finery. Golden bracelets jangled from her wrists and ankles. A golden Egyptian style necklace inset with sparking fake gems covered most of her shoulders and her chest.

A turquoise dress, complete with a golden and bejeweled belt, covered her down to her waist which she had cut even shorter to reveal her long, slender legs.

Matching turquoise and gold earrings hung delicately from each ear. Egyptian style sandals covered her feet and partway up her ankles above the shin. A bright gold Egyptian head piece with a large ankh symbol in front rested on her pretty blond head.

Cooper was awestruck the second Justine stepped into view. His mouth was beginning to hang open and you could tell he was staring at her ample breasts and her long, curvy tanned legs. Vanessa and Brad were not impressed.

"Good thing we didn't decide to fly Justine would've never made it through the metal detector." Vanessa joked.

Justine's eyes narrowed to slits as she stared hard at Vanessa.

"At least I don't look like Houdini's hooker" Justine snapped back.

She turned and walked back around the pillar to the small table that Brad was sitting at and sat down in one of the other chairs.

"Oh, Can it Justine. You know she was just playing a harmless joke." Brad jumped in, seeing the hurt on Vanessa's face from Justine's remark

"You know if it wasn't for Frank insisting you go, we would've left your frigid bitch ass at home." Bradley pointedly reminded her.

Justine's eyes widened and her hand struck Brad's face with a loud crack. Her eyes were shooting Brad daggers while he was reeling from the blow. He shot back Justine an equally deadly look. There was a big red mark across his cheek.

"Calm down guys. We need to find Frank and get out of here." Cooper said.

He rushed over to the table and put his arms out between Justine and Brad trying to put a barrier between them to keep each form jumping at the other. Vanessa watched carefully. She doubted Cooper could hold back Justine or Brad but she didn't disagree with the notion.

A sudden wave of nausea rolled over Vanessa and made her bowl over and grip her stomach tight. She could feel her insides sloshing around then tightening and contracting inside. Her guts felt like they were throbbing. She groaned and tried to breath slow deep breathes to relieve the sickness.

Cooper and Brad must have heard her because she felt either of them standing right beside her, one hand of their on each of her shoulders.

"You alright?"Brad asked her.

He tried to get a look at Vanessa's face while she was bent over. Justine just rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her palm and turned away.Vanessa moaned as her stomach muscles clenched tightly.

"I..don't feel so good..." she answered through clenched teeth.

Brad looked down concerned for her, his hand stayed on her shoulder and she could feel him fingers rubbing her through her coat.

"Relax. Take a deep breath and relax Vanessa" Brad kept saying in a low tone while Cooper stood trying to think of what to do. Vanessa bit her lip to hold in a scream as she felt her guts twisting and moving. She felt herself getting warmer inside and out.

"Coop..Did you bring her medicine she doesn't look so good" Brad asked.

He put his other hand across her forehead to check for a fever then made a disapproving noise and shook his head.

"She's really warm. did you bring her medicine from the car Cooper?" Brad asked again.

"No..I didn't..She had it with her..I mean she brought it with her..I didn't see it on her in the hallway.." Cooper responded worried.

Justine sat with her back to them and rolled her eyes. "She's just doing that to scare you. She's fine"