I was staring out the window at the trees and cars that rushed past. While I did so I noticed my mom watching me from the corner of her eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked her, turning my eyes back to the window.

"I just don't think it is a good idea for you to go to the mall without me. I mean I know it's your birthday and you’re going to be with your friends but someone could kidnap you." My mother's eyes were still on the road but she kept looking over at me, as if she was making sure I was listening.

"I am sure that won't happen." I replied.

My mother sighed and turned on the turn signal, taking us to the right. "Yeah. But just be careful, Olive. Just in case."

"Mom!" I groaned. "Stop calling me Olive. I am 16 now."

Mom smiled and looked over at me, her light blue eyes focused on me. "I will never stop calling you that. My little Olive." she turned back to the road just as the mall was in sight.

"Well don't say that in front of my friends." I teased, even though I wasn't joking.

Mom pulled up in front of the mall, rolling the window down on my side so I could peer out. I looked out and spotted my friends sitting on a bench close together. I smiled at them and tried to get out of the car but the door was locked.

“Mom!” I said. “Can you open the door?”

“Say please?”

“Mommmmmm….” I groaned again. “Can you please open the door?”

"Yes." She kissed my forehead. "And have an awesome birthday."

"Okay." I replied. Mom unlocked the car door and I jumped out. "Love you." I whispered quietly and ran over to my friends. 

"Love you!" My mother exclaimed before she drove away.

Jessica and Tracy giggled while Jase smirked. I shook my head and blushed.

"Happy birthday, Liv!" Jessica rushed over to me and enveloped me into a hug.

I smiled and hugged Jessica back, and then released her from me.

"Happy birthday, Olivia~" I heard Tracy suddenly sing. Jase joined in along with her, even though his voice was terrible.

I laughed. "Thanks guys." I put a hand on my mouth but I couldn't stop laughing.

"Hey!" Jase protested, giving me a small push. "I am a fabulous singer."

"Yeah right." Jessica said. "Your singing voice sounds like a dying cat."

Everyone broke into laughter except for Jase, who stood there with his hands crossed, trying not to laugh.

"Welp. Anyway, what store should we go to first?" Tracy asked me, shushing Jase when he wanted to suggest a place to go to.

"Um..." I looked inside of the mall doors that opened themselves.

"Olivia?" Jase clapped his hands in front of my face. "Are you going to pick an option now or wait for Christmas?"

I shooed Jase's hands away. "Yes." I said, glaring at him. "Let's go to Boscovs."

Tracy and Jessica agreed but Jase didn't. He thought that Boscovs was a girl's place and he said he didn't want to be seen there with two girls.

"I just think that place has nothing to offer." Jase replied, sitting on a nearby bench. "I will wait out here until you girls come back. When you girls come back."

I smirked and said, "Suit yourself."

While Jase waited outside me, Tracy, and Jessica went right to the women's idol, where there were the cutest clothes and accessories ever seen. Tracy's and Jessica's parents had given their kids money while I had to use my own from my bank account.

"Oh my god I love this!" Jessica exclaimed, holding a small tan hat with flowers on it.

"Then buy it." Tracy snorted, looking through clothes and putting them against her own shirt to see how they looked on her.

"I don't know..." Jessica murmured. "Let me go try it on." She ran to the dressing rooms for a mirror.

I think that hat will fit really well with Jessica’s hair.

Silence had suddenly cut through the mall. There were  a lot of people at the mall today, especially, but it seemed as if something had frozen time. The only sounds were of small talking and shopping carts.

"What do you think of this shirt?" Tracy asked me, making me turn away from where Jessica disappeared.

 The shirt that Tracy held was white with the words Life is awesome, Join the ride on it.

I smiled, still distracted. "Yeah. It's great. You could get it if you want."

Tracy shook her head and put the shirt back on a shirt rack. "No. I want to get something more inspirational."

I snorted out a laugh. "When are you ever inspirational?"

Tracy turned around to glare at me. "I am so inspirational. I love quotes now." she went to another rack and started sifting through the clothes there.

Well okay then.

I shook my head, looking at some shirts as well. 

After everyone got what they wanted we went to GameStop, where Jase wanted to check out the video games. But I also wanted to check out new games because recently I have gotten into gaming. Of course I would never tell Tracy or Jessica.

"Ew." Tracy remarked. "What kinds of games do they have here? Any that's not boy games?"

"Yeah!" Jase said. "They have anime, shooting, and Marvel games. They have a bunch of  others too."

I smiled and walked over to a shelf with Pc games. I saw one of my favorite anime. I looked behind me at my friends. Jessica and Tracy were too busy making fun of all of the games that they saw, saying they were too cliche or boyish. Jase was trying to tell them the reasons why games were awesome. I quickly snatched the anime game off the shelf and walked over to the cash register and bought it.

I hid it from my friends by hiding it in my purse that my mother made me bring.

After GameStop we went over to Auntie Annes and got some pretzels and then sat at a table to eat them.

"Why did you buy Call of Duty?" Jessica was teasing Jase. "I mean what the heck is Call of Duty anyway?"

"It's a shooter game!" Jase exclaimed, making some people look over at us. He lowered his voice. "They are based on World Wars. Certain ones are anyway."

"Which one is yours?" Tracy asked.

"Mine is Call of Duty: Cold War. So it's based on World War 2 I think." Jase answered, getting the game out and reading it.

I nodded. Call of Duty was another set of games I played.

"Well it sounds stupid." Jessica replied, fixing her new tan and flowered hat on her head.

"No it's not!" Jase growled. "It's awesome." he turned to the three of us. "Maybe I can take you three to my house to play some COD."

"Yeah...What?" Jessica said, confused. "What does COD mean?" Her brow was knitted tightly.

"COD means Call of Duty." I answered, and immediately regretted it.

"How do you know about Call of Duty?" Tracy asked at the same time as Jessica said, "How do you know that?"

My cheeks flushed in embarrassment and at being in the center of attention. "Uh..." I mumbled. "I play Call of Duty. I am a gamer now."

"You do?!" Jase had his mouth open, exasperated. 

"Uh..." I felt my face flame up even more. "Yeah." My voice was barely a squeak.

"That's awesome! Me and you will be awesome at it." Jase said, smiling.

Tracy and Jessica however looked at me as if I had mental problems. Maybe I did.

"Why would you play Call of...whatever?" Jessica asked.

I sighed. "I...it's fun. I like targeting the bad people and killing them. Uh..." I turned away from the table, putting my hands to my face.

I heard Tracy then speak. "It's not a bad thing but I didn't think you would like such boy games." she answered.

When my cheeks had calmed down I turned back to the table to see Jase, Jessica, and Tracy staring at me. I fought to keep my cheeks from getting red again.

"Yeah." Jessica added. "I mean you don't seem the type."

Type? What does she mean by “You don’t seem the type”?

Jase swatted at Jessica. "Leave Olivia alone. She can be whoever she wants to be. She can like whatever she wants."

I grinned and gave Jase a grateful glance.

"Well whatever, let's go." Tracy said, getting up.

Then something happened. An alarm went off all around, making everyone put their hands to their ears. People started panicking and in a jumbled mess everyone went out of the mall doors. 

"What's going on?" I yelled over the noise. 

"I don't know!" Tracy answered.

As the alarm rang through the air, Jase, Jessica, and Tracy made for the doors. I was too slow because I had tripped over my chair when it had fallen and had to speed faster to make my way down the hall of the mall to make it close to my friends.

But I couldn't make it fast enough because I felt a sudden pull on my purse, making me stop. I turned around and saw a man in a black mask. 

I screamed and tried to pull away but he kept a firm grip on my purse.

My friends must've heard me because they rushed back down the hall. When they saw me with the man they all tried to help me. But the man kept pushing them away. None of them were strong enough.

"Olivia!" Tracy screamed, her face pale. "Let go of your purse!"

"I can't." I called out, sweat dripping down my brow and tears clouding in my eyes. "The money...my phone..." I panted.

My anime game.

I still didn’t have the guts to tell my friends I liked My Hero Academia.

"Who cares!" Jase shouted, one hand outstretched toward me. "We need you. We don't care for those things."

"I..." I let go of the purse finally and grabbed Jase's hand.

He started pulling me toward him but somehow I couldn't really move. The man in the black mask still had me in his clutches.

"You aren't going anywhere." The man said. “I need you.”

His voice was deep and familiar somehow.

"No!" I screamed. The man pulled me away from Jase and got out a long, thin dagger and held it to my neck.

All of my friends' faces' got paler.

"Stay still." Jase whispered, tears in his eyes. "Don't. Move."

I let out a sob. I couldn't help it. I could be dead in seconds. And the dagger hurt as it was pressed pretty close to my skin.

"Oh god. If we move toward her she will be dead. If we don't she is dead. Either way she is dead." Jessica whimpered, hugging Tracy tightly.

"No." Tracy soothed her. "She will be fine. We just have to wait for the right moment."

Jase said nothing. His eyes were locked with mine, and an emotion I couldn't identify was in them. He turned away with flushed cheeks.

"Come with me, Olivia." The man said.

Everyone froze. A silence creeped over the mall which was empty except for me, my friends, and the man.

How does this man know my name?

My blood ran cold at the answer.

"No." I said quietly. "I don't know you."

"Maybe so,” he replied." But I know you. Now come with me. Don't make it harder than it has to be."

"No!" I said louder. "I am not going with you."

"Fine." he said.

The man pressed the knife deeply in my neck, making me cry out in pain. I fell onto my knees, touching my neck. 

My friends gasped in horror.

I felt my vision starting to blur and laid down on the floor, gasping for breath. I felt as if I was going to pass out. I knew I was going to.

"We have to help her!" Jessica screeched. "We can't let her die in front of us!"

"But how?" Tracy whispered.

"I don't know." Jessica cried, putting her hands over her face.

Jase turned to them, tears and shadows streaking his face. "We have to fight the man." he said, turning back to glare wildly at the man.

"That's not possible. It's a death sentence." Tracy said, comforting Jessica.

While my friends were fighting I felt the man start dragging me across the ground. As he did this I saw a yellowish-white paper fall on the ground as he dragged me away. 

What’s it for?

I didn't say anything. I couldn't. I couldn't breath and my throat felt as if it had been sewn closed.

I felt my vision disappear.

The last thing I saw was my friends crying and screaming my name as I was dragged away. Then my breathing was ragged and my eyes closed. For what felt like the last time.