by J. P.
“Darling, I’m sure Olivia was just trying to be funny.” The woman gives Olivia a beautiful smile, but Olivia rolls her eyes.
“Anyway,” Ethan turns away from Olivia and turns back to me. “Did you know it was our prisoner’s birthday today?”
I feel myself flinch. Today’s my birthday? I guess that makes sense. I was kidnapped by Emma and Sarah, and a few days went by, and then I’ve been locked up in here for a few days…
“To celebrate, I thought I’d get her a present.” Ethan’s smile widens as he turns around and faces the mass of people.
It’s then that I feel someone walk up next to me. I glance over, and Luke is at my side, watching his father. I look back to Ethan, and his smile gets even bigger as his eyes lock onto something.
“Happy Birthday, Nina,” Ethan says as he motions to the girl walking out of the crowd. “I understand that you two know each other. I have decided that I will make her your new guard. Effective immediately.”
No. No way. My dad is supposed to have her. What is she doing here?
“So nice to see you again, Nina,” Sarah purrs. “We’re going to be having so much fun together.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Olivia frown while Luke stands as still as a statue.
“It’s a little late for our prisoner. Sarah, why don’t you take her to her room?” Ethan suggests.
“I’ll show you where it is,” Luke says as he steps forward.
“How noble of you.” Sarah rolls her eyes.
“Isn’t this exciting, Luke?” Ethan’s eyes shine as he speaks. “Now you’ll be able to spend more time assisting me in meetings.”
“This was a great idea, Dad.”
Somewhere deep down, I can tell he’s faking it.
He gives Ethan a smile before he turns back to Sarah. “Are you going to get the prisoner or not?”
“You’ve certainly gotten feistier,” Sarah says with a scoff before she walks around the chair and unties me.
“Call me bitter, but you almost killed me,” Luke snaps back.
“Sounds like a riveting story. I must hear it sometime,” Ethan says as he looks between the two of them. “For now, though, I must entertain my guests and celebrate the return of my wife and daughter.” Ethan looks lovingly at the woman on his arm and the small blonde girl, weaving through the crowd.
“That is nothing compared to what you’ve done,” Sarah argues. She roughly pulls me up by the arm and starts dragging me with her to the exit, Luke at our heels. “You cheated on me!” Sarah whines as we make our way into the hall.
“How do you figure that?” Luke asks as he rolls his eyes and shuts the door behind himself.
“When you left for the mission, you were madly in love with me, and then when I go to check up on you, I find that you’re all over this…this half-breed.” Sarah gestures to me.
“Sarah, we started dating when we were fifteen. We both knew that the relationship wasn’t going anywhere. And I never cheated,” Luke argues back.
“You kissed her!”
“It wasn’t real. I was instructed to gain her trust.”
“Right, Luke. That’s totally a real thing.” Sarah lets out a deep breath as we begin to climb the stairs. “It doesn’t really matter now. My dream has finally come true. I have poor little Nina all to myself. Is the room soundproof?”
“You are not allowed to harm the prisoner. Ethan’s orders,” Luke says, emotionless.
“Really? He didn’t say that to me.” She raises her eyebrows up and down at him.
We turn the corner, and Luke unlocks the door to the room.
“Wow, looks like we’re treating our prisoners better than I remember,” Sarah says as she looks around the room. “You know,” she begins as she turns back to face him. “I heard Remi has been all over you.”
“So?” Luke asks.
She lets out a frustrated breath. “You’re so stupid! You ruined everything.” She looks like she’s going to punch him, but instead, she spins around on her heel and marches into her room, slamming her door behind her.
Luke stares at the floor as I wait for him to say something. “Good luck with her,” he finally says with a blank expression on his face as he turns and exits the room.
I look around, unsure of what to do next. I head for my bedroom and sit on top of the bed. I glance over at the guard’s door again and frown.
I can’t believe this. I can’t believe Sarah is my new guard. Why does this always happen? Why can I never seem to catch a break?
Just as I’m about to throw myself a pity party, the guard door opens, and Sarah steps out.
“Bet you didn’t think I would be here, did you?” She smirks at me as she makes her way across the room. She sits on the uncomfortable-looking couch and crosses one leg over the other as she spreads her arms along the back. “You can always run, but I will always find you.” She glances down and frowns before her eyes find mine again. “And I will bring you back, unless Luke, the prodigal son, decides to return.” She rolls her eyes before she sits forward suddenly. “I don’t believe him. I know he has feelings for you. I’m not sure why he brought you here, but I will find out.”
It would be comforting knowing someone else thinks Luke is faking, if only it wasn’t coming from Sarah.
Sarah stands and struts over to me. “And I will get him back.” She sits next to me, a little too close for comfort. “Have you seen Remi?”
“Yes,” I say with a nod.
“And? What do you think?” She leans in as if I’m about to tell her a secret.
“What do I think about what?” I ask, confused.
“About Remi, dumbass.”
I furrow my brow. “What?”
“Are you stupid? What do you think about Remi?” A whine echoes in her voice as she pouts.
“Oh, um, she’s…” What the hell am I supposed to say? “Threatening?”
Sarah rolls her eyes. “Please, she’s completely clueless. It’s so low that she would go for Luke the second she hears that he’s available. Apparently, our breakup was the talk of the town.”
I nod, not sure why she’s telling me all this.
“After the warehouse, he just disappeared, and I knew that he was with you. I knew it. I told Ethan that I would bring you back. I was sure then when I found you, I would find Luke. But I couldn’t turn in my own boyfriend, or worse, be known as the girl with the traitor boyfriend, so I made sure everyone knew I broke up with him.” She gives me an arrogant smile as she throws her curls over her shoulder. “And now look at me. Back and better than ever.”
I stare at her in silence, still confused. I’m hoping if I lay low, she’ll just leave me alone.
“Go ahead. Ask me what my next move is,” she says as she waits for me to say something.
When I hesitate, she rolls her eyes.
“Obviously, I’m going to try to get that no good, asshole back. Just so that Remi can’t have him.” She looks down at her hair before she rushes over to my vanity mirror. “I should probably try to find him now. Maybe he’ll be with that skank, and I can steal him away.” She laughs to herself as she heads for the door. “Don’t have too much fun without me,” she says with a snort before she slams the door behind her.
10
I change into pajamas, slip my necklace on, climb into my bed, and stare at the ceiling. This is the strangest day ever. Between finding my necklace in Luke’s possession, Olivia training me, witnessing her fight with Luke, and Sarah’s return, I’m exhausted.
I feel my eyes flutter shut when my door bursts open. I sit up, and my eyes bug out of my head when I see Luke making his way over to me.
“I heard Sarah left you unattended the first chance she could. I told my father that she’s not fit to be your guard,” he rolls his eyes.
“She was looking for you,” I tell him.
“I know.” He sits down on the edge of my bed as if we’re friends.
I glance down at the necklace around my neck, and
I nod to myself. I’m over this. It’s time to get Luke to come clean.
“What do you do when two hot chicks are after you?” he asks with an asshole smile on his face. His eyes travel from my face to my neck when his eyes pop out of his head. “Where did you get that?” he asks as he stands up and points to me.
I look down as if I have no idea what he’s talking about. “What?”
“The necklace,” he growls. “Where did you get it?” He says each word like its own sentence.
I shrug as I feel a smirk spread onto my face. “I found it.”
Luke’s furrowed brow relaxes, and he tips his head back and laughs. “I admire your sneakiness, but you stole something of mine, and I’d like it back.” He holds his hand out.
“Something of yours?” I choke out as I grab the chain around my neck. “This is mine.”
“How can you be so sure?” he asks as he crosses his arms over his chest and raises a brow.
“I know my necklace.” I push the covers off of myself and stand. “Why did you have it?”
Luke shrugs. “Souvenir.”
“Then why is it hidden? Wouldn’t you want everyone to see it?”
He shrugs again. “I’m not the bragging type.”
I tip my head back and laugh. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day.”
“Why are you so happy?” he asks with a scowl. “Your hot, hysterical guard just got replaced by an evil bitch.”
I shrug with one shoulder.
“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes. “Necklace.” He holds his hand out.
“No.”
“Nina—”
“It’s my necklace.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?” he asks.
“Because this means something.” I grab at the necklace around my neck. “You’re acting. I can tell. I know you, the real you. Just drop the act already.”
He rolls his eyes. “We’ve been over this already. I tricked you. Get over it.” His eyes are intense, but his tone isn’t as strong as it usually is.
“No.” I take a step closer to him. “I refuse to give up on you.”
“Why?”
“Because you would never give up on me.”
Luke’s face stays emotionless, but his eyes give him away. He’s torn. He reaches out and takes the chain of my necklace. He tugs on it, bringing me closer to him. My breath catches in my throat as he lowers his face so that our lips are centimeters apart.
“Give up on me,” he whispers before he gives the chain an extra tug, causing it to break from around my neck. He rushes away from me to the door.
“Wait, Luke, just tell me what’s going on. We can do this together.”
He doesn’t respond as he goes to slam the door shut.
“Luke!”
The door shuts, and I’m alone again.
Something is happening. I knew it wasn’t real. Why is he acting, and why won’t he tell me? I start to come up with different theories as I pace around the room when the door opens again.
“Nina!” Sarah shrieks. “You’ll never believe what just happened.” She grabs my arm and pulls me over to the couch.
I want to pull my arm away and tell her to leave me alone, but I doubt that will go over well.
“So, I found Luke and Remi. He said he was hungry so I suggested Luke and I go to the woods, you know, for some alone time, and that bitch had to come too, and then I was in the woods with Remi and Luke, and I turn around, and they’re gone! They full-on ditched me! I tried to find them, and I just found stupid Remi wandering the woods. She tried telling me that Luke ditched her too, but I doubt that. She was definitely just trying to cover her tracks.”
I stare at her, confused, and I can’t hold my tongue anymore. “Are we friends now or something?”
She laughs. “No. Definitely not. But, to be honest with you, you’re the only one around here that I trust. You wouldn’t speak to anyone here, and no one would speak to you or believe what you have to say. You’re the perfect therapist, as far as I’m concerned.”
I’m not sure what she said makes sense, but it’s definitely better than her torturing me.
“You know what would get Luke’s attention?” she asks me.
“What?”
“If I rough you up a little. Sure, he’ll be livid that I went against orders, but at least it’s something.”
My heart skips a beat. “What if you do something better than that?” I blurt out.
“Like what?” she asks, her eyes wide.
“What if you get with somebody else to make him jealous?”
“Interesting. I just don’t know who I should even go for. Everyone here is pathetic.”
“What about Will?” I suggest. This way, I can find out more about him through Sarah.
“Who’s Will?” she asks.
“He’s the guy who joined recently. I heard Luke saying that he doesn’t like him.”
Sarah grins. “Then he’s perfect. Okay, I will start learning everything I can about him tomorrow while you’re in school.”
“School?” I ask, my brows knitting together.
“Yeah, all kids get tutored here. Ethan ordered me to escort you.”
“Why would he want me to go to school?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Just shut up and do as your told.” Sarah rolls her eyes. “I’m going to bed. I’ve had enough of your whining.” She gets up and marches to her room before she shuts the door.
I sigh in relief that our conversation is over and make my way over to my bed. As I try to fall asleep, all I can think about is Luke. The theories I had before are now popping back into my head. He’s protecting me. This is all an act. Why won’t he let me in?
11
The next morning, I wake up with the sun shining through the windows. I roll over and jump when I find Sarah sitting on the edge of my bed.
“Good morning.” She gives me an extra-wide smile as she twists her hair with her fingers.
I ignore her as I stand up and head for the bathroom.
“I have to bring you down to school in five minutes. You don’t want to be late.”
I can tell she’s trying to bait me into having a conversation with her, but I’m not really in the mood. I brush my teeth, change into a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, and slip on the same black boots I wore yesterday.
I make my way back out to the waiting area and find Sarah sitting on the couch.
“Nervous about your first day at school?” she asks me.
I shake my head as I follow her out of the room, even though I am pretty nervous. I have no idea how this is going to go.
“I would be nervous if I were you,” she says with a laugh.
“Don’t listen to her,” Olivia says as she walks over to us. She keeps in step as she stands on the other side of me. “She’s just trying to scare you.”
“Way to be a fun sucker, Olivia,” Sarah spits at her.
“Way to just suck, Sarah,” Olivia fires back.
“You’re so immature. Maybe because you’re sixteen!” Sarah says and shouts Olivia’s age. A few people walking past stop and look at Olivia.
Olivia turns bright red. “You’re a bitch.”
“And you’re a spoiled brat.”
Olivia glances at me and smirks. “At least my boyfriend didn’t break up with me for a half-breed.”
Sarah turns white as a ghost. “Take that back.” She takes a step towards Olivia.
Olivia’s eyes meet mine, and I beg her not to do this.
“What’s going on over here?” a male voice asks from down the hall. The three of us turn our heads and find Luke walking towards us with Remi on his arm.
“Hey guys,” Remi says, a little too enthusiastically.
“Sarah was just being her usual, peppy self.” Olivia rolls her eyes.
“Olivia, you’re going to be late to school,” Luke tells her with a frown. “Run along and bring the prisoner with you.” Luke refuses to meet my eyes.
�
�Run along?” Olivia asks him with a laugh.
“Just go,” he snaps.
Olivia takes my arm and leads me the rest of the way down the hall.
“If you can’t handle this responsibility, then I’ll let my father know, and we will find someone who can,” I hear Luke snap at Sarah.
Olivia hears it too and slows down.
“I can handle it,” Sarah snaps back.
“Prove it,” Luke challenges.
Olivia and I turn the corner, and Olivia peers back over her shoulder.
“He’s leaving with Remi on his arm. He’s ruthless.”
“Sarah seems different,” I tell her.
“How so?” Olivia asks as we make our way down the steps.
“Back in California, she was so…evil. She wouldn’t second guess hurting me. Now, she talks to me like we’re friends. It’s odd.”
“Let me tell you about Sarah. She’s crazy, and she’s obsessed with Luke. When she was trying to find you, she probably thought once she found you and brought you back here, Luke would fall in love with her or something.” Our eyes meet, and she sees the confusion in mine. “I know. I told you. She’s crazy.”
“But now it’s like she wants my advice all the time.”
“About Luke?”
“Yeah, I guess so…”
“She’s crazy, Nina. She probably thinks you know the spell for Luke’s heart,” Olivia says, dramatically.
“What do you mean?” I ask as I furrow my brow, but she ignores me.
“If I were you, I would keep it going. It’s better that she’s talking to you and not beating the shit out of you.”
“True,” I say with a sigh.
“Speaking of that, we need to train again soon. Don’t want you getting rusty,” Olivia says as she nudges me with her elbow. “Okay, this is the room.” She points to a wooden door on the right. She pushes it open to reveal about fifty desks in rows. A woman standing at the front of the room looks at us and smiles. She’s really beautiful and built like a model. There’s something in her expression, though, that’s sour.
“Good morning, Olivia.” She gives Olivia a smile, her white teeth look even whiter from the red lipstick on her lips. She walks over to us with her heels clicking against the old, tile floor. “And who’s this?”