Where It All Began

Five

It is getting harder to sleep. At first it was easy, but the longer I am without them, the more I realize they are actually gone. In the beginning, I had still held out hope that all this was just some terrible nightmare, that it would all be over in the morning. The longer they are gone, the more I realize exactly how real it all is. I hate living without them. My mother and sister were all I had and now I have no one. I cannot trust anybody, not even Charlie. Not yet. I cannot let anyone close to me either, not until he is gone.

Saturdays are my favorite day of the week. It is the only day I can sit back and relax all I want. I usually go grocery shopping and clean and sometimes I like to sit at home and read all day. I enjoy being by myself, because I can think about the ones I lost without having to worry about anyone seeing me cry. If people see me cry, they would know I am an orphan and the only two people who have ever really cared about me are gone, it would make it easier for them to find me again. I sit alone, in my small apartment, and cry until I have no more tears left, and then I leave and try to make myself feel better, even though I know the only people who could ever make me feel better about anything are now dead.

Today was supposed to be a special day, at least for me. Today is the day I turn eighteen. I have no one to celebrate my birthday anymore. My mother and Harper had made plans two years in advance for this day. We were going to spend the whole day together. Harper was going to tell me more stories of the places she learned about while she dressed me up for the ball and my mother was going to give me her necklace at the special ceremony. In my country, on the eighteenth birthday of the youngest daughter of the royal family, the queen gives her daughter the one thing she cannot live without and, for my mother, that was her amethyst necklace. She would always tell me how beautiful it would look to me. Since I cannot do exactly what my family had planned for me, I will have to find something similar to do for my eighteenth birthday, for them.

I heard people in the modern world like to go to clubs and parties for celebrations like birthdays. I have never been to the kind of party modern people like to go to. Maybe going to one would be a good idea for my birthday. Maybe a little fun with strangers might make me feel a little better about myself. I am pretty sure though, most places in this country require you to be a certain age, but I am pretty convinced, so I might be able to get myself into somewhere nice and fun.

I want to wear something jaw dropping. Something that will catch everyone's eye and make everyone look at me. I know it sounds like a bad idea since he could find me if people knew where I was, but I need this. I need to get my mind off my family for a little while. I need to have fun. I need to have fun with complete strangers and get drunk enough to forget for a while. I really only have one dress that I could wear to a club and it is somehow exactly what I need. The dress was a tight black dress with long sleeves and a plunging neck line, it stopped just above the knee.

After I took a very long and much needed shower, I put on the dress, with a little struggling. I straightened my shiny deep brown hair. I applied some mascara on my long eyelashes and put some pink lip gloss on my lips. I put my black open toe lace up stilettos on my feet. I stood on my bed and looked at myself in my full-length mirror. With this dress on, you could really see all the curves of my body. I looked hot, but something was still missing. I needed something around my neck and in my ears. I found my mother's diamond necklace and matching diamond earrings and put them on. They are not my mother's amethyst necklace, but they will. I looked at myself again and looked complete. I was ready to go to a club for the first time in my short life.

The club was the farthest away from my apartment I have been since I got to New York. It was halfway across the city, so if anything happened, I would not be able to get home as quickly as I would like, but, from what I have read, it is the best place in the city to have the kind of fun I am looking for. I could see a very long line of people all waiting to get in. Most probably will not, but I will. I did not want to wait in the line, so I walked right up to the bouncer.

"Excuse me miss, you have to wait in line, just like everyone else." The bouncer was a very large man with a bald head. He looked like the kind of guy we would have guarded the castle, but smaller.

"You can't make an exception?" I asked with a tone of false sadness. If I made him feel sorry for me, it would be easier to convince him to let me in.

"Nope. Get in line," the bouncer was stubborn, but, just like anybody else, I can c***k him.

"Please?" I asked. I made him think I was desperate. It is a good way to make people pity you and give you what you want.

"I really shouldn't," this was going to be easier than I thought.

"But you can," I said, luring out his desire to help me get what I wanted.

"Fine," he gave in surprisingly quickly. He was easier than most to convince. "But you can't tell anyone that I let you in."

"I won't tell if you won't," he let me in and I gave him a big smile. "Thank you."

The place was stunning. It had a glass ceiling, so you could see the night sky, if the air was not so polluted. The rest of the place was hard to see since it was packed to the brim with people dancing, some drunk, some high off on whatever drug they could find. It was absolutely perfect. If I ever find out who owns this place, I will have to make sure to tell them how amazing this place is. I do not think I will ever want to leave this place.

The bar was the first thing I went to. I have never had alcohol and I know nothing about it, so I asked the bartender to give me what she thought I would like best. She gave me something she called bourbon. It looked like honey, but not as thick. I took a sip and it burned my throat, yet I enjoyed it. I downed the rest in one gulp. The bartender gave me another and I drank it. She kept giving me drinks and I kept drinking them. After a few, I found it difficult to think straight and all I wanted to do was dance, so I did.

I felt free. I felt happy. I had no worries. I found myself dancing with some random guy. I do not know his name and I do not care. I enjoy being carefree. Something was off though. I did not feel safe. In fact, I felt the exact opposite. The feeling I had was the same feeling I got when I knew someone untrustworthy was watching me. It was ruining my happiness. I looked around to see if I could see anyone staring at me and I did. I did not recognize him. He had on a black leather jacket and faded blue jeans. He looked out of place, especially in a place like this.

The man looked away when he realized I had noticed him. He almost looked scared, like someone was threatening him and he was being forced to do something he did not want to do. I would not have recognized the look he had on his face if I had never seen it before. I need to talk to him. Maybe I could convince him to tell me who is behind his fear. Maybe I could help him.

"Excuse me," I said, quickly making my way to him. He started to turn and run. "No please. I noticed you watching me and I know you aren't here willingly. Please talk to me."

"I can't. He'll hurt me," he looked even more scared up close.

"Who? Is it him? Has he found me? Did you tell him where I am?" I asked him and I could tell he knew exactly who I was talking about and that scared me more than anything. If he knew where I was, I might not be alive this time tomorrow.

"I didn't tell him where you are, he has no idea, but if I don't bring you to him, he will kill me," he admitted to me, though I could tell he did not want to. I felt slightly relieved, there was hope.

"How long do you have?" I know him. He always gives a time limit.

"I have until midnight," he answered.

"I can't go with you," I told him and his terrified face looked even more terrified than before, if that is even possible. "But I'm sure I can find another way to help you."

"Please do," the man begged as I began to think of all the possible ways to get him out of this situation.

"Athena? Is that you? What are you doing here?" I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Thomas? It's my birthday. What are you doing here?" I asked, turning to face him.

"I own this place. It's your birthday?"

"You own this place? That's good, that means you probably have a lot of money and you can help him," I turned to the man. "Sorry, I never asked for your name."

"My name is Jack," the man told me.

"Wait, wait, wait. You didn't even know this man's name and you want me to help him? What is going on, Athena?" Thomas asked. He started to yell. He was getting angry, I could tell. He is not very good at hiding his emotions.

"Please Thomas. I know we hardly know each other and I can't give you all the answers, but please, there is a very bad man after him, please help him. I will owe you so much more than I already do," I did not tell him the man was really after me and if he did not get me, Jack would die.

"Fine, I'll help, but you have to do something for me," Thomas told me.

"I'll do anything you want me to if you take him somewhere safe and far away from here," I told Thomas.

Thomas looked at me, then looked at Jack. "Okay, this guy Jack can go with Kaden. Kaden will take him to a safe house. Only Kaden and I know the location. You," he pointed to me. "Tell me who let you, an underage girl, into my club."

"Okay, first of all, I am a woman, not a girl, and second, I promised I would not tell anyone."

"Tell me, or Jack gets no protection," Thomas threatened.

"Can't you just check the cameras?"

"I want you to tell me."

I looked at Jack and saw how scared he looked. "What will happen to the person who let me in," I asked.

"Depends on who it is."

"I don't know his name, but he was the bouncer when I came in," I told him. I felt horrible, but he has to understand, being fired is nothing compared to having the most evil man on the planet torture you until your insides are outside of your body.

"Kaden!" Kaden came rushing over like a dog would after being called by his owner. "Take this man to the safe house and tell Jimmy he's fired." Kaden took Jack and left the club.

"Now come with me, I'm taking you home," Thomas told me.

"No, I'm good, I can walk," I said to Thomas.

"You live halfway across the city." I do not know how he knows that. I know I did not tell him. "And besides, I didn't mean your home. If this guy that is after Jack knows about you, he probably knows where you live."

"And why would your house be any safer than my apartment?" I questioned. "Why should I go with you?"

"Because my house is a literal fortress, it is the safest place in the city. You would be safer there," Thomas seemed like he was telling the truth, but I needed to be sure.

"I hardly know you. How do I know I can trust you?"

"You probably shouldn't trust me, but I know it's better than being on your own," Thomas said. I know he is right. The man that is after me doesn't know where I am, but if Jack could find me, that means he could.

"No. I thank you for your offer, but you have already done so much for me."

"It wasn't an offer."

"I'm still not going with you."

Thomas ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh. "Fine, but I'm at least taking you to your apartment."

"Fine, lets go then."