Deadline Dared

One: Maria Torez

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20 years later

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"Yea, ok, mhmm.....ok yea...Listen Don i'll call you back ok? Yea, No, no, bye Don. bye" I hang up the call from my publicist, Donald, and shove my sleek Hanover Holophone in my bag as I park my metallic blue porshe on the familiar slate grey, cobblestone driveway.

I grab my leather briefcase from the back seat and make my way to the main entrance. As expected, propped up against the foot of the door, another black envelope with the all to familiar bold, crimson red letters that neatly spelled "Truth or Dare". I let out a heavy sigh. This has been going on for months now, almost a year, yet every time i see one of these envelopes my heart sinks. This started out as a set of random letters in your everyday standard white billing envelope.

'I know what you did.' the first one said.

'Your past, Ms. Tonyai' the one that followed freaked me out. No one knew my middle name as i had it removed when i turned 21. It was my grandmother's name form my mother's side. I never liked that woman, she treated me like I was absolute shit.

After that it was a few little tid bits here and there, until around the 10th one when they wanted to play a game. So that's what i've been doing for the past 9 months since the first black envelope arrived. When the first one came, i took it as bullshit and ignored it. Big mistake. The mysterious writer, who to this day I only know by 'X' said if i didn't follow along, without the knowledge of a third party, there would be consequences. I brushed it off and next thing i knew my youngest daughter, Emily, was kidnapped the next day. The envelopes stopped for a week after that, during that week i never slept. Certain that because of me some fucking sicko took her.

And I was right.

When i finally did get another envelope it was in a very snarky tone. Saying I had to complete one of these tasks as well as complete one from the first black envelope I received. Then on the next day he would direct me to where my daughter was. So I did as I was instructed, and sure enough the next day, I had my baby girl in my arms.

After that, I had done as instructed and choose between, then did as the one I chose instructed. Day after day, week after week, month after month. It was sick and tiring.

I reached down and grabbed the envelope, tucking it into my suit jacket pocket and letting myself into my elaborate, 3 story beachside mansion. I hate nag my case by the strap on the coat rack and make my way up the stairs to my room. Mordecai, my husband, and my two beautiful children, Toralei and Emily, were at his sister's house for dinner. I was supposed to join them, but I am way to tired to drive all the way from costal Boston to Springfield. It was over an hour's drive. And that was without traffic.

I open my bedroom door and make my way to the bed. after what seems like forever, i reach my bed and throw my self on the soft memory foam mattress, kicking my 6 inch, polished black, Christian Louboutin heels and stripping of my custom made Hugo Boss suit, then finally changing into something more comfortable.

I reach into my suit jacket, which was hung on the hook above the bathroom door, and pull out the note. I check my watch, 7pm. Knowing Lynnette, she'll keep my husband and kids in for at least 3 hours, then there's the hours drive. So I have about 4 hours to complete this sick game for the day, then i can go back to playing mommy, loving wife, and world class phycologist, or as I prefer, expert of the mind.

I take a deep breath and open the envelope to reveal the snow white paper with black letters printed on.

***

Another day, another choice. What's it gonna be this time?

Truth: Tell Maria about Chuckie's dirty little secret.
Dare: Tie her up where it all began.

I look forward to seeing this one, but just remember what happens when you ignore me.
~X

***

I sighed heavily. Maria Torez. Oh god, I haven't spoken to her since university.

I don't even know where she lives now. I take the letter and walk over to my wardrobe, and grab the red shoebox i store them in. every time i open it to dump another envelope in, all the memories come flooding back. The things this phyco made me do and the reasons I do them to stop the things I did from my past coming up. I toss the envelope in the shoe box and stick it at the back of the wardrobe, making sure my collection of shoes camouflage it. I guess the bright side to this is i never get these envelopes on the weekend, which is the only time i can pretend none of this shit happens.

I take to the computer and open the student archive page on the university's website. I key in my student id code and before me all the information of every person that was in my year at Harvard is spilled infront of me. I type in her name to the blank search bar. An image of her comes up and i gather her information, already making my final decision.