Black Equation - The Gifted Ones

Number Two (2)

 “…because I rant not, neither rave of what I feel, can you be so shallow as to dream that I feel nothing?” –  R.D. Blackmore

Number Three

 

The closer she got to their rendezvous, the more Abcidee felt like she her feet were made of bricks.

Was her decision for the best interest of all, or was she making a big mistake? A big, big one at that? She wanted to know the truth about her past, and only Ivan was willing to give her answers, but Arashi told her that the Russian was a criminal. Was it right to trust a criminal? Was she justified to ignore Arashi’s warning? What if the truth would hurt her father? What if her past was actually better left forgotten? Would Arashi hate her? Would she disappoint her father?

Or maybe, she was afraid to disappoint herself.

She quickened her pace, shaking all the questions out of her system. No. She had made up her mind. She deserved to know. Deep within her bones, she knew she deserved to know. Whatever happened in the past, she had to face it to be free from it. It was the only way she could move forward. She could no longer live her life second-guessing everything. She was tired of all the lies and evasion, more than weary actually. Her father didn’t want to tell her. Arashi would, but only if Kreuz allowed it.

It was frustrating.

She was desperate enough to grab the chance that a stranger had given her. She would have to trust Ivan. After all, he was Arashi’s friend.

But what if her choice would hurt the people she loved?

“Stop there, Faye Summers.”

Abcidee froze mid-step. That name again. Slowly, she turned around to find two men flanking each other. They were huge men, and that alone intimidated her. Her fright doubled when she realized that they were in an isolated hallway. Aside from them, not a soul was in sight.

She sucked in stale air, her eyes darting to find the most accessible escape route…. And possible weapons to protect herself.

The man on her left spoke as if he had heard the panicking voice in her head. “If you scream, someone you know will get hurt.”

Abcidee opened her mouth, but quickly shut it when the second man held up a gun. The other man continued uninterrupted. “If you make a ruckus, both of you will get hurt. Is that understood?”

She had to be gutsy! “I– I–I am,” she wanted to slap herself for stuttering, “I am not scared!”

Nobody was fooled.

“Make unnecessary noise and I will press this button.” He had a cellphone in his hand, and he was waving it in front of her. “One call, and he will die. Don’t try my patience.”

He. Who? Arashi? Her dad? Tears were starting to form on her eyes as the second man took her things and threw them inside an empty room where no one would find them.

“Act normally.” She silently followed the two men without protests; one in front of her, the other one slightly lagging behind. For a moment, she wanted to run… but she couldn’t jeopardize anyone. Even if the one they captured was just a boy in her Finance class, she wouldn’t dare escape just to save her life. She didn’t want anyone to die in her stead… but she was so scared… more than scared.

She was terrified.

Who are these people? What do they want? Where are they taking her? Why her?

“Hurry,” the man behind her slightly pushed her forward, and being the uncoordinated person she is, she stumbled over her own shoes. The man behind her cursed and helped her up none too gently. She was near tears, but she would never give them the satisfaction of seeing her tears. She would not dance on their tune. That much she promised.

By the time they reached a darkly-tinted SUV, she turned one last look behind her… and she caught a swift glimpse of a black-haired man running towards her. Or maybe it was just her desperate mind’s delusion. No. She was sure it was Arashi, and in that one brief look, she knew that he saw her terror.

His expression darkened.

“No!” she screamed desperately, trying to fight off the men hauling her inside the SUV. “They have guns!” The last thing she needed was to see his bloody corpse before they take her. She wished – prayed – that God would protect her man. He wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to handle all these armed men, right?

Her kidnappers roughly shoved her and hurriedly yanked the doors close. As the vehicle screeched away, they proceeded on quickly tying her up. They also blindfolded her and gagged her, receiving a few bruises as she struggled against their hold.

One of the men suddenly spoke crisply, probably reporting to the mastermind of her abduction. “We have Faye Summers.”

Her breath hitched. Goosebumps crawled all over her arms. So that’s why. Last Friday, Ivan called her by that name. Not just him. Everyone she’d met so far initially called her by that name too. The first puzzle piece of her past.

Faye Summers

She never believed it was true. Arashi and her dad denied it also. She had no reason to think otherwise. Until now. 

Faye Summers.

She was undoubtedly the singer that went missing five years ago. If so, what happened to her? What occurred after her disappearance from the public eye? Before the car accident that took her memories from her?

One year. This puzzle would be solved if only she could find information on that unknown part of her life... and her gut feeling told her she was about to get exactly what she wanted. Only not in the way she expected.