The Gift Of Vengeance

Chapter 1

I look longingly at the assortment of cakes, pastries and chocolate laid out, I could eat the entire lot, except my Mother looks so ferocious, I drop the chocolate I have been holding and turn around, letting out a long and bored sigh. My Mother gestures towards a young man, she obviously finds him appealing and wants me to hit it off and make her proud. Mother doesn't approve of my choice in men, although the list of men I've dated in the past is rather long, my Mother did not approve of a single one. And perhaps her continuing dislike for anyone I was interested in, caused me to accumulate a list of men just in spite of her. 

The man in front of me, who's name I do not know and have no intention of finding out, suppresses a gasp. In a normal circumstance I would smirk however right now I get rather annoyed. My mother is hosting another ball and like every other time, she has picked for me, an expensive and astonishing gown. I wonder whether the long line of men waiting to dance with me is because I look good or because when they look at me, they see a lump sum of cash. My dress starts just above my chest, exposing my collarbone and shoulders, the sweetheart neckline is adorned with tiny iridescent gems, the silver material cinches in at the waist and drops to my knees, the back of my dress longer than the front, cascading to my ankles.  It hugs my body making my hard earned figure look flattering. My hair is in a simple ponytail With a couple of curls elegantly falling out.  The brown of my almond shaped eyes is deep and seductive, accentuated by my long lashes, upturned at the ends, that are covered with mascara. 
"Miss Carter , may I have a dance?" The gentleman has finally recovered and manages to shoot me a charming smile.

"No" I reply and his face drops. Shooting my Mother an exasperated look, I push past the vibrantly dressed bodies and make my way to the exit. The starry night sky greets me with a breath of fresh air and I feel like there is an end to the suffocation. My Father hated these events, and I chuckle at the part of him that I have kept, if he were here, we would dance all night taking breaks to eat away at the buffet and getting an earful from my Mother afterwards. Tears prick at my eyes but I push them back, wanting to be strong like him.

"I think an occasion like this calls for a freshly baked brownie."

Startled, I turn around to find the source of the voice and my throat constricts. Unable to comprehend how anyone can be so beautiful, I take him in, dark thick hair piled on top off his head tied into a perfectly messy bun, my fingers itch to undo it. His eyes are the darkest I've ever seen, so deep and so inviting, drowning in them seems a real possibility. I bring my eyes down to his lips and my heart races, as I see his beard, the only thing neat about him, his white shirt and and black waistcoat strains against his muscular build, and I find myself wanting to be held in his strong arms. He towers over me and I realise, this man is complete chaos, and I want him to ruin me. He speaks again and it clicks that he is a waiter.

"What were you saying?" I ask him, but I don't want him to just speak with that mouth, dirty thoughts cross my mind and I take a step back to clear my head.

"Brownies?" He questions in his deep voice, the situation is so bizarre I have no idea what to say. My eyes finally land on the brownie tray that he is holding and I reach for a huge chunk.
He chuckles and I take a bite, the delicious sweet flavour overwhelming my taste buds.
"Who are you?" I ask him, turning away because his eyes consume me.
"Is it important?" He questions, and a part of me thinks it's the most important thing in the world.
"No. It's not, but I'd like to know who to call for these brownies."
He laughs, really laughs and I can't stop myself from joining in, his laughter is like a slice of sunshine in the cold night. 

"Cole Ander's" he introduces. Short and sexy.

"Hi, Cole" I smile, flashing him my dimples. 

"Hi, Anna" He smirks. 

"My name's not Anna" I say, puzzled completely. 

"I know." He turns towards the house, "I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of me" he says, over his shoulder and begins to walk away.

"wait! wait Cole-" I catch up to him grabbing his arm, and he turns abruptly. The connection between us is so great, I can almost feel electricity crackling. I've never had to run for a guy before but I don't mind because leaving behind a piece of my ego is better than letting him go. 

"You can't leave without telling me what you want." I ask him, because surely he knows more about me than I know about him and he must have an agenda, because something about the encounter unsettles me and there's got to be more. 

"Not everyone wants something from you Anna." He says, frowning and I feel like he's disappointed. My stomach feels funny and for some strange reason I need him to like me.

"But you do. What do you want?" I ask again because he's wrong, everyone always wants something. 

"Maybe I just want you" he whispers, the tray in his hand clatters to the ground and he takes a step towards me. Instinctively my feet try to move backwards but I hold my ground, heartbeat racing I look again into his eyes. 

Until I see the flame, burning red and orange behind him. Slowly the flames begin dancing out of every window, engulfing the whole building. My house is on fire and my Mother is inside, a scream becomes lodged into my throat and Cole notices, turning around he sprints into action pulling out his phone and calling the emergency services. My feet become hooked into the ground and my whole body feels heavy, I start breathing heavily and my chest aches. Cole, a stranger who I have known for a total of ten minutes wraps his arms around me and I feel myself calming down,  he mutters reassurances in my ear and I break free knowing that I have to do something to make sure she's safe. I run towards the house with Cole right behind me when I see her, my Mother, in all her glory safely leaving among a sea of people. I breath again out of relief and hug her, unable to hold the tears back. 

"Oh Adrianna. Honey, I'm okay. I got out in time, I'm fine." she cries, and I hold her tight, not wanting to let go. We break away and I pull her away from the house, my heart lurches when I see the fire brigade arrive and I pray, to whoever is listening, for everyone's safety. 

I look around frantically searching for Cole, but he is gone. Something about his disappearance seems off and I wonder if I'm overthinking and he is just lost in the crowd. Then I wonder why I even care so much and realise, that he is an enigma and perhaps I am too.