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Word Count: 1760
~Alaya
I woke as if I had been sleeping for twelve hours sleep. Refreshed and content.
My body has silken sheets draped over it, as I lay comfortably in bed. As my eyes flutter open, I notice absolutely nothing familiar about the room. Then everything comes back to me like a slap in the face.
My last memories lay in the eyes of Cyprian, the stranger. He had convinced me he knew Sinful, which may still be true, since apparently they are both as sinister as each other. He kidnapped me. He wrapped his hands around my neck. He had given me a look that should be reserved for some of most wicked people on this earth.
Now I'm here, in a fully furnished room that is nicer than my one back home. It's even nicer than my one back in Sinful's territory. And that's saying something...
When I look down, I'm wearing the same clothes as I was when I was taken. The sight of its more of a relief than I could believe. Now that that has been established, I need to find out where I am. The window to my right has curtains drawn over it. On the other side of those pieces of fabric are the answer to where I have been taken. I rush over, throwing them open.
The Desire Pack. I'm home.
This place is on a hill, casting a glance out over everything. It's so familiar; the lights, the city, everything. I've missed this so much, that I press my hands against the glass, willing the locked window to smash and let me out. I take a moment to think about where in the Desire Pack I am. Somewhere achingly familiar. Asher's estate. Or his old estate rather.
This means one thing. I'm with Shanae, the crazy lady who shoved me over the side of the railing. Or at least, she's here somewhere, along with that Cyprian man.
As my gaze flickers back across the room, I notice something on the side table of the bed that I must have missed earlier. A note.
It read:
Dearest Alaya, join me for dinner?
There was no name at the bottom to signify who had written the note, although a dark feeling in the pit of my stomach already gives me an idea of who will be at that dinner. It seems though, no matter how desperately I want to refuse, I have no other choice.
I twist the note over, out of sheer habit to see more has been written.
If you wish to freshen up a little, there's a dress in the bathroom.
Glancing up, I notice a door slightly ajar. I assume that's the bathroom. So I lay the note on the bed, and walk toward it. I don't know how comfortable I feel wearing something they have given me, but yet again, an unknown consequence seems a lot more daunting than a single dress.
It's not ugly, at least. It's light and devoid from any extra trimming or sparkle. It's simple, which I have a feeling is in complete contrast to what is going to happen next.
Once the dress is on, it takes me a few good moments to convince myself to leave the room.
I have no weapon. I don't even have an idea of what to expect. Instead, I'm walking into a lion's den without an idea of what I will see. What if they kill me? Shanae surely thought she did, which leaves me wondering how they figured out I was brought back by Death. They might not even know. Perhaps there's something else going on here.
With a deep sigh, I conjure up enough nerve to go to this dinner. There is no doubt they have blocked every way for me to escape. This is only confirmed when I find a lone Guard outside my door, ready to escort me.
I follow behind him. Enough to make him nervous that I would escape. Keep him on his toes.
The dining room is empty when I'm ushered in. This is a part of Asher's home that I never got to see. It makes me realise why Asher is so desperate to get back here...
The ceiling is high, with an extravagant chandelier that glimmers with all its excess, proud to be completely unnecessary. The dining table is long and well structured, made out of some kind of expensive material for a great amount of people to eat on. It's dressed in a long white tablecloth with various plates and utensils atop it. It's even adorned with flowers in diamond vases and placemats coloured a brilliant golden.
This made to impress many people. Not me though. I would compare this feeling to one of intimidation.
"Ah, Alaya, so glad you could join me!"
I twist around, ready to inspect the person who the voice belonged to. Shanae, or course. She looks almost too happy to see me, as she comes to stand in front of me, grasping my wrists in a loose grip, trying to make it seem affectionate. I don't fall for it though. She has eyes of an aqua blue viper.
She looks awfully glamorous for a dinner that seems like it will only go on between us. She wears a ball dress, that slopes down her ribs and waist tightly, to smooth and flow out from her hips to her ankles. It's the same colour her eyes, that only adds to her intimidation factor.
She has the same hair as the man who walks in beside her. Instead, her's is a muted ginger, while his is a fiery red. I've never seen him in my life.
"This is Reilly, a friend of Cyprian's. And anyone who is a friend of him, is a friend of me. Reilly will be joining us for dinner," Shanae says lightly. Reilly only watches me silently, not bothering to do anything more to acknowledge me.
I hope the cold feeling inside me is mirrored on my face.
"I would like to apologise about the way you were taken, but I can assure you that you will be treated only nicely from now on," she explains, to which I narrow my eyes at.
"Bite me," I respond with a growl.
Her smile doesn't falter in reaction. Instead, she only motions for me to sit. Knowing there is no choice in this matter, I stiffly sit where she suggests, at the foot of the table. She sits directly to my left, so I could look her straight in the face. Reilly sat on the right, making me feel nothing but trapped.
"You're probably wondering why you're here," Shanae says, just as four people walking into the room, holding trays with glasses of orange liquid and plates of salad. Great, I hate salad.
I only stare blankly in response to her words.
"It's nothing to do with you personally," she tells me shrewdly. "It has to do with Sinful. I'm positive you will come to rescue you at some point, and when he does, we will be ready for him."
A flash of anger consumes my face in heat, making me clench my fists under the table. I'm outnumbered here, I have to be smart.
"You're not afraid of him?" I ask. It's a test.
She continues to smile. "Not quite."
The strangers who just entered the room place a plate each in front of us, along will the glass. I stare at both of them, oddly hungry, but not willing to tempt my fate. Shanae only seems amused by his.
"The salad is caesar and the drink is orange juice. Harmless," he stresses, using her fork to point to my plate. I swallow uneasily. Again, a choice of mine that's on a leash.
I take the juice first and sip it. Tastes legitimate.
"So what now?" I question. "You're just going to keep me here until Sinful shows up. I have a feeling you have too much faith in our relationship."
"Absolutely. I have a feeling you have some questions about Asher as well, that you want answered," she says, before popping a crouton in her mouth.
My jaw clenches.
"Oh come on," she tempts. "Don't you want to know why he's so distant from you, so cold? Because I've known him for awhile, and he's s charming and warm with others...but not with you."
How does she know just how to get to me? "Why would you want to give me any information."
"Because your memories will be gone by morning," she informs me flatly, before a sly smile graces her features. At that moment, I decided I've never hated someone so much, never wanted them dead so badly.
When my eyebrows furrow, she nods at my glass. Just like the party.
I knock it with the back of my hand, watching it spill across the pristine tablecloth, across her plate and straight onto her lap. She sits up quickly, pushing herself away as she gasps.
"You brat, I try be kind to you, and you treat me like this?" she seethes.
I'm on my feet too. Mainly because Reilly has grabbed ahold of me, as I snap, "you drugged me, bitch."
"For your own good," she replies. "Good luck waking up tomorrow and forgetting the fact that Asher is your mate."
💙••💙
Want more and don't want to wait!? More of Asher is available now on Radish!
Fate is on Radish now! I hope you guys will check it out! First three updates are free! (:
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Tragedy has struck, and mock exam season is coming up for us in New Zealand.
Worst part is, I'm enrolled in a correspondence school where I take an extra subject, Classical Studies, and I have my first exam on Tuesday...
I haven't studied anything. Time to learn a multitude of Classical jargon and Greek words and hope for the best.
Also, I'm starting a new YouTube series where I give writing advice!
If you have anything you want answered, let me know!
I started with a question I get a lot! "How to write more than one book at a time"
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~Midika 🐼💜