Recap:
"I see You're enjoying your pasta"
I muffled a nod as I continued to stuff myself with the creamy noodles. I didn't remember the last time I'd come to a fancy place like this. But Kyle and I continued to chat over dinner and my thoughts of the previous few weeks events were forgotten.
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CORAL POV
After dinner Kyle offered to drive me home. Since he was the one that took me, I afreed and excused myself to the rest room.
Washing my hands and then drying them, I gripped the edge of the sink and took a deep breath.
I remembered Sophie's warning about Ben and Rick being here. I had come to the restroom hoping they would follow. I needed to talk to them. So I mentally counted to ten and made my way out. Sure enough both of them were outside masked with alert facial expressions. I made my way toward them and coughed
"gentlemen"
both turned their heads "Coral" Rick spoke "I trust you're having a good evening"
I nodded "yes, so far no danger" Looking in Kyle's direction, I could see him slightly tapping his foot.
"I'll see you guys at home okay?"
Bith nodded "we'll be right behind you"
No kidding
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The ride back home was strange.
It was silent, the air conditioning blasted cold air and I was beginning to feel tired.
Just before I gave into the unconciousness called sleep, Kyle spoke up
"So you'e nineteen, out of school, and living by yourself?"
I silently nodded
"What about the others that are in your house?"
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I got a bad feeling about this, "What about them?"
"They live with you?"
i scrambled through my brain from our earlier conversation until finally figured it out.
"Ben and Chris are my cousins and the Paxton cousins are family friends as well as Rick and Dean."
"And James?" he proded. I narrowed my eyes, how did he know James's name but not the others
"Oh well James is Sophia's boyfriend"
"I see" he said with an observant smile. Suddenly I let out an unescapable yawn.
"Getting sleepy?" he asked amusedly. I felt my cheeks heat up a little "Yeah"
"Well you're in luck, we're here"
True to his word, the car came to a soft stop and he shut off the engine. Getting out of the car, he came around to my side and opened the door for me offering his hand.
I smiled at the sweet gesture. And they said chivalry was dead.
He walked me up to the door, my hand looped through his arm.
"i had a really nice time tonight"
"Me too" I responded. As cliched as this dinner was, I really did have a nice time.
"Well I guess this is goodbye then" I hinted. The look on his eyes glistened. With what, I don't know, but they were as grey and beautiful as ever.
"That's what should happen" he replied "But I want to hang out again. How 'bout it?"
My stomache filled with nervous butterflies and chewing the inside of my mouth seemed the only way I could concentrate. Should I agree?
"i did have a really nice time tonight" I hesitated
"Good, so why not do it again? Did your bad day get any better?"
I nodded. Truth was, tonight did make me forget my depressed mood and it did make me feel better.
"i don't know..."
"Come on" he coaxed "I'll make it worthwhile and you'll forget all that stress he's caused you"
My attention immediately turned on full alert, "I never told you I was was streesed. or who caused it"
"you didn't have to tell me" he recovered "I could tell it was a guy. I have a sister so I could tell these things apart"
"Oh. i guess that makes sense"I couldn't help but notice that an unmaed expression passed through his eyes, bnut I dismissed it when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"I have to go. It was really nice hanging out today"
"So will you let me take you out again?"
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"I'm sorry, you said what?!?!"
"I said i'd hang out with him again" We were currently in the kitchen preparing breaded chicken and mashed potaatoes with green beans for dinner. It's been a few days since the dinner with Kyle and I had agreed to hang out with him again. He'd given me his number and we'd been texting since.
"You don't get it do you?" Sophia scolded as she rolled the chicken in the bread crumb mix "he asked you creepy questions that are so not normal on a friendly dinner date, let alone a first date and yet you still want to hang out with him?"
I sighed and flipped over the chicken pieces in the frying pan "I don't see anything wrong with him. You guys are just overreactung he hasn't caused any harm or "shown any potential threat" I air quoted her words from earlier.
"I don't know what i'm going to do with you. I'm sorry but i'm with Blake on this, I don't think you should hang out with Kyle this weekened for you're own good."
I set the finishing breaded chicken on a palte and slam the plate hard on the table ao that it makes a loud noise, "I can hang out with him if I want to I don't know why you guys are so hung over on Kyle likee he's planning the next world war. Theree is nothing wrong with him and if you guys can't see that then it's your problem"
I turned off the stove, removed my apron -which she insisted I wear- and excused myself "I have to get ready for dinner" going up the stairs and slamming the door harshly.
SOPHIA POV
Slam!
How do I get her to understand? She is completely ignorant of the situation that's at stake. If only I could tell her the truth.
I hated lying to Coral, but orders were orders and I would immedietely lose my job if I spilled anything, even if it was the truth that she would hate me for not telling her.
For now all I could do was try and persuade her out of going out wiht him. For my cousin and her safety
CORAL POV
Dinner was unusually quiet. Of course Blake had n't bothered to eat with us and took his dinner upstairs. The rest of the guys seemed to have picked up on my avoiding Sophia and didn't dare utter a noise from their parrot mouths.
The chicken was great. I hadn't had this in along time, but funny was the saying that authors incorporating dinner in a novel was supposed to mean something important such as bringing people together. Well how do you like this now Foster! That dinner seems to be breaking everyone apart.
After dinner Chris offered to do the dishes and Dean offered to help. Something like this would have a jaw-dropping reation from me, but everything shocked me these days, so I simply went upstairs to get rready for bed.
I let the ot water run down my body. Steaming hot showers like these were my perfect stress-relievers. You'd be amazed at how your body unwinds from all the stress.
After hopping out of the shower and completing my nightly routine, I hopped into bed and was just about to close my eyes until there was a knock at my door.
"who is it?"
"It's Santa Claus" the fake old man voice on the otherside of the door pened up the door "it's me"
"Darn, I was hoping it really was Santa Claus" I faked disapointment as Ben closed the door behind him
"Sorry to disappoint you"
"So I son't get any presents?"
"nope, you've been a very bad girl this year"
"Have not"
"It had a double meaning to it" he said with a serious face.
"what do you mean?" I innocently asked. I knew what he was talking about, but I didn't want to talk about it so playing dumb seemed like the best option.
"Coral I heard you and sophia argue before dinner and I hate to break it to you, but she's right"
i rolled my eyes "Oh pray tell"
"Coral you just have to trust us. There's something suspicous about him and we're trying to keep you safe, you understand that don't you?"
"I know that you guys are trying to watch out for me from this Falcon guy who aparantly wants something from me, which I have no clue about, but i'll be fine okay?" I stated. And like a child, I pulled the covers up to my chin so I wouldn't have to see him.
"Please just listen to me. It's for your own good. You don't know what's going to happen"
That's it. Throwing the covers off, I jumped out and faced him, "Well I have some newsflash for you. Falcon hasn't attacked since that night in L.A. and now that I found someone who likes me and doesn't make me feel worthless, you want me to stay away from him? if it's anyone I need to stay away from it's all of you. So leave Kyle alone okay? Becaue you know what I think is going to happen? NOTHING!"
My little tantrum must have ignited something in him, because all of a sudden, his hands gripped my arms iron-hard, and a cold, threatening glare shot out of his eyes.
"Dammit Coral" he gritted his teeth "do you have any idea what would happen if you're taken? Stop being so blind"
I gulped. This Ben was scaring me, another side that i've never seen and never wanted to again. So I shook my head too afraid to answer.
"I would never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you. You have no idea how much I love you"
And before I could even blink my eyes, he crashed his lips to mine.
It was rough, but with every passing second it became slow and gentle. I was shocked. Ben had just confessed his feelings, how could I not see that before?
The kiss becamegentler yet, and I found myself running my hands through hishair while he held me tightly wrapped in his arms as though I might run away.
Kissing Ben was different. It wasn't the same was kissing Blake. There were no sparks or butterflies. Just me and him, two lost people who didn't know what else to do.
But Ben was like my brother, and if that's true, wwhy am I enjoying this?
Suddenly, the kiss ended and a horrified Ben looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Dammit...I'm sorry...I-I shouldn't have done that." And uicker than a flash of lightning, he was gone, leaving me shell-shocked.
"ben wait!" I managed after I finally unfroze from my stupefied state.
But when I reached the door, Ben was gone, leaving his shadow by the downstairs hallway followed by a loud thump and then the entire house coursing in pitch black darkness.
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BEN POV
I'm so stupid!
My job required that I not get too emotionally attached on a gaud job. In fact not even a little speck of emotion. Always stay alert. Blake was already hung over from the consequences and I let my feelings explode.
The truth was, I more than just cared about her. Ever since I first laid eyes on her, and as cliche as that sounds, I fell hard. But she was already so in love with Blake, and I was his best friend, I couldn't do that to him. So I his my feeelings.
After whatt he did, it hurt me to see them both broken. Blake to protect his job and most importantly her, and Coral because she recieved harsh treatment from him. I couldn't tell her the truth. No one could. Not until we caught Falcon.
All I could think to do was to be a friend to her as well as a bodygaurd. I spent time with her and my feelings deepend each and every day.
Now things were becoming worse. she was arguing with everyone. Especially Sophia and I felt bad for her because she had to lie to her best friend. I'd seen her tears well up in her eyes and Sophia never cries.
So after dinner I'd hoped to get her to understand that we were only doing our jobs to protect her. Kyle was a strange one. No one trusted him and she didn't understand why. Of course she didn't. How could she? He was, in her eyes, everything Blake didn't turn out to be.
But my anger snapped. She was so unfairly blind and oblivious to this situatioon. Before I could even stop myself I kissed her, breaking my vow not to hurt my bestfriend like that.
I was too shocked at what i'd done, so I did the only thing I could think of and ran.
When I got downstairs, Sophia layed sprawled on her front, and the last thing I remember was feeling a blow on my head, lights turning off, and then black.
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CORAL POV
"Ben?" I called, but no answer. something bad was happening, and I desperately hoped it was a fuse blow.
You know how in those old horror films when the girl goes to the closet but we know the killer is in there, so we scream at her not to be stupid and stay away from the closet?
Well, now I completely understand her point of view. I knew very well that I should be going back into my room and into one of the escape hatches of the closets, but I had to go downstairs to see if Ben was okay.
"Ben?" I called out once more. Still no answer.
I slowly tiptoed downstairs. The lights were off and no one answered. Truth be told, I was even more scared than any of those girls in the horror films.
I held on to the railing, gripping it in case my clumsiness decided to kick in. The house was deathly silent. Where was everyone? They were supposed to come to me, or at least one of the near gaurds. They clearly weren't doing their job. Nothing but dark silence.
Turning toward the living room with a rapidly beating heart, I called out once more
"Ben, Soph-Oh my god!!!"
In the living room lied sophia and Ben sprawled unconcious.
"Ben! Sophia!"
I tried to shake them in hopes that they would wake up. Of course they didn't, they were both sprrawled out in unnatural angles.
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a blur of a shadow. Heart thumping wild and erratically with a panicking fright, I called out
"Rick? Chris?" still no one answered.
Forcing myself from my panicked state, I rose from my spot next to the unconcious agents and walke towards an escape hatch, but not before the blurry shadow stopped in front of me.
"AAAAHHH!" I screamed out (obviously) for in front of me stood the unmistakable, and unforgetable cloaked man.
Falcon
Before I could move my feet so much as an inch, he already had a gloved hand on my mouth, and the last thing I remember seeing before blacking out were grey eyes.
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A/N: Sooo sorry I've been totally mia for three weeks but i moved and school started so i've had almost no time to update ):
I hope this chapter was enought to make up for it and I am happy to announce that there is more action to come and lots of jaw dropping surpises ;P
Please comment, and vote. I swear to you guys it only takes up about a minute of your life, lets not get too lazy here ;)