I hum, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. I'm wearing a sundress under a denim jacket, my long dark brown hair styled in loose waves.
Today, I'm going to visit Jake's house again to have breakfast with his family. A smile touches my lips as I remember how his Mom is looking forward to spending time with me again.
As I've lost my Mom, being with Veronica reminds me of how it feels to receive a mother's love. Her affection and kindness sip into my heart, to the point that I'm afraid to get hurt if I feel too attached.
I don't want to hold on a hope that seems too high. I don't want to experience another heartache from being left by the most important woman in my life.
I glance at my wristwatch. 7 AM. Jake must have been ready to pick me up, and it's time for me to go downstairs to wait for him at the lobby.
After grabbing my shoulder bag, I exit my room and head to the elevator. I press the button, and it opens, revealing the bellboy already standing by to assist me.
I step into it, and he asks, "Which floor, ma'am?" A warm smile forms on his lips.
"Ground floor. The lobby, please." I return his smile, walking further in before turning around and leaning my back against the elevator wall.
The bell boy presses the button, his back facing me.
My phone buzzes, and I take it out of my bag. I smile, seeing a text from Jake.
I'm on way. I'll be there in around 10 minutes.
Sighing, I shove my phone back into my bag, trying to calm my heartbeat. Even though I've spent time with his family and already know how wonderful his parents are, I'm still slightly nervous, more like not wanting to ruin everything.
When I look back up, the elevator door opens. But then, I frown, because we're not arriving at the lobby as I expected.
Instead, I see a car basement.
The bellboy looks troubled. "My apologize, mam. I think there's something wrong with the buttons."
I watch as he presses the button to close the door, but the door doesn't move, still revealing the basement. He punches the button again, but still, nothing happens.
He finally turns to me, guilt crossing his expression. "Mam, I think we have to get out and take another route. I'm sorry for this inconvenience."
Well, that's okay. I can walk a bit more.
"It's okay." I smile.
"Please follow me," he says, and I step out of the elevator after him.
Something catches my attention. Signboards are blocking the two other elevators, announcing that they are under maintenance, which means that we're not going to go back up to the lobby by using one of them.
Somehow, it's a bit strange, because I didn't see the same announcement back then on my floor.
"I'm afraid that we have to take the emergency staircase," the bellboy informs me, and I brush my suspicion off.
This is just a small thing.
And so I follow him as he leads me inside the basement. When I turn at a corner, I can see the door to the emergency staircase.
But the guy is nowhere to be found. He's gone.
Now, this is getting a whole lot stranger.
Before I can walk further, I feel something pulling me back. My eyes widen as an arm wrap my waist. I'm about to scream, but a handkerchief blocks my mouth, muffling my voice.
My heart thumps wildly inside my chest -- I feel like it can burst out at any moment. I struggle to break away, punching and kicking in every direction, but the man's grip on me is too strong.
With every second passing by, my eyelids feel heavier, and my vision is getting blurrier.
All I can feel now is my ragged breathing, before it becomes slower, and slower, my chest heaving up and down.
The world around me is spinning, and everything starts to become darker.
No. This is not happening.
I collapse, my knees giving in. I feel the man bend down to catch me on the ground, my head falling onto his lap.
I can't breathe, and my eyes feel like closing. But before that happens, and even though it's a blur, I can make out the silhouette of some other men approaching me.
I can see their legs moving toward me.
One man. Two men.
How many of them are there exactly?
Before I can get the answer to that, everything goes black.
My head is spinning like crazy. I can hear my own heavy breathing.
My eyelids flicker, and when I try to open my eyes, I realize that I'm staring at my lap. A sharp pain hits my head, and I squeeze my eyes shut.
What is happening? I feel like I'm on a drug. A really powerful drug.
Before I can muster the energy to open my eyes again, a splash of cold water hits my face. I gasp, and my eyes snap open.
My vision gradually comes back to me. I realize it now that I'm not only staring at my lap but also chair's legs and the dark cement beneath me.
I'm sitting, but I can't move my body.
Fear engulfs me. My body shudders.
It's not only because I have no energy that I can't move, but it's also because I'm tied to this chair. My hands are shaking when I try to move them, feeling the harsh rope burn my skin the more I try to free my hands from it.
My heart leaps like a wild stag in my throat. Someone has kidnapped me. I snap my head up to see the person who just threw the water on my face, and my eyes widen in horror.
The person ditches the can of water to the ground before turning his back at me, walking toward the far corner of the room.
We're inside a dark and dusty warehouse. He sits on a chair and crosses his arms on his chest. Another man is watching me, leaning against the wall opposite me, smoking a cigarette.
Who are they? Why the hell am I here?
I'm hoping that this is all just a nightmare, but my head pulses with pain that feels so real, telling me that this is nothing less than the reality.
"Well, well, well. The ugly kid has woken up, isn't she?" a cold voice greets me, and I want to disappear into thin air as I realize the familiarity of the voice.
Footsteps draw nearer to me, the sound of the person's shoes stomping on the ground echoing in the dark space as he approaches me from behind.
I hold my breath, preparing to face the last person I would ever want to encounter again in this world.
Then there before me stands Tuck, with a sneer on his face. He brings another man next to him. His company then strides toward the end of the room and turns around to watch the scene before him with interest, joining his friend who's smoking a cigarette.
I stare at Tuck in disbelief, while he eyes me like I'm his helpless prey.
And once again, the world around me feels like crumbling into pieces.