steps. I was bumping to each. Then I finally realized that I was slung on someone’s shoulder. I
could hear voices now, yet they seemed so distant. I tried to listen closely. I could hear them
more clearly now.
“Hey!”
Anthony.
“Careful. We need them alive.”
Carley.
“Carl, you can leave now. We can handle this. Send word.”
Zed.
I think I heard a scoffing sound. That must’ve been Carl.
Wondering if I had the strength to open my eyes, I tried. To my relief, my eyelids fluttered. But I hoped against hope that none of my captors saw it.
When seconds passed and I didn’t hear them stir, I discreetly opened my eye to see where we
were now.
There were no footfalls from anywhere near me, so I decided that I could take a quick glimpse
at the surroundings. To do that, I should raise my head a little, so that I could see something
else aside from the back of whoever was carrying me now.
I must do it discreetly. Imperceptibly.
One.
Two.
Three!
With the next step, I pretended that I swung a little farther than usual. Success! I saw
something! It was not where we were going. But at least from the direction we’d taken.
I saw the car I assumed took us here.
As I pretended to stil be limp once more, I couldn’t help but be dismayed.
The car was a red chevy.
Why oh why did I think that my dream wasn’t important?
~~~~
Chapter 26
“Put them apart.”
“No.”
“Apart.”
“No.”
“Or I’l cut her head off.”
I heard Anthony’s faintest grasp from where I was slung. I could not let them know I was
conscious now. It was too dangerous, if what we’re in now wasn’t dangerous enough.
Maybe Anthony nodded or something, since I heard the people around me beginning to move.
With one swift and gruff motion, I felt my body leaving the uncomfortable shoulder I was slung
in. My back met something hard, and I tried hard not to show any emotion. Only now did I
realize how big of a deprivation it was not to react.
I heard someone being shoved against what seemed like a wall from somewhere to my right. All
this time that I have been feigning unconsciousness, my hearing grew very sensitive.
“Don’t try anything stupid, Anthony dear,” I heard Carley’s sweet voice.
Why did someone as nice as her have to be in the syndicate?
I heard Anthony scoff. Wait. Anthony, scoffed? That was so out of character! But with the
situation, who on his right mind would stay ‘in character’?
I tried to check my hands. They seemed free. But I thought against it since it would give me
away. I heard the clicking of Carley’s heels as she left the room. But based on Anthony’s
silence, I assumed we were not yet alone. Within seconds, someone shoved me to my side and
I felt a pair of harsh hands tying mine. No, he wasn’t tying them; he was gripping the blood out
of them. It was so tight!
Tying what seemed the nth knot, the man (assuming again) left my side, leaving me in the
position and banged the door shut. Behind it, I could hear series of locks snapping. I sighed in
relief, finally being able to react.
“Drei?”
I don’t know how more relieved I could be to hear that voice. “Hey.” My eyes flew open, landing
on the wall I was facing. My hands were tied to my back, and so were my feet. But unlike my
hands, they weren’t tied that tight. I balanced myself so that I could lie facedown on the bed.
With my elbow, I turned to my side again so I could face Anthony.
“Thank God you’re okay!”
“Anthony!” I felt panic surge inside me. He didn’t look the least bit okay. There were bruises on
his face.
With one swift motion, I sat up. I dangled my feet on the side of the bed to steady myself for a
few seconds, and trudged to where he was seated. I struggled to sit beside him without toppling
over.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Curse these ropes tying my hands! I wanted to check on his
bruises. He had a horrible one on his right cheek and there was an evident cut on his left lower
lip.
“I’m fi---“
“Tell me.”
He hesitated, but gave in. “The guy who had you…”
I gestured him to go on.
“Wel , when he tried to place you in his shoulder, I thought you might feel sick since you didn’t
like heights, and you were in an awkward position all the while,” he was sheepish all of a
sudden.
I totally forgot the situation we were in and let out a loud, “Awwwwww.”
He blinked in confusion.
Then my response sank in. “I mean,” I cleared my throat, “you shouldn’t have done that. I wasn’t
sick at all. Adrenaline got the best of me, so all other emotions drowned out.” I explained,
without breathing.
Then out of the blue, he smirked. My jaw dropped.
“What?” he asked.
I closed my mouth. “Nothing. Er, does that hurt?”
He raised an eyebrow.
I stared at his lips to point out his cut. Wrong move. I shouldn’t have stared. I couldn’t take my
eyes off it!
“Not real y.”
I blinked to brush off the trance. “Where did you get that? Was that when he tried to---“
“Yea. When he tried to carry you on his shoulder.”
I stared at the floor just to have something to do.
“I lied.”
My head turned toward him.
“What?”
“It hurts.”
I blinked. “Oh, the cut.”
“Yea.” He said. But this time, it was he who was staring at my lips. OH. MY. GOSH.
I chewed on my lower lip to brush away the thoughts I was having.
He cleared his throat and he looked away. My eyes instinctively landed on his lips again to
check on the cut. It looked terrible. I suddenly felt guilty.
“I’m sorry Anthony. I shouldn’t have dragged you through all this.” The moment the last word
was out, a part of me regretted that I said it. I didn’t real y drag him through all this, since he was indirectly part of the syndicate too. Maybe that was what Mom was thinking when he appointed
him as one of the three people to watch over me. But stil . He didn’t have to suffer all this. This is all my punishment.
