CassianEars ringing, head pounding, eyesight blurry. Cassian gasped for air, trying to get as much oxygen back into his lungs as soon as possible. People were running franticly, sirens could be heard from a distance, and the once-elegant building was now in smoke. "Where is Livia? Where is my sister?" was the only thing he could say before blacking out again. I was eating cereal at the kitchen table when Mom asked, "Cassian, where is your sister?" "It's Livia, Mommy. She is probably running around as usual." Mom shook her head. "That girl can never sit still. Livia, breakfast is ready," she yelled. We could hear little feet pattering on the floor. Seconds later, my kid sister zipped into the kitchen. "I'm Ladybug Girl!" she shrieked, slipping into the chair beside me. And the saga of acting out her favorite book, Ladybug Girl, begins. "Did you know ladybugs eat bugs?" I sighed. "Yes, everyone knows that." Dad came into the kitchen, placing soft kisses on my head. "Good morni
Apollo It's been nearly 48 hours since Livia went missing. "Po, do you have any news about Livia yet?" Apollo anxiously asked, gaining everyone's attention. "No, it's like she disappeared off the face of the earth," he answered, frustrated that he couldn't ease the pain of his best friend. "My people haven't heard anything so far. We have to find Livia. She could be hurt." Adrian said, worried. Alicia slightly chuckled. "If there's one thing I know, my girl will never go without a fight, and she never does anything without a reason or plan in mind." Alaric came into the room. "When we find her, I'm kicking her ass. I told her to let me in on it if she's planning something, but she had to do her lone wolf thing." Lone wolf thing? "What are you talking about?" Apollo asked. He sighed. "After you guys left, she had a stare-down with that Vanessa chick. But there was something else in Livia's eyes. The loo
Livia A groan left Livia's lips as she was coming to. The brightness of her surroundings gave her an instant headache. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light but soon realized she was tied to a chair in the middle of an abandoned factory. How cliché? "Damn, my shoulders feel stiff. The last thing I remember was..." I chuckled, seeing Vanessa following me like a moth to a flame. "Are you here to tell me that I don't belong here and that I should stay away from King because he's yours?" She scoffed, locking the door, "Well, since you know, I want you to leave, no, disappear from the face of the earth, and never return. I'll pay you any amount of money. Do you accept my offer?" "No." "What?" She asked, stunned by my answer. "You heard me. I said no. Actually, I mean hell no. King is mine, and I'm not giving him up for the likes of you."
Apollo"I have eyes on Myers. There seems to be no suspicious activity, but I advise you to keep your guard up." Austin informed through the earpiece.Adrian had instructed all his high-ranking soldiers to surround the building just in case something was to pop off. You can never be too safe, especially with a man like Oscar Myers."Keep your eyes peeled. We are heading in. Standby." I cut the line. "Stay alert, Ace, and don't let him get to you."Ace side-eyed me. "I can say the same for you.""Mr. Myers, your guest has arrived." the receptionist announced before quietly leaving the office."So rumor has it your little girlfriend went missing. It's been two days. One can only assume the worst. Perhaps she wouldn't have gotten in such a predicament if she were a Mafia Princess."Only a few people know the severity of Livia's whereabouts. It seems Oscar has crawled his way into my territory. Okay,
Narration Vanessa was in turmoil, nothing ever came easy for her, and now she had to deal with this. "What's wrong? Did things not go according to plan?" Livia taunted. "Shut up. Layla, take my phone. I want to send a message to King." "Gosh, you reek of desperation." Vanessa punched Livia's jaw. Blood instantly pooled in her mouth. "I said shut up." "Things are finally getting exciting." Livia laughed, licking the blood from her lip. Layla looked at her, concerned. "I don't think that's-" Vanessa cut her off. "I didn't ask you to think. Take the dame video!" she yelled. Layla rolled her eyes. "Whatever?" Vanessa then reverted her attention to Livia. "You think I'm the pathetic one? I'm not the one tied to a chair." "On purpose, may I add? And you are also not the one who has King's heart. It must suck being nothing more than a little puppet." "The ca
Parker Miles of trees covered the land. The reflective greens of the landscape glowed as the sunlight danced between the trees. Standing at the entrance of the highlands, a feeling of peace as the wind sings a lullaby of serenity. "I've lived here practically my whole life and never knew about this," I was about to leave the cave when Asa stopped me. He pointed to a trip wire right in front of my feet and the censored alarms ten feet away. "Damn, that would have been bad. Thanks for having my back." I spoke gratefully. "No biggie, we are all here for the same goal. Percy, go ahead of us and disarm the alarms. Alaric set up some C-4 explosives throughout the cave. Jonah, you should stay with him for backup and ensure the others arrive without hassle. Everyone else, come with me and stay alert." Asa commanded. Watching him, I was glad Asa was on his side. Percy finished disarming the alarms in the entranceway of the cave. "Everything is clear." We began to walk forward cautiously. "
The In Between "I still don't understand, Alaric. How is any of this relevant?" "Use your head, Livia. Have you ever heard the saying, he who seeks revenge digs two graves? Do you know why that is?" "A grave for your enemy and another for yourself because you're dooming yourself with whoever you seek revenge against. "Exactly, my girl. Revenge is close acquaintance with misery, and we know how much that bitch loves company." There was still something that bothered Livia. "After declaring war on Vanessa, what happened to us, Alaric?" "That's something you will have to remember yourself." ∞∞∞ [Earlier that morning…] Governor Lacy and the board of directors were overwhelmed by the gallery of people gathered in front of the courthouse. "Governor Lacy, what will
LiviaGunshots rang in the air. Dead bodies and blood were everywhere. A little girl sat in a corner, rocking back and forth with hands over her ears. The people with no faces are there again, protecting the little girl. "Run" was the last thing she heard before everything went black. This dream again. "Is it a nightmare? Is it a memory? Who was that girl?" I finally have the answers to those questions. It's not just a dream. This is a memory of my nightmares. The memories I longed for came to me like a flood."Livia! LIVIA! Are you okay?" When I opened my eyes, Cassian was standing over me. "Oh my god Livia you scared the shit out of us."Tears flowed from my eyes, remembering how my once happy, loving life was replaced with hatred and pain. "Sunny?" I fell into his embrace, overwhelmed, shaking, remembering everything. I was finally ready to face reality. That explains why my heart always felt content when I was around Cassian. Her body finally revealed the truth about that inciden