Chapter 1

Elizabeth POV

"You're not much of anything, Adam!" My father yelled into the phone. His brows furrowed and his face anxious as he kept looking out the window at a black van parked a few blocks away from our house.

Hanging up on the caller,he drops the phone  and turns to me.

"I'm really sorry ruining the family dinner like this, Princess,but you have to come with me"

He gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me up from the dining table and led me upstairs to his room.

My mother frantically got up from her seat.

"What is it, Honey?" She tries to sound less panicked than she really was.

"Adam Mich"  He said, signalling her to the van  parked outside with a nod.

I followed him without asking questions, trying not to fall as I did.

My father is a police officer dedicated to his job regardless of the danger that looms. Sometimes the danger follows him home, just like this one.

"Stay in here Honey, don't come out unless I call for you and if I don't,find Lance! I love you."  He kissed my forehead and hurriedly closed the door to the closet where he had hid me in.

I heard the door to his room lock twice. I didn't have the chance to say or do anything. I had questions, loads of them.

Straining my ears, I heard voices of people talking in rushed high tones. Arguing. I couldn't hear what the conversation was about,but it sounded tense.

The first sound of a gunshot almost blared my ears.

I clasped my hands over my mouth, trying not to scream against the sound of two more gunshots that followed soon after.

My heart felt like it would burst with all that beating it was doing. My mind raced at the thoughts of who was shot.

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room made all the hairs on my body stand on its ends.

The thought of it not being my father terrified me that I started to pray silently.

I peeped through the hole in between the closet doors to at least know my fate as the footsteps became closer.

The door bursts open, a tall, dark haired masculine figure with a tattoo of a viper snake on his right arm, walks in with a gun in hand.

Barely able to breathe now, I could already figure out the fate of my parents–and mine, very soon, as he searched under the bed looking for something.

His face was hard to see,he had his back to me the whole time.

He placed a call, sounding frustrating.

"You said there were three in the house, I can't find the boy!" He barked into the phone.

He was looking for me!. I gasped as quietly as I could with my hands still covering my mouth.

My razor cut blonde hairstyle had confused them into thinking I was a boy.

I slowly backed deeper into the closet.

"I've checked everywhere! The rooms, kitchen, garage,under the bed,the clos–. Damn it! The freakin closet!"

I hear him hang up and slowly turn his steps, laughing hysterically.

"Hello there, little guy"  He says like he could already see me through the hole, taunting me as he takes slow steady steps to the closet.

I had only briefly returned to give my parents a surprise visit after fourteen years. No one would ever had imagined I would be hiding in the closet afraid for my life on the same fucking day!

My back pressed hard on the closet wall, I stared at the door waiting and listening. Panicking, I knocked to the side of one of my dad's  shoes,with my elbow.

The wall behind me opened and I found myself falling into a dark space, landing face flat on the cold, hard floor.

Feeling lightheaded from the fall, I tried to stay alert. I heard the wall close up just in time before he reached the closet door.

"It's fucking empty! " He screamed.

The thoughts of my parents probably dead and the effect of the fall, ache my head and soul to the extent that I felt too exhausted and succumbed to darkness.

When I opened my eyes to the darkness again, I laid still and listened for any sound, too afraid to even breathe so I wouldn't be too loud.

Everything was silent.

I started to sob the tears I had held back trying to stay alive, the hot fluid mixed with sweat sting my eyes.

My phone vibrated in the pocket of my sweatpants, startling me..

For someone who is always on her phone,I had totally forgotten I had it on me.

Thank goodness I did.

It is Monica, my flat mate.

Because of the nature of his job, my father had sent me to live with my Aunt Nevelyn when I was only Ten years old.

Even that didn't help. Aunt Nevelyn, before her passing away, had been very paranoid that we'd be in danger if we stayed in a particular location for too long.

We'd moved from city to city after a period of at least two years.

It was after her death I decided to settle in Quebec city where I met Monica.

I let the phone ring over and over again, too afraid I may be found if I picked up.

Quickly setting the phone on silent mode,I turned on its flashlight.

The space looked like an old dusty underground tunnel. It had two parts; smaller and bigger sections.

The first section wasn't big enough for me to stand so I crawled my way out till I arrived at the much bigger section.

My knees started to hurt, the way down seemed further than I had anticipated.

I rubbed on my knees with my hand to massage the ache and soothe it a bit.

Who were those men and what did they want from us? I started to weep again.

My phone made a beeping sound indicating my phone was shutting down.

"Shit!" I cussed.

Trying to find my way through the darkness, I guided my steps with my hands on the wall until, I felt the button.

“My God!”

And the light rays hit my eyes.