THE NIGHTMARE
Ella tries to wriggle her hand free from where she laid buried, her little frame covered in splinters of wood, rubbles and fire.
She steadies her breath, her demeanor calm and collected when she pries one of her hands free. In no time, she is out of the rubble, her forehead gashed with a deep cut.
“Mom!” She called out, her tiny voice echoing as the night wind, chilly and unforgiving, caressed her battered skin. The mansion was torn apart, most of the rooms set on fire. Panic slowly crept up her throat. “Mom!”She yelled, her eyes trying to fight away tears.
She turns around in circles, and she should hear a gunshot from somewhere. Instinctively, she ducked, afraid she was the only one in the building.
She stopped in her tracks when she noticed drops of blood pooling a hair's length away from her feet. Her mind was telling her not to stare upwards, but she did.
Her mother's face stared back at her, bloated, her body missing, blood still squirting from her neck.
Ella screamed in her sleep and it took Rose, her personal handmaiden to calm her down, when Rose held onto her firmly, but she was still thrashing wildly on the bed.
“I'm here with you, Ella,” Rose said, moved to tears. “Open your —
“What in the world is going on here?!” Naomi, one of the mansion's maids, thundered into the room, her gaze fixated on Ella as she approached.
Ella had snapped out of her trance, obviously startled by Naomi's hostile voice. Rose was about to respond when Naomi shoved her aside. Ella whimpered, still shaken from her nightmare.
Naomi gripped Ella's cheek, her fingers digging deep into her skin. “You just have to disturb the quiet of the mansion, huh?”
“Why are you doing that to her?! Let her be!” Rose yelled, trying to push Naomi off Ella. Ella couldn't stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. She just stared back plainly at Naomi, muffling her cries as Naomi growled with respite.
“You cannot keep disturbing the peace of the mansion, understand? You cannot keep inconveniencing me!”
“Mr Marcelo —
Naomi gripped Rose by the throat, finally letting go of Ella. Her voice grew even darker, her hands pressing so tight on Rose's throat all the blood in her body rushed up to her face, the veins in her throat bulging out like they were going to escape their entrapment.
“One word out of this room, and I will murder you two. Got it?!”
Ella shuddered as she watched Naomi walk out of the room, slamming the door. Rose rushed up to Ella, her eyes pleading silently.
She can’t be pleading for her job at this point, for her life was already on the line, should any word of Naomi's rebellion get out to Marcelo. She wrapped Ella tight in her embrace, hoping to offer her comfort.
“I want my brother here,” Ella whispered, her voice breaking. Rose hugged her even tighter,
“Naomi was only joking. You shouldn't mind her words,” she pulled away from Ella, wiping off her tears, “okay?”
“But she wasn't joking,” Ella protested, “she had that look on her face when my mom was dying.” Rose stared at Ella in disbelief, her mind a maze, trying to figure out what meaning she was to read to what Ella had just said.
***
Stacy's POV~
“You don't seem happy,” Jennifer whispered as she pulled away from my embrace, settling on the sofa. “You didn't get the job?”
“No!” I whined, “that's not it.”
“Then why are you … “She gestured at my face like this?”
“I’m really counting on M&E's instead,” I said soberly. Jennifer's eyes lightened up, but just before I could realize what she was thinking, it was too late.
“You are this eager to meet your charming lord, Marcelo Jones?” Jennifer teased with a wink.
I craned my neck just to be sure my mom was out of ear shot. “Goodness! You are in such a haste! Well, I understand. The guy's so hot —"
“Can you just shut it, Jenny?!” I shrieked, my cheeks flaring. As much as I didn't want to think about him at that moment, I tried conjuring the image of him I had seen on Jennifer's laptop.
A tiny voice whispered in my mind: This isn't you; you've just been sex-deprived for long. Bed him one time and you'd be calm again. I almost felt myself gasp at my own thoughts, suppressing my wild thoughts before I spilled them out to Jennifer.
“But really, Stacy, what's wrong? I know you don’t like your old workplace again but is it that bad?”
“It's not that. I mean, I do think it's great and all, but ... the pay we ended up agreeing to? That's something special delicacy deliveries would offer me in just two calls."
“No way! They offered to pay —"
“$2,500 according to the email, I know,” I rolled my eyes, "but they changed their budgets as soon as I was interviewed."
“So why didn't you say anything?!”
“Well ... I need a stable source of income, and ... I never can tell who is going to be my next client. Should I stick to delivering home-made meals and confectionaries? I can't rely on that only to cater for mom.”
I felt my eyes stung with tears, and Jennifer pulled me into a quick embrace.
“Hey, listen. You're stressing yourself out too much. I know you're putting a lot of effort into your thoughts and decisions, and Mrs Helen and I, for one, can testify to that. You know what? Let's see what happens this week. I have a friend at M&E's. Maybe we should try to get a certain response from them on whether or not you'd be called in for a interview."
My eyes shone with gratitude, "Really?!"
"Yeah!" Jennifer chuckled, "It shouldn't take up to a week."
I embraced her tightly. "Thank you," I whispered.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Naomi was striding back to her station, her anger flaring. She hadn't noticed the silhouette hanging in the dark before it landed a kick that made her knees give off. A gun was aimed at her head, and she smiled as the night lights illuminated the face of her attacker.
"Mabel.”
LOSTMabel was another maid in the mansion, but a sinister bond kept her close with Naomi. "Your outbursts are becoming more extreme by the day," Naomi said.Mabel growled, "watch it or I'd have to report you to the boss."Naomi chuckled, "Which one is it again? Our boss? Or Marcelo?"The question seemed to have caught Mabel off guard, because a flash of confusion clouded her expression. "And what do you mean by that?"“I can see your spirit is beginning to waver from the very mission that brought us here.” Naomi chuckled, grunting as she swat Mabel's aim at her forehead, rising to her knees, “I see how you stare at Marcelo, she spat, That brat!”“Anyway, you need not to worry. You can settle in this mansion and spend the rest of your life being a spy for whomever pays your bills. That's okay. But as for the rest of us who still have their heads in this game, we are not faltering.Naomi brushed past Mabel, shoving her hard against the wall. Mabel chuckled, holding back the urge to bre
Stacy's POV Just as every morning oozes with hope, a renewed strength and the reminder of a long day scouting for better opportunities, the evenings reminded me of home, my mom, her sweet buttermilk pancakes. The lousy atmosphere of the bustling city did little to infuriate me, no, and not even when the streetlights shone so bright.I swear I might develop a migraine, it didn't stop me from marching onwards, smiling. The day had ended well, and finally, I was about to take the first big leap into actualizing my goals.Jennifer had informed me earlier in the day that I should be called in for an interview in a few days, and despite my superior watching in on me closely at work, I couldn't help squealing in delight. I wore an extra smile for every plate I served, and my feets felt really floaty when I busted out the doors of the restaurant, eager to deliver the news to my room. I was about to take the right fork off an alleyway when I heard a muffled groan.It was no doubt a child's,
Marcelo's POVThe gates creaked open, but I had no patience in waiting to get to the end of the driveway. My head was pounding, my fists hungry for blood and vengeance, and that feeling was growing every passing second.I opened the doors of the car and jumped out of it, oblivious to the muffled shock of my driver and bodyguards. I could spot Ryan at the entrance of the house, his hands already holding on firm to the door knob. I pulled my gun out of the leathered holster lodged in my jacket and I narrowed for the mansion with a glare no one dared to defy. Two days, and my Ella has not been found?!“And what is this I'm hearing?” I asked Ryan as I walked past him, not stopping an inch as I stormed into the mansion. My men were already positioned all over the house as instructed, but it was hard to tell who amongst them was the traitor. My years of experience wasn't simply going to fish them all out.“Ella still hasn't been found, s-sir,” Ryan stuttered. “But we found something on t
Stacy's POV “Why are you asking me for my phone?” I asked, a brow raised. My mom looked like she had something to let out of her mouth, and when she took a seat close to the girl, I was surprised at how calmly she spoke.“We might have taken you into our home, and provided you with shelter, but do you think it's wise to call anyone out there right now? Plus, maybe someone is still after you and we don't even know your name! Or —"“My name is Ella Jones. I am eight.” The girl responded curtly, “now please, can you help me with your phone? I really need to call my brother right now. He could be in danger!”Her voice sounded urgent and afraid, and I didn't know what refusing her would make her do. I could tell my mom was asking me not to, but I already peeled my smartphone from my pocket and handed it over to her. I watched in awe as she navigated my phone, but I was even more shocked when I realized she was operating my phone without asking for my passcode. Just how did she do that?S
Marcelo's POVMy phone rang in my pocket, it was Cathy calling, probably worried about Ella too I thought as I picked it up. "Alright. So you got a call from Ella, and she was saved by ...""Some woman," I completed her statement, "Naughty Ella wasn't going to let me know her name until I came to pick her up.”Cathy laughed heartily. "No way! But ... does that mean you will be staying in with her? What about the —"“Cathy,” I growled, “we will have a problem if you're going to lecture me about my father's mission.” I could almost picture her raising her hands in surrender.“Roger that, sir.” She said teasingly, “but you know Rose is still out on the loose, and so is Naomi.”“We haven't figured out who pulled the trigger on Mabel, and don't you think Ella is safe back here in Bluestone?” Bluestone was a five hour drive and I knew I had to be on my way quickly.“No way! We just got attacked there by 'The Raven', remember?” I asked sarcastically, laying emphasis on Cathy's assumption.
Marcelo's POVI couldn't place what struck me as spectacular in her eyes, but it was suddenly hard to lower my gaze as soon as I saw her. Her eyes could be likened to a sea of honey, so viscous it's hard to swim out of. Her blond hair meandering down her shoulders, curly and messy, but it felt it was made to suit just her. I could trace the tiny spots of freckles on her cheeks, they were unnoticeable but you could only tell when you were just a finger-length away. For a moment, I couldn't make out Ella's words, and my eyes began to trail down her face to her lips —“Brother!” Ella whined, tugging at my arms, “wouldn't you step in already? You're keeping them waiting,” She said excitedly. I would have sworn it was me being delusional, but I felt her gaze linger on mine just for a while longer before I walked in. Many would die to have my shoes sitting on their doorstep, but she doesn't know who I am?For a moment, I was grateful Ella was there to snap me out of my thoughts. I sud
Stacy's POVWhen I stepped outside and saw him, I was shocked. My eyes melted in his cream gold eyes, looking so innocent, his dark brown hair was messy probably because he has been looking for his sister. I thought as my gaze met his. As he came forward my nose caught his citrus scent, his broad shoulder standing out. He was looking so confident in that suit gosh! I looked at his lips and felt something. I can’t seem to shake it off, I could feel he was looking at me as much as I was looking at him. I was so nervous so I knew I had to break this silence first.“I’m Stacy William,” I said just to ease this whole tension. And when he opened his mouth to talk, I was staring at his lips. His down lips were ripped out as if telling me to bite on it, what am I doing here. I shaked my head as if that would stop my thoughts.And his voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “I’m Marcelo Jones.” I heard him say, like hell I wouldn’t know who you are.It was until he left I started to convince
Three days ago(Flashback)Rose had been darting around searching frantically for Ella's medications when Naomi barged in. “Hey, you will not lay a finger on —" she was silenced by a huge smack. Rose recollected what Ella had said about Naomi, and she knew just what Naomi was planning to do.“The girl is shivering!" Rose cried, “let her be!”Naomi wasn't listening, because she was already scooping, shaking Ella from the bed, flinging her over her shoulder so carelessly. “I'm not blind to see that now, am I?” Miami answered her not caring about what she has to say.“The girl needs urgent medical care, I personally got her drugs today!” Rose yelled back, but a wave of realization hit her. “You took those drugs out of here didn’t you?” Rose spat, her anger growing. “What do you want with the girl? Have you lost your mind?”Naomi could tell Rose had seen through her facade. She cocked her gun, still clinging on tight to Ella.“Do as little as whisper a word to the boss, and I will — R