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THE MASQUERADE BALL
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HOOKED ON ZERO TIDBITS
I watched as a hand forced the little girl's head inside water. Just as she was about to choke, she was brought up for air. She coughed and spluttered but no mercy was given to her. After five counts, her head was plunged inside and after a few seconds, pulled out once again. The process was repeated, a little longer every time, until the girl was able to stay under water for longer . . . until she was able to hold her breathe a little more, until she was -I woke with a start, sucking in large gulps of air. It felt like I was choking. My whole body shook from something I couldn't understand. Even though the room was cool, I was slick with sweat. It trickled down the sides of my face and down my body, plastering my dress to my body.I took several deep calming breaths until I felt my heart relaxing to a more steady beat, then I looked down and saw the bed was a tangled mess. The silk bedsheet was all jumbled up and thrown to the side as if I had been. . . thrashing?Even as I tried to
HOOKED ON ZERO Logan, meet Kate. Kate, meet. . . the one?
If I had a dime for every time I saw Kelly with Logan, I would have probably become a trillionare by now.They seemed to not want to do without each other, like butter on bread, bacon on burger, food on a plate. There were exaggerated smiles and laughter, and unnecessary show of heightened emotions, and then it was back to the same cycle all over again. This was getting boring and I was getting impatient.We had a job to do. There were people to cure and more money to be made.And I ..... was totally over it. This was a workplace, not high school.I walked into Kate's office to see Logan perched on the edge of Kate's desk. "Alright, teenagers, break it up." Kate pouted, like I had done her a great disservice. "Logan, we're going to the lab, that's where you're going to be working from.""But I thought he was going to be working in accounting?" Kate stood, looking alarmed."True, but at the lab, we already have enough people covering this section." That wasn't entirely true but I had e
HOOKED ON ZERO A Teacher?
I stormed out of the house, my whole body shaking. I was weak as fuck. I was also scared, but not for myself. I was scared of myself."Who the fuck are you?" I threw into the air.Why was it as soon as I held the gun, a thrill had run through me? I had enjoyed every bit of the lone shot I fired. I had even wanted to go on, but I had to put myself under control.That was when the hysterics came. . . and the fear. I had seen it in Alex's eyes. He was scared I would shoot him, end his life there and then and send him to his late wife. I was such a fool for trusting him blindly. I knew he meant well but how dare he lie to me?Who made him lord over my life? Over my destiny?My mind wondered back to earlier when Abigail had called me."You better come with me, there's something you need to see."I followed her into the house where she led me into the kitchen. There, Catalina and Raymond stood staring at the plasma screen on the wall. From it, an announcement about a missing person was bein
HOOKED ON ZERO BAD LETTER
The police came around shortly after Mia stepped out through the gate. Their sirens blared loudly, invading my mind and causing me a headache. I told the two of them that came, I mistakenly fired a gun but everything was under control now.One of them gave me a look like he didn't believe me and insisted they check around the house. I shrugged and allowed them do their job. When they had satisfied themselves, they left and my mood turned sour.Damn woman had my mind. . . and knickers in a solid twist.For someone who was just a teacher, she knew how to hold a gun, aim, and shoot it without even getting skirmish, and on target as well. Fancy that.They must have been looking for her at work and probably had it announced or something. That must have been how she found out.I stormed to my room thinking I could get some rest. Unfortunately, the damn robot got it into its lonely head to fall in love with Mia. It went on and on about how much it liked her and how they had a great conversati
HOOKED ON ZERO CHITO
If staring hard at the words in a letter could change them, I probably-actually-I would most definitely have been a happier person.Unfortunately, no matter how hard I stared at the caustic words in the letter, foreclosure was foreclosure and that was how it would remain.Dear Miss. Hernandez,Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you.We are taking your house from you.Worst Regards.I know, I know, those weren't the words that were typed in the letter but they might as well have been. No matter how much I tried to unread it, it always came out that way in my mind.I had snatched the letter from Alex's hand yesterday, and stomped into my- his guest room. There, I locked myself inside and made sure no one disturbed me. It was now evening and I was starving. I hadn't tasted a morsel of food since yesterday morning.My stomach growled noisily. I shook my head, because I didn't want to step out of the room and encounter anyone. I was sure Abigail would have broken down the door if she were around
HOOKED ON ZERO THE UNWANTED VISITORS
"Of course she loves you." Alex came to my rescue. He walked over to where the boy was staring daggers at me and stooped to his level. "It's just, she had an accident and can't remember some things.""But I'm her brother. She should be able to remember me." The boy's voice had become petulant.I couldn't bring myself to say anything. What could I have said that would make things better? Alex had beat me to it by explaining my situation, but the boy still didn't seem to understand."Listen to me. There are things that happen in the life of a human that are beyond our control, Chito." Alex explained gently."And those things are what is making Mia not remember me?" Chito's eyes swung from Alex's face to mine.My chest tightened. I couldn't breathe. I didn't understand why the universe was so cruel, making me go through my current situation. I wouldn't even wish it on my enemy. How couldmy brother sit in front of me and I didn't remember anything about him. Never mind that, if that woma
HOOKED ON ZERO THE AFTERMATH
I stared at the six dead men still bleeding out on the ground before me.They all had deep stab wounds on different parts of their bodies, deep gouges on their necks and one on the thigh. There was a gunshot wound on one's head as well. The stab wound on the thigh was so deep and so wide, I wondered how Mia had been able to do it. Heck, I wondered how she had singlehandedly killed all six men that weighed more than the average man."Please, move aside Mr. Moore."I moved aside and watched as the medics unzipped body bags and got to work putting each of the men inside. The forensics had done their job taking specimens and pictures, even though it was self defense. I had just finished being quizzed by all five of the policemen who were currently huddled together taking notes and staring at me intermittently.All five of them had showed up approximately six minutes after I called the break in. After Mia called me down and I set eyes on them, I knew I had to take the fall for killing all
HOOKED ON ZERO THE PROPOSAL
What in the Christian Grey kind of proposal was this? I stared in shock at the letter lying limply in my hand. I double checked for what seemed like the third time, to make sure it was really from Alex. He had even had it stamped and signed, even though it was personally delivered to me by one of his staff. Talk about an official letter, this certainly took the cake. I licked my suddenly dry lips, wondering if I had probably hit my head and misinterpreted the words staring at me in the letter. Chito wheeled himself into the room and I scrambled to hide the letter but it wasn't necessary. He didn't even so much as glance my way. We had fallen into an uneasy kind of relationship where I had become one of the fixtures in the house to him. I, on the other hand didn't know what to say to him whenever I saw him. I couldn't impose my will on Alex and tell him I wanted the boy put in another room. As it stood I was already walking on thin ice, especially after the visit of the six uninvite
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HOOKED ON ZERO TOGETHER AGAIN
Chapter 52"Mia, wait!" Those two words stopped her in her tracks. By the time he got to her, she was shivering. He turned her round and stared into her green depths which had darkened with swirling emotions. He traced the lines and planes of her face, remembering each one of them like it was just yesterday. "Why?" He whispered. "Why did you do it?" He shook his head as tears slid down his cheeks. "Why did you disappear from my life without a trace?"A gasp slipped from Mia's lips. She didn't realize it but she was also crying. "I'm sorry!""Sorry?" Alex's eyes flashed with anger. "Where is he?"Mia's eyes widened and her bottom lip trembled. "W. . .w. . . who?""Chito, of course, who else?" Alex was shaking with barely repressed anger until Ciara laid a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, released a sigh and opened them again. "Where is Chito?""He. . . " Mia swallowed a lump which had suddenly risen in her throat. "He's in school.""There's a school here?" Alex looked around wo
HOOKED ON ZERO A JOURNEY
Chapter 51The plane taxied across the runway and deftly lifted in the sky. It was a beauty to behold, what with white and red colours glistening all over its body. The interior was even better. The cockpit sported state of the art dials and buttons, while the sitting areas had plush leather chairs and gadgets as well as many other attractions. A woman sat in one of the chairs peering down the lens of a camera. Her lips curled in a joyful smile. Every so often, she gasped as she sported a cloud. She turned to the man sitting beside her. "The clouds are so beautiful, they look just like cotton candy."Her smile was wide and beautiful, making it difficult for anyone to resist smiling back at her. The man only managed a slight tweak of his lips as he turned to spare the clouds a glance. Within a few seconds, he turned his face back to gazing at the television, where the map-charting of their journey was visible. His face, an unfathomable mask as he continued staring at it.The woman si
HOOKED ON ZERO TOO LATE FOR REGRETS
Chapter 50My head reeled. Alex knew. He knew who I was. Someone began to clap, breaking me off from he shock that had begun to grip me. I looked towards the doorway where a woman stood. She walked in, piercing, first Alex, then me, with her dark eyes. As she approached, I noticed she had on a leather catsuit which looked like a second skin, showing off all her curves. "What a sweet reunion, a boss and his employee, or should I say a love gone sour." She looked meaningfully at Alex. "Oh, wait, this next one is interesting. A target and her assassin. Boom!" She laughed heartily and I wondered why she looked so familiar. This meant only one thing.. . I snuck a peek at Alex but he didn't seem surprised. As a matter of fact, he didn't even flinch. And then all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and I turned to him. "The call you got, that's how you knew who I was. You got a detective to spy on me?" Why did that thought make me angry? He doesn't rust you. A little voice whispered
HOOKED ON ZERO THINGS ASKEW
Chaoter 49I had a little dilemma on my hands. Chito had refused to budge. He stayed slumped on the ground, staring at the two men I had just killed. I understood it wasn't easy seeing me killing them in cold blood, but I needed him to snap out of his shock ASAP.What he didn't know was, It had been either them or us. I would choose us any day, anytime.I debated on what to do as I squinted at Chito's face. We certainly didn't have all day standing around. The fact that almost a minute had passed and no one had come did not fool me for one second. More men would come, that, I was sure of.Ever since Chito started walking, he began working out, and so he had added some muscle weight. That meant he had more body weight than I did. Nevertheless, I didn't know where the strength came from, I hoisted him up to his feet.I tightened my hold on his arm and shook him. "Look here, buddy, you need to get your feet moving now, we don't have the luxury of hanging around." I tipped his chin and not
HOOKED ON ZERO BATTLE READY
CHAPTER 48The closer I walked to the house, the more angry I became. It was a stucco-styled house, complete with shingles and the likes. Yes, it was grand and staggering, but it did not have the beauty and poise Alex's house did. There were no beautifully-laid trees nor fountains, neither were there statues. It was brown, big and ugly."Whoever owns this place must be ugly."I scanned the exterior looking for any hidden cameras or sensors. Uncle had given me a crash course a week ago, on gadgets and devices, so it wasn't difficult when I spotted a hidden camera on the edge of the roof facing the back. By now, he would have disabled all the cameras in the house so I knew I was home free.I decided to follow my instincts and head to the back. Something was definitely afoot there that they wanted to protect. I walked there, mimicking the lightness of a cat. It wouldn't do for me to be caught so early on, and without first releasing Chito either. I got to the back but saw nothing out of
HOOKED ON ZERO NOW OR NEVER
As soon as Alex excused himself to take his call, I slipped out and tiptoed to the room I shared with Chito. I immediately removed the pajamas I had on, revealing my black leather catsuit. It clung to me like a second skin, yet it was not uncomfortable. If anything, it was snug and comfy, a perfect wear to carry out what I was going to do tonight.My phone rang just as I reached for it. "Yes, uncle, I'm ready."I tied my hair in a bun on top of my head, slipped into a pair of sneakers and then I retrieved the shot gun from underneath the bed. I attached it to the clip on my side, then put my swords in a scabbard by my side as well. I was ready. I traced my eyes across the room, touching everything with them. Everything reminded me of Alex, and then Chito. I blinked back the tears that gathered in my eyes. No more. I was getting Chito away from those people tonight, come what may.Even if it meant forfeiting my life.Even if.I stepped towards the door but stopped when I noticed the ph
HOOKED ON ZERO KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as soon as the words left my lips.A story of how you met your wife? Really? That's all you've got?I pushed the thoughts away and shook my head. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from, I-""I would like to hear it." I felt rather than saw her shift beside me and knew I had dug a pit for myself. . . or not, depending on what I said next."What do you wanna know?" I asked, a bit defensively."Well. . . I'll take whatever you're willing to tell me." She replied, almost immediately.I closed my eyes and tightened my hold on her. I didn't know where to start, because talking about Aretha was still a sore subject and I wasn't done healing yet. It had been almost two years since her passing and all I wanted to do was lick my wounds when no one was watching. Now, Mia was forcing me out of my comfort zone.There was a slight shift from her and I felt her moving away from me. "I understand."Did she though?She turned away from me and curled in on herse
HOOKED ON ZERO ABOUT THE PAST
Chapter 45My heart was literally in my mouth as I got into the car.Chito kidnapped?How?When?Why?Those three short questions kept reverberating in my head as the car began to move away from the parking lot. Chito was just a boy, for crying out loud, what did anyone want with him?I had a sinking feeling it had something to do with Mia. What it was, though, I couldn't say. I hadn't gotten any feedback from Red yet with regards to why my picture had been lying not far from Mia's purse on the day of her accident. I decided I couldn't wait any longer. I dialed his number and waited impatiently for him to pick.Unfortunately, it rang off and his voicemail kicked in. I cut it immediately, irritation rising inside of me. I didn't want to speak to his automated voice, I wanted to speak to him personally.My heart lurched as I remembered how Mia had called a few minutes ago, crying hysterically. I could hardly hear what she said. I had to cut the call and call her back, but she hadn't pic
HOOKED ON ZERO CAMP ANUHI
Chapter 44I was six years of age when my mother took me to camp Anuhi in Japan. At first I thought it was just like every other camp where one goes to for two, maybe three weeks, and goes back home after gaining some endurance trainings Little did I know it was a camp to rear assassins from o young age. I stayed at the camp for one month, and when it was obvious mother wasn't coming back to take me, I cried my heart out and didn't eat for a full day. The next day I resigned myself to my fate and adjusted the best way I knew how to.That was when I met master Haruki, the owner and maker of camp Anuhi. He made a star appearance one morning while the coordinator was briefing us on what we were going to do. He appeared large as life, even though he was slight of frame. He had a long white beard and a bald head. He also looked wizened, and I thought he was old.My first mistake.Our first mission was to run, I thought it was just that, little did I know it was just to warn us up. After r
