3

Mckenzie Manor:

The electric oven beeped twice indicating that the chocolate chip cookies were now ready.

"Hazel! Hazel, the cookies!" Her aunt, Jenny Mckenzie,  loud voice made her startle and she hurriedly wore the oven mitts and rushed to oven. Taking out the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with golden brown colour, a satisfied

smile appeared on the face of Hazel Lincoln.

"Well done! My daughter! You made them perfectly. You will really become a good chef one day!" Jenny Mckenzie praised her 18 years old orphan niece.

"Thank you Aunt! But now I will have to leave as Alex and Dove are waiting for me at our usual meet up place. I will pack the cookies for them." Hazel said smiling as her aunt nodded....

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Kingston Manor:

"Sophia dear, please open the door. Sophia?" The voice of Diana Kingston was barely audible as she knocked on her 5 year old niece door, agitated.

The babysitter, Lily Shawn, was shivering in fear and so was the old maid, Mrs. Shawn. They were afraid that it won't take long before the young Master notice his daughter's absence at the breakfast table and a havoc would rise.

Diana kingston gritted her teeth in annoyance and then shook her head, muttering, "Brat!"

"Miss Lily, inform her father about her new tantrums. I had enough now! I am going back in my room to take out my husband's clothes. Call Ferris to look at his daughter behaviour." With saying that that Diana Kingston walked back to her room, agitated, as she tucked the loose blond strands of her hair behind her ear.

The old house keeper, Mrs Shawn and the babysitter, Lily,  looked at each other in fear and the at the door of young miss Sophia before slowly making there way back to kitchen....

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"Hazel! It had been 2 years since you have come from London to California and still refuse to visit the PUB with us." Dove Dixon exclaimed as she looked at her friend of 2 year, in frustration.

"Dove...you know I just turned 18...and you know my aunt don't like these all thing. She will not like it if I go with you against her." Hazel said helplessly.

She knew how much her aunt dislike all these activities despite being living in Los Angeles, California and belongings to most influential family, she still believes in old traditions and like

to practice them. This was one of the reasons that living with her aunt was not hectic.

She herself belonged to Rye, a village in Eat Sussex, London. Her mother was mentally depressed because of her father's betrayal and their dangerous lifestyle. It didn't took long before her mother started pouring all her anger and frustration on the 14 year old Hazel Lincoln. It was one noon, after school that Hazel entered her house only to meet with silence. Scared, she entered her mother's room only to be left devastated. There on cold floor her mother's body lay with froth coming out of her mouth....

The doctor said, she died of overdose of drug.....

That was first time in Hazel Lincoln life that she felt utterly lonely.

There was no one to console the young girl who sat beside her mother's corpse crying for her to wake up.

For a week, she stayed at her neighbours house, who treated her as anything but human. From washing dishes to sleeping on floor, her small fairytale world was completely shattered.

It was only a week of stay when one day the bell rang and there stood John Lincoln, her father, who betrayed her mother and left them to die in poverty, six months back.

Her father was not a bad man but he didn't wanted her mother or the children from the unwanted women but the fate didn't worked in his favour. He had impregnated her mother and was forced to marry her 14 years back or their families in village would have killed them both for defaming the family name.

Her father was a gangster working for a very bad and powerful mafia group that was based in California.

The mafia group “Mafiosi” was the reason of immense fear in Europe and North America. The group with headcount of 65,000 merciless and vicious beasts......

John Lincoln took her out from one hell only to land her in much worse.....

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“Please Hazel! Just this one time. Please come with us to the club. It’s my birthday after all. Can’t you just do this to me?” Dove screeched as she looked at Hazel Lincoln with puppy eyes.

“Yes Hazel, please come. It’s our birthday and we promise you we will personally drop you back home at 9:00 pm.” Matt Dixson said this time affirmatively.

Hazel thought for a second and then a part in her which was curious of this lifestyle made her nod against the other part that says to follow her aunt rules.

Aunt won’t know.... I will be home by 9:00 pm....

“Uh okay okay! I will come with you on Thursday to the bar but you both promise me we will have no drinks....” she settled her condition in front of them making them gulp in nervousness.

The twins looked at each other and then back their and nodded smiling brightly at her.

Hazel smiled back and after a few gossips headed to the hotel where she works as a part time waitress just to feel herself independent....

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