AnnaDelroy was always the kind of home I sought to be in, a place where I thought I could rebuild my life all over again away from the tyranny of my adoptive family and their troubles. However, the last few months had put me in more danger than I ever imagined I could be in, all because of some group my father joined me in. But now I was too deep in it to turn away. Up until now, I never bothered with anything that concerned my family. Always believed they’d abandoned me, and after Sarah’s and Linda’s trick that night, I completely gave up looking for them. They were too much trouble than I needed. However, with everything that had happened since the time I moved here, all the drama, the attacks, the kidnappings, everything the Circle had done to me and taken from me, it changed something within me. Turned me into a version of myself I couldn’t recognize, but I didn’t care. I needed to become this person. With all the odds stacked against me, I needed to let go of myself and become
AnnaI knew immediately that whatever Rita was planning to do could not be good, but I did not want to create the impression that I was afraid of her. So, I casually ignored her, shifting my gaze away, “If we are done here, then I’ll very much like to be released. I’ve got homework.” I said with a teasing smile.Rita on the other hand, did not seem much convinced by my lack of interest. She turned towards me with a look of intent and then smiled evilly. “I think you’ll be more concerned about this than any homework you may or may not have.”At that point, I could not deny it anymore. I wanted to know what she was planning, I was too curious to ignore the sinister thoughts that she might have had brewing in her mind, especially if they had to do with Mark.“Ask the question, Anna.” She urged.“I know you want to. How do I plan to steal Mark away?” She said and then answered.“It’s quite simple really. I understand that he might not feel the same way or even as strongly as he’s felt to
Jack“F*ck!” Sheila exclaimed kicking the bumper of the car.“We almost had him.” She said and slumped on the ground in devastation.“Anna,” I muttered softly, still feeling puzzled about what just happened.“If we follow him we can cut him off and get back the vial,” Blake said in haste, grabbing his keys, and walking towards the car.I suddenly grabbed him and swung him around, “We can’t do that. You heard him. If we come after him now, Anna loses her life. We can’t let that happen.”Blake’s expression suddenly darkened as he yanked his arm away from mine, “I don’t care what happens to Anna, all I know is that man that you just let escape is responsible for my daughter’s death and I’m not just going to let him drive off, especially with something that gives him more power and influence to destroy more lives. He needs to pay for what he did to us. Now you either join me or you don’t get in my way.” Blake said with a stern gaze and turned to walk towards the car.“What Dad? You’re goi
Jack“Slauson Woods?” I repeated sternly, seeking confirmation. “Yes, yes! Please, just don’t kill me. I’ve told you where you can find her. I can be of much more help to you as well.” George said, trembling in fear.“It’s going to take more than giving us one location for us to spare you, but for now you can continue to be of use to us, so count yourself lucky,” Sheila said and then turned towards me, pulling me aside.“What’s the plan? We need someone to stay with him. We know Edgar isn’t coming back for him, but something tells me he knows more about their plans and can be of help to us. We just need to keep him close and find out everything he knows about Edgar and the people he’s working with within the Circle.” “How are we sure that whatever information we are getting from him will be exact? He could just be spinning lies to us, that will only lead us to a trap so that he can escape. We can’t trust him, Sheila. We’re not even sure that what he’s telling us about Anna is precis
AnnaThe entire elevator ride was filled with tension as we approached the ground floor. My heart was pounding heavily, not from danger, but in fear of what I’d tell Mark if Rita got to him first. I didn’t think I’d have to tell him about my children just yet, not sure if our relationship could accommodate that.We continued down in silence until we reached the ground floor. One of the men shoved me out, leading me towards the main entrance. I felt very confused when we finally emerged from the door I stared into the woods. The last thing I remember is passing out in Logan’s form, so how did I end up here?Slowly, I turned towards the hefty men escorting me, filled with confusion, and asked “Where are we? How do I get to twin from here?” Immediately their gaze turned cold as they shoved me again, “What do we look like, Uber drivers to you? You better start walking and find your way to the road. Except you want to be stuck here in the thunderstorm that’s coming.” He said and then th
Anna “Anna?” He called rushing towards me. He squatted in front of me, quickly taking off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders. At this point, I didn’t need to lift my head to know who it was. It felt like a dream and also like my biggest nightmare. Mark was here. “What are you doing here? How did you end up here?” He asked, his voice shifting between concern and worry. I gulped, still looking down, afraid to look at his face. “Anna? Anna, are you okay?” He repeated, helping me to my feet. “My God, you’re cold.” My hands were trembling, still afraid to look at him, wondering where he came from. Suddenly, he grabbed my chin and slowly turned my face towards his direction. “Are you okay? Say something.” Staring into his familiar blue eyes, I felt my heart breaking at the sight of it, and without any warning, my eyes welled up in tears, my voice quivering as I muttered, still in disbelief, “Mark?” “Yeah, it’s me, Anna.” He replied, smiling at me, “I’m home.” He s
Anna “What were you doing out there anyway?” Mark’s voice resounded in my head as I approached the car. “I just got lost, that’s all,” I answered and without waiting for his response, I quickly stepped into the car. Mark stared at the woods again, scratching his head in confusion, and then heaved a sigh and turned away. Stepping into the car, he ignited the engine and drove off wordlessly. I hunkered my head down on the car headrest, tilting my gaze to the road as we drove towards Mark’s hotel. He did not want anybody to know that he was back home, so decided to stay at the hotel. For some reason, he seemed a little tensed and fidgety and at first I thought it was because I did not give him a proper explanation about what I was doing in the woods. However, I started to notice Mari was putting a lot of effort into hiding his face whenever we approached a security camera or security official. It was at that moment I knew he wasn’t suspicious of me. He was hiding something, some
Anna“The Vial?” I repeated, shocked.“Yes, the vial. It’s…”“My father’s well-kept secret,” I interjected, my mind trailing off.That just means Logan was not kidding. He was working with Edgar. This meant he was also right about something else, the Circle was larger than any of us could have imagined.“How do you know about the vial?” Jack’s words echoed over the phone, breaking me out of my thoughts.“It contains the codes to my father’s wealth and fortune. That’s what Edgar has been looking for all this time, and now he finally has it.” I said, my voice trailing off.“How do you know any of this, Anna?” Jack asked, but just then I heard footsteps echo on the hardwood floor behind me,“Anna do you want to…” Mark said approaching me with a towel wrapped around his waist, and suddenly stopped, his face reflecting confusion.“Is that Mark?” Jack said as I took the phone away from my ear. However, his voice was still echoing from the speaker as I turned around.“Is that Jack?” Mark ask