SheilaI stood frozen as soon as I heard her voice. It sounded just as I’ve always known and I couldn’t bring myself to face her again. “Sheila…” she called again, her footsteps echoing in the distance as she drew closer to me. I knew I’d have to see her when I came here, but never really anticipated how I would feel or anticipated the heavy emotions that would laden my heart.Four years should have been time enough to forgive me for how I left things with her, but here I was, still struck by guilt over the things I said, and the things I didn’t get to.Slowly, I garnered my courage and turned towards her, my heart slowed to a beat, afraid of the way she might look at me.But without saying a word, Samantha continued towards me and then threw her arms around me, “I can’t believe it’s you. It’s really you,” she cried softly, her vision blurring with tears.“Hi Mom, it’s me,” I replied, trying to keep my tears away.“Wh-what are you doing here honey? And what about your brother, did h
SheilaBlake’s statement caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect the man to help, or to even know anything about George Logan.“What do you know about George?” I asked, raising my brows in curiosity, but Blake was never one to talk too much. He turned and was about to walk away when I suddenly grabbed his hand, stopping him in his tracks,“What do you know Dad?” I repeated firmly.Heaving a deep sigh, he turned towards me, “I think, I can show you more than I can tell you.” He uttered, pulling back his arm and just walking away.I hesitated for a few moments and then followed him. We took the staircase down to the basement and Blake stopped at the door, casting me a look that made me anxious about what he was going to show me.“Are you sure you want to see this?” He asked, and for a moment, I could see a trace of concern on his face.“If it will help me find George, then I want to see it,” I replied boldly. Without another word, Blake turned the lock and walked inside. As soon as I w
SheilaMy knees weakened when I heard that George was responsible for Lydia’s death. Suddenly, all the anger and pain I’d kept buried within surged through me as Blake’s words replayed in my head.“Why didn’t you say anything when you found out?” I snapped, turning towards Blake.He scoffed dryly and turned away, “What did you think I was going to do? Tell you both about it, then sit back and watch as you guys mess up everything and ruin my chances of ever getting my revenge on this man?Besides, you both were excommunicated from the family. There was no way I would implicate myself by getting you involved in my operation.” He replied, taking another sip of his wine.I threw my hands in the air in frustration and then continued looking through the other pictures in the room. Scanning through, I tried to pick out any detail of George’s current location. I could tell that Blake hadn’t found him yet, if he did, he wouldn’t have brought me down here. My eyes darted across the room, analy
SheilaPulling out my phone, I immediately called Jack. There was only one man I knew I could call to get Anna’s old house, The Brown’s location, Luke Johnson.Crossing my fingers, I hoped Jack was still with him in the hospital, knowing fully well that as soon as Luke became conscious again, he would try to reach out to George, and everything I knew now and could use to find George might be ruined if the man knew that we were after him.Jack’s phone rang for a few minutes and then the line went dead. I started panicking immediately, imagining the worst but then decided to try his number again. Glancing at the picture again, my heart raced and then Jack answered,“Jack!” I exclaimed with harrowed breaths“What’s the matter, Sheila? You just left us in the middle of nowhere? Where are you and why do you sound that way?” He asked,“There’s no time, Jack, so I’m going to need you to listen closely. Don’t get mad, but I had no other choice.” I started,“What are you talking about?” Jack
JackI will not say I was comfortable with Sheila going back home to seek help from our father. Even now that I knew that he wasn’t exactly the reason for our sister’s death, I still hated the man. Blake had made my life a living hell growing up, and there was just no getting past that, but I had to let go of my reservations right now. This was our chance to be one step ahead of George and Edgar and I couldn’t afford to mess that up, even if it meant working with Blake again.Heaving a deep sigh, I shifted my gaze towards Luke, who was still lying unconscious on the hospital bed.I had to break him out of the hospital without notice, which seemed a lot more difficult at the moment than any stealth mission I’d been on.“Damn you Sheila, you couldn’t have called me before we already brought him in?” I groaned softly.Just then, Anna walked in with a bottle of soda in her hand, and an idea suddenly lit up in my head. Sheila had asked me to keep this away from Anna as well, and I had to
JackMy heart was racing immediately after we stepped out of the room. If any doctor stopped us from asking me questions right now, my attempts to leave would be over before it even started.Still, I kept my head down and continued pushing the stretcher slowly until we were out of the hospital.Sheila and I were supposed to meet at the safe house and so without wasting time, I entered my car and drove there.It didn’t take long for me to get there. I was still in the car a few minutes later when my phone blared suddenly.I didn’t need to look at the screen to know who it was. By now she must have been back from the drug room and realized that Luke and I were already gone.I decided to ignore the call, but Anna was persistent. As soon as my phone stopped ringing, she followed through with another call, forcing me to put my phone in DND. I knew she would be pissed, but it would be easier to apologize later.Drawing a deep breath, I peered through the black tints of my car, at the conven
JackLuke’s face was filled with horror the moment he heard my statement. “Wh-what do you mean you found them?” He asked, his voice trembling.“Mr. Johnson, I’m a man who has lots of ways and resources to find people. Certainly you didn’t think that I wouldn’t find them, did you? Now that you’re caught up, I think it’s time you and I reach some kind of agreement, and I will suggest you stop trying to find ways out of it. No one is coming to save you.” I said with a darkened expression and marched towards Luke with the syringe.“Hey… hey! What are you doing? Stop! Stop!! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, just don’t use that thing on me.” He cried desperately and I stopped just a few inches away from him.I was never going to use this syringe on him until I got what I was after, the whole point of this was to scare him enough to agree to work with me, and seeing as he was about to piss his pants, it seemed my plan had worked.“It’s not what I need you to tell me, Mr. Johnson, it
SheilaMy mind was filled with so much confusion when Blake showed me that picture of George and Edgar standing with someone he claimed to be a third member of their association.However, what troubled me a lot more was the fact that the man looked a lot like Anna’s boyfriend Mark. I couldn’t fathom or even want to believe that he was working with Edgar all this time to try and steal Anna’s wealth and position. It didn’t make any sense.My mind was still perplexed until Blake mentioned that George and Edgar were planning to kill him in a car explosion and make it look like an accident.It was at that moment, that my doubts began to surface. Even if Mark chose to betray Anna by working with George and Edgar, it was hard to imagine that he would choose to work with people whom he knew would only turn against him in the end. Something was amiss. However, there was no time to investigate this and find the truth, so I quickly took a picture and left after I got Jack’s call that he was read
The day of reckoning had arrived. In a few minutes now, Anna and her troop will be taking Edgar and his men by surprise. The stage had been set with everyone working together to end Edgar’s tyranny.Under the cover of the night, Anna, Mark, Jack, and their allies positioned themselves near Edgar’s main hideout. Zach had fed them crucial information about the hideout's layout and where Edgar and George would likely be during the operation. Armed and ready, they moved swiftly, slipping through shadows and avoiding detection.As they closed in, Anna felt a mix of fear and exhilaration. She knew this confrontation would determine everything—her role in The Circle, her fate, and Mark’s future with his family. She glanced at him, catching his gaze, and a silent understanding passed between them. Finally, they reached the inner sanctum, silently taking down Edgar’s security guards, until they reached where Edgar and George were having a conversation. The two men looked surprised but quickly
As Mark prepared to find his brother, Zach, he couldn’t help but feel a mixture of fear and hope. Although he had agreed to work with Anna, he wasn’t convinced she understood just how deep the roots of The Circle ran or how much any of this had affected him. However, seeing how resolved she was to take down Edgar had swayed him, and he knew that, for his brother’s sake, he had to give her plan a chance.Meanwhile, after Anna walked out of the room, she now decided to contact Jack. As soon as he picked up, she explained her suspicions about The Circle and how their influence might reach farther than even she had initially thought, informing him that she needed him now more than ever. A few hours passed and Mark arrived at a small, dimly lit bar where Zach was known to spend his evenings. Immediately he walked in, he spotted Zach sitting at the far end of the bar, looking troubled. Mark approached him slowly, and as soon as he sat down, he placed a firm hand on his brother's shoulder.
Author’s POV“So you’re telling me that you are not just a part of an evil organization that has been around for years, but you are also the head?” Mark asked, staring at Anna in disbelief. “I know this is difficult to process, but it is the truth. But we are not all like Edgar.” Anna said.“Right…” Mark scoffed.“No, I mean it. We don’t all want the same thing. The Circle has been in operation for years, working to maintain the balance and smooth operation of the surface world. Edgar and his associates are the only ones with the ideals that things need to change, and that for some reason they are the ones to affect that change. That’s why we are fighting them. We are trying to retain order and balance in this world.”“And how do you do that, huh?”“Tell me, Anna, does it involve letting the people up here decide for their lives or does your organization plan out the course of their lives?” Mark asked with a pruning look.“I don’t know about that, I’ve not been a member for long.” A
Author’s POV“What?” Mark recoiled in shock.“Who could have done that?” Anna hesitated for some moments, afraid of how he would take the news. “Tell me, Anna.” He demanded.“Zach!” Anna blurted. “Your brother Zach did.”Mark staggered for some time, trying to process what I had just said. “Are you serious?” He asked, still in disbelief.“I am,” Anna said softly. Mark remained frozen in place for some time, deep in contemplation. I could imagine how difficult this was for him to hear. Zach was a lot and had caused a lot of problems, but at the end of the day, he was still his brother. “I can’t believe this,” Mark muttered and immediately started searching through his drawers.“What are you doing?” Anna asked, to no reply.“What are you doing Mark?” She asked again. “What does it look like I’m doing?” Mark snapped irritably.“I’m going down to have a conversation with my brother and give him the chance to explain how he almost got me killed.” He raged and grabbed his car key.Ann
Author’s POVThose words filled Anna with a sudden dread. She hoped that somehow Mark would not ask her that because she still wasn’t sure who the father of her children truly was. There was that stranger from that night, and then there was Luke. For all she knows, it could have been either of them.Seeing how hesitant she was, Mark asked again,“Is the father still in the picture Anna? What happened with him?” At that point, Anna quickly turned around, “He’s not in the picture and that’s all that I can say. I don’t really like to talk about him.” She said, her heart beating out of her chest.Much to her surprise, Mark did not ask anything concerning him again. He waited for some time and then his lips curved into a smile,“I’d like to meet them.” As soon as she heard these words, Anna’s eyes widened in shock.“I’m sorry. You want to meet…”“Your children,” Mark interjected. “Is that okay with you?” He added.Anna remained frozen for some moments, her thoughts running wild. This w
Author’s POVUpon hearing that, Mark’s face reddened with humiliation. He didn’t think she would figure it out, but she was right, he was afraid. After Lydia died in that car accident, Mark had spent his entire life afraid of being abandoned, and that fear resurfaced when he learned of Anna’s children.“No Anna, the issue here is that you could not trust me. I’ve already been down that road once with Mia, and I don’t want to be in another relationship where my girlfriend is keeping secrets from me.” He argued.As much as he had a point, Anna was still not convinced. She knew Mark was trying to change the course of their conversation and she would not let him.She shot him a soft gaze and slowly walked toward him, “I know it’s not easy to admit Mark, and I know that I shouldn’t have kept this away from you for so long, but I am afraid too.” Anna said and Mark’s eyes shot up with curiosity.Anna heaved a deep sigh and continued, “When I first came into town, I didn’t know what I was goi
Anna“Who’s there?” Mark’s voice sounded through the door.I hesitated to answer. One word from me and he’d be calling the guards to throw me out, or at least that’s what I thought, so I knocked again and waited a while for his answer. This time he did not bother to say anything, and after waiting for a while, I knocked again.“I already told you, Rita, I don’t need anything!” His voice echoed in annoyance as he approached the door, and unlocked it.As soon as his gaze met mine, he froze in shock for some moment, unable to find the words to say anything.“Anna?”“Wh-what are you doing here?” Mark asked, and immediately his brows creased into a deep frown.“Mark, I just want to talk…” I started to say, but he rudely cut me off.“I don’t have anything to say to you.” He replied coldly and tried to close the door, but I quickly put my feet through the doorframe, stopping him.He shot one look at me and sighed heavily, turned his back, and walked inside the room, leaving me at the door.
Anna“You want my advice? Go for it.” I said, encouraging Jack. Deep down I knew it was a selfish act. As much as I hoped that he’d find love somewhere else, a part of me wanted to believe what it told him about Anna, that deep down she did not still harbor any feelings toward Mark. I’d hate to be in competition with my sister over a man we both wanted. Jack seemed flustered when I said that. I could tell he hoped that no one would spot his feelings toward Chloe, especially not the girl he was just trying to get over.Still, he managed to keep his composure and quickly tried to change the focus,“You should try taking your own advice with Mark. I know I’ve not always made your relationship with him easy, and I apologize for the part I played in that. But whatever this thing is between you and Mark, it’ll be a shame if you both fall out.” He said.“Jack, what happened between Mark and I is not because of you. He just couldn’t stand the honesty he wanted.” I said, pushing the bangs on
“Mark and I used to date.” The words echoed in my head like I was reliving a nightmare. I froze in shock, not sure what to say or how to even react. Deep down, I couldn’t help but dismiss the thought that this was the relationship Chloe and Mark shared, but I always tried to convince myself it wasn’t anything like that. Mark never talked a lot about her even after we met at that party, and I just assumed there was nothing much to say about an old friend.Now I see I was just trying to keep my thoughts away from a fear I didn’t want to have to face.However, I couldn’t understand why Chloe chose to tell me at this point and why Mark never said anything. Was he hiding something about their relationship? I didn’t know Chloe was my sister then, and I’m sure he didn't know either. Certainly, I wouldn’t have minded much about a girl he dated in the past, and at this point, I was convinced he was hiding something.As much as it should have felt good that I now had something to call him out