One

One

Celine Clifford laid on the bed In her room, having a terrible night mare just like she do every night.

She clutched the sheets tightly, sweating profusely and also muttering some words which only she could hear.

"No! No! Don't go, don't go, don't cross the street....stop her please"she cried out still dreaming.

She could see her self waiting for the traffic light to change so she could Cross to the other street.

As soon as it did, she ran across only to see a car coming straight at her and then she woke up.

Celine laid on the bed for a while and looked around her In a daze.

"It's still the same old dream"she muttered as she sat up putting the sheets away.

She got up and went to stand by the window starring out side.

It's been a year, a year already and that day still terrifies her, she thought as she stood starring at the sky.

It had been the worst day of her life, the day she lost some thing so dare and precious to her and maybe that is why she keeps on dreaming of that day, she thought as she stared down at the garden only to see some Workers decorating the garden 

"Just what is going on? Will there be a party? "She muttered and just then the door opened to reveal Stacey her house keeper

"What the hell is going on?" Celine yelled at her angrily 

"You have already seen it! I was just about to explain to ......"

"Just stop babbling and tell me what is going on ?"she yelled at Stacey who stood feeling frightened 

"Well...your step father told us to do it, he....made it clear that he wanted to use the mansion for his par......"

"How dare he!!! Who does he think he is and how dare you accept such a thing, didn't I make it clear that I don't want them to step their foot into this mansion!" She yelled at her 

  

"Am sorry Celine, I did......"

"What? Did you just call me by my name?"Celine  asked starring at  her and Stacey  flinched.

"I didn't mean to do that , am sorry Miss Celine"Stacey begged 

"Just because we were once friends in the past doesn't give you the right to  address me that way?"

"Am sorry,it won't happen again, I will always remember to know my place"she said softly.

"Am glad to hear that" Stacey said as  she began to limp out of the room.

"Where are you going miss Celine?"Stacey asked but she  didn't bother to give her a response.

She got to where the lift was situated only to find it not working.

"It's the maintenance day and the engineer working on it have switched it off so it......."

"Fire them!" She said as  she began to head to the stairs 

"What?  But Miss Celine you...."

"Do you wish to be fired too?" Celine questioned angrily and Stacey Shaked off her head in response.

"I was only going to ask if you  could use the stairs, your leg......."she stopped abruptly when she saw that she was crossing the line.

"What about my leg? Oh! Just like the bloody rest, you think of me as an handicap? Just because am now limping, you think of me as an invalid?" She said gently 

"It's Not that Miss Celine....I ....I didn't mean it that......"

"Watch me closely and see that am not useless as you all think !" Celine said as she began to descend the stairs as gently as she could.

She was going down the stairs when the voice of two gossipy maid stopped her 

"I will admit that she was a very a good runner "One said softly 

"Of course she was, she had won numerous awards for being the best runner during the female competition, back then she had been approachable, kinder and much more sweeter but all that changed when she got Injured"another replied 

"That's why she is a monster! That's why she treats every one like dirt, don't you think that her Nick name fits her so well"

"Of course it does, a ice queen, well I think the queen should be removed and instead monster should be added , the ice monster, what do you think" the both of them laughed out together.

Stacey began to head towards them but Celine stopped her.

She kept on limping down the stairs and that was when they noticed her presence,on seeing her arrive they stopped talking and stood starring down.

Celine limped towards them and stopped right in front of them.

"Go...good morning Miss Celine"They both greeted looking scared

Celine took their cell phone and saw that they were starring at a video of her past competition and in anger she threw the phone on the floor causing it to shatter into pieces.

"That's a new phone !"The other yelled out as she ran to pick up the broken phone 

"Am so angry!"Celine said softly 

"Why did you have to break my phone?"the maid yelled out in anger 

"The name is tacky !" Celine said and they all stared at Celine 

"Ice monster! It's a tacky name, a name that is as tacky as you two, you should have chosen a better name and I might have like it  better but you chose a stupid one"Celine said

"We didn't mean it that way Miss Celine"the other one said 

"Have been watching you two for a while now and I saw  and heard what you said , the only defect I have is in my leg not my ear"  she said angrily

"We didn't mean it that way Miss Celine!"

"You shouldn't have made me seen you guys! I would have liked it if you kept on talking behind my back.  You two are fired!" She said as she began to descend the stairs.

"You really are a witch, you deserve what happened to you, you will keep on being a handicap for the rest of your life"the maid whom Celine had threw her phone away yelled out angrily 

"You don't have to tell me, I already know that am damned already"Celine replied giving the girl a smile which surprised the girl .

She got out side and went straight to the garden to see most of her staff all getting the garden decorated.

This shouldn't be happening, not in her father house.

"What the hell are you all doing!"Celine yelled at them and on seeing her, they all formed a queue apart from event planner hired by her step father 

"What are you all doing instead of cleaning up the house!"she yelled again.

"You must be Miss Celine, well am Rose, am the event planner of....."

"Save me the boring talk and just get the hell out of my house!"Celine yelled at her 

"Your step father have given me the permission to ......"

"This house belongs to me and as long as I live here, I won't let any event be planned, so if you don't want me to lose the dogs on you, get out of here, right this minute"Celine said and on hearing the lady along with her colleague left the house 

Celine gave her workers one last look and began to head back 

"What will happen to them?"Stacey asked 

"What else? Fire them all" she replied

How dare them work for her step father with out her permission, who hired them and who the hell are they working for ! She thought as she got to the entrance of the house.

"Miss Celine! Please don't fire me, my mom is at the hospital and it's the money I get from working here that I use in paying her bill" a maid said as she knelt in front of me, holding my hand 

"If you work some where else, you will be able to pay her fee" Celine replied 

"You pay well Miss Celine, you pay well and that is why I can't afford to be fired" she said crying 

"You should have thought of that before going against my wishes, find another way to pay for your mother bill".

"But that's so cruel Celine, let the girl stay ! Can't you see that she needs the money " Stacey said 

"One more word Stacey and you will be fired"Celine replied 

"I just don't care! I don't care any more, that accident might have made you this way but I know that deep down you are still the Celine I knew....."

"Wrong! The Celine you knew died a year ago , you will just have to put up with this......"

"Watch out Celine!"Stacey yelled as she ran towards her pushing her out of harm way and while the heavy flower vase fell on the floor, Celine and also Stacey fell on the floor too.

For a while, Celine went deaf and when she could hear again, it was the sound of the workers asking her if she was alright.

Some one did that on purpose, some one just tried to kill me now. She thought as she finally gave in and lost consciousness.

***********************************************"

"Finally you made it!" Zack, the owner and founder of the body guard agency where I worked said as he looked at Nick  certificate

"After months of training hard, I deserve to be awarded as the best" Nick replied as he stared at Zack who kept on starring at his result 

"You did well my boy, I knew you will certainly make me proud "Zack said giving him a tap 

"I had to, after all you helped me when I needed it a year ago and I made a vow to pay you some how and now that I have my certificate and as soon as I start working, I  will certainly pay you back for every thing "Nick responded softly 

" Well you can get the chance to repay me back "He said softly 

"How ?"

"Well I landed with a some one ,he turns out to be some one powerful and as it is,he needs our services in protecting in his family, most especially his step daughter " Zack said 

"But I thought that I will be working along side you"Nick said 

"You are just new in this. I can't let you work with me yet, you would have to gain more experience first and  by being the guard to the daughter of Bruce Denvers, you will be getting more experience"

"So I have to guard a female" Nick asked feeling a bit down 

"Yes you would have to, you see Brice Denvers daughter is a unique girl, according to what he said,  she hides things from him and keeps to her self by living alone in that ghastly mansion, you will be Brice Denvers eyes and ears and soon as you begin to work for him " Zack said 

"That's more like spying on the girl" 

"It isn't and we have to do work on this, it's our biggest job ever, we need the money we get from it Nick"

"Why?"

"The company is going down the drain,we hardly get more customers, Brice agreed to fund our company as long as he gets some one watching over his step daughter, you are the only one I can trust on this and I haven't told the others  that we are going through this problem"He said looking desperate

"Please Nick do this for me and the company,have worked all my life just to make this company work, I can't watch it go down the drain"He begged 

"Fine then, you know I will do it, you don't have to beg me, after all  I owe you a lot, all I have to do is just to protect the daughter of this Bruce Denvers and also to get back to him with every thing she does" Nick 

"His step daughter"Zack corrected 

"Fine then, I just have to protect her right! then tell me more about this girl that am protecting "Nick asked softly 

"We have been invited to a charity function by Bruce Denvers, you will be meeting her tonight "he replied.

***********************************************

"You didn't do it properly, you said that vase weighed a lot and that once it fell on her, she would die!"the unknown voice said through the phone 

"I thought so too but it seems like she is lucky, it didn't hit her because she missed "the other person on the line replied 

"Do what you can to see that that girl die, I dont know how you will achieve that but I want result, she knows too much and once she talks, it will be ruin for us all"He said 

"I will deal with it tonight sir, a party will be held at the mansion,every one will be distracted and I would use that opportunity to finish her for good "

"Good, I will be waiting for results and that result should come tonight"  He said and switch off the phone.

To Be Continued...