Twin Flames

⇝ CHAPTER TWO ⇜

Safe House

"Few miles outside of town, my ass," Amelia huffed, eyes narrowing at her surroundings as they delved deeper into the forest. They had been in the car for nearly an hour, no sound except the quiet hum of the jazz station Azrien had turned the radio to. Amelia kept her eyes trained out of the window the entire time, wanting to know exactly how they had gotten to their destination in case she needed to make a hasty escape.

Despite knowing that Azrien and Alizair were sent by her father to protect her, part of her still felt uneasy. After all, she had never met these two before and it was entirely possible for them to be a couple of random goonies her father thought looked big enough and tough enough to protect her.

And Amelia couldn't even be surprised by the way he rushed off the phone. After all, he had been closing her out lately anyway. He was more focused on his work and spent most of his time in his study. It wasn't always like that, Amelia sighed as she remembered what her childhood was like. Before the passing of her mother, the three were inseparable. Her mother stayed at home with her, teaching her everything from the alphabet, to which political policies she considered to be bogus. Her father, when he was home from his political ventures, would play pretend with her and even dress up in different princess outfits, just to see her smile.

After her mother passed, her father changed. He became much more cautious of any threats that could arise against Amelia. He wouldn't let her out of his sight, often leaving her in the care of Mr. Dennis or Bella's father if he wasn't able to be with her. Most friends she tried to bring home at a young age were rejected by her father, and Amelia was certain it was because her father was too fearful of anything that could potentially cause him to lose her.

But as time continued to pass, her father had grown distant. Once she entered college, his entire focus shifted towards his work. Amelia was no longer a priority in her fathers life. They didn't spend time together like they used to, they never ate together or went out together. He holed himself away in his study, working tirelessly on his campaign to stay in office. It had gotten to the point where he would only leave the room to eat and sleep. Everything else was arbitrary. Amelia had tried to ask him why, but was just given the runaround as he attempted to hide behind his job.

Part of her firmly believed that the rift was caused by her appearance. As she grew older, she began to resemble her mother more and more everyday. Her eyes had slowly changed from their formerly hazel hue to a more intense gold color. Her once blonde hair had slowly darkened into a more ashy, chestnut color. Around the time she was 15, eight years after her mother's passing, was when her father started drifting further and further away. Amelia was sure it was no coincidence that at that same time, she had started to become a spitting image of her mother.
But it was also possible that he assumed since she had grown significantly and was becoming her own person, that he had no need to fear for her safety anymore. He had stopped restricting her friends, though she still mostly hung out with Bella regardless. Even when she had casually mentioned the idea of dating, he didn't seem as worried as he might have been when she was younger.

"So when can I see Bella?" Amelia finally broke the unending silence as they parked at what she assumed to be the safe house. When she didn't receive an answer, she rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. Her limbs ached from being cramped in the backseat for so long and a groan of relief left her lips as she stretched herself out.

The safe house, if Amelia could call it that, was what appeared to be a small cottage. It was made with limestone bricks, ones that revealed their age with the layers of moss and vines that encapsulated them. The chimney that might have once stood tall, was nothing more than a decrepit pile of stone, looming dangerously above the cottage. None of the windows seemed to be damaged, though they definitely had their share of years on them.