Caught Unaware

Chapter 1

                                                              COSTA RICA

A warm breeze bent palms that surrounded a beautiful two-story home occupied by a family sitting around a large oak table enjoying their dinner as the stars glittered in the night sky. The family consisted of a man and two women; a husband, his wife and his loving daughter. To potential onlookers they seemed happy, taking bites of a perfectly prepared olla de carne, the air above them smelling of the roast and vegetables it contains.

Forks clinked gently against the decorative china with each bite, a soft *tink* filled the atmosphere every few seconds as the collective three took glances and sideways smiles in turn, as though it were all rehearsed. The father took a moment after a bite and cleared his throat.

"So, kiddo, you looking forward to the Chicharrones Fair next week?" Before his daughter could answer, however, the sound of a fork hitting a china plate caused them both to turn to face the mother.

"Amelia has gone to each and every one since we moved to the area. She keeps going and I'll have to pour ipecac into her morning shake to make sure she doesn't end up fat and disgusting and alone her whole life."

"Harriet," the young lady at her side said quietly. "Mother, my name isn't Amelia, it's Harriet." Her father looked at her knowingly before glancing down with sudden interest at his plate. His daughter looks more intently at her, shifting in her seat while she gained her composure from her mother's outburst.

"And yes, daddy, I plan on attending the Chicharrones Fair. It's the best thing to happen in the area each year and I love the --"

"Named for my own mother, you were, Amelia." her mother spoke out again.

"Harriet, Mother. You are Nancy, my father is Benjamin and MY NAME IS-- ," her daughter went to go into an exasperated, repeated speech that was tiring at this point when her father interrupted.

"Perhaps, Nancy, you should go lie down and rest for the night, huh? Don't forget, you have Tasha's baby shower to attend to tomorrow and you are going to host, my love," he reached for his beloved wife of almost thirty years when she batted his hand away before rising from her seat.

"What's the point?! It's all fake, it's all fake and I'm sick of it!" Her husband rose quickly from his seat and grasped her shoulders gently, pulling her to him in an attempt to calm her before the neighbors could hear her outburst.

"I can't live like this, Benjamin! You can't expect me to live like this forever, it has to change! It all has to change or I'm going to lose my mind!"

Her daughter jumped up at her mother's side as her father tried coaxing her to calm down, walking her away from any open windows towards her room on the upper level. The beautiful meal laid still on the table, half eaten until two women emerged from a back room and began clearing the table, righting the blue cloth that covered it and bringing it to pristine condition once again, as though no one had been there in the first place.

***

The young woman shut the door to her room and leaned against it, closing her eyes and raising her face in exhaustion and fatigue. Her mother was having more and more outbursts as time went on. She turned and leaned her ear against the door. Her parents were still arguing, her mother raising her voice and her father lowering his, hushing her and attempting to reason with her.

She shook her head and began changing into her night clothes, her wicker hamper closed tight after she tossed her dinner wardrobe into it. As she walked toward her bed and sleep away this awful night, she thought she heard a noise above her head. There was no attic to the home, so the sound confused her, then alerted her when she heard another, and then another. It seemed as though there were footsteps on her roof, leading towards her parents' room.

She froze, not moving until the sounds were farther away from her. She took a breath, shut off her light and quickly walked to her parents' room where they were arguing, still, behind their own closed door. She raised a hand to knock when she heard the sound of breaking glass, her mother's screams and gunshots.  Tears sprung to her eyes as she realized what took place, when she realized she would never see her parents alive again. 

"Find the girl," a deep, muffled voice ordered.

Frightened, the daughter took off to her room once more, closing the door quietly and looking around frantically for a place to hide. She contemplated hiding under the bed but went into her closet instead. She closed the door to the spacious storage place and tucked herself to the side, close to the far wall where the light wouldn't reach quite so well. She closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle.

She held her breath and willed her heart to still when she heard her door open and the soft footsteps of an intruder entered her private space. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of her face as the stranger walked toward her bed, no doubt lifting the delicate bedspread to see if she had hidden underneath.

"Hey, dirtbag," a gruff voice called from the direction of her door way and she heard two shots ring out, causing her to clamp her hands over her ears and cry out uncontrollably.

"Casey!!" a woman's voice called from the hallway.

"Here," the voice from the room answered back.

"Tiberius and Romana are in the master bedroom," she heard a third voice say conversationally, though out of breath to his companions. "I flashed and took out the two bad guys but... We were too late for them. No sign of-"

She strained her ears for any more of the conversation but it seemed curiously cut off. She stood and pressed her ear to the door of the closet, holding her breath and waiting for whatever was going to happen next. A few moments passed and she let out a breath, relaxing in the darkness and trying to make sense of the events that took place just moments before.

She reached for the doorknob when it was yanked open and she was staring into the barrel of a military-issued assault rifle held by a large, unyielding man. A woman with long, blonde hair stood off to his side, behind him, holding out a hand gun as though she was his back up. As the two of them realized who they were pointing their weapons at, they relaxed and pulled back their weapons out of the startled woman's face, stepping back and looking at each other.

The face of a man, younger than the one holding the assault rifle, appeared at the shoulder of his companion. He smiled at her, holding his palm up as though waving to her in greeting.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Agent Chuck Bartowski. This big guy here is Colonel John Casey, and that breath-taking bombshell beauty-"

"Chuck," said the woman he was about to introduce. She gave him a pointed look but it wasn't without a hint of smile that even the wealthy socialite daughter could see in the half-lighted room. Agent Bartowski raised both hands in defense and responded with a wink:

"Alright, alright. This gorgeous-"

"Agent Sarah Walker," the blonde woman interrupted, smiling kindly to the frightened woman.

"Yeah, that's... That's what I was going for. My goodness, with the rude..."

Colonel Casey cleared his throat and Agent Bartowski looked at the woman still standing in the closet.

"Your mom and dad," Agent Walker addressed the woman. "They were here under the pretenses of being Nancy and Benjamin Vanderhorf, right? And that makes you Harriet Vanderhorf, also known as Amelia Cershaw, daughter of Tiberius and Romana Cershaw?"

Amelia nodded, tears threatening to overcome her once more at the sound of her parents' genuine names.

"Great!" Agent Bartowski said, clapping his hands together in a dramatic gesture. " We are with the CIA. And we are here to take you back to our base until we can find a place to keep you safe from the people that just tried to assassinate you. We call it the 'Castle.' I'm sure you'll find it comfortable."