BERYL

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"What the heck is this?" I whispered under my breath, examining the bright pink ballgown I was dressed in. I propped myself up on the king-sized bed. " How on earth, what the hell!?" The gown had a few peach-ish butterflies randomly sewn onto the off-shoulder straps, the bodice of the dress hugged my slim waist making me look smaller than I really was. The dress also had 3D flowers near the hem.

I had always loved ballgowns, you know the Cinderella kind. They made me look like a princess, feel like one too but, the thought that someone had undressed me and fit me into a gown without my approval made me nauseous. I swear I felt like I was in a dream. The room was enormous and had been well decorated with luxurious looking items. As I hopped off the bed, I noticed a pair of glittery high heeled shoes neatly placed at the foot of the bed. If this was a dream I might as well enjoy myself. They were a perfect fit. Slowly, I began to twirl around the room admiring the beauty of the place. At least I am not tied to a chair in some creepy basement I thought to myself.

Something in the doorway caught my attention, making me stop and stare. " Yo ... you... You look wonderful." he stuttered. He looked nothing like the boy I grew up with yet there he was standing in the doorway in a neat black tux. The scruffy, nerdy, clumsy Skyler was standing up straight with his hair neatly combed and his face spotless!

" Thank you". I answered as I studied his face carefully. He seemed relaxed. I gently smiled, gently held up my dress and calmly moved toward him. " I am sure you have a lot of questions I promise I will..." he began but was cut short by the pain burning up in his cheek. *smack* I hit him one more time before he could try to raise his head. " You too! You are one of them too! How could you!" I yelled as I grabbed his hair and hit his head against the wall. " Sam, I can explain " he breathed grabbing his nose. "Let's talk about it please."

" Talk about how you have been lying to me all these years!?" I swung my fist, aiming it at his face. He quickly dodged the blow, grabbed my arm and locked it. " Sammy, calm down, I am not the bad guy here I'm just trying to help."  

I pulled my shoulder and elbow close to me, twisted my arm and freed myself from his hold. Instinctively he blocked the next few attacks but, I managed to strike him in his abdomen. He bent over in pain before swiftly sweeping my feet off the floor, making me fall back flat onto the cold marble floor. "When did you get so aggressive and so strong ?" he asked hovering above me. 

"Since when did you become a liar?" I snapped back  grabbing  his foot and making him fall backward . I climbed on top of him  sure I had pinned him to the ground. He used my own power against me rolling me over so he was now on top of me and pinned my hands above my head.

"Samantha , What happened to you?" he said slightly out of breath. " What happened to my sweet calm and loving Samantha ?  I know she is in there somewhere,  what  must I do to get my sunshine back?" his voice slightly lower than before. His words caught me off-guard. Slowly I had loosened my  grip. Studying him carefully. His pupils fully dilated . His hair had fallen perfectly highlighting his strong jawline . Slowly, he inched closer. His lips grazed mine. I felt like fireworks were erupting on my skin. His warm breath now in perfect sync  with mine. " Skyler" I whispered softly my eyes fluttering.   Opening  my hands  as he placed his in mine never taking his eyes off mine.

"What is going on in here!" yelled Alice  from the doorway.  Startled by her presence both of us scrambled to get up.

 " Alice?" I snarled at my so-called mother.

" Watch your tone young lady" she reprimanded, " fix your face and follow me." she said side-eyeing Skyler. My face still hurt from the slap she gave me the other day so, I dared not rebel.

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"What's this?" I asked, staring at the file she slammed onto the desk in front of me. " open it" she said. On the first page was a report with a small picture of my father attached to the corner. I gasped and looked at her. She nodded and I turned my attention back to the file. My eyes focused on the words highlighted in red they read:

Fugitive: Thomas Ashworth wanted dead or alive.

The words felt like an arrow in my heart. What made me feel worse was the unbelievable body count he had under his name. 36 486 people died at the hand of my father! " he is not who you think he is Sammy, he works for bad guys your father is an assassin and a thief." said mother softly. " I couldn't stand by and watch them turn you into a monster too," she said gently patting me on the back.

I felt numb. Why did it have to be me? What did I do to deserve such a life?

" If he is a thief what does that make you?" I managed to ask. My chest tightened in anticipation of her answer. She sat down beside me and smiled gently. " I work for the national intelligence agency. We keep the country safe. I know I shouldn't have forcibly taken you away from Amber the way I did and I apologize for that. I just want to make sure you are safe I won't force you into something you don't want to do. It's up to you to decide if you want to join our agency or live a 'normal' life under protection."

Skyler cleared his throat still pressing an ice pack against his nose.

" you are probably wondering why you are dressed like this. " she gestured at my outfit. An important gala is taking place here tonight, all the bigshots of the dark agencies gather to discuss and plan future events like terrorist attacks or new recruits. "

I side-eyed her before reluctantly questioning " what does that have to do with me?" Before say could say a word, Skyler interjected.

" Alice i don't think she is ready for this" Mom instantly narrowed her eyes at the use of her name. Skyler shrugged in his chair. " she will be fine because you are not going to leave her side." said Alice.

" You just have to blend into the crowd and make your way out with Skyler, he will make sure you are safe."

I nodded. This is perfect! I can use this to escape from this mess once and for all. Start afresh. I let her wipe my face clean and fix my hair . " it's good to see you smile." She whispered before cupping my face and giving me a kiss on the forehead. " This will all be over soon, I promise."