Allison's POV
I'm still in the closet, shaken from what occurred a few minutes ago. I should run away from the house, yet I'm too scared to go outside. What if the men are outside? What if the call and the door sound were tricks to get me to reveal myself? With those thoughts lingering in my mind, I conclude that I'll stay here until my dad comes back, drifting in and out of sleep.
I've been here forever, and I finally decide to come out and freshen up, perhaps. I have to remind myself that I am not like my mother, a paranoid woman. It is possible that I imagined those footsteps last night, right? Or were they real?
My chest heaves as I summon the courage, hesitantly poking the closet door and slowly opening it to reveal my empty room. I wish I had my phone; I'd have called 911 or my dad. But I was not allowed to have a phone for calls or connecting with anyone. I only have a tablet that is strictly for education—home schooling and research.
I use it to write sometimes.
"Come out, Allison. It's not that hard. There's no one in the house," I assure myself, taking a deep breath. Though my room is still darkened by the night, the moon's light shimmers delicately, casting shadows on everything. "I really should sleep in my bed," I tell myself, trying to sound not so stupid.
As my back hits my soft bed, I sigh in relief, staring at my ceiling and the 3D epoxy illustration of the sky visible in the night. My life feels ruined, lonelier than ever. I wonder how my mom is feeling right now; she must be so scared.
That's when I hear it... the double click of the door. Without thinking, I jump out of bed, searching for a weapon to prepare for whoever has come back to accost me, and I find my wooden sword. Yet deep down, I'm hoping this person is my father.
I listen carefully, waiting for footsteps to approach me. I'm holding my breath, my back pressed against the stone wall beside my door, gripping the sword at the hilt. My heart is racing so insanely that I fear it'll burst. I'm even standing on my toes for no goddamn reason.
Remember your lessons with her! Once the door flings open, let your reflexes take charge with perfect calculation. I remind myself over and over, chanting the words like a mantra.
But the more I listen carefully, the more I embrace the idea that my mind has played tricks on me. I must look really stupid if someone took a picture of me right now. Perhaps my mother's influence and my fantasy books are beginning to weigh down on me.
Just as I'm about to lower my guard, the hairs on my neck stand erect as I hear a few thuds on the staircase approaching me. What's with this inconsistency of footsteps? Am I going mad? Imagining things? I pull the sword closer to my chest, readying myself for my intruders.
"Come in already..." I whisper in frustration, almost moving to tears as I'm being toyed with.
Aha... I can feel a brooding presence at the other end of the door, heat brimming toward me. The doorknob turns from the other side, and as soon as my door opens, I let out a battle cry and launch at the intruder, striking him in the arm with my wooden sword.
The big guy, who is thankfully not my father, lets out a painful yelp, yet I know my strike has done nothing to disable him. He recovers and comes at me on purpose, and now I do not have the charm of taking him by surprise. He wants to hurt me. I'm nimble on my feet, watching my prey smile dauntingly.
"Fiery, ain't you..." The man compliments me, his yellow teeth glistening under the moon, and his bad breath sending me into a state of utter horror.
He rushes forward to capture me like I'm a fly, but I dodge him effortlessly, appearing behind him to land a swift kick on his back, causing him to crash into my closet. He lets out another yelp, this time in shock, his eyes bearing anger and fear. I am about to pat myself on the back when I look out my door and see two other men being entertained by my duel.
Three men in total. How do I take them on?
"When he said he had a daughter... I was not expecting a full-grown woman, brother," one of the two men outside my door declares in excitement, grinning like an idiot.
I can barely see their faces, especially the one with a hat. Why is my heart thundering against my chest just looking at him? I'm straining my eyes to get a picture of his features, but I'm stuck with his build and alluring manly scent mixed with his strong, yet subtle perfume that stands out. Oh my goodness, he does stand out dangerously, from head to toe, how he towers above everyone, his athletic build commanding strength, his calmness as he watches me from under his hat, and his dragon head shoes shimmering under the moon's light.
The one that had just spoken bears similar qualities to the dangerous one, except he looks like a blurry scanned version.
"Stay away from me... All of you!" I scream at them, my voice sounding embarrassingly high for a warning. Yet I'm putting my courage into my posture, pointing my wooden sword at my intruders.
"Take her," the dangerous man orders casually, like I'm the most boring little human he's ever encountered in his life.
"I said stay the fuck away!" I yell at him this time, causing him to tilt his head in amusement.
"A little girl like you shouldn't be swearing at your elders. It's bad habit. Your daddy should have taught you better."
Hold on. My daddy. And if I heard correctly the first time, the other man had mentioned something about 'daughter' and 'grown woman'. Shit! What's going on? This must be Darius Hunter! And how do they know about my existence!? Oh no! My father! Have they taken him? Have they hurt him?
"Darius... Hunter?" I stutter in sheer terror, the dangerous man tensing as I mention his name.
"You know my name. I don't know if I should be impressed or disappointed," Darius chuckles, amusement seeping into his tone.
"Errrm... I... Where's my father...?" My demand sounds more like a plea, my voice shuddering in painful anticipation.
"Waiting for you at my place. He said we should come get you. I didn't expect you to be old enough to beat up my man. I am definitely impressed, and your value, my dear, has just gone up."
My value. Shit! What are they going to do to me? If my mother was right about these people, then every terrible thing I've read about mafias in my books will happen to me. I will be a mule, then their concubine, passed around to as many men as possible... I'll be sullied, my entire life a flash of daily regret and incomprehensible agony.
"I'd rather die than follow you!" I snarl, an hiss following my words.
The burly man who had come at me before laughs in his deeply horrifying tone. "Looks like I have a challenge on my hands," he exclaims and comes for me with a speed I never knew existed. Apparently, he had gone easy on me because I am a girl.
Just as his fist is about to land on my face, I feel a swoosh of splendor burst into my face. Darius has stepped in to block the blow.
"Easy, man. We need her face for business," he tells his man calmly.
I'm behind him now, yet through the nook between his shoulder and body, I can see how easily he's grabbing the other man's wrist, causing him a lot of pain that's making him give some really funny facial expressions.
"Brother! Don't you think that's a little unfair to our guy? The girl is clearly as crazy as her mother; I'm sure she can take a little punch," Darius's brother grits out, angry his brother somehow protected me.
Darius, on the other hand, gives his brother a glare that makes him very uncomfortable.
"She is mine. And I'll do whatever I choose to do with her. Only I have the right to lay a hand on her."
For some reason, his brother smiles in victory, which means that my fate is worse with Darius. Yet again, without thinking, I rush toward my window, about to place my feet on the sill and jump to freedom, when a hand wraps around my middle and something heavy lands on my head, causing me a pain that drifts me into an abyss of darkness.