THE DEVIL'S PREY

   CHAPTER ONE

"Sarah. It's time to get up." Sarah heard her dad's voice vaguely. "Sarah, wake up or you're going to be late." 

She mumbled sleepily and buried herself further in her pillow.

Sarah's dad, Sam, looked at the unmoving lump on the bed and switched to plan B. He leaned down, raised the blanket and said in her ear. "Get ready and be down for breakfast in ten minutes or the camera is gone."

Once he finished speaking, Sam considerately covered his daughter again and left without looking back.

Sarah didn't move but her dad's words slowly replayed in her head.

The camera is gone.

Camera is gone.

Camera…

Gone.

Sarah sat up with a jolt and shouted. "Dad, you can't do anything to my camera!"

Sarah pouted when she heard the faint sound of laughter from downstairs. She ran a hand through her messy hair and squinted her eyes towards the window where the warm sunlight shone in. She stretched slowly, feeling the softness of her bed and the comfort of her cozy room. 

She really wanted to lie down again but between sleep and the camera she'd been eagerly waiting for, she chose the latter.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted from downstairs, making her cheeks to stretch out in a beautiful smile. Sarah swung her legs over the side of the bed and planted her feet on the ground. She took a deep breath, feeling grateful for this ordinary day ahead. 

She stood up and pulled the curtains aside allowing the sunlight to flood in in its full glory. Her room instantly brightened up with the warm light. Posters of her favorite journalists and authors were beautifully decorated round walls, alongside photos of her family- her mom and dad with various pictures of herself at different ages always smiling widely aand at times showcasing a lost tooth. Her desk was cluttered with textbooks, notebooks, and her trusty recorder.

Her room was a of reflection of who she was - vibrant, simple, and full of life.

It was a reflection of her, Sarah Parker. The daughter of Sam Parker - one of the best investigative journalists in Texas.

"Today's going to be amazing," she whispered to herself. 

She was one step closer to her dreams following in her dad's footsteps.

She quickly took a shower then pulled up a playlist from her phone and began to get ready, humming along softly to the music playing from her phone. 

 Her eyes landed on the calendar on the wall she had two things scribbled on the square for today one was a tour with her best friend Aubrey and the other was dinner with her family.

As she went over her outfit,, Sarah's gaze fell on the quote on her mirror:

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple." - Oscar Wilde

She smiled, feeling a sense of purpose. This was her dad's favorite quote and when she'd asked him why he loved it so much, he'd told her, "Baby girl, the truth doesn't come so simple. It comes with lies and deceit. It changed my life." 

She wondered what it meant for her own life.

Sarah shook her head and smiled. She remembered she would always sit with her father in his office and watch him speak to her about so many facts and tricks in life.

No doubt, Sarah believed her dad was a man full of wisdom. He was also a petty guy who threathened her every chance he got.

Remembering her dad had said to be down in ten minutes, Sarah raced down the stairs even though the time was long gone.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tantalizing pancakes filled the air.

"Morning, Mom!" Sarah said planting a kiss on her mom's cheek before stuffing a pancake in her mouth.

"Morning, sweetie." Her mom sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee as she scrolled through her laptop. Her brown hair was wrapped in a low messy bun, she raised her eyes briefly to smile at her with a twinkle in her light brown eyes.

Her dad turned around and slapped her hand reaching for another pancake. The middle-aged man loved his daughter but he always had a way of instilling discipline into her.

"Stop stealing your mom's food." 

"It isn't stealing." Sarah glared at her dad. "By the way Mr. Parker I believe you need to stop threatening me with the camera whenver you like. After all we had an agreement."

"Agreement? I don't seem to remember such a thing. All I know is I have a camera you want."

Sarah mouth opened in disbelief then she whipped her head to her mom. "Attorney Parker, this is illegal right? We clearly had an agreement. He even signed it." Sarah pulled out a folded piece of paper from the back of her phone case and waved it in front of them.

"Hmm, that seems to be the case." Her dad said as he took the paper from her hand and gently pushed her to sit down.

Hearing his words, Sarah silently applauded herself for having it written down and signed this time.

"But there doesn't seem to be anything about not fulfilling the agreement which means I can decide whether to do it or not right?."

Sarah's smile fell as she looked at her dad speechlessly before turning to her mom for help. "Mom!"

Her mom chuckled and then shrugged. "Well your dad is right. Since there are no breach terms there's nothing making hiim fulfill the agreement. I'm afraid I can't help you this time."

"Journalist's integrity my foot." Sarah mumbled under her breath pouting fiercely.

Her dad laughed loudly. "No need to pout, we all know it's yours either way." He said as he placed a plate of pancakes in front of her with lots of syrup, strawberries and blueberries. Just the way she liked it.

It didn't take long for her pout to turn into a sweet smile."Thanks, dad." She leaned to kiss his cheek, right below his scar.

Her dad had a scar that ran from his jaw to his cheek. Add that with the fact that he was tall, buff and always had a straight face more or less, Sarah had hardly been bullied at school. He'd made the whole class cry at Bring Your Dad to School Day in middle school.

Sarah snickered at the memory.

Her dad took a seat and picked up his newspaper. "Ready for a big day?"

Sarah nodded stuffing another pancake into her mouth. "Yeah, Dad. I've got a whole lot planned."

Her mom, Emily, smiled warmly. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. You got into your dream college to study your dream course, with excellent grades at that."

Sarah beamed. "Thanks, Mom.Mr. Parker here has been a great mentor."

Her dad smiled. "Just remember kiddo. Journalism is not just about writing stories. It's about uncovering the truth."

Sarah nodded. "By the way, are you working on interesting, Dad?"

Sam's expression changed slight;y. He glanced at Emily before responding. "Just a story I'm researching. Nothing to worry about."

Emily intervened, her voice light. "Let's focus on today. When is Aubrey coming?."

Before she could reply, her phone buzzed with an incoming text from Aubrey.

Aubrey: Hey, Sar! Get ready. I'll be there in a thrity minutes.

Sarah's face lit up with a smile as she passed on the info to her mom. She's going for her documentation and a tour of the college today. 

When she received a mail of acceptance from the school, she couldn't be more happy. 

Her dream school. Her dream course. What else could she ask for?

Sarah: Sounds perfect! Thanks baby.

Aubrey: See you then!

"Eat and go change your clothes." Her dad's sudden order made her raise her head in confusion.

"Why?!"

She wore a light sweater and a loose knee length skirt with a sandal with a slight heel, she'd prepared this ahead of time for today and after consultations with her best friend Aubrey deemed it perfect.

Her dad jabbed her forehead with his finger. "You're going to take a tour later which means you're going to walk a lot why would you torture your feet with heels?"

"But it's only this high." She gestured with her fingers.

He wasn't having it. "Go change. Wear something flat and wear some pants."

"Dad!" she groaned.

Before she could protest further, her mom spoke.

"Listen to your dad, sweetie."

Her dad smiled and leaned in to give her mom a kiss. 

Her dad might be one of the best journalists in Texas but to her, he was the best father and best teacher, albeit annoying at times. 

Sarah pouted all through breakfast, changing her clothes and getting her clothes approved.

"Okay, that's enough pouting." Her dad patted her cheeks and stuffed her with his card and lunch as he said, "Have fun."

Sarah instantly smiled and stuffed it into her bag along with her notebook and recorder. 

There was a car honk from outside. 

"Aubrey is here. Bye!" She quickly kissed both her parents and made her way for the door.

"Make sure you come back early, we're going to Morgan's for dinner."

That was her favorite restaurant. Her smile grew wider as she waved and rushed out shouting. "Got it!"

She jumped into the car and put on her seatbelt.

Aubrey looked at her with a raised brow, "I'm pretty sure this isn't what we agreed on."

"I'll tell you on the way, let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On arrival, Sarah and Aubrey immediately went to finish up with all the official stuff before beginning their tour round the school. 

They went round the place taking pictures and admiring the beauty of the campus. An occasional breeze stirred and played with the strands of Sarah's hair and bearing the scent of flowers. The rays of the sun fell on them warmly like an embrace. 

Hours later, Sarah and Aubrey walked out holding hands with aching feet, bright smiles and tons of photos.

Aubrey's eyes scanned the surroundings briefly before pointing somewhere. "Let's go to that cafe over there and relax."

Sarah chuckled. "Still on your mission to find your prince charming?"

"Oh please. I'm after the coffee okay?" She muttered rolling her eyes and they both bursted into laughter 

The café was just a short walk away. They both walked in and took an empty table by the window dropping into the chairs tiredly.

"That reminds me Sar. Tomorrow is our first day in college.. How ready are you?" 

Sarah laughed out. "I've never been this ready. I heard there are lots of cute guys hanging around."

"F**k!" Aubrey exclaimed earning glares from different directions in the cafe for cursing out loud. She slowly muttered a sorry before she proceeded. "We're dressing to kill tomorrow babe! Highschool without boyfriend was boring. We have to make our dreams come true." She sighed earning her a chuckle from Sarah.

She glared in return.

"Don't worry Aubrey, you might find your prince charming tomorrow." 

"I hope so." she replied, pouting sadly.

Sarah smiled warmly. "Cheer up! We have a lot of time."

They spent the afternoon in each other's company, laughing and telling stories without a care in the world. 

"There your car is." Sarah pointed. The duo were finally ready to call it a day.

They both made their way towards the park.

As they got to the car Sarah took a deep breath, she felt the pressure of the day wash off her.

Aubrey sat in the driver's seat, fastened the seat belt before turning on the ignition. The smell of the car interior was like that of new shoes and additionally there was an aroma of citrus air freshener. 

Sarah looked at the dashboard filled with a few mementos from previous trips. There was a small silver locket playing the note music hung on the rearview mirror; it swung back and forth as Aubrey started the car.

"That reminds me I saw Jake in Italy at a music concert that I went to with Mom" Sarah said grinning from ear to ear. She laughed out when she saw Aubrey's reaction. 

It was a mixture of shock and sadness. Taunting Aubrey was fun to her knowing how much she has wanted to see Jake, a popular actor who has unknowingly stolen Aubrey's heart.

"I'm telling you, Aubrey, I saw him first!" Sarah said, her voice laced with mock indignation. "Jake is totally my celebrity crush!" She added. 

Aubrey chuckled, her brown eyes sparkling with amusement as she crossed her two hands underneath her breasts. "No way, Sarah! I've been in love with him since his first movie. You can't just steal him from me!"

Sarah laughed, her hair bouncing with the motion. "Steal him? You're not even going to meet him in person! I'll be the one attending his book signing next month."

Aubrey pretended to pout, her full lips jutting out. "Fine, but if you get his autograph, I'm never speaking to you again."

Sarah grinned mischievously. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots."

Their joking fight continued, with neither willing to concede. But beneath the teasing, their friendship remained strong, a testament to their years of trust and shared laughter. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See you tomorrow." Sarah waved at Aubrey and watched her leave before heading towards the house.

As she walked she looked down at the chat interface between her and her dad. She'd sent a message to ask when they were going for dinner but till now he still hasn't replied.

Sarah wondered if today's dinner was going to be canceled because whenever her dad didn't reply, it meant he was really busy or got called in for something.

I guess we'll have to reschedule. Sarah thought.

She pushed open the door and walked in. "I'm ho-" 

Her words her cut off when a hand covers her mouth, drags her into the house, and slams the door.