Chapter 1

• Elizabeth:
• "You're not much of anything, Adam!" My father yelled into the phone. His brows furrowed and his face anxious as he kept looking out the window at a black van parked a few blocks away from our house.
• Hanging up on the caller,he drops the phone and turns to me.
• "I'm really sorry ruining the family dinner like this, Princess,but you have to come with me"
• He gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me up from the dining table and led me upstairs to his room.
• My mother frantically got up from her seat.
• "What is it, Honey?" She tries to sound less panicked than she really was.
• "Adam Mich" He said, signalling her to the van parked outside with a nod.
• I followed him without asking questions, trying not to fall as I did.
• My father is a police officer dedicated to his job regardless of the danger that looms. Sometimes the danger follows him home, just like this one.
• "Stay in here Honey, don't come out unless I call for you and if I don't,find Lance! I love you." He kissed my forehead and hurriedly closed the door to the closet where he had hid me in.
• I heard the door to his room lock twice. I didn't have the chance to say or do anything. I had questions, loads of them.
• Straining my ears, I heard voices of people talking in rushed high tones. Arguing. I couldn't hear what the conversation was about,but it sounded tense.
• The first sound of a gunshot almost blared my ears.
• I clasped my hands over my mouth, trying not to scream against the sound of two more gunshots that followed soon after.
• My heart felt like it would burst with all that beating it was doing. My mind raced at the thoughts of who was shot.
• The sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room made all the hairs on my body stand on its ends.
• The thought of it not being my father terrified me that I started to pray silently.
• I peeped through the hole in between the closet doors to at least know my fate as the footsteps became closer.
• The door bursts open, a tall, dark haired masculine figure with a tattoo of a viper snake on his right arm, walks in with a gun in hand.
• Barely able to breathe now, I could already figure out the fate of my parents–and mine, very soon, as he searched under the bed looking for something.
• His face was hard to see,he had his back to me the whole time.
• He placed a call, sounding frustrating.
• "You said there were three in the house, I can't find the boy!" He barked into the phone.
• He was looking for me!. I gasped as quietly as I could with my hands still covering my mouth.
• My razor cut blonde hairstyle had confused them into thinking I was a boy.
• I slowly backed deeper into the closet.
• "I've checked everywhere! The rooms, kitchen, garage,under the bed,the clos–. Damn it! The freakin closet!"
• I hear him hang up and slowly turn his steps, laughing hysterically.
• "Hello there, little guy" He says like he could already see me through the hole, taunting me as he takes slow steady steps to the closet.
• I had only briefly returned to give my parents a surprise visit after fourteen years. No one would ever had imagined I would be hiding in the closet afraid for my life on the same fucking day!
• My back pressed hard on the closet wall, I stared at the door waiting and listening. Panicking, I knocked to the side of one of my dad's shoes,with my elbow.
• The wall behind me opened and I found myself falling into a dark space, landing face flat on the cold, hard floor.
• Feeling lightheaded from the fall, I tried to stay alert. I heard the wall close up just in time before he reached the closet door.
• "It's fucking empty! " He screamed.
• The thoughts of my parents probably dead and the effect of the fall, ache my head and soul to the extent that I felt too exhausted and succumbed to darkness.
• When I opened my eyes to the darkness again, I laid still and listened for any sound, too afraid to even breathe so I wouldn't be too loud.
• Everything was silent.
• I started to sob the tears I had held back trying to stay alive, the hot fluid mixed with sweat sting my eyes.
• My phone vibrated in the pocket of my sweatpants, startling me..
• For someone who is always on her phone,I had totally forgotten I had it on me.
• Thank goodness I did.
• It is Monica, my flat mate.
• Because of the nature of his job, my father had sent me to live with my Aunt Nevelyn when I was only Ten years old.
• Even that didn't help. Aunt Nevelyn, before her passing away, had been very paranoid that we'd be in danger if we stayed in a particular location for too long.
• We'd moved from city to city after a period of at least two years.
• It was after her death I decided to settle in Quebec city where I met Monica.
• I let the phone ring over and over again, too afraid I may be found if I picked up.
• Quickly setting the phone on silent mode,I turned on its flashlight.
• The space looked like an old dusty underground tunnel. It had two parts; smaller and bigger sections.
• The first section wasn't big enough for me to stand so I crawled my way out till I arrived at the much bigger section.
• My knees started to hurt, the way down seemed further than I had anticipated.
• I rubbed on my knees with my hand to massage the ache and soothe it a bit.
• Who were those men and what did they want from us? I started to weep again.
• My phone made a beeping sound indicating my phone was shutting down.
• "Shit!" I cussed.
• Trying to find my way through the darkness, I guided my steps with my hands on the wall until, I felt the button.
• “My God!”
• And the light rays hit my eyes.