บท 16: belongs to

SHE NOTICES SHE STANDS IN FRONT OF A SMALL DINING TABLE. With a frown on her face, she turns her head to look at where she is coming from but only sees pure darkness. She isn't sure if it is because the room has no light bulbs but the room is so dark to the extent it looks inexistent.

She looks back to the chair to see the red-brown haired sitting in front of her and the other two standing beside her.

"Aubrey take a seat."

Hearing her name from his mouth makes her swallow, watching his Adam's apple bop up and down. In the past four days, she has met two handsome males but they both happen to be hysterical psychos. The man seated in front of her along with the other two by her side, all look like they could be from wealthy homes; given their well-nourished body and the radiant glow of their skin. So it doesn't make sense why they would want to kidnap or ask money from a girl who barely has enough to feed herself.

Her thoughts make her toes wiggle in her shoes and she soon realizes that her legs are back under her control; her escaping senses surfaces once more. She subtly looks to the three with their eyes observing her every move. She too observes them; their relaxed and unexpecting postures, their standing positions and the distance between each one of them.

In an instant, she flees. Racing for the exit she had previously seen with her heart in her throat. Unfortunately, she is caught by the lady before getting out of the dining room.

"You really do have the guts, huh?"

Aubrey scowls, feeling pain shoot up her hands as the lady twists them behind her. Aubrey manages to hit the lady behind her with her feet which causes her to loosen her grip on her arms as she groans out curses. Aubrey being fast in her actions, uses her elbow to hit the woman in the jaw, ignoring the stinging pain that shoots up her arm. At least her mother can be proud that her money wasn't wasted on the taekwondo lessons. Aubrey uses a hand to smack the lady's neck; however it only makes the black-haired angrier as she growls, looking unaffected by the hit.

Aubrey cowers in her spot, seeing the lady raise her fist.

"Lay a hand on her and you would regret it." The red-brown haired calmly says from his seat.

Gemma stares at the 19-year-old with her hands still raised in the air, before letting out a chuckle. "I guess you were right about her, she does act like him." She hides her displeasure, huffing and grabbing Aubrey's arm and locking them behind her.

Aubrey's eyes cloud up with confusion, wondering who the lady speaks about.

"Just do what he says." The lady says from behind, pushing Aubrey back into her seat.

She sighs, feeling agitated that her efforts are in vain. "You expect me to sit and listen to you after you kidnapped me?" She gives them attitude.

The man rests back into his chair, closing the huge black book in front of him before bringing his eyes slowly to her face. He stretches his hand over the table with his palm up, "Your hand."

Aubrey's furious eyes squints, "What?" She instinctively sits back in her chair, moving her hurting hands away from the table.

"Give me your hand." His grey eyes lay calmly on her face, no emotion showing in them.

"And why would I do that?" She snaps angrily at him.

He gives her a bored look, "I can sense the pain coming from you. It must be unbearable."

A slight gasp escapes her lips and Gemma scoffs, rolling her eyes at the scene. Aubrey stares in shock at the man with his hand out for her. That statement can't have been made from pure observation of their little fight; however, there is nothing he can do to ease out the burning pain in her hands as it feels like she had hit metal.

"Give him your hand, Aubrey." The brown-haired male who has stayed quiet all this while, motions his head nicely to her with a reassuring smile.

"No. she shouldn't give him her hand." Gemma scoffs. "So she can die from the pain." She widens her eyes at the girl, "Did you really think it would easy to hit me?"

The brown-haired nudges her, giving her a look to shut up.

Aubrey brings her eyes slowly to the grey-eyed man in front of her. She sits there for some seconds, staring at the three of them; looking from face to face. For an unknown reason, they all look trustworthy but at the same time dangerous and mischievous. Her eyes settle on the brown-haired—so far, the nicest one among them.

She pulls both hands on the table and the man quickly grabs them, the immediate action making her pulse jump. He places his hand on both hands and instantly, it feels like something is being sucked out of her hands and Aubrey yells, pulling her hands back.

"What the hell?"

A small smile plays on his lips from her reaction and he settles back into his seat, opening the book once again. "I guess your hands no longer hurt, seeing how you tighten them."

Her eyes drops down to her closed fists and they widen when she feels the pain gone.

"What was that?" Her voice comes out small and scared which irks her.

"You would know if you listen to what I have to say." He says.

She eyes him, getting spooked by the three. "No." She shakes her head. "I want to go home."

"Fine. You can go home." He pauses, "Only after I tell you this."

She looks at the two standing beside her; going from the angry look on the lady's face to the trustworthy smile on the brown-haired. "I just want to go home." She sits comfortably in the chair, "Make it quick."

A small smile appears on his lips; the first expression she sees on his face. "You wouldn't want to go home after I tell you this."

She ignores him, eyeing the gigantic book he is currently opening up as she realizes it looks familiar.

Her eyes then begin to wonder round the house she is in. She moves her head to the left to see glass doors which obviously leads in and out of this dining room. The lights are bright and they shine down, making the whole place look like a beautiful. She won't be surprised if the house is theirs, seeing how they look wealthy. The internal part of the house looks plain but she can spot expensive looking antiques and decorations inside of the house. She has always wanted to live in houses like this.

She then moves her head to her right to check out the other parts of the house but instead, her eyes fall on the other two staring at her intently.

She squints her eyes at Gemma, who's chewing gum and giving her bored-dead eyes. Then she frowns at the brown-haired who is just staring at her like she is his homework.

"Gemma and Geo."

She snaps her head back to the man in front of her, startled to hear his voice.

"What?" She whispers—not her intention but the three of them give her an unsettling vibe yet a trustworthy one, which just confuses her.

He slowly looks up from his book to her, "Their names." She turns back to the both of them, standing beside her like statues. "They're twins." He completes and Aubrey's eyes pop.

She looks to Gemma's long black hair and blue cat-like eyes then to Geo's soothing features; brown hair and calm brown eyes. They look nothing alike.

Aubrey's confused expression says it all and the man says, "Don't worry you would understand in a bit.

She stares agape with incredulity at the two.

"Okay, here it is." He looks into her brown eyes, "Listen very carefully, your life depends on this." The tone in his voice makes her face scrunch up.

"Long time ago in the farthest part of the earth, there was a beautiful, young woman roaming round the deserted forest—" He starts but Aubrey cuts him off.

"Wait. Are you reading me a bedtime story?" Her face shows pure disgust.

"Hell, would you shut up and let him finish?" Gemma raises her voice.