CHAPTER 3 - DUST AND RUST

When I was a child, whom I feared the most was my Father, and believe me I am not the only one. His words are the rule and his presence scream dignity and power. You'll feel the prejudice in his eyes like he sees what you haven't said in your mind.

"Samantha!" I heard a shout from a distant. It's my coach in judo and aikido. I took a quick glance to the audience and the first thing I saw was my Fathers' stoic face. I was on my sixth grade already and it's the first time he attended an event from our school.

I tightened my grip and look at my opponent who's wearing a smug face. She had charged first. Luckily, I haven't forgotten every training that I took. I gave my opponent a fight that she deserves. She was one of the schools' bully and I think she deserve her loss.

The referee raised my hand, declared as one of the winners for the final round of the competition. I look at the audience once more and never saw my fathers' presence. He already left like he knew I would win the fight. Because he always expects victory from us, and you would never want to disappoint him.

I don't know what to feel that time, I was happy but at the same time disappointed. I thought that a light pat in my head as a congratulations wouldn't take him an hour to do so.

I didn't tell anyone that I won the fight. Mothers' death was still fresh and my siblings were all busy, especially father. I only joined the competition for compliance. My coach begged me to join the Nationals' competition for junior's division but I never bothered to do so.

I was trying to remember my trainings on primary school but I wasn't expecting that it'll still remind me of my late father. I thought I could maybe use it against this stranger who invaded my privacy here in my condo unit as of this moment. I never stopped going to the gym so I think I could still manage to survive this crisis.

"What do you want?" I said trying to fight my surging anxiety. "I presume that you're not going to kill me immediately, because I have something that you need?" I said to the man behind me, with the gun still pointing at me.

"You think so?" He grabs both of my hands and put it behind my back.

He pushed me to the nearest wall in front of us, maybe trying to pin me but I'm glad I was quick enough to extend my legs and stomp my right foot to the wall to stop him.

He was surprised for a second so I took the chance to walk in the wall upwards and did a somersault. I was amazed to myself when I landed safely behind him, I kick the gun upward from his right hand and it flew away to the corner of my room.

I never thought I could pull-off that trick after a long time of not having a training. I'm glad my body still remembers how to fight. I also got the chance to see who the heck is this person.

I was astonished, the memory at the parking lot immediately came to me when I saw his familiar hoodie and baseball cap. He's the guy that I almost hit earlier! Though I could still not see his face clearly because of the dimness of the room.

It didn't took him long time to recover from my actions, he immediately gives me a roundhouse that almost hit me. I ducked and give him a sidekick as a counter attack but he had caught my ankle. I tried to pull it away but he's strong and he has faster reflexes. His agility is amazing and that's where I could not cope up.

"Not bad. I thought you already have forgotten how to fight." My eyebrows meet its end. How did he know that I could fight?

I was distracted from what he had said. He took that chance to pull me close to him as my hands meet his broad chest. It's like the time went slow when I got the chance to see his whole face up close. He's much taller than an average guy, maybe much even taller than my secretary.

But why does it feel like I already have seen his deep and dark eyes? Though I could not remember how and where we've meet before. His stares are so intense, like he's staring into my soul. It's like a sinkhole where you could get lost from the reality.

"Do you like what you see?" He was trying to taunt me but I could not give him an answer.

I don't know what gotten into me when my right hand slowly reached to his cap, he grabs my hand to stop me but it was too late as I already have removed it from his head. I could not believe that a handsome being is behind all this. He's perfect jawline is clenching like he's having a hard time controlling an emotion inside him. I could see it through his piercing eyes.

A sudden sharp pang of pain in my head had made me wince and close my eyes for a second, my anxiety is slowly taking over again. My visions are getting blurry, but I was surprise when I saw a hint of concern from his face. He caught me when I almost lost my grip.

"Who are you?" I managed to utter. But instead of giving me an answer, he just averted away his eyes and look back at me with a stoic emotion on his face, like he's trying hard to resist something. I suddenly felt a sharp thing in my neck. I whimpered from the pain and I immediately fell the numbness in my upper body. Did he just drug me?

I tried to pull away from him but I just fell from his arms once more. I heard a small grunt from him when I feel like I was lifted off the ground. Last thing I could remember was being carried into a van like a sack of rice. There were two or three other people in it too and seems like they were waiting for him. I could not clearly see them because the drug had overtaken my system.

"Sleep tight sleeping beauty, you have a long journey ahead of you." Said the unfamiliar voice of another man from the van as the darkness envelopes me.

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"Why didn't you help me Eunoia?" Her voice echoed from the darkness of the room. I only knew two people who calls me by my second name. One of it was father, and the other one was her.

"Celine?" Tears immediately fell from my eyes as I recognize her voice. I look around but all I could see is total darkness and all I could hear is my heavy breathing.

"You're a murderer! A murderer!" My heart thumped from pain and agony as I heard the anger from her angelic voice.

"No! Please let me explain!" I run around the room looking for her but all I could see is the vast darkness like it's never ending. I couldn't even hear my own footsteps.

"Murderer!" The emphasis from her word feels like a dagger that's making me weak. I fell into my knees as I cry myself out.

My breathing hitched as I feel a hand on my neck and strangle me. It's Celine! Her eyes are covered with darkness. I could not recognize the angelic face that I once knew. She's like a monster that's ready to consume my soul. I scream at the top of my lungs as everything felt hazy.

"Woah! She's even scarier in her sleep! Is she dreaming?" I heard from an unfamiliar voice of a guy as I slowly open my eyes. He sounded younger from the other guys that I've heard before.

Yes. It was only a dream but it felt so real.

I blink several times before I could see and roam my eyes but I was disappointed with the view of darkness. The room is wide and dim lighted with tall concrete walls. I could not also find a single person around. So where did that voice come from earlier?

I tried to move but my body feels numb. I've also noticed how I am tied tightly in a wooden chair. What kind of crap is this? Am I really being kidnapped? I thought I could only experience this kind of thing in a movie. But here I am sitting alone in a dark room and I have just noticed the piled metals and junks around the corner. Seems like I am in an old garage.

I can feel the dryness in my throat and the dried tears in my cheeks, its maybe because of that dream earlier, more like a nightmare that I could not get used to.

I tried to think straight with my head still spinning a bit. My nose is greeted by the mixture of dust and rust that almost made me want to vomit. I don't know if it's the side effect of the drug or the unfamiliarity and the situation where I am right now.

I don't know if I should be thankful that my anxiety is not yet kicking in. Slowly, the scene in my condo is going back to me. That person, he's maybe the one who's behind all this. Or maybe he's working for someone. But who? And what do they want from me? Is this a kidnap for ransom?

I lift my head and saw a door in a far corner of the room, an impossible escape route. From a kidnapper's perspective, they'll never leave a door off-guard with a prey inside of their lair.

"Good morning Professor!" There's the voice of a lively youngster again. I tried to find him but it turns out that his voice came out from a speaker in the upper right corner of the room with a sophisticated CCTV attached to it. I give it a glare as I've realized how deep the sh'ts I am in right now.

So, they're here somewhere outside of this room, watching and observing me like a lab rat, and from the looks of it, they seem like not an ordinary criminal with this kind of high-end equipment. He greeted me with good morning, does it mean I slept in this room for the whole night?

"Where am I?" The only word that came out from my mouth and it merely sounded like a whisper. The drug seems to have drained my energy, and I've also realized that I am still wearing the bathrobe from last night. This is driving me nuts.

Before I could hear another word from the guy, a loud tinging sound from the speaker envelopes my ear as if its mic accidentally fell down followed by a sudden slam from a door.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing here Kid?!" It's from another voice. He sounded angry and older than the first person I've heard earlier.

"I am not a kid anymore Fabio! Aries called me to take over because he needs to go to the comfort room. I also heard that it's a woman and turns out to be my Professor in Humanities!" My eyebrows meet at its end as I've heard what the younger voice have said.

He's a student? It looks like he's from the University.

"You! Dumbass! She can literally hear you! Why did you let the speaker on? You even said my name you prick! What if she finds out who we are?! And why the hell are you not in the school?!" I heard some loud thuds from the speaker as if someone is chasing the other.

"I don't know how to turn it off! I'm sorry! Please give me a break Fabio!"

"Stop mentioning my name idiot! You're always pain in the ass! Come over here and I'll teach you a damn lesson!"

Those idiots keep on arguing as if they have forgotten that their speaker is still on. I couldn't care less as the ting sound from the speaker made my headache worse. I have to close my eyes to suffice the throbbing of my head.

"What's going on here?" The chasing sound had suddenly stopped as the deep and calm voice took over. I immediately glared at the camera as I've recognized his voice.

"Sebastian?" The young voice yelled, he sounded surprise for the guy who just came in at their scene. "Ow!" that's the last word I've heard from the young guy before the speaker had turned off.

Sebastian? That name doesn't ring a bell at all. I don't know a person with that name. But it seems like he knows a lot about me.

The annoying tinging sound had stopped. My heavy breathing is the only thing that I could hear inside this filthy dark room. My mind is already clouded from everything that I've heard earlier. One of them knows me and he sounded harmless. He's still a student, maybe I still have a chance to escape this mess. I still have to plan things out, but right now my body is literally screaming because of pain and nausea.

I tried to rest my head but the wooden chair doesn't give me a little bit of comfort and the rope they have tied me is not giving me a freedom to move even an inch. This is very frustrating.

After half an hour of silence, my eyes went immediately to the door as I've heard the clicking sound of the door knob. So, it's never locked at all. But my eyes didn't escape the two big guys standing guard outside.

I wasn't surprise when that person is the one who came inside the door. He stood few meters in front of me like a large predator ready to claim his prey. I didn't forgot to notice his expensive watch that can't be bought by most of the well-off family. It's a limited-edition luxury, even his shoes. I know this kind of stuffs because I used to come with Klaus when he goes to buy stuffs for his self. His cotton grey shirt and dark jeans made him look like a ramp model. With the features of his face and right builds, you can already see that the Eastern part of the world runs through his blood.

I immediately erase those thoughts as I tried to focus on the things that I should know. He is a well-off person. So maybe, money is not what he wants from me and this is not a kidnap for ransom. A blackmailing perhaps? But to whom? My family? My chest crumpled as Klaus immediately came into my mind. He might be going nuts looking for me right now.

"You like what you see Eunoia?" Here he goes again with his assertion. And I haven't forgot to notice how he confidently calls me by my second name like he knows me a lot.

"Sebastian…" I said trying to check if it's really his name. He crossed his arms and put his other hand on his chain. He acted as if his thinking but he's face looks like he's just being sarcastic.

"So, you've heard my name from the boy earlier. You're still observant as ever. I almost thought that you've remembered my name." I glared at him for what he had said.

"Remember you? Don't make me laugh. I can't even remember some of my acquaintances with the same name as yours." I said trying to act tough even if my voice sounded weary.

He sat in front of me as one of the big guys came in and give him a chair. The guy came out without a word and close the door behind him as if he never saw me. They're more like a robot who's just merely following his instructions.

"Okay, I know you would say that." He looks at me intently. "But I'm sure that this name had never left your memory even in a split second." He smirked at my frustrated state.

"What are you talking about?" I said answering his mocking stares with a glare.

"Celine…" My breathing hitched for a split second.

Does he know her? Is he talking about the same Celine that I know?

- END OF CHAPTER 3 -