TAKEN BY THE DARK

"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." -Nelson Mandela

"Hey! Go get your own." I scowled at Daniel, who had just snatched my plate of pancakes.

"I would, but annoying you is way too much fun." He said, smirking as he took a bite, annoying me even more.

I smacked him on the side of his head, and as expected, he didn't even wince. He cocked his eyebrow at me with that annoying smirk of his and I rolled my eyes.

Daniel and I had been best friends since, ever since my dad had started working as his father's personal bodyguard. Back then Mr. Anderson had only just taken up politics. Now, ten years later, my dad had long since been promoted to the head of security for the Anderson family, and Mr. Anderson was the lead candidate running for President this year.

After ten years together, we had practically become family.

Mr. Anderson's popularity had rapidly increased, and the public considered him a hero. He had managed to diminish the crime rate in the country, bringing it down to a minimal in only a few short years. He was surely going to win the election this year.

Still, not everyone in the country loved him. The criminals saw him as a prevailing threat, and most of them would do anything to take him down. As the security threats on him and his family increased, my dad's job became a 24 hours one and he had to move into the Anderson's mansion. Because he wanted to keep me close, I'd moved in, too.

The Anderson's had accepted us as family and they had become a big part of our lives, as we did theirs. They had managed become the family I had always wanted.

My mother had died when I was seven, I didn't really like to think about it much. Ever since then, it had been just me and my father.

Before moving into the mansion I had been really lonely. I had no friends at school and my dad was constantly busy with his job, so I had to spend my time after school either at our neighbor's house, or with the babysitter my dad had hired.

Basically, I was miserable. The only fun I had was on the weekends, when my dad took me with him to the mansion while he accompanied Mr. Anderson to his various meetings and tours. I'd spent all playing with Daniel in his tree house. I knew my dad worked hard so he could provide for me, and I wasn't ungrateful but I really missed him and I had been unhappy.

We moved into the Anderson's mansion three years ago, when I was 16. I still remember Mrs. Anderson's kind words, she'd told me that the mansion always seemed too big and empty, and that she'd always wanted a bigger family.

The Anderson family consisted of five people: Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, their oldest daughter Ellen, followed by Scott and then Daniel.

Ellen had married two years ago, she lived happily with her husband in England, and was expecting her second baby. Scott had moved out a while ago and had created his own business. He had branches set up in many countries around the world. Last time I had heard, he had been touring Australia and was thinking of starting a business project there. Daniel was twenty one, the youngest of the lot, and he was just two years older than me.

He went to the most prestigious college in the country. He was a quarterback in the football team there, and I knew he planned on pursuing that passion rather than taking up business or politics like his father wanted.

I glanced at him and noticed how his dark brown hair was sticking up, and how it seemed to turn into a lighter brown to match the exact color of his eyes. With his tall, lean frame and adorable dimples he really was very good looking. It was no wonder that all the girls in his college were crazy after him.

I'll admit that when puberty had hit me, I had developed a small crush on him, he had eventually asked me out, but two awkward dates had been enough to convince me that we were better off as just friends.

I loved him but it was more like a sister would love her brother. Till this day we have been inseparable. We shared everything and I knew I could trust him with my life.

"Earth to Marriah." Daniel said snapping his fingers in front of my eyes and pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What's up?" He asked wanting to know what was going on in my mind.

"Oh nothing, just thinking of potential ways to end your life for stealing my pancakes." I replied with a sweet smile, batting my eyelashes.

"Good luck with that midget." He replied winking.

"I think strangling you might do the job and get you to shut up." I retorted glaring at him.

He snorted "Should I get you a ladder?" He asked through a mouthful of pancakes.

"What?" I said making a disgusted face at his lack of table manners.

"You see, in order to strangle me you'd have to reach my neck and for that you'll probably need a ladder." He replied with his trade mark smirk.

I scowled at him again "I am not that short."

"What are you? Like 5'2?" He asked chuckling.

"For your information I'm 5'3." I replied crossing my arms over my chest. He just laughed and continued eating.

I really did want to strangle him most of the time but he was still the closest friend I had. I shot him another death glare and made my way to the cabinets to get some cereal.

"Hey, what's all this noise about?" Daniels bodyguard Jacob entered the kitchen yawning, he stretched his arms above his head and flexed his large biceps in the process.

I just replied with a curt "Morning." and poured some milk into my bowl.

I joined them on the table and Jacob looked at me questioningly.

"Daniel called me short!" I said pouting. I didn't care if I was being childish.

Jacob punched him lightly on the shoulder "She's not that short." He said chuckling.

"Thank you." I replied giving Jacob a grateful smile and sticking my tongue out at Daniel.

"Yeah I mean we've seen girls shorter than her right?" He pretended to think.

"Nope." He said after a while, answering his own question. "You're the shortest one I know." He added playfully.

"Hey!" I exclaimed "You were supposed to be on my side." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Sorry." He said smiling sheepishly "How tall are you anyway, 5'1?"

"I am 5'3. Okay?" I said in annoyance, Daniel broke out laughing.

"You guys are the worst." I seethed.

"We know." Jacob replied snatching my cereal bowl from me in one swift motion.

"What's wrong with you both?" I exclaimed exasperated. "Can't you just walk ten steps and get your own breakfast?!"

"Nope." Both of them said at the same time and they burst out laughing.

"You guys are so mature?" I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes at them. I couldn't suppress my smile. They annoyed me to death but I wouldn't give them up for anything.

I loved these weirdoes and I never wanted them to change one bit.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were away to attend some friend's wedding, my dad of course, being the head of security had to accompany them. The cook and the other servants had the day off so it was just us three and probably some other guards assigned to keep watch outside.

We had grown close to Jacob since he had taken up the job two years ago. He was way younger than most of the other bodyguards, but even though he was just twenty-five, he was still excellent at what he did. He was more skilled than most of the others that's why my dad had assigned him to Daniel.

"So Marriah, excited about college?" Jacob asked wiggling his eyebrows.

My face fell and my mood dulled instantly. I saw Daniel giving him a glare and poor Jacob just looked confused.

"Wait, aren't you happy you get to go there?" Jacob asked concern lacing his voice.

"No it's not that..." I trailed off

"What is it then? Someone bothering you? Is it a guy?" He asked seriously "I'll kick his butt!" He said angrily getting up and balling his hands into fists.

"No Jake!" I said quickly, using his old nickname "Nothing like that." I assured him. He sat down but still looked concerned.

Jacob was like an over protective older brother sometimes. I knew I could trust him with my life and I knew Daniel did too.

"She has issues because she got the scholarship after my dad made some calls."

Jacob smiled "That's so like you Marriah." He said, pinching my cheek. I just shrugged.

"It just feels wrong you know? Someone who needs and deserves it more than me could've gotten it." I said sullenly.

Daniel snorted.

"C'mon Ree. You know that's not true you were an honor student in high-school, had the highest GPA in your class your name was already short listed for the scholarship." He reasoned.

"Yeah along with twenty others who were supposed to be selected on basis of their interviews."

"You deserved it okay? Stop feeling guilty. The only thing my dad did was to make sure you got what you deserved." Daniel said sounding a bit angry, he got up and put his empty plate in the sink.

I let out a sigh. Honestly, this was only partly the reason why I wasn't so keen on going, the other was that I had gotten full scholarship to a good art college and art had always been my passion, I had thought about telling my dad about it but the look of sheer happiness on his face when Mr. Anderson had told him that I had been accepted on scholarship into Daniels college made me bite my tongue.

Daniel returned to the table and spoke in a softer tone "I really want you to come there with me Ree. It's amazing, you'll love it and it's close to home so we don't even have to worry about apartments or dorm rooms! I've been looking forward to you joining ever since I started."

Suddenly I felt guilty.

What was I saying? Why was I being so ungrateful?

I mean I got a scholarship to the best college in the country and my best friend would be there with me. What more could I want?

"Yeah me too. I can't wait to start with you. I'm so glad you'll be there with me." I added truthfully Daniel being there was the only reason I was actually looking forward to going.

Daniels face broke into a wide grin and he winked at me I gave him a smile.

Suddenly my eyes fell on the clock "Oh my gosh I'm going to be late!" I exclaimed quickly getting up.

I'd recently started working at a small bookstore nearby, the pay wasn't much but I got to read during my breaks and I got a discount on all the latest books and bestsellers so it was totally worth it.

"You know you don't need a job." Daniel pointed out.

"I know." I replied as I put on my jacket "But I want to, it makes me feel good. Like I belong somewhere."

"Well there's no use trying to talk you out of it." Daniel responded chuckling "I'll drop you off." He added.

"No thanks!" I said quickly "I feel like walking anyway." It was I total lie but I could clearly recall what had happened the last time him and I had gone out somewhere together.

It had resulted in us being swarmed by camera-men and news reporters. We had managed to escape but it had ended up with us being on the "Hottest Couple" list for the whole month. Not to mention that all the news channels talking non-stop about "How cute the two new lovebirds looked." And that hadn't even been the worst part, the worst part was getting all that hate from all the girls who were supposedly in love with Daniel.

I shuddered.

It had been really awkward not to mention embarrassing for both of us.

I suppose Daniel was somewhat of a celebrity in this town, due to him being the son of the towns most loved politician and all. His good looks had only added to his popularity, he was the town's sweetheart.

"Oh yeah." he replied chuckling lightly as he too remembered the incident. I could see a blush creeping onto his face.

I waved a final goodbye to the boys and headed out.

I didn't really get a chance to have breakfast so I picked up some coffee on the way.

I was getting pretty late so I started taking quicker strides.

I finally reached the store, the bell rang softly as I entered. The store was already packed with customers, I waved a quick hello to Stacy, who was the owner of the store and also my co-worker.

I dropped my bag at the counter and made my way to the small room at the back of the store. The room was a complete mess, with books and magazines scattered everywhere. I'd taken it upon myself to get it organized. I loved books, their musky smell, the texture of their pages.

Working in a quiet room with books surrounding you and a warm cup of coffee in your hand.

Now that's my idea of paradise.

I smiled at the thought, taking a small sip of coffee happily.

Today's going to be a good day.

But it seemed like I had spoken too soon.

The next thing I knew someone bumped into me harshly, making me stagger back and drop my coffee, splashing it all over the floor and onto the stranger's shoes. I was about to give whoever it was a piece of my mind, but when I looked up I found myself staring into two intense grey eyes.

The stranger continued to barge into the compact room, which barely had enough room to hold a single person like himself, and then he proceeded to close the door.

High cheekbones, jet black hair, strong jaw, and of course those amazing deep set grey eyes. He was by far the best looking man I had ever set eyes on. But that wasn't what had stopped me from lashing out on him.

He looked familiar for some reason, really familiar.

For a moment I was mesmerized, but then the reality of the situation dawned upon me. I cleared my throat loudly, causing him to finally focus on me, as if he hadn't even noticed me before.

"Um, can I help you?" I asked incredulously, "If you need something you'll ha-." Before I could finish my sentence however, he clamped his hand on my mouth and pushed me back lightly into the wall.

"Shut your mouth and don't make a sound." He ordered, his voice was low but he still managed to sound intimidating.

My eyes widened.

Okay, this guy is a psycho.

I started to struggle, which wasn't really of much help. The guy was huge, not to mention strong.

My dad and Jacob had both spent a lot of time training me, they'd taught me how to take on men twice my size. I'd come across big and strong men before and I'd beaten them too. But there was no denying the fact that I had nothing on this guy. I had no chance against him.

Everything about him screamed of strength and dominance.

I tried to calm myself down.

I don't even know this guy and he obviously doesn't know me either. He has no reason to hurt me.

The stranger pressed me further into the wall and he tightened his grip on my mouth. I began to panic.

"Calm down, will you?" He said in a low voice and removed his hand slowly from my face.

"I just need to stay here for a while, so they don't find me." He explained like it was something which made complete sense.

Yup, this guy is a complete psycho.

"And what do you mean by that exactly?" I asked, annoyance seeping into my voice.

He looked pissed off now, taking a step back he spoke to me in an even tone, "There are some men following me, about five of them, they look threatening, I think they've been hired to abduct me or something. I hope that explains our current unpleasant situation."

What?! Oh My God!

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Did you call the police?!" I asked worriedly.

He gave me an embarrassed look before speaking, "I noticed they were following me when I left for work this morning. I tried to lose them but it didn't really work. I figured they'd stop if I got to someplace public with a lot of people and witnesses, but they didn't, they're still after me."

"Did you call the police?" I repeated my question impatiently.

"I'd just assumed it was just a stupid stunt to scare me. By the time I realized they were dangerous, it was already too late." He mumbled sounding really embarrassed.

"Just answer the question Goddamnit! Did you or did you not call the cops?!" I asked perplexed.

He sighed, "I left my phone at home. I didn't really give it a thought before because I assumed they were just messing around, and after I left I didn't have a chance to go back and get it." He finished somewhat sheepishly.

I sighed in frustration and gave him the 'are-you-kidding-me-right-now' look.

"You look really familiar, like I've seen you somewhere." I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Yeah I get that a lot." He muttered but he didn't bother explaining. "My name's Will Grayson." he said finally.

"Marriah Roberts." I responded awkwardly.

"I left my bag at the counter, I have a phone. You should call the cops, like right this instant." I urged, I started to open the door.

Suddenly, I heard a gunshot.

We both froze.

"Shit! It's them. They're here." Will whispered.

"You didn't tell me they were armed!" I hissed in panic.

The sound came from somewhere close by, probably from inside the shop followed by a gruff voice shouting; "Everybody out!"

Then another one spoke "We checked all the other shops on this street he has to be here."

I felt the color drain from my face I was too afraid to breathe. That did not sound good.

I heard people screaming and the sound of trampling feet. There was another gunshot, I prayed no one was hurt.

The sound of screams and footsteps was louder at first then it started fading, indicating that people were quickly leaving the shop. At last the sounds ended completely.

I felt relieved for all those people who got out safely but at the same time scared for myself and Will.

I heard heavy footsteps making their way towards our current hiding place. My breath hitched.

Will took up a fighting stance moving in front of me and pushing me towards the back.

Was he trying to protect me? "Just take care of yourself. I can defend myself." I said scowling, making sure to keep my voice low.

My father had taught me how to fight. I'd been training in martial arts ever since I was a little girl.

He glanced back at me "You can't keep your mouth shut, can you?" He asked, he didn't look angry just irritated.

I was about to bite back when suddenly the door flung open.

Outside stood five huge, terrifying men. Three of them had guns pointed in our direction.

This was it. We had nowhere left to run or hide.

We were trapped.