“Who the hell are you?” Stone, looking mad, demands Gerald, and Gerald gives him the most disgusted look.
“That’s none of your concern,” Gerald snaps at him before turning to me, and his face softens, “Are you alright?”
“Not really,” I find myself saying, desperately trying to hide myself with my hands.
“Oh, isn’t it? What’s up, Jace? Is this your dad? Your grandpa? Did you call your grandpa to come and rescue you? Ewww.”
That’s when ten men in black suits who were twice the size of Stone storm into the room, looking as intimidating as mob bosses. I recognize them all, and something like homesickness hits me squarely on the chest. It’s been a long while since I’ve seen them all, and the humiliation just increases.
But Stone’s expression changes at the arrival of the men. Gone is the arrogance and the snark, he looks like he’s scared.
“Who are you? Who are these people?” he questions, “Whoever you are, you better get out of here. I booked this room, and my father is the richest, most powerful man in this city. You better scram before I call him!”
Oh, how pathetic. He’s talking about tattling to his father? I’m the naked one here, but I’m embarrassed for him.
Gerald, in the typical Gerald fashion, ignores him and picks up my clothes from the floor. Then he turns back to me, holding out the clothes.
With my cheeks blazing, I take the clothes, and hastily start to dress.
Gerald bows to me, to the onlookers’ great surprise, and apologizes profusely, “I’m so sorry, young master, I thought that I could make it in time, but I didn’t realize that something was wrong until I noticed Stone Jeffreys and recognized his face."
I sigh, "You have been spying on me, haven’t you?”
Gerald shrugs, “You couldn’t honestly expect us to let you go completely, young master. You may have left your father, but your father cannot afford to let you go.”
“Oh, I get it now,” Stone’s annoying voice comes, and he starts to laugh, “You are all actors, aren’t you? Did this dude pay you to come to stop us? Gotta says though, how on earth did you pay them all? You can’t even afford to treat a girl to a good meal without bankrupting yourself.”
I blink at Stone, baffled by the sheer stupidity in his guess, “Do you honestly believe that? Really, Stone, can you be that stupid?”
“Oh, look who's talking,” Stone taunts me back, cracking his knuckles, “Seems like someone wants another shake-down. Wasn’t the one we gave you yesterday enough for you?”
I feel my anger rise at that, “What the fuck is the matter with you?” I ask, frustrated, “I’ve never done anything to you, but all you’ve done is try to harass me and beat me up. I’m over here minding my business and you sic your friend’s girlfriend at me for a prank. You literally pimped her out to go on a date with me for a prank! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Stone’s eyes narrow, and he charges at me, “Shut the hell up, you twerp!”
Before he can get close to me, Gerald steps in front of me, and the guys in black stand alerted.
“Mr. Jeffreys,” Gerald warns in his flat voice, “I urge you to leave Master Greyson immediately. We will not stand by and let you lay a finger on him this time. You’ve tortured him enough.”
You could literally see smoke coming out of Stone’s ear.
“Oh, yeah? You think you can order me around?!” He bellows, “Well, I’ll beat you up too. Come on!”
Stone and his goons charge at us, but the guys in black intervene. It all happens so fast. These guys are professionals in the security field, and in no time, the bullies groan at their side of the room, holding onto various body parts that have been kicked and punched by the men.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Stone shrieks, “You and your weak old man and these gorillas, I’ll end you all. My father will make sure you’re sent to jail for this. No one dares to touch my friends or me. Who do you think you are?! I’ll end you; you’ll never see the sun again.”
Finally, the anger that I’ve been trying to hold at bay snaps at that. I’m so tired of Stone’s constant harassment and jabs. He’d tortured me enough this past year, I’m not going to let him make my life hell furthermore. He’d crossed the line today, humiliating me like that. My heart hurts from being betrayed by a girl I actually liked.
I just want to live my life in peace on my own terms. Why the fuck isn’t he letting me do it?
“Young master,” Gerald asks me as if he’s sensing the storm brewing within me, “What do you want us to do with this menace? Let him go, or something else?”
“No,” I reply, “They’ve had their chance to leave. Now, they’re going to pay for their crimes.”
Glaring at Stone, I give Gerald my very first order, “Make him lose everything.”
Gerald’s eyes harden, and he gives a nod as he takes his phone out of his pocket.
“Your wish is my command,” He replies and takes a call.
“Oh, fuck off,” Stone, not believing that we are being genuine, scoffs, “What’s a beggar going to do to me? Your empty threats won’t work. I’m going to give my father one call, and he’s going to come for me. And he will destroy you all.”Gerald ignores his prattling and goes on to make several calls, whispering furiously into the phone. Kayla hangs onto her boyfriend’s arm, looking frightened at the ten men in black glaring at them.“I did what you asked,” I hear her plead from her boyfriend, “Can we leave now? I’m getting scared.”“No, Stone will take care of it,” The bully reassures her, “The twerp can’t harm us. Who even is he? A nobody with some actor friends.”“My master is anything but a nobody, your man,” calmly, Gerald locks his phone and shoves it back into his pocket, “And in thirty minutes time, you will see what exactly we’re capable of. I know everything about you, Stone Jeffreys, and your father. I know about your family corporation, your father’s business. And in thirty
My pace is swift as I make my way through the hotel, followed by Gerald and his crew of men in black suits, who were actually security personnel my father had hired ever since I was a child. I feel like I should get the hell out of this place soon because the stress and anxiety from the whole incident are starting to get to me. Tears are right behind my eyeballs and regret pangs in my chestSuddenly, as we near the lounge, a voice comes from behind us.“Please, Jace, stop!”Kayla.Anger and despair war in my heart as I debate ignoring her and continuing on, but she calls my name again and again. As much as I don’t want to talk to her, I don’t think I can ignore her.After all, she is right next to me. She looks as panicked as Stone was, her eyes stormy, her cheeks flushed.The security personnel move to keep her away from me, but I raise my hand, signaling them to stop.“What?” I growl at her.“Jace, please, you have to undo what you did to Stone’s father,” she pleads, and my heart si
My father and I didn’t talk much that night. The level of awkwardness between us was embarrassing. I knew that he was nearly bursting with all the questions he wanted to ask me and all the things he wanted to tell me. Our relationship was never the best, but I don’t think it’s been this strained. Father tells me that we both need to handle this carefully, so he will be giving me enough space.Fine by me. I am in no hurry to venture through this particular no-man’s land.***The next morning, I’m mildly startled by the unfamiliar surrounding as I wake up but before I can panic the memories of the night before flood my mind. I sit silently on the bed as I go through them, one by one as not to overwhelm myself. The hurt I feel is significantly less, but not enough to be called faded.I really don’t want to go to school today. I don’t want to face whatever awaited me there.But the other choice was to stay here in this house and face my father.The choice is easy when comparing the option
The host asks everyone to be seated, so I look around the tables to see if there is an empty spot. There are few, so I choose the one nearest to me. As I make my way through the tables, I realize that the seat next to me is occupied by none other than Coraline Granger.She looks so different from the girl she once was but similar at the same time. For example, her previous bob-cut style haircut is gone, replaces by luscious platinum blond curls that rivulet down her naked shoulders. Her gorgeous blue eyes, larger than life and electric, flashes t her friends, crinkling at the corners as she laughs at something they say. Her face gleams like the full moon, her makeup almost non-existent. Ruby-red lips contrast dizzyingly with the pearlescent tone of her teeth. She wears diamonds in her ears and neck, with a plain, black strapless dress.She looks so mature and sophisticated.Beautiful.I could hear the conversation she’s having with her friends even from here, them inquiring her about
To say I was shocked would be an understatement.Coraline had always been a kind, open person when we were in high school, and never had she treated me like this. When she talked to me back in the day, I always felt like we could be friends if I had the gall to approach her about it. We ran in different circles and my one was generally lower in the food chain, but for Coraline, that didn’t matter.But now, I feel betrayed and devastated. I never thought she would be one of those snobs like her friends were.Tensions are high, and I have a feeling that I was being misunderstood here. I didn’t mean to insult anyone, so I try to rectify my mistake, ignoring the sting of her slap in my face and my heart.“Look,” I start in an even voice, “I’m not trying to insult you or your shoes. What I’m trying to say is those shoes are forges, and whoever sold them to you scammed you. If you think I’m wrong, check the soles. If it’s an original, there should be a signature on the sole. That line of sh
I can’t help but screw my eyes at her in anger as she makes her way towards me, looking sheepish. Now that I’m aware of who she really is, her beauty diminishes in my eyes. I wonder what she’s doing here, trying to humiliate me again? What the hell was with girls and me lately? It had never been like this. Normally, girls are nice to me, and other guys are hostile.Now, everyone is hostile regardless of gender.Maybe there was something in the water which is making everyone see me as a target. Maybe it’s my face. I’ve heard some people saying that certain individuals have faces that make them want to do horrible things to them. Does my face look like that too? Is that why everyone is picking on me?Man, I’m too tired of all this drama.“What do you want now?” I ask her in a hard, cold voice as she comes within hearing range, “Want to rub salt in the wound more? Call out the guys here so they can make it a real public humiliation?”Coraline gulps and looks ashamed, but I don’t let that
For a moment, I am confused.Of course, the card belonged to Jace Greyson. That shouldn’t create any issues, because my frickin name is Jace Greyson. Had Coraline hit her head somewhere? Was that the reason why she was acting so goddamned strange today?“I knew that you were up to something sketchy,” Coraline goes on to say, “This card is clearly not yours, you have stolen it from somebody. Who did you steal from? Do you know how much these cards are worth?”“What? I didn’t steal it, because that’s my card, and that’s my name,” I insist, “I’m Jace Greyson!”The waiter looks in between us, and his brows furrow, “Sir,” he addresses me, “this is a very valuable card, and the miss’s claim is a serious offense. I don’t think I can let you go. We thought you were wealthy upon your initial reaction to our mistake, but now I’m starting to think that it isn’t the case.”Why, the gall…I step forward and grab the card from Coraline’s hand, making her yelp, and read the name on the card.Jace Gr
“Hey, baby,” the guy who got out of the vehicle, the guy who is apparently Coraline’s boyfriend-because of course, this moment has to be more dramatic than it was, why not?-presses his lips to her cheek and gives her a smacking kiss. Then, he takes another drag of his cigarette.He gives me a once over before asking his girlfriend, “Is this dude harassing you?”I gape at them. She was the one harassing me!Coraline shakes her head, “No, it’s complicated…”“Wait, do I know you,” letting go of his girlfriend, he steps towards me, and blows the smoke from his cigarette which he was holding all over my face.I screw up my face in disgust and step back. Geez, where were this guy’s manners?“I doubt you do,” I mutter.“No, no, you look familiar,” he points at my face, “I think I’ve seen you in Empire city. You’re Anton, aren’t you?”Empire city? Well, there is only one place in Empire city where people could find me. That was at the Kings’ College. So, this guy goes to Kings' College, or he
“Oh, fuck!” I let out as I spring away from where I’d been lying with my head on Estelle’s lap. “Holy shit, I’m normal! I’m normal!”I pat at my body, and sure enough, it’s two-legged, hairless, and my hands are actually my hands! With fingers and pink skin, with only some fine hair on my forearms, and no black fur in sight!I immediately look behind me, and nearly cry in relief when I see that I have a normal, human posterior, not one with a tail.And to my surprise, my clothes are still intact though I had ripped them when I had turned into a dog, but they were still here. Thank God, because I did not fancy getting naked for the second time today.“I did not think that would happen,” Estelle comments, and I turn to her. She doesn’t look too shocked at my reappearance as a human. She stands up from where she had been sitting, brushing off her pants as if on habit before turning to me with a smile, “Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t call that hospital.”I stare at her for a moment, won
I cower near the toilet, scared out of my fricking mind as the door opens, hoping to everything holy that she would not freak out, which is stupid considering who would not freak out when they see an animal in a room where they initially left a human in?But to my utter surprise, when Estelle opens the door, she does not scream or throw anything at me.Instead, she blinks.Once.Twice.And then she opens her mouth to say, “Oh.”I blink at her. What did she mean oh? There’s a fricking dog creature in her bathroom and no sign of a human, the human that came to her house naked in the middle of the rain! Why does she look so calm and curious? Why is she looking at me like this was every other Tuesday in her life? I feel so confused that a whine falls from my throat, and that seems to snap her out of her contemplative stare.“I didn’t realize that you were one of them,” she tells me in a confused tone, brows furrowed, “I mean, it’s not like I’m new to this, I should’ve been able to smell y
I felt different.It was like everything that made me myself, my personality, my conscience, my thinking, and my control over my body, had been plucked out of the said body and then put into a small box somewhere in my mind. I didn’t have any control of my body, although I could feel my body, but then I could not actually feel like I did every day. No, it felt like it wasn’t my body, but then it felt like my body, but not my body again…I didn’t know what to make out of this. My head hurt, and I felt like my breathing capacity had increased and my legs had shortened, and I couldn’t stand up regardless of my somewhat dubious control I tried to open my mouth to talk but couldn’t do that either.And my visions feel weird, everything feels lower than it did before whatever happened to me happened, and the pictures flitting through my eyes seem far more intense than normal. I can hear so many noises as well, the fill of water in the tank somewhere, the sloshing of liquid in the septic tank
“Okay, so this is going to sound utterly unbelievable at first,” I say, “but bear with me, okay? This really happening and I am not lying, not one bit.”Estelle raises a brow at me. “Okay, normally, if someone tries to defend themselves that much, I might get a little suspicious, but then again what happened to your girlfriend made it to the news and I would never have thought anything like that taking place outside movies or books so I’m going to let you tell your story and pass judgment afterward.”“Fair. To be honest, I don’t even know if I should tell you all this considering there’s still an active investigation happening,” not that the active investigation was doing anything to help. You would think that after being one of the centerpieces of a murder and kidnapping investigation you would be questioned by authorities daily and at least be sent to jail once, but so far, we were only hearing crickets from the police side. It felt like they were truly living under the impression t
Estele sighs, running her fingers through her hair.“I honestly don’t know at this point,” she says, “I’ve never really given any serious thought about this. I knew from the start that I was going to be very careful when having sex with people and was always prepared up until yesterday. And like I told you, I’m not the one for hookups and one-night stands. I love relationships, and I’d gotten out of one just mere months ago and still am not over it, not really.”“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I wince, wondering how two similar people like us could’ve done the same mistake, “was it a bad breakup? I didn’t bring back any memories or something, did I?”Estelle gives out a snort of laughter at that.“No, dude, I can’t even remember the hookup so nothing like that happened,” she reminds me, “and it wasn’t a messy breakup per se. I just…we fell out of love, you see. I never thought that would happen in a relationship. We had been dating for like two years now, and I honestly thought that the next step
After spending quite some time rifling through her wardrobe, Estelle comes downstairs to where I’m sitting on one of her mauve-colored couches with a fluffy blanket wrapped around my frame, holding some clothes.“Good news,” she grins at me, “there are some clothes one of my friends left here after staying the night, and she is about your size. So, if you don’t have an issue with pink,” she hands me the large pink t-shirt she’s got bundled in her hand with a wry quirk to her lips, “and basketball shorts,” she hands me bright red basketball shorts, “then these are yours.”I squint at the combination and comment, “You know, I don’t mean any offense, but who on earth wears this combo even to bed?” The t-shirt is fuchsia with cute, squiggly sheep jumping over a bright green patch of grass. It is truly an assault on the senses, and the less said about the shorts the better.Estelle snorts, “She’s a bit into the eclectic side of fashion. You want me to try and find something else?”“Oh, no,
“Follow me,” I’m being instructed as soon as I enter the quaint little house through the doors. I take a brief look around, my newly deepened senses getting acquainted with the new surroundings I’ve found myself in, and there's nothing to complain about. The lavender and cream scent that emanated from Estelle permeated every available surface of the house and then some, along with the intermingling scents of the cut flowers artistically arranged in various cute vases on almost every available flat surface, one vase each, and the smell of firewood burning in the fireplace. The wallpapers are mauve themes, the skirtings are white, and the floor is made of polished hardwood, and the house lighting is ambient. There is a window seat near the large window I failed to see from the outside, and the wall next to the window is covered with a bookrack. I squint at the old-looking books, trying to see if there are any names on the spines. Some have names, but a lot of them are nameless.Interest
I try to see if there are any materials lying around in what seems to be the backyard of the house, but there are only flowering plants and herbs, neatly grown in flowerbeds and growing heartily, all over the yard. It’s not fenced or gated, and while to me that looks like a bad move security-wise, I guess the residents of this quaint little house do not think so.It’s actually a cottage, by the looks of it, and extremely old-fashioned at that. Blue in color, freshly painted, with white windows and doors, as well as a black tiled roof that had an opening for a chimney.Smoke is coming out of the chimney, and the glow of evening lights emanates from behind the white curtains that had been put behind the windows. It looks homely, and surely someone living in a home like this would not turn away someone needing help, would they?I desperately wish I had something to cover myself, but sadly there is not, so I try to use my hand. Never have I felt this humiliated by a circumstance, and I h
There's something wet on my face. That is the first thing that registers in my mind when I start to gain consciousness from the sea of darkness that my being had been submerged in. The wetness is cold, cold enough to shock me into the real world from wherever it was I had been before, where darkness was a constant. The second thing I register is pain. It's the kind of pain that you would expect to overtake your body after extensive surgery done by some amateur medical professional after a rather terrifying car accident. I feel like I'm cut up and being sewn off raw, with needles pricking onto my skin from everywhere all at once. The wetness starts to increase, and soon enough through the pain, I realize that this had got to be water. What kind of water, I'm not sure. But judging by the force of the icy drops colliding with my skin, I feel like it's rain. Why am I being drenched by rain? Why do I feel so hurt? What's going on? I do not know, but I have been through enough harrowin