"I paused my looking around and breathed in deeply as the energy flung back.

There was someone else in the room.

And they had weapons. "

-------------------------------------------------

I held my breath, gripping my dagger tightly, firmly attaching it to my hand.

I moved my feet slowly, with perfect timing, not daring to make a single patter with my shoes. I followed my instincts directions to a corner where there were golden stairs that led to a different part of the kitchen. This area had more space and countertops filled with a variety of foods. There was food for a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner, and a desert. My guess was that this was all of the food that had been prepared or was going to be prepared for the meals throughout the day. 

As I walked into the room I caught sight of slicked back black hair, blue skinny jeans, and the back of an untucked button-up shirt. I gripped my dagger tighter and willed myself to run straight at the hider, dagger ready to do its job. However, as soon as I got closer to the figure warning bells went off in my head and I slammed my feet down, attempting to stop myself. The previously hidden figure turned around and stared at me with a look of surprise. As I came to a full stop I found myself inches from his face. I breathed heavily and glanced down at their mouth nearly laughing at the chocolate that lay across his cheek.

This was Dashel, but we all call him Dash. He was yet another one of the "chosen".

I looked down at my hand to see the dagger inches away from his skin, it had sliced through the wooden table behind him. That could've ended badly. 

I winced, and pulled the dagger out of the wood, before glancing back up at Dash. Dash had relatively tan skin, the perfectly white and straight teeth that everyone envies, admirably chiseled features, and dark brown eyes with red specks randomly placed about. 

I suddenly became aware of our proximity, when I caught sight of him glancing down at my lips, causing me to automatically push away, brushing myself off. When I looked back up my eyes grazed over the chocolate that still laid on his face. I smirked and made eye contact with him, making the motion of brushing my cheek. He caught the hint and brushed the chocolate off of his face, smiling cheekily.

"Dash," I nodded in greeting, "I see you got busy while waiting for me," I glanced at the cake behind him, "Speaking of which, how did you get here so fast, and how the hell did you manage to be the only one in this entire kitchen?"

He rolled his eyes at me,"Eve, darling, I know you can be a pain in the ass sometimes," I rolled my eyes at his comment, "but you're sure as hell not dumb. It's pretty damn obvious how I did it. After all," he winked, "it's pretty easy to get people to do what I want."

I groaned at him and resisted the urge to smack him. Dash's name has the meaning 'a charming man', because of his power of compelling. With a single look, thought, or action, Dash can make someone do exactly what he wants, without the victim thinking anything of it. Except for the other Chosen. When we were younger we were all trained to resist the power of compelling, so that if we ever met another compeller, they wouldn't be able to control us... and because Dash had tried to make us do his chores when we were seven.

Based on Dash's smugness, he most likely used his compelling ability to make all of the nearby guards ignore his presence, and to send all of the servants out of the kitchen. Leaving him alone with the chocolate cake behind him, which was now missing several pieces.

Dash noticed me looking at the cake again and chuckled, "What? I got hungry waiting for you," I rolled my eyes at him, to which he gave the reaction of raising his eyebrow at me in a challenge like manner, "Is a guy not allowed to eat chocolate cake while waiting for a slow ass to show up." 

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Well sorry that I had to sneak away from a pack of like fifty guards. Not all of us have a power that makes everything sooo easy."

He snickered, "Yeah, I saw your work outside. I would say good job, but I could do much better."

Dash never failed in giving my eyes a workout with how much his words made me roll them. 

I rolled my eyes for the one-hundredth time, "Whatever, listen, as I said before, there's like fifty guards in the room with our guy, I need you to do your mind thing and you know," I made the gesture of exiting the room with my hands.

He chuckled, "well duh, it'd be pretty damn stupid if I came all the way here to do something different," he looked me up and down,"Unless you wanted to do something different," he raised his eyebrow and bit his lip, smuggling an amused smile, obviously waiting for my annoyed reaction. 

I didn't give him the satisfaction.

"Just, come on."

I led Dash to the back of the room where small, surprisingly not gold, but metal doors waited.

"According to the blueprints," I studied them in the corner of my vision, "this is a dumbwaiter that leads down, right behind the throne, giving us a safe and fast shot at our victim."

Dash's eyebrows furrowed and he looked away from the doors, to me instead, "Victim? Eve don't tell me you're feeling guilty again. This is our duty, our life, our purpose. You're doing the right thing by completing your orders."

This was one of the times where Dash sincerely looked concerned for me. 

I hated it. 

I was not someone who needed sympathy or concern from others. I was supposed to be a fighter. I was supposed to have no emotions, no heart, no regret for what I do. I was supposed to be a cold-hearted monster.

I shook my head and passed my dagger to my other hand, wiping the sweat that had built up onto my khakis, "Yeah, of course."

He raised his eyebrow at me, not believing me.

I raised my eyebrow back in response and looked him straight in the eyes, smirking, "Ladies first," I gestured towards the dumbwaiter, doing a little bow.

He rolled his eyes at me before slithering into the small space, one leg after another, any thought of my guilt dismissed from his mind. Once inside, he stuck his hand out to help me in. I grabbed ahold and he began pulling me into the very very tight space.

As soon as I found myself inside, I lost my balance due to the fact that he had let go of my hand, causing me to fall straight into his body. 

I looked up at his face, "Hi," his eyebrows jumped up and down at me and I replied with my automatic reaction, rolling my eyes and pushing away. 

I reached my hand out of the dumbwaiter and felt along the wall, searching for the button that would send us down. My hand came in contact with the elevated round piece, and I quickly pushed it and pulled my hand back to my body before my arm became a snack for the metal doors. 

The doors shut quickly and I could feel our descent to the level below us began. 

"Ok, Dash, I need you to make sure the guards are not looking over at the dumbwaiter when we exit."

Dash nodded, eyes already closed in concentration as I looked over at him, "Started that as soon as those doors closed." 

I nodded, despite the fact that he couldn't see me, and squeezed the dagger in my hand. There was a possibility that Dash would miss a guard, allowing the one that was missed the ability to see us exiting through the doors, alerting others, and putting us in an even more dangerous situation.

The doors before us slipped open and I held my breath as my feet landed on the floor without a sound. I slithered across the wall up until I was right behind the golden throne, Dash not far behind.

Dash's eyes were now open, so I took the chance to make the soundless motion with my hands, that indicated leaving. 

Dash nodded in understanding and I watched as the guards made their way out of the room in large numbers. 

The gray-haired man from before, still sitting on the throne, finally noticed the occurrence and slammed his fist on his armrest, "Where do you think you all are going? I have made no orders to exit." 

He obviously did not approve of his guard's behavior. 

Too bad. 

All of the guards were eventually out of the room, despite the mans continued protests, the doors in the very front now closed from any peeping eyes.

"What in the name of-"

"Sir, you are a man that has some sort of asset that our dearest king does not wish for you to have," Dash had begun talking, now walking around the throne to the spot in front of the man.

I followed suit, coming from the opposite side. 

"This is not good for you, as you can most likely tell by the occurrences that have proceeded to happen today," the man made his way to respond with anger filled words, but he closed his mouth before anything could make it's way out. I could tell by the way the man's mouth had violently slammed shut, that it wasn't on his own accord, but Dash's, "Listen, your choices have come to a resolution that is not going to end well for you. If I were you, I'd just shut up and accept your fate, there's no point in putting up a fight."

Dash looked over at me, I had stopped right before I would be in the eyesight of the man, getting the message to stay put until Dash was done. 

"Eve, do what you do best, I'll start setting up the last step." 

Dash stepped away from the center and went over to a wall where he closed his eyes, most likely communicating with Hugo through the same device that was behind his left ear as the one that was implanted behind mine.

It was time for my least favorite part. The part I was born for. 

I made my way to the spot Dash had been moments before. I wanted to see the man before I completed the task, to make sure I wouldn't be doing anything to an innocent soul. Not that I was positive he wasn't innocent. 

I looked up at the man, he looked the same as the first time I saw him, but much much angrier. 

I raised my eyebrow, "Surprised to see me again? I'm sure you are," I began stepping closer to him, "Listen, I don't know what it is with you that makes you some sort of threat to King Magnus, but it's something I have to exterminate. Maybe if I knew the details, I wouldn't go through with this, but I don't know the details and I am going through with this. Ju-."

I stopped my talking and my movement. A throbbing had begun in my head and a pinching feeling in my gut. Something was about to happen that could be fatal to my life. 

My eyes darted around, before stopping at the sight of his arm inching over towards a button that I hadn't noticed before. 

Jump, my instincts told me. 

So I did just that. 

He must have noticed my sight on his arm because he flung his hand at the button, trying to hit it before I escaped. 

But he was too late. 

I had grabbed ahold of the chandelier that had been conveniently placed above me. 

"Eve! I swear to god don't fall," I looked over to see Dash glance up at me before looking back down at the hole that took up the entire used-to-be floor in front of the throne. Including where my feet had been moments before. 

"Gee, that's so helpful, I'll be sure to use that advice," I grunted as I adjusted my grip on the chandelier. It was too small for me to pull my body on top of it, so holding on was the only thing I was able to do. 

The only good thing to come out of this matter was that the man had also trapped himself on his throne, not thinking things out far enough. He was completely still as he sat there, Dash most likely holding back any motions the man wanted to make. 

Why hadn't he just done that in the first place?

I dismissed the thought and took a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting all my energy around me form into whatever I needed it to in order to break out from the predicament I was in. 

"Eve, I can't hold them all back much longer, and the portal's starting to open, you need to get this show on the road." 

The first thing to go was his hold on the man's words. 

A loud growl was the first thing to slip past his lips, "Evanna Leroy this is not the end. You will regret doing this I can promise you that. They will come after you, and you WON'T escape. Your entire world is about to fall apart. Piece by piece." 

"Eve, his guards are coming! I had to let them go, I'm just about out of power, hurry up!", I could hear how worn out and worried Dash was through his voice. 

An evil, but hopeful tone filled the man's words as he spoke, "My guards will stop you. They will be here in a matter of seconds! In fact, they'll be here in," He began to count down, "Ten."

My eyes shot open. 

"Nine."

My body swung the chandelier back and forth, giving me the momentum I needed.

"Eight."

My hand let go of its grasp on the gold, my body flying through the air.

"Seven."

I threw my dagger at the man's chest. 

"Six."

This time the word came out of my mouth as I landed on the golden floor, right next to the edge of the void I had been floating above moments before. 

"Five."

Dash continued the count as I put all my energy into running straight for the glowing crack that had formed in the wall next to him. 

"Four, come on Eve!"

I stuck my hand up, my dagger flying through the air, making its way back to my open hand. 

"Three!"

I caught the dagger and slid it into the fabric that held in place on my right hip.

"Two!"

I began sliding as the shimmering portal got wider, one thought going through my mind. 

"ONE!'

The man was right. 

I would regret it. 

IMMM GONNA SWINGGG FROM THE CHANDELIERRRR... hahaha that's what song came to mind while writing the ending of this chapter. 

I've been suffering from writers block for the last couple of days, but I've finally gotten around it and am back to writing!

I hope you enjoyed chapter three!

xoxo

Sara