✨Flashback✨

- And it is my honor to welcome Mr MacGregor to our great international bank !

The clapping fills the room during the speech of the bank CEO and welcomes my father on the stage.

- Thank you. Thank you everyone, he said. First of all, I would like to thank you all for being here. I also thank Mr Barclays for welcoming me so kindly into his company. And finally, I thank my wonderful family who have always supported me.

The clapping resounds again : I clap until my hands are burning. Beside me, my brother Noah whistled through his fingers. Today is a very important day because it's today that my father gets hired in one of the most prestigious banks in New York. He has been trying to get in there for years and now he finally has that chance thanks to the new CEO, Mr. Barclays.

"Today is a red-letter day" my father said. This is why, with the help and authorization of Mr. Barclays, my father had organized a big sorta snack/brunch thingy to celebrate his new job, with all the company's employees and their families as guests. So we were also invited. The first part took place in a room and the second, outside, in the garden. As I hold a glass of apple juice in my hand, Noah comes up to me and asks me :

- When's the party over ?

- You're kidding ! It's just started : we've only been here for an hour!

- An hour ?! That long ?! he exclaims.

I turn towards him and ask him :

- What's wrong ?

- It's just that... I'm suffocating ! he said, loosening his tie knot. There are only old people and women with babies!

- What did you expect ? A fair ?

- No, but still !

For the occasion, we were all dressed up : Noah is wearing an elegant blue suit with a matching tie. My mother had put on a fitted white skirt with black stripes and black high heels. My little brother, Benjamin, wears a navy blue outfit with a small black bow tie and as for my father, he wears a very elegant black suit. As for me, I had opted for a white strapless dress with floral motifs.

- It's a very important day for dad. Try to make an effort !

- What do you think I'm doing ? I just wish they would be, he said looking from side to side and whispering in my ear, you know, pretty girls.

I sigh and smile.

Noah will never change....

- On the other hand, he continues, there might be a chance for you.

He shows me someone with his chin. I follow his gaze and I spot a handsome young man in a nice outfit too. He wears black tuxedo pants and a light blue shirt. He is a tall brunette with blue-green eyes. He must be in his early twenties, if not older. He is in deep discussion with another man.

Suddenly, he turns his head away and our eyes meet. I blushed and turned my head away.

- Ooh! Well, it looks like a match ! Noah teases me, nudging me.

- Shut up, I said, giving him a flick on the forehead.

- Noah ! Muza ! Come on, let's take a family picture !

- Coming ! C'mon Noah ! I said, taking him by the hand.

- C'mon, not again ! he grumbles.

I lead him by the hand and take a seat alongside our parents. I tickle Benji's neck and he immediately starts laughing.

- Smile everyone ! Here we go ! the photographer exclaims.

He takes several shots, thus immortalizing this moment several times. This moment of pure family bound. I think it's one of the rare moments when we were all together, happy.

Since that day, this photo sits on my bedside table, framed. That night, after the afternoon reception, I went to bed, happy, proud and confident to belong to this family.

✨Flashback's End✨

My eyes shoot wide open and I look everywhere around me.

Where am I ?....

I'm lying on a sort of metal stretcher. I look down at my body and discover that I have been covered with a thin white cloth. I straighten up and sit down. I find myself in a room, dark, colorless and with a high ceiling. I swing my feet off the stretcher. Where am I ? Why have I been brought here ? And who brought me here?

- I can see the people who moved me here weren't kind enough to provide me with any clothes ! I mumbled to myself.

I decide to take a quick tour of the room. I take the opportunity to tie the laundry around my naked body like a sarong and put a foot on the ground.

It's cold. And gray.

Metal ?...

I wasn't expecting the floor to be made of metal !

It's just getting weirder and weirder....

I walk and move in the space that surrounds me : everywhere around me are metal stretchers on wheels with on tops, elongated forms, covered with a fine white cloth. Exactly like me.

I raise my head : the high ceiling is entirely made of glass, but it's impossible for me to see through it. Four stone columns support it. The room may be dark, but I still manage to see a little. The light doesn't come from the ceiling and certainly not from the bulbs : the room doesn't have any. I don't see where the light may come from.

I walk around the room and notice that it's entirely made of metal : the walls, the floor, the stretchers, the structure of the roof... I walk a little more and turn around towards these motionless forms.

I wonder what's underneath the cover....

I'm curious but it puts me off a bit : after all, I don't know what it is.. even if I have my own idea. I reach out, swallow, grab a piece of the cloth, and jerk it up. I see the face of a girl. She is brunette and has long eyelashes. She has a slightly tanned skin and her eyes are closed.

She looks... dead, but is she really?....

I slowly place two of my fingers on her jugular to take her pulse. And I feel one ! It's weak, but I can feel it ! She is alive : this girl is alive ! Maybe she will wake up like me later, then ?

I raise the side of the linen and cover her head. I go over all the stretchers : I absolutely want to know who all these people are. After having made the complete tour of the room, something is sure : they are all young girls. And they are all very much alive.

I wonder who brought us here and why....

Just before I went to sit on my stretcher, a thought came suddenly in my mind.

Muza....

I immediately frown. What is a "Muza" ? Am I supposed to know what it is ?

Muz, Muza, Muzelina.... Muzelina MacGregor....

Muzelina.

That's my name.

It's hard to explain but I know it, I'm absolutely convinced of it, without really knowing why : it's a kind of an impression, an instinct. I turn my head to the right to see a door at the back of the room. What is that door doing there ? Where does it lead ? I decide to answer that question on my own. I walk over to it and put my hand on the handle and lower it slowly. Luckily for me, the door opens - the people who brought us here didn't close it behind them. I walk out of the room and close the door behind me just as gently as possible. I then find myself in a kind of long corridor and I shiver : it's really cold !

I move really slowly throughout the corridor. The floor is cold and made of polished stone and marble. I run my hand over the wall beside me : it's granite.

But where the hell am I ? I don't know this place ! I don't remember....

Wait a seconde !

I don't remember anything ! Not a thing ! Nothing at all !...

What was I doing two hours ago ? Where was I last week ? How old am I ?... I cannot answer any of these questions, since I don't have any memories yet.

I have no memory, no notion of time, I'm starting to freak out !...

Suddenly, a slight gust tickles my neck. I shiver even more.

It's cold enough here, the wind is the last thing I need right now !....

I hear a noise behind me. I turn around, abruptly, and look behind me : I don't see anyone.

- Anybody there ? I asked.

No answer.

I shrug and continue on my way. A few minutes later, the same noise repeats itself. It's a loud thud, and it sounds like it's coming from under my feet, underground.

- Who's there ? I asked again.

Still no answer.

- If it's a prank, I don't think it's funny, at all !

Still no response.

I keep walking, and I keep my guard up. A few minutes later something brushes my neck. I turn violently and look everywhere behind me. I don't see anyone but I decide to leave : there's no way I'm staying here. I start to walk quickly but after a few seconds, I don't walk : I run. I run as fast as I can to put enough distance between that... Thing and me. I keep glancing over my shoulder to see if I'm being followed or not.

Suddenly, I hit something and fell to the ground. I groan in pain, straighten up and massage my forehead.

- Oh of course, there had to be a pole in the middle of nowhere !

- Hey, watch your mouth will ya' ? I may be tall but that doesn't make me a pole either ! exclaims a deep voice.

I get up as fast as possible. When I get my sight back, I finally dare to look at the person in front of me : it's a young man. He's... Rather tall. No, he's actually very tall. He has dark brown hair with some blonde highlights in it. His hair is messy, some of his locks curling up while others wave a little in all directions. He has beautiful green-gray eyes, a straight nose and beautiful full lips. He is shirtless and has his arms crossed over his chest. And the same type of white clothing as mine is tied around his waist.

- Are you done starin' at me ? Am I in your way or somethin' ?

His voice....

Her voice is so deep : it's almost bewitching. I can hear an accent, but I don't know which one. I shake my head and pull myself together.

- Uh no ! I mean yes ! No, actually no ! Yes, like, it's... No.

Damn it ! What's wrong with me ? Why am I stuttering ?...

He's not very beefy : he's actually rather thin. Despite his slim build, he's still quite muscular. I'm so busy watching him from every angle that I don't hear his question. So he has to repeat himself.

- Oi ! I asked ya a question ! What are you doing here ?

- Well ! Uh... I... I-I-I... I could ask you the same thing, I stuttered again.

I continue to look at him : my eyes roam the upper part of his body and start by moving towards his bulging biceps, then down towards his perfectly defined abs.

I wonder if they're as hard as it looks....

- Hey ! Will ya stop starin' alrea'y ?!

I jump and immediately stop my staring, caught red-handed. I see him exhaling through his nose and this image reminds me of an angry bull.

Stop Muza, pull yourself together !....

- Whatcha doing here ?

- I could ask you the same thing.

-I asked you first, so you answer first.

I squint. Am I hearing things or that tall drink of water, or should I call him "Pretty boy", is starting to be disrespectful ?

- Uh... Right... You know, you don't have to react like that, and...

- Does it look like I give a shit ? he interrupts me suddenly.

My eyes widen.

Well, isn't it the definition of honesty itself !....

- You didn't answer my question, he continued afterwards.

- You should answer me first ! Where do you think you are ? You don't have to talk to me like that !

He shrugs.

- I do as I please.

- What ?! But... Seriously, can't you hear yourself talking ? I exclaimed, eyes widening. Sorry to tell you but respect is actually a thing, you know ! You can't do whatever you want and allow yourself to be so... I don't know... so glib !

- Glib ? he repeats.

- Yes !

The boy looks at me and smirks, which annoys me immediately. However, I notice that as soon as he starts to smile, dimples appear on his cheeks.

- Now listen to me, Miss Pain-in-the-ass, no one is tellin' me what to do, is that clear ?

I'm about to give him a piece of my mind when his eyes looked worried. He squints his eyes for a few seconds, frowns, closes his eyes for two seconds and whispers :

- Arden...

Arden ?....

- Your name is... Arden, right ? I asked as I moved closer to him.

- None of your damn business, he retorts immediately after having his senses back

- You could at least answer me nicely ! I exclaimed. I don't know: do you really feel obliged to be so unpleasant ?

- Unpleasant ?! You're the one who refuse to answer my questions and who talks like a sort of senile eighty-year-old granny ! Will ya stop pissin' me off ?

- Excuse me ?!

- I said, stop pissin' me off, for God's sake ! he repeats louder.

- Don't you dare yell at me ! I replied.

- Oh, why, 'cause it's forbidden now ? Really ? How about that ? he scoffs.

- Stop mocking me, I'm serious ! Do you really not hear yourself speak ? I am not buddy, nor your friend, god forbid your girlfriend, so don't you act like that around me !

- Hell, I hope so ! he scoffs again. Nobody would ever want a girl so infuriatin' and so goddamn annoyin' !

- You know what 'm going to do with your opinion ? I'm going to shove it back down your throat !

- Sheesh ! Threats now huh ? he laughs. And what are ya gonna do ? You're jus' like what.. 4'0" ?

- Shut up !

The eyes of Pretty Boy change completely : from a mocking joy, his expression turns into a firm one. His beautiful smile disappears and he runs his hand over his face. I don't know if he's pissed off but I know I am, and there's no way I'm letting him off the hook so easily.

- Ok, well in that case, get out. Get out and go back where you came from!

Don't mind if I do !....

Contrary to what he just told me, he's the one who turns around. "Arden" leaves and doesn't look behind him. I wish I'd called him back, to throw him the ton of insults that were swarming in my head but arguing with him would just tire me more than anything

He's the least of my concerns....

Furious, I also turn around and walk in the opposite direction.

Did he really think he could order me around ?!....

He's such an asshole !

I go back to the body room that I left a few minutes ago. I open the door, still fuming because of my altercation with the "Pretty Boy" and as soon as I walk in, I see about twenty pairs of eyes watching me. It's the girls : they've all woken up. One of them, a black girl with red and black braids approaches me and calls out to me :

- Hey ! Where do you come from ?

- This room.

She squints, confused.

- I mean, I was here before. Like all of you. I was lying on these stretchers and I woke up with a lot of questions turning in my head.

- So why did you leave the room? To try to find why we're all here? asks another girl, a blonde with green eyes.

I nod. The girl with the colorful braids asks me again :

- So, you know ? Did you find the ones that put us there ?

I shake my head.

- No, sorry.

The girl nods in response and all the girls start chatting about our situation : everyone tries to find answers to the questions that we all ask ourselves, but of course, none of us is able to give us any.

Suddenly, a noise attracts our attention : the door has just opened and a silhouette appears on the threshold.

- Ah ! It's good to see all of you well and awake !

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Author's comment : 

Hello everyone ! 

This is the very 1st chapter that really immerses us in the plot of Destiny High :

What happened to Muz ? Why does she wake up in a room full of girls ? Where could she be ?

And a little surprise: Hardin's name ! Yes, "Hardin" is now "Arden". I wrote a chapter in my Rantbook to explain the reasons for certain additions of scenes, deletions of chapters, additions of characters... I will explain everything to you, don't worry !

Feel free to vote and comment! (Yes ! Comments ! I really need them XD)

Hope you enjoy your reading, everyone!

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Translator's comment :

The version I'm translating of Destiny  High is the corrected version : so like the author said, Arden was named Hardin.

(3041words)

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