Written august 21th, 2020

Posted sept. 4th, 2020

The event that made me pass out all happened right before I would reach the lowest point of the summer.

But of course, I didn't know that before. Before the worst happened to me at the time.

It was a regular afternoon- how all stories start. I was walking in a park when Blake appeared in front of me.

"hello Alexa." He said coldly.

But I wasn't Alexa at that point. After receiving a threat, I went to my AirCar and changed into Autumn. I removed everything.

"or should I say Autumn Ace Air?" he said, taking a step forward. About three meters were separating us. I didn't want to make my fear obvious. But I knew it was from my tense posture.

What had he done to my bodyguards? If they were behind me, they would have come between me and him. i didn't want to look back for them. I didn't want to make my fear obvious. But I knew it was.

I was so scared I was about to pee my pants.

"in the flesh." I said with a confident voice.

"you always wanted to meet me." He said, taking another step. This time I took one back. "here I am. The one who had been behind all the schemes to turn everyone against you and sabotage the experiment. You'd be surprised at how much everything's linked."

Behind him appeared Calumn, with the same 'up no good' facial expression, and scary eye. I gasped. he really was my enemy.

I looked around me once. No pedestrians. No family or friends. He was wrong. He didn't manipulate them. I was going to die alone.

I wanted to at least know the truth. "why do all of that?"

"Because I need it to get back my wife." He took two steps towards me. I backed away, and grabbed a strong stick. Calumn was following him like his shadow.

I was outnumbered. There were a dozen men all around us, some holding my bodyguards.

"Defend yourself like your life depends on it." Mic yelled, struggling to get free from a stronger's man's grip.

I nodded. I will try my best.

"you have it in you to be free!" I looked at Max, a silent bodyguard who yelled so. Somehow, it brought tears to my eyes. That line was fitting to so many areas in my life.

"the point is you need to go down, Brat girl!" Blake was in front of me. I held the stick in front of me.

He went for all the sensitive areas; stomach, back, knees, feet. He was strong. Calumn was on the sidelines watching me with indescribable eyes. What was he thinking? I was suing him- if I got out alive.

Blake soon enough broke the stick, and I fought bare hands. Blake was stronger, but I used some of the fighting techniques he thought me. I could read frustration in his eyes because I wasn't going down fast enough.

I could hear a lot of screams in the background- from friends, and my family. But I though I was dreaming. They'd say "front! Behind you! Kick him"

Sometimes, I'd listen. But I mostly followed my instinct.

At some point, I heard my brother's voice, saying "use all that strength in you gut!"

It was a childhood line. It was also my downfall. I saw his face crumble as Blake locked my arms behind my back and pushed me to the floor on my stomach.

"NO!" Isic screamed. He started running to me. "LET HER GO"

"Isic" I struggled to yell. "stop trying to be a hero. I will be fine"

Isic yelled when the man twisted his arm. I tried to look over, but Blake didn't let me.

"Fine" he echoed, for everybody to hear. "you think you'll be fine." He moved my head forcefully with his hands, and made me look at all his bodyguards, creating a shield around.

The shield wasn't protecting us. It was making us hostage.

I met the yes of so many people that I had no idea how they found their way to me.

Tasnim, red eyes.

Amber, crying.

Ken, anger distorting his face.

Nora, sobbing.

Daniel, struggling to be set free.

Isic, laying on the ground trying to me my eyes.

Mic. And all my bodyguards, sadness making their whole body surrender in defeat.

"sorry" Mic said on all of their behalf. I knew how they felt. They had been hired to protect me. And the one time they could do their job well, they got outsmarted and failed.

I shook my head. It's fine.

Cherry wasn't there.