I stared at the phone in my hand as if it were a living organism. I was dumbfounded. Is this some sort of sick joke? Is this... Is this the same person I think it is?

Gray stole a glance at my frozen figure from the driver's seat; worry flashed in his eyes. "Are you alright? Is anything wrong?"

I shook my head to deliberately tell myself to snap out of it. I pressed the black button of his iPhone 3G. "Yeah. I'm alright. Nothing's wrong. No need to worry."

"Okay," he replied calmly, and continued to focus on driving.

This is impossible! I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming. But I'm not, I'm very sure of it.

I thought he made sure to break off all contact with that guy. And I thought he actually did! Apparently not. I was just too naïve to see that. And the reality of this trip? It's all just a big fat lie. It's all just a trap to get me to wherever it is he wants to take me to in Brooklyn.

And he only agreed because it was part of the plan. Or maybe, that is the only reason he agreed. And that's what made his job a whole lot easier. Because I am very stubborn and persistent about things, and I want to do the impossible and risk a lot of things at the same time.

I could just pretend that I did not see that message, but it's not really that easy as many may think. I will still remember it, no matter how vaguely, in my head. No matter what, the memory of this will always be in my head.

I am not going to fall into this trap of theirs. Yeah, just keep telling yourself that and maybe, one day, it'll come true, a voice in my head nagged at me. I sighed softly. That voice is right. I have already fallen into this trap since long ago.

Somehow, in the middle of the trip, I ended up playing Angry Birds Rio. And after that, I ended up sleeping for the rest of the trip. I was so bored until that extend, imagine that! The reason? Do I even need to tell you? Fine, I will.

There is nothing to do at all in a moving vehicle, especially a moving car. Trust me, it is very true. If gadgets weren't invented yet, and if I could die of boredom, I would easily be dead by now.

I felt the car pull to a stop, which dragged me out of my thoughts and into the reality around me. I stretched my arms a little and stifled a yawn. The car door swung open, not of its own accord, of course – if it was, I would be screaming my head off by now – and I felt a gush of wind hit my face.

I got out, my heels clicking against the tarred road. I closed the door loudly behind me. "So, where are we headed to?" I asked, choosing my words as carefully as possible so that he wouldn't get too suspicious.

He grinned – making me feel a tad bit uncomfortable – and grabbed my hand. Our fingers interlaced immediately. We walked down the cement pavement of the city.

He kept silent, not bothering to answer my previous question, which was internally killing me. Why is he keeping the suspense? Did he not hear me? Or is he just deliberately ignoring me...

"So, where are we going?" I asked again, prompting him to answer the question.

And once again, he either did not hear me ask my question, or was deliberately ignoring me. Why? Why is he building this suspense? He knows that I am not one for both mysteries and secrets, yet he is keeping this a mystery from me.

Maybe he's afraid of my reaction.

"Where are we going?" I repeated, sounding a little annoyed this time.

He smirked at my question. So, I'm guessing, he did hear me and that he's going to answer me now. And it turned out that I was right.

"We are going to one of the main offices."

My eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets for the second time that day. "What? Are you sure you want to go there? Are you sure? Are you sure it's safe for us there? Do you even know where it is?" I blurted it out all in one breath.

"Are you sure you don't come here often? Are you sure this isn't just a trap to lure me in?" a small voice in my head echoed my two unasked questions.

Questions that I do not know the answer to. Questions that, if answered, would reveal too much. Questions that will easily determine my entire life ahead of me.

"No," I answered the small voice, doing my best to push that voice away; out of my thoughts, way out of my thoughts.

"Oh, really? Now, now. Haven't you just contradicted yourself? You do know the answer to those questions, Willow, right at the back of your head. But problem is, you're just way too scared to dig it out. You're just way too scared to find out the truth," that same small voice taunted me.

"No! You've got your facts all wrong! It's not that I don't want to know! It's just that it's not in my business to ask!"

"Oh really? Aren't you just lying to yourself there? You know you want to know it all."

"Oh, just shut up will you?" I exclaimed out loud.

Gray was taken aback by my sudden outburst. He looked... What's that word? It's on the tip of my tongue... I should know this... Oh right! Concerned. He looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

And it was only then did I realise that I was talking to myself. Both in my head, and out loud. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Nothing," I muttered. "Ignore me."

He sighed, and his lips soon curved up into a warm and comforting smile. He pecked me swiftly on the lips. "Well, that's a relief."

He paused for a while. "Wait! I don't mean that it's a relief to ignore you! I mean that it's a relief that nothing's wrong!" he tried to defend himself even though I did not say anything.

I chuckled softly for a while at what he said, and then stopped. And that suddenly, a realisation hit me on the face like a brick. Gray and I haven't kissed for a very long time already. A kiss as in a real kiss, not just a peck. He used to give me occasional pecks once a while. But a kiss? It's been a long time. And our lips have not even met once since I found out about him knowing Desmond. Especially since I found out about him knowing Desmond.

The two of us walked down the street, hand in hand, silently. No one was speaking a word. No one was saying a thing. And I didn't want to be the one who had to break the silence. So, we just walked silently together.

We just walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked. Until Gray stopped. Our interlaced fingers yanked me back, stopping me from walking any further. The sudden jerking made pain shoot up my arm.

"Oww..." I groaned, almost inaudibly.

"We're here," he breathed into my ear.

I turned to look at what he was looking at. It looked just like a normal office building, just the same old office building like any other in this part of the city. He walked me over to the door and pulled it open for me. I walked in.

And the inside of the office – or building... Whatever! I don't care! – made my insides grow weak, and made my knees feel like Jell-O.

It was just like a 5-star lobby! Or even better! If that's even possible.

There was even a mini fountain smack in the middle of the lobby – and the water was crystal clear, note that – and everything looked like it was made out of gold.

U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e.

"Wow," I gasped, not believing my eyes.

But Gray didn't seem shocked at all. Not one single bit shocked.

Nothing surprising there.

"Don't just stand there," he commanded my awestruck figure. "We need to move quickly. And act natural so that no one will suspect anything."

I nodded enthusiastically. We walked towards the lift just as the door opened. I couldn't asked for a more perfect timing. We went into the lift and Gray hit the number '10'.

I'm starting to wonder... If he didn't want us to be seen that much, why not take the stairs instead? Perhaps he didn't think of that.

We both waited as the lift ascended to the tenth floor. The opened and I stepped out, once again awestruck by the fanciness of the place. The number '10' was engraved into a golden plate – pure gold, I think. From the looks of it – and hung up on the white marble walls.

Whoever owns this place must be super rich.

Which brings up the question: who are they?

"Let's go," Gray said, holding out a hand towards me; his eyes challenging me to grab it.

I grinned back at the challenge in his eyes, and mentally accepted it. What could go wrong huh?

He walked slowly out of the lift, his hand still outstretched, his hand still begging me to grab it. So I did, I grabbed it. His grip tightened on my hand, and he pulled me out of the lift easily. My eyes immediately did what they would always do when I come to a new place: scan the area.

Aside from the huge double doors, some potted plants in the corner of the... Corridor... And the huge golden plate, there's pretty much nothing up here. What more to say that the place is actually pretty small.

And I felt my heart drop – only so slightly – from the disappointment I was feeling. Honestly speaking, I expected more, a lot more! Maybe I had put my hopes and expectations to high up... I think that is probably the case.

"Go on, push open that door," he urged.

I took a step towards the door, and twisted the golden doorknobs. Then, with all my strength, I pushed it open.

"Wow," I breathed once again at the sight of the office.

The inside was like a master suite in a 6-star-hotel (if that even exists)! I wonder... Hmm... How many people the members – or more like workers – in this organisation would have to kill in order to be this rich and to afford this many things.

And what more to say that Gray said that this is only one of its probably many main – or without the main as well – office buildings. My eyes darted around the office – or room... Or whatever! – as I took in my surroundings.

There was a chest of metal drawers near the balcony of the place. It seemed like those kind of drawers in movies where they would store loads of paper and stuff. And that looked like a very good place to start.

I went over to it, careful not to knock over anything, and pulled open a random drawer, and began digging through the files of paper. But wait. What was it I was supposed to find? What was I supposed to find?

Ah well! I guess I can just take anything that seemed interesting enough and worth my time reading. I don't want to read anything that I will not gain from, it would be a total waste of time. Or maybe, I could grab anything that's involving me in it. Or my family. Or dead family more like it.

After searching through a couple more drawers, I finally came across something very... Interesting. It was a folder. With my name on it. It was as if the folder was begging me to grab it and read its contents. So, without wasting any more time, I grabbed it and stuffed it into my bag.

A tape fell out of it as I put it in my bag. I picked it up carefully and examined it. I decided that I did not want to hear it, so I threw it back into the metal drawer. And that was when I remembered the tape recorder in my pocket, for I could feel its weight in my trench coat pocket.

And all of a sudden, I could hear muffled voices coming from the outside of the room. I shot a panicked look at Gray, who apparently was just behind me.

"Be quiet," he mouthed the words to me.

I nodded, and couldn't help but notice the beads of perspiration slowly forming itself on Gray's forehead. I guess he's nervous too. But why should he? He has no reason to be scared at all. Or maybe he does. Maybe he has his own reason to be scared and nervous about the sudden sound of voices.

He tiptoed slowly towards me. I remained glued to the spot I was squatting at, frozen with fear. I don't know what to do next. Honestly speaking, I feel scared, very scared, of what could happen next.

Unless we do something about it.

"Gray," I said, a little too loudly for neither of our comfort.

"Shh," he hissed at me, for saying his name too loudly.

I would've chuckled or laugh at his reaction, but now's not exactly the perfect time to do so, is it? So I didn't. But I had to say something. Gray's just standing there, doing nothing, apparently frozen to the spot as well.

"Gray. We really, really have to go," I told him, to snap him out of his state of daze.

"Shh," he repeated, and grabbed my hand.

I started panting with panic, fear and worry. At this rate, we're never going to get out of here on time, even though I have no idea how we're going to get out of here in the first place. What in the world is Gray trying to do? We should be having an escape attempt, not just staying here, doing nothing! Why is Gray so keen in staying rooted to the spot?

Why – What – Why – Why is he so keen in not moving?

If we're going to escape, in any way, we are going to get a move on now.

So, this really is a trap after all huh? Gray is keeping me rooted to this spot so that they're plan will not fail. Because if I escape, their whole plan will come toppling over.

But it turns out – to my relief – that I was wrong.

He pulled me slowly towards the balcony, and we made our way as silently as possible towards it.

"Hurry," I breathed.

He nodded, and our pace sped up a little. I glanced back towards the door. The doorknob twisted, and looked like it was about to be pushed open by whoever was on the other side of the door.

And we're not even near to escaping yet.

Blame Gray for wasting so much time just now! We could have escaped by now if he didn't stay firmly planted to his spot just a while ago.

I glanced back once more. And I watched in horror as the huge double doors swung open.

Well, did you like it? I really hope you did. And I also hope that you will continue with me to the next chapter, and possibly more to come! :D

And please point out any of my mistakes okay? :)