Chapter 1
She sits there, a young baby, her eyes fixated on her Mother. Dimples dotted on her flushed cheeks as her mouth breaks into a grin. Her brunette tufts of hair frame her rounded face. Her eyes a swirling chasm of blue, with long dark eyelashes incasing them. Happiness is painted across her features. Her denim dungarees perfectly accentuate her azure eyes. Her tiny hands are wrapped around a lilac plastic beaker as she sits in a high chair in a fairly large suburban kitchen as her mother, Sara Scofield sits next to her, enjoying every second of married bliss.
Sara was utterly contempt with life. Undoubtedly, she had everything a woman could ever wish for. Her husband, Michael Scofield adored Sara along with their 8 month old daughter, Scarlett Lily Scofield. For the first time in her life, she felt an odd sense of happiness, nothing remotely like the times morphine was coursing through her veins. This was different, it was real, natural, it felt right. Her mind reverted to the little person in the high chair, waiting expectantly for her dinner.
'D'ya want your dinner, Scarlett? Mommy's got mushy peas,' Sara cooed as Scarlett clapped her tiny hands in enthusiasm as she widened her mouth in anticipation. Scarlett's eyes widened as she giggled at her Mother in happiness.'Neoooooooow,' said Sara, playfully making plane-like noises as she spooned food into her daughter's mouth. Sara's brown eyes meeting her daughter's as her hand moved to stroke her hair. Despite their new found joy, the fear of the Company was still clearly there in their lives. The debacle of Krantz was only one thing, but from that a 1000 questions arose. What happened to the Company headquarters, the other employees? Sara hastily attempted to put those questions to the back of her head. Instead she decided to focus on Scarlett. Her beautiful daughter with Michael. Michael was now working for a structural engineering company in Miami, whilst Sara stayed at home.
Sara heard the turning of Michael's keys in the lock, her and Scarlett's mouths painted with grins as he entered the large stone house. 'D'you wanna see your Daddy Scarlie?' Scarlett's face nodded as she spouted baby talk in return which Sara assumed to be a 'yes.' Michael entered the room, his azure eyes meeting his daughter's before he planted a kiss on Sara's cheek.
Michael looked in awe at his wife and daughter, so perfect. He stared at Sara's summer dress, the amethyst parachute silk cascading down her body like a waterfall. Her once tangled, cropped hair now hung down in brunette locks of loose curls, framing her face. Her previous constant look of worry had meta morphed into utter elation all thanks to their bouncy baby Scarlett. His mind reverted to Scarlett's birth.
'That's it! One more push,' encouraged the nurse enthusiastically to a panting Sara, with flushed cheeks and sweat dripping down her forehead as she let out a final scream. The room went silent until a wail echoed in Sara's ears, 'Congratulations! It's a girl,' exclaimed the Nurse as she passed the baby girl to Sara's arms. Sara cried, 'Oh baby girl you're so beautiful,' as she stared at the newborn girl in her arms. 'Michael, come and see her,' beckoned Sara. Michael's eyes fixated on the baby, her hands were scrunched up like flower buds. 'It's a baby, not a bomb Michael, you can hold her if you want to?' Sara laughed, 'What if I drop her?' exclaimed Michael. 'Michael she is your daughter,' Sara exclaimed as she passed the baby into Michael's arms. After weeks of researching, frantically flipping through baby books nothing could've prepared them for this. The overcoming feeling of love and elation that hit you, the immediate need to protect their child no matter what. 'I'm happy right now,' smiled Sara as Michael pressed his lips against hers.
Michael smiled in the memory of Scarlett's birth whilst walking over to Sara and Scarlett, as he picked his daughter out of the high chair. 'Did you have a good day with Momma, bunny?' Michael had began to nickname Scarlett 'Bunny,' however unfortunately, Sara had not yet took up the name, much to Michael's dislike. 'I think a certain Scarlett needs to go to bed now,' suggested Sara sensibly, as she took her from Michael's arms as her daughter's eyes began to close, as she drifted off to sleep.
Scarlett lay peacefully in her wooden white cot in the dimmed nursery, fairy lights illuminating their daughter's sleeping face. The effervescent gleam of the white light bounced from wall to wall, showing the pastel pink walls of Scarlett's nursery. Leaning against the wooden cot, Sara rested her hands onto her head, General Krantz's words echoed in her head, 'Be careful who you get close to, the Company will always be that one step closer.' The Company would always be there, with or without Krantz they somehow found a way to get into her head, threaten the people closest to her.
Michael sat on the dining table, his face an odd shade of white, confused at what had happened at his work today.
Michael folded away the Steinfield and Co Company building plans, 'right, I'm going on a quick break now,' said Michael to his colleague, Sam as he grabbed his wallet. Walking quickly towards 'Naomi's Coffee House,' he brought out his phone, abruptly texting Sara, 'Be home about 7 x,' without noticing a scruffy, rugged man in front of him as he crashed into him. 'I'm so sorry,' Michael said to the man. He looked up to see straggly bleached blonde hair, squinted eyes and a wrinkled neck and a sinister look that he had seen before. The man's eyes bored into Michael's before abruptly shifting away from Michael's range of vision as he walked away.
Michael searched his mind. He knew that man. He knew the sinister stare. His mind reverted to the image of this man, as he remembered his hand, the plastic texture of it. This seemed all too similar until it dawned on Michael, that man was T-bag.