Amber
My heart is racing like five hundred beats a minute when I get to my room, I'm so frustrated. I throw myself on my bed, burying myself in one of the huge decorative cushions to muffle my angry scream. I feel as if I'm about to break and I sit up, breathing harshly and hope I don't get a panic attack. I have been getting them since I was little but I've found ways to stop them. When taking deep breaths don't work I can usually push them off by playing long, outdrawn notes on the violin or stroking a paintbrush back and forth over a canvas. Systematically breaking things work very well too, but I haven't told anyone that.
I go to the bathroom and splash some water on my now red face. I try to relax it as I realize I'm still frowning. I walk back to my room and punch the cushions a couple of times. I feel slightly better but I still feel as if I'm suffocating. I'm in desperate need to get out of this fucking place. I know there are cameras in the foyer and outside and no doubt dad has Taylor on watch now. But I happened to discover once that there are some dark areas on the balcony where I might be able to climb down and swing myself onto the balcony of one of the apartments underneath us. I know for a fact that the railings are quite climbable. I walk into my closet to see if there's something darker I can exchange my white cardigan for. I find a black leather jacket. It's soft and smooth on my skin and I love it instantly. I pull it on; it's a bit big but it will do just fine. I rummage through some drawers and find a collection of scarves and I twirl the darkest one, same color as an eggplant, around my neck. I kick of my shoes and pull on a pair of black leggings too, and then put on a pair of black sneakers instead. I walk out, not bothering to take my phone with me but just stuffing my wallet in my jacket pocket. I push open the glass door that looks like it's a part of the entire window wall and sneak outside. I know where to go as I make my way to the far corner of the balcony. I crouch down and stick my head out through the railings. Yes! A balcony just underneath and the door into what looks like an office is open. I quickly climb over the railing, hold on to the pole furthest down and start to swing, hoping the people in the apartment down under don't have a surveillance system. I doubt it though; there couldn't possibly be anyone more paranoid and controlling than my dad in the same building. It would implode. Since the ceiling is high, my jump is as well but I've been practicing Taido for years so I'm used to acrobatics and I land on my feet. They just hurt a little. I slip into the office, happy to find it empty. Now to find the front door… I tiptoe to the door leading out to the living area. Nobody is there. I hear a toilet flush somewhere and run quickly across the room to the double doors on the other side. Bingo, luck is with me since I find myself in their hallway. I get out and decide it's worth the risk of taking the elevator since I'm not wearing what I was wearing earlier and since I'm getting in on a different floor than ours. If Taylor sees me on his screens he might not know it's me. I throw the scarf over my head so it covers my hair and shadows my face. My heart starts racing again when I get into the elevator. Dad is going to kill me if he catches me.
…
Christian
"Taylor!" I bellow as I storm through the door to his office. "Please inform me of how my daughter has managed to leave the building without you noticing her on the surveillance?"
Taylor blinks.
"Is Miss Grey not in her room?"
"If I just asked you what I did, then I suppose she isn't" I snap and put my hands on my hips.
Taylor returns to his professional self and start zooming on all the cameras.
"I've been here all the time, Mr. Grey" He tells me. "Keeping close watch like you asked me to."
I scoff. What kind of idiot does he take me for? He can't have kept such a close watch if that little girl managed to sneak off under the eye of someone like Taylor. I know how good his close watch is.
"Mr. Grey, has Miss Grey ever been in here?" Taylor suddenly wants to know.
Where's he going with this?
"Not that I'm aware but I cannot say for sure." I mutter. "Why?"
"There are some areas of the balcony that the surveillance doesn't cover." He explains. "If she knew what areas she would have been able to climb off the balcony and possibly jump onto the one belonging to the apartment under."
I stare at the screens. Fuck. For a moment I'm almost impressed but my fury soon takes over. What the fuck was she thinking? She could have fucking died! She is going to get it big time when I get hold of her.
"Trace her phone." I order Taylor in a tight voice. "And get more cameras installed tonight, never mind the cost."
"Yes sir." Taylor quickly starts the process of tracing Amber's phone and within a minute, his usually stony face drops.
"What?"
"I'm sorry Mr. Grey, her phone is here. She didn't bring it."
The heart I didn't think I had skips a beat and my fury is momentarily replaced by worry. She could be anywhere, fucking anywhere and I do not like the idea of a fifteen-year-old girl being alone in the city without any communication. Let alone a fifteen-year-old girl who is emotional, sleep-deprived and hasn't eaten. Shit, shit, shit.
"Call in Sawyer and Ryan. Call my mother, my brother and my sister and any friend she may have gone to." I order Taylor. "The cameras can wait, just find her."
"Will do." Taylor picks up his phone and I leave him to it as I half-run towards the elevator. I have no idea of where Amber could be, surely she can't have gone far? But if it's one thing I know about my daughter is that she is impulsive and that she acts on her impulses far too often. I wouldn't put it past her to hitchhike. I take the elevator down to the garage and get into my Audi R8 since it's the fastest vehicle I own. I drive off into the dark streets of Seattle and keep my eyes out, slowing down every time I see a dark-haired girl Amber's height, probably seeming like a fucking creep to those poor women. I look into all alleys and I get more and more desperate. After an hour of driving my phone rings.
"Grey." I bark into it.
"Mr. Grey, Ryan here." The familiar voice of one of my security people says. "I've found your daughter and I notice on the tracer that you're close by. Would you like to come here yourself or should I take her with me?"
"No, I'll come." I tell him and the relief that rushes through my entire body nearly incapacitates me. "Where are you?"
He gives me an address about five minutes away. I hang up and step on the gas. That little girl is in so much trouble.
…
Amber
I've been walking for about half an hour when I notice something down a small alley, near a park where I used to go with Mrs. Jones when I was younger and visiting dad. There is a group of five or six boys and they are doing the most amazing things, running towards the walls and doing all kinds of somersaults and backflips back on the ground. I've read about that stuff, I think it's called parkour and I thought it seemed cool but I've never seen anyone practice it for real. I lean against a brick wall and watch them for a while. After about five minutes one of the boys notices me. He says something to one of the others and then starts walking towards me. I start feeling a bit insecure, should I go? But I don't. What does it matter if the guys are serial killers who'll rape and murder me. He comes closer and I see that he's smiling. He looks nice, and is very cute. He looks to be around twenty and he's wearing baggy jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel shirt over it. His wavy hair gets in his eyes and he shakes it off.
"Hi, are you lost or something?" He asks me.
"No." I snort. "I was just watching you guys, you're really good."
"Thanks." He says, raising an eyebrow. "Do you know parkour?"
"Not really, just know of it." I tell him. "But I know some acrobatics."
"Cool." He says appreciatively. "Why don't you come over and join us then? I'm Phil by the way."
He holds out his hand and I shake it.
"Amber. And I'd like to come watch at least." I look over towards the other guys. "But I'm not sure I'll dare try the wall thing though."
"That's ok." Phil smiles "Though I bet if you're into acrobatics and stuff you won't be able to keep from it after a while."
He introduces me to the other guys, three of them around Phil's age and two of them closer to mine. One of the younger guys, Jim, is Phil's brother it turns out. I hop up on a trash container and sit watching them for a while and study their technique. It doesn't look too difficult actually; I think I might be able to do it. Suddenly Phil jumps up and sits next to me.
"So, what do you think?"
"I think you were right." I smile shyly. "I have to try it."
"I knew it." He smirks and stands. "Hey everyone! Amber's decided to give it a go!"
The cheers from all the guys make me blush. They all move away from the wall, watching me in anticipation.
"Thanks for that." I mutter to Phil and slide of the container.
I back away from the wall, looking at it. Shit, I didn't expect to have such a focused audience! I take a deep breath, run… I run a few steps up the wall and do a perfect backflip landing on my two feet with a huge grin on my face. The guys' cheers are unbelievable and suddenly a window slams open and an old man looks down on us.
"Will you hooligans shut the fuck up?" He shouts down at us.
Everyone falls silent for a moment. Then I start to giggle, that old man is just ridiculous. The others soon join me in laughter. The dude slams shut his window and our laughter gradually floats away.
"Well, maybe it's time we switched venues anyway." One of the older guys, Lukas, says with a grin. "I'm getting pretty hungry."
"Yeah, me too." Phil agrees. "Let's get some junk food and go to the park."
The others agree. Phil turns to me.
"Do you live around here, Amber?" He asks me.
"Yeah, pretty close by." I say floatingly, I don't want to give my address to someone I've just met no matter how nice he seems.
"So do we." He says, referring to himself and his brother. "If you want to come with us, I can walk you home later."
"I don't need to be walked, I'm not a dog." I say to him but then smile. "I'd like to come with you though."
His face lights up. I like Phil.
We get some food at a diner and walk into the park; the guys know an area that's a bit secluded, surrounded with bushes. There are a few benches there and two girls are sitting on one of them.
"Hey babe." Lukas says to one of them, a very pretty dark-skinned girl dressed in jeans and a red embroidered hoodie. "Did you get the beer?"
"Yeah." She says, kissing him.
"Amber, this is Sarah and Emily" Phil says, introducing the girls who both smile at me. "Sarah is Lukas's girlfriend and Emily is her sister."
"Who also happens to be my girlfriend." Says Jim and walks over to sit next to Emily.
We sit down on the benches and the guys start eating. I sip on the soda I bought for myself; I'm still not hungry.
"Hey, celebration for your introduction to parkour!" Lukas smiles, handing me a beer.
"Dude, she's underage." Phil says with a roll of his eyes and then turns to me. "You don't have to drink it."
"Jesus, man!" Lukas says with a laugh before I can respond. "It's one beer, won't kill her. I mean, you're like eighteen at least, you must have tried something." He says to me with a wink.
Oh god, they think I'm eighteen! Are they blind? But I don't want them to think I'm a baby so even though I know it's stupid I smile as if in agreement and open my beer to take a sip. It's freaking disgusting and tastes cheap but I drink it anyway, almost half of it before I put it down on the bench with another smile. Phil rolls his eyes, smiling this time and opens his own can. Lukas grins wolfishly and gets back to his girlfriend.
"So… " I say to Phil, who has just downed a cheeseburger in like two bites. "How long have you been playing Spiderman?"
He smiles at my metaphor and takes a large sip from his beer.
"Six years." He says. "I started when…"
"Amber!" A voice bellows suddenly, interrupting him.
The others turn to see who it is but I already know so I don't. Of course he had to go all private detective and find me.
I'm suddenly yanked up by my arm and dad grasps both of my shoulders, ignoring everyone else there.
"What. The. Hell. Where. You. Thinking." He hisses. I've never seen him quite this furious. I start getting nervous but more than that I'm angry that I got myself caught.
"Hi, dad, want to join us?" I say, and I don't know where my words come from.
Dad's face falls but then his mouth turns into a hard line when he sees the can of beer next to where he's just pulled me up from.
"Have you been drinking that?"
What a stupid question, doesn't he notice?
"No, I wrote my name in the grass with it." I say sarcastically and dad shoots me a dangerous look before he turns to the others, who are watching intently.
"Which one of you fucking idiots gave it to her?" He asks. His voice is dead quiet but it still penetrates the cold night air.
"Dude, sir, it's just one beer. She's not even affected by it." Lukas says, his eyes wide. Apparently he is intimidated by my dad and not daring to do anything but speak up. Wuss. And he's not entirely right, I feel a little light-headed from drinking so fast and on an empty stomach. Dad gives him the death stare and he shrinks where he sits. "Sorry."
"Were you the one who gave it to her?" Dad asks and I want to die.
"Yes sir." Lukas mumbles.
"Give your name to Ryan here." Dad orders and cocks his head towards Ryan, whom I notice now is standing a few feet away. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers shortly."
"No dad, come on!" I wail, annoyed by how childish I sound. "I accepted it, it's not his fault. Nobody forced me!"
Dad turns to me and I nearly faint from the dangerous look in his eyes, for a moment thinking he really might kill me.
"You, little missy, are in no position to argue with anything I say or do at the moment." He growls. "Even if you accepted it, serving alcohol to a fifteen-year-old is not acceptable."
"Fifteen?" Phil's disappointed look makes me squirm and I blush, embarrassed that I sort of lied to him.
"Fifteen." Dad confirms. "And if I ever see anyone of you near my daughter again I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your pathetic lives."
Gee, dad, no need to insult them. I look at Phil, hoping he might see the apology in my eyes but he has turned away. I feel terrible, and sick. What have I done, am I stupid? Before I can come up with an answer to that, dad turns me around and start half pushing, half dragging me towards the car. I stumble slightly because of my dizziness and growling, dad steadies me as we walk. This day has now officially made it to the top of the worst-day-ever list.
…
So here's another one, and things are heating up. Quite an eventful day for both of them, huh? Thank you for your kind reviews and thanks to the new followers of this story! Special thanks to mkmrider for the info, I had no idea… And you'll be happy to know that Christian will be challenged further in many chapters to come, one of which will most likely be up later today.
Hope you enjoyed this one, please do review!
