Bruce was taken back by both women. They looked exactly the same. Worse, they were the mirror image of each other. It was impossible to tell them apart, somehow he knew in his heart that he would always love Nyssa no matter what. Another woman, Talia slowly walked toward the couches where Bruce and Nyssa were seating. Her seductive movement of hips and legs remained Bruce of a feline. Talia brushed long strands from her face and from almond shaped blue eyes and took a seat across from them.
Nyssa felt a burning inside of her being. It was only a matter of a time before Talia would start to flirt with Bruce and even now it has been possible for her to do so. She hated her older twin, living constantly in her shadow, and least at the Temple Nyssa felt the freedom. The last thing she needed Talia to mess up her plans. And why has she had to come right now?
One thing Nyssa hoped it was that her father had not sent Talia here to watch her every move. Nyssa did not want to have a guard nor she was a little child. She would do this even without Talia around. Talia seemed to feel her twin anger and was it was like burn and Nyssa wanted her out from a room. She was aware that Bruce wanted to speak to Nyssa alone so she had to leave and have them alone. Bruce took out the envelope from a pocket and placed on a table before Nyssa.
"Also I forgot to give you this back." He replied.
"So you are still coming?" Nyssa spoke.
"Of course, I am looking forward to see you and to present at the party." Bruce smiled a smile of a playboy.
"I am looking forward to see the costume you will be wearing for the evening." She replied but there was no smile on her face.
The servant came in informing that the lunch has been served and Nyssa wanted Bruce to stay for a meal, but it not happen. After bidding a farewell to Nyssa, Bruce headed back home still curious of the content that he had seen in the bottle, and wanted to know more what was it?
With approaching days of the ball that was her birthday as well, Nyssa was ready. Strangely enough, Talia had left few days before and she was to come back before the party so no one will suspect the change and have her chance to dance with Bruce. But the hell broke lose just a week before the ball. Nyssa went for a run like she always did each morning around four o clock when everyone else was asleep and no human soul was presented except for the song of night gales and whisper of the wind in the trees. As she raced down the pathway past the trees the silence was all around her and she adored that part of an early morning, for it remained her of her time back at the mountains and the peace she had at the temple. Where she would ran around frozen landscape sometimes for three hours until the late evening.
Bruce was in his bed wide awake and unable to sleep at all the thoughts playing back in his mind and the memories threatened to come forward when he was back at the temple even though he did not want to remember them at all.
Flashback
The sound of a blade hitting the blade was more than loud in the quiet room of a temple. Nyssa was bathing in her sweat and so was her opponent. The two of them could not see around nor each other for the thick cloth has been placed around their eyes. They could only relay on their hands and feet and movement of bodies, trying not to kill each other in a process.
They where fighting since the early sunlight and Nyssa could not feel her body at all. There was no rest for either of them. Ducard was overlooking the battle like a hawk ready to yell at either one of them if wrong move has been made. Bruce drown by the sound of steel hitting the steel appeared in the room watching also the duel unfold before his eyes.
"Keep moving," Ducard commanded harshly over the sound of metal.
Finally after the six hours, the training had stopped, but it was not over yet for Nyssa for she had several miles to go running and she did without the complain.
When a dinner had finally arrived, she was not there at all eating with other students. She was seating outside at the balcony allowing the cold wind to cool her down as she was sipping her tea. Bruce again refused to approach her but when he finally did so he did not know what to say to her.
"Does it bother you to be pushed like that?" A small smile appeared on her lips as she heard him speak behind her back.
"Not really, I got used to it. It is not that hard."
"But he is too demanding."
"It is only way to please him." She turned to look back at him.
"How long have you been training?"
"Since I was four." She was aware of a slight surprise now on his face." But, for him it was not enough so I did hard to please him."
"And you are doing that even now." Nyssa was quiet as she finished her tea and was about to leave when she stopped to look back at him.
"He always wanted a son, but unfortunately I was born as a girl. He considers me a failure for that."
"What do you mean?" Nyssa motioned him with her so they could have a walk toward the glacier and back.
Once out of a sight from other students and her father Nyssa continued on with her story.
"I've been told before I was born that my mother had miscarried two boys. The following years two boys died in infancy before their first birthday. My father was beyond words furious feeling like the God has been punishing him for this and not giving him a son.
"Then on a last chance my mother carried the babies to the term. She had delivered two girls. The twins, my older twin Talia has been taken away and was adopted soon after that. As for me, well my father took me in and trained me. Soon after my naming my mother passed away three days after my birth after naming me Nyssa which is the Greek word for the Beginning."
End OF Flashback
"The Beginning of the End." Bruce muttered under his breath later that evening unaware of Alfred approaching him.
"Sir?" Confusion was on his face as he asked.
"It is nothing Alfred," But he knew something would happen.
The phone nearby began to ring and Alfred picked up answering. The confusion and slight shock has been on his face when the receiver has been placed back on a phone. Bruce looked up seeing a shock on Alfred's face.
"Who was it? What happened?"
"There has been an accident." He faced his master." Miss Bolton has been propertied missing."
"She was at her home yesterday. What is it really going on?"
"Well, she had not returned from her morning ran at all. At first the servants thought that she stayed a bit longer but…" Alfred's words were cut down by a voice that belonged to Bruce.
"She is never late, at least I know that. Something has happened to her. If she is not hurt, then one thing remains that she has been kidnapped."
"Why would someone do that in a middle of a day? Of course someone must seen what really had happened."
"I know that it is seems quite strange but it did happen." Bruce began to doubt about that this was not a simple act of violence, for someone must know that she was here, like her father perhaps.
Why would someone like Ducard wanted to get involved in the crime like this? Perhaps to keep her away from him at any cost and what was a deal with Ghulbehar to begin with?
End Of Part One...