Holy shit, I've finally found the time to do some writing! I know that I updated one of my other stories with three chapter, Snippets if any one wants to check it out please do so. I know this is prolly one of my shorter chapters in this story and I do appologize for that. I now know where this story is going in my head and I had to do some cutting on the plans for it. Hopefully you guys enjoy it. So please leave a review!
It was now May, the group having remained at the ranch since mid-January. They liked the area better than the forested land around her own home, was easier to keep a look out for anyone who shouldn't be on the property. Megan claimed they liked to play cowboys (giggling a little at the look she got when she would mention this around Connor, especially after he watched a few old John Wayne westerns). She hadn't written the entire time since they had found all the e-mails; she hadn't even touched the piece of machinery for fear that if she did more strange things would happen.
"Megan." Said woman jumps in surprise, turning around quickly to face the Brit with a sheepish look on her face while also closing the curtain quickly. That threw up a red flag for the older man and he just reaches over to see what had taken her attention. He immediately wishes he hadn't. Megan gives a dry wry laugh at the look he gives her.
"You need to stay away from Ezio and Desmond."
"Hey, I'm allowed to ogle him." He rolls his eyes at her, releasing the curtain, and sighs.
"I rather not think that. Moreover, what would you like for lunch that I can cook?" He responds and also questions, careful with his wording. Who knew just how much the two perverts had rubbed off on her. She takes a quick breath, thinking.
"Mm, how about tuna sandwiches."
"Thought you didn't like fish."
"Not always. I'll eat it but only on occasion. Unless its sushi." She gains a semi-contented look on her face at the mention of raw seaweed and rice wrapped fish. He gives a short laugh, tousles her hair much to her annoyance, and heads to the kitchen. Megan waits a few moments before turning back around to look out the window. Outside was Alex with Cascade in a four foot pool just bought from Wal-Mart, allowing the little girl to splash and play in the water while being in a baby floaty. Also in the pool was Connor who reminded her of Jaws with the way he tread water, the top of his head barely visible above the edge of the pool. She was singing the song in her head every time he would float by Cassie and Alex, both stopping what they were doing to watch him go past then return to what they were doing. It was humorous and rather sweet, especially since she knew Alex wasn't overly fond of water. The fact that he was willingly taking the little girl into the pool caused her heart to swell just a little more with love for him.
She looks around and heads to the bedroom, fully intent on taking the chance to change and join them in the pool. Sometimes she just needed to be a little silly, now that things were taking such a turn for the weird. She changes into a simple blue one piece and grabs a towel before heading out the door. Outside, the heat of the day hits her; hot, dry, and heavy, and she revels momentarily in it, comforted by the memories that it brought up. She sets her towel down beside the ones they had brought out and climbs into the water, a shiver crawling up her spine as she does from the temperature, and she wades her way over to the two. Cascade splashes her and giggles happily. Megan grins as she makes the little girl spin slowly in her float and lets her drift off over to Connor who pulls the child over to continue to play their strange shark game.
"Thought you really didn't like the water."
"Don't but she wanted to play in it and you were still asleep at the time." Was the response given by Alex, his eyes darting over to the dark skinned man playing shark before returning to her own blue-green orbs. Her brows furrowed slightly then return to normal. He wanted to ask why she had seemed displeased by something so simple but stops himself. He knew why, it was the same reason they had fled to the southern state and to a place that seemed so far out of the way of anything. She was worried and he couldn't blame her for the paranoia. She had allowed them to adjust and relax but the same could not happen for her it seemed. She was an adult and knew the dangers of this modern world just as well as he or Shaun or Desmond did, if not more.
His gaze softens some and gently he runs the tips of his fingers along her face and into her hair, allowing her to cradle her head in his hand for a moment; bliss spreading across her face and reaching into her eyes, before she stands straight once more and the content look to disappear. Something inside him cracks a little with the guardedness of her emotions that she had begun using. Her smile was hard won outside of the house, her normal look now being nothing more than a blank stare. It was like she was starting to withdraw into herself, distancing herself from being hurt by someone who now had control of most of her life. Even her publisher had noted the change of demeanor when talking to her on the phone. He hadn't said anything to her about it but had allowed her whatever she had needed, including time to adjust as she had said.
Alex sighs quietly as she moves away, wishing there was atleast something he could do to regain control for her once more. But there didn't seem to be anything that could be done. They all had to watch their backs whenever they left the house, the old routine of paranoia they had left surfacing once more fitting back into their minds like an old worn glove does the hand. She hangs out on the edge, submerged to her chin as she watches the two men interact with the baby girl until she begins yawning and nodding off. At that time the two men vacate the pool, Alex taking their daughter who passes out on him, while Megan stays in the pool floating on her back with her eyes closed. Behind her eyelids all she could see was a faceless form (constantly morphing from male to female), chasing her, Cassie, and the men. Megan opens her eyes, heart racing in her chest, and she stands up while wringing her hair out before climbing out of the pool and wrapping the towel around herself. She takes a moment to look around at the land she had grown up on, seeing the heat rising off the ground and causing the trees to be a hazy moving form. She turns back around to go inside when something seems to catch her eye, shining brightly in the brilliant sunlight.
Hesitantly she wonders over to the item as it lays on the ground, shining brightly in the sunlight. When she finally finds what it was, the needle glinting with malice intent. Her eyes widen and she holds the thing away from her, unsure of just how she should walk into the house with this newfound information. She knew none of the men would have need of something like this and she had never needed it before, so she just couldn't understand just why it was here. And that scared her. She walks inside with the needle pointing down now closer to her body so she wouldn't harm anyone and finds that all the men were in the kitchen staring at her.
"It ain't mine just so you know." She comments walking over to the table and setting it down. Both Shaun and Alex walk over to the syringe and examine it, Alex taking it in hand to look inside and take a smell of the plunger. His nose scrunches up in displeasure as he reinserts it and Shaun takes it away from him.
"It heroin and meth." He looks over to Megan and the silent question he gives her is answered with a halfhearted shrug.
"I don't know if it popular here or not. Growing up not so much but now.." She sighs and walks away unsure of what else she could tell them. Alex could smell the fear rolling off of her in waves, deep seated and pure. He just didn't know what he could do to help her anymore. Nothing seemed like it was wanting to go the way they needed, and even the Assassins were starting to feel the effects of being utterly useless. Just once he wished that things would work for the better in his favor instead of taking two steps back with every step forward. He heard the shower starting and wanted to let her try to relax again.
Megan sighs as the hot water washes over her and tries to let the water work the tense muscles of back but her body refused to do so, staying painfully tense. She scrubs her hair with shampoo and then conditioner, washes her body and shaves, and then just stands under the water till it turns cold. She shuts off the water and gets out, grabbing the towel sitting on the toilet to dry off and then gets dressed in clean clothes. She exits the bathroom and stands in the middle of the bedroom, listening to the men in the living room. She had been hungry earlier when she had suggested the sandwiches but now her stomach was rolling uneasily with the thought that someone was on her property, without her permission, doing drugs and god knows what else under her nose. Her head starts pounding with stress and she gives a quiet huff, eyes glancing to her sleeping daughter in her crib, and she walks over to the bed to flop face first onto it. She grabs a pillow and jams it between her legs and then another over her head as she curls up into a ball. All she ever seemed to do anymore was sleep and she hated it. But with everything going on, it felt like it was really the only thing she had control over anymore. She still loved and played with her daughter, still loved her boyfriend, still loved her friends, but nothing was feeling like it was making much sense.
Why her? What had made her so interesting that whoever was torturing them? Would it one day just stop? Or would she be driven crazy by the person? Would they kill her? Kidnap her? Harm her? So many questions flowed around in her head that the pounding stepped up in intensity and she curls up even tighter. It made her almost want to start drinking again to numb everything. Instead she shuts her eyes tight, willing the thoughts away, and eventually she falls into a deep sleep not even noticing when she was checked on several times by various men and they had taken Cassie out when she had woken up. Alex didn't like it because it told him just how little she was sleeping at night even with them rotating shifts. She was terrified. And while he may not feel most emotions nearly as strongly as before, but he did feel the terror at not knowing what he could do anymore.
Put a target infront of him and he would tear it to ribbons but this mental shit was driving him crazy. And he didn't know what he could do to help her. So he was just trying to let her have anything and everything. He let her sleep all the time, let her stay up all night, he took on most of the responsibility of his daughter (which he didn't have a problem with really), and anything else he could. Alex watched her for a moment, leaning against the door frame, covered in pillows to block out the sunlight. He couldn't stop the sigh that escaped from him and he pushes off the frame, closing the door quietly though he had a feeling she wouldn't have heard even if he had slammed it.
"Is she still out?" Desmond questions with Cassie perched on his hip, the baby bag slung over the other should her. Alex nods in the positive and grabs the keys to the SUV from Shaun.
"We're just going to let her sleep." Was the only other thing he says before taking Cassie from Desmond and walking out the door, the rest of the men scrambling to follow him in confusion. Was this some sort of diversion maybe?
Something wasn't right. Megan didn't know what exactly but her skin was crawling with unease. She fights off the pillows she had piled on herself in her sleep, rubbing at the crust that coated her eyes. It wasn't dark by any means, but still the shadows felt as if something was hiding in them. She stands and goes to the door, pausing to look over to the crib and seeing that Cassie was gone, opening it as quietly as she could and stopping at just a crack that she could see through. Nothing was moving in her field of vision and though she could hear the AC running, she waited on anything; still feeling her skin crawling uncomfortably, and she finally opens the door all the way to slip out into the small hallway. She hugs the wall and stops at the corner, her instincts telling her that something was just wrong. The few things the men had taught her comes to mind and she mentally prepares herself just in case.
She peeks around the corner and yet still sees nothing. She hears nothing. No boisterous laughing from the Ezio and Desmond against Conner, no quiet Arabic from the two Levantine Assassins, no baby babbling. Nothing.
She forces herself to relax some, realizing she had worked herself up for no reason. She had gotten to used to all the noise that happened around her that when there was true quiet her body and mind took it as a problem. She steps away from the wall and heads to the kitchen as her stomach makes an unhappy noise at not having been fed earlier. She goes to the fridge and opens it, hoping that some of the tuna had been left for her when a quiet step onto the tile of the kitchen makes her stop. Her breath hitches and she whirls around as a body collides with her own, her head bashing into the refrigerator, causing stars to erupt behind her eyes and her head to ache. She slides down the appliance and as her vision begins to blacken she hears a cackle, dry and cracked and broken.