Willow POV

Judging from the light, my best guess at the time was five or six in the evening. Was I here nine, ten hours? Maybe. I had long ago memorized the layout of the room which was mind numbingly dull. A crack in the paint, a chip in the glass, anything would have been appreciated in this sterile environment. The only thing I found the slightest bit interesting was watching Saoirse reading a plain black book in the corner.

She had a bread tin propped under her feet with the last half hour and sipped from the bottle approximately every fifty pages. It was another hour of boredom before I heard Shiyoon and Christophe leave and Elisavet to stick her head in to say dinner would be at six. Like that meant anything. Elisavet had been 'guard' for a few hours during the early afternoon with magazines in lieu of a book, the experience being unsettling to say the least. She seemed to gather immense pleasure from unnerving me, fixating her eyes on mine for disturbing lengths of time before chuckling and flipping to the next page of a magazine without saying a thing. Saoirse, however, ignored me which I definitely preferred.

But the worst was the fear. Would the Benedicts even bother looking for me? I knew this was probably an irrational fear, they would help next to anyone in need, but I worried nonetheless. Did they even know I was still in New York city? And how could they even have the slightest chance of tracking me with Saoirse's wretched shields? They were so powerful I actually felt them there like a thin yet dense layer of one way glass sitting on my mind. You cannot freak out. You just cannot. Weary, I tilted my face up the the ceiling, taking shallow breaths through my mouth as I focused on staying calm. Crying would do no good.

"Dinner," Elisavet called sweetly before coming in, closing the door with her behind. "Since we have no electricity," she said eyeing me, "You get takeaway pizza. You need it, the two of ya."

Saoirse glared at her but got up to take her plate while Elisavet put mine down beside me. "Am I not just a darling?"

The urge to spit in her face was so intense it took me a few seconds to reply. "Just peachy." I snarl, wishing this girl had any other gift other than nicking memories. Something nice and harmless like reading emotions or talking to butterflies. Then again no gift short of pure nasty suited this creature.

With a grin like a Cheshire cat, she happily sauntered off but paused at the door. "Saoirse, the Boss and Christophe should be here around ten or later. Will that not be just fantastic?" she whispered the last part to me and gave a giggle before shutting the door behind her.

Saoirse sighed but carried on eating with one hand, keeping her book open with the other. Back to painful silence which only gave me time to worry. Not about Christophe but finally meeting this elusive 'Boss' Victor was dying to nab. Were they really going to let me live if I saw him? Or maybe Elisavet would take my memories first. Never had I thought I would pray for the latter.

I could try to escape but I had no idea where in New York we were and if Elisavet managed to get a hand on me… I sighed out loud at this and took a bite of my pizza. Besides a glass of water, it was the first thing I had had all day and unfortunately it barely made a dent in my hunger. Not my biggest worry right now. I could still manipulate a current of electricity without food, thankfully, though producing one was out of the question. My mind was foggy however, probably through drugs in the water or when I was knocked out, so my control would be next to nil right now.

And shocking my captors would get me outside most likely but would it do any good in getting to others to save me? I could use telepathy but what if Saoirse was still in range? Who knew how far her scope even went. I glanced at her, noting her long lean limbs. She could definitely give chase if it came down to it while the more shapely Elisavet's legs seemed better suited wrapped around a pole.

I snorted causing Saoirse's head to snap up. She studied me a moment, eyes darting between my handcuffs and face. Eventually her eyes flicked down to her book. Looks like I would have to watch myself more carefully for fear she or Elisavet start paying too much attention. Whenever we tried to play a round of poker back home with Sherry, Lucian and Cam, Tulip always bemoaned my poker face as she could never hide her glee or disappointment. Her ridiculous delight when her mother got her a puppy for her eighteenth, her terror as she screamed her way through 'Annabelle', her complete confusion when I used my gift to play with the lights in that vintage shop... The light trick! If I got out of here I could mess with the lights in a dozen shop or office windows. Fingers crossed Crystal saw it though as I realised, with misery, she might be the only one to get it.

Well, it was something. That or telepathy might save my ass. All out of other ideas I traced random patterns with a finger on the wall as the light faded to darkness. Saoirse went out and brought back a candle and if eyes could produce venom, hers were spitting it at the inconvenience. I gave her the finger and in return she made her shields feel like a bucket of cement had encased my head. I groaned and slipped down until my head lay on the bed.

I was still like this hours later when I finally heard a commotion out in the kitchen. I lifted my head up an inch and tried to listen in.

"What do you mean she's not the Brook girl? And would someone turn on a light in here." someone snapped, their voice growing louder as they came down the hall.

"Just trust me for now dad," Christophe said. Huh, good to know his evil was apparently inherited. "This chick is a new Benedict soulfinder. Looks she would rather chew glass than be with him though."

"She's his so he will have to care," I heard Elisavet insist as she opened the door to my room. Sounds like someone was sucking up. I managed to shift into a sitting position again as Saoirse let up the weight of her shields to stand up for this man. Oddly, his voice was familiar but I had no more than a few seconds to place it before he entered behind Elisavet who held the door open like it was a big honour. I rolled my eyes before my stomach plummeted with the speed of a jet to the floor.

This man was well over six feet with brown hair laced with strands of grey. I felt physically ill looking at his blue eyes, not daring to make proper eye contact because even now I knew what I would see; that little flash of pain followed by resignation before he would regain control. Maybe he no longer did it. I'd not seen him in so long. And very obviously knew next to nothing about him it seemed.

"Ah Willow, did you ever get that present I sent?"

"Must have gotten lost." I said through my teeth.

"Pity, pity," he said. "Shame they had to take you instead of Ms Brook as well."

"Yeah, real shame Colin," I spat. How could he be so calm about seeing me here!

"Willow, Willow," he sighed, "Did you ever learn to respect your elders?"

I wanted to hit him. For not trying with me, for not getting past my similarity to mom and for now. "Respect is earned and you just lost all of mine dad." I growled on the last word. Christophe started a little, reminding me of what I had heard in the hall. "Colin…" I started slowly. "When were you going to share the fact I have a brother?" The last word broke Christophe's wall of arrogance for a split second as the shock registered.

"Huh," he said with the most uninterested of glances back at his son, "Ah, yes. Your mother had him just days before she... Died." he said, a brief look of hurt flashing through his eyes, "I landed him with a nanny as soon as he was born and shipped you off to the Woods family as just too much." He studied me like a lab rat for a moment. "I suppose it was out of spite to her for dying I never let you meet." I longed to lunge at him, the only things stopping me were the handcuffs and Elisavet. Christophe looked at me curiously though probably knew our dad, I shuddered internally, well enough not to ask questions.

"Anyway, this is nothing personal Willow. Just business." He continued. "And as long as they agree to our terms and you stay well behaved things will work out just fine.

"Go fuck yourself." I say, eyeing him up. This man was nothing to me anymore and I was definitely better off living with the Woods family all these years. They were my family and this was a man who deserved no respect.

"Language," he warned but I continued glaring at him anyway. He straightened his tie and stood up to his full height. "Now I plan to have Christophe message the Benedicts by the morning with how they can pay us and sign the deal." I had no idea what he was on about but I was not going to give him the satisfaction of asking. "So until then I will leave you with a warning."

He pulled over Saoirse's abandoned chair and knocked the book off. He put it over in front of me and sat with his chest facing the back of the chair. He casually rested his arms on the back before resuming, the cold, cruel daggerlike edge to his voice raising goosebumps along the lengths of my arms.

"I am not above murder Willow," he said, his eyes never wavering from mine in the same disconcerting way Christophe's did. "I have had it carried out before and I will again. Your soulfinder and however many of his family will become mere memories if you and they do not comply with my demands." He paused as he gauged my reaction, a poker face that was at breaking point. "I will keep you however long it takes, I can be relatively patient. But mark my words I will do it." Everyone was silent as they let their 'Boss' speak. "Is that clear Willow?"

"Yes." I whispered, not trusting my voice to go any higher. "Loud and clear."

This author person back to annoy you,

thanks for all the lovely reviews. Nice to see you again Tahira :), seeing you 'travel through' all those chapters was pretty amusing... And I never actually thought of putting Christophe and Tulip together... Hm, pity about the age gap. Thanks to out of options for usernames (sorry took me like two months to update), Guest (I hope to finish it too! It feels like a waste to abandon it so far in) and Emma 13569(only took me like over em a month, more to update since your review. Yay-ish!) for reviewing too. Two reviews away from one hundred now(!) I may squeal the day I see 100 (if I see it!)

Not 100% finished editing this so you may see tweaks later but I have an internet connection so I better blimming use it! And I am 19 now (getting old so I am...) Thanks for reading anyway :)

So hint for the next chapter... Well, Willow may possibly get a message out but will it actually be noticed? At all?