*sigh* must we keep rubbing this in :(

I don't own Wanted....

In which new suspicions are established


Precisely at 6:30, the doorbell rang throughout the house. "Evangeline! They're here, come down now!" Mrs. Chang was busy straightening her husband's jacket as Evangeline plodded heavily down the stairs wearing a rather charming cream dress. Her father looked up and gave a smile of approval.

"You look lovely," he said and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.

"I wish you wouldn't slouch as much." Her mother's statement was greeted by a blank stare. With a final sigh, Mrs. Chang moved forward to open the door. Immediately, a smile lit on her face. "Hello! Welcome, welcome." The Henry's ambled in slowly all the time commenting on how lovely the wallpaper was, or how spacious the foyer was. Mrs. Chang brushed each comment off with a peal of lighthearted laughter.

Evangeline looked on, politely indifferent as her father moved forward to shake the hands of the Henry family. "So glad to finally have you over." As he stood face to face with the Henry patriarch, Evangeline noticed that her father's warm feelings were being met with an expression of mild fear and dread. Her observation went unnoticed by the other four persons present, however, and before she could do anything else, her mother had drawn her into the mix.

"This is my daughter, Evangeline. James, I believe you two are the same age."

The boy stepped forward and courteously supplied her with his age. "Eighteen, Mrs. Chang."

"Perfect! So is Evangeline, here." She patted her daughter's shoulder vigorously and gave that horribly contrived airy laugh again. Evangeline stood stock still, a smile still branded on her face. As her mother's laughter faded off, the six people, at a sudden loss of words, shifted in an uncomfortable lapse of silence.

Mr. Chang sprang into action. "How about a tour?" The suggestion was met with immediate relief. Evangeline chanced a glance at Mr. Henry to see that his face had become, if it was at all possible, even more tense.

By the time 8:00 rolled around on the clocks, the Chang/Henry party had moved into the salon for coffee. While the mothers discussed paltry household matters, the fathers had mysteriously disappeared into the office. This left Evangeline at the mercy of James Henry, who was in the middle of an absolutely fascinating conversation about whether his eyes were grey or more blue-grey.

"But you know, I suppose it depends more on the lighting tha-" Evangeline jolted out of her seat, unable to stand another second of the rambling monologue.

"Excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

Free from the clutches of her tormentor, Evangeline walked in the general direction of the downstairs bathroom. On her way she passed by her father's office, whose door was slightly ajar. Her intention was to walk by without disturbing the meeting, but as she neared the entrance she could hear the sound of hushed voices. One, easily recognized as her father's voice, the other, undoubtedly Mr. Henry's. The second voice seemed to be extremely distressed to the point of crying, while her fathers, whispered harshly. Evangeline leaned in closer.

"You have to understand, it's not my fault!" Mr. Henry's voice trembled.

"I don't really give a damn who's responsible, but you're going to fix it. I have a lot of people who are not going to be happy when they realize that their money is gone just because some banker couldn't pull the plates." Evangeline's eyes widened at what she was hearing. The man in that room was nothing like the father she knew. Her father was warm and charismatic, never able to hurt anyone. The man in that room was cold and calculating. He knew how to inspire fear and obedience.

"Now, I hope we are at an understanding because you know that if you don't get those plates, someone else will, and you will become…dispensable." The man in the chair froze.

"My family..." Mr. Henry's reply was cut short

"All the more reason to get those plates. We're done here." That seemed to close the matter and Mr. Henry slumped slightly in his seat. "Now get out of my office."

As the people inside began to move, Evangeline panicked. She silently padded her way past the door into to the large porcelain bathroom. After softly closing the door, she sat down on the floor trying to catch her breath. Under extreme stress, Evangeline would suffer crippling anxiety episodes. Although they would occur during sparring sessions as well, her adrenaline during the spar would often times be enough to counteract the symptoms.

Already, she could feel her airways constricting and her heart rate beating at four times the normal speed. The room pulsated and wavered around her as she stumbled over to the sink to get to the medicine cabinet. By now, she had nearly lost all control of fine motor functions and she struggled to get the cap off the orange plastic bottle. Come on, come on. The caplets spilled haphazardly onto her palm, but she somehow managed to ingest two of the red pills inside to avoid passing out. It wouldn't be the first time she blacked out from loss of air and overheating. In fact, it had happened twice before, and in both instances, she awoke to the sound of sirens and a rush of oxygen being pumped between her lips.

Evangeline slowly slumped down to the floor, head in her hands. What did I just hear? The conversation kept replaying in her head and she didn't know how long she sat in the bathroom until a knock at the door captured her attention. "Evangeline, the Henry's are leaving now. Come say goodbye."

Hm.. let's give this another try shall we?

reviews please? :)