Mission: Mr. Perfect's Abduction

Prologue

I woke up with a hammer in my head when the police officer banged the metal bars with a loud thud. I lazily yawned myself awake from my not so admirable choice of a slumber party but altogether, waking up in a juvenile cell was strangely familiar. But don't get me wrong, I'm not some kind of an old woman who kidnapped the neighbour's kid just to play poker with him. I was the emotionally derailed, psychologically broken and physically violent teenager who loves to drink.

But hey, I call the shots because I'm particularly rich.

"Hello, kind sir. Could you please give me the honour of being presented with thy precious glass of water?"

I pleaded jokingly as the officer pulled me out of my cell. When he finally started to free me with the heavy cuffs, I smirked at his sombre face obviously agitated with my regular check-ins for my usual delinquency: underage drinking.

I'm probably being released by now, given my father's reputation as the U.S Air force commander, these puny cops could never get a grip on me. Well maybe except when I was sent to rehab once, that wasn't very cool. Anyway, as I sat down a bench waiting for my other stuff to be brought to me, I looked outside the damp streets of New York and let my mind reminisce how I ended up in jail tonight when suddenly a black BMW stopped at the station's entrance. My heart almost skipped a beat when a woman in her mid-thirties on her US Army uniform came down the car looking stern yet with eyes filled with grief. I tried to look nonchalant and avoid the soldier's eyes but as she slowly walked towards me, I knew that something must be wrong. Though I tried to appear as composed as ever, my mind was revolting from my skull

Not Today!

Not Today!

Not Today!

"Rio Young? I'm Maj. Emma Tarly."

The soldier extended her arm towards me and as I took it for a shake, I was surprised as she took the seat beside me and engulf me with a warm motherly hug. I was out of words when the soldier started to cry. I could not move, for I know what was happening. I was just there frozen in place enfold within a stranger's arms whom I know bears the news of my father's death.

***

"Are you sure you want to do this sweetheart?"

My mother's voice rang like tiny bells as she took my hand in hers an hour before her flight.

It was still an occurring thought to me how my father died as a hero in the middle of a war while I was stuck in jail for being such a brat while it all happened. Two weeks after his burial, I was still asking myself how stupid I was to not go with him in his silly mini-league baseball games or spend time with him when he's not at work or even send him texts once in a while. But instead, I dropped out of school, drink some more and blame everything at his and my mom's divorce. How pathetic. Now here I am, blaming myself and drowning every piece of me in guilt and remorse.

"Rio, are you with me honey?"

My mother asked gently as she squeezed my hand gradually. I looked into her strong grey eyes like mine, and gazed at her comforting smile that my father once loved most about her.

"Yeah, I talked to Emma and she's going to be here soon." I replied sternly.

"Rio, you know you could always come with me to Paris." She pleaded again with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I know mom, but I want to be somewhere else." I looked straight into her eyes again to show her how my decision cannot be altered. I was surprised when she finally seem to get the point as she placed her hand gently upon my head and smoothed my long dark hair.

"I know you are always your Father's daughter." My mother assured me with another smile.

I was surprised with myself as I gave her an embrace. After being separated for four years, with her being at Paris for her career as a fashion designer, I thought I forgot about the comfort of a mother's hug up until today. A genuine smile crept down my mother's face and thereafter, a knock on the door sounded and Major Emma Tarly stepped into the living room and smiled down at my mother and me.

"Ruby, I'm very sorry for your loss." She spoke to my mother gently.

"Emma, I know you and Michael were dear cousins and I know it's been hard on you too." My mother marched down towards Maj. Tarly and gave her a hug.

"Thank you Ruby." Emma replied with her calm voice. As she looked at me picking up my small luggage with only a few clothes after throwing the remnants of my nasty past.

"Are you ready, Rio?" She turned to me and probed serenely.

"Yes." Was all I needed to say.

As I started to walk towards the vehicle that would take me to my new life, I looked back again for a last look at our home while my mother stood beside her French husband with tears rolling down her cheeks. I turned towards my ducati which was a sixteenth birthday gift from my dad, standing alone at the garage. I looked at our mail post-my dad used to call "a sophisticated work of art" -with a nasty pink paint smudge and Barbie stickers amidst all the blue paint.

"Rio, let's go. It'll be a long ride." Emma opened the backseat ushering me to get in.

I looked back to my mom and gave her one last wave. As I mounted the car with Major Emma Tarly by my side, who would've thought that a spoiled drunken brat like me would go to a Military School.