Betrayed by my own

Chapter 9- Deja Vu

A rather small, glass chandelier hung from the ceiling as the light from the windows peaked through creating dazzling rainbows on the back wall. The sparkling colours brightened up the room as the white, lace curtains danced to the sound of the wind. The morning was fresh, something Charlie hadn't experienced for a long time. She wasn't allowed to leave her bed, let alone open her window.

The immediate pang of an ache protruded into Charlie's head. Sunlight wasn't going to be her friend today. But can you blame her, it's been two weeks since she was last in line with direct sunlight.

Her curtains were always to remain closed so she never even had the chance to see her surroundings. Even now a weary stone wall ascended over the mansion covering everything but the tops of the trees. It reminded her of Ryder and the smell of pine trees that surrounded home. Home.

She always considered home to be her own place (not even the place she grew up was her true home) even though it was only a studio apartment on the upper East Side she always considered that to be her haven. She lived alone and could do whatever she wanted with no care in the world for what others thought of her. She shouldn't even consider Ryder's home as her own, she was a prisoner; not family, not a friend, not even an acquaintance. A prisoner... that's all she was... right? She barely spent five minutes with the man before she was shot down so there was no possibility that there was anything between them even remotely familiar to a relationship. He probably isn't even looking for her, or so Charlie thought.

What she didn't know was that he was pulling his hair out till it dropped to the floor ageing into a silvering grey purely out of fear and stress. His office was held together by the thinnest string known to mankind. Ryder refused to admit that her loss was getting to him and every time the thought of her never returning to their home made him angry. Despite believing that he had a heart made of stone and ice it was slowly melting into a low, rhythmic melody. He hated it just as much as he loved it, a contradiction really. His cameras turned up nothing. No guards or clientele saw anything on the incident taking place that night but maybe that's how they planned it. They timed it specifically knowing that no one would notice between the shift switch and everyone being asleep. That still never explained how they were able to carry a sleeping woman who had not long been shot through the mansion without being noticed.

I wonder what business Callum had to attend to last night? He's been late sometimes but never completely dismissed seeing me at all. That sly fox trying to act all mysterious only to wind me up. Guaranteed he probably spent the night drinking with that weird guy. I haven't seen him since the night I woke up with him in the corner of my bedroom, typical really. A creep getting caught is bound to wait to return to his watch station. Best to keep away from him. I've never really seen his face or anything else about him to be fair. All I actually know is he works with Callum, for some reason he likes to watch me sleep and the man is completely a mystery. How frustrating! I know absolutely nothing of use to me.

"Thinking about me so hard that you didn't notice my entrance princess?" Callum cooed as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

" About how handsome you are and how well you take care of me," rolling her eyes as she moved out from his touch, "you wish".

"Oh come on princess, surely I'm not that bad?" he smirks, grabbing her arm to turn her around. His arms moulded around her waist like chocolate around strawberries, locking onto her (to which she despised). She never wished to admit in words that maybe his feelings are real yet she refuses to even attempt to understand why he would kidnap her to get what he wanted.

"You must be joking?" sneering with glaring eyes as he pulled her closer to his broad chest. "What an egotistical asshole."

"My heart is bruised princess, the agony!" What a whiny baby! Charlie couldn't believe how conceited one man could get, she didn't find him attractive like she did Ryder - not that she would ever tell him that - so self centred.