Red Is The Color Of Desire

Chapter 2

Jewel tiptoed down the corridor, her slippers nestled in the crook of her arm. She quickly moved past the row of open doors and ran past the lounge, hoping that no one noticed her shadow as it jotted past the door. Her heart was beating in her ears as she realized that she was so close.

And then her heart dropped as she nearly tripped over Aiden, she froze as he stared up at her curiously. She swallowed the lump that had begun forming in her throat.

"What are you doing?" He asked innocently.

Her other brother suddenly ran into the room, a cheeky grin on his face, until he saw Jewel.

"Where are you going," Andrew asked suspiciously.

She looked down into the faces of her identical twin brothers, her mind racing. "Don't tell anyone you saw me."

They both raised a brow, a playful light in there light brown eyes, "What do we get out of this?" They said in sync.

She frowned, "I'll bring you both back a pastry."

They looked at each other before looking back up at her and nodding their agreement. She leaned down and kissed them both on the cheek before sprinting for the door before she was caught again. As soon as she stepped outside she slipped her shoes on and shielded her eyes from the setting sun.

A feeling of utter triumphant coursed through her veins and she lifted her dress in her hands and began her journey down the road.

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She was lost. She had walked past the same building almost three times. Her breaths were labored and short from her constant walking. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her adrenaline coursing through her veins. She had no idea where she was and fear was slowly creeping it's way up her spine.

The sun had already set and the sky was now a mixture of dark blues and soft pinks. She suddenly tripped over her own slipper clad foot and fell to her knees on the ground.

"You need help, pretty lady?" A deep voice suddenly asked from behind her. She turned around just in time to see a large, broad shouldered man staggering toward her. He reeked of alcohol as he moved toward her with a lecherous smile on his drunken face. She stood and ran, sprinting down the connecting alley. Her heart was hammering against her chest as she ran with no direction.

Aimlessly sprinting down street after street, looking behind her in paranoia every so often. And then she could run no longer, stopping, placing her hands on her knees as she gasped for breathe. Her hair was now a frizzy mess atop her head, small streaks of sweat adorned her forehead. Once she caught her breath she stood up straight and examined her surroundings. She had wondered onto the docks, the large ships and small boats in the water bobbing up and down in the water. She sighed, she knew she was beat. She turned and looked around, trying to see through the darkness that was quickly filling the space around her.

She needed to get home before anyone noticed she was gone.

As the darkness continued to creep in, an array of male voices seemed to come from out of nowhere. Fear stole over her features, her thoughts. She quickly lifted her dress and moved through the deck, trying to find a place to hide. The voices began to get closer and closer, it seemed as if every where she went she couldn't escape them.

She was suddenly much too tired to go on and she stopped to catch her breath.

"Well, well, well...what do we hav' ere'?"

Her breath caught and she whipped around, a group of men surrounding her. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure they could hear it.

"She's a right pretty sort, ain't she?" One of them snorted out.