Prison Bound

Wedding Unkown

Ten years, four months later...

POV: Grace

Multiple kinds of flowers were out, color of the purest white that could be found. White lace with gold felt trim lined the 300 glass tables. The sun glistened off the crystal chandelier and white marble floor in the foyer. The champagne was chilled in frosted glasses the whole scene was of perfection... The wedding of the decade they called it. My wedding! My fiancee was of the finest ton and society, his family had power and prestige, my Father said it would help his own political campaign as governor if our families were joined in matrimony. And so I said yes, to Charles Blythe. He had blond hair that complemented my strawberry blond with green eyes that people said would match my dark blue. And we would be sure to have uniquely beautiful children they said. Mother told me to ignore the gnawing in my stomach or the doubts that I occasionally had. He was a good man she said. I knew she was right. Charles was quiet, gentle, a very good listener. He was very successful, his law firm was in the top 5 of the country. He was in essence prince charming, he could make a girls dream come true and that girl was me. But was it? I was still gazing out my window watching the servants buzz around in a haste and could hear the live orchestra start to play as the guests would soon be arriving. "Lost in thought again my dear?" Mama asked as she walked in the room and silently ushered out my maid who had been laying out the last bit of wedding finery. We both looked at each other silently as the maid closed the door behind her and listened for her footsteps to recede down the stairwell. I looked at my Mother with all the sorrow in my heart and said nothing because there was no healing words, nothing that could be said that would rectify the situation. "I'm alright Mama." I finally say before turning around and walking to pick up the teardrop diamond necklace that had been in my family for seven generations. Mama walked behind me and gently takes the heirloom into her own graceful fingers and latches it around my neck. And with the a soul deep sigh that I feel within my own heart Mama leads me to the mirror. I stand before the floor length mirror but refuse to look at myself. Because I know if I do, I know there's no coming back. My future will have been written by another. And write now with all that has happened in the past two weeks, I know I'll shatter. "Sweetie..." Mama says with her most gentle voice as she brushes a curl back into place as if it wasn't already perfect. "Look at yourself darling, for you are as angelic and as beautiful as your heart." I still avoid the mirror and looked down at her. "I can't." I tell her... with a sigh. "I just can't." There's something strange in the way she's looking at me. Almost like she did when she knew Mikhael wasn't coming home, like when we found out he was dead. "Mama." I smile gently down at her. "I'm not going anywhere. Charles and I will only be an hours drive away." She silences me with a small smile and wave of her hand. "I want you to do something for me?" She requests. "Alright Mama anything." I respond wishing the worry from her kind face. "No Grace, before you answer or even commit to what I am going to ask of you." She paused as if she was summoning up all the courage she had. "I want you to look at yourself in the damn mirror and realize how beautiful you are and then I want you to walk away..." She paused again looking intently into my eyes. "Mama, I know..."  "Shhhh..." Mother cut me off. "I want you to find your brother... No!" She pauses cutting me off from interrupting her again. "Find him!" She demands with a pause. "And leave this place and do not come back." I stare at my Mother in amazement. How she found my brothers file in my Fathers secret safe a couple weeks age, I'll never know. How she got in, is another question entirely. "How long have you known?" I ask. Mama smiles slightly. "I've had my suspicions for a while now." She replies slowly turning me back towards the mirror. "And I can only speculate why he would do such a thing, as for that, I suppose we will never know." She smiles wholesomely. "Now how do you feel about my request?" My Mother never asked me for anything. In fact it was my Father that always demanded, maybe that's why Mikhael struggled, why he was never happy. Was this my second chance? My chance for a different life? A second chance to see my brother again. The Intel and monthly  updates my Father received and payments he made from his personnel off shore account to a fund group in Switzerland was just enough to incriminate a saint. I knew he was the one behind Mikhaels disappearance. What I didn't know was, who was the Reaper? And why? My Mother may be satisfied not knowing but I wasn't. "Father will find me." I whispered. "And Charles family has all the contacts that Father doesn't." I finally glance in the mirror and meet Mama's eyes. "All the contacts in the world won't matter." She pauses. "If your dead." She finishes. "You mean...." I respond. "Yes, non of it will matter and besides." She shrugs. "Your Father doesn't loose any political ground, in fact he might gain some. A win, win..." Mama smiles. "Your death, for your freedom! It could work. Change your identity, change your appearance." It sounded like it could work. I feel a kindle of hope growing within me but its my wedding day, I remember... "If only we had thought of it sooner." I shake my head. "Charles and today." I sigh. "And if today happens, I can't go back." I exhale. "We're out of time Mama." My hopes are forever to be buried i thought. "No, no." Mama says firmly shaking her head "I will not let that happen. I knew this day could come at any time, what I didn't know, was it would be because of your brother." She goes towards my closet, strolls in and disappears within the far corner of my walk in closet. I hear her tapping around and I go to lock my bedroom door. She finally exits after a couple minutes and has a tan pouch in her hands. "What is it?" I ask as she hands it to me. "Open it." Is her only response. I go over to the bed and drop the contents out. Out fall, are three different identities, an untraceable off shore bank account with enough money that could last five people a lifetime and then some. And last but not least is the complete copy of my brothers file from my Fathers office and a list of trained mercenaries and other contacts that could be of help. I look up at my Mother and realize she's been looking for a way out for a while. She has it all ready, the resources are just waiting to be used. "Alright." Is the only thing I say. Mama nods her head and pulls out what looks like a sat phone and key out of another envelope. She dials a number and only says Humming bird has chosen to fly. And then hands me the sat phone and key. "Guard these, you will need them." I look at my Mama's secrets lying around and wonder what else there is that I don't know? I didn't know the truth anymore. I didn't even know who I was anymore. Who was I? I wondered. I felt like I had been lost since the day my brother had been declared dead and when Mama had came to me two weeks earlier after finding my Fathers safe, telling me Mikhael was alive. It was what I had been waiting ten years for, a confirmation of life. When others mourned, I searched. For ten years I searched for my brother and best friend. And when I finally found his location, I felt like Mikhael was calling me and I knew I had to find him, I had to get him out. But at what cost? Was it worth it? My future, my identity, my wedding day? And for the first time in years, I thought about what I wanted. And I knew, I knew I wanted to not only find my brother but I wanted to find out who I was. And with a sigh as if shedding my past life I look at my Mother. "How long before?" I ask. "They'll be here within the hour, just in time to break up a wedding....." My Mother replies with one of her small smiles.