Ye old Willow

Part 8 Unique

Kazuki stood in Mr. Meyers old office. He had understood the implications of making a deal with his Stepmother, but still. Holding a gun to his head this early in the meeting was a bit disorientating. They could at least wait till he did something suspicious.

He couldn't so much as cough without the henchman pulling the trigger. That was the problem with terrorists who oppose specific groups. More than a few of their members have a tendency to fear their opponents, most of them rightfully so. He was just unlucky enough to be classified as one of those opponents.

Kazuki shyly sat in the chair opposite of his stepmother. He started to speak, “Stepmot-”

The henchman clicked the safety off her gun.

He corrected himself, “Mother. What do you want to know?”

The red headed women sat confidently in the now deceased owners desk. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. “Can't I have a normal conversation with my son?”

He was going to reply. 'You need a son to do that.' but felt it would be a little to bad for his health. Especially with a gun pointed at him. “Sure Mother. What do you want to talk about.”

She passed him a glass of water.

He looked at it suspiciously. His Stepmother chuckled, “It's not poisoned. I would not need to do that to kill you. I just don't want you throat to be get sore.” The entire time she said that her smile never dropped. Kazuki could feel a cold sweat going down his back.

He carefully lifted up the glass. He knew what would happen if he did not accept his 'mother's' hospitality. They would not even need to prepare.

As the water flowed into his mouth, His Stepmother seriously asked, “So do you have anyone you like?”

He choked on the water, holding his hand up to his mouth in a effort to keep the liquid from flying everywhere. Her smile became a bit more natural.

“You get me to come here, to ask me that? Of all things?”

She took a sip of her own water, “That is awfully important my dear. A man is only useful after he has been wed to a women. Before then he is just useless trash.”

Kazuki sighed, rubbing his temple. “I would have expected you to ask me something else. I only promised to answer one question. Wouldn't it have been easier to ask me that, and get it over with.” He said with a tinge of spite. Though he was glad she didn’t ask. It was the only thing keeping him alive at that point.

She laughed, “They'll be plenty of time to ask that in the future my dear. I'm not in a rush.”

A deal was a deal. As Kazuki's father had taught him, If you give someone your word, you'd best keep it.

He regrettably answered her question.

Ayla had a creeping sensation the entire time she read 'Ye Willow' in her room. The book was a serious one, another reason it never sold. It was a sad story about two people who develop a sense of partnership and help each other. Each had different social standings, and each in their own way was unique.

The princess was mysterious and intellectual. Though to the end she never paid attention to how she acted and oftentimes went against her own advice.

The knight however, was the curious sort. Asking questions constantly. When things did not seem in his favor would force things his way. Though if the situation was serious enough he would be the one that needed forcing.

The knight never learned the princess identity up to the moment he risked his life to protect her. Maybe that was what made the book so appealing. The fact that you don't need to know someones position to care for them. You only needed to be friends.

The sound of a window shattering echoed throughout her room, causing the book to drop from her grasp. Ayla looked around in a frenzy.

Was it a burglar?

The sound of plates crashing and drawers being open and shut violently could be heard. Confirming her suspicions. Ayla was on the second floor, and currently safe from harm. But what about her brother? She hoped her brother was hanging out with his friends. Ayla did not want him rushing blindly at the burglar and getting hurt.

She was about to hide, but a stray thought caught her. Her cellphone was lying on the bed. She almost smiled, in stories they never get a chance to call the cops.

The thumping of shoes and the creaking of steps made her heart feel like it had stopped.

She quickly flipped her cellphone open, the black screen empty of any electricity. What is the point of a phone if its not charged? She felt like throwing it against the wall. But instead set it gently down on her bed. She didn't have a home phone she could use, since they had gotten rid of it previously in exchange for their cellphones. More economical that way.

She instead grabbed a bat she had been keeping under her bed for the last two weeks. She hadn't felt safe since her father died, even if he had rarely showed up before. Death changes a person.

The steps got closer. The doorknob to her room slowly turned. She got prepared to swing it the the instant they came through.

As the door was about to be opened the ringing of a phone could be heard. It was the same ring tone Ayla had used on hers. Though her cellphone was dead so-

“Alright, “ The feminine voice answered on the other side of the door, “I'll head right back.”

The creaking of steps could be heard once again as the person left the premises. She stood still unwilling to move from her swinging position. Only after silence had fallen for five or so minutes did she let herself relax.

As she gingerly head downstairs to see the extent of the damage. The doorbell rang. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest Her nerves still on their ends. Still unwilling to leave the bat, she walked to the door with it in hand.

She opened it carefully.

A blue eyed man in his early twenties stood there. He wore a black business suit and a lopsided smile. Though the latter part was clearly fake. His blond hair was slicked back in a orderly fashion. He was what the majority of women would refer to as hot. Though Ayla was not in the mood to ogle.

“Hi I am Zachariah from Sum-”

She tried to shut the door but was stopped by his foot.

“Sorry but Ayla is it?” he asked as she applied more force to the door. “I came to warn you about someone who might start stalking you.”

Ayla stopped pushing and the man took the chance to step into the house. He eyed the bat carefully, “Though it seems they may have already started.”