We Began With Silence

Chapter 1

Natalie ran while simultaneously hiding and checking if someone followed her. She could not believe what actually was happening to her. She was being chased by the one who was blood thirsty. She ran in the busy roads of Los Angeles trying to figure out a hairy face with a huge body with a dagger covered in blood she had dreamt of last night. She huffed due to all the running and now there was no chance she could run more. With her hands on her knees and face buried in her chest, Natalie bent her body as she tried to regain her breath.

Abruptly, she felt a hand on her chest and another on her mouth as she was dragged inside the alley she stood in front of. Screaming out a little with shock and surprise, Natalie did all she could to escape from the person’s premises but her each attempt exhausted her. The man had broad shoulder with a muscular chest, powerful enough to control Natalie like a prey in eagle’s paws. He pinned her to the wall with both of his hands on each side of her and came near to the extent that Natalie could feel his hot breath on her face. They stood face to face but his face was veiled. She shut her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows in terror.

‘’Look at me, beautiful’’, the huge figure before her hissed. ‘’I won’t hurt you. Well, as long as you give me what I want.’’ Natalie looked straight in his eyes. ‘’What do you want?’’, Natalie stuttered. ‘’I want you!’’

Hearing that, she began to shout making several attempts to loosen herself from the tight grip of the man’s hand. Soon after, the man got hit by a drum and roaring in pain, he fainted. As he fell on the ground, behind him was revealed another man. He was slightly broad. Even in this dark, Natalie could figure he had a perfect jaw line complimenting his great height.

‘’Are you alright, miss?’’, he talked in an angelic voice.

‘’Urmm, yes I am.’’ It was all Natalie could manage to say.

He held out his hand so Natalie could take it before they exited the alley. He held his one arm around Natalie’s shoulder in order to quit making her shiver. Both of them walked silently when Natalie broke the silence.

“Hey, thank you!’’ this made the boy turned to her and she finally saw his face in the light.

He had mid-thick eyes brows with a considerably pointy nose. He had heart shaped lips and his hair made him flawless. He was drop dead gorgeous!

‘’You are thanking me for what? Saving you? Well I do it often here.’’ Natalie got surprised to only let him continue. ‘’You see, you are in LA’s that area where there are criminals on roads doing all sorts of crimes. Robbery and killing is the most we see here. Since I work here near, it has become my routine to do all I can to help the innocent people.’’

‘’So I ran this far from home,’’ she wondered. ‘’ By the way, I am Natalie.’’ Natalie smiled softly.

For a while, the boy’s gaze was locked on her lips but she stopped smiling making the situation awkward. ‘’I am, err, Eric. Why did you run this far from home any way?’’

Eric? Nice name for a nice man like him. Natalie managed to deal with her notion on the stranger’s name.

‘’I …’’ noticing that she had nothing to tell, Eric began again.

‘’I can drop you home, if you want to.’’ Eric asked boldly.

‘’Yes, thank you. I definitely do not want to take any risk.’’

Saying so, Eric opened the passenger’s seat door for her. He had a Porsche? Sitting on the leather seats relaxed her joints to the extent that she shut her eyes instantly. After she told Eric the address of her house, she could not resist but sleep.

He drove the car in the silence of the night. The calm and peaceful streets of LA were something one can surely not witness but it was so tonight. He wanted it-the peace. Eric slowed down his car as he reached in front of a mansion covering vast area. He recognized it! It was Sir James property! Turning to the innocent face of a sleeping Natalie, Eric got a little confused. He saved a competitors’ daughter? He stared at her face for a good minute as the thought had taken over his entire mind. Then he shook Natalie gently, speaking her name quietly near her ear.

‘’Natalie, wake up. You are home.’’

It did not take much time for her to wake up.

‘’You never told me you were Sir James’s daughter?’’, the shock in Eric’s voice stunned her but her mind was too tired to wonder.

‘’You never asked me, did you? Anyway, thank you so much for tonight.’’, she replied lazily opening the car door. She stepped out of his car and sluggishly walked inside her house leaving behind Eric- all puzzled and a complete loss of words and thought.

…………………………………

Her phone rang making her open her eyes. She reached the pocket of her jeans and not even looking who it was, received the call. From over, she heard Jazmine.

‘’WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU? YOU LEFT THE PARTY WITH OUT INFROMING? YOU CARELESS LITTLE GIRL!’’, Jazmine yelled at Natalie.

‘’Woman, quit it. I just woke up! We need to sit and talk. Not a word further, alright? Come at mine as soon as you can. I am waiting. She ended the call and threw the phone on her bed.

That boy from last night was the only active figure in her mind at the moment. She laid flat on her back wondering about him. ‘’Eric,’’ she whispered to herself. Talking of his name sent shivers down Natalie’s spine. You never told me you were Sir James’s daughter? He knew her dad? Who could it be then? His dad was known all over but as she recalled his expressions, they were rather shocking than being impressed or something.

She felt her stomach churn with unrest. She needed to find out who that man was-in any way, at any cost.

so the first chapter down.. do tell me if you like it... n vote n comment.. it is always encouraging! -Fatima