Nowhere to Run ✓

seven | ❝i've heard a lot about you.❞

❝I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.❞

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OF ALL THE THINGS she had expected, spending New Year's Eve on a flight to Ostraria was not one of them. She reclined as far as possible in her economy class seat and pulled out the 367-page report on her assignment. She'd spent the whole of December training and playacting and the night before, reading, learning, and marking pages.

Anna turned her head around ever so slightly. Tia and Zach were seated further away from her and each other, in different areas of the plane. She wished she could have Zach next to her. And Tia too. But she knew they couldn't raise suspicion and so she focused her attention on the binder and started perfecting her story.

Her name would be Annabeth Bermuda Curtis, a 24-year-old paralegal at Horton Goldberg. Her hobbies would include kickboxing, writing, and dancing. Her parents were killed in an airplane crash and she was raised by her aunt. She went to law school at Harvard where she met Zavier and Tara played by Zach and Tia, should she ever need them on the field.

She had been recently fired from her job on grounds of burying evidence. Her story was that she was innocent, had denied the claims repeatedly, and had wanted to sue her firm. They had reached a settlement with her which gave her not much to live by. She could've taken the case to trial but Horton Goldberg is no joke. So now, she was looking to earn a quick buck.

Anna slapped the binder shut and closed her eyes. Who? Annabeth Curtis. Why? Quick cash. Parents? Dead. Hobbies? Kickboxing, writing, and dancing. Job? Paralegal. Where? Horton Goldberg.

I low chuckle escaped Anna and she quickly clamped her hand over her mouth. The old lady next to her looked at Anna with momentary confusion etched on her face. She then muttered something about this generation and went back to reading her book.

Anna started thinking about her assignment. Horton Goldberg didn't exist; the technical department at the headquarters had pulled it out of thin air. Neither did Annabeth Bermuda Curtis. Working at the agency, she'd realized two things: humans could sell their soul for money and humans were anything but trustworthy.

Everything always ended up in or as a lie, Anna thought and closed her eyes, drifting off to a light and troubled sleep.

Anna was suddenly awoken from her sleep by an electronic female voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've landed at Ostraria International Airport. This is your flight captain, Mariana Jacobs with second in command, Bob Garrison. Thank you for flying with us! We hope to aid you in your future journeys!"

Although Mariana's voice was quite pleasant, Anna couldn't help but feel as if claws were scratching across a board while Mariana spoke. She sat up straight, her eyes sticking together and all she wished for was to curl up in her seat and go back to sleep.

The old lady next to her tsk-ed affectionately and said, "You sleep just like my granddaughter."

Anna peeked one eye open and reached out to the lady. She held her hand and said, "I am glad I remind you of her. How old is she?"

"She's seven. She-" The lady paused as if a painful memory kept stabbing at her causing her to squeeze her eyes shut, "-she's in the hospital. Leukemia." She spat out the word like even saying it was burning her tongue and setting her heart on fire.

Anna leaned towards the woman, "I know how you feel. I am sorry. I know she will get better, don't you worry."

The old woman smiled at Anna and stared at her for a while. "She has the same eyes as you."

She sat for a few more minutes and then stood up, shaking her head. She walked towards the exit, throwing one last longing glance at Anna, clearly thinking about how she would've traded anything in the world to see the child grow up.

Anna sighed and moved out to get her bags down from the overhead bin. As she reached up to grab her duffel bag, a hand ran across her waist. She froze, readying herself for an unfortunate situation when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Your car number is GY2376. The driver will hand you a phone. Call us," Zach said and pushed his way towards Tia, who was standing near the exit.

Anna collected her bags at the baggage belt and walked out of the airport. She was visiting Ostraria for the first time in her life and as soon as the glass doors slid open, the world in front of her took her breath away.

January looked beautiful in Ostraria with snow covering the tiled sidewalks, the trees, the lampposts. Everything here screamed money and sophistication. Anna felt like a fish out of the water as she looked down at her black coat, white top with the words 'You want a 10? I am infinite, honey' written in gold with black sneakers.

She shrugged her worries off and looked around at the numerous placards surrounding the gates. A black card with her name printed on it in silver caught her attention.

The man holding the card was strikingly handsome even though he was clearly in his mid-fifties. Her first thought when she saw him was 'grey' with his piercing blue-grey eyes and salt and pepper hair.

She waved her hand at him and started moving his way. The man's face lit up as he saw her, "Miss Beck, it's truly a pleasure. I am David Hobey and I'll be your personal assistant for as long as you intend to stay. For what's it worth, I've heard a lot about you." He extended his hand.

Anna smiled brightly and shook his hand, "I hope they've all been good things."

"Oh, Miss, of course! Mr. Cullen adores you," he said, excitement visible on his face.

"Well, Mr. Hobey, that's absolutely amazing. Shall we get going?"

"Just call me David," he said and moved behind Anna to hold her suitcases as they walked to a small but stylishly elegant black car with silver-coated handles.

Anna ran her hand along the car's body, thoroughly impressed. "Your car is beautiful, David. What's our first stop?"

David nodded proudly. "Why, to get you settled in Annabeth's home, of course," he winked, quietly slipped her a small, black phone with numerous buttons, and moved to open the door for her.

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