Page 2 of Solace

Did I wish to kick myself, yes.

The car slowed down, and I tried to lift my head to see where we were or if I could jump out of the car and leg it, only if I did then the driver and passenger would hear and see me.

My God, what situation had I landed myself in now?

My papa would’ve had every little detail planned and I… I must have had my mother’s blood, the mother who had died five years ago in a terrible car crash. My mamma had been my rock and soul, we did everything together. When I heard she and her driver Paul had died, I was destroyed, a large part of me died that day as well. Her funeral was horrible, I hid my face under a lace veil, too broken to utter a word to anyone. Of course, people gave their condolences, but I just nodded in reply. Even the Conti’s turned up, I had no idea if they were there to rub it in Papa’s face, or to make sure his wife was really dead.

I still felt there was something untoward about the accident, as the details had never been given and my papa never wished to speak of it. Each time I asked, he gave me a glare that stoned me and made me crawl back to my room. I had photos of my mamma, but the ones around the house had been removed. I’d argued with my papa when he told the maid to take them down… he told me, it was time to move on with our lives.

What? It was my mamma; his wife and he acted like she… well, never existed.

I had a few friends, maybe, they were worth trying to ask to hide me for a while.

Only, did I trust them?

I hadn’t seen any of them for a while as Papa stopped me from going to college, said it was too risky with the Conti’s out for revenge. I suggested bodyguards but typically Papa said no. I was doomed and had to sit around that mansion twiddling my thumbs like a fool.

The car slowed down to a mere stop, and I argued with myself about whether to jump out or not and was just about to straighten up when the driver put his foot down. I sighed and rolled my eyes; this was harder than I first thought. I’d spent hours running through woods and streets to end up going… knowing my luck somewhere I’d regret. After what felt like ages of being stuck in a confined space, the car soon slowed down.

This was it; this was my chance to get out and start running again.

The car stopped, and I lifted my head to see what was ahead, there were these large black iron gates, that slowly started opening. As I shifted my bottom and reached for the door handle the car started moving again.

Porca puttana…

The car was back in motion, and I was stuck for a little longer. All I needed to do was get out of the car and run, go to a friend’s house, and seek refuge until I got my head together and started making a new plan. The car stopped, and the driver and passenger climbed out and started talking to someone. I lifted my head just to have a glance as the men from walked into a fortress of a house on my right side, shaped in a L. I looked around and noticed lights placed on the driveway and, on the house, making it appear like it was under a spotlight.

I checked again to make sure the coast was clear, only to find my legs felt like spaghetti. I sat up on the seat and rubbed up and down them to get the blood flow back. I scanned my new surroundings and wondered which direction I could head in to escape without being seen. It was pitch black, so to see anything other than the lighted area’s was impossible.

I glanced at the large house, it was so big and reminded me of my home, the porch was massive with two steps heading up to an arched doorway, with potted palm trees each side. I looked to see on the corners of the walls, and yes surveillance cameras, shit, shit, double shit. My chances of getting out this car without being caught looked slim. After some consideration, hiding in the car all night wasn’t an option, so, unless I wait for someone to come back out and move the car, or take it off the land. My head was all over the place. I am cold, tired, hungry, and fed-up. How the hell did I end up in these situations?

I shuffled across the seat to the left-hand side and checked to see if anyone was about. I couldn’t see anyone and decided to take the plunge. I opened the car door, just enough to get my body through, and sneaked out, keeping my head and body low behind the car. Crouched down I closed the door and moved to the back of the car, as I kept a look-out for anyone. I heard male voices and laughs and dropped my body down, but not too low so I was still able to see what was happening, there were two men stood at the door having a cigarette.

I had no idea what to do… I looked over my shoulder in the direction of the lit driveaway and saw the gate in the distance, I was unsure if I could run back to it without getting caught. I looked around the area and noticed some large trees, shrubs and what looked like an eight-foot brick wall, surrounding the property, which reminded me of home. I had no idea how I’d escape other than through those gates and hoped they opened easily. My heart thumped against my chest while I was trying to decide, I had to do something as hiding behind this car wasn’t going to keep me safe.

The things you had to do to get the freedom to live your life the way you want to.

Why was it such a difficult task?

I waited for the two men to finish their cigarettes before I decided to move and get the hell away from this place before I was found. With my body stooped low, I stared at the gates and without hesitation ran, keeping my head and body down, praying I wouldn’t get caught. I ran for my dear life and kept checking over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming or if I’d been seen. I swiftly dashed down the driveway. Panic took over fearing I would get caught, my heart hammered inside my chest, my mind, deeply worried if they saw me, I don’t know why but the house, looked as bad as home, spelling bad news. I could be of course wrong, and judging wasn’t always right, but call it a sick sense.

I ran as fast as my feet would carry me, until I reached the eight-foot wall with the gate to my left. I stood under a tree by the side. I gawped at the eight-foot metal gate, that appeared to look electric. I sighed, fears of using this as an escape route looked disappointing. Unless I wait and hope that someone would either drive out or come in, giving me a chance to sneak through and run.

The waiting took forever, it was a good job it was a warm night as otherwise; I would’ve been freezing my tits off. I sat down under the tree behind shrubs wishing for a chance to, but also it gave me time to think about my miserable, complicated life and how I hated it. The way I saw it was, that I never wished to return to my papa’s house and have Ricco drooling over me. I wanted a fresh start, somewhere where I could be me and not be kept hidden away. I knew Papa was only looking out for me, and I sounded like a spoilt brat, but who else would appreciate being held like a prisoner in her own home? My eyes became heavy as tiredness overtook me, I tried to keep them open but was fighting a losing battle, I nodded in and out of consciousness, and then my eyes finally closed.

Woken suddenly by a loud sound, I opened my eyes and tried to see what it was as my heart jumped in and out of my chest, I was tired and groggy, and had no idea how long I had been asleep. I noticed the gates were opening, so I quietly rose to my feet and stayed back, not wishing to be seen. I held onto the tree as the gates fully opened and in drove a car and it was then that I saw my opportunity to get the hell out of there.

In a fast motion, I ran to the gate as they were shutting and ran through, then stopped on the other side of the wall. I sighed with relief and glanced back to the house, I was finally free, it was now time to get myself far away from here. Pleased that I had successfully gotten out of the house without being caught, I ran down the road that had trees and shrubs to my right. I carried on moving as fast as I could when I heard the sound of vehicles approaching. Not wishing to be discovered I dashed into the trees and towards a thick set of shrubs to hide in. My pulse drummed in my ear as my heart skipped a few beats, I was so desperate not to be caught. The car travelled slowly passed me, my mouth suddenly went dry as I feared for my safety.

Cacca, cacca, and double cacca. I bet there were cameras on those gates.

I tried to keep hidden, moving further back into the shrubs, and crouching down, wishing that I hadn’t come this far just to get found. I was huddled in a ball and just had to stay out of sight until they left. It was becoming clearer with the speed of the car that they were looking for someone and I had a feeling that it was me. I felt that going back inside those walls was something that was just as bad as my papa’s house, call it intuition. I didn’t want to think that way, but it was a sense I got, that the house had the exact same set-up with all the cameras, cars, and men. The car finally drove past, and relief filled me for a split second, but then I noticed a flashlight shining close by, someone was out walking the perimeter. I sucked in a deep breath and placed my hand over my mouth so as to not make a sound. I curled in a ball determined not to get seen, I tried not to move, or breathe, only then did the torch shined on me.

“Okay, come out, or I will shoot you,” a strong male voice commanded.

I froze on the spot, my tummy coiled; this was it; I was in so much trouble, it seemed that I would never escape this nightmare. I lifted my head and noticed a barrel of a gun pointing at me, and a bullet with my name on it. I swallowed and rose slowly as I held my hands up, to suggest I wasn’t a threat. I tried not to make any fast movements as I knew too well how these types of men worked. One false step and boom, you’re gone.

“Please, I have no weapons, please don’t shoot,” I pleaded as I came out from my hiding spot.