The crowd was a mix of ages, gender and scents. The scene in the busy casino was a sensory overload. There were flashing lights and the sound of slot machines whirring and chiming. The air was filled with the sll of cigarette smoke, and there was a palpable energy that was both exciting and nerve-wracking. People were shouting, laughing, and cursing as they engaged in various gas. With the scantily dressed waitresses carrying trays of drinks and bulky watching over the crowd, the atmosphere was high-stakes and intense with people gambling their hard-earned money in the hopes of winning big.
In the midst of the chaos, a man with a long scar running down the side of his face walked down the room with a young boy following him. Once in a while, he would turn to check if the little boy had dropped the strong facade he was wearing on his face, but not once was his expectations t. Ethan DeLoach, though a young boy, was just as the rumors said. Now, he could proudly say that he would not regret kidnapping and bringing this boy here.
The two headed to a door at one end of the room and with the man pushing the door wide open, Ethan stepped in first. The room they had just entered was just like a private room where more influential custors of the casino engaged in their own dealings. There were two n and so young boys just like Ethan, sitting on the long sofa inside the room.
"We are here," the man with a scar on his face announced, as he closed the door behind him and locked it. He saw the shock expressed on the face of people in the room when they saw Ethan enter the room on his own without protesting and a slight smirk ford on his lips.
"Is this a dream or what, Roy?" One of the n asked, his question directed at the man who ca in with Ethan.
Roy’s hand habitually went to stroke the scar on his face as he replied, a smig expression on his face.
"Well, seems like he knew he had no chance against so he followed without protesting."
"Really? Is that true?" this ti, the question was directed at Ethan.
"No. I followed because I wanted to thank you. You were in the dark hall, weren’t you?"
The three n stared wide eyed at Ethan, especially the one who had been asking the questions since he arrived. It was true that he was the one who approached Ethan DeLoach in the dark hall but he had not expected such a young boy to recognize the voice he heard in a traumatic situation.
He cleared his throat.
"Hold on boy, so you followed this guy here so you can thank even when you know you might not return?"
"I will return," Ethan deadpanned, confidently.
The man raised his brow at the masked boy and signalled Roy to remove the mask, watching as Ethan protested against that.
"Take it off," he ordered, before adding, "Everyone here has done what you did more than once so forget about your mask when you are with us."
Ethan’s hand loosened slightly on the facemask, giving Roy the opportunity to remove the mask from his face.
"There you are. You sure have an handso face," Roy joked, ruffling his hand in Ethan’s hair.
Ethan ducked away from the hand which he regarded as filthy, his eyes sparkling in determination.
"I will get out of here soon!" he murmured under his breath.
The thought left his mind as soon as it ca, and leaving did not seem that enticing to Ethan again until five years later.
Music Rec: Tattoo By Loreen.
FIVE YEARS LATER.
"Hey, Vincent Jordan!"
Fifteen year old Ethan ignored the call coming from behind him, the sa way he had been doing all through the past five years since he ca here. Even though he did not express a wish to leave the place, he also did not show that he loved staying. He simply lived like he would have done if he was leaving anywhere else, and apart from the training he always participated in, he never did as instructed by Jordan, the head here and the man who had questioned him the night he ca here. The man who took him out of that hall.
"Vincent Jordan!" the shout ca again, this ti louder and with more intensity than the forr tis.
Ethan still didn’t answer, but instead slowed down his steps to the one calling him would be able to reach him faster.
Within seconds, the boy who had been calling Ethan reached him.
"I have good news for you!" he announced, in between gasps as he tried to catch his breath.
"What?" Ethan asked simply.
"There’s a new girl."
Ethan stopped dead in his tracks turning to face his companion, Victor.
"They brought soone else?"
"Yes, I think. After five long years, there’s finally soone new," Victor gushed excitedly.
"Who is she?"
Victor sighed,"Don’t ask that. I don’t know yet but don’t fret, we will know soon. Anyways, the reason I ca to tell you is so I can be privileged to see you smile for once."
"Is there another news?" Ethan raised his brow, seeing no reason why Victor was expecting him to smile.
"Nope. Shouldn’t you be excited that there’s soone else from the outside world? So of us have our parents here while the rest voluntarily ca to join but you are the only one who was taken without your parents and your permission, apart from the new girl of course. Shouldn’t you be hurrying over to see her?" Victor asked. Even he who was born here was eager to et the new girl as he could add her to the list of girls he had dated and abandoned in the Jordans base.
"There’s no reason why I should," Ethan shrugged and resud walking.
"What?! There are countless reasons. You can date her, you know. If she’s older, it’s better cause she will be more experienced than you are. Stop being choosy and enjoy life for once, Vincent." Victor was almost crying, as if he truly wished from his heart that Ethan would take this opportunity and stop acting like the innocent ten year old that he was when he just arrived.
"Stupid," Ethan muttered, in reply to what Victor said, but the latter was not ready to give up yet. He needed Ethan to make a mistake at least once, so the boss would stop comparing them both.
"Ethan, I am doing what a real friend is expected to do for his friend. You know Boss Jordan will give in if you demand to see her or even...uhm, use her...you know what I an? Look at this, he even changed my na to Victor so it can be matching with yours which is Vincent. What else would he not do for you?"
"He won’t help leave here," Ethan replied emotionlessly. Sensing that Victor already had a reply to this one too, he broke into a sprint and widened the distance between them.
A week later,
Ethan took his seat in one of the booths in the casino private rooms, leaning his head back to rest his neck. His head was pounding with an ache as the voices in it seed to chatter on, no matter how he tried to shut them up.
His hands were balled into tight fists, already preparing to hit the wall until the pain numbed his mind, when a he heard a scream echoing in the distance.
At first, he thought it was simply part of the voices in his head so he proceeded to hit the wall again. However, just as his hand was about to touch the wall, the scream echoed again and this ti, he could make out what it was.
"Daddy!"
The voices in his head ceased as if they were trying to hear the scream better, just like Ethan was.
’Who the heck was that?’ he wondered in his mind.
As if in answer to the question he asked himself, Victor’s voice ca from outside the room.
"Vincent! Will you co check sothing out? It’s epic and totally unexpected."
Ethan walked towards the door and opened it to the gossipy teenager standing outside, a questioning gaze in his eyes.
"What?"
"My sister na has been changed! Just like mine was changed to Victor after you arrived, hers has been changed to Erica," Victor announced.
"What?!"
"Right, you are surprised too as I expected. It was changed because of the new girl that arrived last week; guess what her na is."
"Not interested," Ethan made to shut the door in Victor’s face, when the latter hurriedly stopped him.
"What? You don’t want to know anything about her?"
"I don’t. I think I’m more curious about who has been screaming at intervals for a while now."
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