Miracle Ch. 03

"Well...." Tania knew she was stalling. She really didn't know how to say this. "Honestly, I'm somehow related to the monster you saw earlier.....although he is not really a monster. I mean to say that if you know him, he is not really that bad...." Perfect! now she was just babbling.... "And you know I can promise you that I'm not a monster and that I don't want to hurt you. "Tania added quickly as she watched Alyia's already big eyes grew larger by hearing the word related. She stopped eating altogether. This wasn't good.

Alyia felt despair creeping in slowly. She knew from the second she saw this girl that she was her new captor. She just didn't want to accept it.

"How exactly are you two related? At this point the only thing Alyia could get, which might help her in the future was information. At least her new captor looked more humane. She even appeared honest and kind. But that all could be an act.

"Well...he is my older brother....but you have to know.....this does not mean that I agree with him all time or even that I like him always or that I approve of all his actions....I know that I'm probably not making a lot of sense to you right now. I....well......what I'm trying to say is that as far as I know and Evander told me, there has been a mistake and you weren't supposed to be here.... We still don't know how you ended up here or who you are really.... And I don't know what you have been told of this place.....but this.....I mean this building is for criminals ......and you don't seem to me like a criminal......." Tania stopped talking, to gauge Alyia's reaction and to let her words sink in. A couple of different emotions appeared on Alyia's face......fear, hatred, confusion, distrust or a combination of all those emotions.

"That's what I tried multiple times to tell him. He just wouldn't listen. He was adamant that I was lying. .....He demanded that I confess to a bunch of crap that I have never heard in my life." Alyia stopped talking, as tears began running down her face. She hated being weak. She hated showing weakness in front of others. Especially now that she was sure the king of darkness was somewhere lurking in the dark.....watching......and enjoying her discomfort.

Speaking of discomfort, Alyia wasn't sure how it was possible that all her physical pain went away completely as soon as she applied that liquid to her bottom. This wasn't compatible with what she had already conceived of the king of darkness's character. He seemed to have a thirst for seeing others in pain.

During the beating Alyia was facing the wall, and couldn't see his face but she had no doubt that he was enjoying every moment of her pain and humiliation. Maybe the drug that eased her pain was from his sister and not him? She seemed kind. Or maybe all of this was part of another plan?

Tania thought her heart broke in to a million pieces as she watched the girl in front of her broke down and cry. She made another mental note to kill her brother as soon as she could.

"Alyia, I really can't imagine what you have been through but if you tell me more about yourself, your family, where you live, then I'm sure we can come up with a solution that makes you feel better." Alyia opened her teary eyes to see that Tania was kneeling beside her chair on the floor. Was it possible that this compassionate girl was related to the king of darkness in any way? Maybe they were adopted? Alyia wondered.

"I'm just a simple ordinary twenty five year old girl who lives in the suburbs of New York. I live with my father who is a physician. He is a cardiologist. My older sister Katie also lives with us. She is twenty nine. It's just the three of us. I was in foster care until eleven. I don't exactly remember what happened but as far as my father has told me, one day I had been playing and I had fallen down from the stairs. I'm not sure how long I was in the hospital .... A month maybe. My father used to work at that hospital. He saw me there and decided to adopt me. I don't even remember being drunk in my life. I don't have a lot of friends and I rarely go out. My father and my sister both worry too much when I'm out. I spend most of my time at home. Mostly reading. I don't even go to the university. I take my courses online. My father and my sister are definitely worried sick by now. Tania .....please you need to help me get out of here."

Ocean blue eyes was staring in to dark brown eyes imploringly.

"I think your father knows that you are here Alyia. "Tania stated matter of factly, after hearing just seconds ago through the tiny earbuds from her brother that he had found Alyia's father and that he had confessed to organizing his daughter's kidnapping and transporting to Azure.

That was certainly one of the things Tania loved about her brother. He never wasted time. Anything that he put his mind in to doing he did swiftly and decisively. Maybe she could just break his bones and not kill him?

"WHAT?!!....W....WHAT are you saying?....this is another huge mistake Tania....This....This..is just ridiculous...."Alyia stuttered in disbelief as she started to laugh.

Alyia couldn't even believe her own ears. She had to focus and think. Since what she had just heard was clearly impossible to be true, then the only other alternative was that they had also kidnapped her father. Maybe to get leverage on her or a million other probability. Were they torturing her father? Alyia closed her eyes. Dread washed over her entire body. He was an exceptionally kind father. He had never married and had sacrificed his whole life for his two daughters. She had a very comfortable life.

"Tania why are you helping him? You seem like a decent human being." The moment the words were out of her mouth, Alyia regretted saying them. She felt foolish. Of course she would help him. He was her brother. But what other option did she really have at that time other than trying to reason with Tania? She was a captive in a god forsaken, highly advanced facility which apparently belonged to the aliens from another planet, and was run by a maniac in the shape of an unbelievably attractive King of darkness. Yes, that summarized her situation pretty well. Alyia thought dejectedly

"I'm sorry Alyia. I know this must be very hard for you to believe. But your father is being brought here right now. I guess you can talk to him soon and ask for yourself. He'll be here soon." Tania just told her all that she knew. Right now she felt more sorry for this beautiful girl than before. Tania knew betrayal by one of your family must feel awful. It felt even more devastating than getting kidnapped and punished by a stranger. Well, at least the stranger was more handsome than god. And that was Tania. Always looking at the bright side. Although she was sure that Alyia didn't care about her brother's striking beauty at that time. Right now she was his captive and frankly it really didn't matter how your captor looked like. Or maybe it did matter? Having an attractive captor was officially worse than an ugly one. Tania felt sick and confused.

"Where exactly are we now Tania? Where are we on the map?" Alyia questioned as she started eating. The fact was that she needed energy to think and come up with a good plan. The only way out of that Hall was a door, which could probably only be opened by the person sitting across from her. Unfortunately for Alyia who had never been a fan of exercise in her life, the girl in front of her seemed very fit. Tania was a tiny girl but she had strong athletic body. And this meant that she wasn't a match for her physically. Alyia just hoped she could win her in an argument.

"Well, we are in the Sonoran desert Alyia. Arizona. Actually we are in the middle of nowhere my friend. The nearest town is located hours away even in you drive a fast car."Tania explained their location in detail. She waited for the coming reprimand in the form of audio from her brother. He didn't disappoint.

"So help me Tania, I will ground you for the rest of your life. Shut your mouth NOW." Evander's booming threat echoed through her brain. It was loud, clear and very angry. Geez...just cool bro. Tania decided to ignore him. She knew the rules. No divulging of their location. Screw the rules. She thought to herself. The poor girl had the right to know where she was.

"Alyia, please ....would you just listen to me? I know you are planning an escape. Just don't. It's no use. There is absolutely no way out of here. Even if you manage to miraculously escape all the gazillion doors and security gates, you will just die outside in the dessert. It's hot as hell. And you are talking to one person who literally holds the record in trying to escape from Azure. I have been living here for the past nine years. And I tell you, the only way you or even me can get out of here is if my brother wants us to get out of here. Otherwise there is no chance. "Tania announced, remembering all the times her family, especially Evander and her father had revoked her exit clearance as a punishment. As a child it was fun trying to find a way out in the very complex maze of Azure's hallways, gardens and buildings.

"He has been watching us all the time, hasn't he? Alyia asked as she put down the plastic fork. Everything was carefully planned even down to the cutlery. There was nothing there on the table that she could use as a weapon. Everything was made of plastic. Very safe. Alyia thought sarcastically.

"Yes he has been and he is. I should have warned you sooner but there was so much to talk about. There are camera's everywhere you go in Azure. You just put in the GPS and there comes video and audio from every angle. So he has been watching and listening to us. But don't worry girl. So far it's just me who has earned herself a punishment." Tania announced, almost whispering the last words. She didn't want to frighten her new friend.

Alyia didn't pay any attention to her last sentence though, Her brain was busy calculating.

"Tania, we live in New York. It's hours away Arizona. How did he......? Before Tania had the chance to respond, Alyia figured the answer to her own question.

"The airplanes here fly way faster. Don't they?" It was a rhetorical question.

"Yup." Tania said and she regretted it the second it was out of her mouth.

Alyia watched as blood drained from Tania's face. Despite all the make-up, she looked pale and Alyia wondered what she had just heard. What was wrong with this people? Were they all afraid of the King of darkness? Why was he such a tyrant?

"Hey..this is not fair. She figured that one out all by herself." Tania shouted in protest as she turned and stared up at the corner of the Hall, apparently to the direction of one of the cameras.

Alyia felt like she was getting a headache. She felt more miserable than before. Tania was a smart girl. If she was volunteering information like that, it only meant she was certain Alyia wasn't getting out of there any time soon. Perhaps it was better if she just shut her mouth and stop asking questions?

"Why are you talking to me Tania?" Now that she knew the king of Darkness was watching her, it was best if she just shut the hell up. She didn't know how she hadn't figured that one up herself earlier. Of course Mr.Control freak was listening to them. She felt more exposed than the time she was naked.

"Well...."Tania paused as she pondered the question in her brain." For one, you seem like a nice girl. I think that you really don't deserve any of this shit, and also I guess we are kinda friends now. You know I don't have many friends and I like making friends. Let's not forget the main reason, which is the enjoyment I get out of irritating my brother." Tania giggled and stretched her legs out. The reality however, was that she felt sorry for her brother. He was extremely lonely and most of the time depressed. It was very rare to see him laugh. She felt like he was constantly mourning a loss. Although everyone said that after her addition to the family nine years ago, Evander's mood had improved substantially.

Apparently before her, he barely talked to anyone and was notorious for having a foul attitude. Everyone always told her that she was the only one who could cheer him up. Although Tania thought that she was more good at infuriating him but someone could argue that for Evander any kind of emotion was better than none.

Alyia couldn't understand the girl in front of her. How in the world was she that relaxed when she had the King of Darkness as her brother? She was totally confused.

"Alyia, your father is here. If you want to talk to him, I can take you to the penthouse." Tania announced as soon as receiving her brother's message about their arrival to Azure.

"Will you just trust me this once and not try to escape when I open the Hall's door? " Tania asked and then quickly added " Once we go out, there are multiple guards waiting, there is no-where to go Alyia and if you try to run, you only end up getting hurt. I have told you all that I knew. I have been honest. I think you can just give me the benefit of the doubt and trust me just this once. And let's not forget that your father is here and I'm sure you want answers from him." Tania was soon on her feet, with her hand offered to Alyia.

Alyia looked from the hand to Tania's face. Maybe she could give her the benefit of the doubt. And any chance she had of running away just evaporated, now that she knew they had her father. Was he really there? Or was this a lie? She wasn't sure what Tania really meant by stating that her father was now also their captive. Was that a threat to make her comply with orders?

Alyia was standing at the Zero Hall's door with Tania beside her in no time. Finally the door opened. And now Alyia knew how the doors slid open. There was an eye detector beside the door. Just like Tania warned her, there were three men dressed in black suits waiting for them outside in the Hallway. They were all tall, muscular and well built.

The security only followed them to an elevator down a couple of hallways. Unlike the Hall which was bare, the Hallways were very elegantly designed and furnished. It was like she had stepped in to an art museum. Soon the two girls were riding up to Evander's penthouse on the top floor in the same elevators that had carried Tania down to the ground floor earlier.

Alyia couldn't remember the last time she had been that nervous in her whole life. Her throat was dry. Her heart racing. And her brain blank. The elevator was quite spacious but she was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Alyia he really isn't that much of the monster you imagine him to be. I don't want to justify what he did because I can't. I just want to tell you that he isn't going to hurt you again. He is really upset about what happened between you two." Tania said as she squeezed her hand gently.

Alyia stared down at their entwined hands. Tania hadn't let go of her hand. Whether she was really kind or she was afraid of her trying to escape, Alyia had no idea. Was Tania trying to reassure her?

Before Alyia had a chance to respond the elevator doors opened.

The scene that greeted her was breathtaking. For moments she forgot about everything and stood there mesmerized. There were so many chandeliers hanging from high ceilings. If it wasn't for Tania's gentle pull she would have stood there for hours. The chandeliers were lit yellow and a cyan like color. Stepping out of the elevator was like walking in to the depths of the oceans. All beneath her feet under the glassy floor was covered with water! The most exotic sea creatures were swimming under her feet. And their shadows danced on the nearby marble walls and the many mirrors around them.

Despite the common belief, the devil didn't live in the hell. He lived in a piece of heaven!

Involuntarily Alyia remembered Mike's words. She remembered them sitting on the porch of their foster home. He always told her that he loved the oceans. That he wanted them to live in the middle of the oceans when they grew up.

The exquisite wonders of Evander's penthouse was enough to make her forget her predicament. That place should really come with a warning of heart attack. If that was where Evander wanted to keep her prisoner, she wasn't sure if she wanted to protest.

Alyia was so emerged in her surroundings that she wasn't sure how she ended up at the entrance of a small room just down the first Hallway from the elevator door.

She was back in the world of the living when she saw her father, sitting behind a desk in the room. The room looked like an interrogation room. Just similar to the Zero Hall, it was furnished by just a desk and a couple of chairs.

It was at that moment when Alyia saw him again. Her memory of him did not do him justice. She would never forget those piercing green eyes. There, he was leaning casually against the wall just facing the entrance of the room. He appeared to be dressed in the same set of black suit he was wearing when she saw him in the morning. He was watching her carefully, with the same amount of coldness in those captivating eyes. She felt a sudden sense of extra apprehension which had nothing to do with everything that had happened to her day. The king of darkness looked frighteningly familiar. Had she seen him before? Alyia racked her brain quickly but came up empty handed. This was frustrating. Why couldn't she remember?

If it was possible, he appeared to be even more attractive than the previous time she saw him. She was repulsed by herself. How could she find him attractive after all he had done? Kidnapping? Assault? Keeping her there against her will and now kidnapping her father? She should find him revolting not arousing. The only difference she could sense in his expression was what seemed to be a sense of curiosity. No sense of guilt.

Evander watched in admiration as the little fireball stepped inside the room. He had studied her every move from the second his sister had opened the door at the Zero Hall and she had darted out trying to escape, till just a few minutes ago when she stepped inside his penthouse. She had done her best trying to run away. And he had expected nothing less from her. Every move she made, every gesture and every question designed to make her closer to a freedom. Of course until the second she realized that he had her father. He could see how hope started to die inside her. She was one hundred percent loyal to her family. Still he would give her an A for all the fighting. He didn't know if he was furious that she even thought of running away or if it fascinated him.

Tania had given away some of their top secret and what she had revealed were all true. For instance, Azure had very high resolution cameras installed in just about every corner and every inch of the entire building complexes. Thank god Tania didn't know about their satellite technologies. His sister was desperately in need of a wake-up call. She needed to learn that security and safety wasn't a game. But he didn't have time for that now. It would have to wait for another time.

The cameras enabled him to watch actions of every living creature inside Azure from just about anywhere in the world. His father did some of his business from the station they had in the space. They had an entire team in Azure dedicated to studies about the echo systems and the possibilities of extracting some resources from moon and possibly other planets.

There weren't many people in this world he respected but he had started to respect this girl. She was resilient, intelligent, loyal, kind and also courteous. It was a pity she didn't have any training and absolutely no proper education. She was a combination of worthy characteristics. It would be a joy to train her mind and body.

What? Where did that thought come from? Train her? Forget it Evander. She would not stay there for long. And she didn't deserve to associate with an animal like himself. He had literally put her through hell, well not him entirely, there were certainly other people involved, which he planned to find one by one. When he was finished with them, they would wish they were never born. Like always. He enjoyed revenge. It gave him great pleasure. Piece even. First in that list was her father.