Deception by Selena Rico (list of ebook readers .TXT) 📕

the man asked the cloaked boy. The young master grabbed my arm, pulling me roughly toward him.
“I want her no matter what brokehurst. Get her for me now.” I stood there silent as the boy ordered his butler to buy me. I shook my head at mama.
“Mama…”I whispered.
“I want 200 million and your word that you’ll never enter this house again. No more no less than that.” Mama answered. No, I thought, don’t.
“Done.” The young master, my young master, answered.
“Young master Tatsuhiku!” lord brokehurst exclaimed. I struggled in the boys grasp. His grip held.
“Mama!” I cried. The young master began to pull me behind him. “No let me go!” he pulled me down the stairs with frightening ease. “I won’t go! Kill me instead!”
“Hush. How absurd. Killing you would be a waste of 200 million. Besides, you have no choice on this matter.” Brokehurst replied from behind me.
“Wait!” I yelled wrenching my arm from the boy. I ran back up the stairs and into the restroom, locking the door behind me. I made no move toward the window. I just pressed my back against the door. Tears slid down my cheeks. I slowly brought myself to hide behind the shower curtain. The door slowly clicked open and I heard the click clack of one pair of shoes. The door was shut again.
“Why are you frightened?” The young master asked, placing his hand against the curtain. I clenched my eyes closed. “I do not plan on harming you.” I bit my lip.
“My sister…” I trailed off.
“Yes?” He urged. What was his game? What was going on? I was so confused and scared, but still I only wanted to know one thing.
“Y…you m…m-met my…s-s-sister?” I stuttered out. The curtain was pulled back. I could feel the pull of the slick fabric against my back.
“Yes.” He replied. “But that’s not what you wish to know is it?” I opened my eyes and turned around to stare him in his face, but the coal black silk blocked me. This boy, he angered me. His insolent way of talking, his straightforward mannerisms, his selfishness, made my blood boil over.
“What would you know hmmm? You are a strange child with a scarf over his face!” I blurted out. I expected a lot at that moment. A slap across the face, a tear causing retort, anything, but him laughing was not one of them.
“Indeed, I must look quite strange.” He laughed. I turned back around, closing my eyes again.
“If you know that why do you wear it?” I asked. It was stupid, doing something that purposely hurt you.
“The same reason you do.” I felt a set of smooth cold lips press against my cheek. My eyes flew open and I turned behind me, but the curtain was back in play. My hand rested on the inflicted cheek. “You’ll come with me tomorrow.” It wasn’t an order nor was it a question. It was a simple statement of fact.
“What makes you think that?” I asked as he stood up from his kneeling place beside me. He began to walk away. “Hey!”
He turned around slightly cocking his head to the side, “Because it’s here or there.” I watched his retreating form, “Take your pick.” The door closed with a soft click. My hand caressed my cheek. His lips had left a cold feel to my cheek and my insides felt weird. It wasn’t nausea, or cramps, but it was something all in itself. It was painful and fluttery and...incomparable.
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That night I woke up to a light shining in my eyes. Someone was in the restroom. I got up automatically and crept quietly up to the door. “Is someone there?” I whispered cracking the half open door. The soft sobs assaulted my in tuned ears.
“Mika? Is that you?” Kina asked. I replied yes and then softly pushed the door open enough so that I could enter. As my eyes adjusted to the light I closed the door behind me and locked it. I turned toward the sobbing and felt a tear slide down my cheek at the sight of kina, the old nursery floor bully, cowering in a corner sobbing.
“Kina what’s wrong?” I cried in a hushed tone. She shook her head, burying her face in her knees. “Are you alright?” The sobbing stopped abruptly and after a few moments of silence Kinas head flung up.
“’Am I alright?’” she cried her voice escalating with each word, “No! No I’m not alright! Mika its coming whether you want to realize it or not! What your sister fought so hard to get away from, two days from now…” her voice trailed off and her sobbing started up again. I tried to soothe and shush her at the same time. If she kept at this volume the aunties would discover us for sure.
“It’s alright Kina. It’s alright.” I comforted. I fell to my knees by her side.She shoved me away from her.
“Will you shut up?” She yelled. I put my hand over her mouth, but she swatted me away. “And stop shushing me! God you are so annoying! Stop telling me how everything’s going to be okay because sometimes it isn’t! This time it isn’t!” She was screaming now and I let out a relieved sigh when she became silent. Subconsciously, I was shocked no one had awakened yet.
“Calm down Kina. I know it looks bad but” kina cut me off.
“You don’t know anything. You were always the prettier one, the nicer one, the million dollar girl and now you’ve been sold off to be slave to one brat of a master!” she yelled and then turned away from me. “Leaving me alone to be a slave to dozens…alone…all alone.” She began to cry again. I finally realized why Kina had been so forceful as a child. She didn’t want to be left alone. She didn’t want to be left behind. And then I had struck her, inserting my independence and so she had realized that her forcefulness was pushing me away. She did all of this to outrun her deepest fear, her fear of being left behind in this awful place and today her worst nightmare, I had unknowingly made a reality. She was lashing out at me not because she was angry at me, but because I was her last hope and I had willingly walked away from her.
And then it hit me. “kina, I want to show you something.” She looked up from her hands questioningly. As if to say, what could you possibly do to make this better?
“What?” she asked sniffling. I grabbed her hand.
“I know a way out.” I answered. She seemed to freeze for a moment, as if debating whether or not I was being serious or playing a cruel joke on her, and then tightened her grip on my hand.
“You do?” she questioned. I nodded and got up pulling her behind me. I released her hand and she immediately asked, “what are you doing?” I ignored her and began pushing up the window. It was a lot of work, but finally I noted with a satisfied sigh the click of the window as it went up. I told her to go, to hurry before the sun came up and they would go searching for her. She got as far as the window sill and then turned to me. “But aren’t you coming?” I shook my head.
“That boy, he paid millions for me and I doubt he’d give up as easily as the aunties would. I’d get us both caught and brought back here. So go, run and I promise one day we will meet again.” I told her. She hesitated a moment but then lowered herself out of the window. I heard her feet make contact with the ladder built into the wall. Her head appeared in the window and she smiled at me, tears streaming down her face again.
“Then I part with you here until that day comes. Be safe Mika.” She replied.
“To you as well, be safe my friend.” I answered. She laughed.
“Any place is better than here.” Kina giggled. Her face disappeared from the window. “And I will hold you to your promise. I’ll be waiting for you.” I listened to her land with a soft thud on the ground and then watched her dash across the grass and into the forest. I watched for a while letting the air wash over my face.
“And I for you.” I whispered again letting the wind carry my words. I heard the click of the doorknob turning and then Ami, the second oldest girl on the nursery floor now, came in. her seven year old eyes watched me with curiosity and then she noticed the open window. I placed my finger to my lips. “This is our secret okay Ami?” I asked her. She nodded. I shut the window and walked toward the door. I picked her up and began to open the door. “That’s my gift to you okay Ami?” she nodded again
“Big sister, what kind of gift is it?” She asked. I paused.
“It’s a way out Ami. Trust big sister, one day you will need It.” she nodded laying her head on my shoulder. I opened the door and switched the lights off. Yes this cute and innocent little girl will one day realize the horrors of this place and she would need a way out. She’d never utter a word to anyone and in the middle of a night like this one she would sneak out, unnoticed. Maybe then the aunties will notice the window and then I’d make my journey here somehow to find another way out and give it to another innocent little girl and so on.
We settled back into the giant pallet on the floor. in the morning there was panic and screaming. I stayed silent and Ami…Ami said nothing. She knew one day she would need her gift.

CHAPTER 2
A horse. I was on a horse. I had never seen a horse before, but Kon had told us many stories about his old horse Celerons. This horse was the color of ravens and had a main sprinkled with white strands of hair. Its legs made deep indentations in the earth and it neighed every few minutes or so. I clutched to the horses neck. I knew by the annoyed movements the animal made that it was not enjoying this restraint so I eased off a bit and