A night to remember

CHAPTER ONE

“Ana…!”

Luciana turned her head, her eyes scanning the crowded hall searching for the caller. There is only one person who calls her that…

“I’ve been searching for you everywhere.” Her best friend, Emily exclaimed, slightly out of breath, when she finally reached Luciana's side.

“Emily, nice to see you too. When did you arrive?” Luciana smiled warmly and hugged her friend

“last night. Sorry, I should have given you a call.”

“it’s okay. I thought you wouldn’t make it to the gala”

“I can’t miss it for anything in the world.” Emily replied, laughing lightly. “plus I miss you, and boss wouldn’t pardon me for missing work too much.” Her eyes clouding with emotions.

“that’s correct.” Luciana took two glass of champagne and handed one to her friend

As they sipped their champagne, Emily’s expression turned serious. “How is your mom doing?” she asked, a look of concern all over her face.

Luciana's eyes dropped, her shoulders sagging slightly as she replied, “She’s still in a vegetative state.”

Emily's face fell, her eyes welling up with empathy.

“I got your emails and texts. Did you talk to your dad about the nightmares?” Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Luciana shook her head lightly, her eyes avoiding Emily's.

For months now, Luciana has been constantly having dreams of being kidnapped by a masked man and taken to a strange house.

At first, she thought it was the result of her overthinking about her mother’s condition and her state of financial crisis.

But when it persisted, she knew something was wrong.

And her father had become increasingly detached since her mother fell sick.

Her hope of financial aid came alive when the charity gala was announced and Emily had urged her to attend.

Maybe, just maybe, she could find someone with a heart of an angel to sponsor her mother’s hospital bill

Emily's grip on her arm tightened. “You should. Maybe he…”

Just then, Luciana's eye drifted across the room, her eyes locking onto a tall, dark-haired man in a black tuxedo. His piercing gaze sent a shiver down her spine.

“Em, do you see that man staring at me?” she asked, her voice filled with fear.

“what man?” Emily followed her gaze to the guests

“The tall one, in the black tuxedo... He's looking straight at me”

“ I don’t see anyone” Emily replied.

Luciana's unease persisted. She knew what she saw.

Emily placed a reassuring hand on Luciana's arm. "Stop worrying. You look stunning, and you're just drawing attention."

Luciana forced a smile, trying to shake off the feeling. But her eyes drifted back to the strange man, his gaze still fixed on her.

"you’re getting paranoid. Let's get some fresh air," Emily suggested, leading her to the balcony overlooking the city.

The cool night breeze calmed Luciana’s nerves. She rested her arms on the balcony rails, admiring the beautiful view.

“I don’t think my dad is in Columbia. I haven’t heard from him or seen him in months.” Luciana said. She looked at Emily whose attention was on her phone.

“Emily?”

“oh sorry. I was trying to book a reservation in an hotel for us to stay the night in.” Emily replied, putting her phone away

“why do we need an hotel? Are we homeless?” Luciana asked, her eyes filled with questions.

“um, I…”

Just then, a waiter approached them with a tray of champagne flutes.

"Courtesy of a gentleman," he said, offering Luciana a glass.

“I..I already have one". She stammered

"let me have that old one ma’am. He requested you have this." The waiter took her glass and left.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Well, looks like someone's interested."

Luciana's unease grew. “I told you someone was watching me, you’re not taking this serious”

“come on girl, you’re doing great. He’s probably just attracted to you okay?”

“I want to go home.” Luciana handed her friend the glass of champagne

“home? No girl. We need to get high and you especially need to get drunk. Let’s go back inside, the donations are about to begin”.

As they moved through the crowd, Luciana knew for sure something wasn’t adding up. She couldn't shake off the thought of fear that slowly creeped into her.

She tried to search for the strange man again, but he was gone. She heaved a sigh.

Maybe Emily was right. She was paranoid.

* * * * * * *

The gala was now over and Luciana had too much to drink. She swayed, her vision blurring as she clutched Emily's arm.

"I'm fine," Luciana slurred. "You can go home. I'll handle myself."

Emily's eyes narrowed. “maybe you should.."

she waved her hand dismissively, stumbling slightly. "I'm fine, Em. Go home."

Emily wasn’t about to leave her there to herself. She pulled out her phone. "Okay, but I'll call you a cab."

As Emily dialed, Luciana leaned against the wall, her eyes drifting shut.

The sound of Emily's voice, ordering a taxi, faded into the background as Luciana’s head spun.

Emily stepped onto the curb, waving down the taxi. It pulled over, and Emily helped her friend inside.

"here, this is the address.” Emily scribbled something on the paper and handed it to the driver. “Make sure she gets home safe," Emily instructed the driver.

As Luciana settled into the backseat, Emily closed the door.

"Thanks, Em," she mumbled.

But as the car sped away from the curb, Luciana realized something was off. The driver wasn't taking the usual route home.

"Hey," she called out, trying to sit up straight, the effect of the alcohol still very much on her.

“Where...where's the meter?" she stammered.

As she leaned forward to see the drivers face, a hand from the passenger seat, clamped over her mouth, silencing her.

Panic set in as Luciana struggled against her restraints. She tried to kick her legs, but they felt heavy, as if weighed down by invisible chains.

she could feel herself slowly fading away

The taxi screeched to a halt, and Luciana's world went dark.

When she came to consciousness, she was disoriented, her head pounding. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt glued shut.

She heard the door open. A faint scent of lavender wafted through the air, making her stomach churn.

She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by a tape covering her mouth. Her hands and feet were tied to a chair, and a piece of cloth was wrapped around her eyes.

Luciana's heart racing, she struggled to free herself, but it was no use. She was trapped.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the room, growing louder with each passing second.

Luciana's skin crawled as a baritone, husky voice whispered in her ear:

"Welcome to your new home."

As the voice faded away, Luciana was left with only one thought: she was going to die.

And then, everything went black.