"How do you feel about this design, Maddie?" The girl peered into the image that had popped up on her screen and hummed thoughtfully. "I like it," she answered with a smile. "Although you could dial back on the lace. Anymore and anyone who's wearing it would end up looking like a curtain." "Oh come off it Maddie," said a voice from the laptop's speakers. "Need I remind you how many lace items you own? Most of which belong to a specific room in the house–" "Okay!" Madison cut the voice off immediately, her face burning crimson with embarrassment. "Enough of that. Keep your lace, you fashion maniac." At the edge of the screen, the face of a beautiful spectacled young lady smirked at her proudly. "Hey, you're the one who'll be relying on this fashion maniac to keep your company from sinking once you take over. Don't make me feel like retiring before I even get started." Madison rolled her eyes at her best friend's antics and laughed. Clicking a button on her keyboard, she saved th
Brown eyes narrowed with a focus behind a layer of glass and plastic. Her finger hovered over the trigger cautiously, waiting until the right moment. Several meters away at the end of a narrow passage, a hidden mechanism caused a human-shaped target to pop out of the wall. She fired repeatedly immediately, hitting the target at various points marked out by concentric circles. Eventually, the clip ran out, leaving only empty clicks as her finger subconsciously continued to squeeze the trigger. Madison exhaled the breath she had been holding, the scent of gunpowder rushing in with her next breath. It was somewhat cathartic in a weird way. She placed the Ruger .22 pistol on the gun rack and left the shooting platform. In the room beside hers, Carl practiced his shots with a shotgun that blasted round after devastating round at mobile targets that appeared randomly. Madison observed him, noting how smooth his movements seemed. The look of concentration on his face was a sharp contrast
The afternoon sun bathed the earth as green vegetation and tall trees glided peacefully against the wind which provided shade for the inhabitants of the city. One could hear the birds singing, as they soared with freedom in the sky. Colorful flowers and grass by the sides of the pathway created a glorious sight for people who wanted to take pictures or just soak in nature’s amazing wealth in beauty. The voices of little children playing in the sands could be heard and so was the sound of the swings and the barks from the excited dogs, that were being pulled on leashes by their owners. They both were in the park, completely drenched in water from the fountain that spewed out water like a volcano in eruption. Lying on their backs, they both seemed not to care about the attention they had attracted for themselves from the crowd. Who could blame them though? They were both drenched in water with a little bit of mud, like little children. “Oh my gosh!—I have never felt this happy in a wh
It has been approximately four days since the incident at the ball. Madison knew time was running out for her and in no time, she will be attending her wedding, dressed in a flowing white gown and sealing her fate with fake assurances which she had no choice but to say and listen to the word “I do.” She was soon going to say goodbye to the things that made life meaningful to her. Things that she cherishes so much. she was going to have to leave it all and explore the one which had been laid bare for her to experience. To make matters worse, she already felt like her life is in constant danger as she had received countless death notes from unknown people, who to her, seemed to know everything about who she is. She had almost lost her life once when a stranger had tried to stab her but ended up missing and was only able to slit her wrist and dashed away, as soon as Carl came for her rescue. She had avoided letting her parents in, on the latest happenings as that could only make thing
“Why is big Rufus leaving?...” Claire asked Madison, as she squished her stuffed brown teddy bear against her body. “You mean Carl?” Madison asked and let out a light chuckle. “I bet he has some business to get to—he’ll be back.” She assured the little girl while adjusting her hair strand. “Are you both a couple?” “Claire!!” her mother’s voice reverberated in the room. Her eyebrows curved into an arch, as she looked displeased by the question asked. Claire turned her head and stared at her mother innocently like she had done nothing wrong. Her eyelids fluttered, as her mother shook her head at her. “No, it’s fine,” Madison said to the young woman, who looked like she was about to explode any moment from then. She didn’t want the young sweetheart to be punished, not when she had done nothing wrong. It was alright for the little girl to be curious. “And no Claire, we aren’t a couple,” Madison replied the little girl, with a smile. “That’s a shame…you both would have been a perfec
Time seemed to have gone to a standstill for Carl, as he remained in his position, unmoving. Even as the policeman advanced cautiously toward him, he never for once turned back to stare at him. The voice of the policeman, who seemed a bit frightened of him, boomed in his ears. “Move and I shoot!” he warned as his threats flowed out in stutters, which was proof of how frightened he was. He had never met Carl before or known him but he was sure that the silent man before him, had an idea of what happened at the hospital. His hands shook as he aimed his pistol at Carl’s head. Even as his companions, took cover behind the four other police vehicles in the vicinity, he still did not feel assured of his safety. He signaled some of them, to go into the building and check up on those insides, and they complied. Finally, getting to Carl’s position, he handcuffed his hands. Seeing that Carl’s hands were cuffed, the rest of the policemen, walked right out of their covers, as they advanced tow
The ride back home was short and silent, as Madison and Carl were both being driven back to the mansion in a black Rolls-Royce.Neither of them tried to break the awkward silence, as Madison just stared out the window and Carl had his eyes shut.Madison had gone to bail him out earlier that day and this time around, it wasn’t difficult as due to her background, the police hurriedly released Carl and had to plead with Madison when they found out he was as innocent as she had claimed.She watched as the little droplets of rain danced on the main road and watched as trees and buildings, seemed to move past the car.She looked like she was in deep thought and truly, she was. In just one day, too much had happened which had confused her. The incident at the hospital, why Carl had run off after the lady, and what had happened when he caught up with the lady.“Are you ok?” Carl asked with an indifferent look, as he glanced at Madison.Madison did not bother to stare back at him but kep
For the next couple of weeks, Madison began to notice that Carl was acting strange. He was always giving a cold attitude to strangers and would glare at anyone that tried to approach her.Sometimes, he would prevent people from talking to her and was always suspicious of most of her employees, which she did not like.Talking to him and trying to find out what was wrong was like trying to break a rock with an egg, as he didn’t seem to want to let the cat out of the bag. Even his attitude towards her began to change, as most times, he would try to avoid her by trying to keep less conversation with her. She didn’t like his cold shoulders, as she have already begun to accept him as a trustworthy friend and someone she could rely on. Her heart occasionally squeezed, when he did not respond to most of her questions.It was Friday and the sun had already risen. The black car shone under the sun’s Rays, giving off a majestic feeling.Madison was rushing to work and Carl was going to d