Chapter Three

Chapter Three - “ Meet the others…”

A gunshot.

Elena jolted upright, her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted around the dimly lit room, every nerve in her body tense. A sharp rattle shook the doorknob. Then the door creaked open.

A woman stepped inside—elegant, cold, and composed, old enough to be her mother. Two guards flanked her, silent and watchful.

Elena threw the covers off and swung her legs to the floor, wincing at the dull throb building behind her eyes.

“Good, you're awake,” the woman said coolly, her gaze sweeping over Elena like she was inspecting bruised fruit.

“What was that? I heard a gun—”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” the woman interrupted sharply. “Clean yourself up and come downstairs. Matteo’s waiting. He doesn't tolerate delays.”

She turned to go, but Elena's voice stopped her. “Please… I just want to go home.”

For a fraction of a second, something flickered in the woman’s eyes—regret? Sympathy? It was gone just as fast.

“Fifteen minutes,” she said, then disappeared with her guards, the door closing shut behind her.

Elena stared at the fresh pile of clothes on the chair. She felt sticky and grimy, her body sore from a restless night. A cold shower sounded like heaven right now.

Ten minutes later and she was out of the bathroom, her wet clinging clinging to her skin. She dried herself off, tugged on the simple plain clothes, a size too small and stepped into the corridor.

The house was enormous, the kind that echoed with silence. Polished floors stretched ahead beneath a wide, curved staircase. Chandeliers hung like frozen stars above her.

“This way,” one of the guards said, motioning her forward.

They passed closed doors and hushed corners until he led her into a room. She hesitated on the threshold.

Inside, Matteo sat at the head of a long table. His posture was regal, predatory. Around him, people—boys, girls, men, women—stood in a loose line, their faces either blank or fearful. Elena's frown deepened as she stepped inside.

Matteo looked up. His smile was sharp and devoid of warmth.

“Hope you slept well,” he said and slowly rose to his feet. Elena didn't answer. Her eyes scanned the others.

One boy looked no older than fifteen. A girl beside him clutched his arm, trembling.

“What is this?” Elena asked, her voice low.

“This,” Matteo gestured with a sweep of his hand, “is family. Or it will be. Eventually.”

He walked over to her, his presence suffocating—intimidating too.

“You were chosen, Elena. You’ve seen too much now to walk away. But don't worry—you're not alone. Everyone here thought they could leave. They thought they had a choice.” His gaze locked onto hers. “You don’t, just like them.”

Elena’s heart hammered against her ribs. “What do you want from me?” she asked, making sure to keep her tone low and void of fear.

Matteo leaned in. “Loyalty. Usefulness. And silence.”

A pause. Then he clapped once, and the guards moved.

“Today,” he said, “you’ll be assigned your role. Fail me, and... well, I'm very sure you heard the gunshot.”

Elena’s blood ran cold.

“I won’t help you,” she said, her voice a bit shaky.

Matteo only smiled. “That’s exactly what the last girl said.”

And then, from behind, the door opened again.

A man entered—tall, broad-shouldered, and bleeding from the temple. Elena’s breath caught.

It was Jayden.

Alive. Barely.

The room spun.

“Elena,” he rasped, before collapsing to the floor.

Chaos erupted.

And this time, no one could silence the sound of her scream.

Matteo eyed Jayden. “Friend of yours.” He rolled his eyes. “Get him to the clinic and someone make her shut up.”

Just as soon as he'd said that, something clicked next to her head. A gun. She clasped a hand over her mouth, as muffled sobs sipped through.

“What did you do to him?” Elena asked. She wanted to run to Jayden, make sure he was alright but the gun kept her rooted to the spot.

“I did nothing. Your friend, Jayden, thought he could outsmart me.” Matteo shook his head pitifully before the turned to the rest of them in the room. “As you can see, I give warnings once. After that, I do what's necessary.”

He allowed his words to sink in.

Elena watched as two ladies hurried into the room and moved an unconscious Jayden out of the room.

“Fall back in line Elena.”

She moved quickly, her heart racing in her chest.

“Get the box,” he instructed and within seconds, a box had been placed in the center of the room. “Each one of you will step forward and pick a tool. You'll be given two weeks to work with that tool, master it, before your next assignment.”

The first boy stepped forward, reached into the box and pulled out a knife. His hands shook slightly. He said nothing and went back to the line.

Everyone else stepped forward, picking an object from the box, until it was Elena's turn. She stepped forward, her knees weak.

Was everything in the box a weapon?

When she saw what was left in the box, she almost gasped, her breath caught in her throat.

“Don't be shy Elena. Take it.”

A gun?

She shook her head and took a step back. His face hardened. “Take one more step back and I'll blow your knees out,” he warned, his tone icy.

She shivered and stared at the gun. She'd never used a gun or even held one. A tear rolled down her cheeks.

“Please, I can't,” she begged. “Isn't there something else? A baseball bat?”

His jaw tightened and he moved towards her, grabbed the gun and aimed at her. Her body shook with fear.

“No, please, don't do this.”

“If you don't want me to blow your shoulder out and leave you to die, take the fucking gun!” His yelled, his tone strong and cold.

She jerked in fear and reached for the gun. “Good, now join the rest.”

Suddenly, Elena aimed the gun at him and all at once, about ten clicks sounded in the room. All guards had their guns pointed at her.

“Don't do anything stupid Elena. They'll gun you down before you even get the chance to do anything with that—if you know how to use it.”

Her eyes shifted to the boys and girls in line, some watching in expectancy, others staring at her like she'd grown a set of heads.

Slowly, she lowered the gun to her side and Matteo chuckled. “Did you really think I’d give you a gun with live bullets inside?”

Ushered back into the line, Elena stood there, mentally distant, her eyes heavy with tears.

“You'll be assigned to your new rooms where you'll stay and be trained for the next one month. I take my trainings very seriously,” he said, his eyes shifting to Elena.

When they'd finished talking and he'd dismissed them, Matteo called for her. Left alone in the room with him, Elena stared at her feet. She was exhausted and drained.

“You're worried about your friend Jayden, isn't it?” He reclined into his seat. “He'll be alright. Just do as you're told and you'll realize that it isn't so bad here.”