TAKING SOPHIE

~~ The Next Morning ~~

Sophia woke up from her Dreamland when she heard a familiar voice screaming and yawned loudly.

"Wooh, who could be disturbing my sleep this early morning"

"I'm sure it's that little spoilt brat" she stated grumpily referring to Sophie as she lazily climbed down the bed.

"Dad, pls help me… Daaaaddd" she heard again. Sophie's voice sounds like she has been crying.

'Is she crying?' she thought.

"And why is she crying?" She mumbled and hissed as she made her way to the living room and then she remembered last night events. Her father's talk about one ruthless guy.

"Ooh, I can't remember his name again" she hitted her forehead repeatedly like someone who is trying to remember something.

'Or is he here' her eyes popped out at the thought of that as she took her steps slowly trying to peep to the living room.

"Dad pleaseeee" Sophie's voice faded away.

"Help me talk to him, mum. Dad pleaseeee"

And just then immediately Sophie was taken away by some men dressed in black, Sophia showed up in the living room.

"What's happening, dad?" She asked but her dad gave no reply and just ruffled his hair like a frustrated and confused being.

"How could you know what's happening when you slept like a log of wood when your little sister is being taken away" Mrs Johnson exclaimed like a wounded sheep.

"What??!!"

"You mean she's been taken away. By who??"

"You punk" Mrs Johnson seethed. "It'd have been better if you were the one taken away"

"Oh my daughter. My poor baby girl" the pained woman cried.

"Do you mean the punk you were talking about last night already came, huh??" Sophia faced her dad.

"When I was thinking you have a short time amnesia already" Martin's voice came from the direction of the kitchen as Sophia turned and saw him with a mug in his hand.

"Are you having tea or coffee" Sophia arched an eyebrow.

"Coffee" he raised the mug up to his lips and took a sip.

"You're having coffee when our sister us being taken away, huh??"

"What do you expect me to do when that's what Ice Pick want. He can't take me, I'm a guy and thanks goodness I'm one and he won't heed to your pleas too. He's not the kind to have mercy duh"

"Yeah. Ice Pick. That's the name I've been trying to remember since I woke up."

"It seems you're crazy. You can't remember his name when everyone does" Martins chuckled.

"But it seems he's making a mistake"

"What mistake are you talking about" Sophia arched an eyebrow.

"He knows Dad doesn't have a daughter. He knows it's daughter's tho I don't think he know the number of daughters and I also learnt he want his favourite daughter and that's you. He wants you but mistook Sophie as YOU" Martins explained.

"What!!?"

"I can't believe this. Why would he want me?"

"And that's why I said you should have be the one to wake up early" Mrs Johnson interrupted and just then Mr Johnson walked out of their midst.

"Or is by any means keeping you for later" Martins stated as he emptied his mug which made Mr Johnson halted.

"Did he by any chance recognize you as the girl he met yesterday and know you as my daughter" Mr Johnson looked at Sophia the first time that morning.

"Aaah, how am I supposed to know that, Dad?" Sophia shirked.

"But I'm sure he can't. He can't even think it's possible because I dressed casually yesterday not like a rich kid so he won't think twice or try to convince himself that I'mma be the one. Even if he has seen me before as your daughter, he might be thinking the yesterday girl is just some random market girl."

"But what if he knows you're the one. He's unpredictable"

"Let's just forget about this for now and talk about it later, huh"

"Happy birthday, daughter" Mr Johnson smiled.

"Happy birthday baby sister" Martins hugged her as she smiled sheepishly and stated a "Thanks".

"So you can think of wishing her a happy birthday when we all don't know the condition Sophie is in right now, huh" Mrs Johnson hissed and walked out of their midst.

"Or what if he decided to kill her, huh" she added as cold shivers runs through their spines.

*

Sophie was locked in an unkempt dark room as she hugged her legs and bowed her head in between her thighs and sobbed. And just then, a young lady which she presumed could be her age mate walked by and she called her back.

"Hey" she waved her hand through the iron bars.

"What?" The girl answered coldly.

"What's the time, please?"

"It's some minutes past 12. And why are you asking, huh?" The girl's voice sounded so harsh.

"Do you think this place is somewhere you can just come to and some random people or members of your family can come to take you out anyhow and anytime, huh" the girl laughed as Sophie only sighed heavily and bowed her head.

"I've been here since I was seven years old and that's nine years ago"

"Nine years ago?" Sophie wanted to exclaim but kept it cool as she noticed a figure was coming towards their direction as the girl left and walked away from Sophie. It then became clear to Sophie that it was one of the guys that came with Ice Pick to her house in the morning coming towards her.

The cold looking guy unlocked the bar padlock with a tiny key and opened it for Sophie to walked out as she got the message that she is to come out of the room.

"Follow me" he stated coldly and started walking away while Sophie followed behind like a diligent sheep obeying its shepherd.

They got to a beautiful room and the guy stopped which made Sophie halted on her tracks also.

"You wait here" she heard the guy's voice and also felt him leaving the room.

'So am I to stand here all alone doing nothing' she thought.

She felt another person's presence and looked up to get a glance and saw HIM. Her head snapped down to a bow immediately as her forehead, neck and palm suddenly sweaty and her breath itched.

'Is he here to pass his judgement? Am I going to get killed? Or is he here to send me back home. Ugh… That's not possible. It has never been in history that he send anyone back to their family alive except their dead bodies' Different thoughts ran through her mind as he took his seat in a high golden chair.

"Johnson thought I could be fooled but I'm ten thousand wiser. Bring her in" Ice Pick's voice made her leg shook and her heart beats rapidly in fear.

'Who could they be bringing in' she thought and raised her head to take a look.

"What!!!?"