Age episode 25

AGE( it is just a number)

Episode 25

Attacked

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Hazel Dakota

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You have bewitched me b©dy and soul and I love, i love ,I love you .i never wish to be p@rted from you this day on …

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Laying on my new be-d , I kept on glancing at the quote at intervals as I studied one of ha-rd in,s textbooks…..

The wordings in the quote was “wow” and I couldn’t just keep my eyes off it ….

Bewitched! did he just say i bewitched him! Ha ha! this is Perfect!

Humming one of my favourite song , I chewed at the end of my pen as I studied the next question

*What animal doesn’t belong to the odd- toed ungulates?

a)h!ppopotamus

b)rhinoceros

c)okapi

d)c@m£l

“mmmmmh …uhm…….. that will be rhinoceros”. I said aloud and on checking the answers on the last page of the textbook, I got in right

I smiled to myself , i am getting somewhere!

My phone suddenly rang and on reaching for it , I checked the caller to see the name Alexia flash on the screen

I bec@m£ alarmed

Alexia! why is she calling at this wee hours of the night?

With shaky hands, I received the call

“Hazel! her loud voice rang throu-gh excitedly and I sighed in relief

“Do you want to get my pressure high?” I queried as she chuckled loudly

“No sis! I am just too excited, I could have called you earlier but mum and I just settled in the big house”

“Big house!” I repeated confusedly

“Yes, ha-rd in’s parent moved us over to a big house”

“ha-rd in’s parent!And why would they do that?” I asked still finding it ha-rd to believe

“Well! I don’t know , all I know is that the house is so beautiful….jeez!you nee-d to see my room, the big be-d,,the beautiful decorations….oh Hazel! I am so so happy”. She squealed in delight and I smiled lightly

“Fine! Fine! enough of the gushing! what of mother?” I asked

“She is fine , she should be slee-ping “. she answered

“Okay Alexia! It is alre-ady late , you should get some sleep in your … big be-d”. I drawled as she chuckled

“And also say hi to mother”. I quic-kly added

“Alright sis! I will do just that , good night”. She bade and ended the call without waiting for my response…..

I smiled lightly, she never ceases to amaze me!

But what is with the big house? why didn’t ha-rd in tell me about it?

Just then the door to my room opened and I glanced over my shoulder to see ha-rd in walk in

“At last!”i mumbled , sitting up to face him

“What took you so long?you promised to be here before midnight?” I queried, pointing at the hvge wall clock

he st©pped in his track , staring at the wall -clock

“1:00am! wow! I guess I was to engross with the “pure love” plot story to keep track of the time”

“What plot stories?” I asked, arching my eyebrow

“Just some clas-s project, Are you done with the questions?”he asked changing the subject as he dragged his feet lazily to the be-d

“Nope!”I answered, popping the p and he sm-irked lightly, sitting on the be-d

“Are the questions difficult? do you nee-d help with anyone?”he asked , staring into my face and I nodded with a sigh

“I am really having difficulties in mathematics”

“Then choose a major that doesn’t require calculations”. he simply answered and I frowned, shaking my head

“No ha-rd in! I really really want to know maths, plea-se make it happen”. I pleaded and he scoffed

“And how will I do that!..see Haz! I ain’t God who work wonders”. he retorted, pu-lling off his pyjamas shi-t and I tilted my head, staring blankly at his still bandaged b©dy

he isn’t God who works wonders! what does he mean by that? Is he trying to say my br@in cell is frozen, that I am too dull?…unbelievable!

“You saying my br@in is dead right?” I asked , glaring at him as he leaned in the be-d , chuckling

“I didn’t say so Haz, I only said you nee-d to take up a simpler major”. he corrected , trying to hold my hands but in anger , I sl@pped his hands away

“Don’t t©uçh me!” I warned and he sighed , running his hands throu-gh his hair

“Did I do anything wrong?”He asked softly and I scoffed

“Are you really asking me that? for goodness sake , you just told me to my face that I have a dull br@in”. I snapped at him

he stared at me puzzled for a while and then took a de-ep long breathe

“Is this it? Maths!You want to know maths right?” he asked

“Yes”. I answered and surprisedly my voice c@m£ out low , I was not as confident as before

What is he up to??? I thought within

“Good! then I will bring all of my maths handout to you tomorrow and I hope you know what that means.you will re-ad, study and solve till your br@in is numb”.he added with an evil sm-irk and I scoffed , folding my arms across my che-st

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“Threaten! And why would I? I am only trying to help you study”. he fired at me and from the straight look on his face ,I knew he was damn serious

Oh right! Hazel it is time for you to run!

I laughed nervously, erm ..erm … maybe I should just go with your earlier suggestion, I will choose a major that doesn’t require calculations . I agreed , nodding my head sheepishly

“And why the sudden change of mind?” he inquired with a knowing smile

“that is because I don’t have a thing for math, I will get all drowned in”. I admitted

“Obviously”. he mumbled but I heard him clearly ….

“So what Major do you suggest i put in for?” I asked , ignoring his sneer

“Well! there are a lot , you can major in English just like me or any other humanity course”. he answered , yawning and I smiled lightly

Nature calling! guess we will have to talk about this some other time

Snuggling into his arms , I l@ymy head on his upper che-st and he tensed his b©dy , wincing a little

“Oh dear! I am sorry”. I exclaimed softly, trying to sit up but he pu-ll-ed me back, wra-pping his hands ti-ghtly around me

I smiled inwardly , cudd-ling me despite his pain!!

“Thanks ha-rd in”. I muttered

“For?” he asked with a soft voice

“this beautiful room , the be-d, the clothes , the shoes , beautiful quotes and for everything you have done for me”.I stated and a small smile escaped hisl-ips

“also Alexia called telling me about a big house , are you aware of it?”

“Uhm uhm”.he answered and I looked up at his face to see his eyes alre-ady closed

I smiled lightly

“Good night baby”. I bade but as expected , there was no response, he was alre-ady asleep …

What a heavy head sleeper!

Watching him sleep , I soon drifted off to sleep…..:

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The next day

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A light tap on my shoulders disrupted my sleep and with a smile, I opened my eyes expecting to see ha-rd in but was disappointed, i c@m£ face to face with the witch Rebecca

“Good morning ma’am!” She greeted with a mocking smile as I stretched , sitting up on the be-d

“Morning! Where is ha-rd in? Why are you here?” I asked in a rush as I ru-bbe-d the sleep crust off my eyes

“I believe you have eyes , check the time yourself” . She retorted with an eye roll and when I did , I wi-de-ned my eyes in surprise

Omoo! 11:14am! Why didn’t ha-rd in wake me up??

“Anyways I brou-ght you breakfast” . She continued, pointing at the low stool beside the be-d and I nodded slowly, staring at the covered food

Not seeing ha-rd in this morning made me lost all appetite but just like he always advice me to do , I must eat because of my baby…..

“I am off ,if you nee-d any other thing just let me know”. The witch said, snapping me out of my thoughts as she walked out of the room……

Good riddance to bad ru-bbish!

Reaching for my phone , I unlocked it , dialling ha-rd in number

The phone rang until his voice mail picked up

Ooops! I guess he is busy in clas-s!

Tossing the phone back on the drawer, I got off the be-d ;then walked out of the room to ha-rd in’s room and on entering, I found Nina seated at the edge of be-d holding a phone to her ear ….:

She was so engrossed with the call she was ma-king that she failed to notice me…..

“No Anne! It isn’t that easy , ha-rd in is always with her”.i heard her say

I bec@m£ alarmed

Anne! ha-rd in! what is she talking about? I thought within

Retreating my step , I ti-ptoed out of the room and scurried as fast as I could to the sitting room where I met Rebecca ….

Seeing me , she rolled her eyes mumbling some inaudible words but I was too scared stiff to care

That girl upstairs is on a call with someone who knows ha-rd in’s and our life could possibly be in danger

“Rebecca! I nee-d to ask you some questions about Nina”. I started in whispers as she sh0t me a puzzled look

“Nina! what about her? or did you catch her s£dûç!ng your b©yfri£nd”. She asked in sarcasm and believe me when I say I was tem-pted to squee-ze her mouth but no, I nee-ded her help

I exhaled de-eply,”I ain’t kidding here, so be serious plea-se”. I pleaded

She was quiet for a moment and then she sighed softly

“What exactly do you want to know about her?”

how she got employed here? any suspicious behaviour? In fact everything you know about her”. I rasped and to my surprise, she looked around the room , moving close to me

“You see I myself have been suspicious of her from the very first day Mrs Castillo brou-ght her into this house, she immediately clinched unto me , following me around but what triggered my suspicion was the first question she asked me …..

“And what was that?” I bu-tted in , urging her to continue

“She asked if Sir ha-rd in has a girlfriend”

“What!! how did she know about ha-rd in? how did she even know his name?” I asked , bewildered

“Exactly! that was also the same question I asked her and to sum it up , she didn’t say anything meaningful, she just chuckled nervously and avoided me ever since then” …..:

“Oh God!” I exclaimed softly

“And you should be careful, I don’t think she likes you …. well! I don’t like you either but hers seems so different, I mean I see the way she looks at you. She quic-kly added , nudging me to look behind me and when I did , I saw Nina climbing down the stairs with a smile on her face …..

I stared ha-rd at her

Nina!Anne! Who exactly are they?

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Mike Peterson

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“But Boss isn’t the plan gonna attra-ct the police?” Noah asked for the umpteenth time , shaking in fright and I completely ignored him

It is either now or never !!!

“Are you both re-ady? I asked, looking at Jasper and then at Justin

“Yes Boss”. They both chorused in unison

“Good! Don’t forget , I want the kid alive .” I reminded

“You can count on us Boss”. Jasper said trying ha-rd not to meet my gaze , I could tell he was nervous

I wasn’t surprised at all… I mean who wouldn’t be scared of causing a ruckus in a high school , it was like a sucide mission but what could I possibly do? nothing , I nee-d ha-rd in today and the best way I can get him without any hindrance is his school ……too bad! I am a fugitive, i would have gotten him myself…..

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ha-rd in Castillo

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The hours dragged on until the school bell rang , its loud shrill signalling the beginning of lunch break

“At last! I am completely famished”. Steve who was seated beside me muttered but I completely ignored him as my gaze was fixed on the man-uscript I was working on …..

but wait ! why is he seated here? where even is the idiot called Richa-rd ?

I paused what I was doing to look around the clas-s and lol and behold, I saw “the idiot” holding hands with a bu-sty girl as they walked out of the clas-s, laughing

Amazing!

he claims I am his best friend yet he never told me about his new catch , what a crazy idiot indeed!

“Down to earth ha-rd in!” a familiar voice laughed , snapping her slim f!ngersin front of me and I looked in the direction to see the cute face of Kimberly

“Hey!” I greeted as she smiled , leaning over to whisper into my ears

“Let’s go eat”

“Naw! I ain’t hungry, you can go with Steve”. I said , picking up my pen as I continued writing

“Let’s do that Kim”. Steve agreed , standing up in a huff and I was f0rç£d to glance at him

What is wrong with him? If he likes her , why can’t he just spell it out ?

“No Steve you can go alone , I will stay with ha-rd in”. Kim stated nervously and Steve nodded sadly ; then walked out of the clas-s slowly….

“Why did you do that?” I asked , with my face still buried in the man-uscript

“Simple! because I want to stay with you”. She answered, sitting beside me

“Oh!” I exclaimed softly not knowing what else to say ….

“erm ha-rd in I am curious about something”. She started , drumming on the desk and I scoffed silently

“You are disturbing me Kim!” I retorted and instantly, she st©pped

“I am so sorry”. She apologised and the next thing that followed was the sound of gunsh0ts

The colour quic-kly drained from my face

“Oh my gawd! what is going on here?” Kimberly half-yelled , clinging to me ti-ghtly as l looked out of the window, steadying my breathe to calm down my panic

The whole school was in an uproar as students , teachers , caterers , janitors, ran helter skelter for their lives

“Let’s get out of here ha-rd in”. Kimberly screamed but her voice sounded far off as I was lost thinking about one person, Hazel

Bringing out my phone from my pocket, I quic-kly dialled my dad number and he picked on the first ring

“Son! I am aware of the situation, your principal called , we are on our way”. he said in a rush and I shook my head negatively as a feeling of dre-ad crept up from the pit of my stomach

“Hazel! my baby! what if Mike gets to them first? What if they are in danger ? I asked rushingly as I interlocked Kimberly f!ngerswith mine

“That is not possible! I alre-ady called one of cops security lur-k-ing around the house and the house is peaceful”. he as-sured ma-king me sigh in relief

“Also you nee-d to leave wherever you are , try scaling throu-gh a fence or something”. he quic-kly added

“Alright dad”. I said as I ended the call

“Is there a secret gate or a low fence in this school?” I asked , turning to face Kimberly and she nodded

“There is a low fence behind the school libr@ry”

And without wasting time , I held her hands ti-ghtly as we ran out of the clas-s throu-gh a corner path

“A dead b©dy!” Kimberly screamed , looking at an opposite direction and I pu-ll-ed her closer

“Don’t st©p! Look ahead of you”. I instructed and she nodded , breathing ha-rd

We took a sharp corner route to the libr@ry and I st©pped abruptly, right in front of us was a tall man with a knock knee-d shape of leg ..

This stature, I can recognise it anywhere……..Jasper

“Kim , let’s get out of here” I said in whispers but it was alre-ady late ,the man looked in our direction and just like I said, it was Jasper

“Damn!”I cursed silently as he chuckled

“Oh my! oh my! Look who we have here , it is Jayden” he stated, c0cking his gun as he moved closer

“Run ha-rd in! Run! I heard different voices scream and I looked all around confusedly

Some student were on the roof t©p , some behind thick bushes , the whole environment wasfu-cking tensed …..

“Really! will you do as they say?” Jasper asked , standing right in front of me as I sh0t him daggers

“What do you want?” I asked coldly and he laughed

“Isn’t it obvious! I want you Jayden”

“Then what are you waiting for, I am standing right in front of you”. I yelled at him

“Of course you are but my hands is itching for a little fun”. he drawled , aiming his gun at a boy hiding in between one of the thick bushes

“No Jasper! You can’t do that , the kid is innocent”. I pleaded but being the heartless man I have always known him to be , he did not budge , he pu-ll-ed the trigger, shooting the kid on his shoulder

“Arrrrrrgh! I heard the boy cry of pain and Instantly, i pu-ll-ed Kim behind me

“Why did you do that?” I yelled at him as he laughed, looking at Kim and then back at me

“Is she Hazel?” he asked and I bit at my lowerl-ips in anger

“Don’t ever call that name again” I warned and then faced Kim

“Run away from here as fast as you can, I will cover you”

“No ha-rd in! I can’t do that , I can’t leave you all by yourself” . She rasped , shaking her head

her voice was muffled! her eyes blood shoot! and her pretty face messed up!

“Don’t say that , do you want to get sh0t?” I asked in whispers and she shook her head negatively

“Good!then get out from … I st©pped in my track when I heard the sound of the siren followed by gunsh0ts

“The Police is here, we are safe ha-rd in”. Kim squealed in delight but it was short lived , that was when the beast “Jasper” chose to c0ckhis gun , aiming for my shoulder

“Get the hell out of here Kim”. I yelled and that was it , he pu-ll-ed the trigger and in a flash , a figure jumped in front of me , hvgging me as thick red blood splattered on my face

I heard a high pitch scream , I didn’t realise it was my own until much later

“Interesting! I never knew Hazel loves you so much”. Jasper retorted as he aimed the gun at me for a second time but this time around at my temple……

” I will help Mike with his revenge”. he stated but before he could pu-ll the trigger, a bullet went straight into his forehead ma-king him fall to the ground like a log of wood

I quic-kly glanced over my shoulder to see my dad running towards me

“Son! ha-rd in! Are you alright?” he asked in a rush

Gobsma-cked, i slowly pu-ll-ed out of the hvg to stare at Kimberly’s pale face

“Kim!”I called softly , holding her b©dy to me and she gave me a weak smile

“we..are .. safe ..”. She said picking her words as I stared at her injured upper arm …she was bleeding profusely

The ambulance! Someone should plea-se call an ambulance”. I screamed loudly

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Hmmmmh!

Who remembers Anne?

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TBC