WHAT LISA FINALLY SAW Lisa didn’t announce herself when she entered the house. It was evening, and the whole house was usually quiet and it looked like no one was living there.  She entered the house and went directly inside, looking at the corners as though looking for something she lost.  Usually, anytime she wasn't around, the whole house would look weird and she was only feeling that way because Mara wasn't living with them. When she got to the sitting room, she stopped at the doorway, as she saw her mother sitting and very focused on the book in her arms. She wore her glasses and a drink was placed on the stool close to her chair, she'd glance at a page and then turn to the other, her eyes moving faster than usual. Her tablet was on her laps and it looked as though she was looking at both things at the same time.

WHAT WAS NEVER MEANT TO SURFACE Orland saw it within seconds, he was in his office when the notification came through. He didn’t open it immediately. He read the headline first, then the subtext beneath it.Jamie’s name.Orland exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.“So,” he murmured. “He chose a side.”He opened the statement and read it line by line. The absence of accusation irritated him more than an outright attack would have.Jamie hadn’t swung wildly. Orland stood and walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back.He was expecting a strike, so he could destroy him completely, but that wasn't what he got. Jamie hadn’t destroyed him, but it looked like he’d made him visible.“Interesting,” Orland said softly.He turned back to his desk and picked up his phone.“Get me everything Jamie’s touched in the last six months,” he said. “Every meeting. Every email and every conversation.”He paused. “And prepare a response,” he added. “Not now. Soon….”He ended the call and

WHAT SHE GAVE THEM Mara was pushed inside and the door slammed shut.The van pulled away, but by the time anyone noticed the spilled groceries on the sidewalk, Mara Stone was already gone.When Mara opened her eyes again, she saw that she was in a strange building.She glanced around, but she didn't recognize anything at all and she got scared.She heard water drip by the corner. She was tasty all of a sudden, but she couldn't go there because her arms and legs were tied in place so she wouldn't escape.Who are these people?! She thought, her eyes red and her clothes a little torn. She struggled to sit well, but she felt pain on her body and her wrists ached, still no one was on sight. Then she remembered how it all happened. The lady had appeared, with men who were standing like they didn't care. But, he couldn't recognize any of them.She shifted slightly, she tried to shout, but her voice cracked. Suddenly, someone spoke behind her.“Don’t move,” a voice said.Mara froze, even

BLOOD ON THE SINK Lisa started cleaning the wounds and then she helped Mara into another clean shirt.By the time they got her into bed, exhaustion had taken her. She barely protested when Lisa pulled the blanket up.Lisa sat on the edge of the bed, phone still in her hand.“Mara,” she said and she opened her eyes to look at her and Mara spoke before she did.“They knew Nightingale better than I do,” she murmured.Lisa leaned in. “What?”“They weren’t guessing,” Mara whispered. “They knew where to look.”Her grip on the blanket tightened and then it loosened.“I should sleep now, we'll talk better by morning…” Mara said, and then she gripped the pillow well and drifted off. Lisa looked at her, her arms crossed over her chest, and her face tightened. She was feeling pity for Mara, but she was also ang

LINES DRAWN Lisa picked the phone and placed it on her ear, adjusting a little to feel more comfortable. But then, Mara wasn't fully sleeping yet and Lisa quickly climbed out of the bed and went to the corridor to make the call. “What's up, Lucas?!” Lisa asked the moment she was outside, checking each corners as though she was suspecting someone was peeping on her.“I just wanted to check on you and tell you that I've finally stepped down..” he said in a low tone.“You did??” Lisa asked, but was wondering why he had to call late, if that was what he wanted to share.Lucas nodded even though Lisa couldn't see him.“Yes, I want to see their reaction.” Jamie said finally. He was moving back and forth in his room, one of his hand tucked in his pocket. “...Mara was abducted earlier, but we've found her..” Lisa said, but then she regretted saying it because she knew Jamie would ask her more in details how it happened.Jamie didn't fall short of her expectation, he asked straight up.“H