When Perfect Meets Crazy

So I said the only thing I could say, “Fancy running into you here.”

Shock did not begin to cover the look on Masked Idiot’s face. He was astonished. Flabbergasted. Bewildered. Stupefied. Then, he was angry. Pissed. Furious. Enraged.

I gulped. Olly, if I die because of this, I will haunt you till you’re forty.

“What,” he bit out through a jaw clenched so tight it had to hurt, “the hell are you doing here?”

Not only did he visibly want to kill me, it was also abundantly clear his less than friendly reaction wasn’t doing me any favors with the gun packing bodyguards. The second one also proceeded to take his gun off safety. One small mistake, an ill-timed twitch or a muscle spasm in their trigger finger and I’d be a goner. Deceased. Dead. Lost to this world. Starting another journey. In a deep eternal rest. On another plain.

“I was...” My voice came out tiny and croaky. Even to my ears, I sounded terrified. “I just... I happened to be in the neighborhood.”

“I know your routine.” His tone was icy sharp. “You did not,” his cold gaze met mine, “happen to be in the neighborhood.”

I shivered, my heart pounding a little harder. No other combination of words had ever sounded as menacing. And to think just a few days ago, he was offering me comfort while I cried.

“I was. I... Uhm... I...” I gulped, discreetly wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt. Think, Avy! “I had an emergency meeting.” I latched on to the excuse, then pinned on the lie, “Around here.”

“At the Calthorpe? You had a meeting here?” Cynicism coated his tone.

I shivered and tried not to dwell on how the child criminal was now looking from me to him and back again with a speculative glint. Nothing to see here.

“No, I... no... not the Calthorpe exactly. Just... just in the area?”

Dear Lord, pretty pretty please help me. Not once since we’ve had our arrangement had I given as much thought and importance to Masked Idiot’s opinion as I did at the moment. Those times I didn’t have a gun pointed at me, loaded and ready to be fired.

“You know, I was actually just leaving. I’m gonna go so... you know, don’t...” I swallowed hard. “Don’t shoot me.”

Never had I sounded more imploring, more solicitous. If any of my classmates heard that, chances were, they’d do a double take just to be sure it was me. I was Avy Johnson. Avy Johnson demanded, threatened, issued ultimatums and on good days, reasoned with her opponents. She did not implore, cajole or beg. Desperate times...

“You know,” the girl spoke up, a dazzling smile on her face. “She could work. She’ll just take Tammy’s place in the auction. No harm done.”

She who? She me? No harm done? No harm to who? Was that a joke? Did she think I hadn’t heard what they were talking about? Human trafficking and whatnot?

Out loud however, I went with, “You know, I can’t. My father is waiting for me. If I’m not home soon, he’ll send a cop after me to find out why. He’s the sheriff.”

Yes, I was blatantly lying and name dropping but if being crass saved my life, I was willing to run, fly, soar, teleport even, with it.

“No, he’s not,” Masked Idiot countered flatly, barely flickering a glance in my direction.

Fuck. Of course he’d know it was a lie. He had been stalking me for weeks. I should’ve known that he’d have figured out by now that my parents were scarcely involved in my life. Shit. Immediately, I began to prepare a fake reason why my dad absolutely urgently needed me today.

“She won’t work, Ellie.” He faced to the cute girl with the heart of a demon, Ellie.

Even her name was misleading. How could she look so cute and angelic yet talk about selling me off so casually like I was meat? I had really underestimated Masked Idiot. I pegged him for a fool and decided he wasn’t worth the trouble because the signs weren’t obvious. I should’ve known better. The best criminals were those who didn’t seem like good criminals. He was with a human trafficker for heaven’s sake and I had pegged him down as a rich kid going through a phase.

From the look of things, I was going to pay dearly for my mistake.

“Well, the only other option is ‘Chel.” The girl shrugged her tiny satin covered shoulders. “Do we really want to put this on her? He’s here, you know? He’ll buy her to prove a point.”

Yes! Put this on her. Let’s sacrifice ‘Chel instead, whoever she is. I vote ‘Chel.

It registered in a not-so-distant part of my mind that the bodyguards were slowly putting their guns away -thank sweet baby Jesus- and that I was willing to sacrifice an unknown girl to save my ass. I didn’t want to think about the latter but in my defence, it was a me-or-her situation. Saving us both wasn’t on the table and I couldn’t exactly choose a stranger over myself. That would be stupid, the idiotic kind of self-sacrificing stunt actors pulled in movies. I’m not a hero. Judge me all you want.

I immediately started inching away to freedom. No thank you, I was not going to be sold to a middle aged man with a pot-belly and foul breath. The fact that Masked Idiot and Ellie were talking over me was most likely what led the paid muscles to conclude I wasn’t a threat. Never mind that Masked Idiot was a trained fighter well over six feet while I barely cleared five ft. six and was dressed like a paper pusher. It was like comparing a manicured Chihuahua to a Rottweiler and deciding the Chihuahua was a threat.

“You’re right. We can’t put ‘Chel in that situation. Avy will have to work,” Masked Idiot reluctantly conceded, nodding his head slowly.

to make a run for it. So I spun on my heel and ran as fast as my

tried

intentions on my face or maybe it was just the standard reaction to being sold off because he reacted even faster than I anticipated. His hand shot out and clamped on my arm, holding me in place before I could even take

all

was irrevocably, undeniably doomed.

Ellie. Tell them she’s on her way. Get clothes in her size and everything she will need. We’ll

like an inanimate object to live the rest of my life in misery. I knew how these things turned out. I’d heard stories, watched

invaded my

before she turned on her heel and walked into the swanky hotel, her bodyguards

you followed me,” was his first statement as

for a full second, ‘he knows’ flashing in bright neon letters

It came out pitchy and mangled. “I would... No.

cringed. It was hard to believe that was even me. I used to consider being a great liar

a better liar,” was

life on the line. By the way, did he read a book about

you still expect me

girl who didn’t even scream when a criminal broke into her room. Calm, rational, level headed me was quaking. It made me angry. Irritated. Pissed. He had no right to talk about not being what one seemed to be. He had more colors than a chameleon. First, he was an underground fighter. Then, he was a breaking-and-entering criminal. Then, a stalker. Later on, he was an educationally challenged rich kid. And now, he

me. Wanting to level the playing field doesn’t make me a sketchy

and bemused disapproval. Like how I always imagined the wolf when he finally

I squirmed.

I know better so... I’m

He thinned the

need you,” he

danger, danger, it beat in staccato. My head turned sideways, my eyes scanning the few passers-by on the street, none of whom seemed the least bit interested in Masked Idiot and me.

on the one weapon women have used

will scream,” I announced. “If you don’t let me go,

are you being so dramatic?” he inquired, irritation

wanted to sell me off and I was being dramatic? “If that’s your way

Aren’t you supposed to be the perfect girl for this kind of stuff, with your straight A’s and volunteer work? It should

fighting criminals? No, thank you. I’m not going to be sold and carted out of the

devil. With them gone, it was just Masked Idiot. There wasn’t even a conscious decision to lower my guard.

sorry, what are you talking about?” Confusion marred

Nice cover. I heard you and little Miss Heart-of-a-demon. I know what--” I bit back acidly, dropping off abruptly when he shoved an

the banner for the event standing

What...? Color me confused.

hidden message on the back. “But... you said you were going to sell me. You... You

fairs,” he paused, eyeing me skeptically. “Have you really never heard

frown deepened, furrows appearing between my

weak but it

was no longer following. What exactly was

alright in the head. “Hang on, you thought we

he was not a fan of

“Yes?”

“In broad daylight?”

the dumber I felt. I

you even think that at all?”

all weird and there were body guards and... they were going to shoot me. I didn’t... It... I don’t

so wound up, I might’ve laughed. Never had I been happier to be wrong.

I can walk away from here? Nothing’s going to

“Duh.”

I deserved that.

I held up a finger, “how did you get invited then?” I had been put through enough of an