Chapter 1

Sang

I hid myself away from sight as the group of men searched through the crowd, their eyes sweeping through the perimeter as they walked in unison.

However, they moved without being noticed as a singular unit. They were all good looking men, almost too handsome to not be noticed, and yet they moved through the shadows. They were seemingly invisible from all the people surrounding them as they went on about their day.

I kept my head low, my eyes cast to the ground as they moved by me without even a second glance. They might have been good at blending into their surroundings, but I was already invisible to everyone. I wasn't easily noticeable, and able to keep myself that way through my tasks.

I watched these men, keeping the insatiable flutter of my heart dampened down in my chest. Seeing all these attractive men was killing my libido, but I couldn't keep myself from lusting after this mysterious group. I had gotten a strange letter from an anonymous source, telling me to start watching for familiar faces that keep appearing.

I had been foolish before, not realizing these people were following me until they had already caught wind of my location. Right now I was in disguise, wearing heavy makeup that changed the features of my face, and wearing a black wig that fell to my chin in a smooth bob.

They knew my true face, as far as I know, so I needed to take measures to hide myself from them.

They worked like a well-oiled machine, each one moving like a part in a symmetrical machine. I saw their eyes pass over me as I looked down at the book I was reading while at my table. I had been careful to hide all other skin except for my neck, face, and my hands, making it easier to apply the dark foundation to a smaller amount of skin.

I didn't help that I hated how it felt, makeup wasn't something that I made a point of wearing too often, it always felt greasy on my skin.

I held gaze to the book, not really seeing the words on the page as I focused more on the blurs in my peripheral vision, making sure I didn't move to early, I didn't want to grab their attention again.

I waited until the movement left my field of vision, then made my move. My heart thudded in my chest like a thundering drum as my body kicked into hyper drive. I got up with a quick flourish, spinning in the opposite way, making sure to hide my face through it all so they wouldn't see through my disguise.

I stepped quickly through the thickening crowd, bending and twisting through the people, avoiding contact at all time so I wouldn't touch them.

My skin crawled at the thought of all these people I didn't know touching me, and it in turn made my stomach turn uncomfortably.

That's when I caught sight of the model blond in the group, with his beautiful, deep brown eyes, and fine boned features. He was looking right at me with a piercing gaze that told me he was seeing through my disguise. He lifted his wrist, holding my gaze, as he spoke into it.

His voice couldn't be heard over the crowd, but I knew he was warning the rest of his team that their target was getting away.

I couldn't keep the smile from coming onto my face, blowing a bubble with my bubble gum as eight faces turned toward me, my body getting sped into a frenzy. I felt like this was a game, despite the potential for danger.

They tried to close in, but I was gone before they even got the spot where I had been standing moments ago. I bent low below the headline of the crowd, and bobbed and weaved through—holding back my discomfort from touching all these strangers.

I ran down the street while keeping my head low as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck sticking up. They were hot on my tail; I could tell that already. The energy pulsing through me was like thick static in a dry environment, and it supercharged over me, making me push through the throng of people as quickly as I could.

I was a mouse running from a pride of cats that could all out muscle me, that much was obvious.

The only question was:

What did they want from me?

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I lost them eventually when I turned down a bunch of side streets, losing myself in the horde of turns that seemed almost blind as I made them with a panicked edge. But I could tell that I was going west, I always knew which direction I was going.

A natural compass built in my brain that let me move through unknown terrain. I started back around through Charleston, taking care to watch my surroundings to see if I could find another familiar face that I didn't want watching me right now.

The sun was in full blaze, with a light amount of humidity in the middle of the July afternoon. I relished in it, letting the sun warm my body as I turned the corner, putting my sunglasses over my head, while I pulled the wig off my head at the same time. The shadows covered me, the awning a slight cover from the sun's raving warmth.

I tossed the wig into the first trashcan that I came across, and took out a compact that was unused. It was a cheap one that I bought a while back, it had the wrong skin tone of course.

But it had been on sale, so I couldn't resist the small mirror that the compact offered to me. I stopped, acting like I was checking my hair, which was now revealed as the true mix of blond and browns that change in the light.

It was too distinctive if they knew who I was, so had to keep it covered. I used the mirror to look behind me, making sure I didn't see any of the group of strange men behind me, putting it away when I didn't see them.

I twisted my way through the tourist crowd, keeping a close eye on them the best I could, some of them liked to get sly and tried to steal from anyone they deemed an easy target.

I felt the sticky paste of the makeup starting to swelter on my skin, and wanted to groan aloud, but held it in as I finally arrived at the hospital that I was visiting all too frequently as of late.

It was quite as I entered, but I knew that behind the scenes that it was bustling like a little town within the vast building. I moved through the area, familiar with it like it was my own home—but I laughed at the thought, I've never had a home.

I signed in at the front counter, nodding to the nurse that was always at the counter, she smiled warmly—though it didn't reach her eyes.

I made my way through the place in silence, not meeting the eyes of those around me, and just walked directly to the room that I always visited.

My dear old friend, Dr. Robert sat in his hospital bed, grimacing at the Jell-O that had been laid out in front of him. He had raised me since I was a child, and I still insisted I called him Dr. Robert, much to his chagrin.

I walked silently through the doorway, and smiled brightly at him when he met my gaze.

"You weren't supposed to come again." he said, his voice rough with exhaustion.

I shook my head, shrugging. "They have a team of people after me right now, I'm not worried about it."

"Sang, you're wanted for a murder someone is trying to frame you for! You're not safe here." He whispered hastily, looking out the door to make sure the police didn't suddenly barge in to take me away.

"I'm the only suspect, Dr. Robert…I'm going to get caught eventually." I whispered.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to be out on the road forever, it just wasn't in the cards for me. I was a wanted woman for a murder that I didn't commit—however, I had no alibi, and had motive. It was more than enough for the police to issue a warrant for my arrest when I couldn't account for my hours when the murder occurred. I had woken up in a strange place, without a single memory of how I got there.

It was the sad, inevitable truth that I was going to get convicted. I didn't even know for sure that I didn't commit the murder. I wouldn't be surprised if I actually did commit such an act, I had more than enough motive.

"I can't let you go down without a fight, Sang." Dr. Robert said, cough hard all the sudden, small droplets of blood dripping from his lips.

I hastily got a paper towel for him to dab his mouth with, he gave me a rough thanks and wiped his mouth off.

"They're already convinced that I'm already guilty, Robert—what else can I do?" my voice came out softer than I meant for it to, but I couldn't bear to yell at him; not now.

His skin was an ashen gray, thinning from the treatments that they were pumping through his body. His vibrancy of life had been drained from him within a few months, leaving him as nothing but a husk of what he used to be.

"You're all I have, Sang…I won't let you be treated like a criminal when you could never do such a thing."

Couldn't I though? Wasn't I capable of murder?

I think a person is capable of more than they originally think when they're put in a tough place with only one way to go. What if I had actually killed someone, and just couldn't remember doing it?

"You can't do anything about them, Robert, it's only a matter of time until they find me."

"No, there's always another way, the way I wanted to take originally." His tone was grave.

That's when I knew it was too late, and I saw the figures blocking the doorway.

The men that had been hunting me, I knew it before even looking at them. I just continued to stare at Robert's face as the group closed in, effectively blocking the only exit to freedom.

"How could you?"

"I'm sorry Sang."