Annia
Tonight should be perfect. I never imagined that getting involved in modeling would be so successful. But somehow, I should have known; after all, my mother is Isabela Beaumont, owner of the most renowned fashion agency in Italy.
"You won't be late, will you?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe of my room.
I watched her through the mirror. At forty-eight, Mom was still a stunning, elegant woman with an immense heart, the kindest I'd ever known. Perhaps that's why she decided to adopt me when I was just a baby.
Her black hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place, and the black dress she was wearing flattered her slender figure. Her lined eyes gazed at me adoringly.
I smiled at her without turning around.
"No, I'm almost ready." First, I'll pick up Lucía at her house. I know this gala is very important; all the money raised will be donated to the children's home, so I'll be in time to pose in that dress.
I continued applying a little blush to my cheeks. Mom came over and placed a soft kiss on the top of my head.
"Okay, sweetie. See you there."
I dropped the brush onto the wood once I finished applying the delicate makeup, highlighting the natural beauty of my face. My black hair fell loose, like a waterfall, to my waist.
I grabbed my purse and cell phone to let Lucía know I was on my way.
When the car parked in front of her house, she was already waiting for me in the driveway, wearing a beautiful royal blue dress. We'd been friends for as long as I could remember; I met her on my first day of kindergarten, when some girls tried to bully her because of her skin color.
Lucía was beautiful. Her tan skin tone made her stand out, radiating a unique beauty.
When she got into the car, she gave me a big smile.
"You look beautiful, Annia."
"You look even more so. Look at you... Are you sure you don't want to be a model in Beaumont?" I joked.
"No, you know it's not my thing," she replied with a slight blush. "I prefer to continue helping children find homes."
I gave her an admiring look. Despite being able to study whatever she wanted, she had chosen social services.
"Sounds perfect to me. And right now, we're going to help those children a little. We can't get them all adopted, but we can make things easier for them while they're there."
The hotel's futuristic structure gave it an imposing air. Its lights created a spectacular contrast. At the entrance, numerous journalists were waiting; we allowed them to take some photographs, but as I passed through a group of people, my body trembled.
I had that feeling of someone watching me. It was familiar; I felt it every day, but I could never understand where it was coming from. I was lost in thought for a moment until Lucía took my arm.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
I gave her a slight nod, and we went straight to the dressing room to change.
I was behind the platform waiting for my turn to close the show. I was wearing an exclusive piece from the Beaumont brand. It consisted of a long, corset-style dress with a medieval and modern theme, a slit on the right leg and inlaid details that gave it a delicate look.
By the end of the runway show, all the pieces were sold, so we had enough money to cover the needs of the group home for months.
The fresh air of the hotel garden was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the gala. The dim lighting made the shadows of the trees lengthen across the lawn, creating an almost unreal scene.
I took a few steps, enjoying the silence, but a presence made me stop. I didn't see anyone, but the feeling of someone watching me grew stronger.
"You shouldn't be alone here," a male voice broke the silence.
I turned quickly. Before me, a man with imposing bearing and white hair looked at me calmly.
"Who are you?" I asked cautiously.
He smiled faintly, as if my question amused him.
"Someone who takes care of you."
I frowned and took a step back.
"I don't need anyone to take care of me."
"That's what you think," he said, approaching elegantly. "Dance with me."
His voice was deep, enveloping, as if he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine as I felt his firm hands grip my waist with a possessiveness that left me breathless.
I felt the urge to refuse, but my body reacted before my mind could decide, and when our hands linked in an impromptu dance, confusion and distrust shook me as I tried to decipher who this man was.
Taking a step back, I moved away from him, seeking clarity. But then, the air changed. The atmosphere became dense, charged with a dangerous energy.
He stepped into my path just as an arrow sliced through the air, swift and accurate.
I had no time to react. His body blocked the trajectory of the bullet, and the arrow sank into his abdomen.
A gasp escaped his lips, but there was no pain in his eyes. Only determination.
I froze.
What the hell just happened?
The man in front of me had an arrow embedded in his abdomen.
Since when do people use arrows?
And how did I know it was the sound of an arrow?
I watched him in terror. He was losing blood rapidly, and his extreme pallor told me the worst. He'd probably had an organ pierced.
"Annia, stop rambling! Help him!"
"ACT!"
I acted without thinking. I wrapped an arm around his body, holding him by the waist, while putting his arm around my shoulders to help him hold on.
"Can you walk? We need to get out of here; you need a hospital."
"Not a hospital," he muttered, beginning to move with difficulty.
"What do you mean, no?! Do you want to die? You're bleeding out."
"Just take me somewhere we can hide."
I paused for a second, staring at him in disbelief.
"What the hell? I'm trying not to lose my temper, but you're not making it easy. What the hell was that?" I said, pointing to the spot where we'd been before. "That arrow was meant for me... It was for me! Why would anyone want to shoot me with an arrow?"
He sighed deeply and muttered under his breath,
"So much time with humans has made you a chatterbox."
I frowned.
"What did you say?"
"That now isn't the time for this."
I gave him a hard look, demanding answers, but he just held my gaze firmly before adding,
"Okay, I know you want to know what's going on, and I'll tell you. But first, help me hide. Let's figure this out, and you'll have the truth about what happened. It's time for you to know the truth."
A feeling of distrust lodged in my chest, but I kept walking. The only place I could think of was Lucía's house. She lived alone, which meant I wouldn't have my mother asking awkward questions.
We had to be as discreet as possible, considering she was carrying a man bleeding to death with an arrow in his abdomen. How come he isn't dead yet?
Once he was seated in the car, I closed the door and walked around to the driver's side.
My cell phone was resting on the dashboard. I picked it up with trembling hands and dialed Lucía. Just as the ringtone echoed through the silence, her hand firmly grasped mine.
"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice sounded harsh.
I shot her a quick, confused glance.
"Calling my friend. I need the keys to her house."
"No."
I frowned.
"No? Give me back my phone. It's the only option you have, unless you prefer the hospital... or I ditch you."
She exhaled in annoyance and dropped her phone just as Lucía had answered.
"Annia, where are you?"
"Luci, I need you to come to the parking lot." I glanced at my companion. "There's been a minor accident... but don't tell anyone, much less Mom."
"I'm on my way."
It didn't take Lucía five minutes to get to the parking lot. The moment she opened the passenger door, her eyes opened wide, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.
"What have you done?"
"It's not what you think. Get in, we need to go to your house."
"To my house? Look at him! This man needs a hospital. A hospital! Or, at most, a funeral service."
"Lucia!" Don't make this difficult for me, please. Help me! He huffed and puffed.
At Lucía's house, we left him on the couch. She fetched the first aid kit and anything else that might be useful.
I paced around the small living room, restless.
"We should have gone to a hospital. None of us knows anything about this, especially with a wound like this."
"I know."
I looked at him skeptically.
"Are you a doctor?"
He shook his head.
"Help me."
I frowned, the question etched in my expression.
"I need to take off my clothes."
At that moment, Lucía appeared with a first aid kit and scissors, which I took with trembling hands. Carefully, I cut away the top of his clothes, revealing a firm torso and perfectly toned arms. A mark on his left pectoral muscle caught my attention.
"We need to get it out," he commented, pulling me out of the bubble I'd sunk into. "Just do it quickly, it'll hurt less."
I didn't move from my spot. Lucía approached first.
"Okay," she looked at him for a few seconds. "What's your name?"
"Black."
"Okay, Black. This will hurt."
Without hesitation, he held the arrow firmly and extracted it with a single stroke. Black twitched, his jaw feeling like iron from the force he exerted to keep from screaming.
"Lucia!"
"What? He said quickly," he replied, shrugging.