POV: Archie

I blinked my eyes open, and instantly got greeted by an atmosphere of

thick, choking smoke, burning my chest real bad, and leaving me almost breathless.

I heard the cough but it took a while for my little brain to register that it was me, coughing and suffocating in the smoked-filled jet.

Scanning the clustered space with fearful eyes, I searched through the smoke, trying to find

them with an eagerness and strength I didn't know I had.

The smoke burned my eyes, and I resisted the bugging urge to cry.

But then I remembered his words the first time we went fishing together.”Big boys don’t cry, Archie. When we lose, we keep trying again until we get it right.”

Only that this was no game of win or lose. This was life and death and I was beginning to feel a sense of dread.

“Mummy…!?” The first words finally escaped my lips with a loud shaky squeal.

The night was dead silent, adding to my fear. Nothing like the liquid dripping from my head did anything to calm the chaos going on in my mind.

Finally, I saw something move in the smoke and I squinted my tiny eyes to be certain my brain wasn't making anything up, and when I heard the groan, I crawled over to the direction of the sound without hesitation, hope filling me, and blocking out the fear I felt seconds ago.

But then I got closer,and froze. All of the little excitement and hope waned instantly. His body lay still in the smoke.

I cried as I shook him, gathering every part of him that my tiny hands could carry, trying to pull him out, but he was too much for me.

When I reached to raise his head so he could see me and wake up then we could find Mommy and leave here, I felt the liquid drop on my hand and this time, I panicked.

I know blood when I see one, and this was no good for us.

My chest ached like I would choke to death and I was incapable of saving myself and at the same time saving them.

Then I heard a voice from a far end. It wasn't my name that was being mentioned. But when I didn't respond, it didn't stop.

I was just about to turn and face the direction the voice came from, still sniffing and crying, when I felt cold firm hands tap me gently and I jolted up in shock.

Opening my eyes to a more familiar view, different from the one I had been in a few moments ago, much safer with no dead bodies of my parents.

Damn it

It's the same dream, the one I've been haunted by for twenty-four years now.

I was still panting from the experience when a voice broke through, reminding me that someone was still in the room.

“Boss, it's just me. Relax.” It was Jamiel. My best friend and head of security.

For a moment, I just stared at him blankly, like I wasn't sure what I was looking at. He didn’t flinch, he’s gotten used to this part of me.

The only problem with the dreams? I never know when it comes.

It chooses to happen, reminding me again that I must fulfill the promise I made the day I turned eighteen.

I got up from the bed, sighing and rubbing my large palms on my face, the sun seeped through the curtains and I walked closer to it. Feeling that harshness on my face was the rude awakening I needed.

Today, I was being reminded that there was absolutely nothing that would make me back down from this. I've lost enough people already and I wasn't about to lose the only one I had now.

I clasped my hands on my lower back standing, staring instinctively as the birds flew around, a little jealous that they had nothing to worry about like I did.

“Have you found him?” I finally cleared my throat and asked.

“Yes, boss. But there's a little problem….” He hesitated.

There was no problem too much to stand in my way, even though I didn't expect things to go smoothly. I mean, it took me nearly ten years before I could finally find his name. So even if I wasn't a patient man, I grew to learn the hard way.

“What problem is that Jamiel?”

There was a brief silence before he spoke, his hesitation was expected, maybe he thought I hadn't learned anything all these years.

“I don't think it's Uhm….” he paused and I turned to give him a quizzical stare.“What I mean is, I tracked his friends and associates and I found mutuals, I don't think it's safe to go there as Archie Newton.”

A slow sly smile curved at the corner of my lips as I tried to make sense of his words for a minute.

It's something I've thought about for a while too, I was about to put my hands into something dark and dangerous, and being who I was raised to be would only give grandma a heartache and I didn't want that for her.

“Then I won’t. I won't go there as a Newton.”

And a few weeks later, I was here, in an entirely different city from where I was born.

I felt the sun burn my back but I ignored it and raised the axe further, just so I could hit the wood right, but then I froze.

My gaze locking with hers, and even when she looked away, they still lingered.

She’s always mesmerized me and a fact I’ve constantly failed to accept is that I enjoyed cracking woods and trimming flowers because it let me catch a glimpse of her, every-time I was out here.

She was standing there amidst the flowers, her eyes shut to the sky, taking in the fresh scent of the beautiful flowers, as the sun shone on her face.

The same sun that burned through my skin and made me uncomfortable. It was everything about her and the way she stood there, enjoying this moment like it was the only freedom she had.

Then I felt my heart racing without warning.

What's wrong with me? I’m not here for this. I should have listened to that warning before I did what I wasn’t supposed to do.

“Boss,” I turned to find Jamiel whispering behind me.

“Did you find it?”

“Not yet, but there’s something else”

His gaze moved from me to the direction that mine had been in, he had caught me staring.

“You seemed lost, I had been calling for a while.”

He’s right, he wasn’t exactly spelling it out, but I can’t get distracted.

“Just do your damn job, Jamiel.” I patted him on the back before throwing the axe back to the ground.

There’s no way I’m getting smitten by a woman, not when I’m not healed, and most importantly not when there’s something more worthwhile for my life than anything else.

But all of that cautious words were water on the stone cause hours back in my quarters, I picked up a pen and did the unthinkable.

I didn't know how long I had sat there but I suddenly looked up again and instantly froze as soon as my eyes met the most exasperating presence.

The man I had come to find, R.D, short for Rodolf Darhk. My parents’ murderer and my boss.

‘Hey man. Need you to go tend to the neighbor's garden.

The slimmy man. His easy-going attitude could have fooled me if I didn’t know any better.

‘Hey! Jamiel, can you hear me?’

‘Hey!’ He immediately tapped me and all my dark thoughts faded.

I was too lost in my haunted mind that I forgot he was talking to me. That and the fact that I was still getting used to using Jamiel’s name here instead of mine.

‘Boy, where did your mind go?’

Clearing my throat, I flashed him a fake smile.

‘So sorry Mr D, I’m going over now.’

He gave a curt nod, and walked off.

Alright Darhk, if this is how you wanna play this game, then let’s do this.

Just one more month to get close to our plans, and I will eat him alive. And just like that, I got lost in thoughts again, too lost that I entirely ignored the world around me, even as I walked to the Ramirez mansion. But then, all of my senses were jolted as soon as I felt the soft feminine skin clasp into me without warning.

My heart skipped as I looked into her eyes and watched her fragile body quiver in my touch.

Or wait no.

It wasn’t only my touch that made her quiver…..

My brows furrowed as the realization hit me. She was running, running from something.

Or someone….

Without warning, I immediately felt a sudden type of protectiveness over her, and I held onto her, tightly but gentle enough to assure her that she was safe.

But nothing prepared me for what came next.