I should have just stayed back home that weekend.
Better still I should have never been late to Mr Ken's class.
These thoughts whirled through my mind as I sat by the pool, my legs dipped in the waters.
Dad had left immediately had he ordered that I'd be locked down.
"Miss, Madam Addison told me to bring this to you." I turned around to see a maid panting like she had run her way here.
Probably she did because the pool was far from the main building. Which made it my favourite place, it was away from the opening.
I looked at the plate of salad she held.
Typical Addison.
Always looking out for me. She was like a mom, only she didn't give birth to me.
I glance back at the maid's face. Her eyes pleading that I take the plate.
But I wasn't hungry.
Maybe I was.
But I didn't know for I didn't have the appetite to eat.
Not in this state. Locked in and ripped off my freedom of movement.
The guard at the far end nodded at me. He had followed me here.
"Drop it here. If she asks, tell her that I am eating." She nodded, leaving the plate close to where I sat before hurrying away.
I chuckled at her retreating figure.
They always reacted this way whenever Addison was involved.
Maybe it was the fear of annoying Addison seeing that she was a close and important guest of the family.
Some voices from afar drifted to my ears. It was quieten at first only to grow louder with each step they seemed to take.
"I can't believe that you know of another passage and I don't."
I knew that voice, Aria. The person she was speaking to replied
"I'm more than a visitor around here, dummy."
"I get it brother, ouch," Aria cried.
I squinted against the beam of sunlight, shielding my eyes to make out their faces.
My lips pulled up in a smile, as their faces came into view. Aria and Bryce.
They were here, here for me!
"You..."
"Shhhh." Bryce cut her off from completing her sentence, pointing toward me.
She turned and on seeing me she brightened up like not awhile ago she had almost tore at Bryce for possibly flicking her forehead.
It was their thing.
"Hey princess, guess who is here to save you? Your prince charming." She winked at Bryce who just rolled his eyes at her, coming to sit besides me.
In return she sat by my left.
"How are you doing? You know when I didn't see you in class today I became so worried. I knew you were in trouble, so I came over as soon as school dismissed, but your security men would not let me in, saying that you were not permitted to see anyone. I am not just anyone, your dad is my uncle, but goddammit, those robots wouldn't listen. How could they treat me like that? I even tried to use our secret route, but it was already..."
"Whose fault is it that she is under house arrest.?" Bryce cut her off, he was clearly annoyed by her complaint.
She turned to him. It was the second time that he had interrupted her and I knew he was in for an earful.
"Are you blaming me?"
Her brown eyes rolled over to me, "Just say you're mad that Autumn came to me instead of you."
Bryce replies with a throating laugh.
"I'm not. You should never have let her out of your sight. If she trusted you more than me and had come to you then you should be more careful about her wellbeing."
"Hey!" She protested, her face showing a sense of wrong.
I took a bite of the salad. Blocking their voices. They needed their space. It wasn't the first time.
The bland taste explored in my taste bud. Exactly Addison. It was her way of punishing me earlier.
I felt a tap on my leg. Aria.
"Aren't you going to defend me? He's just so mean." She rolled her eyes trying to look cute.
She was. Only I was in no mood to appreciate and defend against anyone.
"I'm in no mood for this guys." My voice cracked as I spoke for the first time since they arrived.
Aria made to say something else but Bryce sent her a glare leaving her biting her tongue, grambling under her breath. Poor Aria.
She could do too much at times but she was just a sweet soul.
I turned to Bryce, and asked "Did you guys come together?"
"What?? No!" Bryce said, shooting Aria a glare again, as if the idea of coming with her was an ill luck itself.
"I met her at the gate, and she's been chatting non-stop since," he explained.
"Hey! You know by the law of the Universe you're bound to love me as my twin?" Aria objected to his contempt but he ignored her.
"How are you holding up?" He looked at me. His question reminded me of my situation once more.
I looked down to the plate on my lap
"Good. I mean, it's not the first time Dad has had me locked in the house. I think of it as a rare holiday to eat...sleep...eat and sleep again.
"Bryce stared back, his eyes making me feel vulnerable. "Hey, I'm fine, really." I gave him what I thought was a reassuring smile.
"What did Dad say about the photos?" Aria's voice chimed in.
"Photos?? What photos?" I asked, my heart racing incredibly.
"Don't tell me you didn't see it. Where's your phone?"
"Dad seized it."
Dad had removed all electronics from me, TV, my cell phone included, anything which would connect me with the outside world.
For the first time today, I felt the heavy weight of my punishment.
"Let me see the photos." I stretch my hand towards Aria. Whatever was in the photos, I needed to see it for myself.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Aut." Bryce shoots Aria a glare.
"They were taken down as soon as they were posted." He said.
I felt my stomach tumble. If Bryce was pacifying me then Whatever that was in the photo must be very very bad, it was huge.
"How soon?" I asked curiosity getting the better part of me.
"30 minutes." 30 minutes. My mind did maths.
The numbers of people who must have seen it before it was taken down, the numbers of shares it must have gotten, though I had no idea what it was about.
Suddenly I felt hot, like the air was being sucked out of my lungs. I stood up pacing, thinking of how huge of a disappointment I have become to my dad.
It was a very bad idea to have gone to the concert. I should never have gone.
"Look, it was not anticipated, but they were deleted and legal action was issued against anyone who saved, posted, or distributed them. You know your father and his team -they are good at what they do."
Bryce spoke, trying to get me to calm down, but my anxiety had gotten way more of me.
He led me to
sit down.
"What were the photos about?" I asked again, but Bryce avoided my eyes.
"I saved a screenshot of them..." Aria's voice called out