TEMPTING THE DEVIL - Episode 40 And 41

~ SATURDAY ~

*

It’s 6am…

She stood at the door with her hands in her sweater pockets, staring at the quiet street. The cloud was still dark and only the street lights shun.

She hung her ear plugs in both ears, taking a deep sigh. She waited until the music was playing before she set off to the street.

She jogged in circles, passing through houses and streets.

She stopped by the recreation field, practicing some exercises. After she was done, she sat on the bench, drinking enough water to calm her rating breath down.

She checked on her wrist watch, twenty minutes past six. There was still enough time to practice.

One, two, three joggers came after, practicing at one side of the field.

She was still listening to the music playing in her phone while her eyes stared at the three genders practicing.

She dialed Ruthie’s line but she wasn’t answering her calls.

She’s probably asleep, she thought.

Standing up, she she continued her exercises. She was done with the yoga styles now, she laid on the grass to do the sit-up style.

As she kept doing it with her lips moving in each counts she made.

She had successfully made it to the twentieth count, she laid still, breathing heavily.

” Hey, ma’am.” One of the joggers called but Nat didn’t hear him because of the ear plugs in her ears.

” Hey?” The young lady with him called. ” Oh, she’s got eye plugs in her both ears.” She said.

She bent to tap her, waving her hand at her. Natalie sat erect, taking off the ear plugs. ” Hello.”

” Hi,” recognizing their faces, she asked. ” How may I help you?”

” We are about to play football so, we were wondering if you can tag along. ” Said the girl.

” Football?” She said surprised at the actual number they are to play a game of twelve players each?

” Uhm… it’s not really the kind of football you know it’s just… uhm… just a normal… football.” She grinned at her.

” Are you in?” The other guy asked. ” It’s simple, you’ll just have to team up with her while Mike and I team up.”

She breathed heavily. ” I’m not really good at balls but, I can try.” She said.

” Don’t worry, this kind doesn’t require the champions league.” She smiled, helping her stand to her feet.

” Thanks.”

The game started. At first Natalie was nervously handling the ball with her leg and this made the boys have a high score above them.

She was becoming angry at her silly attitude over a minor game and the other girl wasn’t being judicial over it.

She did understood Natalie’s reasons.

” That’s unfair, we’re still in zero and you guys are already reaching the sixth score?” Natalie complained.

They laughed at her. ” You’re being so cold with the ball.” Mike said, still laughing.

” Maybe I’m just being so scared to blow it off ur face.” The other girl bursted out laughing.

” Easy girl, we aren’t quarrelling, okay.” Mike said, trying not to laugh.

” Maybe we should mix, a boy and a girl and the game starts all over again. What do you guys say about that?” She looked at them waiting for a positive reply.

” That’s good.” They all nodded in agreement.

” Okay, so we start afresh.” Mike wanted to team up with her but she refused, instead she played with the other guy, Kent.

Julia couldn’t hold herself from laughing at Mike the moment Natalie walked passed him.

” She doesn’t like you.” Julia said in a low voice.

” And she doesn’t like him too.”

” Well, from the looks, I think she does prefer Kent over to you. ”

” Whatever.” He rolled his eyes at her. ” You better watch the ball coming or we end up getting nothing.”

Julia laughed, she understands how angry he was over what Natalie did to him.

The game started. The two girls at the post, while the two boys did the playing.

When Mike took the ball from Kent, on reaching to where Natalie was, he stopped.

She rose her eyes at him, she was expecting him to do something but he was just… standing with the ball under his leg.

” Are you gonna do something or are you just gonna stand there staring?” She yelled at him.

He was smiling at her, and this gave Kent the chance to seize the ball from him, running to where Julia was.

He gave a shot, before Julia could grabbed it, it flew passed her fingers, landing in the goal post.

” You fu*king kidding me, Mike?!” She yelled from the other side, angrily walking towards him. ” What is wrong with you?!”

” Hey, Mike, why didn’t you hit the ball?” Kent asked, hand holding his shoulder. ” Why did you hesitate?”

” Nothing.” He went to where he kept his water, picking it up.

” What were you thinking?” Julia said angrily, ” In case you don’t know, this isn’t a lovey dovey game. It’s exercise, okay!”

” I know. ”

“Then why didn’t you hit the ball, you know it was supposed to be our chance.”

” I know.”

” So…”

” I couldn’t.”

” Oh, please. Don’t tell me it’s love talking.” She said, dropping her hands on her waist.

” It’s not.”

She scoffed, sitting on the grass. ” She’s beautiful, I know. And I understand why you feel guilty for talking to her that way but, she didn’t say she was angry with you?

And I don’t think she is either. Look, Mike, this is just a game and not the real match. You have to be a man, okay. And if you like her, you can just go ahead and tell her.”

Mike looks at her and she winked. ” Just felt like saying that.”

She stands up, ” I’ll go practice with Kent.”

” Okay.”

Natalie walks to his back, he wasn’t aware she was standing behind him.

” Hey,” he stopped what he was doing, turning to look at her.

” Hey.”

” I’m sorry about earlier.” She apologized. ” I know I shouldn’t have talked to you that way. I’m sorry.”

” It’s okay. I’m not mad at you and you aren’t, are you?”

She shook her head. ” Not at all. So, we’re cool, right?”

” Yeah.” He nods his head. ” If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?” He asked.

” My name is Natalie, but my friends call me Nat.” She replied.

” Natalie?” He repeated. ” You mean Natalie Bradeson?” He asked to be sure.

Natalie chuckled. ” That’s me.”

” Damn Moly. You fu*king kidding me? Geez, I’m talking with the famous Kelvin Bradeson’s daughter? Fu*k me.”

Natalie laughed. ” It’s not like you’re talking to Jesus or something.”

” It doesn’t matter if you’re Jesus, it fu*king feels heaven to talk to one of the celebrities in town. ”

She blushed. ” Thanks.”

” But hold on, you’re different from any other rich ladies. I mean, you prefer keeping yourself hidden, why?”

She shrugs. ” Sometimes I do ask myself that but, honestly, it’s just the real me. ”

” That’s cool, you know being yourself. Can I ask you one more question?” He requested.

” Sure.” She permitted.

” Ar…” There came a gunshot from afar and everyone in the field ran helter skelter.

” Did you hear that?” Natalie asked, standing to her feet as her eyes searched everywhere.

” Mike!” Julia called as she rushed to us. ” What was that? ”

” We have visitors.” He said. ” There.” Pointing at a distance direction.

Their gaze followed the direction he pointed at. ” It’s the gangsters, they are here again.”

” What do they want from a recreation park?” Natalie asked.

” They’re probably here for someone, who knows.” Kent answered with a shrug.

” We’re all dead, we’re all gonna die.” Julia said frightened.

” Don’t say that Julia, no one is gonna die, okay.” Kent assured her.

Another gunshot was heard, this time it was loud and clear. ” Everyone on your knees!!” One of the masked man cried. ” I said, on your knees!!”

Two more gunshots blew in the air, causing everyone to knee instantly. ” What’s going on?” Julia trembled. ” Are you guys sure they are really after someone or, are they on the agenda to kill us all?”

” We don’t know yet.” Mike said.

” Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I’m gonna died. No, today can’t be the e…”

Natalie touched her, ” No one is dying, okay?”

She nodded continuously.

” Say it.” Natalie urged her to repeat her words.

” No one is gonna die.” She repeated.

” Good.”

” So, I was told my guest was here.” Said one of the masked man. ” And I’m here to find this… guest. I’m looking for a young lady, fair skinned, black haired, average in height by name… Natalie Bradeson.” He mentioned.

” A lot of us might know her, daughter of the famous Kelvin Bradeson.”

Natalie’s heart skipped a beat, she swallowed hard.

Mike looked at her, ” Why are they after you?” He asked.

” I don’t know.” She shook her head.

” Hold on,” Julia chipped in. ” you are Natalie Bradeson?” She asked surprised.

” Yes, I am.”

” Oh. My. God!” She said, shocked. ” So, tell me, what do you owe these guys?”

” I don’t know who they are or why they want me…” She sighed, closing her eyes.

She opened it again. ” I must tell them or they kill us all.”

” Wait!” Mike held her back. ” You wanna give up, just like that?”

” I have to,” she remembers the event at the beach the day with Ruthie. ” I have to surrender.”

” I’m gonna ask for the last time, where is Natalie Bradeson?!”

” I’m here.” She stood up, taking her hand off him. ” My name is Natalie Bradeson.”

” My name is Natalie Bradeson, I’m the one you want.” Julia stood up too.

” Julia, what do you think you’re doing?” She whispered.

” Telling them the truth.”

” You’re gonna get yourself into trouble.”

” You too.”

The leader approached to their direction. ” Who among you two is the real Natalie Bradeson?” He asked.

” Did you give any of us a fake name to bear?” Julia asked back.

” I’m talking of Kelvin Bradeson’s daughter.” He clarified.

” My dad’s name is Kevin Bradeson and so is her’s.” She said, giving him a stern look.

” And how is that possible?” He asked.

” Because we’re sisters.” Natalie finalized.

” Well, Natalie Bradeson…s, you two are coming with us.”
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