Cut Throat stared at the beautiful lady who was blindfolded in front of him...sincerely feeling regret for what he was about to do "I'm sorry..." he whispered softly in her ear

"For.....for... what?" she replied uneasily

"For this....." He said before hitting her in a very rapid swift motion just behind her neck, watching her fall like a doll he grabbed her quickly before she could hit the ground, and put her gently into the car, securing her seat belt.

Cut Throat drove at sonic speed, without even thinking, instinctively he drove to the only safe place he knew....Zach Williams mansion. No doubt the Williams residence security system would pick up his Aston Martins as he would approach their gate, Cut Throat wouldn't bother to stop, he would drive through the gate if need be. But alas, He wasn't disappointed, the gate slid open automatically as they detected his car. It made a screeching noise as his car came to a halt, He could make out Zach rushing out jumping the steps to the landing, He didn't wait for him as he quickly got out of the car and rushed to get Leila out as well.

"What happened to her" Zach asked bewildered, Cut Throat didn't answer as he picked up Leila making his way to her room, which he already knew by heart.

"Wait ! Did you do that to her...!" Zach asked. Cut throat turned to look at Zach, he could see his ex bestie was angry, it irritated him.....he pondered on punching him....but he had her in his arms...it wouldn't work...

"You should know better" he said silently as he continued walking. He reached her room, and softly put her on the bed, he wished he could stay longer, but Cut Throat knew Skinner would be waiting for them

"Wait ! where are you going !" Zach yelled at him, as he closed the door

Cut throat didn't reply, Zach was really starting to piss him off, Zach put his arm on his shoulder which he roughly pushed aside...

"Wait !" Zach shouted again, as Cut Throat approached the elevator, he turned to look at him

"What the fuck do you want ?"

"Did you really put explosive on C40 adult league?" A naughty smile broke on Zach's face, one Cut throat recognized well

Cut Throat nodded,

"Well, that's all they are talking about just so you know.....you were already a celebrity among the C40 youth...and the new recruits...annnddd maybe even Skinner...though he may not admit it...but now....boom..." .Zach said dramatically "...you're like their new superhero...."

Cut throat stared at him, he knew what Zach really wanted to ask

"Is that all you're going to say to me? After I held her kidnapped for one day?" Cut Throat asked slyly, teasing him

"Well...it's not like you would hurt her...you're a man of principles....after all " Cut throat stared at him, raising his eyebrows.

Zach was dying to ask his comrade... "Okay okay...what did you do ?"

"Nothing...we slept..."

All the mischief from Zach's face was gone immediately

"wh-what? You ....slept with her...?"

"Why.... are you jealous?"

"What do you mean you 'slept' with her"

"We were tiered, she was out...or well...more like I put her out actually....I took her to cottage 3 for a hideout...and we slept" Cut Throat said shrugging his shoulders

"Wait so you slept with a helpless girl against her will ?"

"It wasn't against her will, if she didn't know......besides we didn't really have a choice, it's a hideout...not a resort..." Cut throat replied as they got into the elevator, he pressed the big B red button.

*****************************************************

Skinner was waiting for them, seated on a desk....Zach felt as though they had entered their headmaster's office.

"You two are in big trouble.." Skinner said, concern etched across his face.

"Don't look at me, I'm not the one who put explosives on your special forces team" Zach joked

"Cut it out! This is no time for jokes, you know how Major took this....this is treasonous, and its insubordination!"

"Treason?" Cut throat said in a deadly whisper, looking almost crazy "...what treason? It can only be treason when tied to a specific country...and what do we always say during initiation....oh yeah.....'you're country no longer wants you' .........remember...? Or.....are you saying going against Major is regarded as treason in itself?"

Skinner stared at his best comrade in anguish... "Look you guys.........you simply can't be saying such things out loud..........it ....doesn't reflect well...." he whispered hesitantly staring around as though he half expected someone to come barging into their basement. "I don't think you're getting it...This is really bad....you disobeyed a direct order...there will be some consequences for that..." Cut throat and Zach stared at Skinner, seeing him looking resolved as though he was about to deliberate very difficult news, with a large breathe...........he firmly said

"Get rid of the girl, she knows too much..."

"Absolutely not" Cut Throat replied

"She doesn't know anything...!" Zach yelled back

"And that is yet to be determined !" Skinner yelled back at his comrades angrily, "She knows of Cut Throats existence ....that's already too much. What the fuck is wrong with the two of you ?! Don't you get it ! You have already broken protocol ! That's why they had to bring Rodger in !"

"The subject just doesn't know enough to pose a threat..."Cut Throat spoke in a low whisper

"What if she figures it out? She already lives here for goodness sake ! Will you take responsibility if that happens?! "

"Yes we will !" Zach and Cut Throat said insync, Skinner groaned, his best men seemed to be deluded

"Look at the least she will have to go under an interrogation....and I see my best interrogator here, is totally unfit for this job!" Skinner yelled at them, Cut Throat and Zach hung their head low

"Listen...for now let's go back to normal, you two play your school kid roles, she needs to revert back to her daily life...while I try to ....to ....buy time okay?...we need to sort this mess out "

"Wh-what? Wait, so you want us to go back to school ...like nothing happened?" Zach said flabbergasted

"Well it's you who said that she doesn't know anything?"

"I agree...let's stick to normal routine for now, me and KO will iron out the details, in case any questions come up" Cut Throat replied back.

"But I'm warning you.......we will be monitoring for any suspicious activity, any slightest sign that she has made you out....and I won't be able to protect her any further..." Skinner said, staring at his top 2 comrades. Cut Throat nodded his head.

*******************************************************************

Leila hadn't slept well in 3 days. She woke up extremely sore the next day, only to find a doctor had been flown in from Singapore to tend to her. She remembered waking up groggy and seeing his face flashing at her. She would have almost jumped out in fright, if she hadn't seen Zach sitting in the corner of her room playing on his phone.

She wanted to run to him, she had never been more happy to have seen her friend. In the days that since passed, Leila was told that she got dropped off in a taxi to the Williams residence. According to Zach he received an anonymous text that a 'parcel' would be dropped off to the residence and that he was to wait outside.

He came out to the landing to find the taxi there with her in it unconscious. She remembered all too well her ordeal with the mysterious masked man whom she came to know as Cut Throat. But to Zach's dismay she decided to leave that part out ......all she told him was that she had gone to visit her brother Dylan after her interview whom she missed tremendously. On her way back she started to feel ill, she informed the taxi driver where to drop her off and she didn't remember much after that. Zach wasn't a good liar, Leila was sure he didn't believe a word she said, but she was thankful for him not badgering her much about it.

Leila sighed trying to pay attention to class , Mr. Francis was boring them with his history lesson, but by the sound of her class it didn't seem as though anyone was really paying any attention. All she could hear was talks about some stupid ball, she tried drowning their chatter out, but they just kept getting louder and more animated. Leila could distinctively hear Alicia and Pearl loudly talking in the back of the class about how they were getting the most sought after make-up artist for this event.

"I'm doing a bit of body sculpting myself...you know 2 hours on that machine equates to like a week's full workout " Pearl was saying. "My dress is super figure hugging, so the body needs to be on point..."

"Did he ask you though...?" Oliya asked giggling

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time..."

"You don't think...he might ...change his mind this year.....and ask someone else..?"

"Someone like who ?" Pearl snapped back arrogantly , Leila saw all three of them turned to look at her, she turned around her face to look at Mr. Francis again hurriedly.

Looking around strangely enough, Leila's class felt deserted, she didn't see Zach or Xavier at school these past few days. It almost felt like they were avoiding her.......

**********************************************************************

Cut Throat tried running laps till he lost count, he then switched it up to doing push-ups...He then tried moving to boxing...but really nothing helped him. His mind was not cooperating, it kept diverting to her. He was trying to make his body physically exhausted so that he didn't have to think about her, but it was yet to actually work.

Sighing to himself, he settled for taking a cold shower, his body was having reactions to mere thoughts of her, and he couldn't afford to be distracted, he had to focus. Now more than ever he really needed to be Xavier Johnston, he wouldn't put Leila in danger, and definitely they would be looking out to see if she recognized Cut Throat. He would try to stop her from ever being interrogated if he could. He and KO for the last couple of days were going through details of their story, not just for Leila, but also for the C40...and contingency plans in case anything were to happen

"remember...act normaly....dont do stupid C40ish things in front of her...you're just an arrogant school boy..."

"I still am..." Cut throat replied back sarcastically, KO smiled at him, and it almost felt like he had his best friend back again...

***************************************************************

"Err...so it's basically like a charity event...for the charity kids?" Leila asked while trying to pile folders into her locker, trying her best to sound interested

"Un huh..." Justin replied back smiling, for some reason he seemed too eager to go to an event that makes a mockery of the poor

"Well......it just seems so insincere to me" Leila replied while still staring at her locker, deciding on whether to take out everything and repack, or just shove her new folders in..

"Insincere? How so?" Justin looked confused

"Well....you're saying they do a fundraising event to raise funds annually to give scholarships , subsidies etc for charity cases right....?"

"Right"

"Well then why make a big fuss about it, and when the charity cases do come, you treat them like scum? Nope that is something I can't celebrate or endorse..." Leila said, as she closed up her locker "To be honest...it just sounds like a reason to throw a party...or a ball....or whatever you call it...?"

Justin stood in shock "You're saying you won't go to the Johnston's Royal ball"? Leila giggled, "Oh.....so that's what it's called? Well if it means anything...I'm not the type to go to parties anyways...so it will be a no from me..." Leila said, she could see Justin's face drop a little

"Why .....what's up?"

"Oh no..........no-no-nothing...........i was...just ho-hoping that...you...would ....consider..."

"Wait ! Justy boy isn't trying to ask Ms. Adams to the Ball is he?" Leila turned around to see the Nico, and Taylor had stopped in the corridor and were eavesdropping on them. Justin's face turned bright red.

"Common Justin" Leila said, as she shut her locker and picked up her bag from the floor.

"Why don't you go with us?" Nico asked Leila....she turned to look at him, she wasn't sure if he was serious or not, but he seemed pleasant enough "Thanks Nico.....but I have something else planned..." Leila replied back, as she walked off the corridor, to her immense surprise his face really did look dejected. What's up with everyone and why was this ball thing such a big deal? Jeez.

***********************************************************************

"Leila is staring at you" Nico said in less than a whisper to Xavier. Xavier didn't look up from his plate .... He kept eating, but his heart froze, truth be told he had purposefully avoided all classes he had with her.

"You're right ......she hasn't stopped since we came into the cafeteria...." Taylor said turning around "Maybe like the rest of Royal high, she's going to ask you to the Johnston's Royal Ball" he said, swallowing his potato soup shrugging his shoulder while Nico laughed

Xavier swallowed without looking up, his heart beating so hard, it felt like the adrenaline might choke him.

"Leila....er....is everything fine..." Justin asked, staring at his friends. Leila didn't bother to look at him. She stared at Xavier as though she had never seen him before. "Leila ...Leila ...everything alright?" Thomas asked, brushing her shoulder lightly, but Leila had eyes for no one but Xavier. He finally looked up, and their eyes met.

Why hadn't she noticed before, how much depth they had to them? So much hidden meaning...She couldn't tear her eyes from his. His usual face that was somber and expressionless today looked like no other face Leila had seen. The eyes she had normally mistaken for indifference, looked full of sadness. The young man she disliked so much, never looked so vulnerable as he did today. Without even thinking about it, She got up slowly from the beggar table, her eyes still piercing through to his, as she started to walk slowly from the beggar table.

Zach froze, as he saw her moving her way through the cafeteria, it was as though it was happening in slow motion, she caught him off guard, what was she doing ?

"What is she doing? Is she leaving the beggars table ?!" the cafeteria started to buzz with noise

"-and making her way to Xavier Johnston of all people!" someone else in the crowd laughed out at that possibility

"Hey Leila ....What do you think you are do-" Pearl stopped midway , Leila walked past her as though she could neither hear nor see her.

The whole cafeteria was looking at them now. Leila climbed up the 2 stairs that led to the table of Xavier Johnston, lightly and very deliberately she placed her hands, across his face that hid his nose and mouth, but left his eyes open. She stared in shock back at the image in front of her...