The Target - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Intruder

Samantha Carter cried out in pain as the olive can broke into her skin. Blood gushed through the tear. It wasn't such a bad wound, but it cut deep into her palm. She took a bandage out of her dresser drawer and carefully placed it on the cut. Normally, though, Samantha would have asked one of the maids to do it for her. But this week was different… She was sick of everybody thinking of her as the billionaire CEO's little sister who gets everything she wants, and she decided to prove to herself, before others, that she wasn't just another rich snob, and that she was perfectly capable of handling her personal matters. No more running to the maids and cooks for every little thing, she concluded. That brought her to her current situation…

Only a day after Samantha started this act of 'proving herself', she discovered that she had no idea how to cook without causing a wide-scaled natural disaster… She couldn't find anything that didn't need cooking other than olives. And she was bent on not asking help from anybody… So, for the past two days, Samantha Carter was reduced to olives. The mountain of clothes on the burgundy carpet was growing larger as well. Once her brother was told of her little "plan" by the cook, he said nothing more than "Don't", but that was far from unusual.

Even though Nick's wing was right next to hers, he was as far from her as possible. Ever since their parents' death, five years ago, Nick always pushed his sister aside, giving feeble excuses – according to Sam, that is – such as boring business propositions or an investment opportunity for the company their parents had founded. The company, Carter Manufacturing, never flourished until after their parents died, when Nick took the reins. Though he was only twenty at the time, he made several bright decisions that got the company on track, and made him and his fourteen year-old sister instant billionaires.

Today, Sam's nineteenth birthday, was once again forgotten by her brother. She was left alone with her "beloved" olives, eating straight from the can, in front of her bedroom window. The view was amazing from that particular window on the mansion's fifth floor. You could almost feel the soft roses in the garden, brushing at your cheeks… and the refreshing splashes of cool water from the river crossing their property. And far off, in the horizon, golden sand dunes were visible. Those were Sam's favorite; she always dreamed of exploring them, and, as childish as it may seem, go treasure hunting there…

A soft knock on the door broke her train of thoughts.
"Come in. It's open." Samantha declared, with her back to the door, still gazing at the captivating site.
She could here the footfalls growing louder. Closer… until they stopped as the enterer placed his/her cold hands over her eyes, covering them tightly,
"Guess who", the voice whispered.
As Sam fingered the bony hands, she was overjoyed that her brother hadn't forgotten her birthday. She didn't even stop to recall that Nick had never done anything even remotely amusing for the past couple of years.
"Nick!" She tore the hands away and turned around to face her big brother.
But as soon as she saw the figure standing before her, she let out a heart-stopping scream…