Chapter four

"My father!" Sleep vanished from my eyes. "But why would he be looking for me?" I looked at the attendant as if she had answers to my questions.

He ought to be in jail now if Shully had done what she ought to do as my friend. Except he had lied his way out of custody. "What makes you think he is my father?" I was visibly shaken, he was the last person I wanted to see. I still couldn't process the emotion I felt for him at the moment, but I knew it was a blend of hatred and anger. The attendant stood at the door calmly and watched me freak out.

"Come with me, dear. He seems to be in a hurry." She gave a cheerful smile that said, I understand what's going on, but I'm just doing my job.

I sighed. "I will be down in a minute."

She stepped out and closed the door behind her. I was now in a sitting position, the sun had lost its beauty to me, and all I wanted to do was run away, but would that help?

What if my father had turned a new leaf, what if he came to tell me that he was going to get a wife?

What if he was accompanied by the cops, but the pretty attendant chose not to tell me?

I slipped my feet into the fluffy flip-flops that the hotel provided and stood in front of the mirror. My hair hung loosely, strands of it sticking to my face. It looked like I had grown taller during the night, I was looking 5"7. I also looked visibly thinner. I was dressed in pajamas, and it wasn't right to go down the stairs with them, but there was no time to get dressed, I ambled down the stairs to meet with my father.

"Where is he?" I spotted the attendant who had been with me some minutes ago, talking with an elderly man.

"Right there." She pointed to a man with rich blonde colored beard, and pale pink skin. My jaw dropped. He wasn't my father, so why would she tell me that my father was looking for me?

"Camilla!" The man stood the instant he caught sight of me, and threw his heavy arm around my shoulder. "Good morning princess." He sounded just like my father, but he wasn't my father. I frowned at him, I still didn't get what was going on.

"Come with me!" He gripped me firmly by my right hand and dragged me to a dark corner of the reception. All eyes were fixated at us.

"Good morning young woman." He let go of me when we were far enough that no one could hear us.

"Who are you?" I had finally found my voice. I stared into his eyes with despair. He looked nothing like my father. He was huge, with bulgy stomach, a sharp contrast of my father who had an athletic body building. He had blonde hair, my father's hair was black and shiny like mine. He wasn't good looking, but my father had good looks. I had to say.

"I am Peter Mack." He spoke in a hushed tone. He was tall, just not as tall as my father. He continued, "I know everything about you, and your father, and I wish to help you." He grinned from ear to ear, but I wasn't convinced by his words.

"If you want to help me, why would you claim to be my father?" I didn't return the smile, my face was emotionless.

"Because they wouldn't have let me see you, if I weren't your father. you know how bad the city is."

I still didn't believe him. I kept my gaze steady, and on him. "Okay, Mr Mack. How did you get to know about my father and I, and how do you plan on helping me?"

He paused as if thinking of what to say, then he started. "The news, it's all over social media. One girl name Shully tweeted it. I couldn't help but feel the manner of agony you must have been through." My eyes widened. If it were on social media, that meant that everyone knew. Why would Shully go as far as tweeting it.

I hadn't logged on to any of my media spaces since yesterday, and that was for fear that I might be tracked using my location. But if this man was saying the truth, I didn't want to log unto any social media space ever again, neither did I want to go outside, neither did I want to live anymore. I was beginning to wish I hadn't woken up this morning.

"How do you plan on helping me?" I was so desperate, I would do about anything. As long as it proffered solutions to my present predicament.

"We are leaving this hotel now." It sounded more like an instruction, than a request. "There's no time for more questions, Camilla, but you will understand it all pretty soon." I didn't trust him, but I didn't want the matter to get anymore complicated.

"What would happen if we don't leave?"

"Your father isn't in jail, and he is coming for you. No more questions, are you coming with me, or not?" I swallowed hard. He was already close to the door. He wasn't waiting for me to think about it, he wasn't waiting for me to get my stuff. Luckily, I had none with me at the hotel. What I had, was a lot of questions for him, but I followed him quietly, not stopping to say goodbye to my attendant friend. I wanted to ask him where he was taking me, I wanted to ask him what he would do to help me, but he wasn't taking any more questions. I walked on, behind him. Until we were out of the hotel and in the busy streets.

He waited for me to catch up with him, and then he had offered me his hand. "Your legs wouldn't catch up with mine, hold my hand. It would be faster that way." I nodded in disagreement. "No, thank you, but I can keep up just fine." I didn't trust anyone, not my father, not Shully, not myself. Why would I trust a total stranger that I had met a few minutes ago.

"Look at this Camilla." He pulled the purple shirt he had on, up, and I saw a gun hidden in his pants. "Do as I say, or else!"