My Father's Bodyguard.

The screeching wheels of the airplane as it touched ground, made Miriam grit her teeth. Grabbing onto the sides of her seat hard, her nails dug into the leather when the plane bounced before catching a grip on the tarmac.

Her eyes remained tightly shut, lips pressed into a hard line to keep from screaming and embarrassing herself in front of strangers. She didn't appreciate flying, she loathed planes but for the first time in her life. She couldn't get away from it. As the plane comes to a halt. Miriam takes a deep breath, grateful that the hidden compartment of the first class seat, kept wandering eyes from seeing her distress.

Picking a given hot towel, she quickly dried her face from the adorning sweat and grabbed her small backpack. Every important document she ever owned was in the small carrier. She had been told everything else would be provided. All she had to do was bring her certificates and anything she thought was sentimental.

The bright sun outside made her eyes hurt and she quickly pulled the shades over them. The wind blew at her hanging jacket making her hum as it cooled her skin.

Climbing down the metal stairs, Miriam eyes the vast airport as she headed for the waiting bus. Sinking heavily on one of the seats, she sighed laying her head on the warm window.

A new life she never expected had been waiting for her in Nazia. A father she never knew, a step-mother whom she was sure hated her. And money. Money she had never expected she could touch all her life, now lay on the tip of her fingers. Flashing at her in gold and dark green, from the glaring word Visa from a thin metal and plastic card. The amount in the card literally made a mock of her when she yelled at the ATM back home when she made a withdrawal to test it out.

She had been laid off by the hospital as they we're struggling to keep the staff. They we're behind on their mortgage, she had deferred semesters and her mother was dying. That's when her estranged father reached out. She was the only surviving child he had left. The only one who could carry on his legacy, the only child that had made it to adulthood without a gun trained on her back as a target.

She didn't want anything to do with him but for the sake of her mother, she chose to come to him. If he had his claws on her, then her mother would get the treatment she needed. She could go back to university and finish getting her degree not the simple emergency medical certificate she managed to afford to put herself through.

The plan was clear in Miriam's head. Play by his game, get what she wants and get out. She didn't owe him anything. He was never there when she had to raise herself, so her mother could work three jobs just to support them. This was her chance to get everything she ever deserved.

The loud horn from the bus made her push from the window in panic. A small sigh leaving her lips as she stood with the rest of the passengers boarding out. The airport was crammed and Miriam struggled as she pushed past bodies and security before making it outside.

Looking around at the placards being held up by loved ones, friends or assigned people to pick up the passengers, she sighed when she came empty of her name.

"Miriam Van Halen?" A voice calls behind her and she turns. Two tall men, dressed in casual blue jeans and white t-shirts give her a small smile. One has pink hair and skin too pale, an albino.

"Yeah?" She sighs out putting her shades away. "We're here to pick you up by the orders of your father." The albino says and Miriam's head cocks to the side. "I was specifically told not to leave here without Nyx." She says eyeing the men. "None of you sound like the woman who I've been talking to."

"Plans changed and Nyx had somewhere to be. Please come with us." The other man says, smile too tight for his face and Miriam sighs. "On one condition."

"What that might be Miss Halen." "That you turn around wave at the three security cameras with your faces exposed." The smile from the albino immediately falls and a small frown creases the corner of his lips. "I don't think your father would want that much attention put on you Miss Halen." He growls lowly.

"I will go if you do it. Otherwise, I'll start screaming and yelling that you're trying to kidnap me and believe me. I'm a very good actor."

"You're bluffing–" "We'll do it."

The albino is cut off and he turns to his partner, frowning even deeper. The black man turns and waves to the cameras fully before turning to Miriam. "Satisfied Miss Halen?" "No. Big man's here is yet to do the same." She says and the man grinds his teeth before turning to the cameras.

"Now I'm satisfied. Lead the way." The albino immediately takes off and Miriam stalks behind him with the black guy beside her keeping a distance. Miriam slowly feels the pocket of her jacket. Taking out the rubik's cube she's had for years, she turns the colours. Getting the red to match as they come to a car parking lot.

"Why did you park so far?" She asks and the man chuckles. "An SUV usually gets a lot of stares when waiting in line. An SUV under your father's company. Gets all the attention, even from paparazzi waiting to catch celebrities." Miriam hums as she clicks the blue side and smiles when she feels the rubik's cube buzz to life. How she had gotten the toy past airport security was still a mystery to her.

The albino reaches for the door to the black car. Opening the back door for Miriam who stands a distance away. "I'm going to call my father before I get in." She says pulling up the number on her phone, took steps to the licence plate. The first ring goes before she is directed to voicemail.

"Some guys picked me up, their plate number JYF 227N ones an albino, pink hair, has a teardrop tattoo on the back of his ear, the other a black–" click.

The loud echo of an obvious gun makes Miriam go quiet. Looking up, Miriam's jaw clenches at the pale man. "I don't think my father would appreciate you pointing that at me." She says ending the call.

"Just get in the car b*tch." Miriam stays still. "This isn't exactly the first time I've been pointed at with a gun and threatened. Egerton isn't that posh." She murmurs. The situation sending her back to the third job she took when she was fifteen, as a cashier in a small gas stop station. Two men had come into the store brandishing guns, yelling at her to put all the money she had in the bag as the other cleaned out shelves of cheap booze.

That made the owner fire her and take the missing cash and stolen alcohol off her last paycheck. With the threat of sending her to jail as a collaborator unless she agreed. She couldn't complain. She lived in a sh*t area all her life and the government didn't care about her kind. The black man sighs and gets closer. "Just get in the car."

If they wanted to hurt me, they could've done it already. They need me to not leave traces. She thinks to herself. "No." She snarls looking at the dusty parked cars. . . cars that hadn't been moved for a while. A small cold bead of sweat runs along her back, her hands shaking. She plays her bluff cards as another man exits the drivers side. A scar running down the side of his face.

The black man noticing she was distracted, lunges for her arm with the phone. Gripping her so hard that the phone lands to the floor with a loud crack, followed by her jacket. Pulling herself back, Miriam struggles against the grip. "Let me go!" She growls, pulling her foot back she slams the heel of her boot into his knee. Sending the man to the ground, his knee crunching hard as it met the concrete.

His yell is gruff as he lets go of her, Miriam takes the opening. Hand squeezing at the middle of the rubik's cube. The middle red part pops down revealing two sharp pin lighting up in blue electric currents. Pushing the pins into the back of the man's neck. The man's spasms as electric currents run through him at the contact. Foam falls from the corner of his mouth and Miriam pulls the taser away from the man who falls to the ground face first. Unmoving.

The albino stands still, staring at his partner on the ground, the driver moves to Miriam who immediately runs through a small space between two vans. Squeezing easily past it just as the driver slammed at the end after her. "Have you perhaps considered missing leg day?" Miriam sasses as the man got stuck in between the space and threw his hand at her with a yell.

Looking back at the fallen, cracked and possibly dead phone, Miriam huffs. Her mother had bought that just a year ago! "You get in the car and I won't hurt you." The voice from the albino echoes into the parking lot and Miriam hums. "No, this is much more fun. A game of get shot or get tased. Who do you think wins?" Miriam asks running away. "You're crazy if you think Halen got you down here just for a show, you're wrong." The man calls and Miriam rolls her eyes. As if I didn't know.

"Than what you have planned? You traced down and killed every other one that had his blood. What's stopping you from doing the same to me?" She asks as she slinks behind the next car to get away. "My boss has a deal for you."

"You lackeys point a gun at me and you want me to believe your boss has better deals? Not interested." Miriam calls before moving cars again. Thanking her stars that being raised in a rough neighborhood, where bullets oftenly rung in the air as drug suspect was chased down had set her up for this. She could do this.

"Well, hello there." Miriam gasps, her eyes darting everywhere for an escape route, hands and feet glued to the concrete beside the large tire of the delivery truck.

Ofcourse there was another one in hiding! How could I think I could run? She scolds herself. The rustling of clothes gets closer and then the owner of the voice was breathing down her neck right beside her.

Turning slowly, she marvels at the sight of the tall woman squatting next to her. Her white official shirt with bloody splotches, is tucked neatly into her straight black pants, that are stained brown and green on the knees. The sleeves are folded at the elbows, exposed forearms adorned with colourful tattoos fill her tanned skin, her black hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail and two eyes.Each a different colour. One green and one brown stare back at her, with lips pulled back into a smirk.

Miriam stays locked on her face trying to remember why the voice sounds familiar. "The names Nyx." The woman says throwing Miriam a small salute. "I'm your father's bodyguard."

"You're late!" Miriam snaps as she peeps around the tire looking for the albino and the scar guy.

"They run me off the road and down a hill. I'm sorry I couldn't jump out of a rolling car any faster, Miss Halen." Nyx says sarcastically as she cracked her neck. That's when Miriam notices the purple bruises lining her temple and ear. Plus the hastily wiped and definitely smeared dry blood on her neck and face.

"You good?" She asks softly and Nyx gives a soft grunt. "Had worse. So, how many?" Nyx asks as she peeped around the tire. "Three. Tased one, the other has a gun. Got the other stuck, don't know if he's armed." Miriam says showing the taser shaped as a rubik's cube. Nyx hums in surprise, eyes fixed on the side of Miriam's face.

"What?" Miriam snaps again and Nyx raises her arms. "Impressed is all, your siblings could barely punch. Knew to sort all their problems by throwing money at them. Literally." "I don't care about them." Miriam growls