“What are you doing here? What did they let you leave?” He asked as soon as she entered.
“You said in national television that you didn't care. What use was I for them, alive or dead?” Andrea said aggressively, feeling her cheeks hot. She had never talked to her father like that. “I didn't have anywhere else to go”.
“Did you see their faces?”.
“No, they always wore masks”.
President Chacon stared at her for a few seconds. Andrea knew he wasn't convinced with her story.
“If that's all, may I be excused?”Andrea broke the silence.
“Yes” he said dryly and waved her out.
After finishing dinner, Andrea walked to President Chacon's office. They hadn't talked since the day she arrived.
Andrea knocked on the door and waited for her father to answer.
“What do you want?” He said upon opening the door.
“When is the nanny coming back? I'm tired of dining alone.” She said, looking down.
“She is not coming back. I'll get you another tomorrow” he said, visibly annoyed.
“Thank you” She looked at him and couldn't resist grinning. He frowned, closing the door on her face.
The following day, a group of potential nannies were interviewed by the President's secretary. Andrea requested to be present. At the end of the interviews, both the secretary and Andrea agreed on the substitute: a vivacious young girl named Victoria.
*****
President Chacon woke up before dawn, startled by the noise. He distinctively heard gun shots inside the house. He radioed his head of security, getting no answer. The commotion outside his bedroom grew louder. He insisted on his radio, calling everybody in his staff. When he only heard static, he stood up and walked to the door. He slowly opened it, finding his personal guards in defense position, gesturing for him to keep silence. Down the hall, he saw Andrea and her new nanny Victoria, running towards him, with terror in their faces.
“Dad! They are attacking us! Please, help me! Let me go with you!” Andrea cried to him as she approached his door.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then signaled her to get in the room. Victoria followed.
“Get me out of here. Let me grab my gun” he whispered to the guards outside. He closed the door, running immediately to his night stand.
“I don't think so, Mr. President!” he looked back, to see Victoria aiming a gun directly at him. He laughed.
“You are just a kid, you don't know how to use that!” he reached for the drawer.
“No, Mr. President” he heard Andrea's voice. It sounded mature, not as a child's anymore. She was standing besides him, with the nozzle of her gun in his ribs.
“Andrea, you wouldn't, I'm your father” he slowly raised his hands.
“My father! Who asked for my head!” Andrea's voice was pure rage. “My captors are more a family to me than you ever were.” She looked quickly past him to where Victoria was. On that split second, he pushed Andrea, grabbing her gun. As he raised it to her face, he heard a loud blast followed by searing pain on his back. The impact made him fall forward, landing on his stomach. The throbbing on his back didn't let him breath. When he was able to look up, he had Andrea and Victoria on top of him, both holding guns to his head.
*****
The door of the room opened forcefully right after Victoria fired. She expected to see the President's guards. Instead, Captain Alonzo and his crew came in. She was so glad to see him, that she ran his way and hugged him.
The General came in after. He handcuffed President Chacon and lifted him up by his arm.
“You are under arrest for treason. You'll be judged and sentenced. You'll rot in jail, you fool!”
The offensive was a total success. President Chacon was captured along with all members of his cabinet. All political prisoners were released, including Andrea's mother and her nanny. The interim government would call for elections in three months, allowing a true democratic state to be established once again. All the law's that President Chacon had implemented for his own benefit would be eliminated.
The day Andrea left with her mom, Victoria went with them to the airport. They would be moving to a city away from the capital. Victoria would stay, to continue her military training, this time to become a true soldier.
Before boarding, Victoria and Andrea hugged for a long time.
“I'm so proud of you, Andrea. Your courage not only freed you, it also freed this country” Victoria said, her voice broken. “I'm so honored to call you my friend.”
“Victoria, besides my mom, you were the only person that showed me affection” Andrea replied “You'll always be in my heart. I hope we can see each other soon.”
“You can count on that.” Victoria said, giving Andrea a kiss in her cheek.
Andrea walked towards the gate with her mom. She turned around and waved to Victoria, who replied with a military salute.
###
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I was born with my head in the clouds. As a child, my two best friends lived in a flower which was part of my room's wallpaper. During my youth, when I wasn't at school or doing homework, fantasies filled my time.
Thanks to my parents, reading became more than a hobby. It became an addiction. My mom used to read bedtime stories to me and my three siblings. My dad was subscribed to a book club that would send him new books every month. Our library was filled with stories of all genres. Reading covered my need for other worlds, other lives. It fueled my fantasy world where I felt so comfortable.
People who love reading eventually attempt at writing. Many years had to pass for me to dare. While taking writing classes, an idea popped in my head which became my first book, Home by the Sea, published in 2014.
I'm in my early forties and my head is still in the clouds. Thankfully, I'm not alone. Many characters and their stories are there with me. Eventually, they will come to life and hopefully, I will share them with you.
See you in my next book.
Shyreen Tyler
OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR
Home by the Sea
A movie thriller made novel.
Writer Aaron Baker decides to study mental illnesses for his next book. To do this, he convinces the director of a psych ward to let him spend time with the patients. But through his investigations he uncovers a corruption scheme inside the institution that strays him from his original objective. Little does Aaron know he’s about to expose a murder so horrific it will forever change the ward and his own life.
Home by the Sea presses the reader to devour chapter after chapter with the kind of suspense only the best crime fiction delivers, at the same time as it moves readers by submerging them in the internal changes each character goes through, their doubts and their fears to conquer. Chock full of plot twists and chilling moments of horror, Shyreen Tyler’s cinematographic language in Home by the Sea paint a picture so vivid it sticks with you long after you've put down the book.
Available as e-book at Amazon.com.
CONNECT WITH SHYREEN TYLER
Thank you for reading Victory. Please remember to leave a review at your favorite retailer. This story is my gift to you: share with your friends and family.
Feel free to contact me for more information on upcoming projects or simply to chat:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShyreenTyler
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8288713.Shyreen_Tyler
Victory - A Short Story Page 2
