The Offer

EMILY

Emily didn't know what to say.

"You do not have to say anything," Alistair said. "I only need your ears for now."

He paced in a line before her. Following his tread made her uneasy, so she tried to focus on the room instead. But she found that, try as she might, she couldn't look at anything long enough to know what she was looking at. Everything in the room seemed to be held behind frosted glass, somehow.

"Moone Enterprises is at the forefront of innovation in the country, but at a great cost to the environment. The earth and water are polluted, wildlife is at risk because of our actions.

"We have seen it fit to strip the earth of all it's worth, taking all that we can and polluting what is left. We kill and destroy to ensure our own survival, biting the very hand that feeds us." He spoke with such passion that he was nearly manic.

Emily could only shrink in her seat and hope that his fury would not turn to her.

"And the only one who can stop it is you."

She finally looked up at him, confused. He couldn't be serious.

"It is time for you to step up and take your place as the head of the company, Miss Moone," he said. "Ponder this: how long do you think it will be until the air is completely unbreathable? Until those in charge put notions of profit aside and finally consider that their actions have consequences that will affect the whole world?"

He stopped pacing, standing before her. She refused to meet his gaze.

"But we have a vision, Miss Moone," he said, walking up to her, his hand outstretched. "Let me show you."

Her eyes went wide as his thumb touched her forehead.

Something electric surged from her brain to through her spine, washing through her entire body.

In her mind's eye she could see all sorts of wonderful things; a paradise returned to the earth with lush green grass carpeting the ground as far as the eye could see, trees taller than any building, the earth reclaimed by the beauty of nature.

Eden again.

Peace like she'd never known in years flowed through her. Not even the mind numbing remedies had made her feel as relaxed as she did when she saw the vision of beauty.

"All this can be if you join us, Miss Moone," Alistair said. "We can make the world beautiful again."

Why wouldn't she want that, a world where everything was good and green? She'd do anything she could to get that.

But she also felt the sense of something creeping around the corners, threatening to taint the perfect picture.

She couldn't help getting the sense that what she was seeing was all a façade to something grander, something...dark.

She tried to push back against the pretty lies Alistair was forcing into her mind but he was forcing her to see the sweet destruction, the beautiful hell.

Suddenly, Alistair pulled his hand away from her like he'd been burned, cursing beneath his breath. But he composed himself quickly, combing back his hair with his fingers.

"I'll see to it that you are returned home safely," he said, massaging his fingers. "Take as much time to ponder your next time, but be aware that the timing of your decision is crucial."

Emily did not know what to say, simply sitting, dumbfounded, trying to process everything that had just occurred.

Sandra walked up to her and took her hand, guiding her out of the seat. It took a moment, but her mind returned to focus on the beauty of being with the woman as she was led out of the room.

Emily could not remember the car ride home, only that she had been completely satisfied to be sitting next to the woman. She did not know or care what time it had been when they arrived at her home, did not care how Sebastian had known where her home was without her telling him.

She could only remember her sadness when Sandra had said goodbye, realising that she might never see her again.

"You will," the woman said, placing her hand atop Emily's, looking into her eyes. "Just make the right choice."

Emily nodded. "I will," she said, her voice shaky.

Sandra and Sebastian walked her to the house, stopping at the threshold. "See you soon, Emily," she said as Sebastian handed her the keys.

Emily nodded and stepped into the house, closing the door behind her.

She leaned back against the door, reminiscing how wonderful her day had been, how delightful it had been from the moment she met the two strangers.

Only as she thought more of it did the sheer horror of what had happened dawn on her.

She'd been taken by people she did not know to a place she could not remember. All sorts of horrible things could have happened while she'd been alone with them. She was lucky to still be alive.

She slid down to sit on the floor, clutching her head between her hands. How could she have been so stupid to go with them so easily.

Heart pounding in her chest, she got up to lock the door, putting the deadbolt in place.

Her first day out of the house in a year and it had gone as well as she'd first expected. She hadn't been sure what would make the day end so horribly

In the empty house all she could hear was her own rapid breathing. She'd survived in the house for this long. Perhaps she could go for longer.

She'd turned twenty-one not too long ago. As per her father's will, she was to step into her position as CEO of Moone Enterprises. Would he have made that decision for her if he's known the nervous wreck she had become since his and her mother's death?

But Alistair had been right. She'd seen the news, known what companies like Moone Enterprises had been doing to the world around them. Would her father have tried to make his vision come true if he'd known the harm that would come from it?

That was all she could ask herself –what would her father do? She remembered him being a good man, standing for honour and doing the right thing.

The right thing would be to step up to her responsibility, take the legacy that had been handed down to her and make a positive impact in any way she could. That was what he would do.

But could she?