On the day that I hit a million subscribers, all hell broke loose. Well, not literally. But to me, it seemed that way. You would think that day would have been a special occasion, that I would have thrown a small party with my friends and family, or posted a soppy text post on Tumblr expressing my gratitude and thanks for all the endless support that viewers had given me over the years.

But it didn't quite work out that way.

Instead, my whole life as I knew it was turned upside down and shattered into pieces, like a glass falling out of someone's hand and smashing against the floor. It's a shitty metaphor, I know, but it's the only way I can describe it.

In hindsight, I probably should have known what was going to happen. I should have forseen it coming. But hindsight is a funny thing, you're always able to see things logically when it's already way too late.

And so, let me tell you my story.

That is, the actual story.

---

"Holy shit."

I stared at my computer screen in complete and utter shock, trying to let the reality of the situation sink in. Situated next to my channel profile picture-which was my eighteen year old self grinning awkwardly at the camera-was my subscriber count which was quickly going up by the minute.

One million,five thousand and sixty six subscribers.

I had actually done it, all my hard work had paid off. I had hit that milestone that every small creator on this site dreamed of-not only had I hit the one million mark, I had surpassed it slightly.

I ran my hands through my hair,which I had recently dyed a dark blonde and smiled to myself in disbelief. My phone which was situated beside my laptop kept buzzing with notifications from all my social media followers,  congratulating me on hitting a million subscribers.

But I kept staring at my computer screen, sitting at the kitchen table alone in my tiny apartment.

My Youtube channel was started in the summer between my final school exams and my first semester at college. It had just been a project, a way for me to fight off the boredom and make use of all the free time that the summer holidays bring.

But more and more people subscribed, and I slowly became more involved in the channel, making more sketches and vlogs. I had gained quite a following on social media by the time I graduated from college with my Arts degree, and now I had reached my goal:I had at least a million people who watched my videos.

To be honest, it was totally surreal. I was now practically a celebrity on the internet, which was slightly daunting.

But still, it wasn't bad at all for a nerdy twenty-two year old from Dublin.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call, and I quickly answered it "Hello?"

"Before you have a hissy fit, I'm coming over and I have a bottle of Pinot Grigio and cake from that French bakery you like. We are going to celebrate this milestone sensibly, like the classy grown ups we are."

I laughed at the sarcasm in that last statement, as I got to my feet and headed for the sofa. "Says the one who's hiring a bunch of strippers for her twenty-second."

"Twenty-two is the new twenty-one!"

"You are twenty-one."

"That's not my point! Like I said, I'm a classy grown-up. Come on Char, you know me!" The voice on the other end of the line burst into a fit of amused yet slightly forced laughter.

"Oh,I know you all too well." I smirked to myself, rolling my eyes up to heaven. "Which poor soul did you dump this time?"

"How come every time I come over with a bottle of wine, you think I've dumped someone or I've been dumped?"

"Because you never drink before eight in the evening, unless you've been dumped?"

An irritated sigh from the other end of the line. "Tobey from the coffee shop ditched me, because I didn't play exclusively for the other team if you get what I'm saying."

My eyes widen slightly."Are you serious? Did he even try to be subtle about it or...?"

"Nope. Apparently, he was afraid if we were to become a thing, I'd jump ship with the first girl I see. And the moral of the story is a guy who follows a strictly paleo diet and spent eighteen months on a boat trying to save the whales with Greenpeace, can also be a homophobic asshat."

I tried to stifle my laughter at the bluntness of her statement. It wasn't so much as what she said, it was how she said it. "Right. Well, his loss. He doesn't know what he's missing out on.  It's 2016, not the Middle Ages. He should go back to saving the whales in Greenland or somewhere like that."

"It was Iceland actually, but that's beside the point. Can you open the goddamn door? I didn't walk up all those flights of stairs to be standing outside your apartment like a stalker."

"What makes you think you look like a stalker?" I grinned in amusement,walking over to the door.

"Because I'm looking at you through the peephole."

I laughed silently, cutting off the call and opened the door to a petite pink-haired girl in a leather jacket clutching a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a huge cakebox,with a grin that resembled that of a Cheshire Cat's. "Well then, you're doing a good job Bella."

She laughed again,as she walked past me and towards the kitchen "Thanks, Char. Just shut up and help me open this bottle of wine before I go nuts."

Bella and I have known each other for a while, we met when we were sixteen years old. She was the new kid, a transfer student from Chicago with dark green hair(which was considered exotic) and a bad attitude.

And somehow, she decided to latch on to a nerd like me who sat at the front of the class and did extra-credit homework to keep away boredom.

But that's why we're friends, I guess.

"Hope you like the cake, I sort of picked at the icing on the way over." Bella admitted, as she rooted around for wine glasses in my cupboard.

I opened the cake box and laughed, she'd gotten me a triple chocolate fudge cake but some of the white icing at the top had been picked at. "Well, at least it's still intact."

"Believe me, it was hard not to."

I smiled to myself as I reached over for my laptop and composed a quick tweet: Thank you all so so much for the nice comments and tweets, couldn't have hit a million subscribers without you guys! "Well then, all the more cake for me!"

While Bella got out the wineglasses, I set to work cutting some slices of cake for us. By the time I had dished it onto separate plates, Bella was standing in front of me holding two glasses of Pinot Grigio with a devilish grin.

"Happy one million subscribers Charlotte. Here's a toast to another million!" She held one of the glasses out to me.

I accepted it and raised it up "To one million subscribers and to another million." I clinked it off hers,and we both started to drink our wine. I took small sips from my glass. I'd had alcohol before but I'd never liked the taste of it, I'd never been drunk and I didn't plan on it happening any time soon.

As a result, I tended not to drink it at any parties or events I went to and I tried to steer clear of it in general. This wine wasn't the worst thing I'd tasted but it was still a bit too strong for my liking.

Bella however, was very used to the taste of alcohol.The stronger it was, the better.She downed her glass in one gulp, like it was a shot and then leant across the countertop across from me. "Man, that's some good stuff. So,what's next?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to try and do videos with more people? Get more subscribers? Go to more of those events?"

"Maybe, I have a few people in mind."

"Great, like who?"

"Dunno. I'll see. I might go to that one event in a few weeks time."

"The Youtube charity ball? Sounds good."

"Yeah, I'll have to figure out accommodation and flights to London, but I'm sure I'll be able to go."

"You should go, it sounds great. You get a chance to network with other people, and raise money for charity-plus there's free food and alcohol."

"True." A comfortable silence fell over the kitchen. "You know what?"

"What?"

"As stupid as this sounds, this may be the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me-hitting a million subscribers I mean."

"Really?" Bella straightened up and raised an eyebrow at me, still holding her empty wineglass.

"Yeah. I mean..."I paused to take a bit out of my cake,which tasted heavenly. "I never did anything out of the way as a kid, I always followed the rules. I tried to stay out of trouble, because it terrified me. And as a teenager,my spare time was spent reading or doing school stuff-you know how boring I was. And even my job is boring, working on set design is hardly the most exciting thing in the world,and that's only until I get an audition."

"Hey,you're not boring."Bella stated firmly, as she reached for the wine bottle. "I don't make friends with boring people. You were just a goody two-shoes,that's all."

"Like I said,boring."

"Well, your birthday is coming up, you could-"

"No Bella, I'm not hiring strippers for my birthday!"

-"I was gonna say you could hit the strip club with me,but alright. But that's my point!" Bella refilled her wineglass and then held it in her hand as she stared me down. "You never say yes to new opportunities! You always stay inside your comfort zone, you're too afraid to venture out there and do all of the things you've wanted to do your entire life. Who knows what you could do if you say yes to new things more often?"

"...Ok, what have you been watching lately?"

"Connor Franta." Bella deadpanned."But you get what I'm saying, right?"

I sighed and pushed my wineglass away from me. "I do, I just...I wish that my life would become a bit more exciting."

At that moment, my laptop let out a swoosh sound notifying me that I had a new email. I walked over with my plate of cake,continuing to eat it-and almost choking on it when I saw it was from Youtube.

Dear Charlotte,

Congratulations on hitting one million on your channel! As a gift, Youtube HQ want to give you a Play Button to reward you on your amazing milestone. Your Play Button will be ready to collect at 7pm today from your nearest Youtube space.

Once again, we congratulate you on hitting 1 million!

Yours sincerely,

The Youtube Team

Right then and there, I should have known something was up. That email did raise a few suspicions in my mind, and I remember voicing them to Bella at the time.

"Huh. That's weird."

"What's up?"

"Youtube just emailed me, they're already starting work on my Play Button."

"You mean, like the little award you got for hitting one hundred thousand subscribers?"

"Yeah, but they said I could drop by the Youtube space in Dublin to collect it this evening at seven.But Play Buttons take ages to make, they normally give them out at conventions or mail them to you."

"Well, maybe they've changed the way they give them out?"

"I suppose so, it wouldn't be unusual."

"I'll come with you for moral support if you want."

"Thanks, but I'll be grand. It's not like I'll be kidnapped or anything." 

Oh, the irony. If only I knew that's exactly how things would go.

---
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Yeah,I'm sure." I told Bella, locking the apartment door.  "Where are you headed after this?" 

"Eh, I'll probably head home. Or stop by Temple Bar." Bella grinned as we began to walk towards the stairs.

"Why, so you can get drunk and bother Tobey? If so, that Play Button can wait. He may be an asshat, but I don't want to get another call from you in custody at three in the morning. You know I can't afford bail."

That's another thing about me, I hated watching or reading violence of any kind. The sight of blood made me feel legitimately nauseous,even if it was just a tiny scrape. So when your best friend  has a habit of picking fights with people who piss her off, mainly with her ex boyfriends or girlfriends which ends up with her asking for bail at three in the morning...obviously, it wasn't the ideal situation.

"Chill Charlotte. I'll only slap him across the face and kick him in the bal-"

"Okokokok, you're coming with me." I said quickly, my stomach lurching slightly. 

"YESSS!" Bella fist pumped the air in victory.  "I knew you wouldn't want me to get my ass kicked!"

"Uhm, you're my best friend. Of course not. "

Bella shot a Cheshire-Cat like grin at me as we began walking down the stairs. "I hope so, but let's be real, I'm the one who kicks ass."

The journey over to the Youtube Space didn't take long, it was only a twenty minute walk away which was actually quite a short distance. The imposing steel building loomed over our heads a little, just enough to intimidate us.

Bella let out a low whistle under her breath. "This is a fine building thet have for themselves."

"Yeah...anyways I'd better go in."

"You sure you'll be ok?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal."

I stepped through the doors to the lobby, and took a moment to take in the red and white theme that matched the huge logo hanging over the white marble receptionist desk before msking my way over. The tiny brunette behind the desk gave me a sharp glance as I approached her nervously.

"Can I help you?" Her tone was anything but welcoming.

"U-uhm. I got an email from Youtube, my Play Button is re-"

"What's your name?" The receptionist cut me off coldly as she turned to her computer and started to type rapidly on the keyboard.

"Uhm, Charlotte-"

The receptionist stopped typing and glared at me through her thick-rimmed glasses. "Your channel name."

"Oh, chatalotcat."

The receptionist began to rapidly type again, and then turned to me with a cold smile. "Someone will be with you shortly, take a seat." She nodded towards the worn yet plush red and white couches at the other end of the lobby, right next to the glass windows neat the entrance.

I slowly make my way over and sit at the end of the couch, so that I can look out the window and stare into space while I wait. I can see Bella outside pacing casually up and down, texting on her phone. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, before looking up and seeing me in the window. I shoot a small smile at her as I shoot her a thumbs up.

Bella's eyes widen in horror.

I become aware of the sudden silence in the lobby, the receptionist has stopped typing.

That's when a hand roughly clamps itself over my mouth and another squeezes my stomach tightly.

I hear Bella scream through the glass window.

I'm gasping for air.

I'm dragged off the couch.

I'm being thrown to the floor.

I'm trying to fight back.

There's a rag.

I can't breathe.

---
When I eventually come to, I know instantly that I'm not in the Youtube lobby anymore. I wince against the single watt lightbulb shining overhead, it seems to be the only light source in the room. The rest of it is shrouded in total darkness.

My back is pressed up against a metal chair, and when I take a quick look down at my feet and over my shoulder, I see that there are thin red laser beams tying my hands and feet to the chair.

It's safe to say that I have no clue where I am, and that there's no way of getting out of whatever situation this is so I decide to stay as still as a statue and wonder what the hell is going on? and let my anxiety take over.

"Well, it took you long enough." A female voice speaks from the shadows, almost making me jump. I hear the clicking of heels on the concrete floor, and the receptionist from earlier comes into view.

I clear my throat and speak nervously. "Uhm-ok. If t-this is some kind of hostage s-setup, I'm probably the wrong p-person to ask. And Youtube probably have you on CCTV and the guards will be after you, so taking me p-probably wasn't the best idea."

The receptionist tilts her head to the side slightly,looking slightly curious as if she is looking at an object in a museum. And then she throws her head back and laughs, a cold hard laugh that kind of sounds like how the bad guy always laughs in superhero movies. "Look at you,trying to act all tough. As if there's a chance you'll be saved!"

"What do you me-"

"What I mean is, no one is going to rescue you. The guards aren't coming and you're still in Youtube headquarters. That is, the real headquarters."

That statement made me feel even mote anxious-and terrified out of my wit.

"I wouldn't blame you for being confused right now, many people have been in the same position as you. But don't worry,they've all gotten out alive-ironically."

Ok, this lady was getting creepier by the second. "U-uhm, your p-point is?"

"My point is that Youtube isn't what you think it is. It's a entertainment website where people upload videos to the internet, that's true. But there's a lot more to it than meets the eye." The receptionist lady smirks coldly, as she starts to walk around my chair, her heels clicking against the concrete floor.

"Youtube is fact owned by the government, governments all over the world run their respective branches.  Some  would say it has a higher position of power than the government. But that's not strictly true either. We just carry out their wishes. The receptionist lady shot me an satisfied smirk, stepping back from me to the centre of the room. "My name is Alison, I'm the leader of the Irish headquarters."

Alison seemed like a perfect name for a a psychotic woman who currently had me tied up in the middle of god knows where. "Right. So Alison, w-what exactly do you guys do for the government?"

Alison props both her hands on the back of my chair,and leans in towards me slightly.  I can smell the scent of sickly sweet perfume off her,and I don't  meed to see her face to know that a Cheshire-car like grin is plastered onto her lips.

"Why,my dear girl, we take care of their enemies. Any con artists,thieves, rich people who may cheat the system.... we deal with them in a very-"she pauses for a moment-"how should I put this-"another pause-"permanent way."

It only takes a few seconds for me to realise the implications of what she's saying. "You k-kill them?!" My voice comes out as a high pitched squeak, which I would normally find embarrassing.

But this was already far beyond a normal situation.

"Exactly. Or rather, you kill them. However,not everyone involved with making content on Youtube works for the government. We have a very select number of people who carry out these tasks. Preferably, we recruit Youtubers with an audience of at least one million." 

Alison leans back, and takes her hand off my chair as she walks back into my line of vision. As she does so, it slowly dawns on me why I'm here. "Are you saying you want me to be a part of this?"

Another cold smirk, followed by an amused chuckle."Now, you cop on. I was wondering how long it would take." She walks slowly around until she's standing in front of me again. "We need young people like you Charlotte. People who have a relatively large audience, someone people would look up to,respect even. One could say you're held in such regard as a famous singer or actress. You're a celebrity on the internet, yet a totally normal person to the rest of society. Which why you're perfect for our cause-you're hidden in plain sight."

"But you still seriously expect me to kill people with no consequences? You think that I'll be happy to kill innocent people?"

She shakes her head at me in disappointment. "I don't think you get it, dear. See if they're not innocent,if they go against this organisation...then they're fair game, especially in your case. You're a smart girl. I'll let you figure that one out."

Another wave of anxiety hits me, as I know all too well what she's saying."So I'll be dealing with rogue agents."

"Consider it an honour. You're in a perfect position for the role. People know you, but not so many people that you'd be suspected of treason."

I could feel my palms getting clammy, and a wave of fear clouded my thoughts.  "What happens if I say no?"

Her glare speaks a thousand words, and I can tell that declining would be unwise.

I was beginning to realise that this was a  "damned if I do it, damned if I don't" kind of situation.  I couldn't do that to my family or to Bella. "So where's my best friend? Are you going to kill her if I refuse?"

"No, we've simply returned her to her apartment. Her memory of seeing you being...well, escorted has been wiped from her mind but other than that she's in safe hands unless, you refuse of course."

"You call me being knocked out by chloroform, and tied up to a chair by laser beams escorting?"

"We've done worse. So what do you say Charlotte? Care to become an assassin?"

I knew that I had no choice. Either way, I had gotten my wish-my life was going to get a whole lot more exciting -just not in a way that I'd ever dared to imagine.

And so, I spoke those two words that would turn my entire life as I knew it upside down.  

"I'm in."

---
Well...hopefully that didn't suck.

To anyone who is reading this book, who hasn't read my stories before, hey! My name is Cici, and I hope you enjoyed reading this first chapter. I've wanted to do a Tyde Levi fic for ages, I just didn't have an idea until now. I'm actually so so excited to write this!

This is a Tyde fic, but many other Youtubers will appear in this story as well so keep an eye out for them;)

Leave a comment if you enjoyed this chapter, and check out my other stories!

~Cici(queenofdaydreaming)