Play at Soul's Edge

by Sophia Amador

  “Adrian, you’ve lied to me so often and so well, I just don’t know what to think. I find out you’re the leader of a gang that terrifies everyone in the school, and right afterward I hear you ordering…” Her voice faded. “I just don’t know.”

  He took hold of her hands, gazed at her with eyes wide and guileless. “Elisa, I swear to you, from the bottom of my heart, by my love for you, that I am telling the truth now.” Why wouldn’t she trust him? For perhaps the first time in his life, he was deliberately avoiding lies. It was infuriating.

  She twisted away.

  To be honest, to be fair, he shouldn’t use their attraction for each other to influence her. But he couldn’t help himself. He took her in his arms and kissed her, held her shaking body until her sobs stopped.

  Elisa was holding back, and it both saddened and irritated him. He was giving her complete candor. Why did she stubbornly refuse to have faith in him? So what, after all, was the value of truth? It was overrated. Truth only led to trouble. Lies were much better, much smoother, more efficient.

  It was too bad that love seemed to require honesty.

  Love and trust—he had always assumed they were the emotions of weakness. Not as powerful as fear and intimidation.

  But perhaps they were more complex than he had ever imagined. Perhaps he should have delved into them more deeply after all. Had he been wrong all these years?

  If only he weren’t so busy right now dealing with the police, arranging his plans around Rapture, and avoiding death threats from Schwartz, Holman, and Mario, he could put more attention into studying the art of these strange and foreign emotions. But Elisa had already distracted him so much. If he let it go further, both of their lives would be at risk.

  “Have you really done all those things?” she whispered. “What they say the Captain has done? All those horrible, horrible crimes?” Her eyes were wide, hands twisted tightly in her lap.

  His smile was its most reassuring. “Of course not. It’s all for show, so I can keep control of the gang.” He tilted his head to one side, as though inviting her in on the truth. “Do you think an overly intellectual nerd with a flair for manipulation and trickery has a chance of surviving an encounter with all those criminals? It’s so much more effective to convince them that I’m an utterly evil, selfish bastard. Someone with an unpredictable murderous streak and a violent past a mile long. Someone who has all the authorities in his pocket.” He lifted his eyebrows. She had to understand: in his world, fear was the only currency. He would have been dead long ago if he hadn’t terrified them all. Of course, he had to hurt people. Surely she would understand that.

  Elisa stared at him. He waited for her to speak, but it was as though she had been struck dumb.

  Could he explain the power of fear to her? “They follow me because they’re afraid. They cling to my confidence and strength. They don’t know what I’m really like.”

  The words burst out of her like blood spurting from a wound. “What is the real you, Adrian? What is your true personality? Do you even know, after all the playacting, after all the roles?”

  That wasn’t such an easy question to answer. “The truth is, I have many facets to my personality, and I can choose which one to display at any time.” He reached out, stroked Elisa’s hair. She sat like a statue, as though she could not feel his touch. “In my deepest self, I detest taking life; it’s such a waste. But to the Captain, life means nothing. He kills without thought, without compunction. And so the others follow him and obey his every whim, quaking in terror.”

  Adrian had only been a child when he had first designed the Captain’s persona. A powerless child, completely at the mercy of those around him. He had waited in the shadows, observed quietly, watched as others interacted. He had planned everything so carefully. Over the years, he had built the character of the Captain, refined him, improved him. Enhanced his power. Achieved a string of unbroken successes with him. His eyes gleamed.

  “You have no idea how compelling the threat of death can be. And so much less costly than actual murder. No bodies to dispose of, no cops to pay off—and it fits in so well with my image. The bodies must have been mysteriously disposed of by my extremely effective organization. The cops are all in my pay. No one dares cross me, and all because of these terrifying rumors about the Captain.”

  He had the power now. He was the Captain.

  No one would hurt that child any longer.

  Elisa shook her head. She sat rigid, her eyes wide and staring.

  Wait. No.

  He wasn’t really that person.

  Was he?

  Adrian could see it in her eyes. He was losing her. Telling her the truth was destroying her love for him. Desperately, he tried to talk faster, tried to get her to understand. He could not lose her. He would not lose her.

  “Elisa.” He took her hands in his. “My knowledge of human nature tells me I could manipulate you into staying with me.” He shook his head, his eyes intense. “But as a demonstration of good faith, I am being utterly honest with you instead. I’m doing exactly as you asked, simply telling you the truth.”

  Her smile was bitter. How many times had he manipulated her emotions, gotten her to believe whatever he wanted, spoken with such sincerity in his voice and eyes?

  “I’m sorry, Adrian.”

  “Come with me,” he said. “I promise you I’ll leave all this behind. I can start a new life—with you.”

  “I can’t live with all the things you’ve done.”

  “Can’t you forgive me and allow me a fresh start? I admit that my conscience has been numb for many years. But you can bring it back. And in the meantime, I’ll let you be my sense of right and wrong, as I promised. I will only do things you approve of.” He gazed at her with utter sincerity.

  “No. I can’t tell what are lies or what are truths from you anymore. You’ve completely confused me. I don’t know what is the real you. I don’t even know if it exists.”

  Adrian held her close, but she sat stiffly in his arms. “I’m here. I’m real. This is real. I love you. Can’t you just accept that? Can’t you accept me?” His voice was soft, persuasive.

  But it didn’t matter anymore. Elisa had moved beyond his persuasion.

  She pushed him aside and stood. “No. I’m sorry, Adrian. I don’t want to drag this out any longer. We’ve all had to make hard choices. I just can’t live with the choices you’ve made. That’s all there is to it.” A tear leaked out of one of her eyes and trailed down her cheek. “I’m sorry. But I think it would be best if you left now.”

  Adrian’s lips parted, and he let out a long, long breath. “One part of me is telling me now to go back to my old ways, to threaten you.” His nostrils flared. “I could do that, but I won’t.”

  He stood and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

  “Goodbye, Elisa.”

  At the threshold, he paused, glanced at her.

  He had always been a patient man. There were still so many lines of strategy yet to play out. These new rules had their challenges, but he could win under any rules. He always did.

  It was time to work on the next part of his plan.

  Then he walked out the door without looking back.

  Rory

  “I’ve got something you need to hear, sir,” Rory said.

  The man standing in the shadows of the old parking garage sneered. He didn’t say anything for a moment, and in the silence, the slow drip-drip of water falling on concrete was clearly audible. Rory shuffled his feet.

  “Do you want me to play the recording?”

  Schwartz waved his hand, irritated. “Go ahead.”

  Rory took a step forward and drew a small object from his pocket. Elisa’s voice emerged from the device.

  “No. I’m sorry, Adrian. I don’t want to drag this out any longer. I just can’t live with the choices you’ve made. I think it would be best if you left now.” A choked sob emerged from the tiny speaker.

  Schwartz raised a brow.r />
  “I just thought you ought to know, sir, that you don’t have leverage over him anymore.”

  Schwartz’s lips twisted with annoyance. “Are you sure this is real? He’s a tricky bastard.”

  Rory gave him a sly grin. “Definitely. I’ve been following them for a while and watching her stew. Yep, she’s done with him.”

  “Ha. Who would have thought it?” Schwartz scratched his temple and paused for a moment in thought. “Then we’ll go ahead with Plan B. Besides, I have another use for her anyway.”

  “Plan B?” asked Rory.

  “You have no need to know. Go. I’m done with you.” He made an irritated brushing-off motion with his hands.

  Rory pocketed his device. “What use do you have for the girl?”

  “You’re far too curious for your own good.”

  Rory shrugged, smirking. “Isn’t that what makes me useful to you?”

  Adrian

  Rory darted out of the bushes. “Captain! I’m glad I caught you. We need to talk.”

  Adrian looked him up and down, bored. “What is it now? Not more of your ‘bad news.’ I already told you it was taken care of.”

  The expression on Rory’s face didn’t change, but he whispered, “We’ve got a real problem.”

  Adrian raised one eyebrow.

  “Schwartz and Mario are making their move sooner than we thought. There’s something going on that I don’t know about. We have to figure it out—I think it’s something big. Something scary.”

  “Don’t worry, Rory. I’ve got it all under control.”

  Rory shook his head. “I think there’re a few things even you don’t know. I hear Schwartz promised Mario the Captain’s slot for real—as soon as he gets rid of you.”

  Adrian scoffed. “If he thinks Mario can handle it, he’s stupider than I thought.”

  “They seem to think you’re no longer so useful. I don’t know what they’ve learned.”

  Adrian raised a shoulder in dismissal. “They’ll never be able to continue the synthesis without me. Not to mention the next steps in the plan.”

  “From what I heard, Schwartz thinks Holman made a breakthrough and they’re all set. He mentioned a ‘Plan B.’ I heard him telling Mario to move ahead with it.”

  Adrian cocked his head. “Plan B?”

  Rory shrugged. “No idea.”

  “All right. Meet me back at headquarters in two hours.”

  Rory’s face twisted. “Wait. Did you find—”

  Adrian put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”

  Rory examined his face carefully. Then he nodded slowly. “Okay.”

  Keisha

  “Vince!” Keisha rushed through the precinct door.

  “The warrant?”

  “We got it. I’m assembling a SWAT team now. From what those kids said, they’ve got high security at the lab and a boatload of explosive chemicals.”

  Vince shook his head. “How’d two kids—what, freshmen?— find out all the details on this drug operation? You sure it’s for real?”

  “One of them claims he hacked into Alfred Schwartz’s computer account. Who the fuck cares? Something shady’s going on at that company and if it’s good enough for the judge, it’s good enough for me.”

  Vince scratched the back of his head. “You rushed in a little too fast last time, didn’t you?”

  “Fuck that!” Keisha clenched her fists. “This is different. I’ve got evidence from Adrian as well.”

  “Evidence from a bunch of kids. You’re on shaky ground.”

  “Hey, in this business you gotta take a few risks. I’m grabbing a conference room for the briefing. Are you in or out?”

  He shrugged and bumped her shoulder gently. “You should know by now I always have your back, Keisha. Even if you’re a crazy cat lady.”

  Elisa

  Elisa didn’t want to go to school. She would have to see Adrian, and she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to have to deal with all the explanations to her friends, all the questions.

  Slowly, she put on her school clothes and packed her backpack. Then, her feet dragging, she set off. She left later than usual to arrive just as the final bell rang. The last thing she wanted was to run into Sumiko and Chloe at their lockers.

  She cut it a little too close, and had to run to make it to class on time. But she did, making it to her seat just as the bell rang. Out of breath and sweating, she tried to focus on the teacher’s directions.

  Although, what was the point anymore? She didn’t need good grades to work in the bakery. She sighed and got out her book. It was hard to give up the habit of being a good student.

  The day dragged on forever. She kept half looking out for Adrian. She dreaded going to math class because he would be there, and she would have to avoid making eye contact. But he wasn’t in class. Puzzled, she got out her homework. He rarely missed math.

  At lunch she passed by the table for two where she and Adrian usually sat and walked to her old table with Sumiko and Chloe.

  The two girls looked up in surprise.

  “What’s this? You slumming today?” asked Chloe with a grin.

  “Where’s Adrian?” asked Sumiko.

  Elisa slumped into the seat. Refusing to make eye contact, she muttered, “I don’t know. We broke up yesterday.”

  Instantly, she could sense the concern and sympathy that she had so wanted to avoid.

  “Oh, Elisa, I’m sorry.” Sumiko hugged her.

  Chloe’s mouth hung open. “What happened? I thought you two were the perfect couple!”

  “No, it just didn’t work out for us.”

  “But why?” persisted Chloe.

  “I guess…” Elisa said, pausing for a long time as she looked down at her sandwich. Could she ever tell them the truth, that Adrian was secretly the Captain of Tenebras, the most feared man in the school, a gang leader who reputedly had the blood of dozens of people on his hands, a man she had witnessed ordering a cold-blooded killing? No. That was too dangerous a secret to burden Sumiko and Chloe with.

  But despite it all, she was not afraid of Adrian. She never had been. Even though she had heard all the rumors, now, about the Captain of Tenebras and his fearsome deeds, she still had feelings for him. She still longed for him to look at her with affection, to hear his deep voice murmuring that he loved her. Despite all his crimes, despite all the lies, he had truly loved her, in a way that no one had ever loved her before. Tears swam in her eyes at the magnitude of what she had lost, what she had given up. Even though she knew it was the only thing to do.

  “We just wanted different things from the relationship,” she said lamely. Then she stuffed a big bite of cheese sandwich into her mouth so she didn’t have to talk.

  At home that afternoon, her eyes still aching, Elisa listlessly washed her chopping board and plates. She heard a key turning in the lock. Surprised, she let a dish clatter in the sink. Adrian always knocked before he used his key; was he coming back?

  But when the door swung open, she took a step back. It wasn’t Adrian.

  It was Mario Fonseca, his eyes bright and manic, pupils constricted to pinpricks.

  He grinned widely. “Hey, princess, long time no see.”

  “What are you doing in my house?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “Get out at once.”

  He leered at her. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. You see, there’s been a coup in Tenebras. You’re looking at the new Captain.” He stuck his thumbs in his belt loops and smirked.

  “What?” Her jaw dropped. “What happened to—the former Captain?” She wouldn’t call him Adrian in front of this slimeball.

  He shrugged. “Who cares?” He loomed over her. “Anyway, you’re coming with me.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the door.

  “What? Wait!” she cried, trying to dig in her heels and pull away from him.

  With a shrug, he punched her in the face.

  Pain exploded in Elisa’s head. She lost her bala
nce and fell over backward. Her head struck the corner of the coffee table, and everything went woozy.

  Just before her consciousness faded, Mario picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. “Oh yeah, princess, you’re mine now. You’re gonna be my ticket to the big time.”

  29

  Ben

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN I can’t come on the raid?” Ben folded his arms.

  He and Keisha huddled against the school in a vain attempt to escape the icy wind. The bulb over the side door was broken, but in the weak light from a streetlamp, Keisha’s face was grim and stern.

  She glared at him. “You’re a civilian and a high school student. Of course, you can’t come on a police operation!”

  “That hasn’t stopped you before,” Ben pointed out. “You’ve been using us all the time on your operations.”

  Keisha glanced away. “There’s real danger here. No. Leave it to the professionals.”

  Ben balled his fists as she pivoted and left without another word. It was too late for her to get all officious. She’d already crossed too many lines.

  He straightened and trotted home. The wind made his teeth and ears ache, but he scarcely noticed it. Ben slipped inside his house, heading to the back closet where he knew his dad kept a revolver. He was busy in the clinic as usual, and no one saw Ben sneaking into the room. He pulled the gun out of its slot, checked to make sure it was loaded, and tucked it in his waistband. Then he shrugged on a jacket and ran to catch the bus to Schwartz Pharmaceuticals.

  Elisa

  Elisa’s head pounded like the day her mother had slammed her against the toilet tank. Her vision wouldn’t clear. All she could see were bright, fuzzy lights all around her. Fiery pain raged in both of her shoulders.

  She gradually realized she was half lying on a dark green linoleum floor, and her arms were stretched above her head.

  She couldn’t pull them down.

  The memory of Mario attacking in her apartment flooded back. Abruptly realizing she needed to wake up, now, she tugged at her hands again. She couldn’t move them; her wrists hurt. She blinked her eyes and focused.