“It’s a big formal event.” Ryan finally joined in the conversation. “It’s hosted by our families every year so we always have to go whether or not we want to.”
“And I was wondering if you’d come with me.” Kay turned slowly to Gary who in turn refused to look at her.
~~~~
Time had a nasty habit of slowing down when an argument had yet to dissipate. That inevitable calm before the storm hit again that had everyone tightly wound up ready for a blow was grating on all of their nerves.
There as an awkward silence amongst the six of them as they loitered in the living area of the base, conversations trying and failing to bring the mood any higher than dismally grey. Kay tried to hide her curiosity along with the others, knowing better than to voice anything with this tension brewing, as they watched Gary fidget restlessly; his eyes darting to Ryan every so often who sat silent and brooding in the corner. His face stayed resolutely impassive but the aura around him seemed heavy with a pulsing anger.
Kay sighed, her fraying nerves showing through as she gave up on the hesitant approach around the pair. “OK, this all needs to stop, seriously. What the hell are you two hiding?” She put her hand up as they started to protest, her face stonily saying she was having none of it. “OK, OK, I’ll ask a different question then. What are you two arguing about?” She ignored Liam looking up in sheepish curiosity, and Moira’s quick glance before deciding it was much safer to stay out of this particular show.
Gary went to answer, Ryan’s gaze behind Kay the only thing that stopped him. He glared in return, turning to James who was watching with a calculated look, obviously connecting the dots about what was going on. “James, have you come up with anything else for our next assignment?”
James shook his head, pulling out some invitations from his bag, playing with them with a thoughtful air. “Not really. It’s obvious that we need a diversion and there aren’t many we can choose from for this kind of job.”
Gary took another hesitant look over at Ryan, who was still trying to keep a lid on his temper, as a small gasp of understanding echoed from one of the other two. “Exactly, we don’t have many options.”
“Right, this is getting us nowhere fast, I’m still in the dark here.” She looked between Ryan and Gary, her face dark. “So how about just telling me what exactly is going on and letting me figure out whether I should be a part of it.” She let it hang in the air that she had heard more than she’d let on of their conversation upstairs.
Ryan sighed, relaxing slightly when he realised there was no getting out of this now. “We have an assignment that takes place in a week’s time. The job we’ve been given is to rob a hotel while everyone is busy with the big event that is going on upstairs. The event itself is kind of a distraction but relying on that could blow up in our faces. So we need to create a diversion ourselves, or at least have someone in the event there to warn us if anyone gets alerted to our presence.”
Kay could feel what was coming next and didn’t know whether to be apprehensive or excited by the prospect. Were they really offering her a chance to be a part of one of their jobs?
“So, we…” Gary rolled his eyes at the sharp glance he got from Ryan for his wording. “I was hoping that you’d help us with this.” He looked over at her briefly. “After all, it’s much less suspicious to have a dance partner than to go alone to a formal event like this.”
Chapter: 5. Reflection
A reflection in glass can be bleached of colour.
The situations completely different.
The places the same.
If Kay had been told when she first met the other guy that she’d be going to the most talked about event of the year, she would have laughed in their faces.
As it was, a week after being asked to join them for the festivities, she still felt highly self-conscious of the fact that she was so very below par for such an event.
“A-are you sure I look OK?” Kay shouted from the top of the stairs, walking out of the room that she’d been getting dressed in. She walked down the stairs, waiting for an answer that never came. She was still slightly perturbed at them meeting there of all places just before this big occasion but she thought better than to question it; asking hadn’t helped in the past. The group seemed to be less inclined to talk about their home lives and families so after a while she’d just stopped prying. She walked down the last few stairs, tense at the silence ebbing over her from the others. She pulled up the skirt slightly so that she didn’t trip over it as she made the last step, glad that whoever it was out of them, she assumed Moira, that had chosen the outfit hadn’t decided that she needed to be a few inches taller with the dress trailing the floor like it did. The thought of tripping and ripping a dress that felt like it was worth more than a few months’ pay checks, was just one of the possible scenarios that had come to mind in the last week. She gave an awkward twirl at the bottom, the black dress’s skirt spinning with her as she played with the small dark red flowers that fanned up its right side. “Well? You’re all a bit quiet to be honest. It’s not very comforting.” She looked sheepishly up at the five in front of her, an odd feeling of envy at the way they held themselves as if it this was an everyday occasion.
“Y-you look great.” Gary grinned out of his shock at her.
She rested her hands on her hips, her eyes disbelievingly. “Now why don’t I believe that?”
“Because you’re being difficult.” He held out his arm to her. She took a second to appreciate the white suit adorning him, the red accents complimenting her own outfit though she couldn’t tell in that moment. “And you’re nervous. You shouldn’t be. You look fine.”
Kay rolled her eyes and took his arm. “Fine, but if I get funny looks at this party I blame you entirely.”
The others chuckled discreetly behind them as the couple jokingly bickered, neither of them noticing that they were watching fondly.
~~~~
What happened next was a week of preparation. A week of going over and over the plan, changing pieces here and there until they all had it down, satisfied that they could pull this latest assignment off.
Now the start of robbery was finally upon them.
Kay licked her lips as she walked down the stairs, adrenaline pumping through her as she realised exactly what she was doing. She tried her best not to slip down the stairs, glad that no one had tried to make her wear high heels otherwise she would have already stumbled and probably toppled down head first. Not the best way to show that you were up for what might be the biggest take of the year. She had at first wondered why she was even needed, but it had become clear that although they would all enter, the others would be slipping away leaving only her and Gary as the lookouts; and if needed, as the distractions. She looked up at the overly dressed group in front of her as she got to the bottom and did a slow twirl, the white dress slipping around her before her hand went nervously to the embroidery of red flowers. The outfit felt heavy but in a good way, grounding her. “What do you think?”
“Perfect.” Gary smirked slightly, looking her up and down without a hint of subtlety.
Kay fidgeted slightly, glaring at him teasingly, before noticing Ryan’s gaze on her. She sighed. “What is it, Ryan?”
“I still can’t believe you agreed to do this.”
She rolled her eyes, trying to dispel her nervousness unsuccessfully and ended up shaking her head instead in defeat at him. “Can we not do this, please, Ryan? I’m nervous enough as it is without you joining in.”
“Sorry.”
Gary glared over his shoulder for a second as he hooked her arm through his and led her out the door before turning back to her and encouraging her as they left.
Sometimes our reflections show us things about ourselves that we really wish we didn’t have to see.
Kay stared out of the dark window, her eyes unfocused between the city view and the reflection of herself and the room behind her. The hotel’s conference room had an outside wall of com
plete glass that was one of the reasons the hotel had been chosen to host in the first place. A slight frown marred her face, something about the reflection of the room seeming off but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was exactly. She tried to ignore it, zoning back out again; liking the fact that the reflection on her black dress made it look like it was made of the city lights outside. It was why she had stopped and stood there in the first place but that nagging feeling in her head kept forcing itself to the surface no matter how much she tried to crush it. She jumped as she felt someone put a drink in her hand, glad that they steadied it so that she didn’t spill it in her moment of clumsiness.
“Didn’t we tell you, you looked absolutely fine?” Gary smiled reassuringly at her before taking a sip of his drink.
Kay pouted. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She looked around the room. “Where are the others anyway?”
Gary shrugged. “Who knows? Ryan said something about him and Liam going somewhere with less prying eyes and James and Moira got bored of the entire affair and decided to go out for some air.”
Kay laughed. “They don’t like this kind of thing then I take it?”
He smiled back, glad she had relaxed a bit. “No.”
“And you?”
“Not usually.” He held out his hand, putting both their drinks down on a nearby table. “So…are we going to dance?”
Kay’s eyes widened, worried at the shift. “I can’t dance, you know. I told you that when you first asked me to come.”
Gary, still smiling, pulled her towards the dance floor without any hint of worry. “And? You’re beautiful, that’s all they’ll be talking about when this is all over.”
Kay gave a huff of contempt. “Unless, oh, I don’t know, I fall over and smack my face on the ground? Or take you down with me. Oh god, that’s even wors-”
Gary laughed, cutting off her panicked mutterings before they could go too far. “You’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll make sure you don’t fall over.”
Kay grimaced as she was led out on to the dance floor but it didn’t take long before her nerves slipped away and she began to just enjoy herself. She’d almost forgotten the fact that people were watching when she stumbled; but the anxious pangs had lessened by that point. It didn’t matter; because Gary was there to steady her and stop her falling just like he’d promised.
They danced for a while, the songs becoming slower as the evening went on until they weren’t really dancing anymore, just swaying. It was then that Kay caught sight of her reflection again as she rested her head on his shoulder and finally saw what it was that made her uncomfortable.
~~~~
Kay stood nervously at the window, trying to make sure she didn’t look suspicious, which in turn she realised probably made her look even more so. She sighed, looking away from her own reflection and staring out into the night instead, something about her reflection making her feel uneasy. Like her reflection knew she wasn’t meant to be here and that she was crazy for doing this. Her eyes made contact with Gary’s in the glass as he walked back towards her and gave her her drink.
“You’re not exactly being inconspicuous, you know?” He smirked down at her, taking a sip and acting completely nonchalant. She envied the way he could slip into this scene without anyone noticing.
Kay mock pouted, trying to relieve some of her nervousness with banter. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be inconspicuous. What with us needing to be ready to be a distraction and all.”
“True.” Gary smiled and moved to put the drinks down, giving Kay a view of the small headset he had on but she only saw it because she knew it was there. That was what she kept telling herself anyway, suddenly more conscious of the small device in her own ear and whether it was visible. “We should put on a show for them, don’t you think?” He held out his hand for her to take.
Kay flushed at the thought. “Your plan will fall through if we try. I can’t dance to save my life.”
He laughed, not at all perturbed by her response. “And? It’s not like all the people here are the best dancers. They’re all just rich people who come to these events to gossip…and we’ll just give them something to gossip about.” He took her hand and led her on to the dance floor, amused by the small grimace she wore.
It didn’t take long for Kay to forget everything and just enjoy herself, though every so often she would remember what they were doing here as Gary looked around the room to check on security. Even with him leaning in close and pointed out to her that the guests were none the wiser and were watching them closely, trying to figure out who the newcomers were that were stealing the show, the entire act for some reason made her feel sad. She knew that this was his job; that he couldn’t let loose in this situation without putting the other members of the group in danger but she wondered if they ever stopped working. The thought of putting them in danger by not paying attention would sober her mood immediately. It was in these moments that she would stumble or mess up the steps but Gary was always there to catch her or encourage her and she didn’t know whether that made the situation better or worse.
She felt like more of a hindrance than she had ever felt before.
~~~~
It was a while later before both heard the news that they’d been waiting for but they tried to act as they had been before and continued the dance. Luckily the music had gotten slower and it seemed less suspicious for them to be having a conversation whilst swaying to the beat.
“How did it go?” Gary whispered into the headset, pulling Kay closer to seem like he was whispering to her, glancing up subtly to make sure no one else was near enough to hear while he did so.
It was Ryan who replied. “We’re all set here. We’re just leaving the building, no-ones stopped us yet.”
“Good, we’ll meet up with you in a bit so that it doesn’t seem suspicious that we’re leaving at the same time.”
“OK...and Gary?” Ryan’s voice paused for a second before continuing as if it was hard to say. “Much as I hate to admit it, this was a good plan. You’ll have to tell me how you came up with it later, we’ve been having trouble with this assignment for weeks-”
Kay stopped listening at that moment, her eyes widening as she stared at herself in the glass, realisation suddenly hitting her.
Reflecting on our own actions can be painful.
A sudden bubble of realisation - the situation you had gotten yourself into; what could have happened if you had just thought things through.
“Kay? Are you OK?” Gary stopped moving, looked down at the girl who had pushed herself partially away from him, her hands grasping his upper arms to keep him there.
“We’re being stared at.” Kay kept her gaze to the floor, trying to ignore how the whispers rose around them, the stares more pronounced as they stilled in the middle of the dance floor.
Gary blinked owlishly at her, taking a few seconds to process what she meant before looking round, slightly annoyed. “I wouldn’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing.” He smiled down at her when she looked up, though it was slightly strained. “They might just be complimenting us, you know? Whispering isn’t always a bad thing.”
Kay sighed, knowing the difference. The whispering may sound the same but the looks were another matter. “They’re not and you know it. I-I’m not really welcome here, am I?” She bit her lip, finally taking everything in. Gary’s family was rich; the friends she had made had rich enough families that they were invited to these types of event all the time and didn’t even bat an eyelid at coming to one unannounced. And what exactly was she against all that? A girl who lived on her own and worked a minimum wage job 9-5 to get by. She looked down at herself, suddenly self-conscious. The dress caught her attention again, the heavy thread drawing her down; how much must all of it have cost? She’d thought about it before but none of them would tell her. Half answers of ‘not that much’. But really what was their ‘not much’ compared to hers? She shivered slightly at the thought before looking back at Gary in his white s
uit; feeling like a stain against him. She wasn’t good enough for this.
“Kay? Kay, listen to me. Please?” He looked frantic, which only hurt her more.
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t…” She pushed away from him. “This isn’t right.” She bit her lip and ran, ignoring the now even more audible mutterings and Gary’s voice ringing behind her.
A few minutes later, Gary stood by the window right where she had stood earlier, their drinks still left discarded. He gave a soft sigh, talking to his reflection. “Well, this wasn’t what was meant to happen.”
~~~~
Kay stiffened and pulled away slightly from Gary, wondering just what she was doing there at that moment.
“Hey? What’s up? You’re making people stare.” Gary looked around as she stared at the ground, her mind chewing through the newest information it had been given.
“And? That’s what they’re meant to be doing, isn’t it?” Kay continued to stare at the floor, her voice bitter. She tried to put the thoughts away to ponder through later, tried to force herself to act normal. But no matter how much she told herself that the whispers around them were people getting suspicious she couldn’t stop herself pulling away from the act. She felt betrayed.
Gary grit his teeth, looking around again, a frown marring his features. “I don’t understand, what’s up?” He tried to encourage her with a smile, his heart thudding at them falling at the last hurdle. But the thoughts of failure disappeared when she looked up at him, his smile dwindling at the pained look on her face.
Kay sighed. “How long have you had this assignment, Gary?” She counted her breaths as his eyes widened, biting her lip to help keep the tears back, when he caught her drift and confirmed her suspicions. “You knew before we met, didn’t you? Was I just part of this plan all along?” She looked down at the floor again, not knowing if she really wanted to hear the answer. She picked at the dress’s embroidery again, feeling slightly nauseous as she wondered where they had got the dress from. She shivered, the red flowers blossoming to blood stains before her eyes, her hand darting away from it, almost scared it would transfer onto her skin. What was she doing here? She had just been an accomplice in a crime and for what? The adrenaline that she had been feeling, the excitement she had wanted revealed itself for what it was; stupid and reckless and now she just wanted to run from it all.
Mirror Land Page 4