by Elodie Colt
I watched the monitors as Jimmy and Scott entered a black van with tinted windows waiting for them near the northern entrance. Cassie got into a city car that stood at the southern entrance. Both cars sped away, and I kept track of them on the screens.
Cassie parked her car near one of the back doors of the shopping center. By now, she wasn’t recognizable anymore with sharp-cut cheekbones and a sleek red bob.
Scott stopped at a crossing, and Jimmy stepped out to make his way to Bryceland’s apartment. When he got there, he rang the bell and waited. A few seconds later, Bryceland opened the door, a suitcase in her hands. She nodded to something Jimmy said and shut the door behind her.
“Her eyes are not flashing,” Phil observed after zooming in on her face.
“She’s probably wearing contacts again,” I mused while keeping my focus on the flickering images on the monitors.
“Hmm, I somehow thought she’d look different,” Phil mumbled, and I shot him an annoyed look.
“What?” We were sitting here together for barely thirty minutes, but Phil already managed to test my patience.
“Well, I don’t know.” Phil shrugged. “I just thought a Natural would look different.”
“Just because she has abilities we don’t have, doesn’t mean she looks any different,” I snapped back.
“I know. She just looks so young. It’s crazy that someone her age has so much power. How old is she, anyway?”
“I don’t know, but I’d guess something over twenty.”
I would need to ask Jimmy about her age. If she were anywhere near twenty-five, we’d have to get her ready for the Awakening, but I prayed there was still more time for that. In all my lifetime, no Natural had survived long enough to get through the process—sad but true. I had to make sure things would run differently this time even if it meant acting against my inner self.
I watched Jimmy walk with the girl beside him down the street. After a few seconds, Jimmy laughed wholeheartedly. It was easy to see how fond he was of the girl and not just for the obvious biological reasons. Jimmy would give his life for her, I knew that damn well.
A scarf was wrapped around her neck. It was a rather warm day, so I assumed she was hiding the bruises underneath. For a tiny moment, a pang of guilt lashed at me, but I quickly swallowed it down. They got into Scott’s car, drove toward the shopping center, and entered the building.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. I propped my feet on the table and clamped a cigarette in between my lips before lighting it. Phil shot me a puzzled look.
“Are you allowed to smoke in here?”
What a stupid question. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to smoke in here, but I didn’t give a shit as long as Jimmy wasn’t here.
I blew the smoke out of my lungs in little puffs. “Are you allowed to sleep during surveillance duty?” I threw back at him. He winced slightly and remained silent.
A few minutes later, red flashed on the screen signaling an incoming call from Jimmy. Phil pushed a button on his headset.
“Yes? All right, I’ll keep a close eye on that,” Phil answered to something Jimmy had said and ended the call. “Jimmy turned her over to Cassie. The scouts informed him he was being observed by two Watchers who just invaded the building. He’s going to sneak out through another exit leading to the subway station. Cassie and Haylie will come out soon.”
Phil zoomed in on the spot where the girls would exit the building. A few minutes later, the door opened, and two figures emerged.
If I hadn’t seen Cassie’s outfit earlier, I’d never have guessed who she was, or the girl beside her for that matter. Bryceland wore a long-haired wig, a plain black trench coat, and big sunglasses. And she played her part well with her chin held high and purposeful strides. She looked like one of those cold-blooded dominatrices who pierced your balls with the heels of her shoes. The two of them could be mistaken for a female killer duo, although chances were high they’d rather kill each other.
Another signal flashed—Scott was calling.
“Scott? Yes, everything’s clear so far, see you in a few,” Phil replied and reported again to me. “The Hunters are still searching the building for them. The plan worked.”
“They’re outnumbered. They lost too many good players in the last battles.” I was glad everything had worked out fine so far. It wouldn’t sit well with me if someone got hurt again because of her.
“Do you think Cassie can be trusted with this? She’s not very fond of her,” Phil pointed out.
A grin formed on my face picturing the two of them together. “I don’t have a doubt that Bryceland will have a hard time around her. She better learn how to handle Cassie. We all had to go through that one. Cassie’s fond of no one. She hates other people on principle.”
“She’s fond of you,” Phil muttered, and I swear there was an underlying tone of jealousy.
I refrained from huffing a laugh. Not that I wouldn’t want for Phil to find the love of his life, but Cassie would most certainly squash him in the blink of an eye. Granted, the boy annoyed me sometimes, but I didn’t wish for him to get into Cassie’s claws.
Another fifteen minutes later, the cameras informed us of Jimmy and Scott’s return.
“Couldn’t have gone any better,” Jimmy exclaimed as soon as he entered the control room. “Phil, please call Chris and the rest. I want all of us gathered in the meeting room when our girl arrives.”
Good thing I was glued to this office chair due to my shift, so I wouldn’t have to welcome her. As far as I was concerned, we were already well acquainted…
“There they are,” Phil mumbled when the cameras zoomed in on the two women coming from the other entrance. I could see Bryceland shooting Cassie an annoyed look. Oh yeah, they’ll certainly become best friends.
Phil put his headset on the desk and stood up.
“Hey, good job, man,” I complimented, and he looked down at me in surprise. I gave him a fist-pump causing Phil to grin from one ear to the other before he followed the rest of the group into the meeting room.
I don’t know what I’d expected but definitely not this. Dozens of broad hallways led in every direction supported by massive stone pillars looming high and wide. I already lost orientation after three turns.
Every few minutes, rumbling and whistling sounds echoed through the vast space. If the noises were anything to go by, a subway station was somewhere in the maze of underground tunnels. Finally, the hallway we were crossing widened and led into a huge area.
Blue mats were scattered in the middle with dozens of people fighting on them—most of them just teenagers. I instantly recognized their appion flashing eyes.
A few older ones were commanding them to do this and that or showing them fighting techniques. We passed a hall where people were throwing knives at dummies. Another hall was packed with fitness equipment from top to bottom, and I could hear grunts and gasps of exhaustion as barbells were lifted.
I jumped to the side to make way for a young boy rushing forward carrying a laughing girl on his back. The boy was so fast he nearly blurred, just like I’d seen Jimmy move. The group surrounding the two cheered them on clearly having fun.
“Could you get your ass into motion a little faster? You’ll be in training classes soon enough and trust me, no one will go easy on you,” Cassie snapped.
“It’s always nice to meet a sunshine like you,” I muttered sarcastically and earned a hostile glare from Cassie. Well, at least I assumed it was a hostile glare as she still wore her sunglasses.
I figured she could have been classified as beautiful if she wasn’t sporting that frown all the time making her look as if she’d swallowed a sour lemon. Her hair was shiny, her skin flawless, and her limbs long and elegant. The way she put one foot deliberately in front of the other emanated dominance. Cassie was surely one to turn heads. Maybe also one to crack balls.
After we crossed the wide space, we walked down another aisle and ascended steps to a higher level. Cassie
stopped in front of massive glass doors, opened them, and stepped through.
She left the door open for me to follow, and I found myself in what looked like a meeting room. In the middle was a large glass table with a few laptops on top and a dozen seats surrounding it. Two monitors hung on the wall probably used for occasional conference calls. A huge glass wall on the other side showed the room behind which was filled with lots of technical equipment—I suspected it was an office or control room.
And too many appion eyes were staring back at me—each flashing with the Flare. One by one. Shit.
“Haylie. I’m glad you’re finally here. Welcome to our home.” Jimmy’s grin spread wide as he greeted me. He put a hand on my shoulder and gestured with the other in the direction of the people focused on me. A few seconds of awkward silence passed, and I felt the need to break it.
“Hi,” I mumbled shyly. I somehow expected them to burst into laughter, but the opposite was the case. A small girl with chestnut brown hair, a feathered walk, and a lovely face bounced toward me. I immediately recognized her as Sarah.
“Hi, Haylie. Took you long enough to come here.” Sarah’s smile turned down when her eyes caught mine. “Why are you wearing contacts?” She seemed to be disappointed not to get a glimpse of my real eye color, although she’d already seen it before.
Jimmy snorted behind me. “Told you it was no use.”
“It just feels safer,” I explained in a hushed tone.
“I stole the camouflage tactic from you, and it was working well,” Jimmy told me proudly while Sarah removed my black wig. At least she was a lot gentler than Cassie.
“How do you know for sure?” I asked taking off the coat.
“We’ve got recordings. They swallowed our pill and followed us to the shopping center, but then they lost our trace. No need to worry.” He smiled and then clapped his hands. “All right, let me introduce you to my team. You already know Sarah Porter.” The girl gave me a bright smile.
“The one who brought you here is Cassie Steward. You’re already acquainted,” he pointed to the blonde woman in the back who didn’t bother to look up while focusing on nothing in particular. Yeah, I’m sure we’ll become BFFs. Not.
“This young man here is Phil Woodley.” A guy with boyish features and mousy brown hair, probably barely eighteen, grinned back at me, and I took his hand in greeting.
“Our dreadlock here is Scott Blake,” Jimmy continued, and I instantly understood how he got his nickname.
Scott looked like one of these surfer boys with tanned skin and sun-bleached blond felted strands framing his face. A few were pimped with wooden pearls and leather straps. His smile was easy, and if his glassy red eyes and the laziness with which he strolled over to me were anything to go by, I’d say he was pretty stoned.
When he shook my hand, he suddenly leaned in and started to sniff. I was too stunned to do anything, afraid he’d bite into my neck any second.
“Honey, vanilla,” he muttered more to himself. I glanced at Jimmy for help, but he just made this motion with his hand telling me something like ‘keep cool and let him.’ “Orchid, lotus, jasmine,” Scott continued as his nose trailed to my shoulder. “Patchouli and… bergamot.”
What the hell? He finally leaned back, eyes strained close. His hand was still in mine, and I watched him exhale slowly before his eyes flashed open again. They swirled with fascination and… hunger? Not the sexual kind, I was sure, but still, it made me slightly uneasy.
“Skip the perfume, honey, there’s no need for it,” he whispered so only I could hear him. I was still shocked into silence when he leisurely slid his hand from mine and walked back to his seat.
“All right,” Jimmy announced, bringing me back to the introductions. “Mister Handsome over there is Chris Howe.”
I turned to see an attractive guy jump off a desk and stroll over to me. His thick blond hair was bright and messy, flopping over his eyes in a sexy way. He combed his unruly hair back as he gave me a coy smile. Gathering from his good looks, he could have passed as a testimonial for a perfume commercial.
“Nice to meet you,” he drawled in a voice like melting honey making my heart pump faster. I was ninety-nine percent sure he was flirting with me. The way his gaze penetrated me, eyes roaming quickly between mine, let heat spread over my cheeks. He must have noticed because one corner of his lips lifted ever so slightly before he released me from his charm.
“And then there’s me, Jimmy Cornell, owner and leader of this compound.” I nodded, pretty sure I’d forget all the names within the next few minutes.
“Ah yes, and Grumpy Cat in the other room over there is Dylan Dwight. You already made his acquaintance,” Jimmy growled, and all heads moved to stare at the man sitting in the other room opposite the glass panel.
I hadn’t noticed him before—he was well hidden in the shadows. He reclined in an office chair, legs on the desk, an energy drink in his hand, looking as if nothing in the world would bother him. As soon as Jimmy introduced him, his head snapped in my direction. His gaze was intense with a mixture of loathing and curiousness. The feeling of intimidation crawled back, but I didn’t back down this time and gave him my most challenging glare.
I wasn’t surprised he wasn’t welcoming me. Not that he needed to—we already knew each other. He’d made it pretty clear what he thought about us and any social interaction. I didn’t know if he could listen in on our conversation in this room, but the cameras in the corners indicated that everything was being monitored.
Jimmy cleared his throat to ease the tension, and I turned back to all the new eyes still glued to me. I automatically lifted my hand to draw my hood over my face but remembered I wasn’t wearing a hoodie today. Damn, I’d love to hide behind one right now.
“All right. How about I show you to your room so you can rest, and you’ll get to see the rest of the compound tomorrow?” Jimmy suggested, and I nodded in relief, eager to get out of here.
I followed him out of the meeting room with the strange notion that Dylan was still watching my every move. I couldn’t blame him. He probably thought I would assassinate them any second.
We ascended more stairs and stopped in front of the first door of five in a row.
“Here we are. If you need anything, here’s my number. You can call me day or night, all right?” He offered me his card, and I took it gratefully. “Rest well,” he wished before stepping around me and leaving me alone.
I stepped inside the room and wasn’t surprised to find my bag on the bed in front of me. Taking a step forward, I took in what would be my personal space from now on.
The room was small but provided enough storage for my stuff. As we were underground, there were no windows letting in any light. Instead, LED lamps hidden under the bed, on top of the closet, and behind the milky glass panels decorating the walls lit up the room, dimmed to radiate a warm and comforting glow. Everything was dotted with shades of brown, cream, and beige. A separate bathroom was to my right.
I puffed out some air, exhaustion getting the better of me. I flopped back on the bed with questions and doubts regarding my future troubling my mind.
Future.
Funny because the concept of ‘future’ needed a purpose or goal to transform into its truthful meaning. Something I didn’t have for a long time. Was a future awaiting me here? Was there a possibility I would find happiness? Peace?
The questions were swirling in my tired head until mixing into absurd dreams as sleep pulled me under.
When the girls arrived, the first thing I noticed was the grimace plastered on Cassie’s face as she strode over to an empty chair. Cassie wasn’t so stupid as to go against Jimmy’s orders and lay a finger on our newfound treasure, but if she felt provoked, she tended to lose all sense of good and bad. I would need to keep an eye on that.
My thoughts were instantly interrupted by the tall female figure trailing in behind Cassie still wearing the fashionable outfit that had been forced upon her. As soon as the d
oor closed behind her, Sarah scurried forward and removed her wig.
A pang hit me when I took her in. She looked different. No, maybe she didn’t look different, but I clearly hadn’t paid her the attention she deserved the night before. Focusing on hate and revenge had blindfolded me.
I would have liked to say she was pretty, but that would have been a clear-cut understatement. Sarah could be classified as pretty with her sweet round face and rosy cheeks. The bartender, Lauren, could be classified as pretty with her exotic heritage and ebony hair.
But this girl standing at the opposite side of the glass radiated a one-of-a-kind beauty unmatched by any woman existing—a beauty that wasn’t just a product of her pretty face, but a combination of her long, lithe limbs, shiny hair, and graceful movements. Long, thick black lashes framed big eyes. A set of full round lips colored a natural, yet lush, crimson were slightly parted over shiny white teeth. A splash of tiny freckles dotted her nose. Her hair was messily pulled back and kept in place by a clip. Dark brown strands, streaked with shades of gold and copper, framed her delicate cheeks. The bun looked voluminous, and I wondered how long her hair was if it hung loose.
But what caught most of my attention was her glistening golden skin. I remembered Jenna’s skin having the same sort of luminance, like a barely visible aura that seemed to surround Naturals. Jenna’s had been white and creamy like a porcelain doll captured in the pale moonlight, whereas Bryceland’s complexion gave you the imagination of a bright shade of caramel coating her skin.
I tried my best not to stare, although I’d probably already failed. Beauty, right proportions, and perfectly symmetrical features were common amongst Roes, especially amongst Naturals. I shouldn’t be affected by that anymore, yet I was. Clearly. Unfortunately, she was concealing the part I was most curious about—her eyes.
The smile she gave Sarah was radiant and lighthearted, and the complete opposite from the fake ones usually plastered on Cassie’s face.
I was grateful for Sarah. I knew she was in desperate need of a ‘girly-friend’ with all the testosterone constantly surrounding her, and she certainly hadn’t found that in Cassie. Bryceland and Sarah had saved each other’s lives which seemed to form a deeper bond. I hoped for Sarah to find the friend she was looking for, and Bryceland would need a friend, too. She already had too many enemies—one of them being me.