Prologue
“Stay away!”
“Bu-”
“Your a monster.”
Her ‘friends’ started backing way before turning and running in the opposite direction. She could feel herself getting dizzy before she heard leaves crunching behind her, “Those bastards got aw-”
“Am- am I a monster?” she cut him off before he could finish. The look in her eyes was almost unbearable for him.
His eyes grew wide anger and worry taking over, “Tell me what happened!”
“Shouldn’t you be on vacation with mom and dad?” his sister deadpanned.
“I’ve run away.” he replied draping his body across the back of the couch.
“Why?”
“Well I don’t know…” he sighs getting a little frustrated, “maybe because I’m a hacker and dad wants me to arrest… well… me.”
“Oh. Ok. So you’re done playing double agent. I see how it is.”
“What do you mean no?!”
“I don’t want you to be apart of that life.”
“Well, I want to be!”
“This is exactly why we don’t talk to my parents!”
“This is why I see them!” Her anger only seemed to grow the more he told her no. “Why don’t you ever listen to what I want?”
“Because you’re a stupid child that doesn’t know anything!”
Tears fill her eyes, “then let me learn so I’m not so stupid!” She screams before running to her bedroom and slamming the door.
“I mean come on! Di-” their voices drown out as she looks out at the drops hitting the glass and the scenery rushes by. Is gossip seriously all we know? What if I don’t want to talk about what Tiffany said? What if I like reading instead of makeup? What if I don’t like that boy or maybe I do, who cares? Why is this our life?
“Are you guys getting this?”
“You want us to show people who’s in control?”
“Yes.”
“How about clips?”
“That could work…”
“Well I know what I’m going with, do all of you?”
“You know that’s not how this game works, right?!” She laughs at her brother when he draws another card.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… you’re supposed to get rid of all your cards not collect them!” She places one more card down before shouting uno.
Her brother lets out a groan of defeat, already knowing that she was going to win.
“Yo sis!” A voice comes from the hall, “dad wants to talk to you about the throne!”
The girl looks to her brother, who in return pulls out a large scythe from God knows where. “Remember… I can only hide you for so long.”
“Understood.” They nod to each other before she goes through the large black void of nothingness.
It was like they couldn’t get away fast enough. Mother said they would come back for me, but deep down I knew they wouldn’t.
“They still could.”
“Wolves don’t just abandon their pups, Tony.”
She could feel the hundred or so eyes staring at her from the audience as she was praised and handed yet another award.
She tuned their words out as she had already heard them a hundred times before.
Mentally preparing herself for the verbal beating she’s sure to receive from the other children tomorrow…
Why is being a nerd so hard?
“So are you going to talk to her or what?”
“What do you think?”
“You know, if you don’t talk to her then she’ll never notice you, right?”
The brothers load their guns in sync, “I agree with your brother, sweetheart.” Their mother’s voice called from the kitchen, “If you like her then you need to man up and tell her.
“How do you think I met your father, hm?”
“But do you think she’s okay?”
“I don’t see why we would interfere with her.” he looked at the woman, “maybe that’s just what she likes. It isn’t that out of character for her.”
“Yes, but what if it’s a cry for help.”
“Wouldn’t that be considered a cry for attention in you’re society.”
“Well, I suppose…” his eyes widened, “what did you mean by, ‘you’re society’? That seems like a strange choice of words…”
“Y-you teachers who don’t listen. Students ask for help all the time and teachers who claim to be there for them aren’t because the student quote on quote ‘just wants attention’.” a terrible cover-up, but it should work…
“I do suppose you are right, did they teach you that in college?”
“Oh no, I was just a teenager once upon a time.”
The only sound he could hear was the rapid beating of his heart and his own ragged breathing. “Okay breath in and out just like your training.” she did always say that the first kill is always the hardest.
He looked back at the man tied to the office chair. He looked so peaceful, it’s almost too bad that he had to disrupt it. A slight vibration came from his pocket and he assumed it was his mother checking up on how he was doing. Touching the earpiece he expected to hear a woman’s voice, but instead he heard a man’s.
“Hey man, I’m bored. You want to come over to my place and hang out?” of course it’s Nemo! It’s always Nemo!
“Well I’m a little busy at this very moment, maybe I can tomorrow,” Mr. Howard began to stir, “I can ask my dad when I get home my mom is on a mission.” Howard’s eyes opened only for him to realize that he wasn’t going anywhere.
“K, just let me know what time so I know when to kick my sister out.”
“Why can’t she be there?”
“I dunno, maybe because she doesn’t know what you’re family does for a living.”
“Why don’t you just tell her then?” the man’s eyes fell on him, “I feel like that would be easier.”
“Because I like living thank you very much.” Mr. Howard started to attempt to scream and try to escape when he realized what was going on.
“Fine! I’ll tell her next week and you can act like you didn’t know,” Mr. Howard fell over from all of his struggling, “I mean, I’ve barely even been on one job.” he looked over at the still struggling man on the floor, “speaking of which, I have to go. I’ll text you later.”
“K man, see you later.”
“You too.” the boys hung up and he turned to his target. “Sorry that took so long.” he said simply before shooting Mr. Howard between the eyes, “but… you know what? It doesn’t even matter.”
Secrets brought people from different worlds together, but they could do so much more.
