章 15: HIDE THE TRUTH
The boy's first-person point of view:
I had just woken up when something was off. I just laid still for a while, staring at the ceiling. I could barely move my body. All the hits I took last night! I felt all of them. My head was the closest to movement I could get to. I look to my right, there was a woman. She had a dark robe on. I tried so hard to say something. No words came out. Was I dreaming or was this real? No telling what she was up to. She looked like she was in a hurry. As if, something or someone contacted her. I was trained to tell by body movement. I don't remember who taught me that. Could I trust this woman? There's only one way to find out!"
I finally cleared my throat and asked, "Are you taking care of me?" Her response was, "Yes, thank goodness you're alive!" She said without turning around. "Why do you hide?" I asked. "Why aren't you hiding!?" She asked in a mother's tone of anger.
"What do you mean?" I asked. At this point, I was confused. "You know who you are and you choose not to hide from him!?" "Who are you talking about? Who's him that you speak of?" Your parents have put you in a very dangerous situation!"
"Situation!?" "Yes, I can't believe you don't know what you're capable of! Do you have any idea who you are?" "No. I don't even know if Angel is my real name."
"I know your real name." "Really!? What is it?" Before she had time to answer my question, I heard her phone ring. The ringtone was the sound of an urgent need or emergency. She took the call without answering my question. I overheard some things she said on the line.
The only audible dialogue I heard was: "Right now? I can't... I have to... Yes, yes, I understand but... Alright! Just give me four min... Fine! I'm on my way! Don't even think about... Okay... Bye."
"Heading somewhere?" I asked nicely. She said, "Yeah, something came up. I got to go. I've made food for you. Oh! One more thing... tell Grieve not to scare me ever again." I blanked out for a while and thought, "How does she know who Grieve is?"
Afterward, I came to the conclusion that... She might be... working for him! Once all my thoughts were in place, the woman had already left. Never revealing her true identity to me.
Third person:
Lorain had to meet up with Sherrie and Lexie at a far away coffee shop. Lorain had walked six miles. She then got a cab to drive four miles and ran through a subway tunnel. It was a shortcut that would take two miles.
Once out of the subway, she walked the last two miles and found the girls waiting for her. They were casually looking out the window without causing suspicion.
Lorain took off the hood of her robe when entering. She walked towards the table where they would all have to agree on a plan.
A secret plan to get to the boy. (Sherrie and Lexie are unaware that Lorain knows where the boy is headed). Finally, Lorain sat down to talk. "What are the benefits of this plan?" She asks. "You get to kill him for taking away your daughter!" Lexie said.
"Good! What else?" Sherrie responds with, "You will be certified by my account to join the FBI along with the CSI department. In order to find more people as dangerous as him!" "I use to be a really good mother. Especially for Lucy. But now, my mentality is changing. Let's get after him!"
Lexie heard how the name Lucy sounded familiar. She remembered how Lucy was burned completely by the intense heat of the fire. "Wait!" Sherrie responds quickly to Lorain.
She continues, "This will take time and days. Maybe even weeks of planning!" Lexie says to Lorain, "Look, we need you for this whole plan to work! If everything goes well, we'll be free from everything."
"And we'll be able to find my daughter?" Lorain asks. "I... Don't know. M... Maybe," Lexie said with guilt. "You know, I must be missing my daughter because you look like Lucy to me."
"I'm sorry mam, but my name is Lexie." "No, I mean you have my daughter's eyes." "Thank you, mam, but we must really get going on this. We really don't have that much-"
"May I hug you, child?" "Sorry, mam. I don't do hugs." "Such a stubborn child. That's what makes you cute." "Whatever." "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Lorain asks while smiling. Lexie said, "I'm not focused on that right now." "Do you have a little crush on anybody?"
"No!" Lexie said while extending the -O. Her voiced changed to a higher and embarrassing pitch. "We're not safe here!" Sherrie said. She continues, "So are you in!?" "Yes, let's take him down!" Sherrie looks at Lorain and gives her a signal with her eyes to follow her.
They get out of their seats and head to the restroom leaving Lexie all alone. Lexie contacts Angel through her earpiece, "Angel, you there? Copy." "Yes, I'm here," Angel responds quickly. He continues, "What's going on?" "I'm in a bit of a mix-up." "Mix up?"
"I need you to tell me where you at." "I somehow made it back to Nana's house." "Your grandmother's house?" "No, Joyce's grandmother's house." "She has a grandma?" "Well, she's not present right now." "Good, no witnesses." "What are you talking about Lexie?"
"Don't worry Angel. I'll come to find you," she says as she grins. "This plan is going better than I thought," she whispers to herself. "Lexie!" Angel shouts through the earpiece. "Yes?" "I think I found someone who might be working for Grieve. "Really!? Who!?" Lexie asks with surprise.
"I couldn't see her face. She only had a dark robe like cloak. Possibly a woman. If you see her, don't trust her." "Are you sure about all of this Angel?" "Well, she told me that she knows who—" "Angel!? Angel! She knows who....?" Lexie had been cut off.
Grieve then enters the coffee shop. "Hello, Lexie," he says. "What now?" "Is Lorain in?" "Yes, she's in all right." "Good." "Why do you need her again?" She was the closest to where Angel was. Since she would miss her daughter, she would most likely pick up another child."
"Which means she would pick up Angel!" Lexie replied in shock. "Yes, exactly! Now she'll lead us directly to him." "What if he rejects?" "I play my game fair. Well, in some cases. I'll just ruin his chance every time he rejects. He better not get to one. Remember, he only has nine chances left!"
Grieve paused for a while and looked at Lexie. It looked as if he had a certain thought in mind. He says, "Lexie, I want you to be a distraction to him. I'm a use you as bait. He might just have a crush on you." "Please, how would you know if he did or didn't?"
"Oh, I know how him very well. For him to like someone, it had to be a girl with a certain attitude. Along with the attitude, comes an unusually sweet voice. You have that voice. You're short, and I know he likes short girls. Why do you think he came up to you during school?"
"How the hell do you know that!?" "I'm everywhere Lexie." "Does that mean he might actually have a crush on me?" "I'll spare you privacy with him for a little while if you'd like. Once you are done, force him to join us! I managed to grab a secret note he was hiding from you. But you didn't hear it from me."
"You didn't!" "Don't believe me? Here, read it." Grieve slides it across the table and leaves. Lexie looked at him as he left. She turns back to the note. The drawings and colors of art looked amazing on the cover of the note. She then opens the note.
It read: 'Lexie, I'm sorry if I've been hiding my emotions from you. I was scared of telling you how I felt. Ever since I met you, you've always been close to me. My heart pounds every time I'm close to you. I wish we could be closer. I would like to spend my time with you. We should make it our time. Just the two of us. Come to me, Lexie. I need you to be a part of my life. Without you, my world will fall. I will not be able to stand up. You are every star that has shined across my face. You're like a star that shines and brightness up against the darkness of night. Look at how you shine the beautiful river with just your eyes. I hope your lips are as soft as chocolate cake. Just one taste is all it takes. Come to me, Lexie. Your hair flows smoother than the angel's wings. Just come to me, Lexie. I'm waiting for you. Come and heal me, Lexie. I love you. Come to me. Hold my hand and expect something beautiful.'
Lexie closed up the note. She smiled and could not stop. She tried so hard to let go of the smile, but nothing worked. It was an unnatural smile. Sherrie and Lorain were out of the bathroom and came walking back to Lexie.
Lorain came back fully armored. She had a bullet vest, protective gloves, and protective gray pants. She also had guns, blades, and an earpiece for communication.
"What you got there?" Lorain asks Lexie. "Oh, it's nothing," Lexie says as she hides the note. "Let's get going," Sherrie says to everyone. (Grieve was not with them nor was he outside at the moment).
Only Lorain, Sherrie, and Lexie were headed back to Nana's house. Lexie and Lorain hop on Sherrie's black suburban. They drive twenty miles and still had to walk an extra few miles.
Eventually, they made it. They enter and find Angel lying on the couch. "Lexie! Thank God you're alive!" Angel says. She smiles and says, "Yeah! Thank you for the note by the way." "What note? Oh, you mean the notice of coming here?"
"Yeah, that one." Angel thinks to himself, "She actually heard the notice through the earpiece? I thought our conversation cut off. Well, now that she's here, I might as well give her the news."
Angel tells her, "Lexie, I need you-" "I know you do," says Lexie giggling. Angel's face just filled with confusion. "Lexie, we need to take this seriously," he says. "Of course babe," Lexie responds.
Angel then notices Lexie's hormones weren't the same as before. He looks closely into the eyes of Lexie. Lexie quickly grabs him and takes him out into the same place Joyce had taken him on the picnic. (Lorain and Sherrie stay in the house to give them privacy).
She looks at Angel and says, "Angel, do you like me?" "Of course I do Lexie." "Then how come you've never told me?" "I thought I have." "Oh, you mean about the note? That was so sweet of you."
"What note?" "Oh, stop acting you." She eventually grabbed Angel's hand. "What are you doing!?" Angel asked uncomfortably. Lexie pushed him down until he was finally laid flat on the floor.
Lexie's body was on top of his. She hugged him tightly as she held both of his hands. "Come on babe, just give me one kiss," she says as she reaches for his lips. Angel tried so hard to escape, but suddenly Lexie was stronger than ever.
"Lexie! Please don't! You know who I love, right!?" "It's me! Give me your soft lips!" Angel's head turned from the left to the right repeatedly avoiding Lexie's lips. Finally, Lexie managed to get a nice, long hold of his lips.
Grieve had been there the whole time. Within a few seconds, Lexie and Angel had kissed, Grieve took advantage to show the love scene to Joyce. Her emotions mixed sadness with anger. Anger with stress. She could not handle everything she had seen.
First her grandmother, then her friend Lucy, and now the one she loved. She could not believe that Angel would betray her like that. In her view, it looked like Angel had kissed Lexie. When in reality, it was the opposite. Grieve asks Joyce, "What will you do now?" "I'll... Just find someone else." "Wouldn't you like to join us instead?"
"I'll think about it. Just leave me alone," Joyce said with no emotion. "Fine! I'll leave you alone with him then!" As Grieve had said this, he pushed Joyce. Joyce rolled down a hill bumping into Angel and Lexie.
Angel finally got the chance to push Lexie aside. "Joyce! You're back!" "Don't call me Joyce anymore!" "Well, what do you want to me to call you?" Angel asked innocently. Joyce responded, "Your loss!" Joyce left in anger. She still held her tears. "Joyce?" She did not respond and left him there.
"What have you done Lexie!?" "Angel... I-" "Just don't! I'm a try to get her back and I want you out of my way!" "But..." "Out! You hear? Do not follow me. Don't even get near me!"
Lexie did not realize what she'd had done. She doesn't remember that she'd kissed him. "What on earth happened?" She asked herself. Lexie got on her motorcycle that she had parked near the area.
Before she stepped on the gas, Sherrie came running from Nana's house towards Lexie. "Wait! Look... I know it's hard, but you have to stay with us. If you leave, he'll kill me!"
"Well, that makes both of us! You're on your own now." Lexie drove as far as she could. "Are you just going to let her go?" Asked Sherrie to Grieve. "Well, that's all I needed from her. She has no use to me."
Lorain came afterward and noticed that Lexie's body movement was acting a little strange. As Lexie's vehicle passed right by her, she knew Grieve had something to do with this. "All right you good for nothing prick, what the hell did you to her!?" Lorain asked with anger.
"What did I do? More like, what did you do?" "Liar!" "No! You're the liar. Remember the plan you told me a few hours ago? You asked for your daughter and I needed a favor. You agreed to the favor and let's just say that you put a little something in her drink."
"What about that note she was hiding from all of us!? Was that my fault too!?" "Of course it was. You decided that a card would do the trick for her to believe that Angel was in love with her. "How come I don't remember?" "Because you have a corrupted mine just like us. You'd do anything for your stupid daughter!"
"Whether or not I did it, just give me my daughter!" "Do you really want to see her?" "Yes!" "Fine! Why don't you look behind those trees over there?" Grieve said as he smiles disturbingly.
Lorain investigates. She saw a pink, burned body. Little did she know that Grieve had her in his nightmare. He recreated Lucy's burning. Lorain cried her heart out.
Grieve was smiling and turned on a match as he threw it on Lucy. Now Lorain witnessed her daughter being burned by this psycho.
"No! Lucy! Please. Momma's here. My daughter!!!! No!!!" Grieve dragged Lorain out of the trees and threw her out. Sherie heard Lorain crying and wasn't too happy about it.
Meanwhile... Angel chases after Joyce. He calls her out as he's ruining. She would not respond to him. "Joyce! It's not what it looks like!" Joyce was filled with frustration. She hid behind a tree and finally answered, "To you, nothing is what it looks like!"
"Please don't be mad at me. I'll make it up to you. I'll figure something out." "Figure out what Angel!? Figure out what!? Can't you see that you freaken messed up already!?" "I haven't messed up anything!" (Angel heard Joyce's voice spread closer). "Yes, you did! You messed up all my feelings! Lucy would've been alive if it weren't for you! I don't even know if my grandmother is still alive! Ever since you came, you've made things worse!"
"Joyce that's not true! You know who the bad one is!" "Yes, I do! And that would be you." Angel finally found Joyce. "Come on. Give me a hug," he says. Joyce had her arms crossed with a mad face. After eight seconds, she eventually hugs him. Angel asks Joyce, "All better?" She responds, "No!" As she says this she kicks him in the stomach and pushes him hard on the ground. She then runs away. Hoping to never be seen from him again.
Lexie arrived in her motorcycle. She had finally caught up with Angel. "Angel! I need to tell you something!" "Tell it to your brother!" "Don't bring him into this!" "I already have!" "What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" "Figure it out yourself!" "Now you listen here—"
Angel quickly took out his blade and pointed it directly at Lexie's neck. Lexie stood still. After four seconds, she quickly tried to reach for her blade. Angel, on the other hand, grabbed another knife out of his left pocket. He threw it at Lexie. The knife slid across the top part of her hand. It caused her to react in shock.
"What the hell is gotten into you, Angel?" "Fear me! For now, I am fear. I will now make everyone scared! Just remember that you caused this incident. This incident will haunt you for eternity! Now leave! Before I make you leave this damn earth!" "Leave earth?" "Hell Lexie! Hell" Angel had said as he vanishes from Lexie's sight.
Lorain arrived with Lexie. (Only Lorain was present). "Lexie?" "Get away from me!" "Lexie, I believe it was my fault that you kissed Angel. I'm sorry." "You can't just fix something by saying sorry!" "Angel, you have to listen! I don't remember giving you any note."
"You don't?" "No! All I remember is that Grieve was talking to me and I felt as if something struck me instantly." "Did it feel like a shot?" "Yes! It did!" "Grieve played a role in this! He must've drugged us!" "Where would he possibly drug us?" "He knows where we are at all times."
"Did you write the note, Lorain?" "No! Grieve did," Sherrie said as she came out from the shadows. "How do you know Grieve did it?" Lorain asks. "I know a lot," stated Sherrie. "Well?" Lorain asks.
"It's too dangerous to explain everything right now. Plus, none of us will ever know the real answer. It's best if we don't anyway." Lorain thinks to herself, "I know more about Grieve than they do. But if I tell them right now, they'll see me as a threat. It's best if I just hide the truth."
"Sherrie, Lorain, I gotta go to school," Lexie says. "Well, what about Grieve?" Lorain asks. "I took care of him," Sherrie responded. "How?" Lexie asked. "I tied him up and now he'll never find us. I took the liberty of smashing the tracking device he installed in all of us. I suggest smashing both of yours."
Lexie smashed hers instantly. Lorain took off her tracker. "How did he put one on me?" Lorain asked. Lexie responds, "When you picked up Angel. Now we have to find him to take off his tracker as well!"
"Hold up Lexie," Sherrie says. She continues, "We need to all work together. Step by step. Remember, we are stronger!" "Of course," Lexie responds. "I'll take care of finding secret information about Grieve," Sherrie says.
Lorain says to Sherrie, "I'll work along your side to find out who is running the Shadows. They'll pay for what they have done to my poor Lucy!" "I'm going to school to find some useful information. See if I can get some people to talk." The group of young women went on to find their own answers.
Lexie finally made it to school. By the time she got there, it was already morning. She had walked passed Joyce and ignored her. At least for now. Lexie heads on to the library. She looks at some books to find an answer. After a while of searching, she found a book.
That book contained the secrets of Angel's and Grieve's blade. She put it on a table of the library and kept searching for more books. She found another book that contained the secrets of all combat. She kept searching. She finds another book. This book talked about the medicines and drugs that can be used on a person. Either for evil or good. She then found a book that had information about the human mind.
"I see you're interested in action and psychological thrillers," A random boy said to Lexie. "What?" Lexie asks and then looks at the massive pile of books she had gotten. She continues, "Oh! Yeah, I'm into thrillers, the human mind, and crime."
"Most psychologists use that book as a start. My nickname is Sync by the way. "Sync?" "It's short for an illness I have. People just call me sync because it sounds cool to them."
"Well, sorry to hear that. But I really need to get to these books. I'm in a bit of a hurry to read them all." "I could help you out. I'll read some and you read the others. We'll figure out whatever you want to know." "Sure. Thank you!"
Word count 3,636
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