章 19: 19. Daniel
After saying goodbye to April, I was overcome with mixed feelings. Although I knew she was my enemy, I could not see her as such. Like me, April had no desire to hurt anyone; we were both trapped in a life of violence with no way out. When I got to my room, I received a text from Liam, congratulating me on my performance with April and labeling me a heartthrob.
"Daniel, will pick you up at the weekend. Get ready," Liam's message read. I didn't have much to think about, so I turned on the TV and started watching my favorite soap opera. Just then, David walked into the room with a curious expression on his face.
"Hey, Daniel, how can you be Mr. Perfect if you do everything but study?" asked David, clearly intrigued by my ability to balance my life as a killer and a student.
"The key is knowing when to relax," I replied, trying to evade the question and maintain my normal teenage facade.
"I guess you're right," David conceded, though he seemed not entirely convinced. "Well, what did I miss?
...
Saturday had come faster than I expected. With a mixture of anxiety and anticipation, I said goodbye to David before leaving for the school entrance.
"A friend from the farm will pick me up and we'll spend the weekend together," I told David, trying to hide my nervousness.
"May I meet you?" he asked, with genuine interest.
"Okay, but some other time," I lied, making up an excuse on the fly. "My friend doesn't like surprises." David nodded, though he looked a little disappointed.
Once at the school entrance, I informed the guard that someone would be picking me up and I stood there, waiting for Liam's arrival. Meanwhile, my thoughts flew between April, my mission and the time that had passed since I had last seen Liam.
When Liam finally arrived, he did so in his old orange Honda Civic. Seeing him, I felt a wave of relief and nostalgia. I opened the car door and quickly climbed in.
"You've been doing a good job," Liam told me as I drove out of town.
"Is there a problem?", I asked, worried that my encounter with April had caused some complication.
"No, I just wanted to spend time with you," Liam replied, his voice calm and collected as always. "It's been a while since we've seen each other."
As we walked the streets of the city, I couldn't help but remember the times we had shared before we entered school. Despite the age difference and our seemingly opposite personalities, Liam had been my mentor and friend since we met at the farm.
"That's right," I said, trying to keep my voice steady and hide the excitement I felt at being by his side again. "It's been a long time."
As the landscape changed and we went into the outskirts of the city, the landscape changed from roads, highways and huge cars, to an environment where the trees began to shine.
The wind began to blow harder as we moved deeper into the forest, and the trees seemed to embrace the road we were driving on. There was no one else in sight, just us and the nature around us. Liam stopped the car and turned off the engine, plunging the surroundings into near silence.
"Let's go for a little walk," Liam said. He opened the trunk of the car. He showed me a secret compartment where he had hidden a long-range weapon. "Take this and come with me."
"What do we need this for?", I asked, even though I already had an idea of what he was planning. Still, I grabbed the gun and followed him down the trail into the woods.
As we climbed the steep route to the top of the mountain, I noticed that Liam seemed to be struggling more than usual to keep up. He was trying to hide it, but I could see the pain reflected on his face every time he took a step.
"Wait!", I said, stopping short. "Something's not right with you, Liam. Tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing, Daniel, really," Liam replied in a strained voice, avoiding my gaze. But I knew something was wrong, and I wasn't going to let it go unnoticed.
"I'm not stupid Liam, I know when you're lying," I insisted, feeling frustration begin to turn to sadness. I couldn't bear to see my friend like this, let alone when I had walked away.
"I know you're not stupid, but we didn't come here to talk about me," Liam said.
"Let's get this over with, okay," I said, trying to sound upbeat. "You're going to tell me what happened."
Finally, Liam took pity on me and gingerly lifted his shirt. I couldn't help but stare in horror at the bandage covering his waist. It appeared to be holding a rather serious wound.
"There was a problem on the previous mission," Liam explained to me, trying to downplay the issue. "But it's nothing, I'll sort it all out."
"You're not doing this alone!", I told him firmly, feeling my concern for him become more intense than ever. "Fuck April and her parents' mission. The important thing is you, Liam, and I can't lose you."
Furious at my response, Liam punched me in the face hard, knocking me to the ground. I was stunned, not knowing what to say, as he looked at me sternly.
"Focus, Daniel," Liam ordered me. "The mission you have is important, it's not just finding April's parents. They are ruthless killers who do everything for money. You and I are different: we only assassinate high-ranking mobsters and corrupt people, we work secretly for the government. April's parents kill anyone who gives them some money. You must make an effort."
"And what if you were to die?", I asked in a trembling voice, feeling fear take hold of me.
Liam looked me in the eye and, with a determination I had never seen in him before, he said, "I'm not going to die, Daniel. Trust me. Do your job."
"but..."
"Do you want to do something for me, do you want nothing to happen to me? Then make an effort" concluded Liam with eyes full of irritation that I couldn't face, it was the same face I train myself to fight with.
"I will try my best, waste no time and focus on getting closer to April," I promised firmly, feeling determination burning in my chest. Liam nodded approvingly and began to lead me to the top of the mountain.
We walked for a while until we reached a point where we could see a large part of the valley that stretched out at our feet. The wind was blowing gently, making the leaves of the trees rustle around us. Liam handed me the gun, a long-range carbine with a telescopic scope, and instructed me to get ready to fire.
"Let's test your aim, Daniel," he said with a smile on his face.
I nodded and moved into position, resting the butt of the gun against my shoulder and looking through the scope. Liam pointed to the south, where he had hidden several red cans among the rocks and brush. My aim was to hit them, proving to him that I was still the same accurate shooter I had always been.
"Okay," I muttered to myself, trying to block out my thoughts about Liam and focus on the task ahead. I watched the first can, calculating the wind, distance and height before pulling the trigger.
The shot rang through the air and, to my delight, I watched as the can flew through the air, impacting directly in the center. Liam clapped his hands and exclaimed, "That's it, Daniel! You're the same old boy.
"Thank you, Liam," I said with a smile, grateful for his support and encouragement. Although my concern for him was still latent in my mind, I knew he was right: I had to focus on the mission and do everything I could to protect him and myself.
"Now try the other cans," Liam encouraged me, and so I did. One after another, the cans fell under my accurate shots, proving to myself that I hadn't lost one iota of my marksmanship.
With the last of the cans down, Liam signaled for us to return to the car. As we walked to the orange Honda Civic, I couldn't help but feel worried about him. I wanted to be by his side, to support him every step of the way, but I also knew that my mission with April was important and I needed to focus on it.
We got in the car and Liam started the engine. Before I could say anything, he spoke to me with a reassuring smile, "Sorry about earlier Daniel, no worries. It's good to see you acting like a random teenager, you've had a face I could never know."
"I'm sorry, Liam," I said sincerely, "but I'm not just any teenager and I can't relax."
His words made me think about how my life had been anything but ordinary, and how certain aspects of my past continue to affect me to this day.
"I understand," Liam replied, nodding. Then, as if he had been reading my thoughts, he added, "There's something that might explain that; the relationship you have with the piano. I've never heard you play before, at least not when we were living together, do you want to talk about it?".
"My mother taught me to play the piano when I was five years old," I began to tell him, feeling a lump in my throat as I remembered those times. "I kept practicing until I was eight and she... died. Somehow, playing the piano makes me feel alive, feel what maybe I could have become."
Liam looked at me with understanding and promised, "If we are victorious in this mission, I will fight so that you can live a normal life, Daniel."
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