Chương 31: CHAPTER 31

( Seattle, Washington - Third Pov )

Alistair can be seen arriving in Seattle and following a middle-aged woman who was walking home alone. Then, without hesitating, he pulled her into a nearby alleyway.

A few moments later, Alistair can be seen taking out his handkerchief and wiping the blood from his mouth. He then retrieved the paper he had acquired the previous day and examined it.

"Well, based on the delightful treat I just enjoyed, the location should be just around the corner," he remarked, placing the paper back in his pocket and exiting the alleyway.

A few minutes later, he arrived at the place and looked at the sign on the front of the store.

[ The ??? Bookstore - Branch 1869 ]

He checked the paper one last time, making sure he wasn't in the wrong place.

'This should be the place,' he thought as he entered the store.

*Kring*

After entering the store, he looked around the place for a bit. Then, his eyes landed on an old man at the cashier who was looking at him. He approached the old man and greeted him.

"Greetings, old man," Alistair said.

"Greetings to you as well. How can I help you, sir?" said the old man, smiling at him.

Alistair then took out the paper from his inner pocket and asked, "I was told to come here. Is this the right place?"

The old man took the paper from him and examined it. Then he said, "Ahh, you must be Alistair. Yes, you are in the right place and you were expected. Please, follow me."

Alistair nodded and started to follow the old man. As he walked behind him, he quickly looked around the area once more and noticed several compartments or rooms occupied by people dressed entirely in black. These individuals were wearing masks that revealed only their eyes and mouths.

The rooms were all open, so he could see inside clearly. He saw some of them sharpening daggers, drinking blood from cups, and some were staring at him. He also noticed that this section of the store was not as well lit as the other section.

So, he can't help but ask the old man in front of him, "Pardon me, old man, but what kind of place is this?"

The old man briefly glances back at him and smiles for a moment, and says, "Didn't they tell you anything? Well, you must be new. Very well, let me tell you how we operate."

"This place is one of the branches of our organization here in the USA. We have many places like this all around the world. But, do remember that this place and those out there are just branches. Our main bases of operation are located in libraries."

"Libraries?" Alistair asked.

"Indeed, if you ever come across an old-looking library, then there's a hundred percent chance that we were there. And also, remember that not all bookstores are our branches."

Alistair nodded in understanding, and they fell silent for a moment until they reached a room with a door that had a dagger logo on it.

"Well, here we are," the old man said, facing Alistair.

"Thank you, old man," Alistair thanked the old man, nodding and gently bowing at him before leaving.

Alistair then knocked on the door three times before a voice could be heard from the room, "Come in."

*Creek*

*Click*

After closing the door, Alistair stood in his place and looked ahead. There was a man with no hair, deep black eyebrows, and a piercing gaze, looking at him.

"Alistair, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir," answered Alistair.

The bald man gestured for Alistair to sit down. He took a file from the drawer and handed it to him.

Alistair then opened the file, and immediately his expression stiffened. He looked confused, but also had a sense of familiarity after seeing what was inside the file.

"I'm sure you know them, right?" said the bald man.

"Y-Yes, I do know them..."

"What's with the voice, are you hesitating?" said the bald man while staring at him.

"I-I don't know, he was my friend. Are we going to kill him and his family?" said Alistair, while looking at the picture of the Cullens.

"No, we just need you as a distraction."

"What do you mean?" asked Alistair.

The bald man sat down and leaned on his chair, then said, "We have an order to kill their newest member, which, of course, you know nothing about, and you won't mind if he was killed or not."

Alistair looked at the picture of a boy and his parents.

"And in order to do that, we need you to distract the Cullens. We need you to make them leave Forks, or at least make some of them leave. If that's not possible, then we have to go with the long-term plan."

"Long-term plan?" asked Alistair.

"Indeed, we need you to spy on them and provide us with information about our target. Take his picture, note his characteristics and abilities. If possible, we also need information about the Cullens. Stay close to them for as long as possible."

"And how am I going to convince Carlisle to let me stay?"

"You're a good friend of his, right? Go figure it out yourself," answered the bald man. Alistair nodded in understanding and looked at the picture again.

The bald man then stood up and shouted, "Everyone, gather!"

A second later, there was a lot of commotion, and suddenly there were twenty to thirty people in the room. Startled by the bald man's shouting, Alistair unconsciously stood up as well.

The bald man then discussed the plan again with his men and women. After several minutes, he was done, and everyone except him and Alistair stayed.

Before Alistair could leave, the bald man stopped him and said, "Alistair, if you did a good job on this mission, maybe you'll get a chance to meet the higher-ups. And maybe, you'll get what you want. And one more thing, go fill up, because if things go ugly, you will be prepared. We'll leave in two days."

"Yes, sir..." Alistair nodded and then he left the room.

Alistair then looked at the picture once again and thought,

'I'm sorry, Carlisle.'