Isla had never been so cold in her life.
She sat in a metal chair, bound by rough ropes that had rubbed her ankles and wrists raw. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold, preventing her from seeing anything except total darkness. Being drenched in ice cold water had her shivering so hard her teeth were chattering.
It was almost a relief when she heard a pair of footsteps outside the door… almost.
“Have you come to your senses yet, musume?” her father asked, circling behind her.
“I-I’ve told y-you everything already.” Isla could hardly recognize the sound of her voice. “There i-isn’t a-anything else.”
She could sense him lean down, and she could feel his breath on her neck as he spoke, raising goosebumps all along her arms.
“It irritates me how you continue to think I’m a fool,” he whispered icily. “Someone as stubborn as you are wouldn’t give me everything so easily.”
“There isn’t anything else,” Isla whimpered. “I s-swear. I swear.”
Jin sighed and straightened, addressing the other man present in the room. “Give her another injection. Double the dose.”
“No!” Isla shrieked, struggling against the ropes. “No, I’m telling you the truth!”
As she writhed and fought, the other Demon held her right arm firmly in place as he stabbed it with a needle, pushing down a plunger. Isla could feel the liquid inside the syringe entering her bloodstream, and she began to scream as pain wracked her body, and nightmares flooded her mind, drowning out all her thoughts and senses again. She saw visions of horrible things, horrible things that she didn’t even want to begin to describe.
No more, she thought, hyperventilating. No more, please.
No more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more no more PLEASE NO MORE!
…
…
…
The sound of familiar footsteps, circling around to the front of her.
...Mommy?
...
...
...
What a shitshow you’ve gotten yourself into, huh?
Isla opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t force any sound to come out. So instead, she opened her eyes. Even though it wasn’t possible, even though it made absolutely no sense, there he was, crouched down in front of her, his chin rested on his palm. His red eyes gleamed as if he were amused, his nails long and black, almost like claws. He wore black ripped jeans and a blood red hoodie.
Isla managed to find her tongue. “How… how are you here?”
Michael- no, Levi- shrugged nonchalantly.
Who knows? Maybe this is a side effect of whatever bullshit they’re giving you. Or maybe you had a heart attack and finally kicked the bucket.
She chuckled bitterly. “Yeah.... guess it’d be just my luck to end up in hell.”
Looking for sympathy from the wrong person. Levi’s face contorted into a wide grin. This works out perfectly, though. We can continue our little chat, you and I. And this time, I get full access to everything.
“What are you-“
The scenery around her, which had just been pitch black, began to shift. Suddenly, Isla was in a familiar living room, sitting by an open sliding glass door, a spring breeze caressing her forehead as she looked outside into her softly lit backyard. Hanging clothes up on a line was a woman with black hair, wearing a plain white shirt tucked in her jeans.
“…Okaa-chan?” Isla whispered.
Her mother turned around halfway and gave her a warm smile. “Isla.”
----------------------------------------
“…How many of them did you say there were again?” Quentin asked, his face pale.
“Thirty.” Jacob sighed. “At least, that’s my best guess. There could be more.”
The four of us- myself, Quentin, Jacob, and his friend Quinn- all sat in the treehouse, where I’d brought them to discuss what had gone down in the warehouse. Jacob and Quinn had recounted their escape in vivid detail, especially the layout of the warehouse itself. As they had spoken, I’d taken out my math notebook and sketched a rough map of the building for reference. I'd also quickly ran through the information that Isla had told me, leaving out my meeting with the Commissioner and my talks with the caller.
“That’s crazy,” Quentin protested. “That many dudes to protect one spot? I mean, not that it’ll be a problem for me, but, uh…”
“Not surprising at all if there's no cameras,” I disagreed. “Has to be hundreds of thousands of illegal goods in there based on-“ I stopped sketching and turned around from where I sat in my chair. A large squeaky metal sound could be heard from the other side of the treehouse, and from Quinn’s hand, the broken-off metal handle of a storage cupboard fell to the ground.
“Um, s-sorry,” the freshman apologized meekly.
I crossed my arms. “Would it kill you to just sit still and listen, She-Hulk?”
“Wha-“ Quinn reddened. “I was just, um… looking for some snacks. I’m really hungry.”
Sighing in exasperation, I reached into my pocket and fished out a small pack of gummies, and Quinn’s eyes sparkled as they flew through the air towards her. She caught them and immediately ripped the packaging open, yelping as some of multicoloured bears spilled onto the floor.
“She’s the chick you were talkin' about?” Quentin asked, looking at Jacob.
Quinn frowned as she dangled a gummy bear above her mouth, causing Jacob to hiss, "Shut up!"
"You said you heard Isla screaming from around here," I pointed to an area on the map. It was towards the back of the warehouse, all the way down from the front storage area where the explosives were held. "Were there any exits or windows nearby?"
"Don't think so, but we didn't exactly get a close look," Jacob informed me. "The only exits I saw, besides the shipping entrances, were double doors in the middle section of the warehouse... here and maybe here, directly across." He pointed to the entrances accordingly. "As for windows, there were skylights in the roof, but that was it."
"Skylights it is," I decided. "Easiest way in without being seen."
"Still need a way to get Isla out safely," Quentin advised. "She could be in rough ass shape."
"That's why we're gonna need a distraction. " I drew a meaningful gaze towards Jacob. "Preferably, an explosive one that destroys all their shit, draws in the cops to the aftermath. Think you can manage that?"
The taller boy blinked in surprise, then grinned mischievously. "Well... shouldn't be too hard. Just need to pick the lock."
Quinn briefly choked on a gummy bear, then coughed out a protest. "No! What the hell, Jacob, are you insane?! We barely made it out of there alive!"
"You don't have to go, you know." I pointed out. "Actually, I don't think I even asked you to come."
"I would have said no, anyways. This is dumb as hell." Quinn walked up and grabbed Jacob's sleeve, looking at him pleadingly. "You can't do this. If they catch you, they're not going to think twice, or even once. Let's just go home. Please."
Jacob glanced at the two of us almost helplessly, and I could only offer a shrug in response. "She's not wrong. I won't blame you if you say no."
"But we'd appreciate the help," Quentin added on quickly. "Especially since you're half ninja."
Jacob took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Quinn..."
"Don't tell me some stupid cliché shit like you have to," she told him. "You don't have to do anything."
"I don't have to," he agreed. "I want to. I'm tired of sticking to the shadows."
In one swift move, the freshman went from clutching his sleeve to wrapping her arms around Jacob, restraining his arms and lifting him off the ground with surprising ease. "If you're not going to listen to me, I'll take you by force," she decided, carrying him towards the exit of the treehouse. He protested and squirmed like a toddler throwing a tantrum, but he couldn't break free no matter what he did. For such a small, thin girl, her strength was beyond abnormal...
The serum.
The idea hit me like a punch. I reached into the deepest corners of my memory palace, leafing through the many important documents I'd read over the years until I found the one I was looking for- a report I'd happened to read by chance, concerning a kidnapped seven-year-old girl. The sole survivor.
"It's strange. I'd think you, of all people, would want to get revenge on the people who ruined your life."
The words I'd spoken made the girl freeze. She lowered Jacob to the ground, her curly hair hiding her face as her whole body trembled. "...My life isn't ruined. Not yet." She shook her head in disbelief. "If you know what the Demons are capable of, what they can do to people... how can you even think about going against them?"
Jacob reached out towards her as if to wrap his arms around her, then lowered his head as he withdrew.
"We're doing this 'cause we know." Quentin spoke softly, reassuringly, as he walked towards her. "I can't begin to imagine the shit you've been through, and honestly, I don't wanna. But you wouldn't wish it on anyone else, right?" My silver-tongued friend gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Jacob to twitch. "We're the only ones who actually can do somethin' 'bout this fucked up situation." He raised his chin and confidently puffed out his chest. "Besides, I'll be there to protect you guys if something goes wrong, so don't stress!"
That made me gag, though he seemed to have successfully calmed Quinn down a bit- how, I had no clue.
"You don't even have a proper plan," she reminded him. "Blow stuff up and run doesn't count when you're dealing with armed criminals."
"Uh..." Quentin withdrew his hand and gestured back towards me. "Plans are more... Michael's thing."
All three of them looked at me expectantly, and I let out a sigh. "First, I need to know if you're all in. Cross your heart on it."
Jacob frowned. "What? Cross our hearts?"
I drew an imaginary line over my heart, and Jacob, looking confused, did the same. Quentin followed right after with no hesitation. As for Quinn, she crossed her arms. "Ugh... fine. If Jacob's doing this, I am as well. Someone has to make sure he doesn't die." With one hand, she drew a finger across her chest.
"And whose fault was it that we got caught again?" Jacob reminded her.
"Come here and listen close," I told them firmly. "I'm not going to repeat myself."
----------------------------------------
How pathetic.
Isla tried her best to ignore the words as she buried her face into her mother's embrace, choking back tears.
"What's this?" Her mother sounded utterly confused. "Is everything okay?"
"I..." Her voice broke. "Where did you go?"
"I didn't go anywhere, hime." She gently pulled away and felt Isla's forehead with her head. "Are you feeling okay? What's wrong?"
"I..." Isla opened her mouth to speak, but the words she wanted to say wouldn't came out. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Her mother stood from where she'd fallen on the grass from Isla's embrace, taking her daughter by the hand with a worried expression. "You feel a little hot. Let's go inside and rest for a moment, okay?"
Isla nodded mutely as she looked up at her mother. She wasn't sixteen anymore- she was a young child only a few feet tall. She could almost convince herself that she'd traveled back in time, if not for Levi in the corner of her vision, watching her with a blank expression.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Once they were inside, Isla was taken into the kitchen and sat at the coffee table while her mother headed upstairs to look for the plastic bin where the family's first aid kit and medications were kept. Levi materialized into the chair to her left, looking around the kitchen curiously. Jeez, this place is spotless. He stood and opened the fridge, taking a peek inside. Even the food's organized and labeled.
"She always took really good care of us," Isla murmured as her mother walked back into the kitchen. "She worked hard. Did everything a mother and wife was supposed to."
Levi hopped up onto the kitchen's countertop.
Everything? Are you sure?
Isla didn't say anything as her mother took out a digital thermometer and stuck it into her daughter's mouth, pressing the button on the top. A few seconds later, the thermometer rang out a warning set of beeps, and Isla's mother frowned as she reviewed the results. "This must be broken. Five hundred and seventy five degrees celsius?" She let out a soft laugh. "Maybe you're part dragon."
"...Mommy."
She looked up. "Yes, my love?"
"Am..." Isla's mouth felt dry. "Am..."
What are you so scared for? Ask her.
Fuck off! she screamed in her thoughts.
"Am I a bad daughter?" Isla finally croaked out.
Her mother was completely astonished. "What? Of course you're not. Why would you think that?"
"I..." Isla started crying. "I don't believe you. You left me. I wanted to stay with you and you left me with him. Why would you do that?"
"I would never leave you anywhere." Her mother knelt down in front of her, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. "I can't live without you, Isla. I'm nothing without you and your brother. The three of us together, we'll always be together. We'll always be a family. Okay?"
Isla sniffed and nodded. Of course. Her mother loved her. They were a family, and a family sticks together through thick and thin, no matter what. She would never leave Isla to fend for herself. She would never have abandoned her willingly. How could she have thought otherwise?
Suddenly, Levi walked up behind her mother, an amused grin on his face. He raised his right hand up, his thumb and middle finger pressed together to snap his fingers. His eyes opened almost impossibly wide.
What a sad fucking delusion this is.
Snap!
Suddenly, everything changed. The kitchen was a dimly lit mess, with dirty dishes piled in the sink and the floor stained and littered. Isla's mother had heavy bags under her dulled eyes and purple bruising on her neck and wrists, matching the size of her father's hands. Her expression, which had been worried a second ago, now conveyed utter exhausted, like she'd rather be anywhere else than where she was.
...What?
Her mother shakily rose. "I think you're okay." The way she spoke was plain, almost emotionless, nothing like the way she'd been talking a second ago. "Please go up to your room before-"
The thunderous sound of footsteps from the stairs seemed to shake the house. Both mother and daughter flinched as Jin Ikari entered the kitchen wearing a tank top and dress pants. "...Where's my dress shirt?"
Her mother shivered. "I... I haven't finished the laundry." When Jin took an intimidating step forward, she flinched and sputtered, "I-Isla wasn't feeling well, dear. I had to take her inside... and take care of her."
The way she framed the words made it sound like it was all Isla's fault, that the attention should be put on her. Isla stared at her mother in disbelief as her father approached, towering over her with a cold glare that she should have been used to by now, but had her chilled down to her bones nonetheless.
"Are you sick?" asked her father.
Isla looked at the floor in terror. "I-I'm..."
He struck her across the face, leaving one ear ringing. "I told you to always look at me and speak clearly," he snapped. "Are you sick?"
Isla pleadingly looked to her mother for help, but she avoided eye contact, staring at the kitchen floor. The silence earned Isla a backhanded slap the other way around. "Speak, brat!"
"No," she choked out. "I'm... I'm okay."
He turned away from her, towards her mother. "Get those shirts, now," he growled. "I can't be late for this meeting."
Isla watched as her mother left, not glancing back once. Her father opened the freezer drawer of the refrigerator and tossed her a cold compress for the bruise forming on her cheek. "I don't want to be getting any calls from your teacher again," her father warned. "Not a single one." Then he, too, left the trashed, dirty kitchen.
"This isn't real," Isla whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief. "This isn't my house. And that isn't my mother."
You're right. None of this is real. It was real. It's from your memories, after all.
"Bullshit!" Isla screamed, leaping off the kitchen chair. As her feet hit the floor, she returned to her teenage self, and lunged, slamming Levi against the wall. "I remember! My mother did her best to take care of us, to protect us! She always put us first! She loved me!"
Really? So then why did she run away? Why did she leave you behind?
"She... she didn't have a choice." As Isla spoke the words, her mouth tasted sour, almost like metal.
Levi turned up his palms and shrugged, his mad grin widening, his red eyes glowing. Isla stared into them and could see that the pupils were vertical slits, like a cat's.
It's always been fascinating to me, you know? How the mind can deny reality, just to make things a bit easier.
Isla reared back her fist and punched, but as soon as her fist made contact with Levi, he disappeared, and Isla's punch slammed into the wall behind him. For some reason, the momentum of the punch carried her forwards, and she crashed through the wall, stumbling forwards onto rough pavement. Her heart froze as she immediately recognized the landscape around her. She'd seen it often in her nightmares- the residential street she'd been left on. But instead of being clear, the houses were strange and out of focus, making them difficult to look at.
She swallowed hard. "Why... how..."
Levi materialized besides her, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
You wanna know what's always the easiest lie to tell?
Isla's gaze was drawn down the street, and then she saw it- a figure knelt besides a little girl, a mother and child not too far away from them. Even though her heart was pounding with fear, her legs began to move on their own, moving her towards them.
The one that people want to hear.
As she approached, her father's figure was hard to see, even more out of focus than the houses around them. Her brother's figure was also blurry, though she could tell that he was trying to run back towards her. But her mother... her mother was crystal clear.
And so was her expression.
"No." Isla fell to her knees. "No, I couldn't... I wasn't able to see her face. My father held me down."
That's what you told yourself.
Her mother's eyes weren't in anguish.
It was easier that way, wasn't it?
Her teeth weren't clenched in pain.
Because she was the only one.
She wasn't even looking at her.
The only person you thought had actually cared about you, who understood you.
"..."
Your mind filled in all of the inconsistencies. Especially-
"Just shut up already."
The distinct sound of a fire crackling became audible around Isla. The flames rippled all around her- or were they coming from her? She couldn't tell. She was so angry she couldn't see or think straight- not at Levi, not at her father, but at herself for being a fool, for still holding a small piece of hope inside of her that her mother would somehow, someday, come back to take her with her.
A small smile appeared on Levi's face as he walked in the fire and stood before her.
Sorry, but that won't be enough. But don't worry!
He put a single finger under her chin and lifted it up, and the surroundings around them began to change.
You've got a guest.
----------------------------------------
"We're going to need an overwatch," Michael had told them. "That means someone keeping an eye on the outside of the warehouse and letting us know what's going on outside, and taking care of any problems from a distance if necessary. Quentin, I'm going to leave that to you."
"Leave that to you," grumbled Quentin. "Sure, yeah, whatever."
It sucked! 100% sucked! Quentin should have been the guy running in, getting shit done, carrying Isla out with one arm while knocking out Demons with the other. Lookout duty was the last place Michael should have put him.
A golden padlock hit the ground with a CLUNK! as Jacob opened up the entrance to the caged ladder, sticking the lockpicks in his pocket. "Good luck," he said through his black bandanna.
"Not gonna need it," Quentin muttered as he started to climb the ladder, leading to the rooftop of a large factory adjacent to the warehouse. It took forever to reach the top, and he could feel the burn in his arms and shoulders from carrying a heavy duffel bag on his back. Surely they could have made the damn thing a little bit lighter instead of weighing the equivalent of a gazillion bricks?
He trekked across the gravel covered roof to reach the northeastern side, overlooking the large expanse that was the warehouse. It was surrounded by tall fencing with barbed wire at the top. A small parking lot held a ridiculously large number of cars, likely belonging to the small army inside.
Quentin dropped the duffel bag to the ground with a hefty sigh, shivering as the autumn wind chilled him to the core. He unzipped the duffel bag and the gleam of metal was instantly visible.
"Whoa..." He let out a low whistle as he pulled the object out of the duffel bag- a bolt-action sniper rifle, fitted with a suppressor and a bipod attached on the bottom rail. He reached into the bag and pulled out a magnification scope, attaching to the top rail of the gun. "Shit, man, if you hadn't told me, I'da thought this was real. It's beautiful."
"Didn't ask," was Michael's curt reply. "Are you in position?"
"One sec." He opened up the bipod and went prone, peering into the scope. "Yeah, I should be good. How do I adjust the zoom?"
"Dial on the top. Use the distance counter and marks in the scope to gauge the projectile drop."
"Aight." He adjusted the zoom and suddenly, he was zeroed in on a Demon's ugly mug. A small grin formed on his face.
Maybe this would be a little fun.
"The main ground team will be Quinn, and Jacob," Michael continued. "All four of us will keep in contact with these earpieces- don't take them out under any circumstances. Quinn and Jacob, use the hole you tore in the fence to escape, to get back in, then throw this to scale to the top." He gestured to a small black backpack. "It's able to hold both your weights, but considering how strong you are, Quinn..."
"What's taking you so long, Jacob?" Quinn hissed.
"I'm right here," Jacob whispered, practically in her ear. She almost screamed, but he managed to cover her mouth with his hand. "Sorry," he apologized.
"Ugh, you suck," she muttered. "For multiple reasons."
"Okay, that's... fair," Jacob acknowledged.
She grasped the fence and pulled up the part she'd tore to allow Jacob to crawl through, then followed him in after.
"Can we... talk about the reasons I suck, at least?" he ventured.
"...Okay."
"Cool, yeah, um..." Jacob glanced around nervously as they entered the parking lot. "I know I broke my promise to you, but I really wanted to get you a good gift, a meaningful one, one that you'd really like."
"A tour of a Demon drug den was none of those things," she muttered.
"Well, I didn't know about any of that, did I?" Jacob sighed, shaking his head. "No, it doesn't matter. I've gotten you into this huge mess and shit, and I know a sorry won't make up for any of it. But I am sorry, and I swear I won't steal again. And, and... I will make it up to you... I don't really know how, but... somehow, okay?"
They stopped behind a van, right before they'd be at the actual warehouse itself. Instead of speaking directly to him, Quinn opted to stare into the van's cold metal as she whispered her thoughts.
"Don't tell me you won't steal again. It's just not true." She wrapped her arms around her knees. "And, well, I'm not really upset about that. I've known you forever, I know that your... stealing thing, it's not exactly something you can control. But, um, y'know..." Quinn pinched and tugged on the sleeve of the baggy black hoodie Michael had provided for her. "I don't like it when you hide stuff from me, lie to me. From now on, if you steal something, I want you to just tell me. And whatever trouble you get in because of it- and knowing you, you definitely will- we'll work it out together. Even if we need to flee the country or... I don't know, whatever you need. Okay?"
Quinn nervously glanced over at Jacob, whose mouth was hanging open, as if he wanted to say something but had no clue what. She reached out and gently lifted up his chin, but left her hand there. Her gaze shifted back to the van, though.
They could have stayed like that all night, but Quentin snapped them back to reality through their earpieces.
"You guys realize we're listenin' in on this too, right?"
Embarassed, the two kids scrambled back to focusing on the task at hand. They mousily peeked out from behind the van and towards the Demon warehouse, looking for any signs of life. The warehouse was T shaped, with a few shipping and regular entrances scattered along the bottom of line of the T. But the front of the warehouse, the top line of the T, was all wall, only bearing a single sign labeling the warehouse Gallagher Warehousing and Distribution.
"Quentin, are we good to move up?" asked Jacob.
"You're chilling for now, but a patrol's coming around on the right soon," Quentin advised. "Might be safer to let 'em pass."
"Go quick," Michael ordered them. "I'm right about to meet my new friends." Over towards the entrance of the warehouse, yelling from multiple men became audible.
"Wait!" Quentin exclaimed. "Go in three... two... one... now!"
As Quentin yelled 'now', the clouds covered the moon, and the warehouse grounds went completely dark. Jacob and Quinn sprinted to the wall, and Jacob immediately knelt down, letting Quinn yank on the backpack's zipper.
Chink!
"Uh..." Quinn tossed away the bag's zipper handle. "Don't really need that anyways." She reached into the bag and pulled out a length of kevlar rope attached to a grappling hook. With a mighty throw, the grappling hook sailed onto the roof. Jacob reeled it in until it got stuck on the edge of the roof, then Quinn pulled on the rope a few times to ensure it was secure.
"Quinn's heading up," Jacob whispered as sh egrabbed the rope, cautiously taking a few steps.
"Michael and his friends are moving quicker than expected," Quentin informed them. "You got around 30 seconds."
"That's not enough time for me to make it to the top!" squeaked Quinn, already a couple meters up. She was about to jump off the rope when Jacob grabbed on. "What are you doing?!"
"Just go!" Jacob snapped. "There's no time to argue!"
"But the plan was for me to pull you up!"
"I can make it!" Jacob gritted his teeth, forcing his burning arms to rapidly climb. "Move it!"
They made frantic progress, scaling up to the warehouse's sign. Jacob could feel his arms giving in, but a fall from this height would be a guaranteed hospital trip, if not an instant death. He had to keep going. He had to... keep...
Shit!
His right foot lost traction on the warehouse wall and slipped, putting too much pressure on his already dying arms. His right arm gave way, and suddenly he was dangling by only his left, only a few seconds away from a certain death like a fool. He only had the time and energy to think, Sorry, Quinn. Sorry, Bowen.
Then, his left arm gave out, and he had no choice but to surrender to weightlessness.
"You're not going to like this part of the plan," warned Michael. "I'm going to like it even less. But do I think it's necessary in order to save Isla as quickly as possible? Yeah. So we're going with it. It's a surefire way to get straight to her and get her out."
After explaining it to them, the kids had all balked.
Jacob's expression was utterly bewildered. "What? Why the hell would you do that?"
"Getting yourself killed is part of your grand plan?" Quinn shaken her head in disagreement. "No, stop it. For all you know, they'll just shoot you and be done with it."
"I'll be fine," he promised. "I know what to say to get the attention of Isla's dad. Most they'll do is maybe smack me around a bit. Then you set off the explosives, I free Isla, you pull us out."
"And if shit hits the fan, you got a plan B?" Quentin asked him skeptically.
Michael shrugged. "Well... more or less."
Following the briefing at the treehouse, after the others had left, I let out a deep sigh in my chair as I rubbed my wing necklace between my fingers, mentally preparing myself for what I had to do. When I was ready, I closed my eyes and concentrated deeply, letting myself fall into a barely conscious state.
When I opened my eyes again, I was still in the treehouse, but it was slightly... off. The walls seemed to shimmer like a mirage, and my necklace was no longer in my hand. But the most obvious tell that I was inside my own mindscape was Levi, who was now physically in front of me again.
"Oh? And here I thought we weren't on speaking terms?" he said aloud. Hearing his voice, a sinister replica of mine, threw me off every time I heard it.
"Thought it only made sense for you to help me clean up your own mess." I folded one leg on top of the other. "I want you on standby during this. We'll share the chair if things get rough." I scooted over in my seat, leaving half the chair open for him to sit in.
He rolled his eyes. "Standby? Why not have me just wipe the whole place clean, burn the evidence to the ground? It's not like anyone will miss them."
"No." I glared at him. "Enough. I will go back on the meds if you keep fucking around, Levi. Don't test me."
"I find it so cute that you think a couple of drug store pills will, ah... 'keep me in line.' But, fuck it..." His lips twisted into his usual wide grin. "I'm very much interested in seeing the trail she blazes."
I frowned. "She?"
"Don't worry about it." He spread his hands, almost as if in defeat. "Cross my heart, I'll do whatever you say, 'boss.' Well... as long as it's interesting."
I sighed. That would have to be good enough for now, though I definitely didn't like the 'interesting' clause he'd added at the end.
I closed my eyes and focused again, this time sending myself back to reality... or at least, I thought so. There wasn't really any time for me to test that.
With care, I put on the necklace and tucked it into my shirt, feeling the cool metal of the wings against my chest.
"Alright," I muttered, grabbing a small cloth bag, some rope, and a tiny knife off my desk. "Let's get this stupid ass plan in motion."