Chapter 11
ELENA SNOWE
Let us free, Elena.
Yes, we can help you.
Just say the word, and everything could be solved.
Let your guard down a little. We just want to talk.
That’s right, dear. We won’t hurt you.
It had been two years since she had really listened to the voices. They never seemed to truly stop, but by now she had gotten pretty good at putting up a mental barrier to block them out. But ever since that day, she couldn’t help being sensitive every time she heard one of those eerie, ringing voices inside her head. Sometimes, she would hear her own parents’ voices calling out to her. Everyone around her had told her that it was some sort of trauma, but Elena thought it was more than that. Maybe this was some sort of punishment.
She remembered her nine-year-old self running around the house with nothing but horror on her face, looking desperately for one person.
“Don’t lose your smile, Elena,” said his voice. “What you have is a gift, not a curse. Remember that.”
Then, a flash of red, followed by a suffocating darkness.
All of her senses grew faint, and she felt her own lips move.
“Steven…”
“Huh?” came a different, clearer voice.
Elena slowly opened her eyes, and there was a silhouette of a man looking in her direction.
Steven? she thought, but she knew it was impossible. He was gone, after all. Her blurry vision came into focus, revealing a boy much younger than Steven, with neatly combed black hair and a pair of mysterious silver eyes staring into hers. She recognized the shiny golden locket he always wore around his neck. Kade was sitting next to her and looking at her face, still in the same outfit as before.
Another one of those dreams…
Elena took a look around her and was surprised to see herself on her bed back at their hotel room with a warm blanket over her.
I’m sure I fell asleep in the car though… how long has it been?
“You’ve been out for a few hours,” came Violet’s voice, as if reading Elena’s mind. “It’s almost time for the mission already.”
Violet was sitting in front of a table, doing make-up in front of a small magnifying mirror.
“Anyway, are you okay?” asked Kade.
“Yeah, of course. I guess I was just really tired, heh heh.”
“I’m not talking about that. You’re crying.”
“... huh?”
He was right. She touched her cheek, and felt a stream of warm, wet tears sliding down her face.
I was crying…? Then, with a pained sigh, she thought, I wanna hurry and forget about all that already…
Elena took her time wiping her tears with her sleeve.
“I just… had a scary dream,” she said. Technically, it wasn’t a lie. So she was still a good kid. Yup, that “dream” could only be described as terrifying.
“Well alright…” Kade said hesitantly, looking unconvinced. “Anyway, we’ll be heading to the party soon.”
Oh. That’s right, they’re leaving me too, aren't they?
Elena quickly put on her usual smile with an energetic thumbs-up.
“Got it! Good luck!”
Kade opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when Violet asked nonchalantly, “By the way, Kade, assassins can’t reveal their real full names to anyone, right?”
“Huh? Where’d that come from?”
“No, I was just wondering, since both you and Nest keep your last names a secret from everybody. So I thought it was like an assassin thing, you know? Actually, is Kade even your real name?”
“Well first off, Nest isn’t an assassin, and second, no, there’s no such thing. I just don’t like telling people for personal reasons. And I’m sure Nest has his reasons too. And yes, my name is Kade.”
“Is that so? Hey, Elena, don’t you wanna know more?” she asked excitedly.
“I do, I do! I told you my full name when we met, so you should say it too!”
“Yeah! You should totally tell us!”
Kade only shook his head stubbornly.
“Nope, not telling. Maybe some other time when I feel like it.”
“Aw, boo,” said Violet.
“We should start getting dressed,” said Kade. “We need to leave soon. You too, Elena.”
“What? Aren’t I staying?”
“That was the original plan, but I thought about it while you were asleep, and I think you should come. It’s your first mission, after all. And I don’t know how comfortable I am with leaving you alone anywhere.”
“But what if I cause trouble? I don’t even have an ID!”
“About that,” said Violet. “Turns out it’s a big yearly party, so they’re fine with people bringing a few family members. You’re pretty small for your age, so we can probably pass you off as an eight-year-old or something and say you’re with us, since our ID’s say that we’re twenty-three. That’s why I’m going kinda heavy on the makeup. Gotta look the part, you know?”
“Plus, the more ears we have the better,” Kade added. “And it’s not super fancy, but we also prepared your dress, too. No need to worry about preparations.”
After a moment of surprise, Elena nodded enthusiastically, trying and failing to hide her delight on her face.
“After we all get dressed, I’ll explain the plan in detail one last time before we leave. I know you just woke up, but try to get ready as fast as you can.”
“And make sure to fix your bed hair too,” added Violet with a soft chuckle.
“Yup, got it!”
Elena rushed to the bathroom, already wide awake and full of energy. The dream she had, along with any feeling of regret or sorrow, had now completely left her mind, and she only had one thought as she patted down her hair in front of the mirror; They’re taking me with them! I’m going too!
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