4: Ash, Stop If You Value You Life

4: Ash, Stop If You Value Your Life

‘Reyna?’

‘Yeah?’ she looked up from the laptop at Nico. He was rifling through a cabinet, standing on his toes.

‘Where did you put the vanilla?’

‘It’s in that-‘ she pointed at a cabinet two spaces left from where he was searching, ‘-cabinet.’ He mumbled his thanks and opened that one, taking out the bottle of vanilla extract.

She watched him with a smile, playing with the charm bracelet on her right wrist.

It seemed like ages ago that he had came to her, crying and broken. Now, he still carried that dark aura, but he had changed. A lot.

‘When are you leaving?’ He asked, not looking up from stirring some batter in the bowl.

She glanced at her pocket watch lying on the table, beside her laptop. 9:58.

Shoot, if she didn’t want to be late, she’d better get going.

‘Actually,’ she slipped off her chair and closed her laptop, ‘I need to get out now.’ She quickly pocketed her watch, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was, as usual, tied back into a braid.

‘’Kay,’ he dusted his hands and picked something up from a plate on the counter and came over to her. He pecked her cheek and handed her a sandwich.

‘Just don’t forget to eat it.’ She rolled her eyes.

‘When are you gonna get going?’ she asked him.

‘Hal said I had time till eleven,’

‘Why do you people get it easy?’ she grumbled to no one in particular and he smirked.

‘Well we’re not the ones who got trained by Neptune Floyd himself,’ he retorted back.

Reyna huffed and crossed her arms, a small smile on her face nonetheless.

‘Now I should really get going,’ she kissed his forehead and rushed out, ‘see you later!’

Fortunately she wasn’t late.

She parked her car and went inside the complex. The entrance hall had a reception to the side, where a boy was sitting, looking bored.

She nodded to him, ‘Good morning, Johnson.’

He nodded back to her, ‘’Morning, Agent La Rue.’

She kept walking and reached the main room. Some other agents were sitting there.

‘Hello, Agent Fowl, Agent Stoll,’ she greeted them curtly. The former was typing away on her laptop, the latter reading a book. Fowl said a muffled ‘hello’ than went back to her work. Stoll gave her a smile, and she allowed a smile back.

‘Jason,’ she said brightly and he grinned, getting up from his seat. He pulled her into a hug and she smiled against his collar. He smelled of a freshly mowed lawn, and cologne.

He let her go, ‘How are you, Rey?’

‘Good, what about you?’

He shrugged, ‘Eh.’

Right...

‘Has Agent Hal talked to you guys yet?’ she placed a hand on her hip.

‘Nope,’ he shook his head, his blonde hair catching the light.

‘I guessed,’

They ended their little conversation. Her eyes landed on another person in the room, and she bit back a groan.

‘Good morning, Agent La Rue!’ Okumura said cheerfully.

‘Good morning, Agent Okumura,’ she said, keeping her mouth from snapping at him. He hadn’t done anything to annoy her today, so far. It wouldn’t be fair.

‘How have you been?’ He asked, his eyes observing, ‘You look tired.’

‘I’ve been fine, thank you for asking,’ she said quickly. She felt someone’s elbow on her shoulder and looked up.

‘Ash, buddy,’ Jason started, ‘if you don’t wanna die, you should stop right there. See that look in her eyes? Yeah, that means she wants to strangle you.’

‘Well,’ Okumura said, a dejected look passing over his face quickly, but he masked it with a smile, ‘if I’m being a bother, I’m sorry, Agent La Rue.’ He sounded so sincere, that for a moment Reyna saw him as something other than a handsome, annoying, co-worker. She shook herself out of that quickly.

‘Look who’s here,’ Fowl’s voice called, and she looked past Okumura to see another agent enter the room.

She had short black hair- her hair was very shiny- and striking silver eyes. Reyna knew that she had seen her around before, but never learned her name.

Fowl got up from her seat, her thick ponytail swaying. She sauntered over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘Agent La Rue,’ she said, as if noticing that Reyna couldn’t recognise her, ‘This is Agent Evangeline Cliff.’

She nodded and held out her hand, ‘Nice to meet you, Agent Cliff.’

Evangeline accepted it and shook her hand firmly, ‘Nice to meet you too, Agent La Rue.’

‘Hello!’ she heard Jason and Okumura say from behind her. Evangeline’s eyes landed on them, and the ravenette noticed how they flashed with distaste.

‘Hello,’ she replied stiffly.

Fowl got the girl to sit with her, and started talking to her. But Reyna noticed how she looked at Stoll, Jason, and Okumura. Basically, all the males in the room.

She went out of the room and headed towards Rowan’s office.

She stopped in front of the door, and raised her fist. She took a deep breath and knocked once, twice.

‘Come in,’ she opened the door and was hit by the familiar smell of lemon and roses. She stepped inside and shut the door.

The room was freshly cleaned, and the floor gleamed beneath her black pumps. A chest was placed by the wall on her right. That contained some of the many folders and documents and what not. There wasn’t much furniture in the room, just some potted plants here and there. There was mahogany desk fifteen feet in front of her. And behind that desk, on a chair, sat Agent Rowan Hal.

He looked young and handsome for his age. He was actually twenty eight, but most people thought him to be in twenty or twenty one. His red brown hair was combed neatly, and his forest green eyes were trained on her. His chin was resting on top of his intertwined fingers.

‘Agent La Rue,’ his voice was silvery, and somehow smoky, ‘Come forward, please.’

She straightened her coat and started walking towards him, her hand itching to tuck back that loose strand behind her ear.

For some reason, he had that effect on people. Mostly women- and some men. Suddenly, they’d become conscious of themselves. They felt as if they were inferior to him. But she had never given in to it. She just reminded herself of all that they’d been through together, and he wouldn’t mind a loose strand of hair or anything.

Only when she was right in front of his desk did he ask, ‘You’re here to report, yes?’

‘Yes, sir,’ that word felt weird on her tongue. She would never get used to calling him sir.

‘Okay then, you may report,’ he gestured for her to speak.

‘The mission went smoothly.’

‘Did you encounter any of the major VILE agents?’

She shook her head, ‘No, sir. Only minor ones. They weren’t much. The dead body was found and buried. It was a thirteen year old boy, just like you said. His name was Mark Anthony.’

‘Did you inform his parents?’

‘I did.’

‘Good,’ he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

‘Sir, if I may have permission to speak?’

‘Anything else?’

‘Not about the mission,’ she said, ‘But I’ve been feeling like VILE has been much more active lately. They’ve been targeting people from POWER, and sometimes from outside too.’

‘You’re absolutely right,’ he pressed his lips together tightly, ‘And it is not good.’

‘We’re going to do something about it, aren’t we?’

‘I’ve been thinking about missions to give you people,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘But they’re gonna be dangerous. You’re gonna have to go up against people like Chandler-‘

She flinched at his name, and he noticed.

‘I’ll need more time to think about it.’ He finished firmly.

‘You may go, Agent La Rue.’ She nodded and turned around on her heel. She started walking and had just reached the door when he asked her something.

‘Reyna, are you all right, love?’

She paused, then smiled, not facing him, ‘I’m fine, Rowan. Thanks for asking.’

‘Maybe you should take a break.’

Reyna shook her head, ‘No no. I’ll be fine.’

‘If you insist. See you later.’

‘Yeah.’ She opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind herself.

She went back to the main room, where there were two more people now. She recognised them as sisters, an agent duo. And Percy and Rosalind.

‘Hello, Agents Charron,’

‘Hi, Agent La Rue,’ the elder sister, a blonde twenty five year old girl named Jessica answered. Her younger sister, Barbara, sat shyly away from any company in a corner.

‘Percy, Rosa,’ she smiled at them.

‘Good morning, Reyna,’

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Only 10:30.

She gritted her teeth. Why was time so fricking slow sometimes!?

Well, might as well get something to eat. She had already eaten that sandwich. But one sandwich isn’t enough!

And with that thought, she headed out.