Twenty

I was not expecting this at all. I am genuinely shocked, but for some odd reasons, it makes sense.

It fucking makes sense, even though it doesn't. It shouldn't.

The Bird is with me, he said.

I am the Bird.

When I realize what it means, my feet move on their own.

I am the Bird, whatever that means. And they are the hunters.

How is that possible? Why am I the one they seem to be looking for?

Everything is spinning. If I remember correctly, they were not supposed to hurt the Bird. Yet. So what do they want—

...from me?

"It's her! I'm sure of it! She—Hey!"

I'm running, dodging the fist of a man and the bullet fired in my direction a second later. Some people scream, bottles of alcohol explode, and I jump from a table to land behind the bar.

You really thought I would leave without a fight?

This may be crazy. I don't know whom I am against.

The Circle.

Crouched down, the gun in my hand, I lean my head against the surface behind me and take a deep breath. I protect my head when a dozen of bottles above me explode.

After a moment, I start shooting back from my hidden place. I wipe off the blood of my forehead, wondering where it came from.

Gritting my teeth, I finally shout, "Listen, buddies, I'm not the one you're looking for, so I would really appreciate if you could stop fucking shooting at me!"

Someone laughs dryly.

"Show yourself, Bird. We're not gonna kill you." A pause. "We can't, but if you don't listen..."

A bullet hit another bottle, and I turn my head to the side, grimacing when tiny pieces of glass fly in my direction.

"Are we sure it's her?"

I clench my jaw.

"I'm sure. Anyway, our Bird is ready to be captured. And if it's not her—"

Bang! Bang!

The sound of more bullets cuts him off. This time, I feel like I'm not the target. I carefully stand a little to see what's happening.

Someone else entered the place, but I can't quite see who decided to join us. I take this as my opportunity to either run away before I get killed, or fight back and get answers to my questions.

I'm tempted to do the latter, but I hear Mr. Neil's voice in my head, telling me to do the right things, teaching me the simple rules that I must know as an agent, telling me that he's proud of me, that he can always count on me to obey to the orders and to come back to the agency after every mission.

You're brave, smart, strong, and honest, Sophia. Those are qualities you don't find in a lot of people, these days.

The man that brought me to the agency and gave me a home has no idea what I'm doing right now. He has no idea that I'm not brave, smart, strong, and definitely not honest. I came here for a reason, tonight. I came here for my own mission that I have for so long, and meanwhile, there are so many other things going on at the agency that I should care more about.

How would he react if he knew that I'm still trying to find a man who shouldn't matter anymore and who is supposedly dead?

But if there's something I've learned by now, is that dead people are not always dead.

I don't know why I'm thinking about all of this right now. Maybe because I realize I need to do something good, for once. Something not stupid. I need to go back to the North Agency and tell Mr. Neil about the Bird.

About me.

Right now.

I stand up and run towards the exit. It takes everything in me to not look back, to not step into the fight as I would normally do. Running away like that isn't what I'd like to do. But right now, the little voice in my head tells me to go back to the agency. I just try to follow my instinct, and I hope that I'm making the right choice.

As soon as I run away from my hidden spot, two big, tall and angry men trap me, one in front of me and one behind. They don't try to kill me. Yet. So I smile a little and tell myself that this is going to be easy, with all the other men currently busy with whoever entered the place earlier.

I throw a jab to the one behind me, then do a roundhouse kick to the guy in front of me. Hearing a satisfied grunt, I continue to fight each of them, not focusing on what's happening around me.

I easily get rid of the man behind me. Turning my full focus on the last guy, I'm not fast enough to dodge his next move.

It's not quite a move. It's more about the object in his hands that he uses next. It takes me a few moments to understand what's happening. And then I feel the sharp prick of a needle in my neck.

I step back, grimacing and automatically pressing a hand against the side of my neck, glaring up at the man.

"What the hell was that?" I exclaim, blinking a few times when the world starts to spin.

Shit.

The man smirks. It quickly slips from his lips when someone knocks him off so easily that I wonder who the hell it could be.

I have my answer when the guy turns towards me, his jaw clenched and his expression pissed. I take a step back when I recognize Brandon. I wonder why he looks so angry, and if his anger is dedicated to me.

Oh, fucking hell. I'm pissed at him.

He's here, again. Saving me—

"Hey!" A strong arm wraps around my waist, steadying me before I fall to the floor. "Are you gonna pass out right now?"

Bang! Brandon pauses to shoot back to a man, then brings us behind a pillar, glancing down at me in concern.

I blink twice, shaking my head. Error, shouldn't have done that.

"I—" I can't even finish my sentence before I need to swallow and to close my eyes, my heartbeat accelerating.

"Shit," he mutters under his breath. When his eyes lock with my blurry ones, Brandon seems to have made a decision. Without warning, he hooks his arm beneath my knees and slips his other one around my shoulders, lifting me from the floor.

"Come on." Once I'm into his arms, he starts to walk away in fast strides. In my state, I can't even protest. I don't understand.

I don't know how we make it outside, or when we reach the inside of a vehicle.

"What the hell were you thinking, Sophia?" Brandon exclaims suddenly, his voice filled with disbelief, anger, and hurry as he searches through something that looks like a first aid kit.

"I wanted to find my father. And... and the Bird..."

Wincing, I shut my mouth and grit my teeth. My head hurts.

"Hey, stay with me. What about it, sweetheart?" I'm vaguely aware that his voice softens, that he brushes a strand of hair away from my face, staring at my neck.

"Me," I murmur. "The Bird... is me."

I'm so dizzy. I can't focus my gaze on anything. Not even the icy blue eyes locked with mine, looking at me with surprise, concern and something else I can't quite tell.

"I'm gonna... pass out, Brandon," I mumble, closing my eyes.

I try my best to stay awake, but it just doesn't work anymore.

"I know," he replies softly, and before I know it, I feel another prick of a needle in my neck.

My eyes fly open in shock towards Brandon.

"What is—"

"Shh. You need to trust me, just for this one." He pauses, grabbing my hand, then squeezes. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

He already did, even if he didn't want to. Even if he didn't choose to.

And I only realize it now, when I'm on the edge of death—or unconsciousness.

Deep down, I always knew. He hurt me, but that's never because he wanted to. Brandon Haynes isn't normally the type of person to hurt someone on purpose. He is just the type of person who wants to do what's best for everyone, who thinks there's something positive in everything, that there's always a solution and that two people who once loved each other can be friends again.

He isn't good to show people what are his true intentions. Especially with me, because all I ever wanted since he's back is to push him away.

I'm realizing all of this now, and later, I'll do it again.

Finally, I close my eyes for good and let the darkness invades me.

*

"She's alive."

The voice isn't sweet at all. In the back of my mind, I know exactly to whom the voice belongs.

There's a slight pause before someone replies, with a bit of restrained anger.

"Of course she is, Nova." The masculine voice pauses. "Sophia isn't weak and is definitely not going to die because of some fucking poison."

Nova huffs, and I swear, the first thing I'd like to do is to throw my hands around her neck and squeeze—

"How did you know where she went? Why did you go there? What—"

"Stop fucking speaking," I grumble without thinking, letting them know that I'm awake. And pissed.

I slowly open my eyes and blink. When I get used to the bright light above me and look around, I expect to see Nova. However, she's gone in a blink of an eye, and the only one in the room is Brandon.

He takes a step closer to the bed I'm in and stays silent for a while, watching me.

"How are you feeling?" he asks finally, clearing his throat.

I massage my neck unconsciously and wince.

"Fine, I guess." I sit up in the bed and look around the infirmary.

I don't see Mr. Neil, and a breath of relief escapes me. I can't confront him right now.

You're so weak, Sophia.

"So..." Brandon pauses, shaking his head slightly. "You're the Bird."

I sigh, leaning against the pillow. "That's crazy. I don't even know what that means, exactly."

"We'll figure out soon, I guess," he says, tilting his head towards me.

He knows that I'm about to ask him something. Something that I'd like to not ask, but I don't really have a choice. Brandon waits, watching me carefully.

I take a deep breath.

"You... talked to Mr. Neil yet?"

"He asked questions, I didn't have a choice but to tell him about what happened."

Shit.

Thinking of how disappointed Mr. Neil must be makes me feel sick in the stomach. I've disappointed him in the past, a few times. But this?

Brandon notices my pale face and frowns. "You okay?"

I nod, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I just..."

He stares at me. It doesn't take long before he understands what is going on in my head. Shaking his head, he sighs.

"I didn't tell him about the reason you went out there, tonight."

I freeze and turn my gaze towards him.

"Why?" I question doubtfully, my heart beating fast.

He shrugs a shoulder, looking down. "I figured you would like to tell him yourself."

I don't want to admit it, but I feel relieved. I stare at Brandon for a moment, not quite sure to understand exactly why he would do that for me.

I don't deserve it. I told him a few times that we can't be friends. I pushed him away. Made him feel angry and probably made him hate me. Yet, he chose to not say anything about my little, dark, fuck up secret mission.

He catches me staring. For once, I don't bother looking away. Neither does he. We stay there in silence, not moving, not looking away from each other. Then, he opens his mouth to talk.

"You could have died for that," he voices calmly, blinking once, his expression emotionless, but I still see a muscle pulsing in his clenched jaw. "Trying to find... that man—and I'm not telling you that you're wrong. He may be alive. But Sophia, don't you learn?"

He pauses and takes a few steps closer, glancing down at me, his expression serious.

"This isn't a game. With everything going on, you can't risk your life, your identity, everything, just to find someone who isn't worth it." He takes a deep breath through his gritted teeth. "If I would ever cross this piece of shit's path, he wouldn't even have time to take his last breath before I kill him."

I cross my arms over my chest and look away. Brandon sighs and sits down on the bed next to me.

"You tried to find your father and the only thing you found is something even worse." He shakes his head, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"I need my revenge, Brandon," I mutter, only thinking about it, about him, and not about everything related to the Bird.

He glances at me, understanding in his eyes. "We all do. But most of the time, revenge is useless. It's killing you inside, taking all your energy that you should keep for more important things."

He pauses, staring at me with a serious expression. "We must focus on the present and not on the past, Soph. Focus on what you have right now, on the person you are today, and on what you can do tomorrow."

For a moment, his words really hit me. I don't think I've ever seen him so serious. I don't think I've ever heard him speak with so much sincerity.

I don't like that. I look down and don't reply. After two minutes of total silence, I'm about to ask what time it is, but Brandon says something that takes me off guard.

"You were wrong, you know. You said that I would be the death of you, one day." He laughs dryly, glancing at me. "I don't think so."

I clench my jaw. "I don't want to—"

"Talk about this?" He shakes his head. "Me neither. I just wanted to say that, because it's like you are running after death recently."

"Well, maybe you can mind your own business next time so you don't have to see me running after death." I stand up, ignoring Brandon's glare, and turn to face him. "If I didn't go out tonight, we wouldn't know that I'm the Bird!

"Last night," he corrects, standing up as well, his eyes narrowed on me. "And that's another reason why you need to stop that mission you have now. We need to understand why and how you are the Bird, and what it means. My guess is that they either want you or to kill you."

I'll go with the latter.

"If you think that now that we know I'm the Bird, that I'm going to stay here at the agency and not go anywhere, you're wrong." I cross my arms and raise my chin. "I've faced death more times than I can count. I've seen you die, although you didn't. I'm not afraid of that anymore."

"You think this is all about fear?" Brandon asks, shaking his head.

"Yes," I reply without thinking. And then, "You are afraid that I die."

We both freeze in shock. I hold my breath and stare at Brandon's surprised expression.

I can't believe the words that came out of my mouth. They are not even true.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"I thought that you died, too," Brandon murmurs suddenly, his voice so low I almost don't hear him.

My heart skips a beat. "What?"

He looks up and I meet his eyes. I almost step back when I see the vulnerable look on his face. The sadness, the guilt, everything in his eyes that he's now showing me.

It's so real and so sudden.

"Sophia..." He takes a breath, and I probably should have as well, because what he says next is like a punch in the stomach.

"That night, four years ago... I thought you died, too."

*

That moment when you realize that you created a story, a world, and characters, and that you're pretty happy about it. ❤️

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