xiii. MURDERS AFTER MIDNIGHT

Stars were smattered against the dark night sky above. The stars were bright and lonely beings were stuck in a void of emptiness, but when I looked up to them, liberation was the first word to surface.

It was two in the morning, and everyone had fallen asleep after a mission. A mission I wasn't allowed to go on due to my injured back.

I cast my eyes into the lively city outside my window, yearning for some measure of freedom, especially since my bum back has kept me grounded for the better part of a week.

Tonight, I was sneaking out.

I change into a dark hoodie and comfortable leggings. Inside my backpack were my badge, my computer, and just for fun, a .22 caliber pistol.

The entire penthouse was hushed over like a hibernating bear. On the drawer next to the sofa sat a pair of earbuds. I grab them, unsure of exactly who they belong to.

My fingers run past their odd shape and lands on the very edge. Curious, I put them in. Without warning, every single whisper, breath, and rustle overwhelmed my ears.

These must have been like the earbuds Eve Miyazaki had used to listen to the world around her. They amplified every sound within a large radius.

I put them in my pocket as I prepare to leave. Just my hand turns the doorknob, an all-too-familiar voice interrupts me.

"Where do you think you're going, Cupcake?"

I freeze.

My eyes lock with stern golden eyes. "I just wanted some... groceries."

Ace's arms are folded across his chest, and he raises an eyebrow filled with accusation. "You mean you wanted to get groceries at 2 in the morning?"

"Yup," I state lamely. "Xavier's been eating all the cheesecake and I wanted some."

Ace pinches the bridge of his nose. "Your ability to think on your feet is worse than your nonexistent ability of aiming."

My hands balled into fists. "You can't stop me, you know. I'd rather get shocked into unconsciousness, or have to fight you off, than staying here like your prisoner."

My verbal assailant gives me an amused look. "As entertaining as that sounds, I'm not going to stop you."

Ace's response stuns me; I wholeheartedly expected to be tackled to the floor by him to prevent me from leaving.

"Well alright then," I state, quickly recovering from the initial shock. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Be safe," Ace says in a low tone. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

~

There wasn't an exact place where I wanted to go. I just wanted to be, for once, on my own accord and out of that luxurious prison. Having the entire city waiting at my disposal was almost paralyzing in the number of options offered.

I walk around the sparse streets of the city; every once in a while, I'd hear the soft murmur of a taxi, or see a group of drunk college kids. A blanket of peace otherwise covered the majority of the city.

I stroll along with my hands in my pockets when, without warning, another person runs into me so hard that it causes me to fall backward.

"What the hell?" I sputter from the ground. Come on, Octavia. You're a spy now, you're supposed to be stealthy and elegant.

"I'm sorry about that," a woman's voice says while offering me a hand. "Didn't see you there." I look up, expecting any stranger really.

Instead, a pair of dark brown eyes belonging to none other than Eve Miyazaki gaze into mine.

Fate, destiny, or any derivative thereof was never something I believed in. The only thing I subscribed to nearing fate was statistics. And statistically speaking, out of the 8.5 million people in New York, our encounter was pretty damn close to impossible.

"Don't worry about it. You just surprised me," I say, playing off the fact that I knew her.

Eve's head tilts slightly. Her raven hair, pulled up into a bun once again, perfectly frames her face. "What's your name?"

I contemplate telling her my real name and showing her my badge so that she would confide in me. Curiosity stirred my mind—I still wanted answers to Eve's strange interaction in the park the other day.

But judging by the force and velocity she walked with, she was probably going somewhere important.

"My name is Ava," I respond.

"Nice to meet you Ava, I'm Sarah." Like mine, Eve's fake persona rolled off her tongue with ease. "I've gotta go, but again, I'm so sorry for running into you."

She swiftly keeps walking into the distance without waiting for my response. The interlocking triangle tattoo is the only thing I can focus on as she strolls away. Against my better judgement, I decide to follow her.

My decision was ill-contrived, reckless, and dangerous. But I needed answers. Eve's mission was a story that kept ending with cliffhangers.

She kept cutting corners and making harsh turns street after street until we approached the animated heart of NYC—Times Square.

The colorful and painfully bright advertisements which lined the street offered a stark contrast against the background of 2 AM at night. A decent crowd of civilians still filled the block. The entire ambiance felt like fresh oxygen, it reinvigorated your brain, all while making you unsure of the actual time. Stepping into the area meant choosing to forget about everything else.

Eve stood, waiting in the outskirts of the crowd. She was close enough to the commotion to be considered a regular person yet far enough to maintain her cover. Five minutes later, a stranger approached her.

He was tall, at least six two, and well built, at least 180 pounds. The two were clearly in love. He embraced her immediately, bring Eve into him by her waist, and brought her lips to his. The man's hand undid her bun, letting her hair fall to her shoulders.

The gesture was as romantic as it was suspicious.

After all, why would Eve take such a convoluted route just to meet a date?

Then a thought downed on me. Was it possible that the man she was kissing was the same man who'd been so cold at the park? I couldn't get a close look at either of them, but their frames did seem similar.

I withdraw the fake earbuds from my backpack. A harsh noise jerks my ears, and I adjust it in their direction to amplify the noise.

"—one more week, and I promise I'll break the code," Eve's voice says. I strain to hear them; her voice almost inaudible over the sound of other conversations.

"You've been saying that for the last month, Sarah," the man states. He emphasizes her alias. "I'm getting pretty fucking tired of waiting."

"Stop threatening me," she seethes. "You need me and my intel."

"Is that what you think?"

The man who's embracing her chuckles in a vile way. Even from my distance, the unnerving sound sends a shiver straight down my spine and spreads through every fiber of my being.

Eve's dark eyes are bravely glaring into his. I could only imagine the sheer terror she masked; the way the stranger moved, the way he spoke, the way he smiled when eliciting pain in others, everything about him was evil.

"Yes," she spits. "You need my abilities for this operation."

The man brushes her hair out of her face. "I've actually been wondering why someone with your said abilities has made no progress whatsoever. So we don't need you, because we've found someone else. Someone... more capable."

Eve visibly bristles. "Bullshit."

He leans in close to her ear. "We no longer require your services—Eve Miyazaki."

All the wind is sucked out of my lungs. This man knew that she was an undercover agent.

Eve, however, was either exceptional at acting or was legitimately unfazed. She barely reacted to his unearthing of her true identity. She was at peace.

Maybe she knew it was coming.

I, on the other hand, was not going to let anyone get hurt. I slowly take out the pistol from my backpack, ready to defend her.

Eve's eyes flicker up to the rooftop directly above Time Square, where a dark figure stood above holding the faint outline of a weapon. She held her own with a valor which burned bright until the end.

A gunshot rings out.

Eve Miyazaki's lifeless body falls to the ground.

A pair of forest green eyes stand out among the hazy crowd, approaching me like a predator—I was being followed.

AN: Oh shit. Any theories?