My name is Parker Dreygen. For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal. Survive. I came back to Starling City along with one of it's most famous celebrities, Oliver Queen.
He doesn't know who I am nor that I was on that island. But I came back with a mission; become known.
In order to do so, I must be something other than a bartender. I must be a vigilante, specifically Masquerade.
128 Starling Drive. The vigilante Masquerade's hideout. 127 Starling Drive. An apartment belonging to one Parker Dreygen. I've been home for one week and Queen has already created a name for himself. The Hood.
He has tried to take on someone with ties to the Triad. Idiotic move if you ask me. I decided that tonight I might have a go at crime fighting. I became Masquerade with ease; black mask, black pants, platinum hair slicked back into a tight braid, all of it.
I took a wild guess as to where the hood would be going next. James Holder, created defective smoke alarms and killed a countless amount of people. Holder was on this morning's news.
I jumped onto the roof where the hood and Holder stood.
"Who the hell are you?" Holder asked coldly.
"Masquerade." I responded.
"I've got this." Queen said in a distorted voice. Even though a hood hid his face I could tell he was irritated, but also confused.
"I know. Just thought I'd see your costume in person." All the sudden, shots broke through the glass fence. Queen and I watched Holder's body drop dead into the pool from behind the bar. I stood and shot three arrows into the area where I hoped the sniper was. The aftermath of my stupidity resulted in a sharp pain in my side
"Friend of yours?" Queen yelled.
"Yes, Oliver, that' why he's shooting at me! Besties forever!" I screamed back. The shooter ceased firing and I stood, brushing off the glass.
"How do you know who I am?"
"I know you, but you don't know me, rich boy." And with that, I jumped off the roof and shot an arrow to the closest building, a long rope attached tightly to it. I glided down to the street below and looked back to the roof where Queen stood watching me.
Just to spite him, I threw one of my daggers below his feet and then sprinted away.
When I arrived at my house, I felt the weight of my exhaustion hit me. My eyes were having trouble staying open and my body felt heavy. The bullet; poison.
I rushed into my next door apartment with a bottle of water and unsteady feet. I slid over to the crate I had brought from the island. I took the 'magical' herbs and stuffed some into my mouth and drank some water. It wasn't long before I drifted to sleep on the carpet.
Oliver POV-
Holder looked over my shoulder, fear burned in his eyes.
"Who the hell are you?" He questioned. Honestly, I wanted to know, too. I took in the character before me.
She had long platinum hair that was braided tightly back, showing off her angular cheekbones.
A black mask covered most of her face but I could see the striking green of her eyes. They weren't emerald or the color of a forest. No, they were a light, misted color that looked like a green tinted sky.
A simple black long bow was gripped in her hands and a leather quiver was slung across her back. She wore tight fitting black pants and a top which had daring laces holding the chest area together.
Her leather boots were new, unscuffed. She didn't look experienced. But the way she moved, with grace overpowering her lithe body, I knew she wasn't new to fighting.
"Masquerade." She replied with confidence. If the name was attributed to anyone else I would've scoffed. But looking at her, it suited her perfectly in a way that wasn't laughable. My eyes were drawn to her and I couldn't bring them back to focus on my mission.
"I've got this." I said.
"I know. Just thought I should see your costume in person." She replied with a smirk underneath her laced mask. Shots broke me out of my trance as I ran to cover behind the bar, Masquerade close behind me.
"Friends of yours?" I shouted over the noise as I watched Holder's body fall into the pool.
"Yes, Oliver, that's why they are shooting at me. Besties forever!" She yelled sarcastically. How did she know my name? I had been so careful with my identity. No one, no one, knew who I was. The sniper ceased fire, leaving me with a dead body and another vigilante. I saw her stand and lift her black long bow. She shot three arrows into the area where the shots were coming from.
The bow she used had enough resistance to say it was new, yet the carvings on the side suggest this wasn't the first time it had been shot. She took the arrows from the black leather quiver and shot them like I did. Like I was taught.
"How do you know who I am?" I asked her. I stood up and brushed the glass off my shoulder, Masquerade did the same.
"I know you, but you don't know me, rich boy." She smirked before jumping off the roof and into the darkness below. I caught myself running after her, but I stopped as soon as I got to ledge. I looked down to her and she threw something toward my feet.
It was a dagger with a spade on it. When I looked down to the street, she was gone.
Parker's POV-
I was awakened by one of the many computers beeping in the cave. Dammit a voice in my head cursed looking down at the blood stained carpet. I walked over to the monitor and stopped the alarm I had set the morning before for work. Out five hours, good job, Park. The voice berated.
I took a sample of blood from the carpet to see what kind of poison I was shot with. I finally found that the bullets were laced with curare. A rare and deadly poison that was unique to only one criminal.
His codename, according to InterPol, is Deadshot. I would try to confront him after work, but for now I have to be a barista for six more hours.
Later:
I turned the corner of a not so abandoned alley. I saw Queen's head swivel, looking for anyone who was watching. He took a running head start to a vent, grasping onto a bar above it. He scaled the wall like he had done it a thousand times before. Maybe he had.
I watched him intently as he swung and jumped before taking out a pair of tweezers. Queen pulled out a bullet that was lodged in the concrete wall. I slowly walked out from behind the corner and slowly began to clap.
"Good job, Queen." I laughed as he jumped down to face me.
"You can never tell anyone what you just saw." He pointed at me and stared me down.
Oliver's POV-
I heard clapping from below me as I rested my foot on a pipe sticking out from the building I had just scaled. "Good job, Queen." The voice laughed.
"Mother." I reprimanded myself before jumping down to face the voice, "You can never tell anyone what you just saw." I stared into oddly familiar green eyes. The familiar green hue was paired with the same platinum hair from last night.
"Like who? I'm a nobody. Well, when you disappear for five years from the face of the planet, it's kind of hard to find friends. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Oliver Queen? Or do you prefer the Hood?" Dammit, she knows. How?
"I prefer the Arrow, blondie." I tried to grab her neck, but she quickly dodged my arm and bent it back into a painful arm hold.
"And I prefer Masquerade." She whispered in my ear. The warm air from her breath sent a shiver down my spine. She laughed before I swung my good arm toward her head. She ducked and winced as she did so.
"You're hurt. Did one of those bullets hit you last night?" I asked her feeling a sudden surge of concern.
"Yeah, but I'm fine." she said grasping her side
"How are you not dead? The bullets were laced with-"
"Curare. Yeah, I know." She finished for me. She was a completely open book, yet still hidden. An utter mystery with too many layers to keep count.
"How?" I questioned her, she was now leaning against a wall almost unconscious.
"Um, magic. A unicorn horn to be specific." She retorted causticly. Her sarcasm made me want to snap her neck. I needed to know who she was.
"Let me help you." Oliver Queen offering assistance, you'll never see that again.
"No. I can take care of myself." she resisted. Stubborn. That reminds me of someone I know all too well.
"Tell me your name please, or at least where to find you."
"Parker. Parker-" Her words trailed off as she collapsed into my arms before she could finish. I quickly took her to The Foundry, although carrying an unconscious blonde in broad daylight proved challenging.
She wasn't okay, but she should've died twelve hours ago. I cleared one of the tables and set her down. She wasn't as light as most girls her size must be, her slim figure was deceiving, it was all muscle.
I washed her bloody stomach and threw away the blood drenched gauze she had on previously. I then stitched her wound up, hoping unconsciousness would be all the anaesthetic I would need. Her shirt was cloying and soaked with blood, so I replaced it with one of my jackets.
I felt myself sigh with relief as I took a step back. I found it hard to pull my gaze away from her but I forced myself to anyway. You don't need another pretty face distracting you, Oliver, chided a voice in my head.
I sat at my computer and did some research on the bullet I found in the wall. 7.62 millimeter rounds. The money trail lead back to the Bratva, Russian mob. Finally… some good luck. I heard a gasp then followed by coughing. I turned back to the blonde that was trying to sit up. I ran to help her up hoping she didn't open the stitches.
"Where is my shirt?"
"In the trash. That gauze you used didn't really stop the blood."
"So you gave me magic gauze?"
"What is it with you and magic?" I helped her stand since she wouldn't sit still.
"I did a magic trick five years ago."
"Oh, yeah? What did you do? Pull a bunny out of a hat?"
"No. I did a disappearing act. I once was lost but now I'm found." Amazing grace? Seriously?
"Well I need to go talk with some people so where can I drop you off at?" I asked her grabbing my jacket and another motorcycle helmet.
"218 Starling Drive."
"Right around the corner. What a coincidence." I said using the same amount of sarcasm as her. We both laughed at my stupid joke, it felt nice to laugh. Something about this girl brought out the best in me and I was worried by it. It had happened once before, but that hadn't ended well.
Author's Note: Hi guys! So this is my new story for Arrow. I am cowriting this with the wonderful author, and my best friend, inthebookining. If you like this go checkout her story for teen wolf and maybe some of my stories for Maximum Ride and poetry. Please leave a review if you have any thoughts, ideas, or opinions. Thanks! XOXO- Skai.
