N U O V A V I T A — N E W L I F E
act II
Accommodations for me had been made in advance for my arrival to the Agency. A dormitory, perfectly barren and new, all for me. Angelica would be staying in a dorm nearby my own, although we seldom spoke to one another. I felt as new and fresh as my dorm room, yet skittish and shy of her, and made sure to steer clear of her presence.
Besides, I was still getting to know this Lauro.
The injection may have done something to me. I felt...different, in a sense that I couldn't remember anything. No memories, nothing. Just life at the Agency. Simultaneously, my feelings for Lauro had increased somewhat. I found him a dedicated person who was only trying to help me and my new "job" as an assassin. I was slowly becoming more loyal.
At eight o'clock in the morning we set off for the market to buy me clothes — dresses, coats, shoes, what have you. Lauro bought whatever I asked for, yet remained his distance from me, very rarely speaking or trying to make conversation. I did not find this disheartening at all, because it was simply the way things worked.
We took a rest at the park. It was a lovely place, bursting with life and greenery; a quiet retreat from the noise of downtown. Part of me wanted to ask Lauro if I could go "exploring", yet I didn't, and sat on the bench with the shopping bags next to me, my hands in my lap. Lauro looked around the area with a bored expression on his face.
Then—
"Um, Mr. Lauro?"
His gaze gradually traveled from staring at some nearby trees over to myself. "What?"
"What...what is my name?"
It sounded like a stupid question. A very, very stupid question. Yet it was...legit, as he still hadn't christened me a name, and I wanted one.
He blinked, and looked to the sky thoughtfully for a minute.
"Elsa," he said. "Elsa deSica."
A smile lit up my face. Elsa deSica. I could work with that. It sounded beautiful — Elsa and Lauro deSica. Someday, hopefully one of the Agency's best fratello on duty. And I would strive hard to make this dream come true, if it would please Lauro.
"Thank you, sir," I finally told him.
"Yeah, yeah." Lauro dismissed me with a wave of his hand, before tucking it comfortably behind his head again as he leaned back in the bench. I had tried not to stare blatantly at him for the longest time, when I felt a tiny prick on my hand. I looked down.
There, scuttling on my hand, was a tiny red and black-spotted ladybug. I blinked, watching the insect wander endlessly over my fingers.
"Mr. Lauro, look," I said, holding up my hand to him.
He stared at the ladybug, unimpressed, and said, "It's a ladybug. Throw it off or something."
I felt abashed by his response to such a wonderful thing. I had to say something, anything — "How...how could you say that? It's a living creature..."
"It's just a damn bug, Elsa."
"But—"
Protest after protest formed in my mind, but I hesitated to speak against my supervisor. I was obedient and respectful, and it wouldn't be respectful of me to say any number of the words looming in my head at that very moment.
"Ugh, fine, I'll do it—" He swatted it off my hand just as easily. I could have burst into tears at that moment, but instead looked furiously away from my handler, face tinted red with anger.
He checked his watch and got to his feet. "Time to get back. Grab the bags and come on."
He walked away. I watched him leave, tiny teardrops forming in my eyes. I shook my head furiously to cleanse myself of my angst and stood up, grabbing the shopping bags resolutely and hurrying after him.
As I caught up with his strides, he looked down at me.
"When we get back to the Agency, you'll start your training," he told me.
"Training? You mean, with a weapon?"
He ignored my inquiry and continued, "I've picked out your guns for you; the SIG P229, the SIG 550, and the 552. You're gonna start shooting with the pistol today." I mused silently, taking this in, although the strange names of these firearms did not register in my mind very well.
"Also, you're to get another shot."
I perked up at the word immediately. "Why another one?"
"Because, in order to make a cyborg functional, they have to be conditioned." His tone was cold and icy, as if I should have already known this fact. We stopped at his car and placed the shopping bags in the back seat, he getting into the driver's side, me in the passenger's seat. The engine fired on and we drove off down the road as I stared out the window, watching the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
I turned my head and looked at Lauro.
"Mr. Lauro, why did you act like that about the ladybug?" I asked.
"Elsa, shut up about the ladybug."
He did not spare me a single glance. I did.
