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Chapter 4
Go to a restaurant and shove your face. Play charades with non-existent friends. Have conversations with inanimate objects. Confess your love to noodles. Go shopping with your friend. Stalk people downtown. Buy random stuff you don't need. Build a tower of Lego's.
I lay upside down on the couch, my legs dangling over the back of it as I count the cracks in the ceiling.
I have a day off. A day off of training, hunting, and killing.
This has only happens once a year so you would think I would use it better... wrong.
Harth called the day off when he appeared at our front door with a hangover. Kara was watching the man we had captured and I was left alone. I could have gone and kept Harth company but I was afraid that he still had some negativity left in him and voted against it.
Sighing, I slide off the couch and head to the kitchen, looking through the fridge and sighing when nothing looks good. Probably because I just checked it five minutes ago.
You're not hungry, you're just bored.
I repeat the words over in my head so I don't begin shoving my face with food that I don't need. I let out a sound of frustration, slamming the door shut and stomping to my room.
Slipping off my sweats, I slip on skinny jeans and a purple t-shirt. I finish it with a black jacket to fend off the wind. Deciding on keeping my hair down, I brush it out so the waves are tame before grabbing the keys off the table and heading out the door.
Once outside, I begin walking towards town, shoving my keys in my pocket.
Ten minutes later, I stand in front of a shop window, examining the .22 revolver sitting on the display table. Raising an eyebrow, I argued with myself on if I really needed a gun. I skim over my belt I had slipped on before I left. Four knives line it alone with pepper spray. Did I really need a gun. It's the price that caught my eye though. $50.
"I didn't know you were into guns" A voice says from behind me and I spin around, facing Li.
"You don't know a lot about me" I defend and he holds his hands up.
"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you" He says before shoving them back into his pockets.
"Sorry, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night" I sigh and he nods his head as if understanding.
"It's all good, we all have those days" He smiles at me and I can't help but smile back.
"Yeah" I laugh. "They stink."
"Yup, so I was just heading up to the noodle place" He points towards the direction of all the restaurants. "And I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join, unless you're busy again, if you are I completely understand" He adds quickly.
I weigh my options.
Go grab some lunch with Li. A man whom I had just met a few days ago. Or go back home and bore my brains out while eating the house down. Finally, I make a decision.
"I probably can clear my schedule for an hour or so" I say and he smiles.
"Great, let's go" He leads the way and I follow closely behind.
Hei/Li's POV
Sitting at the edge of the slide at the playground, I keep my head low. Huang sits on the bench near me and Yin sits on the swing set, swinging silently.
"You have a new target" Huang's voice is low and he holds a newspaper in front of him so any passers don't know we were talking. He frisbees a photo at me and I reach my arm out, catching it at the tip of my fingers and bringing to close to look at.
A young girl smiles back at me through the picture, her blue eyes shining brightly and her long brown hair waves down her back, shining in the sunlight. Behind her, is a women and a man, both wearing matching smiles.
"Who is this?" I keep my head down. The picture reminded me of Bai and I. Before the incident.
"Parker Nowell. The picture is from 9 years ago" He pauses. "She was taken away from her family and used for experimenting, erasing all her memories"
"Like a doll?" I ask and he shakes his head.
"No, she still has feelings." he glances over at Yin, who stares at the ground, unaware of her surroundings. "This man took her and another unidentified girl in" He hands another picture and I sigh when I see who it is. "You probably recognize him"
"Yeah, I took out his eye" I recall the memory of the battle.
"Continuing, he took the girls in as weapons, convincing them that there was no way to recall their memories. Taking away their hope. Turning them into killing machines" He sighs.
"And what exactly do you want me to do?" I ask, my tone harsh enough to push any feeling down.
"I want you to find her. I want you to give her hope again. and then I want you to kill her" Huang finishes.
"Why bring her memories back if I'm going to kill her? and how am I going to bring back those memories?" I hiss, not seeing the logic.
"Because we are going to crush her like her family once crushed us... the key to bringing back to the memories is allowing her to become connected to someone. Soon, the memories and interactions with the person she grows closer too will resemble some she may have had in the past." Huang stands up, folding the newspaper.
I think for a moment about the mission.
"Do you accept?" Huang asks, turning away.
I hesitate for a moment before sighing.
"I accept"
"Good" Huang replies and I stop him before he walks away.
"Wait. Harth has sent two girls after me. One is a contractor. Any idea the identities?" I ask and Huang shakes his head.
"No idea... but take care of them" He says before walking away.
Parker's POV
I watch as Li works on inhaling his fifth bowl of noodles before staring down at my half-eaten second one.
"Hungry?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and he nods.
"Problem?" He asks, pushing the now empty bowl aside. I laugh and reach forward, using my napkin to wipe a noddle off his chin.
"Saving that for later?" I tease and he smirks.
"Maybe I was" He jokes and I laugh.
"Well, then I apologize"
"Wanna head out?" He asks and I nod. He places money on the table and I grab my bag, following him out the door.
We walk down the street and he grabs my hand, pulling me towards a nearby park. We sit down in the grass near the woods, facing the canal.
"So, tell me about yourself" He turns towards me and I shrug.
"I don't really have much to tell" I shrug and he raises an eyebrow.
"No funny parent stories?" I wince at the mention of parents. "Unless..."
"No, my parents didn't pass, I think" I say the last part under my breath.
"Oh" He says, not catching the last part. "Well... brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles..."
"I live with a family friend" I say. Not a complete lie. "My parents left me when I was young" It's not lying if you don't know the truth.
"Oh, I'm sorry" He places his hand over mine and I flinch away. He quickly pulls his hand back, his face flushing. "Sorry"
"No it's fine... I'm just a bit jumpy" is sigh, tilting my head back and looking at the sun.
"It's fine" He smiles at me, understandingly.
"So, tell me about yourself"
"Well I'm a transfer student from China" He shrugs.
"Family?"
"I had a sister, she went missing after Hell's gate"
"I'm sorry" I hesitate a moment before reaching over and putting my hand on top of his like he had did to mine. He looks up at me, giving me a sad smile.
The world around me begins to blur and I panic.
"Parker, Parker, where are you?" A voice calls and I close my eyes. When I open them again, I'm standing back downtown.
"You'll never find me!" A little voice rings out from behind a building. I jog, following the voice. Something blurs by me and I recognize it as a small boy.
"Found you!" He yells as he turns to the corner. I follow him and watch as he tackles the young girl to the ground. I immediately recognize the girl as me.
Was this a memory?
"Parker, Jonathon, where are you?!" A women's voice calls and I follow the kids as they jog towards the voice. The women stands on the sidewalk, a basket of groceries under her arm.
"Jon tackled me!" The small me cries out and Jon crosses his arms.
"Did not, she's a liar liar pants on fire" He defends.
"There, there, be nice to your sister and no more tackling" The women begins walking and the kids follow closely behind.
"Sorry mom" The boy, Jon mutters.
"It's okay honey" She turns around, smiling down at them and I run towards her.
"Mom? Is that you?" I step in front of her, immediately recognizing her. She turns to face me before walking through me. I cry out and turn around, walking beside her and examining her. "Mom, why can't you hear me?" I go to grab her arm and stop her but my hand goes through her arm.
I turn around, facing the my brother and I. He reaches over, grabbing my hand and we skip behind my mom happily.
"Haley, Haley, are you okay?" Li's voice pulls me back to reality and I jump backwards. "What happened? You just... left the world." He uses the metaphor but it seems so real.
"I...I have to go" I stand up, stumbling backwards. Li stands up, gripping my arms to help me regain balance and I flinch away from his grip, afraid to be pulled back into another flashback.
Flashbacks of memories I thought I was ready to remember. Truth be told, I wasn't.
"Haley..."
"I have to go" I try again, turning to leave.
"You don't look well at all..." He argues.
"I'm fine" I lie before breaking into a sprint towards downtown.
Once downtown, I slow down, running into an alley. I slide down the wall, placing my bag beside me and digging my phone out of it and dialing a number.
"Hello?" A voice answers.
"I need your help, Harth" I breathe into the phone before hanging up and hanging my head between my knees, unable to cry.
I had a family. I had a mom and a brother and we loved each other. I should be happy right? But I wasn't. Because now I know what I lost.
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