Chapter 20:
The Agency
~Isla~
Isla never made it back to the catamaran.
Daphne Isla McTavish, we have received confirmation of your whereabouts for the past 2 days and 19 hours.
She opens her eyes and is met with a gray darkness that is almost dreamlike. Isla exhales, and the gray is broken by a white cloud that dissipates within the second.
Our readings identify signs of potential major depressive disorder. There is no need to worry, Ms. McTavish, we are distancing you from the highly dangerous individuals you have been traveling with.
Isla yawns, assessing the expanse of stony nothingness around her. Her mind can't quite comprehend what happened the night before- and she won't notice until much later that she doesn't feel even the slightest bit hungover.
Unfortunately, these individuals make you an extremely intriguing character yourself, with information we must contain.
Isla sits up, placing her bare feet on a smooth, bitingly cold floor. She moves to stand, but is pulled back suddenly by weights strapped to her wrists. The rattling of heavy chains echoes in the darkness.
Welcome to your permanent residence, Ms. Daphne.
III
~Thaddeus~
"Another failed attempt?" Jaundice smiles psychotically from beneath a dark hood, it's shadow unable to disguise his yellowing teeth. "I do believe I assigned you the task of terminating Connor Lassiter and Risa Ward. Not a little Italian boy."
"It was an accident," murmurs Thaddeus. "Vincenzo set off the trap when it should have been all of them."
"Well." Jaundice clicks open a knife. "It is unfortunate that you've had multiple opportunities to kill your targets, but are continually making errors."
Thaddeus has met many lunatics in his life, but none have ever enjoyed delivering pain more than Jaundice. He drags a menacing blade over the surface of his fingertip, motioning for Thaddeus to hold out his arm.
No weakness, no weakness, no weakness, no-
Blood oozes from a cut on Thaddeus's wrist, centimeters from the location of Jaundice's famed lethal slice.
Wiping the blade on his robe, Jaundice leaves. He doesn't say anything, but the message is clear.
Next time, it's your life.
Thaddeus lights a cigarette, his fingers trembling.
III
~Isla~
His fingernails are the color of butter, ragged and torn.
"You were lucky to survive, Ms. McTavish."
"My name is Isla," she hisses, anger overwhelming her fear.
He laughs with a warmness that doesn't match the rest of him. Isla knows it's false.
"No it's not. You're hiding from your real identity, right Daphne?"
Isla leaps to her feet, and the iron around her wrists clinks and rattles, an echoing cacophony.
The man stands too, significantly taller than her. He gets in her face, shoving her back down and stomping on the chains, so that she can't move her legs.
He clicks open a pocketknife, and spins it between his fingers. The blade catches light from a small barred window high above their heads, and Isla feels her chest sink with dread.
"You belong to the agency, now," he growls, almost incoherently. A cold, corpse-like hand grasps her wrist. "You will respect your authorities."
"No!" The word turns into a scream as he pulls her arm out and slices the base of her forearm. Blood gushes into the crook of her elbow and drips onto the mattress.
"What- who are you?" she whispers, balling her hand into a fist.
"Jaundice." He wipes the blade on his robe. "And for every infraction I will add another cut to your arm. Once the wrist is reached, it is clear you cannot learn your lesson and are only trouble to the agency. I will cut through your ulnar and radial artery and let you bleed to death. Understood?"
Isla makes no move to indicate so.
Jaundice clicks the knife back into place and conceals it in his robe. "You will appreciate our rescue of you in time. Connor Lassiter and Risa Ward only seek to use the people they meet. You were bound to be cast back into your old life once they were finished with you, Daphne. Do you want to return to catering to the fetishes of old men just to stay alive?"
A blow designed to shut her up. It doesn't work.
"Connor and Risa didn't slit people's wrists."
Jaundice turns away from her and makes for the door. "Enough pain will kill useless emotions. And emotion impedes motive. You will learn soon enough."
Isla shivers and sweats at the same time. She mutters, "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."
III
~Thaddeus~
15.
"Madeline, wait up!" Thaddeus cleared his throat as it cracked up at least three octaves. His sister laughed, turning to look but not slowing down.
"Is that a tire screeching or just your pubescent voice?" She called back to him, and Thaddeus groaned in frustration as a stack of magic cards spilled out of the pocket of his tuxedo and scattered on the sidewalk.
"It'll turn deep just like Dad's!" he snapped, and Madeline finally stopped, her red dress rippling around her legs.
They're already late, but she came back anyway and helped him collect the cards. "Don't worry, Thad." She swept shaggy black bangs out of his eyes. "Your magic act's the coolest one there."
Thaddeus scoffed, looking down at his untied laces. "Yeah, right. It's not like the whole school calls me the 'useless twin' everyday anyway."
"Eff those guys, they don't know anything," Madeline said, bumping Thaddeus's shoulder. They never talked about how he made C's and D's and she made all A's- or that she had the greatest singing voice ever and all he could do was pull a stuffed rabbit out of a hat.
They stepped into the auditorium and a group of girls squealing "Maddy!" swept her away, leaving Thaddeus alone with pockets of crumpled cards and a backpack of junk for his act.
Of course Madeline was on next, and of course she was fantastic despite no warm-up and the running she did outside. Thaddeus suddenly felt sick and didn't even know why, tears brimming in the corners of his eyes.
He imagined his own act, absolute garbage compared to Madeline's. They would all laugh at him, and it wouldn't even matter that Maddy would be the only one clapping.
Thaddeus ran out the back door, flinging his backpack down the steps and collapsing against a dumpster. Useless. A waste of space. What the hell are you compared to a sister like that?
But then he felt guilty for ghosting on his act. They would call "Thaddeus Leroy?" maybe five times before everyone realized they didn't care anyway.
So, like a wimp, he cried.
At least ten minutes of wetting the tux just slightly too big for his skinny frame- when a scaly voice cut the growing darkness.
"Hey, kid."
Thaddeus whipped his head around, but found no one near him. His first thought was that it's a drug dealer come to catch some lonely students for a purchase.
"Get that hair out of your eyes and look over here."
He smoothed his bangs back, deciding the voice came from behind an adjacent dumpster.
"Over here, boy."
Thaddeus scanned his surroundings, and nearly jumped when he saw a figure sitting on the steps. He could have sworn no one was there earlier.
"Where's your sister?"
He swallowed. "H-huh?"
The man seemed to check a small notepad. "Madeline Leroy. Sound familiar?"
"Do you... uh... need her?"
"As a matter of fact I do."
Thaddeus's stomach churned. He wanted to run in the opposite direction, away from this rapist or serial killer or whoever this creep was.
"Calm down, son. I'm not nearly as evil as you think. Ever heard of unwinding?"
Thaddeus shook his head, unnerved.
"It's the process of dividing someone until their body is just parts for transplant."
He shook his head again, this time unbelieving his ears. "That's impossible. They can't do that."
"Oh, but they can," the man contested. "The public school system is on the brink of collapse, did you know that? And where are all those kids going to go? They'll rampage the streets, boy. It'll be dangerous for anyone to go out. Then they'll unwind teens just to get rid of them. Do you want that?"
"No."
"Then would you like to join the Agency for the Preservation of Youth Interests, son? Our goal is to end unwinding before it begins- and we're recruiting teens for agent training."
Thaddeus blinked, unsure. "And you want to recruit Madeline?"
"We want to recruit the both of you, but it can't be done publicly. That would compromise us with media attention. Most people don't even know the technology for unwinding exists. Understand, why you must keep this secret?"
"Yes, sir." Thaddeus stood. "You want me to find Madeline?" How awesome- she'll be so excited!
"If you would."
Bubbling with excitement, Thaddeus wiped his eyes and raced into the auditorium, silently skirting the rows of seats until he spotted her, surrounded by friends.
"Psst- Maddy!" he hissed. "Maddy, over here! Psst- Mads! Madeline!"
Several of her friends turned with expressions of disdain, but poked her on the shoulder nonetheless. He thought he heard, "Your creepy brother" in that exchange, but ignored it.
Madeline got up and climbed to the end of the row. She looked ready to confront him.
"A no show?" She sounded hurt. "Your act was so good, Thad..."
Impatiently, he grabbed her hand. "That's not important- come with me. Right now."
Madeline seemed reluctant, but followed him anyway. "What is it?"
Thaddeus grinned. "You'll see."
They went out the back doors of the auditorium and Thaddeus had a moment to look around for the man before they were flocked with people. Grabbing their arms painfully and dragging the siblings in opposite directions. Madeline screamed, and Thaddeus heard her dress tear. There were so many people, he couldn't even see her anymore. "Maddy!"
Maybe tripped, maybe pushed, but Thaddeus fell down the stairs. He only half noticed that his cards flew everywhere. Skinning his hands and his face, he was too woozy to stand.
"Apologies, son," came the voice from earlier, standing above him. "We are recruiting you both- but one of you is more useful in pieces."
And thus ends Part 1! Honestly, thank you so so much for reading, especially since you got this far. The Unwind fandom is kinda stagnant right now, but the tv show probably will pick things up, whenever it comes out.
Part 2 of Find Me in France will be up pretty soon - I plan to make it about 20 chapters, like this one. Until then, I love you a lot anon reader! :) ~chemicallyreactive xx