RPOV
I leaned back in my seat with a sigh, dropping the magazine on the table beside me. I felt conflicted about what happened back at the construction site. The look on Dmitri's face was something that was burned in my brain, and when he injected himself. The thing that bothered me the most was I wanted to know if he made it. Carver said he didn't think I was going to make it, but I woke up a few seconds after going still.
I pursed my lips and pulled my purse up onto my lap, looking through it for something else to occupy myself while we flew. I had hoped we would have gone back to the US last week, but it wasn't in the cards. I shifted through it when I came across a red rectangular envelope embellished with a gold dragon on it. I had seen this dragon before, and I recognized the handwriting.
"When do I open?" I asked.
"When you start to doubt the truth."
I peeked up at Caver before I tore the top of the envelope off and dumped the contents out. It was a folder piece of high quality paper that had a glossy finish to the back. I unfolded the paper and flipped it over, my hands stilling.
"Remember when we met on the boardwalk on Virginia Beach…. It never happened. I made it up."
The photo in my hand was like a slap to the face and a bucket of cold water at the same time. The photo sparked familiarity in me and I traced my finger over the faces. This photo was from the boardwalk. I had forced him to go into the photo booth with me.
"What were you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about how much I wanted to kiss you."
I took a shaky breath and looked up at Carver again before looking back down at the photo. The photo made everything snap back into place as I read the bold ink scrawled over the top. A small smile crossed my lips before a scowl took over.
Kill him! I'll see you soon!
I let the words sink in as I took a slow breath, my eyes lifting back up. Anger coursed through me as I processed through everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Carver said that I was one of the most powerful pushes he had ever seen, and the drug only enhanced that.
I felt my pupils contract as I looked at him and his eyes opened.
Put the gun in your mouth. Pull the trigger.
I got up as he moved robotically, reaching for the gun at his hip. I was already at the cockpit when his gun went off.
I was able to convince the pilot that everything was fine with a simple push. I took whatever cash Carver had in his wallet and stuffed it into my purse, also looking through his carry on to see if there was anything useful, but I was out of luck. I was hoping I would find some car keys.
When I stepped off jet I made my way out of the hanger and into the public airport, trying to blend in quickly in case any Division agents in the airport. I mingled around for a little bit and then headed for the security exit. I made it through quickly enough and gave the TSA agent a smile as he stamped my passport.
"Welcome home, Ms. Hathaway."
"Thanks. It's been a long time," I said as I collected my passport and head out. I stopped for a moment to look up at the board, hoping to find another flight back to Asia. The next flight wasn't happening today, and my heart sank.
"You know, I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry to get back to Hong Kong. I thought you'd like the stay here for a bit. I know how much you loved Montana."
I blinked and gasped a surprised breath, slowly turning around. I knew that voice and I missed that voice. I begged what ever God there was that this wasn't a dream or a sick push. I finally turned around and saw him standing there. He didn't look any different than the last time I saw him.
"Daddy?"
He smiled at me and the tops of his cheek pinked, but I could also see the tears building in his eyes too. A small laugh slipped from my lips as I dropped my bag and jumped at him, wrapping my arms around him tightly.
"Are you really here?" I cried when he hugged me back.
"I'm here," he said kissing the side of my head. "I'm not going anywhere for a while."
I nodded and pulled back, wiping my hand over my face, sniffing and not carrying that the make up I had been wearing was now a mess. Dad smiled and kissed my forehead, and I breathed in the smell that was so familiar. It was spicy and warm with the slightest hint of lavender. It smelled like my childhood.
"You know, there is a very antsy Russian waiting you at home," Dad said picking up my bag from where I dropped it. I gapped at him and shook my head in disbelief.
"He's alive? The drug didn't kill him!?"
Dad shook his head. "He didn't inject himself with the drug. It was a swapped syringe. I'm sure we call all fill you in when we get home."
I nodded and followed him, slipping into the backseat of the car that was waiting for him. I looked at the driver with curiosity as Dad slipped into the passenger seat.
"This is Pavel. I don't know if you would remember him or not. You were very young the last time you saw him," Dad said gesturing to the driver. I gave a small smile and a wave before sinking back into the seat. I was exhausted.
I wasn't sure where exactly we were going but I felt safe enough to close my eyes and rest. I hadn't been pushed before, but now that I experienced it, I would never jokingly push Dimitri again. My head hurt, and it felt fuzzy almost.
I hadn't realized that my resting turned into sleeping until Dad woke me, making me jump violently.
"Sorry," he said with an apologetic smile. I gave him a weak smile in return and got out, turning to look around. I rested my arm on the top of the door, looking at the house in nostalgia. It was our house.
"You kept it?" I asked looking at Dad.
"Couldn't part with it," he said softly, taking my suitcase out of the trunk. I took my carry on out and followed him into the house. I half expected it to be dusty and smell like stale air, but it was clean and bright. Just like I remembered it. I took a minute to take it all in, standing in the foyer. The house was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Dad had connections, even before he left, and he bought a house out in the countryside for us. Mom liked to paint, which worked with her being a watcher, and she fell in love with the view from the living room. It overlooked the trees and the valley that dipped down a few hundred yards out. It was beautiful at all times of the year, but my favourite was in the fall with all of the colours.
I felt Dad put his hand on my shoulder and I sniffed, nodding to myself.
"We're home."
"We're home," Dad said squeezing my shoulder. Dad stepped away from me after taking his shoes off and wandered into the house, leaving me to stand alone.
"What are you waiting for?"
I turned to find Pavel standing behind me, not noticing him come in.
"I'm afraid."
"Why?"
"That if I move, I'll wake up."
Pavel nodded and reached out, pinching me hard on the shoulder. I flinched back and glared at him when he laughed.
"There. Now you know you're awake. Go," he said pointing to where Dad went. I toed my shoes off and set my bag down before following. I tiptoed around the corner and into the living room where I could hear Dad talking.
I came into the room and lingered at the door. It seemed like he hadn't changed a thing. The piano was still in the corner by wall of bookshelves that I was convinced was just for show, my mom's easel was still in front of the window with her chair. The bay windows were clean and uncovered, letting the sun shine in perfectly. The hardwood floors gleamed, dark mahogany that I remember spilling glitter on all the time as a kid.
My eyes moved again and I landed on another figure in the room sitting on the couch, Dad standing in front of them. I was speechless and just stared at her. Dad smirked at me and the woman stood up from the couch, turning to face me. Mom had changed. Her hair was still as bright as a flame, but it was shorter, cut just below her chin. I could see some aged lines around her eyes and she was slimmer than I remembered, but after being locked up in Division for so long, it must have taken its toll on her.
"Rosemarie," Mom said kindly, giving me a timid smile. I smiled at her but the only thing I could think of was the last thing I said to her. It was as if a tidal wave hit me when the words came back to me.
"I don't hate you," I said quickly, shaking my head. Mom nodded and came around the couch, wrapping her arms around me.
"I know that," she said in my ear. I nodded and hugged her back, feeling the guilt I had held onto for so long slip away. I wasn't a crier by any means, but the years of pain and loneliness erupted, and I wept into her shoulder, holding her in a bone crushing grip. I never once indulged in the thought of seeing either of my parents again, not to mention the two of them in our house. Dad joined in on the hug too, holding the two of us just as tight.
We couldn't get the years we lost back, but we could start over.
"I know that you're probably exhausted. You should go rest," Dad said stroking the back of my head. I looked between the two with wide eyes, making Mom laugh.
"We'll both be here when you wake up, I promise," she said softly.
"And then we'll talk? About how you got out?"
Mom stroked my cheek and nodded. I gave a weak nod and left the living room, passing Pavel as he walked in. I saw that my bag was no longer by the front door and I climbed the stairs, heading for my old bedroom. I paused outside the door and waited for a moment before opening it slowly. I couldn't see much since the curtains were drawn, but I did make out a form under the blanket of my comforter. I looked around the room when Dad's words came back to me from the airport. Dimitri.
I slipped in and saw my bag in front of the dresser. I grimaced at it and decided to see if any of my clothes were still in the dresser. Some of them were missing, but most were still there. They were freshly laundered too, which made me wonder how long they had been here. It had been a week since the fight at the construction site.
I pulled out some sweats and a tank that was a little too small, but I didn't care. I carefully climbed into bed next to Dimitri and laid beside him as close as possible, tucking the comforter around me.
It didn't take long for him to roll onto his other side and rest his arm around me like he knew I was here. I smiled to myself and snuggled closer to him, breathing in his smell and closing my eyes. How I could have been pushed to forget him, and break the push on my own I'd never know, but I was grateful that I did.
It took me a solid thirty seconds to remember where I was when I woke up. So much had happened and being back in my bedroom from my childhood was disorienting. The walls were still the light shade of lilac that looked gray at night, the comforter still felt the same. The posters on my way from Twilight were still tacked up. God, I liked Twilight way too much as a tween.
I adjusted my head and felt a hand move from the back of it. I looked up at found a pair of brown eyes watching me carefully, a small smile on his lips.
I didn't give him a chance to speak as I sat up and pressed my lips to his, cupping his face with my hands. I felt a flood of relief flow through me and when I pulled away I buried my face in his neck, sighing heavily.
"Hi, Roza."
I sat up again and punched his stomach, not hard enough to hurt him but enough to get my point across.
"I thought you were dead! I thought you took the damn drug!" I shrieked, sitting back on my heels. Dimitri was propped up on the pillows and gave me a tender look, reaching out to me but I pulled my hand back.
"You let me think you were dead," I said with a huff, crossing my arms over my chest. Dimitri sat up and pulled me against him even though I tried to pull back. He didn't give me a choice as he pulled me into his lap and kissed the top of my head.
"How was I going to tell you I was alive if you still believed you were an agent?"
I pouted and the anger and fight let me a bit. He was right, how could he have told me. If I knew I would have told Carver. I could hear Dimitri chuckle to himself as he laid back down, pulling me with him.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just glad that you're here, and you're safe," Dimitri said kissing my hair again.
I sighed and snuggled into him, basking in the feeling. I knew that we wouldn't have long, but I wanted to enjoy it as much as I could. We had laid there for a least an hour before there was a quiet knock on the door.
I pressed a quick kiss to Dimitri's lips and got out of bed, padding to the door. I cracked it open and squinted against the bright light in the hall.
"I know you didn't sleep long, but we should get started," Mom said quietly.
"Okay. We'll be down in a minute," I said quietly and closed the door. I turned to find that Dimitri was already out of bed, slipping into a pair of jeans. I smirked to myself, if only I got to be the teenager who got to watch their boyfriend get ready to sneak out of their room. Although, he wasn't exactly sneaking out now.
Dimitri gave me a slightly cocky smile as he buttoned his jeans. "See something you like?"
I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes. "Maybe."
Dimitri switched his shirt to a long-sleeved and came towards me, cupping my face.
"Ready?"
I nodded and turned my head to kiss his palm. "Ready."
My head hurt so much. There was so much that had happened between now and when I was given over to Division that I didn't know how to process it.
"Wait. So your mom is still in there?" I asked Cassie. Cassie stood by the window, holding a mug in her hands.
"Yeah. They had her in a different section of the unit that night. We were lucky that we got your mom out. We'll go back for her though," Cassie said. I nodded and noticed that her hair was a stark difference. The last time I saw her it was blonde and streaked with colour, now it was black with patches and streaks of green and purple. It made her look a little pale, but she pulled it off with her leopard print skirt and combat boots.
"And how exactly did you break through Carver's push?" I directed at Dimitri.
"I'm not really sure."
Dad laughed. "Remember that tea I used to make you drink ever morning?"
I grimaced. "Ew. Yes."
"I had him drink it before he got his mind wiped. He took it like a champ."
I frowned and stuck my tongue out. I could taste it just thinking about it. Dimitri smirked at Dad and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
"I'm glad I did. I saw what the push was and it faded just as quickly. In fact, I think I might start drinking it daily," Dimitri said and I rolled my eyes at him. That would smell gross after a while.
I rubbed my finger under my lip as I let what we had discussed. From what I could wrap my head around, a few days after I thought Dimitri took the drug he, my dad, Pavel, Christian, and Eddie made it to the Division Headquarters and stirred up quite the mess. They broke Mom out, stole what supply of the drug they had, destroyed the server archives, all in the span of forty minutes.
They also stole a handful of vials of the immunosuppressants. Couldn't have one without the other. It was also a good thing because I would need another dose of it in a few months.
"With Carver dead, thanks to you, infiltrating the rest of Division will be much easier," Dad said, giving me a wink. I gave him a half smile. While he was a horrible person, it still made me queasy to think that I killed him.
I rubbed my head and sighed. I was starting to get a headache from all of the information I had taken in today. It had been a crazy few weeks, and it seemed like it was just going to get crazier.
I heard someone mention food and meeting the rest of the group in an hour. Dimitri got up and said he would help get breakfast, or lunch, ready while Cassie and I lingered behind. I had wanted to speak to her but didn't know how to ask her what I needed to. I knew that she would be so fine-tuned on our futures now that they would come to her without needing to focus on it.
Cassie looked as tired as I felt. She had bags under her eyes and she looked thinner than normal. When was the last time she slept and actually ate anything? Maybe she was still stressed about the tigers?
"Did you ever figure it out? What the tigers meant?"
Cassie shook her head. "No. But I haven't seen them again, So I'll take that as a good sign," Cassie said with a sigh. "Have you seen it too?"
I looked up at her and raised my brow at her. "Seen what?"
Cassie rolled her eyes and sat down on the coffee table in front of me. "Don't play stupid! I know that with the drug your watcher abilities increased. I know you saw it too. So. Have you done it yet?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm not ready to know the truth," I said plainly, picking at my fingernails. Cassie frowned but nodded. She got up and went to her bag, rooting through it before throwing a white twist top container at me. I barely caught it, almost nailing myself in the face with it and held it between my hands.
"Drink your tea, eat something, and take your pills," Cassie said as she swayed on her feet slightly, "I'm going to lay down."
I watched her walk away before twisting the top off the bottle and dropping two pills into the palm of my hand. I looked at them and weighed them in my hand before putting them in my mouth and taking a mouthful of tea.
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