Conspiracy
Chapter 13
Kyra was relieved to find Raven sleeping peacefully at the other end of her hotel room the next morning. She rose slowly out of her bed and stood up, stretching. She yawned and walked slowly over to Raven's bed where she lay, her body moving up and down as she breathed. She lay on top of her covers; still wearing her dress and what appeared to be a black sweater though Kyra didn't know whom it belonged to. She guessed that Raven had bought it the night before. Her feet were bare and slightly scratched, as well as her legs. Kyra took a blanket from the shelf beside the bed and covered Raven with it, turning to head for the kitchen where she would sit glumly to breakfast. In fact she was almost into the kitchen when she suddenly got wind of a heavy scent floating around in the air. It smelt like cologne…but none that the boys would wear. Actually it was only one boy now. Kyra turned back to Raven's bed which seemed to be the source of the scent. She sniffed around a little, finding eventually that the smell was coming from the neck of Raven's sweater. Since her friend was sleeping on her side, Kyra had full access to the tag that was at the nape of the sweater's neck hole. She moved closer to Raven and brushed her long waves back, folding up the shirt collar. Then she shook her head in disappointment at the blue ink scrawled on top of the white tag.
'Property of Brady Black'. Kyra stepped back from the bed and looked at her friend in shock. She had been with Brady? And taken his sweater? Or perhaps he had given it to her…It was hard to tell. She decided to press her for information when she woke up. Kyra always felt like she needed to play mother in times when Raven was not able to fulfill her duties as head of their league. This didn't happen too often, and it had never been too big a problem. This time is was definitely something hard to deal with, and Kyra felt as if she would have an extended stay as mother for the time being.
She lingered steadily into the kitchen where Mya and Matrix were already having a bowl of cereal. Matrix had slept in the girl's room that night, as it wasn't exactly his preference to be in a hotel room all by himself. Kyra sat down across from Mya and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Everyone looked groggy that morning as they munched slowly on their Count Chocula. Things would be tougher now. Matrix was the only man with them in New York, and Kyra didn't know if Raven would ever be the same again; or any of them for that matter. What would they do if they could no longer raise the crime rates in their LA base? They could not stay with Stephano if they were against his beliefs, even if his daughter was with them.
They heard a slight moan from the other room followed by a very large thump. Kyra pushed her chair back from the table and peered in through the door to her shared bedroom. Raven was on the floor, rubbing her forehead. Kyra shook her head and laughed lightly, moving her chair back towards the table.
A few minutes later they were joined by Raven who had decided to change out of her dress and into a pair of her baggy pajama pants, though she kept the large black sweater on. She sat down in a chair and rested her forehead on the edge of the table and closed her eyes.
"Raven hun, do you want some cereal?" Kyra asked in a small voice.
"No…" Raven replied, giving her chestnut waves a small shake.
"Do you want something else to eat? Maybe toast?"
Raven didn't even reply that time. She fell asleep at the table.
"Don't bother. She's asleep again…" Mya said, watching the steady rise and fall of Raven's now noiseless self.
Matrix rose from his chair and picked Raven up, carrying her over to the couch where he had slept the night before. He set her down gently on the ruffled bedcover he had pulled over from his own room.
"I guess she needs her sleep." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Who knows what she was doing out there last night or how late she was out. Or even where in the world she got that sweater…"
"It's Brady's." Kyra said, rolling her eyes. "Obviously he caught up with her last night."
"What? How! He was in the hospital longer than we were yet he was able to find her?" Mya asked in complete disbelief.
"I'm telling you, it's like they know each other and how they think…it's scary." Kyra remarked, swirling her spoon around in her cereal bowl.
"Who knows? I still think they knew each other from a past life…" Matrix said, pouring more Count Chocula into his bowl.
"Oh please." Mya said, making a face. "I highly doubt that. Maybe they're so similar that they can predict what the other is thinking. It doesn't mean they knew each other. But then again…I think that all of this mishap happened in the last twenty-four hours, and what do you know? That's when we saw Mr. Brady Black for the first time. There is something totally fishy about this…do you think Raven is a spy for the Secret Service and has been working undercover with us for the past three years?"
"Are you insane!" Kyra spat. "I highly doubt that she would have been licensed to kill tons of people to look convincing. Sounds like a James Bond movie…"
"Geez, it was just a thought. It's only about as far fetched as them knowing each other."
"How is that far-fetched? If you hadn't noticed, none of us has the vaguest recollection of what our lives were like before we started training to become mercenaries. It is highly probable that we all had a LIFE before this." Matrix suggested.
"What are the chances of her having known Brady though? I don't understand the logic in all of this. That's what…a one in six billion chance?" Mya countered.
"So? It's still possible. I mean, look at them together won't you? They look like they've known each other forever…and then there's that look that passes over Raven and she looks completely changed. It's as if she's remembering something!" Kyra exclaimed, raising her eyebrows.
Mya shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair. "Whatever you say Kyra. I guess we won't know unless she actually remembers something."
"I do remember something…"
All three acquaintances whipped their heads around and looked, startled, at Raven's form sitting up in the couch staring right back at them.
"What…" Kyra said slowly.
"What what?" Raven said, giving her an odd look.
"You remember something?"
"Did I say that?"
"Yes, just now."
"Oh…" Raven said, though she looked somewhat aloof. "I don't know what came over me…sorry about that."
Then she lay back down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, putting her hands behind her head and looking as though she were about to be sucked into the sweater she was wearing.
Chapter 13
Kyra was relieved to find Raven sleeping peacefully at the other end of her hotel room the next morning. She rose slowly out of her bed and stood up, stretching. She yawned and walked slowly over to Raven's bed where she lay, her body moving up and down as she breathed. She lay on top of her covers; still wearing her dress and what appeared to be a black sweater though Kyra didn't know whom it belonged to. She guessed that Raven had bought it the night before. Her feet were bare and slightly scratched, as well as her legs. Kyra took a blanket from the shelf beside the bed and covered Raven with it, turning to head for the kitchen where she would sit glumly to breakfast. In fact she was almost into the kitchen when she suddenly got wind of a heavy scent floating around in the air. It smelt like cologne…but none that the boys would wear. Actually it was only one boy now. Kyra turned back to Raven's bed which seemed to be the source of the scent. She sniffed around a little, finding eventually that the smell was coming from the neck of Raven's sweater. Since her friend was sleeping on her side, Kyra had full access to the tag that was at the nape of the sweater's neck hole. She moved closer to Raven and brushed her long waves back, folding up the shirt collar. Then she shook her head in disappointment at the blue ink scrawled on top of the white tag.
'Property of Brady Black'. Kyra stepped back from the bed and looked at her friend in shock. She had been with Brady? And taken his sweater? Or perhaps he had given it to her…It was hard to tell. She decided to press her for information when she woke up. Kyra always felt like she needed to play mother in times when Raven was not able to fulfill her duties as head of their league. This didn't happen too often, and it had never been too big a problem. This time is was definitely something hard to deal with, and Kyra felt as if she would have an extended stay as mother for the time being.
She lingered steadily into the kitchen where Mya and Matrix were already having a bowl of cereal. Matrix had slept in the girl's room that night, as it wasn't exactly his preference to be in a hotel room all by himself. Kyra sat down across from Mya and poured herself a bowl of cereal. Everyone looked groggy that morning as they munched slowly on their Count Chocula. Things would be tougher now. Matrix was the only man with them in New York, and Kyra didn't know if Raven would ever be the same again; or any of them for that matter. What would they do if they could no longer raise the crime rates in their LA base? They could not stay with Stephano if they were against his beliefs, even if his daughter was with them.
They heard a slight moan from the other room followed by a very large thump. Kyra pushed her chair back from the table and peered in through the door to her shared bedroom. Raven was on the floor, rubbing her forehead. Kyra shook her head and laughed lightly, moving her chair back towards the table.
A few minutes later they were joined by Raven who had decided to change out of her dress and into a pair of her baggy pajama pants, though she kept the large black sweater on. She sat down in a chair and rested her forehead on the edge of the table and closed her eyes.
"Raven hun, do you want some cereal?" Kyra asked in a small voice.
"No…" Raven replied, giving her chestnut waves a small shake.
"Do you want something else to eat? Maybe toast?"
Raven didn't even reply that time. She fell asleep at the table.
"Don't bother. She's asleep again…" Mya said, watching the steady rise and fall of Raven's now noiseless self.
Matrix rose from his chair and picked Raven up, carrying her over to the couch where he had slept the night before. He set her down gently on the ruffled bedcover he had pulled over from his own room.
"I guess she needs her sleep." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Who knows what she was doing out there last night or how late she was out. Or even where in the world she got that sweater…"
"It's Brady's." Kyra said, rolling her eyes. "Obviously he caught up with her last night."
"What? How! He was in the hospital longer than we were yet he was able to find her?" Mya asked in complete disbelief.
"I'm telling you, it's like they know each other and how they think…it's scary." Kyra remarked, swirling her spoon around in her cereal bowl.
"Who knows? I still think they knew each other from a past life…" Matrix said, pouring more Count Chocula into his bowl.
"Oh please." Mya said, making a face. "I highly doubt that. Maybe they're so similar that they can predict what the other is thinking. It doesn't mean they knew each other. But then again…I think that all of this mishap happened in the last twenty-four hours, and what do you know? That's when we saw Mr. Brady Black for the first time. There is something totally fishy about this…do you think Raven is a spy for the Secret Service and has been working undercover with us for the past three years?"
"Are you insane!" Kyra spat. "I highly doubt that she would have been licensed to kill tons of people to look convincing. Sounds like a James Bond movie…"
"Geez, it was just a thought. It's only about as far fetched as them knowing each other."
"How is that far-fetched? If you hadn't noticed, none of us has the vaguest recollection of what our lives were like before we started training to become mercenaries. It is highly probable that we all had a LIFE before this." Matrix suggested.
"What are the chances of her having known Brady though? I don't understand the logic in all of this. That's what…a one in six billion chance?" Mya countered.
"So? It's still possible. I mean, look at them together won't you? They look like they've known each other forever…and then there's that look that passes over Raven and she looks completely changed. It's as if she's remembering something!" Kyra exclaimed, raising her eyebrows.
Mya shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair. "Whatever you say Kyra. I guess we won't know unless she actually remembers something."
"I do remember something…"
All three acquaintances whipped their heads around and looked, startled, at Raven's form sitting up in the couch staring right back at them.
"What…" Kyra said slowly.
"What what?" Raven said, giving her an odd look.
"You remember something?"
"Did I say that?"
"Yes, just now."
"Oh…" Raven said, though she looked somewhat aloof. "I don't know what came over me…sorry about that."
Then she lay back down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling, putting her hands behind her head and looking as though she were about to be sucked into the sweater she was wearing.