Part 7: Old Wounds
Mandy lay back on the small bed in her prison cell. She'd been there for a long time, two full days at least. Possibly three, or somewhere in between. There were no clocks or windows in here and the lights never shut off, probably intended to keep their prisoners confused and scared. She knew all the tricks of the trade, they were trying to deprive her senses of proper indicators, making her easier to mold. Well it suited her just fine, she hated the dark anyway.
She sat up when the door opened for the first time since she'd been moved here from the interrogation room. "Well well, finally give up on breaking me?" Mandy smirked. She watched Sam and Alex push their way through the door, leaving it wide open. "Or are you gonna try your more 'drastic measures' now?"
Sam approached her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. Alex took her other arm and they both put her hands behind her back, handcuffing them together. "You have a visitor Mandy. You're gonna go meet him." Sam gripped her arm and pushed her toward the cell door. Mandy blinked, stunned. A visitor? There was only one person it could possibly be...
Mandy sneered. "Do your worst spy-girl." She felt Sam's hand twist the flesh of her arm painfully, but she refused to cry out in pain. The two spies marched her down the hallway until they reached a small room with a mirror covered wall and a long table in the middle of the room, similar to the interrogation room she'd been in before.
Sam and Alex pulled her to the other side of the table and pushed her roughly down onto the chair there. Sam leaned down to remove her handcuffs, so Mandy took a moment to steal a glance at Alex. The Latino girl was watching her with a fairly cold expression, but her eyes shined with kindness, reminding her that not everyone in this building thought of her as a criminal.
Sam and Alex stepped away from her in a moment. Mandy looked back and forth between them, then turned to the door as it slowly began to creek open. A small waist-high head with shining purple hair and violet eyes poked into the room, looking around quickly. When she saw Mandy her eyes lit up and she charged into the room.
"Mandy!" The little eleven-year-old girl ran around the large table and jumped against her, nearly toppling the chair to the floor. "There you are! I've been hoping I would get to see you again!" She exclaimed. Mandy wrapped her arms around her in a surprised hug.
"M... Madison?" Mandy blinked, staring down at her little sister in shock. "Geeze... what are you doing here? And when did you get so big? Last time I saw you, you were so tiny."
"Dad brought me with him to see you." Madison replied. Mandy's expression froze. She knew why he would do that... they would try to guilt-trip her into giving them the information they wanted. It was just like that self-important bastard to use her little sister to get what he wanted. He wasn't even man-enough to face her without Madison present. "Is something wrong?" Madison looked worried at her icy expression.
"No, I'm fine." Mandy forced a smile and patted the little girl on the head. She looked up when the door creaked again, opening enough to allow a man with a head of silver hair and a business suit on to enter. "Hello, Mr. President."
The president frowned and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Mandy, please. I'm not here as the President. I'm here to find out what's going on with you." He fixed her with a disappointed glare. "One day you're making straight A's, the next you've become involved in burglary and harboring a dangerous criminal? What is going on with you?"
"Why would you care?" Mandy spat venomously. "Isn't this why you sent me away in the first place? So my 'antics' wouldn't taint your image as a politician?"
"I sent you away because Beverly Hills has the best education system in the country. I wanted you to get a good education, and make the best of yourself." Her father insisted.
"And the fact that you sent me away right after you got elected to office was just a coincidence right?" Mandy sneered darkly. "All of a sudden the school I was going to wasn't good enough. You had to send me to the opposite end of the country alone for the rest of my life."
"I made sure you were taken care of." The president replied coolly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never wanted for anything. You had people to take care of you, and all the money you could ever want. Which makes this burglary and treason nonsense even less acceptable."
"Oh I'm ssoooo sorry to disappoint you." Mandy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to explain myself to you."
"Mandy, please. Set this right." The president walked up to her, staring down at the teenage girl still sitting in her chair with the teenage spies standing on either side of her. "Tell us where the criminal went. I'll make sure you're not punished, she pulled you into all of this. But you can make it right."
Mandy stared at him, then looked down at Madison, who was sitting on her lap and making a pitiful little face with her lower lip sticking out. It was so rehearsed Mandy couldn't believe she would even try it. Hell, Mandy had shown her how to make that face in the first place. "I don't think so." Mandy gently pushed the eleven year old off of her lap and stood up, standing toe-to-toe with her powerful father. Sam and Alex tensed up, warning her not to try anything funny.
"Don't hurt yourself for her Mandy. Please." The president's fists clenched as father and daughter stared each other down. He never cared about her before, he sent her away to make sure she wouldn't jeopardize his career. As far as the world was concerned, Madison was an only child. But still his piercing, desperate stare plucked at her heartstrings.
She looked down at Madison, who was standing off to the side of the confrontation with her hands clasped in front of her. The violet orbs that were the bond between her and Mandy shined in the soft light, staring up at Mandy with genuine concern. Mandy's heart melted, staring into those tiny eyes. She couldn't make herself turn them down...
She looked back up at her father, the President of the United States of America, and the man who'd sent her away to the other end of the country. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as she spoke. "Lyrobia..." She muttered softly. She looked up again, seeing the surprised look in his eyes. "Clover was going to Lyrobia..." She heard Sam and Alex gasp softly, though probably for different reasons.
"Thank you Mandy." The president reached up and clasped her shoulder, squeezing it slightly before turning to leave. Mandy looked down at Madison, who had a smile on her face.
"Thanks sis." Madison smiled up at her before turning to follow her father out of the meeting room. Mandy sighed and sank back to her seat, staring at the door and ignoring the girls by her sides. She would be a free girl soon enough, but she'd completely betrayed Clover's trust. Normally she wouldn't mind getting Clover in trouble, but this was beyond high school mischief. This was very serious... and a very serious betrayal.
"Come on Mandy, thanks for your help, but it's back to your cell." Sam grabbed her arm and yanked her up from the chair roughly. When her eyes met Alex's the Latino girl refused to return the glance, grabbing her other arm to pull her down the hall back toward her cell. They pushed her inside. "Come on Alex, we have to call Queen Tassara and make sure she's ready for Clover."
"Sure." Alex nodded as Sam turned to leave... but Alex didn't move. She looked back at Mandy with a strange expression on her face. She didn't say anything, but she didn't really have to. Mandy could practically feel her displeasure beating down on her.
"Don't judge me..." Mandy said softly, glaring up at her.
"I didn't say anything." Alex replied simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you know, at some point Sam's going to realize I lied to her... and she'll know I've been letting Clover go."
"I'm sorry... but I couldn't tell Madison no." Mandy explained. The last thing she remembered of Madison was staring out the back window of a run-down Cadillac on its way down the street from the White House. She remembered promising Madison that she would return after a small trip... Hell, that's what she'd thought. But it had proven to be a lie.
"I'll figure something out." Alex smirked and stared down at her. "You just sit tight... I'll find a way to get this all straightened out." She turned to leave then, closing and locking the cell door behind her. Mandy sighed and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Nothing to do now but wait...
TO BE CONTINUED
Mandy lay back on the small bed in her prison cell. She'd been there for a long time, two full days at least. Possibly three, or somewhere in between. There were no clocks or windows in here and the lights never shut off, probably intended to keep their prisoners confused and scared. She knew all the tricks of the trade, they were trying to deprive her senses of proper indicators, making her easier to mold. Well it suited her just fine, she hated the dark anyway.
She sat up when the door opened for the first time since she'd been moved here from the interrogation room. "Well well, finally give up on breaking me?" Mandy smirked. She watched Sam and Alex push their way through the door, leaving it wide open. "Or are you gonna try your more 'drastic measures' now?"
Sam approached her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. Alex took her other arm and they both put her hands behind her back, handcuffing them together. "You have a visitor Mandy. You're gonna go meet him." Sam gripped her arm and pushed her toward the cell door. Mandy blinked, stunned. A visitor? There was only one person it could possibly be...
Mandy sneered. "Do your worst spy-girl." She felt Sam's hand twist the flesh of her arm painfully, but she refused to cry out in pain. The two spies marched her down the hallway until they reached a small room with a mirror covered wall and a long table in the middle of the room, similar to the interrogation room she'd been in before.
Sam and Alex pulled her to the other side of the table and pushed her roughly down onto the chair there. Sam leaned down to remove her handcuffs, so Mandy took a moment to steal a glance at Alex. The Latino girl was watching her with a fairly cold expression, but her eyes shined with kindness, reminding her that not everyone in this building thought of her as a criminal.
Sam and Alex stepped away from her in a moment. Mandy looked back and forth between them, then turned to the door as it slowly began to creek open. A small waist-high head with shining purple hair and violet eyes poked into the room, looking around quickly. When she saw Mandy her eyes lit up and she charged into the room.
"Mandy!" The little eleven-year-old girl ran around the large table and jumped against her, nearly toppling the chair to the floor. "There you are! I've been hoping I would get to see you again!" She exclaimed. Mandy wrapped her arms around her in a surprised hug.
"M... Madison?" Mandy blinked, staring down at her little sister in shock. "Geeze... what are you doing here? And when did you get so big? Last time I saw you, you were so tiny."
"Dad brought me with him to see you." Madison replied. Mandy's expression froze. She knew why he would do that... they would try to guilt-trip her into giving them the information they wanted. It was just like that self-important bastard to use her little sister to get what he wanted. He wasn't even man-enough to face her without Madison present. "Is something wrong?" Madison looked worried at her icy expression.
"No, I'm fine." Mandy forced a smile and patted the little girl on the head. She looked up when the door creaked again, opening enough to allow a man with a head of silver hair and a business suit on to enter. "Hello, Mr. President."
The president frowned and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Mandy, please. I'm not here as the President. I'm here to find out what's going on with you." He fixed her with a disappointed glare. "One day you're making straight A's, the next you've become involved in burglary and harboring a dangerous criminal? What is going on with you?"
"Why would you care?" Mandy spat venomously. "Isn't this why you sent me away in the first place? So my 'antics' wouldn't taint your image as a politician?"
"I sent you away because Beverly Hills has the best education system in the country. I wanted you to get a good education, and make the best of yourself." Her father insisted.
"And the fact that you sent me away right after you got elected to office was just a coincidence right?" Mandy sneered darkly. "All of a sudden the school I was going to wasn't good enough. You had to send me to the opposite end of the country alone for the rest of my life."
"I made sure you were taken care of." The president replied coolly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never wanted for anything. You had people to take care of you, and all the money you could ever want. Which makes this burglary and treason nonsense even less acceptable."
"Oh I'm ssoooo sorry to disappoint you." Mandy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to explain myself to you."
"Mandy, please. Set this right." The president walked up to her, staring down at the teenage girl still sitting in her chair with the teenage spies standing on either side of her. "Tell us where the criminal went. I'll make sure you're not punished, she pulled you into all of this. But you can make it right."
Mandy stared at him, then looked down at Madison, who was sitting on her lap and making a pitiful little face with her lower lip sticking out. It was so rehearsed Mandy couldn't believe she would even try it. Hell, Mandy had shown her how to make that face in the first place. "I don't think so." Mandy gently pushed the eleven year old off of her lap and stood up, standing toe-to-toe with her powerful father. Sam and Alex tensed up, warning her not to try anything funny.
"Don't hurt yourself for her Mandy. Please." The president's fists clenched as father and daughter stared each other down. He never cared about her before, he sent her away to make sure she wouldn't jeopardize his career. As far as the world was concerned, Madison was an only child. But still his piercing, desperate stare plucked at her heartstrings.
She looked down at Madison, who was standing off to the side of the confrontation with her hands clasped in front of her. The violet orbs that were the bond between her and Mandy shined in the soft light, staring up at Mandy with genuine concern. Mandy's heart melted, staring into those tiny eyes. She couldn't make herself turn them down...
She looked back up at her father, the President of the United States of America, and the man who'd sent her away to the other end of the country. She closed her eyes and lowered her head as she spoke. "Lyrobia..." She muttered softly. She looked up again, seeing the surprised look in his eyes. "Clover was going to Lyrobia..." She heard Sam and Alex gasp softly, though probably for different reasons.
"Thank you Mandy." The president reached up and clasped her shoulder, squeezing it slightly before turning to leave. Mandy looked down at Madison, who had a smile on her face.
"Thanks sis." Madison smiled up at her before turning to follow her father out of the meeting room. Mandy sighed and sank back to her seat, staring at the door and ignoring the girls by her sides. She would be a free girl soon enough, but she'd completely betrayed Clover's trust. Normally she wouldn't mind getting Clover in trouble, but this was beyond high school mischief. This was very serious... and a very serious betrayal.
"Come on Mandy, thanks for your help, but it's back to your cell." Sam grabbed her arm and yanked her up from the chair roughly. When her eyes met Alex's the Latino girl refused to return the glance, grabbing her other arm to pull her down the hall back toward her cell. They pushed her inside. "Come on Alex, we have to call Queen Tassara and make sure she's ready for Clover."
"Sure." Alex nodded as Sam turned to leave... but Alex didn't move. She looked back at Mandy with a strange expression on her face. She didn't say anything, but she didn't really have to. Mandy could practically feel her displeasure beating down on her.
"Don't judge me..." Mandy said softly, glaring up at her.
"I didn't say anything." Alex replied simply, crossing her arms over her chest. "But you know, at some point Sam's going to realize I lied to her... and she'll know I've been letting Clover go."
"I'm sorry... but I couldn't tell Madison no." Mandy explained. The last thing she remembered of Madison was staring out the back window of a run-down Cadillac on its way down the street from the White House. She remembered promising Madison that she would return after a small trip... Hell, that's what she'd thought. But it had proven to be a lie.
"I'll figure something out." Alex smirked and stared down at her. "You just sit tight... I'll find a way to get this all straightened out." She turned to leave then, closing and locking the cell door behind her. Mandy sighed and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Nothing to do now but wait...
TO BE CONTINUED