Oh my god! I'm aaaallliiiivvveeee! So so sorry for not updating! Writer's block... TT
Review replies will be up on my profile very soon.
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"Okay." Aya said firmly to herself, setting down a pencil. She'd just finished making a list of all the things she thought she might need for that night. Ropes, matches, maybe a knife; stuff that she'd seen in movies.
The first item on her list was proper clothing. Obviously, it'd have to be black, to blend in with the night! Something form fitting and easy to move in, like a spandex cat-suit…
She walked over to her open closet and rifled through the hung clothes, pressing shirts to her chest and gazing in the mirror on the wall. Finally she decided on a black turtleneck and black yoga pants. She pulled at the thin fabric of the pants, wondering if they'd be warm enough for a night excursion. Eventually she just left them as they were, as she didn't have anything better. To make up for the lack of warm pants, she put on a black linen jacket.
Honestly, Aya was getting a little excited. She slipped on her darkest socks, and carefully laced up her mother's black boots. The only gloves she had were light green, so she made up for that by painting her nails a deep blood red.
She checked off clothing on her list, and checked off hair before tying her silver locks into a tight bun and pulling on a black toque. It wouldn't do to have her hair give them away.
For the next hour, Aya wandered around in her house, slipping random useful (or so she thought) items into her black shoulder bag. She was just contemplating bringing a blanket (in case they got Tala back and he was dying of hypothermia) when the doorbell rang.
" Must be Emily and Mariah." Aya muttered under her breath, striding to the door. She had made plans to meet with the girls and then head to the school together.
Humming 'Mission: Impossible', she pulled open the door.
" Hi!" Mariah beamed from under her dark pink scarf.
" Are you ready?" Emil peered at her from inside a balaclava.
" Yep!" Aya smiled at Emily, who only had her bright eyes visible in all her black attire. Then she looked at Mariah. "Um…do you think you're dressed dark enough?"
"Yeah!" Mariah grinned, pulling her dark pink coat. Everything she wore was a deep, velvety…pink.
"Okay…" Aya shrugged. At least it was a dark shade of pink. "Oh yeah, do you think I should bring a blanket?"
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"I need to say something." Kai spoke quietly, but he was easily heard over the racket his friends were making.
Spencer paused, setting down the ceremonial sabre he'd been inspecting. "Yeah?"
"About Brooklyn." Kai's mahogany eyes were serious.
"What?" Ian furrowed his brows, sliding another cartridge into his gun.
"Are you with me? All of you. I know Brooklyn can't be trusted. If I give a signal, will you answer? Will you support me?" Kai didn't break eye contact with any of them.
"I'm with you." Bryan said instantly, his voice gruff. One hand lingered by his side, where a short dagger hung. It was the only defence he had, because everyone knew he himself practically qualified as a walking weapon.
"Me too." Spencer joined in after a slight pause.
"And me! What, did you think we would desert you? Brooklyn just showed us a way to get close to Tala!" Ian shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face.
Kai didn't say anything, but a small smile appeared on his face. His friends could tell how grateful he was without him saying anything.
"What exactly did you see with Brooklyn?" Bryan questioned, wary.
Kai took a deep breath, and recounted everything he had seen. He had followed Brooklyn on a gut instinct, and his trail had ended at a café downtown. There he'd waited for quite a while, just watching Brooklyn stare into space. Finally, his suspicions had paid off. Nikita Valkov had entered the café, and had headed directly towards the orange-haired boy's table.
Kai had carefully observed the two. Although he was too far to hear anything, he could see Nikita's smiling face very clearly. That itself stood for quite a lot. When the head of the Valkov family smiled, there was definitely something afoot.
The other three members of Neoborg nodded, and finished setting up. They had lived here long enough, and had seen Nikita Valkov often enough to recognize the telling signs in Kai's story. Bryan was already plotting ways to rip off Brooklyn's pretty little head. Unless Kingston was a good enough actor to fool Nikita into being so confident, he was going to need some plastic surgery after tonight. Bryan's blood boiled at the thought of that little traitor. Ian was making snide remarks while tapping his gun, and even placid Spencer had a murderous look on his face.
"Remember, we still have to appear to be on Kingston's side." Kai warned, noting the dark looks on his companion's faces.
A cruel little smile found its way onto Bryan's stony face. "Of course."
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Aya shivered, glancing nervously over at Brooklyn. He had been motionless and silent ever since the girls arrived. All he did was stare up at the sky. It was obvious he hadn't gone home, as he still wore his bright, white school clothes, instead of the dark colours they had agreed to dress in.
Mariah tsked, diving into her bag. She pulled out a long, dark coat. "I didn't think he'd leave, with the way he was sitting here when we left. I brought my dad's coat in case." She handed the coat to Brooklyn, who accepted it with a quiet nod.
Aya exchanged shrugs of confusion with Mariah. She was worried, sure, but she brushed it off. Who knew why a boy would sit for five hours without moving? The silvery-haired girl shivered again, rubbing her chilled calves as she crouched, staring over the roof rail. She waited eagerly for the appearance of a car. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was only 7:50. The boys still had a legitimate ten minutes before they were late.
She sighed as she shivered again, letting her gaze flicker upward. It wasn't even fully dark, and there was no wind. She knew she should've worn warmer pants.
Staring at the stars, she didn't even notice when Brooklyn stood and silently strode over. She only noticed his presence when thick, dark fabric dropped into her lap.
Aya looked up, startled. Brooklyn said nothing; only gently arranged the coat Mariah had given him over her legs. The warm wool engulfed her cold limbs in an instant blanket of heat, and she smiled tenderly.
"Let's go."
Aya looked over at the stairwell door, where Kai stood, his eyes cold and indifferent. She suddenly realized her close proximity to Brooklyn and blushed, somehow feeling guilty. She stood at once, pushing the coat to the boy next to her, muttering her thanks. Without a backward look, she walked after Kai, her cheeks already burning with shame. She could feel Brooklyn's heated gaze in her back, and she regretted her abrupt actions almost as soon as she'd done them.
In silence they filed down the steps and out the door, stopping before a large black van. Aya raised her eyebrows at the vehicle. It was more like an armoured truck than a family car. She contemplated asking about the automobile, but decided against it. Bryan's face was deathly serious.
The van was built on the inside like one from the sixties, only without the gaudy decorations. There were only two seats placed horizontally; the driver's seat and the front passenger one. The rest of the van had dark couches pressed against the walls, and mysterious weaponry scattered on the floor.
Aya carefully picked her way in, avoiding everything that looked explosive. As soon as everyone was inside, Bryan started the car and shot off. They were soon over the speed limit, and any other time Aya would've complained, but the streets were empty and they were in a hurry.
Her eyes were glued on the streaking streetlights outside, her mind full of turmoil. This was it. The final moment. The tension was so thick it was almost palpable. Mariah and Emily were still; Brooklyn seemed to still be in a trance. Only Spencer and Bryan were speaking in low voices, the Russian words muffled by their whispers.
Aya wondered how on earth they would return Tala to his original state. Yes, they would confront Nikita…but then what?
Her eyes slowly slid shut. She'd think about that later. Right now, all she wanted to do was concentrate on the memory of Tala's bright, sapphire eyes and his rose-tinted lips…
"Aya! Wake up!"
The silvery-haired girl moaned, her eyes cracking open to see Mariah's excited face.
"Come on! We're here." The rose-pink girl hissed, her eyes bright. Aya nodded, and slowly rose. Looking around, she realized that she and Mariah were the only ones in the van.
"Everyone's already outside." Mariah turned and clambered out. Aya sighed and followed.
She dropped to the ground, the thud her boots made echoing as she hit the pavement. Looking around, she saw they were on a long, narrow bridge, lighted by only a few dimming lamps. The wind whistled and moved the suspension cords ominously.
The rest of the group were huddled in a circle, as if unsure what to do. Aya stepped forward, and the van behind her purred to life. She shrieked, spinning around at the noise. The car had been so close!
Kai glared at her, and she flushed, embarrassed. The van slipped away from them, and parked in the shadows a little way away. Bryan soon came striding back to them, car keys jingling in his hand.
"Come on." The lavender-haired boy strolled over to Spencer. "Help me." He gestured to the rest of the group. Bryan led them to the back of his van, and slid open the doors. He leaned in, and pulled out a few long pieces of lumber. "We're building a sort of barricade, to stop Nikita's vehicle." He hefted the wood, and walked forward, dropping them in the middle of the road. Everyone clustered about the van, reaching for more wood. Aya grabbed the one nearest to her. The surface of the plank was rough, so she held it gingerly, avoiding splinters.
"What if another car comes up? One that's not Nikita's?" She asked, keeping her voice low. She dragged the lumber out, wincing as it thumped on the ground. The wood was quite heavy.
"This is a closed bridge, actually. You missed the caution signs on the way, sleepy-head." Emily said wryly.
Aya carefully set down another piece of lumber. "Is the bridge safe?"
"Should be. Repairs were done. They were just going to test it tomorrow." Ian shrugged as he passed the two.
Aya nodded silently, and went back to the van.
It took about half an hour, but there was finally a pile about half a metre tall of uneven lumber planks.
"We'll just wait now." Spencer grunted, crouching at one end of the pile, hidden in shadow. The rest followed his lead.
Aya carefully lowered herself into a crouching position as the others sat down. She would probably pay with numb legs later, but she had a thing about sitting on outdoor grounds. Clasping her hands before her, she waited.
It wasn't long before her legs started to ache. Shifting uncomfortably, she glanced at her watch. 9:44. Sixteen minutes. Aya groaned, shifting again. She was pretty sure her left foot was asleep…
A car's headlights flashed across the bridge. Aya's head snapped up, along with everyone else's. A van slowly came into view, and halted unsteadily before their barricade.
A few minutes passed, and then the driver side door opened, and a man stepped out. He stood before the pile of wood, and kicked it experimentally, as if to test if it were real or not. Once the authenticity of the barricade had been proven, he stood with his shoulders, slumped, unsure.
It wasn't long before another man jumped out of the van, this one yammering loudly in Russian. Aya supposed he was asking about the delay.
The first man shushed the second, his head turning as if to check for the presence of any eavesdroppers. Satisfied with his scan of the area, the first man made a motion that shut the other up, and he walked over to the back of the van, knocking on the doors.
The doors slid open after a bit, and a lanky form dropped out, the echo of his boots' impact reaching the ears of the hidden teens. Even in the flickering light, the man's short, vivid crimson hair could be seen.
"Nikita…" Ian hissed, tensing.
Aya took a deep breath, feeling sweat heating her palms. This was it. She tried to quash the butterflies in her stomach, and ignored the twisting sensation in her bowels.
Nikita strode to the front of his vehicle, and inspected the barricade. He kicked it, and his frown could be easily seen.
Before Nikita could react, however, Kai leapt into action. A few quick pulls of his gun's trigger, and Nikita's men were sprawled unconscious on the pavement.
Nikita looked up, a cold smile on his face. "Master Hiwatari." He noted.
Kai stepped out of the shadows, tranquilizer gun pointed and ready. "Where's Tala?" he demanded.
"Straight to the point, eh?" Nikita grinned. Kai frowned.
"I asked you a question, Valkov." The Russian boy spoke tersely.
"Tsk, tsk. Manners." Nikita snapped his fingers, and a dozen men sprang from the van.
Kai had had a bad feeling about the whole thing from since he'd seen Nikita's smile, and the appearance of all these men confirmed his suspicions. This was a trap. His body jumped into action while his mind cursed Brooklyn.
Bryan, Ian and Spencer ran from their hiding places, bearing assorted weapons.
Aya had jumped up as well, Mariah and Emily not far behind.
"We've got to do something!" The silvery-haired girl hissed.
"No! We'd just get in their way." Emily said, her emerald eyes anxious.
Mariah was quiet. Then she spoke, her voice carefully neutral. "Brooklyn, shouldn't you help them?"
The redheaded boy was still lurking in the shadows, his blank eyes reflecting the streetlight.
Aya felt cold sweat trickle down her back. "…Brooklyn?"
The boy appeared as if he hadn't heard them, but his gaze was straight and unblinking, fixed on Aya's face. The terse silence was drawn out, each girl staring incredulously at Brooklyn.
"You don't mean…" Emily began.
"Kai was right, wasn't he, Brooklyn?" Mariah asked calmly. "You are nothing but a traitorous, lying bas-" She was cut off suddenly as Brooklyn knocked her aside.
"Brooklyn!" Aya quickly helped Mariah up. The pink-haired girl wiped herself off, glaring at the silent male.
"Brooklyn!" Aya shouted, angry tears springing to her eyes. She couldn't – wouldn't – believe it!
Brooklyn stopped in his tracks. Without turning around, Brooklyn spoke in a calm, dead voice. "What I do, I do for you, Aya."
Aya felt shock wash over her at those words. Her heart suddenly ached painfully. Staring at Brooklyn's stiff back, she suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. Whatever was going to happen tonight wouldn't be good.
"Aya!" Emily grabbed her arm, pointing.
Aya looked up, and her heart almost stopped.
Tala had emerged, a triumphant smirk on his lips. He stood on the pavement beside the truck, Nikita before him. His flamboyant hair blazed in the streetlights, and even from where she stood Aya could see the cruel glint in his eyes. But the chill that ran through her whole body came from something else.
Tala had one arm raised, and in that hand he held a gleaming black revolver.
Kai and the rest of Neoborg had frozen, not daring to move.
The nose of the gun Tala held was pressed firmly to his own temple.
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Please Review! So sorry for the late update!