(I don't have a beta and was too lazy to proofread, so sorry if it sucks)
.o A Job to Do o.
Evelyn
Stupid.
Stupid blonde, stupid decision.
By now Cameron should have been dead. Her organs should have been shutting down. Zach should be feeling the consequences of everything he's done. Clara should be by my side mumbling random nonsense that never makes any sense. Everything should be right by now.
But it wasn't.
Instead, there was nothing but stupid people crowding a street. Too many voices, too much noise. No place to go, no place to be alone.
I needed to be alone. I needed to figure out where to go next. My feet kept moving along the pavement as my mind raced. The stupid girls knew now. They wouldn't be vulnerable again. They would have to come to me next time.
Next time there would be blood. Next time there would be death.
A slow smile spread across my lips as the answer surfaced. I would need a car. Next time would be in a much more private location.
Next time I wouldn't miss.
Zach
"You're all lucky you have so many fancy toys." Alyson tapped her finger against the monitor Liz's IV was connected to. She kept her hands in front of her as she read the charts. There were plenty of people in the room ready to jump her at a moment's notice.
No one answered her, only shifted as she moved. There was a tension in the air, a rope pulled taut, the only thing preventing pure chaos from running rampant. Every bit of slack was stretched the moment Cammie made a deal with Alyson, a deal no one had gotten an opinion in.
Alyson looked around at the room full of people ready to tackle her to the ground. "So hospitable…" she muttered under her breath.
She'd been under a rotating guard, only given access to a few select rooms, and was wearing multiple trackers. One of Dr. Fibbs' shock bracelet prototypes was linked around her wrist, rigged with enough power to knock her out if needed. But none of it seemed to bother her. Nothing ever seemed to bother her anymore. Being locked away seemed to have mellowed out her violent streak.
Or she was waiting.
I could understand why everyone was giving me a cold shoulder, though Cammie seemed to be getting a less severe treatment. No one really cared that she was the one to close the deal. Opening the door had been my idea, even if I hadn't voiced it— even if I hadn't been able to do it. Going to Alyson had been my decision.
Rachel looked at my sister with steady eyes. "What has to be done to save her?" she asked. Clara had been correct in her formulas so far. She wouldn't come into the room— too many needles— but together, she and Alyson had slowed the effects of the toxin in Liz's system. It wasn't cured, not yet.
Alyson tapped her finger against a vile. The room collectively shifted around her as she looked back Liz lying on the bed. We had decided she should be kept asleep in order to keep her heart rate as slow as possible. "We made the poisons with the intention of them being incurable," Alyson said.
"Then you serve no purpose," Bex snapped, glaring.
Rolling her eyes, Alyson continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "However, we weren't stupid enough to assume we would never need an antidote." She took her time speaking, trailing her fingers along the monitor screen. The amusement was clear on her face, a stark contrast to the broken girl behind the glass. This was the sister I remembered. Playing games, talking about life and death as if they were merely insignificant events that happened around her.
"Miss Goode, I would suggest you speed up your explanation," Joe said. Through all of this, his expression had remained a perfectly indifferent mask. He hadn't looked in my direction since Alyson was released. I tried not to think too much into that.
Alyson smiled. The expression seemed more suitable for someone listening to an amusing child speak. "Of course, Joe," she said. "The cures take time to make. More than your dear little friend has—"
There was a hiss. Grant grabbed Bex's arm.
"Now, now," Alyson shook her head slightly, her smirk growing. "You didn't let me finish."
"What do we have to do, Alyson?"
My eyes snapped away from my sister to the corner of the far wall. Cammie hadn't said anything the entire time Alyson had been examining Liz. She'd slipped into the shadows and let Alyson hold everyone's attention. So many years knowing Cammie, and she could still disappear so easily around me when she wanted to.
Alyson didn't turn around, but her head cocked to the side, eyes losing a bit of their amusement. "That's a strange question, Cameron."
Cammie didn't move. Her expression never changed. But there was an edge to her voice when she repeated her question. "What do we have to do for the cure, Alyson?" I didn't like the look in her eyes. It was the look that meant she was detaching, putting the mission before everything else. The look had been around too often recently for my taste. It meant Cammie was going to do something reckless.
Well, we could say she already had when she opened Alyson's door.
Spinning around to face her, Alyson grinned. "You don't have to do anything." She shrugged. "The last of the already made cure is hidden away. Only Clara, Evelyn, and I know where it is. I'll have to go get it—"
"You think we're really just going to let you walk out of here—" Bex started, disbelief lacing her tone.
Alyson sighed. "You will if you want your friend to live."
Bex looked ready to pounce. Rachel placed a hand on her arm, silencing her. There was a moment of silence as everyone glanced at each other. Grant's eyes met mine, a silent question. I shook my head slightly, I didn't know where Alyson had hidden her store of poisons and antidotes. It had to be her.
When no one said anything, Alyson grinned. "Oh, and for my guard, I'll take Cameron, Townsend, and," she looked at me, raising her eyebrows, "my dearest brother. I think you'll all benefit from this trip."
I frowned, suddenly sure of where we were going. There was only one cure and only one place to get it. No wonder Alyson was so excited. She knew I wasn't about to let her out of my sight. I couldn't. She was going to drag me back, and there was nothing I could do about it.
The others immediately voiced their denial of her demand. Alyson only smiled a bit, letting all their voices die down as they decided who would speak first.
Cammie pushed off the wall, and everyone fell completely silent. "You all can stay here and complain. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get Liz cured," she said, a stubbornness in her eyes that was part Abbey and part Joe's. "Is anyone going to get in my way?" She waited, glancing at everyone before crossing her arms. "Good."
Alyson smirked slightly, cocking her head to the side. "Well, look who's taking charge."
Ignoring her, Cammie turned to the others. "Jonas will stay here with Clara to watch Liz. Zach, Townsend, and I will get that cure." Her eyes flickered to Bex. "You, Joe, Abby and Mom find Evelyn."
"Miss Morgan—" Townsend started.
Rachel cut him off. "No, she's right. We can't sit here arguing. Liz doesn't have much time. She's the priority.
"But—"
Abby put a hand on his arm. "Risks come with the job."
No one argued after that. They couldn't really. The plans were made quickly. A map was spread out; comms were given. There was a charge in the air, one I'd only ever felt within these walls. A family on a mission, an urgency that only came with the concern for a loved one. No one said more than a few words. Alyson sat in the middle of the room watching every movement, hands folded in her lap, not saying a word. Soon, everyone was ready to go.
Cammie and I escorted a blindfolded Alyson through the halls. Townsend a step behind us. It wasn't the most foolproof way to move my sister, knowing she could probably retrace her steps from memory alone. But we needed her conscious when we left.
Bex and Abby were loading their car when we got to the underground garage. Jonas and Clara were there, the latter rattling off facts about Evelyn. "She only sleeps on her back— she hates ryhming— she broke her arm when she was ten, well, Alyson broke it— she-"
The bag was suddenly off Alyson's head. "Clara. Stop."
I glanced at Cammie, but she was staring at Alyson with the same cautious expression I was wearing. No one had taken the bag off for Ally. She did it herself. It wasn't that difficult a task. But the proof she could do it on her own, at any time she wanted made me pause.
Alyson wasn't paying us any mind. Neither was Clara, who looked ready to continue her rant about Evelyn. Jonas pulled her aside, whispering something I didn't bother to try to hear as he led her.
Just mentioning Evelyn's name seemed to raise the tension in the room. Our primary threat. My sister's best friend. The girl who chose to attack rather than turn herself in. Who'd tried to kill Cammie. Almost killed Liz.
Bex was holding a sniper rifle.
Looking into the car, Abby went back to making sure they had everything they needed.
Alyson stared at Bex for a moment, expression unreadable. I took a careful step towards her, steeling myself for the eruption. But it never came. Alyson didn't start threatening anyone or grin or scowl. She simply shifted her gaze to me.
There was no question what Joe's team was being sent to do. No one had asked. No one had thought differently. It suddenly made sense why Clara couldn't stop rambling.
Whether or not my sister agreed with us wasn't a matter of discussion. How she would react to it, that's what I was concerned about.
She didn't say anything. I couldn't read her eyes. Over the years, Alyson had perfected her poker face, a blank mask she donned when she didn't want me to know what she was thinking. As we got older, I'd become more and more familiar with it. Though, most times I'd be able to find whatever crack there was that she'd tried to seal shut.
"Bex, when you find her." My gaze never left Alyson's. "Take the shot."
My sister didn't yell. She didn't scream. She didn't try to rip my throat out.
Alyson simply closed her eyes, took a breath, and slipped into Cammie's car.
Alyson
At least Cameron wasn't one of those idiot people who tries to lighten the mood with generic pop music and annoying radio hosts. It was one thing I could appreciate in this screwed up situation.
It's not that I didn't expect them to try to kill Eva. I'd predicted they would. Even without the emotional drive, it's what I would have done. In a sense, it was the only thing they could do.
But it's one thing to theoretically know something, and another to see someone pack up a gun to aim at your… well, I wouldn't say Eva and I were best friends. I don't think best friends are supposed to aid the people trying to kill the other.
That is what I was doing, wasn't it? Aiding the enemy? Allowing Zach to point a gun at Evelyn's head?
Evelyn who had been disregarding my orders for weeks. Evelyn who was reckless and going to get us caught. Evelyn who hated me for leaving Clara behind. Evelyn who had been left so many times.
She was alone, and I was with the people hunting her down.
I tried searching for a justification. At least now I was back with Clara. At least now I was close enough to finish the job.
The job Evelyn was trying to finish herself.
In the passenger seat, Cameron glanced back at me again. She never fully relaxed around me, not that I expected her to. Despite my hatred for her, there was no denying the girl was skilled. It was one of the things that made beating her so enjoyable.
Now, she watched me, waiting for any wrong move, any excuse to lock me up again.
We were supposed to kill her. She was supposed to be dead. After so many years of hating her, being this close, with the same objective, it almost made my stomach sick. How did I get here? Helping Cameron while her friends tracked down Eva.
Evelyn made her choice.
Eva chose to keep pushing, keep fighting, keep trying for revenge. I'd crumbled. Clara had said it was the first step— to what, I had no idea. Evelyn would call me a traitor, backing away and joining our mutual enemy of over four years.
My mother would have called me pathetic.
"Take a right," I said, glancing at my brother.
Zach switched lanes, making the turn. His voice was low when he muttered, "I know how to get there."
Cameron looked at him. "You know where we're going." It wasn't a question. Zach answered the one she didn't ask with a small nod. Staring at him, lips pressed into a firm line, Cammie nodded slightly before settling back into her seat. I saw her eyes flicker to me in the mirror.
My mother was dead because of her.
She was trying to have Evelyn killed.
Zach chose her over me.
I hated her. There was no way to deny it, no way to avoid it. I hated Cameron Morgan. I wanted her dead.
Why hadn't I killed her yet?
"Do you remember?" My own voice startled me. Both Zach and Cameron looked back, suspicious. It was useless though; even I didn't seem to be able to explain my decisions to myself.
When I didn't elaborate, Zach turned back to the road. I didn't expect him to play. The bait hadn't been for him anyway. Beside him, Cameron set her jaw. "No."
"Gallagher Girl…" My brother responded to her, of both went silent at the warning in his tone. He'd always been protective. First with Clara. Then with Joe. Now with Cameron. I tried not to think about a time when he'd been protective of me.
We rode in silence for another twenty minutes before Cameron turned to face me again. "When did you find me?"
Zach tensed. His grip on the steering wheel looked painful. But he didn't say anything.
My eyes flickered to Cameron. "August."
She didn't say anything, only sank back in her seat, eyes going back to the road ahead. Her hair had been black when we found her. The memory was still fresh in my mind. The chase, the games. Clara getting sick. Evelyn a little too wild.
We were more in sync back then. We always had the same goal. There had always been a mutual understanding, a predictability to our moves. That didn't just disappear when we split up. It was one of our greatest advantages against any enemy.
Evelyn would know where we were going.
The car jostled as we hit a bump. I shook my head a bit, locking the thoughts, the unwanted emotions away. I had a job to do.
I could figure out what exactly it was when we got there.
There are only two chapters left guys. Two chapters and an epilogue.
A review would be really appreciated. Any kind of review. pls.