Chapter 57

The minutes, the hours, ticked by very slowly.

Agonizingly slow.

Melyssa nearly cheered when the clock struck 11:55 and she made her way down to her car, once again going out her window. She was in training gear, again, just in case, which consisted of shorts and a tank top, both molding to her body and black. Melyssa also did something else to alter her appearance and straightened her hair, braiding it over her shoulder. The only thing that was different about her was her 'makeup'. What nobody knew, not even Aurelia, was Melyssa wasn't wearing actual makeup. It was a mask Mariabell made for her that made her face look absolutely flawless and perfect. Too flawless and perfect. She hadn't removed it…yet. A little after midnight, Crow finally made his way down and left the building, heading towards her.

"You're late." By 10 minutes.

"No, I've been watching you from the rooftop over there."

Crow pointed at the building behind her, across the street. And he had circled back, come downstairs and now here he was, fashionably late. He had been scouting her, watching what she was doing, seeing if there was anyone with her, or if she had contacted anyone. He had been scanning the area for others who might have the same idea as him, rooftop perch. Crow was alive for a reason and that involved being smart and sometimes even a little paranoid. He shrugged when she raised one of those perfectly sculpted eyebrows.

"A guy can't be too careful. I don't know you." He knew Melyssa Brackett, he had no idea who the Gehenna this woman was.

"Hmm…yet you took the gamble and came to meet me anyway, after spying on me." Opening the passenger door, she didn't take her eyes off of him the same way he didn't her, tapping her fingers on the top of it. "Well come on then, Mr. Armbrust, care to take another gamble? I don't think you'll regret it and we're burning the night away."

They really didn't have a lot of time to be sizing each other up and picking at each other. Melyssa slid behind the wheel and fired her vehicle up, waiting patiently for Crow to decide whether he was coming or staying put. A minute later, he reluctantly slid in the passenger seat and shut the door, buckling up. Another minute later, she drove off down the street and headed to the outskirts of the city, a million and one thoughts rushing through her head. She could only imagine what Crow was thinking and feeling at the moment; he was completely on guard with her and tensed, coiled, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Instead of going to the same spot McBurn found her the previous night – it was technically two nights ago now – Melyssa went in the opposite direction, having a second spot in mind where she knew they would not be disturbed.

"You're not in any danger, if it makes you feel any better. There's no ambush or attack waiting for you, no traps of any kind. And once you hear what I have to say, you will understand why we had to go to these extremes to…talk."

A gamble would have been coming straight to her WITHOUT surveying the situation. The woman was either baiting him or he had a thing for beautiful idiots. He knew he had a thing for beautiful, baiting idiots, his eyes studying her thoughtfully.

"Maybe." He agreed without agreeing, his eyes on the side mirror, half expecting to find someone trailing them. the sad part was, he wouldn't be sure if was for her, him or them both. "For someone who is so paranoid about speaking in the city, you're very free with your words in the car." What if her car was bugged or something? What she was saying wasn't anything definite to anyone who might casually overhear, but someone who knew what they were looking for?

Dead giveaway.

"The car is safe, the apartment building isn't and where we're going is safe as well. And secluded." Melyssa reasoned, focusing on her breathing because she didn't want to give anything away yet.

She still had no idea how she would do this, reveal to him what he either already knew or suspected. Unless, Crow didn't have a clue. No, he was smarter than that and Aurelia had pinpointed her right away at City Hall. The rest of the ride was made in silence until they arrived at their destination. Not saying a word, they both stepped out at the same time and Melyssa lead the way through the trees into the wooded area.

"This should be far enough." They were about 20 minutes on the outskirts of Crossbell City and a quarter moon was in the sky with a few clouds and stars. "I want to show you something, Crow. And after I do, I'll explain everything." She slowly turned to face him, waiting for him to nod once.

That was good enough for her. Taking a deep breath, Melyssa reached up and began pulling what looked to be a layer of skin right off her face, starting at the hairline and working its way down. It literally looked like she was peeling her own face off, that's how real the mask was. Beneath it was the real Melyssa, makeup free, with slightly dark circles beneath her eyes, a slight scar on her cheek from the train attack and other little imperfections, unlike the mask had. It even had ears that mirrored hers perfectly, so there was no sign it was an actual mask.

Crow was silent for a long moment, realizing what he and Ash had mistaken for make-up and contouring -things they had learned about thanks to girls like Monique and Juna, women were weird- was… not make-up. It had been that mask. It had been what had thrown them off, made them semi-doubtful this was Melyssa.

"That's just creepy, even by our weird standards, Brackett." He said after clearing his throat. His suspicions, hesitations aside, had been confirmed and he wasn't sure if he wanted to hug her or throttle her first. "Why?" He asked finally, his shoulders slumping. "No, where, where have you been and why show yourself now?"

She said she would explain everything to him and she meant it, lowering her eyes to the grass below. "With Ouroboros training to become an Enforcer…against my will. For two years, I was locked away and trained day in and day out, night in and night out, with no freedom. The Grandmaster wanted to recruit me and before you ask, no, I don't know why. She won't tell me, nobody will, and I've asked several times. All I was told was McBurn saw spirit in me and it was enough to convince the Grandmaster to come after me, to get me into their ranks."

Tears filled her eyes, remembering that night she was taken away from everyone she loved and cared about. "He would've killed you had I not agreed to go with them, Crow. You were knocked out, temporarily, you couldn't even stand. And Rean was on his way and…I had no choice. I had to protect you, Rean, my Mom, everyone, even my loathsome father." They still didn't know Robert's whereabouts. "The Grandmaster made a deal with me. I told her I would become an Enforcer, if she stayed away from all of Class VII, old and new, at the time, and my mother. I insured everyone's protection before agreeing to anything. It was either that or…" She shuddered violently, wrapping her arms around herself. "McBurn would do with me as he pleased…I would have become his toy and he would have broken me in ways that would've made me beg for death."

Blinking tears away, she moved to sit down in the grass, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Fast-forward two years later, my first assignment and mission was to find out who was Crossbell City's new mayor. When I discovered it was Machias, I reported the information to Mariabell, one of the Anguis' of Ouroboros and the Grandmaster ordered me to eliminate him. I refused. I went to her and I told her I would not harm any of you, no matter what happened to me. She could give me to McBurn after everything, I didn't care, but I would not harm my friends and family. So, she decided to make me her little spy within Crossbell City and ordered me to get close to the mayor, to Machias, and report back everything I found out regarding his plans for Crossbell City. Ouroboros wants to eventually take it over and they were relying on me to relay any juicy information they could use to their advantage."

"Thing is: I wasn't planning on doing anything like that. The reason I went for the secretarial job was to be close to Machias to protect him, in case Ouroboros struck. I didn't realize you and Ash were here, but even with you two and Machias, you wouldn't stand a chance against Ouroboros." That was an unfortunate fact. "I also agreed to be a spy to get away from them, to get to freedom again and then…I ran into an old friend today and she convinced me to tell you everything. I was…hesitant to do it, but I trust her more than most in this world and she did save my life, so I know she wouldn't steer me wrong. I know I hurt you and everyone else, Crow, and I'm not looking for forgiveness. But I refuse to be Ouroboros' puppet any longer and I want my life back! I want to be Melyssa Brackett again, not this puppet named Lysa Reynolds! I hate it, I hate wearing the masks and I hate who I've become because I've never condoned lying and that's all I've been doing since rejoining society. Until tonight…I feel free for the first time in two very long years."

Crow was silent again for a very long time, wondering if he had dreamt the last decade of his life. Huffing, he dropped down into the grass, just staring at her. He had been a terrorist, the Azure Chevalier, and all that other jazz and she had absolutely no faith in his, or Rean's, abilities to do anything apparently. That was just downright insulting. Add that to the guilt that she had so strongly felt the need to protect them, seeing no other way, no other choice… he didn't know which way to go, what he should feel right now.

"I get your reasons." He said finally, grudgingly. Rean would have done the same and Crow had always been the first to admit that Rean was a jackass. "I'm really pissed with you though, Brackett." She had MADE him remember, for NOTHING except misery and pain.

Melyssa heaved a sigh, not knowing what she expected, but at least he wasn't trying to take her head off. "I know. And I'm sorry for making you worry about me these past two years. If I could have reached out to you, I would have." She couldn't; they had her under lock and key for two straight years, which was how long it took to complete the Enforcer training. "I don't blame you for being pissed at me, Crow. You have EVERY right to be. And I know nothing will ever be the same again between us." Not even close, not even a fraction. "Just so you know, though, it wasn't that I didn't have faith in your abilities or Rean's to turn the tides of what happened. No matter how GOOD you two think you are with a sword and your guns and your double-saber, you are NOTHING compared to McBurn or any of the Ouroboros Enforcers or their Anguis's. I was there for two years straight, I saw how much power they have and it's frightening, Crow. I do not regret what I did that night in Jurai to protect and save you and everyone else. You would have died; they don't pull punches and they don't show mercy unless they get what they want. And what they wanted, for whatever reason that night, was me. This all happened because of me…and I still don't have a damn clue why. It keeps me up at night, I don't sleep very well and it will probably haunt me for the rest of my life, knowing the train attack happened because of me and us going to Jurai in the first place was all for Ouroboros to get their hands on me. It's my fault and it's my cross I have to bear, nobody else."

"Well good, you bear it." He snarked, looking away from her and rest his head on his knees. "You do remember, I survived a few wars, right? Some pretty life and death situations?" She was terrified of McBurn and he couldn't even begin to imagine it because he knew what she was afraid of. What any woman was when it came to a man like McBurn and that reason alone would have probably been enough for her to surrender quietly, as long as THAT didn't happen. "You going to tell Ash?" He asked finally, quietly, looking more like the youth he still technically was, and tired. He felt like a lost, tired little boy.

She had forced him to remember and then in one painful night, he had lost everything he had regained.

"I want to. I want to tell him everything, like I just did with you, but…" Melyssa knew she would sound like she was being a martyr with what she said next, but it HAD to be said. "Ouroboros is still out there, Crow. They're lurking in the shadows and they're watching me, testing me, waiting to see what I'll do. That's why we couldn't stay at the apartment building to have this conversation. They set the apartment up for me to live in and it was my job to find a way to get closer to Machias to relay information to them. And if they find out I told ANYONE who I really am, they will come and they will destroy without batting an eye. Crossbell City will be turned to ashes." This group absolutely terrified her and for good reason. "Machias made a mistake when he took this position because he's right in Ouroboros' crosshairs now."

"No, Machias knows that sometimes you have to take a stand to do what's right." Crow informed her, his fiery red eyes narrowing. "So, even though you just said you don't want to lie anymore and you want to be YOU again, you're going to keep on lying and being… her?" She made no sense. "The reason… organizations like Ouroboros get stronger, Melyssa," He said quietly, evenly. "Is because there are hundreds of people like you in their ranks, terrified to make a stand. Sometimes you have to throw it all to the wind and risk it." He had actually learned that from Rean because he had thought Rean was insane to constantly go up against Ouroboros and yet… Rean was still alive. "You need to let them know you've been compromised." He informed her after another long moment of silence.