A/N- Just one little note- a friend of mine, after three months of procrastination, finally summed me up a picture of Eden and Ezio. I'm broadcasting the fact because it became a shock when she FINALLY finished it. You can see it here (remove the spaces):
http: / hayashi-of-earth . deviantart . com /art/On-Top-of-the-World-170360992
Also, thank you to everyone that has done fanart for Eden, each one made me grin like an idiot for most of the day. The complete list of pictures for this story is in my profile.
Lying in bed with her cradled next to him, Ezio finally realized just how much he has missed Eden. The weeks that she was in Milan, and then the nearly suffocating awkwardness between them that they both pretended wasn't there when she returned to Venezia...all of it seemed so pointless now.
He was delighted to find that she still slept in the same curled up position, somehow ending up buried deep in the blankets. Granted, she didn't sleep well at first. Not that he could blame her after the things that she was forced to relive. But eventually, she warmed up and finally relaxed, her face regaining the childish innocence that came to her in the release of sleep. He was almost afraid of breathing, as to not scare it away.
Soon, though, when a single ray of dull sunlight managed to peek between the heavy, drawn curtains, he quietly stood up, his curiosity getting the better of him. The apartment was small, though in comparison bigger than the tiny rooms they rented when passing through cities back home. Well, back at his home. It was dark, as Eden warned him against turning on the light or even being near the windows. But he could still make out certain things. For example, the fact that the furniture was tarnished and showed signs of abuse, while other things were completely brand new. He concluded that the stuff either survived one of Eden's berserk moments, or she'd replaced only a few of her things because they were beyond help. There was nothing truly valuable in sight as far as he could tell. Knowing her cautious nature she likely hid everything somewhere.
There were pictures on the walls, though. Moving closer, he realized they were made the same way as the pictures of her past targets were. Completely smooth and startlingly realistic, right to the last detail, it was as if someone captured the moment perfectly on the paper. But these were pictures of more familiar things - little Eden with her family, playing in the snow with her sister, a wedding photograph of her parents. Out of the entire apartment, they were the only ones that looked completely untouched, a layer of dust collected on them. But he notices that there were no pictures where Eden was older than about fourteen, the period between then and now completely unrecorded.
After that, what intrigued him the most was a large black cube that stood on a small table. One side seemed to have been made out of glass, while the rest of it was a strange material that didn't seem like either wood or metal. In the back, thick strings came out of little holes, connecting the box to the wall in one place. Unable to contain his curiosity, he poked it. Nothing happened. He looked around more carefully and suddenly found a strange panel of buttons on the side. Not really believing anything would happen, he pressed the biggest one...
"What in the heavens is that thing?"
"Calm, Ezio," I barely contained laughter, playing with the remote to the TV. "Take a breath. It won't eat you. At least, I never noticed that tendency in TV."
"That's not funny!" he glared at me before staring back at the screen with absolute shock and slight fear. "What's a TV?" he nearly stammered. Reaching out, he looked as though he was about to touch it, but he speedily backed away at the last moment as the picture changed to some other scene.
"A box where I keep all the souls I've harvested. But see how happy they are? It's like having an aquarium!" Just my luck, they were showing a kid clothing store commercial, where all the children were mercilessly ruining the clothes that were advertised by running around on a playground.
With the way he stared at with me with wide eyes, I realized that I shouldn't joke about those things. But the temptation was too hard to resist. I took pity on him, and finally explained properly. "It just shows stuff that was recorded-"
"Re-cor-dud?" he swallowed, his lovely accent sliding around the words with rising confusion. It would've been unbearably cute, if not for the distant fear reflected in his eyes.
"It's hard to explain... It's harmless, though," I quickly replied. "Now, since we already have it on..." I hesitantly picked up the remote that lay on the floor beside the TV and flipped through the channels, trying to remember where everything was.
"What are you doing?"
"First things first, right? I need to figure out how long it was since my disappearance. It could make all the difference in how hard life is going to be."
"In what way?"
"If it was only a few days, no one would even notice. They'd assume I'm in a deal across the city or hiding out in a safe house. If it was longer than a week, though, we can safely bet that my return would not be well received." I finally found the channel, and the boring, monotone of the announcer was heard, but I focused more on the date up in the corner. "It's September 28th," I said aloud, "And thankfully, it's still 2010. Good thing, too, because then we should still have electricity and the telephone." I could hear Ezio mumbling my last words behind me, the concepts understandably utterly foreign to him. "Anyway, I left on the..." I tried to remember the date on the day of my departure from this place, but somehow, all I could recall were two very pissed off policemen and an archer on the rooftops in Venice. I could barely even remember what season it was. "Damn."
"You don't remember?" he raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged.
"Hardly seemed important." I looked around, now wishing that I kept a calendar around. "I remember...puddles, but those aren't an oddity, and it was night time. Aside from that, it's all a blur. Give me break, it's been three years! Well, three years in your time," I nervously laughed, which only caused his eyes to widen a bit. "That will have to wait, then... Now, onto the second part of my ingenious plan. As I learned to blend in your time, I'll teach you about mine. First of all, clothes. Both of us are dressed super weird."
"What's wrong with this?" he looked down onto the white, thin, and very lose tunic that he'd pulled on after his shallow injuries were bandaged. I was a little less dressed, however, my uniform already lying on he bed discarded. I didn't answer Ezio, and began walking towards the tiny bedroom, shoving aside clutter and hoping I wouldn't trip over anything. The curtains stayed closed and the lights stayed off to give us some preparation time, so orientation was a little difficult. But soon I found the closet, and pushed the doors aside. "I think Alex's old stuff should fit you. Here..." I dug up a few shirts, jeans and even a pair of boxers. He took them from me with a skeptical, almost mistrustful gesture.
"You kept a lot of his clothes."
"Never got around to throwing them out. Besides, half of them fit me just as well. Kept him close, you know," I threw in, hoping that the statement wouldn't bother Ezio as much as it would have before he saw inside my head. Thankfully, there was no change in his expression. While he changed, I continued with my instructions. "Alright, the number one rule of this place? Trust no one but me. Even old ladies and little children are often involved or connected to gangs one way or another. And even if they are not, I wouldn't take the chance. Next, don't talk or even respond to the people you see."
"That's a little rude," he doubtfully replied. "Actually, it's unbelievably rude," he crossed his arms. Admittedly, I had to remember that even despite fighting Templars and spending my time around thieves, mercenaries and courtesans, the Renaissance was much more formal place. Well, at least on the surface. People always greeted each other and acted in the most polite fashion possible… at least until you find their knife in your neck or vice-versa.
I gave him a fleeting grin as I changed into my old clothes. "Just a rule of the streets that could easily save us a lot of time. If a girl asks you for company - well, that I don't have to explain. Just watch where her hands are at all times, cause they could get sticky if rejected. If there's trouble, don't expect help from anyone but me, as everyone seemingly has better things to do. There are no factions here, no order except for the gangs."
"So basically, stay away from everyone?" he asked, and I nodded.
"See? You're getting it already. Just follow my lead. If we run into old friends of mine, don't try to help - I know how to deal with it, as in my years I've seen just about everything there is to be seen on the streets."
"And you're not getting... ah, rusty from the years of absence?" his asked me with a wicked gleam in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes dangerously. As I approached him slowly, almost like a cat on the prowl, he watched me with the same lazy smile.
"Careful there, pretty boy." I lifted my hand up to yank the collar of the shirt he was having trouble with so that his face was just an inch away from mine. "Accidents happen to those who entertain a thought like that," I whispered over his lips, taking pleasure in the fact that his eyes half closed and his breath hitched. "But! Let's continue, shall we?" I took a step away from him and he nearly fell forward. I laughed lightly as he glared. "Now, for weapons."
He sighed, in a doomed voice asked, "What's wrong with blades?"
"Nothing aside from the fact that no one uses them. You can keep the hidden blades and throwing knives on you...but let's see if we can't find something a little better." I tapped my chin in thought, and then set to work on moving the desk out of my way, then folding the rug up. Pushing on one end of the boards in the floor, one by one, and searching for the spot, I found it moments later with a triumphant call. "You wouldn't believe how long it took to make hiding spots in this place..." I noted as I brushed aside the debris I used to cover the bag and pulled it out. It was filled with different knives, guns, clips and magazines of bullets, and all sorts of weaponry. I pushed the bag to Ezio, and he pulled it up onto the table, beginning to look through it.
"The bad thing about this period is that the other side has guns as well, while in Italy you were basically the only one. So get used to dodging bullets."
"I had sort of hoped that the bullets could be avoided. But it seems you have different plans...?"
"Considering the fact that nothing in this neighborhood goes unnoticed, we can expect guests at any time," I shrugged. "Ezio, gangs are a commitment a lot worse than you can imagine. If you try to run, it's a death sentence. The only way to get out of it is to endure a beating at least five times worse than the initiation, and that's only if the leaders feel merciful enough. I won't lie to you; I was often sent after people like that, and I've taken part in the beatings more than once. Larry doesn't give breaks to any of the members."
"What about the ones that been there the longest?"
"Never seen one even attempt to run before. They already ruined their lives, so there's nothing but the gang for them. And they-" I blinked, suddenly aware of the forceful tug of intuition. His head jerked slightly towards the doors, as well.
"They're already here?" he asked, but I was moving before he was even finished. Stuffing most of the weapons back into the hiding spot, I picked up only a few things and covered my trail. I threw all our original clothes into the closet, littering a few of my shirts on top, and leaving the door wide open as to not draw suspicion, making sure the board where I hid my fake and real document copies was covered properly. Ezio watched me with an almost fascinated look as I finished the routine that I learned carefully after getting searched by cops and nearly getting caught.
"Ezio," I muttered to him forcefully as the footsteps began to get louder in my ears. "Follow my lead. Do not interfere, don't even talk, lest they take it personally. I know what I'm doing," I reminded him, and grimly and hesitantly, he nodded.
As if right on cue, I heard the lock on the door click open. And into view came the face that I actually missed.
"Jake!" I sighed a breath of relief, rushing towards him, and embracing him in a hug without thinking. By the way he took a step away I could tell he was shocked, and whatever he was going to say died on his lips.
The same shaggy haystack of light brown hair and the same scar crossed his face. But while he usually looked content, now there were conflicting emotions on his face.
"Eden, what the hell are you doing here?" he finally asked, staring at me with a stern look. "You have any idea how lucky you are I was tipped off first?"
Yeah, it was longer than a week, then.
"Listen-"
"What happened to you?" he finally noticed the change. "Did you get extensions or something? And where did these scars come from? And why do you look so-" he shifted his eyes to Ezio, who was eying him with just as much suspicion. "And who the hell is that?"
"I'll introduce you later, Jake…tell me what happened after I disappeared!" I urgently asked, as I knew - if Jake was tipped off, then the rest of the gang wouldn't take long either.
"Bloody chaos, that's what," he spit onto the floor. "Larry is turning the city upside down looking for you; after you didn't come back for three weeks, it became pretty obvious you ran. None of your deals were made, and all your targets are still breathing. He tried to question me, too, but figured out fast I had no freaking idea where the hell you went." There was a slightly hurt note in his voice, though I could have just imagined it.
"I didn't get a choice in the matter," I growled, "But whatever…how long do we have?"
"Not long. They won't kill you yet, don't worry. But you shouldn't have back. You know him, he doesn't forgive. He has something planned, and I don't like it one bit, so make a run for it now or you won't get a second chance."
I shook my head, coming closer as I shoved a rather large object into his pocket. "It's too late - it's alright, though, I was going to pay him a visit anyway, I guess it's better sooner than later. Jake, are you on my side?"
"What kind of question is that? Obviously-"" he turned his head towards the door he left open, as footsteps began to thunder up the stairs.
"Then trust me, and sorry for this."
My fist flew up and punched him in the nose without warming. The force made him stumble and howl in pain just as three new arrivals lumbered through the door, though I made sure that I didn't break his nose on accident. But if I didn't make a move like that, there would be suspicions as to why the hell we were just standing and chatting when he no doubt had orders to get me to Larry as soon as I showed my face.
"Well, lookie what we have here, boys! Our little Eden dared to show her face again."
I nearly gagged as I recognized the speaker. "Garrett. I'm surprised you're still alive. Then again, I suppose licking Larry's boots can get you a long way..."
The man I was talking to had nearly the same pleasant appearance that Vieri de'Pazzi had in his worst years of puberty. Greasy hair, a cheap imitation of a smirk that looked more like a toothless monkey grinning, a mountain of something I still couldn't identify as either muscle or fat, and of course, two faithful friends on either side, by the names Kurt and Burt. The gorillas were twin brothers that I never had the best memories of. And all together the three were my least favorite members of the gang, right up there with Larry and Millie.
"That tongue won't do you much good when he tears it out of your throat," he threatened. "He's not happy with you. Good job on detaining her, Jakey, we'll take it from here. Grab her and her new boyfriend."
Just as they made a move towards us, though, I picked up two guns from the nearest table in a flash, while Ezio pointed another. The men froze in their step while Jake stared at us as if we were insane, still clutching his nose.
"Gentlemen, I don't need an escort. If Larry wants me, then I can walk to him all by myself."
What can I say? I hate being manhandled.
"As you wish, milady," Garrett snarled the last word, his eyes on my hands. My reputation as the second best shooter (the first place was taken by Larry himself) in the gang still held, then. Some comfort that was, considering I hadn't actually shot a gun in a long, long time, now. Then again, my knife work had admittedly improved, by leaps and bounds. Not to mention, my intuition…
"Eden-" My eyes darted to Ezio in warning. I made a little shake of the head to tell him that so far, the situation was under control. He immediately calmed down, putting his trust into me. After all, this was my world, not his. The most he could do now was believe that I knew what I was doing.
Ezio's first impression of the city? It was big, and it was depressing. Even though the region they were in didn't contain skyscrapers, he could still see colossally tall buildings in the center of the town, their sides completely smooth with glass. A few of them seemed to reach the clouds, too. The air was a bit more stifling and dry, and some strange smell hung in it. It almost seemed heavier, making his nose itch and his throat tingle with a bit of a burn. The atmosphere was pretty dark, the walls they passed battered with some bright words somehow painted on them. But aside from that, it just looked dirty and chaotic. Strange carriages without horses were stacked in the roads, waiting for some sort of signal from the red-green lights. Except the lights were far brighter than being lit by candles or fire alone. Shady teenagers were hanging out in the alleys, looking even more malevolent than the thieves back home, when he first met them. He could have sworn he heard someone scream from far away.
It was definitely nowhere like Italy of his time. He briefly wondered if Italy became just like this city, though he hoped otherwise. This place was cold, unfamiliar, strange, foreign. He just couldn't see Eden, or any other child growing up here.
Deciding to focus on more cheerful things, he turned his attention back to Eden, though to his slight disappointment, she looked just as discontent as him, while silently talking to her friend of something. Their communication consisted of glares, small, fleeting gestures, and mouthed words. Even though the three unpleasant men that came to get them were walking confidently in front.
Out of nothing better to do, Ezio looked at the people that passed them and the stores that lined the streets. Three young women walked by with a large, menacing dog on a short leash. Then came a teenager, a few years younger than Ezio, dressed in extremely baggy clothes, his pants seemingly riding a lot lower than his supposed height. Some shopkeeper was grimly patching up bullet whole in his door window.
A scared looking young woman hurried past, as if wanting nothing more than to just get away from this place. Ezio's eyes widened at her clothes, for she wore what looked like undergarments from his time; on her top was a short chemise, on her bottom, her skirt so short he could see her thighs. The shoes on her feet made her look taller, though they appeared a bit painful. He immediately sensed two smirking characters watching her from across the street, smoking something.
He felt slight concern at the woman's safety, but didn't dare leave Eden's side. He suddenly realized what she meant when she said not to trust anyone and that in this city, everyone was out for themselves. This was definitely not Florence or Venice. No matter how much he wanted to help, there was likely nothing he could do, considering his complete lack of knowledge of this place. Also, he didn't like the prospect of getting hit by one of those fast moving carriages at full speed, either...
I hated the safe house that Larry used as a base - too much blood was on the floors, and too many criminals that didn't deserve security hid here. It was below an old warehouse, with the doors easily defensible, and all suspicious residents and local police around were paid off to ignore its presence. It was always dark, though, as Larry did love his dramatics. The cellars were filled with so many things - drugs, weapons, alcohol, money. All of it was disguised, just in case, but it was there nonetheless. I suddenly found myself wishing it was Antonio, who seemed to take his thieves' opinions seriously, from his bright, palatial, marble-walled base that was the Seta.
All Larry's base was illegal. All of it paid with blood money. Criminals knew how to hide, otherwise they didn't last long. So the halls were always empty, giving it an abandoned appearance. I hated just about every aspect of it.
And most of all, I hated the man that was in the middle of everything.
"I thought I taught you better."
His voice was cold, lifeless and cruel, reeking of the false politeness that sometimes made my teeth clench. There was no emotion in his dark eyes, only death. They often appeared in my nightmares, piercing straight down to my soul, freezing my heart, stifling my humanity. Unwillingly, I felt fear, hopelessness trying to sink its claws into me.
"After everything I've given you, this safe house, protection, a family, all your skills and connections... and then you throw it in my face like that?"
For all the good it did to me.
"What's that in your eyes?" he came closer to me, grasping my chin in his cold hands. I didn't struggle, like he knew I wouldn't. "Fear? Defiance? Never expected that from you, I thought I squashed those pathetic feelings out of you years ago. I thought I told you only your blood-lust was a worthwhile emotion."
I knew Ezio was watching us so carefully he could potentially strain his eyes. Thankfully, he did nothing, as I instructed. Beside him was Jake, who displayed even less expression than mine, his stony poker-face firmly in place. His nose didn't give him too much trouble, after all, as it'd been broken at least three times in the past five years. He was used to it, and I didn't even do it that much damage. Garrett and his thugs were ushered out as soon as they came inside, though I had little doubt that they were standing outside the door, waiting for the gunshot with anticipation.
"You," Larry turned to Ezio, "What did you do to her? She's been gone for three weeks and comes back all...human." He spat the word as he was talking about cockroaches. He saw the difference between what I was three years ago and what I'd became now. His eyes could reach into your very being, after all, freezing everything as they went, searching for weakness, for more humanity that needed to be rooted out and killed. I already decided, however. I would not let him do that to me this time.
Three yeas was a long time for penance. The days he could control me were long over; I had more things to live for than being his tool, and the strongest argument was standing just a few steps away from me, being questioned by my former boss.
Before answering, Ezio looked at me. I widened my eyes in a "negative". He kept silent. Larry immediately lost interest and turned his face back to me. "Such a shame to kill my little pupil. You were such a talented girl. I taught you everything...why did you try to run? And more importantly, why did you come back? You were never stupid."
"I'm not yours anymore," I growled, teeth sharp and glittering in warning against my lips.
"What did you say?" He thought for a long moment, his face unbearably and uncomfortably close to mine. His breath, while not unpleasant, made bile rise in my throat, his eyes still freezing my insides. Finally, he smiled. God knew how much I hated that smile. It was never in good humor or in laughter. It only promised malice, suffering, and immense pain before death.
"I won't kill the best of my assassins. But I think you need a refresher course...I believe your dear sister is alive and well, yes? We've been searching for her, and nearly found her, too. She left quite a few false trails, but seems like Millie managed to pin down her location. She's just outside of New York, in Jamesburg, to be precise. Now that you're back, we can finally get to work on-"
"Don't you dare!" I hissed, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them. Larry's smile only spread further. "If you touch her, I swear to god-"
"Touch her? Eden, I'll rape her, mutilate her, make her scream, and then, I will finally kill her," his hand gripped my hair in a painful hold as he hissed the words into my ears. "And you'll be forced to watch every moment of it. But nothing personal...you'll likely thank me for it later.
Momentarily forgetting common sense, I attempted to snap out of his grip by hitting the points the points on his arms and kick up, but he was ready. One of his hands caught my knee, the other somehow gathering both of my wrists, and he flung me to the floor. I managed to regain my balance, crashing into Ezio's chest. He looked torn between wanting to rip the man from limb to limb and just getting me somewhere far, far away from this damned place. I guessed that he could hear the echoes of the screams, like I did. Or maybe it was the fleeting show of fear on my face that tipped him off...
"You can't get the better of me, you never could," Larry laughed, and I heard a gun click. My eyes narrowed - I knew what he was planning. Time to drop the act. I gripped Ezio's arms hard, bringing my mouth beside his ear. With a glare, I tipped Jake off, and he made a barely noticeable motion, his hand slipping into his pocket.
"On my signal-"
"And as for your boyfriend…"
"-Close your eyes-"
"…I think he's overstayed his welcome."
"And run."
Breath. Another click. Time.
"GO!"
I shut my eyes just as the white light exploded in the room, blocking out everything, everyone. There were cries of shock, but there was no time to linger. I shoved Ezio to where I knew the doors were and flung it open. Somewhere behind us, I heard a gunshot through the ringing in my ears. Time was running out.
As soon as we were out of the room, I ran, Ezio's hand in mine as we tore down the painfully familiar corridors, ducking behind shelves and corners, searching for the one exit...
When I found it, I almost bulldozed the door out of the frame, stumbling into the underground parking lot. Swiping a flat knife out of its hidden sheath, I ran to the black car I used to favor.
"Eden!" I turned around sharply, ready to dive behind the car. But then I realized it was just Jake, who somehow managed to keep up with us. "You'll never get away in that piece of junk."
"Do you have a better idea?" I snarled, and he nodded, throwing me the keys and running to the short row of motorbikes. I suddenly grinned, and tugged Ezio along. "Get on behind me and hold tight."
"-what is that thing?" he nearly shouted, but nonetheless did as told, as I revved the engine. Jake took the one beside us, and quickly, we cleared out, right before the door burst open again and familiar voices could be heard shouting. But we were out before the gunshots began...
Sweet freedom! It took me a moment to remember the controls, but soon I fell into the action. I exchanged smirks with Jake as I felt Ezio's arms grip me tightly in shock, and we drove out into the back alleys to avoid traffic.
First thing - money. The gang hadn't ransacked my place yet, as I knew the unspoken rule; we didn't steal from other members if they're alive, not even on the off chance that they might not come back. And they knew that if I was making a run for it, I wouldn't leave evidence behind, anyway. I ripped off the loose floorboards, pulling out the dusty bag of cash. It was enough to last us at least a few weeks, if not longer. Second, I got my fake documents and laptop. And third, a bottle of vodka from the kitchen table. The entire process took me only three minutes, and then I was out the door and down the stairs, where my two friends were waiting, turning their heads around impatiently. I pushed the bag into Ezio's arms, and sat in front of him on the bike again.
"Where are we going? Airport?" Jake called. I shook my head tightly.
"Jamesburg."
Ezio, already taught by experience, gripped me tightly around my waist as we took off again. Heading into the main street, this time, without any stops, we made our way outside the city. I was glad to see it behind us in the mirror, letting out a breath of relief I didn't even know I was holding. Even then, though, we continued to put as much space between us and the city as possible.
The full realization of what we just did and what was going on hit me a few miles along the highway, and I had to struggle to keep the bike straight. Ezio must have felt how I tensed further, for I felt his warm hand press into my side reassuringly. Seeing as the next town was already in sight, I slowed slightly, and as soon as we leveled with the first house, I detoured to the side streets, finally coming to a stop.
"I can't believe this," Jake breathed as he got off his bike, and nearly fell into the grass. "Eden, do you realize what you just got me into?"
"Sadly, I do, but it was totally your choice!" I snapped, more because of nerves than intention.
"Shouldn't we keep moving?" Ezio asked, still looking at the bike with distrust. "What in the devil is that…thing?"
"Is your friend daft or something?" Jake raised his eyebrow. The corner of my lips pulled up.
"There's no bikes in the fifteenth century, that's all." Ezio glared at me sharply.
"Haha, very funny," Jake waved it off. "That's a motorcycle. You've seen what its' used for. And it just occurred to me I still don't know who the hell you are."
The Assassin blinked in surprise for a moment, and then introduced himself. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze."
"An Italian? Where did you pick him up?" Jake snorted, but this time, in good humor. "I'm Jake. I'm the reason this brat is still alive."
"As if. I recall saving your ass more than enough times, one of them being right before I disappeared," I grumbled.
"Puh-lease, I could have gotten out of that myself. And what the hell happened to your driving skills?"
"Careful, I don't even have a real license, remember? Besides, it's been a while."
"Three weeks is now a while?" Jake asked skeptically. Time had a habit of becoming a huge blur in his lifestyle, I remembered, as it was really unimportant if you had nothing to look forward to. "Oh, right, thanks for reminding me. Where did you go that you so cleanly disappeared off our radars?"
"Back in time," I crossed my arms. He looked unamused. "No, I'm serious. Went to the fifteenth century. Met Leonardo da'Vinci and Machiavelli, Lorenzo de'Medici and the Po- Rodrigo Borgia. By the way, the latter is not a very pleasant person. He tried to kill us a fair few times..."
"Since when do you know history?" he glared at me, still believing it's a joke.
"Since I was forced to live it."
"Um," Ezio suddenly spoke up, and I turned back to him questioningly. "That was New York that's apparently on the "other" side of the world? The one that speaks English?"
"That's right."
"I don't know much English, but what you're saying makes perfect sense," he swallowed, brow furrowing, "Why is that?"
"Oh, nothing to worry about, it's the Apple helping you adjust," I waved, "Though, to tell you the truth, you do still have a lot of your original accent-"
"Seriously," Jake chuckled, "He sounds like something out of some fancy foreign movie, or a perfume commercial. The girls here are going to just go nuts for that," he knowingly elbowed Ezio in the arm, suggestively waggling his eyebrows.
"Is that so?" Ezio replied with a knowing smirk, addressing him directly for the first time.
"Shut up, Jake! Ezio, don't even think about it!" I glared at him where he stood behind Ezio. "Anyway, I never spoke a word of Italian until I appeared in Florence," I shrugged.
"You speak Italian?" Jake was slowly coming to the realization that perhaps we were not kidding, and the mere concept seemed to confuse him beyond belief. I didn't answer, as explanations would take too long, and time was not something we had an abundance of at the moment.
"And what was that thing that made all the light?" Ezio continued, "It…it didn't seem like a smoke bomb..."
"Flash grenade. It shoots out blinding light instead instead of smoke," I quickly explained, "Gave one to Jake right before Garrett burst into our apartment."
"Alright," he let out a long breath. "Then coming back to the previous question…shouldn't we keep moving to your sister? We can't let them get there before us."
I shook my head at the same time as Jake did, who seemed to really misunderstand what was going on between us. "We have three to five hours."
"How do you know that?" Ezio asked in confusion at our confidence.
"Larry likes...games," I shivered violently, "He will give us a head start just so he can prove that time doesn't matter when he wants to catch someone."
"And does it?"
"Situations are always different..."
"Reassuring. Then how about some food?"
It amazed me just how calm Ezio was, considering everything. I mean, not only someone was threatening my sister, lover, and my own life, but that someone was Larry! On the inside, I was panicking worse than ever, with the sense of slow upcoming doom trying to take over my mind. "What?" he finally asked under our uncertain, and slightly shocked gazes.
"You - Eden, what did you tell him of Larry?"
"I thought enough, but..."
"He isn't that scary, children," the Italian rolled his eyes, and crossed his arm.
"Ezio what's-your-face, you do realize that the man is ruthless and absolutely brilliant?" Jake raised both of his eyebrows. "If he's set on Eden, he'll follow her to the other side of the planet. And I guess I'm now marked as traitor, as well. If we ever meet him again, we're dead. Our only chance is to get to some airport, and get ourselves to China or something, with fake names. And even then, we're risking living the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders."
"I'm not running," I suddenly said with defiance, and now Jake turned to me in shock. "Not without Eve. I risked her life all those years, and I'm not about to prove her right by being the cause of her death."
"I thought you lost contact with her since she stormed out."
"That hardly matters, she is still my sister and the only relative I have left. Larry said she was in Jamesburg, so that's where I'm going."
"And you're going to believe him?" Ezio didn't fully seem to understand what the hell we were doing here.
"Duh. What's the fun in the game if you don't give the prey some motivation?"
"Okay, the way you keep referring to this game is starting to get a little creepy."
"I'm just trying to make you understand the full weight of the situation we're in. I think I prefer at least a hundred more Silvios before I want to cross Larry." The shiver that continued up and down my spine did not leave, slowly becoming a seizure.
"You don't know what he'll do to us when he catches us." Jake stood from the grass, his face barely dropping any hint of emotion. But his eyes were slightly wide with rising panic, as though the situation was finally hitting him full on, for the first time. "Running from him is suicide as soon as you begin, and the only chance you have is to keep running." Ezio stared between us, and then his eyes settled back on me.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I think you make him out more dangerous than he actually is," he carefully said, causing Jake to sputter with disagreement, though he didn't say anything. "For now, let's just get some food, and figure out what we are going to do next."
Food sounded very nice, considering I hadn't eaten anything for a while. I gave Jake the money, not wanting to risk leaving Ezio on his own. Besides, part of the reason the stash was hidden was because I hated even looking at the blood-stained bills. So I had no problem trusting Jake with it.
We stood behind the small convenience store, and Ezio was still looking around curiously. Without really noticing, I leaned onto the wall, and examined the profile of his handsome face. Was I like this when I dropped into Florence? I didn't remember much anymore. After a few months, it felt as if there was never any surprise, as if I'd spent my entire life there, the life her in New York just a persistent, bad dream. I didn't appreciate the reminder much, but I caught myself thinking, What if this was going to be over soon? That once I finished whatever it was I was supposed to, we got back to Venice and forgot that this was ever a part of my life?
Would the nightmares stop?
"A copper for your thoughts, bella?" I blinked, and realized he was staring at me, his mouth in a gentle smirk. I smiled back automatically, my grin fading immediately. He put his fingers under my chin, and looked into my eyes, my own hand automatically reaching up to touch his wrist. His touch was comforting and soothing, and my worries and fear began to seep away a little. "You're not scared are you? Come now, we've faced worse."
"I'm not scared," I bit my lip, "I'm god-damned terrified. Ezio…you honestly have no idea how afraid I am. After all the years...watching him wreck chaos and murder innocents, doing whatever he told me to do, even if it was the most despicable thing I could imagine….he's the one that pushed my insanity this far..."
He was listening intently, his calloused thumb running over my skin carefully. I think he knew that if I was this afraid, I had a reason to be. To me, as well as Jake, Larry was untouchable, evil, terrifying, someone that forced us to fear him for so long, it became pure, animal instinct. "Eden, can I ask you something?" his words broke me out of my thoughts.
"Of course..."
"By the way you talk about him, he's a mass-murderer. But before, you always made references to how he used his gang as tools rather than get his hands dirty himself. So it's it possible that the only reason you're afraid is because that's what he taught you?"
"That's-" I blinked, taking in the words, slightly confused. Did I ever see Larry do something monstrous himself? Yes, but have I ever seen him display skill greater than my own? That's debatable...he caught me off guard earlier. But if I wasn't so scared and worried, perhaps I could have ended it right there.
"We're still talking about a man who cares absolutely nothing for lives of others," I murmured. "The only ones he even remotely cares about are his personal students, and he thinks of them nothing more than loyal animals. Usually, he just lets us go about with our business, only coming around when he wants someone dead. But whenever someone turns or tries to run, he sees it as a personal offense. He's not right in the head - where other leaders would likely leave you alone after you make it out of the state, he goes to extremes. I've definitely seen that happen… more than once."
"But is he worse than Templars?"
"-it's likely that the only reason he isn't one of them is because he hates religion of any sort, or anything to do with it. If anything, that's the only thing he has the right mindset about, trust me."
We stayed silent for a bit. Having finally gotten that off my chest, I managed to think a bit more coolly, musing over what Ezio told me. Larry was a man of skill and brilliance, no doubt about it. But if I compared him with Ezio, myself, or any other assassin from the past I knew of...
Was he more astute in the various methods of psychological control than Niccolo Machiavelli? Did he patiently scheme with as much enthusiasm as Antonio? Was he as dangerous hand-to-hand as Bartolomeo? Was he as cunning and unwavering as Teodora? Or nearly as cleverly resourceful as Paola? Could he strategically launch a full scale attack on the enemy with as much ease as Mario? Could he command the unwavering loyalty of his underlings with even half the charm of La Volpe?
Could he dare hold a candle to passionate ingenuity of Leonardo?
Sure, he was more twisted and cruel in his methods. But not necessarily smarter. Or better in a fight. Maybe there was a chance that I was mislead by my fear of my former teacher...
"Eden, I promise that for every bit of suffering he brought you, I will make sure he gets it back tenfold," Ezio promised me quietly, likely seeing the conflict in my face. The words made me melt a little at the sincerity in his voice. I suddenly realized that during the conversation, I ended up in his arms, his face close to mine. How the hell did he always manage to do that? In another lifetime, I would've accused him ulterior motives. But now, I knew better.
"That's not playing fair, you know," I glared at him, still trying to concentrate as his lips played along my cheek, a millimeter away from mine. He smirked.
"Anything to keep your mind off the grim subject."
"I won't fight that," I grinned he captured my mouth with a soft kiss.
"Feel better?" he whispered against my lips when he finally pulled away for air, his warm breath coming hitching with need. I quietly huffed into his neck, dropping my forehead onto his shoulder. His heartbeat thrumming in my ears lent more comfort than anything else at the moment.
"You could have done that in the first place."
"Hey, I was right here the entire time. You could have taken advantage at any moment," he reminded me, and I could feel his grin in my hair. I still smiled, though, allowing myself to nearly collapse into his arms.
"I'm just...I hate being here again," I mumbled. "All of this is just not what I am anymore. I think was born in the wrong century, and being here just feels all...weird."
"Maybe you were born in the wrong era. I think the Apple can provide quite a few more answers, then." I pulled back to stare at him for a moment.
"The Apple?"
"It seems to want to help, anyway. And there's been strange things happening. Call me insane, but sometimes I hear voices that appear out of thin air. And once, my Eagle Vision went all wrong, showing me things and images that…weren't, well, there."
"You too?" I raised my eyebrows. He blinked in surprise, and I blushed slightly. "When I was in Milan, I kept on hearing someone, as if from memory…but it wasn't a memory I even remember having – God, what a mess we're in..."
"Tell me about it," he kissed my forehead, and let me go just as I felt Jake turning the corner towards us. He didn't seem to have bought anything, and his face looked like a black cloud, ready to shoot lightening.
"What's up?" I immediately asked, as he straddled his bike, gesturing for us to do the same.
"Garrett rang."
I paled. The game started faster than we could have expected...
"He said we have an hour before they give chase. I threw the phone out, but they likely already caught the signal."
"How?" Ezio raised his eyebrows. A very long time ago, when we were back in Florence, and before we made our way to Venice for the first time, I'd proved to him that I wasn't of my era. Pulling out my cell, I briefly told him how phones worked. I never bothered going into the detail, not expecting that I'd ever get back to a point where phones were actually usable.
"Phones give off a signal-"
"A what-?"
"Just…let me explain," I stopped him, though I couldn't blame him for immediately questioning everything. Many aspects of this must have been like being on another planet for him. "It's easily traceable…through the air. I won't get into how it's possible, but trust me, it is," I said to his stunned expression. "All you need to realize is that now they know which way we went."
"Let's get to your sister, then," he nodded to the motorbike, "The more time we have to spare, the better."
We were quickly back on the road. It was another forty five minutes on the highway, almost straight southwest. Dodging the frequent cars added another five, but my panic was slowly growing with each imaginary tick of the clock. Ezio finally got used to the motorcycle, and was likely even enjoying the speed of movement, while Jake's grim expression didn't change during the entire trip. I kept my eyes strictly on the road, and focused only on Ezio's warm presence behind me, making sure my mind did not wander to exactly what would happen when Larry caught us and my sister...
Eve.
What the hell was I going to tell her?
Jamesburg was a small town. With its houses spread out, the streets wide enough for an elephant, it just screamed idyllic countryside. It was contrastingly different from New York, Florence and Venice, reminding me more of the lands near Forli, though not nearly as swampy. The pace of life of similar though, at least between a busy city and the rural suburbs. It was decent enough, but very quiet. Likely, it was probably one of those towns where everybody knew everybody, and new faces were greeted with suspicion and curiosity.
We left the bikes outside of the town, as we didn't want to make too much noise, and entered on foot. Ezio was still looking around with curiosity, but soon began muttering something about, "lack of charm". I could understand what he meant - the houses were built for convenience, and had little distinguishing traits to them. They were just plain and boring, only the gardens deserving any sort of attention. But aside from that, there was hardly anything special. It was completely unlike the tall, painted and sculpted churches of Europe, and recognizable red and yellow palazzos of Venice.
"How are we going to find her?" I noticed how Jake was growing more nervous as time went, and that scared me a little more. I'd never seen him that agitated. People were throwing us glances out their windows, and a few neighbors got together over fences to stare at the three intruders. A few children paused in their games, but then went straight back to them, and an old lady followed us with her eyes from her porch.
"There has to be a bar around somewhere. Even though Eve is still underage, there's got to be someone that saw her around."
And there was a bar, which was definitely more crowded than the rest of the town. It was nearly evening, and men were coming in to celebrate another day over. Inside, I glanced at Jake, and he nodded slightly, separating from us and venturing towards the bar. I swept the room with a glance before we followed, though.
There were a few old men sitting at a table in the very back, likely gossiping; a good source of information, but unsafe. Two men, likely lumberjacks or something of the like, laughed loudly before clunking together glass tankards of beer. A definite no. A few girls were flirting with some guy at the bar, and I decided it would just be rude to interrupt. Jake occupied the barkeeper already.
I sighed, and pulled Ezio over to the bar anyway- all the tables were taken by loud customers. Leaning onto the table beside my friend, I rested my chin on my hand.
"Anything?"
"There's no one by the name Eve Cleare," Jake threw back a shot. I wasn't worried yet - he was no lightweight, and I felt the need to take a few myself.
"Obviously. She must have changed her name a few times," I rubbed my eyelids in thought. Having a sister like me would ensure that she'd take serious measures against being found.
"We're running out of time," he reminded me, and I nodded my head.
"There's no Eve in town," the barkeep barked. He'd watched the three of us out the corner of his eye since we walked in, just as wary of shady newcomers as the rest of town. "But there is some weird girl that looks a lot like you. Except for the eyes, hers are green." My head snapped up so fast my neck creaked. "Came in here a few times, got a drink, left without a word. Strange one. What do you need her for? Long lost relative?"
"Exactly that," I confirmed grimly. "Where can I find her?"
"She lives on the edge of town, in that old hotel, as if just visiting, though she's been around for a few months. Just ask around."
"Thanks. We were never here." I shoved a few bills towards him, and pushed off the table. He shrugged.
"Secretive bunch, you people. Fine, whatever you say."
The clock was still ticking, and our hour had run out- the game began. I knew that they'd need an hour to reach us, but in the end, they would, and pick up our trail again one way or another. There were plenty of people here who would talk, either for the hell of it, or at the hands of bribes or threats.
The hotel that we were pointed towards was a rickety, two-story building with a faded sign and a grumpy, overweight lady at the register. She glared at the newcomers, easily picking up on Jake's leather jacket and gang appearance, and our anxiety. Still, she got out an old dusty book from under the desk, and thumped in onto the table.
"Names?" she asked in a bored voice.
"Er. We're not-" I began, but she didn't let me finish.
"Then what do you want?"
"We're looking for someone," Ezio cut in, gracing the woman with a warm, magnetic smile. Looking at him, she immediately dropped the frown, and raised her eyebrows in attentiveness. If not for our desperate situation, I would've been quietly laughing at how easily he turned up the charm, even nearly five hundred years out of his time. "A woman that lives here, brown hair, green eyes, sort of quiet?"
It didn't even take the woman a moment to figure out who we were talking about, though it took me a bit longer to wonder how the hell he knew what Eve looked like. "Laura? You just missed her, she checked out an hour ago."
Ezio's hand immediately clasped on mine, stopping my frustrated retort. "Did she say where she was going?"
"No, she didn't, but she headed south."
"Thank you very much, we won't take any more of your time," Ezio continued to smile, giving the woman a little bow, and then all but towed me and Jake out.
"What are we going to do?" I slapped my forehead, and then ran my hand forcefully through my hair, continuing to walk south down the road, not really caring that I didn't know where or how to get anywhere. "Damn that girl, where could she possibly go? We have to find her before they do! We have no time left!"
"Eden, please, calm-"
"No, Ezio, I won't calm down!" I retorted in nearly snarled frustration, "Because if we don't find her before Larry does, she's going to die! This is my baby sister we're talking-"
"Jesus, Eden. Nice to know you still think of me that way."
My rant stopped mid sentence as I became frozen to the ground. And then slowly, I turned around, almost unbelieving.
"Hey," I finally breathed after I realized that it was not just my mind playing tricks on me.
"Hey yourself. It's been a while," Eve greeted with a nonchalant roll of her shoulders, "And about time you three showed up."