Chapter 22: Helicopter

My eyes opened slowly, taking in the loud noises around me and the familiar smell of blood and metal mixed together. The blurriness in my eyes faded and Cheshire's cat mask came into view perfectly through my red colored contacts. Cheshire laughed behind her mask.

"Good night's sleep?" She asked in a low, mysterious voice. I swallowed as I tried to speak, but my voice seemed to be paralyzed at the moment. I looked down to see my hands chained to the sides of one of the helicopter seats. I could feel my heart race as I looked down at my outfit. Black thigh high boots, an awkward strapless semi-body suit with cuts on each side, and of course, two stabbing back pains as I leaned against the seat, which would be none other than the classic samurai swords. My breath became shallow.

"If you think sleep is being knocked out against you will then, no, I did not." I said. Cheshire laughed, taking out her weapons and sharpening them one by one, aiming them toward my heart at every stopping point. I swallowed hard, resisting the sudden urge to punch her in the face. I might've been chained down to the seat and had already figured out a way to get out of them (with ten seconds to spare most likely), but punching my enemy in a helicopter full of sharp objects and steroid-filled men just didn't seem worth my time, energy, or well-being.

"I admire you." She said suddenly. I raised my brow, slightly smiling behind the solid black cloth that hung loosely around my mouth and nose. "Mostly for your lack of weakness towards others. You and me...we're like two peas in a pod..." I glared at her. How could she even think that we were similar? We had nothing in common, nor were we on the same side for God's sake.

"I think not." I blurted out in protest. She stared at me, her eyes squinted through the dark orbs as her hand twitched. She didn't scare me. Honestly, no one in the helicopter scared me. I just wasn't in the mood to fight, which made matters worse. "We are complete opposites. Our personalities are nothing alike." She laughed.

"I protest against that. You see, Sarah, we actually have a lot in common. Take our attitude towards people for example. What do they see? A bunch of bitches. You just can't accept that we have more in common than you think."

"When people look at you, they see your family name. They see your mother and father. They see your loyalty to the villainess side. When people see me...they don't see my family name. They see an orphan whose lived on the wrong side of the tracks. They see my mistakes that I've made. And mostly...they see my outer shell. The one I refuse to crack. You're an open book, Jade. Is that all you got?" She laughed hysterically.

"That may be true, but you explain to me why we both left the people we love." I could tell that she was smiling behind her mask, thinking that she had finally got me. But she didn't. I smiled and laughed lightly, staring at her.

"You left your family for the sake of your own future. You left you little sister home alone with your dad, who still seems like an overstimulated bastard to the looks of it." I said, glancing at Sportsmaster who now glared at me heavily from his grey mask. "You left them all, even your poor paralyzed mother who was about to be released. You left for your own good, which it seems that you've relapsed and fallen right back where you started. Now, me?" I smiled. "I left everyone for the sake of their own health."

"And how's that working out for you? I hear that Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes came back into town for a little visit..." I glared at her. "How is that...hot quarterback?"

"How would I know? It's not like we went out for coffee and caught up on our life."

"Well, you might as well have. I mean, since he is most likely going to stay a while...not to hang out with you, of course, that would be the last thing you two would write down on your list, but maybe say 'hello' to a certain...familiar face?" I swallowed, letting Cheshire's words affect me. I quickly replied as if on cue.

"Isn't that familiar face the one you've wanted in your best since high school?" I snarled back. I could see Cheshire glare as Sportsmaster's eyes scanned both of our faces. He wasn't much of a father, but when I came to men and boys his daughters' age, it was hell freezing over again...it's a long story.

Cheshire laughed suddenly, making the tension feel a bit more eased between us, and not to mention the helicopter. Surprisingly, even around villains like Sportsmaster and Cheshire and not to mention bulky men (and women) in tight black uniforms, it seemed that laughter really helped ease pain, mental and even physical, at least with them.

"Maybe so. But you seemed to have gotten the better piece of the puzzle, seeing that all that effort to get away from your one of few weaknesses failed in the making. And I mean literally." I glared at her.

"Just wait, Jade. The day your life crumbles to ruins is the day that we have a certain overdue conversation involving more than just fists. And the day when a plus sign means more than just a newly used pistol, a streak of luck, and a bunch playing cards all lined up in a row."

"And you say that as if you know more than me. Well, unfortunately for you, you don't. So take your little smart-ass pep talk and maybe take a nice long walk after a bloody massacre."

"And what makes you so sure that you know more than me?" I asked, raising my brow. She took off her mask, black hair gleaming in the moonlight and eyes strained.

"Maybe you should think about your words before you spit them out all over the floor. You of all people should realize how many consequences come with actions and words." I glared at her and leaned toward her.

"And you of all people should realize that I don't give a damn, nor am I that kind of girl; and neither are you."