We've reached the mid-point of this story. This is technically the end of the first 'book,' so it's kind of like a mini epilogue.
I'll be taking a little break before we pick up the second half of this one! Be back before you know it!
In the backseat of a black SUV with tinted windows, Blake rested her chin on her palm and her elbow against the dark glass while watching unfamiliar streets pass by. On the other side of the car, Glynda flipped through a thick manila file, lips pursed and glasses reflecting the words on the pages in front of her.
"Have you ever been to Vacuo?" she asked without looking up.
"No."
Glynda hummed and returned to whatever she was reading, leaving Blake to lean against the door and close her eyes. The past few days had been the most exhausting in her life - a never-ending nightmare with no end in sight. Attorneys, prosecutors, detectives, and judges had drained every drop of information from her like wringing water from a sponge. Then, when she had nothing left to give, they turned on a fire hose and blasted her with a new identity to memorize and rules to follow. Warning after warning. 'If you do this -' 'As long as you don't do this -'
She cooperated. She gave them all up - the entirety of the White Fang as she knew it, even Ilia. Not that she believed it would amount to anything. Adam had been a step ahead of her the whole time. He probably made everyone move and change aliases before they ever set foot in Sapphire Bank.
Falling for Adam's plot was bad enough…but Yang hadn't shown her face since that day. Detective Morgan and Detective Proud handled Blake's questioning and reported to the judge on her usefulness as a witness. Detective Blaze always stood nearby, arms crossed and glowering at everything she said. Whenever she asked about Yang - if she was still working on the case, how she was doing - they cut her off and told her that the information was irrelevant.
Those were the most relevant questions in Blake's world right now. Unfortunately, the police were uninterested in entertaining requests from a self-confessed leader of the White Fang; they had other objectives in mind. And, once they had what they needed, they ferried her onto a flight out of Vale without the chance to say goodbye. Not that Yang would have listened or even cared if Blake wanted to say goodbye.
Tears pricked behind her eyes, but she was too tired to cry. She kept her eyes closed and focused on the sound of the vehicle's tires on the road until Glynda gently cleared her throat. Recognizing the request for attention, she glanced over and found Glynda studying her. Having spent plenty of time together over the last few days, she knew that the woman was strict but well-meaning - the gravity of her job didn't escape her and she ensured that her charges understood the position they were in.
"Let's go through your story one last time," Glynda said, flipping the file shut as Blake stifled a sigh.
I fell in love with a girl I shouldn't have, she thought before taking a deep breath and reciting her new identity.
"Claire Benson. I was born in Vale, an only child, and briefly worked for an upstart development company before moving to Vacuo. Now, I'm a systems analyst for Aurora Dust Logistics, dealing with data, efficiency reports, and project management."
"What do you do in your free time?"
"I love to read. Science fiction, mostly." Her heart clenched when her thoughts drifted back to the time when Yang called her out on that fib. "I also do martial arts to stay in shape."
"Good." Glynda nodded and then offered a rare, small smile. "You're a natural at this. It sounds very fluid."
A natural at lying. Blake grimaced at the 'praise' and returned to watching the streets flash by. She had used aliases since starting the White Fang, so of course blurting out made-up facts about a made-up life came naturally. The closest she'd come to having a genuine life had been her time with Yang. That was her. Or as close to her as she could be without confessing her crimes.
Her feelings for Yang were real. Blake Belladonna was real. At least, Blake Belladonna had been real. Now, she was gone, replaced by some girl named Claire, who had just as boring of a job as the fake one Blake told Yang about.
She was so tired of lying…but with Adam, Cinder, and the rest of the White Fang still out there, lying would keep her safe. Theoretically.
Feeling the SUV slow down, she finally opened her eyes. The car crawled through a quaint, quiet neighborhood now. Tall trees lined the sidewalk. Multi-story brownstones sat behind well-kept gates. The sidewalk benches were graffiti-free. A far-cry from downtown Vale.
"Here we are," Glynda announced, slipping out of the SUV and then holding the door for Blake. Blake hesitated before following then blinked in the afternoon sunshine and took a deep breath of dry, warm air. The heat wasn't altogether unpleasant, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. The weather, however, took a backseat to the modest brick apartment building in front of her.
Glynda was already halfway up the front steps, prompting Blake to jog to catch up. Glynda held the door and silently ushered Blake inside, always pressing forward, never giving the opportunity to pause and unravel what was happening. Maybe that was for the best. Because if Blake actually stopped and really, truly thought about what was happening, she might not be able to move.
Instead, she followed Glynda across the clean but otherwise unremarkable lobby. Linoleum floors, mailboxes, and a plain elevator with doors that creaked as they opened. They rode in silence to the fourth floor then walked in silence down a quiet hallway to an apartment near the stairwell. There, Glynda fished a set of keys from her bag, unlocked the door, and beckoned Blake inside.
"Welcome home," Glynda said while flipping on the lights, revealing a sparsely decorated apartment with furniture that could have come from an average motel.
The living room flowed into a small kitchen. Two windows let in a decent amount of sunshine that the heavy curtains would probably block out when drawn. A narrow hallway led to what was probably a single bedroom and bathroom - Blake couldn't imagine the government springing for more than that.
"We've already set up basic utilities - television and internet, too. There are some new clothes in the closet, towels and toiletries in the bathroom, and some reading material if you get bored."
Glynda motioned to the short bookcase before inspecting the bedroom and bathroom, leaving Blake to run her fingers across the spines of her new reading material. After moving on from the mostly empty bookshelf, she paused and stared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall.
Her hair hardly reached her shoulders now - so short that she hardly recognized herself. The ends still curled up, but the hairdresser had assured her that they would flatten with time. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to be a permanent fixture of her appearance now, not that she minded. She felt like the walking dead - she might as well look it, too.
Turning away from her reflection, she trailed Glynda into the kitchen. The woman opened the refrigerator then the cupboards and hummed at what she found.
"There's enough here to get you started," she concluded. "And you'll have the allowance from the justice department, plus your new job - that should be more than enough. But if you're desperately in need of something, let me know."
"Thanks, Glynda…" Blake muttered, aimlessly opening one of the drawers and finding it stocked with utensils.
"You start Monday. The office is only a few blocks from here, so you should be able to walk or catch the bus. I'd advise you not to be late on your first day." Glynda waited for Blake's nod before setting her bag on the countertop. "We've also issued you a cellphone and laptop," she explained while pulling the devices from her bag. "I programmed my number into the phone so you can reach me."
Blake accepted the phone and half-heartedly unlocked it. The default screensaver served as yet another reminder of everything she lost, so she quickly set it aside.
"Any questions?" Once Blake shook her head, Glynda collected her bag. "Good. I'll be in touch in a few days to see how you're settling in."
As Glynda headed out, something sharp and painful stirred in Blake's heart.
"Wait," she called out, so Glynda paused by the door. "Could you…give Yang a message for me?" Glynda opened her mouth to decline, but Blake raised her hands and hurried on. "I know it's against the rules, but I just…can you just tell her I'm sorry? I'm really, really sorry…"
Blake's voice cracked, but Glynda still thoroughly considered the request before - much to Blake's relief - nodding.
"I'll relay your message to Detective Xiao Long." She leveled Blake with a stern look. "But that will be the last you speak to her - do you understand? You can't contact anyone you knew before. No matter how close you think they are, no one can know who you are or where you're from. Your life depends on it."
Blake understood - they had drilled it into her head - but her nod still came delayed. Thankfully, Glynda accepted it with a nod of her own before leaving. The door closed behind her and, just like that, Blake was alone.
Gaping silence filled the apartment, so thick and powerful that she started moving before it drowned her. After moseying around the kitchen, checking the drawers and cupboards, she went to see the bathroom and bedroom. The bathroom was clean and functional. The bedroom was small but cozy, with bedsheets covered in lilies.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she unlocked her new phone and entered Yang's number. She didn't call - her heart couldn't handle the agony of hearing Yang's voicemail yet again - but she saved the number as a new contact. She knew that she wasn't allowed to contact anyone from her past, but she was terrified that she might forget the number one day. Even if she could never call, she wanted to hold onto any shred of Yang that she had left. Without it, all she had were memories.
With the world finally slowing down, those memories surged to the front of her mind. They jockeyed for attention, renewing her guilt and sadness as if she was experiencing them for the first time. As it became too much to bear, she put her head in her hands and cried.
She would have preferred prison. At least then she could cling to hope that Yang might visit her one day. She could dream that they could talk about what happened and she could try to explain why she did what she did. She could assure Yang that her feelings were real. Instead, she'd been erased. Her name, her identity, her purpose…all gone in the blink of an eye. Like a bomb had gone off, obliterating everything in its path.
The worst part? She saw no path to redemption other than following the rules, living this new life, and hoping that, one day, she could help bring Adam and the White Fang to justice. If that day ever came, she might see Yang again. If it didn't…
This couldn't be the end. Yet, after how arrogantly she had once approached her planning and strategizing, she finally understood that she had no control over what came next.