Broken Past, Good Path

Somewhere among the clouds above

    Morgan drifted off to sleep, the wheels in her head beginning to move a little sluggishly as she recalled the warning voice of Bradley. He had not wanted to talk about his father which got her to thinking about the Mr. Thomas she had last met so many years ago. He had always been so nice to her, telling her how pretty she looked. Like a young lady, Morgan thought mirthlessly. It had been his custom to ring her little gifts, the last of which remained unopen and hidden in her closet. As her consciousness fell away, she wondered why she had not seen him again in so many years and why was Bradley unwilling to talk about him.

                The dream world held no answer for her. It remained black as a moonless night until the light of the day peeked through her lids. She blinked her eyes open, removing the washcloth from her forehead. Her body was achy, but filling with strength once again. Her fever was gone. Morgan swung her legs to the edge of her bed, lifting herself off of the damp sheets. As she dressed, she heard the clanking of dishes force their way into her room. A smile met her lips as she thought about Noah and how she should repay him for taking care of her.

                “Noah!” She left the room after changing, not expecting to find Noah in the kitchen while Olivia slept on their sofa, and two men she did not know seated at their dining room table. She paused, anger rising inside of her once more while everyone studied her. Noah dropped what he was doing and walked towards her with red cheeks. He looked like a child who had just been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar.

                “Morgan, how are you feeling?” Noah felt her forehead, his eyes flooding with relief. Morgan focused on him singularly.

                “What are they doing here?”

                “Well Olivia and I stayed up all night talking,” Noah nodded to the woman asleep on the couch before he turned to a redhead with a freckled face. “Ryland just arrived not too long ago, and Jax,” He pointed to another man of average height, tan skin with matching black hair and eyes. “He took over for Bradley last night,” Noah explained. Morgan gave him an annoyed frown.

                “That is not what I meant.”

                “Bradley told us yesterday that there would be a meeting this morning.”

                “I asked them to leave yesterday after dinner, so what are they still doing here?” Morgan eyed Noah, the glaciers becoming visible in her icy blue eyes. Noah sighed, pulling her further away so as not to be overheard.

                “They are here to protect you. Maybe show a little gratitude?”

                Morgan looked at him in surprise. She felt betrayed. Her best friend, who had been through the same treatment as her during their high school days, was now telling her to give up and let them in. She puffed herself up, leaning forward onto the tip of her toes, shooting him a threatening look.

                “If they won’t leave then I will,” Morgan said. Without a moment of hesitation, she ran to the foyer, grabbed her coat and left the apartment before anyone could get in her way.

                “Damn it, Morgan!” She could hear Noah’s voice ring out behind her which just propelled her forward to the staircase. She moved as fast as her little feet would let her down the endless floors of stairs until she wheeled out of the staircase on the first floor. As she passed the elevators, she noticed the doors beginning to close and turned her head to look, catching a glimpse of Bradley standing in the middle of the contraption. Her hard-set eyes met the steel grey ones for a fraction of a second. The doors close with a snap, followed by a loud thump on the door that echoed into the corridor. Morgan allowed a smug smile to grace her features as she made it onto the street. She had no idea where to go so she continued to run until her legs refused to run anymore.

                She slowed to a fast walk, catching her breath and looking for any sign of the people she left behind. With no sign of them, she turned her attention to where she was currently. She did not recognize exactly where she was. The buildings had become a little dated than the buildings a few blocks away. She shrugged into her coat as she came across a small café. She walked inside and took a seat near the back, furthest away from the glass window onlooking the street. Morgan gathered her thoughts irritably. First, to Noah and then to her current situation. She had gotten so angry and made her mind up too quickly that she had forgotten money and her cell phone. The realization hit her all too fast that she would have to go back. Her little stunt made no difference at all.

                “Anything for you miss?” A kind, young boy scooted closer to her, a black, circular serving board tucked under one arm. Morgan dug into the pockets of her coat finding enough money for a coffee. The boy walked away with the money, returning in less than five minutes with her coffee set neatly on top of the serving board. “Enjoy miss,” The boy smiled, revealing a set of yellowing teeth. Morgan thanked the boy while giving him a sympathetic smile. She decided that she would go back after she finished her coffee.

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                Bradley was beyond angry, he was pissed. The fact that a reserved woman had run by his entire team, including him, had set him off. He combed the streets, unsure of which way to go. He could tell that this mission was getting to be increasingly dangerous and now, after ten years, they were all in the worst position they could possibly be in, with the exception of a year ago. He ran down the streets, his shoes making loud clicking noises in time with the adrenaline thumping in his ears. He ran aimlessly, sure that the rest of his team were doing the same. He stopped in the middle of the street, contacting his team through his radio.

                “Any updates?” He questioned, although he did not expect a good answer. Static hissed over the receiver.

                “Nothing yet, sir,” Ryland’s voice replied.

                “Nada.”

                “Nope,” Olivia was the last to reply, a male’s voice coming across with hers. Bradley felt another tingle of annoyance. He would have to talk to Olivia about allowing Noah to tag along, but for now his mind returned to Morgan. He had only been briefly filled in about what had happened that caused Morgan’s abrupt departure. He felt angry at himself for leaving last night. Maybe the outcome would be different if he had stayed.

                Bradley jumped, his heartbeat racing as a loud explosion-like sound erupted from down the street where he as standing. He shook the fear out of him, realizing that a car had backfired and there was no real danger.

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                Noah Walstead mentally kicked himself. He would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Morgan. He ran up and down the streets like a mad man, trying to think of where she would go with no money. The fact that he couldn’t think of one place bugged him. Am I really a good friend? He questioned bitterly. His heart and shoulders sunk lower every time he turned a corner and did not see Morgan. Olivia remained at his side or followed behind him, her pitiful gaze giving him the feeling that he was the worst person in the world.

                The streets stretched longer and longer the further they got from the apartment building. Darker, shadowy places popped up from every angle that Noah felt he had never considered as dangerous previously. He slowed, taking more precautions than he had been, allowing for Olivia to fall in step next to him. Her radio squawked loudly every few minutes.

                “Olivia, take Noah back to the apartment. Make sure she didn’t go back there,” Bradley’s voice was followed by a patch of static. Noah was angry at himself again. Why had he not thought about if she returned to the apartment? What if she had already returned and left again with her things? The thought made Noah move a little faster, hoping that he would be able to find Morgan safely at home.

                “I think you will become a good member of our team,” Olivia smiled at him as she was able to obtain the same speed as him. The compliment did little to help him feel better now. They raced back across town, finding their way to his apartment as quickly as possible. Noah tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator lifted them up in a slow rattle. “Calm down,” Olivia patted his arm. For a second, his mind was taken off Morgan as he thought about Olivia’s kindness over the past day and how changed she was from their high school days. He gave her a not but that didn’t stop him from racing to his apartment once the elevator doors shook open.

                He flung the door open, shouting for Morgan. His eyes scanned the kitchen and living room, finding that little to nothing had changed. He ran into Morgan’s bedroom at full speed, finding her purse and phone where they should be. He shuddered with disappointment, the realization that Morgan had not returned flaunted him in the face. He walked back out, finding Olivia’s face full of sadness, her hand-held radio leaving static to fill the silence. She walked towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

                “We will find her. Don’t you worry,” Olivia patted his shoulder at the same time the glass window of his apartment, which overlooked downtown, exploded into tiny fragments. Noah grabbed Olivia, forcing her to the floor as blood sprayed in a sickening mist across the floor, while his own leg felt like it was being sliced open.

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                Morgan jumped in her seat at the café. A loud bang from outside had just gone off which echoed inside the small café. It was unlike her to let things get to her, but she had to admit, that somewhere deep within her, yesterday had scared her. The spraying of broken glass and the thought of having almost been shot was too much for her to take seriously. Why would anyone want to kill her? Why would anyone kill her mother though? The thought snuck through, a shiver running up her back. She gulped down the rest of her coffee, left the rest of the money she had on the table, and exited the establishment. She paused momentarily to fix her coat.

                “MORGAN?!” An angry voice floated down the street towards her. She didn’t have to look up to tell that it was Bradley, but she did anyway. Their eyes met; ice-cold glaciers found the grey orbs that observed her with a coldness of their own. Morgan watched as Bradley walked towards her, his eyes flickering to the side briefly. They widened and spun back to her. Curiosity took over. She turned to look at the side where Bradley had just looked. An old, broken-down Camaro sat in a parking spot, the window of the driver’s seat rolled down. A hand held a pistol that was aimed directly at her. Morgan cried out in shock and surprise, finding that her legs had turned into buckets of lead. All the running she had done earlier and the effects from the fever were punishing her now. She closed her eyes tightly at the exact moment that the shot rang out. A brief second before the shot shattered the glass front of the café, Morgan was violently thrown to the ground. Like déjà vu, glass shards fell down on her like sharp icicles in a winter storm that cut at her face and clothing.