The Rogue

truth.

Adam drove along the coastline, passing quaint little towns sprinkled with retro shacks as the sun rose. If I didn't feel like hell I would have enjoyed the scenery. We didn't speak, and I drifted in and out of sleep, still aching and feeling hung over from the night's events. Eventually, I must have completely fallen, as when I awoke I was no longer in the car.

The pain was the first thing I felt; throbbing pain in my stomach. Nausea was next.

I groan and curl into a ball.

“Ivy, are you okay?” Adams's voice was soft, as he gently rubbed my back, a gesture that felt so misplaced but so welcome.

“mmhmm” I mumbled, cuddling myself tighter.

“I'll get you some pain relief”

“No, I’m fine.” Wincing, trying to pull myself up, the last thing I wanted was more drugs.

“Don’t lie, Ivy, I know that hurts.” he rolled his eyes at me.

I ignored him, trying to get myself to my feet, but I wobbled, falling into Adam, who thankfully caught me and set me back down on the bed.

“I don’t want any more drugs,” I moaned, flopping down onto the pillows. I have no memory of getting into this bed. Adam must have carried me.

“I’m not going to sedate you, Ivy, just take the edge off.”

“Well, it's happened twice now, so I don’t believe you.”

“touché” he smiled, holding out two white pills and a glass of water. "In my defense, I didn't realize Connor was sedating you, I thought they were just codeine" he shrugged.

“Do you get pain relief every time you get stabbed?” I pried.

“Don’t be dramatic, you weren’t stabbed.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean.” I wasn't in the mood to fight over the finer details.

“I get appropriate pain relief when I have pain that needs relieving…”

“ So that is a no then?”

“Not often, mostly because it’s not often I get injured,” he said smugly.

I reluctantly took the medicine and swallowed it, if only to shut him up.

“I have some things to do. You are to stay here,” he ordered, as he got up from the end of the bed.

“Like what? Go bury Connor?”

“I merely knocked him out. However, he was about to do far worse to you, if you recall.” He said bluntly, throwing off his jacket.

I stare at him, as I remember the feeling of Connor pointing the gun at me. I instinctively reached to wipe the blood from my nose but was relieved none was there.

“As I said, stay here”

“ Where is even here?" I whined, I didn't want to stay here, alone. After last night, I felt safer with Adam near me, as much as I hated to admit that to myself.

“It's another safe house, Ivy.” he rolled his eyes infuriating me.

“We’re back to this again are we?” I snapped. He hesitated for a minute before rushing out of the room.

“Fine lock up the freak!” I screamed after him. I heard nothing but a door slam.

With Adam gone, I decided to take in my new surroundings. The room I was in was white and bright, decorated in a coastal style. The bed was plush and soft, and beautiful photographs of native Australian birds adorned the walls, bringing some subtle color to the room. I could hear the ocean in the distance. Sure enough, when I crossed the room to the window, I could see the coastline, though we were high up on the hill. Whatever this safe house was, it was far better than the Melbourne one. I made my way from the bedroom to the main area of the house. I did a quick exploration. It was a one-bedroom bungalow, so not much to explore, but the whole place was stunning, more like an Air-BnB than a secret association's housing.

My stomach churned and I realized I hadn't eaten. I checked the fridge. There wasn't much but there was cheese, and in a cupboard, I found some crackers. I got both, a plate, a knife, and a glass of water, and sat on the floor by the sliding glass doors to the deck, so I could see the ocean. I'm sure I could have gone on the deck, but with Adam gone, frankly, I was afraid.

I sat on the floor, nibbling my cheese and biscuits. Whatever pain relief Adam gave me, did at least take the edge off. As I sat quietly, a kookaburra came and perched on the deck railing. I watched him feeling a pang of homesickness.

I had to shake off the longing for home. There was no way I could go home now, as much as I wanted to. I would never put my mum in danger. After all, she had done for me. Instead, I resorted to showering. As I stripped off in an ensuite that was large enough to be the main bathroom, with a waterfall shower and separate free-standing bath. I could see the effects of last night on me. My stomach laceration was stitched and bloodied. My pale skin was now adorned with bruises of varying colors across my body. My eyes had dark bags under them, I looked washed out and broken. I guess it's really how I felt on the inside.

As I dried, dressed in my clothes, which made showering feel pointless, I heard the front door open and Adam calls my name. I rushed out to meet him, plonking myself down on the couch.

“I see you made yourself at home” Adam mused, looking me up and down, my damp hair giving away my activities. He was holding a few shopping bags. He dropped a couple on the couch next to me before heading to the kitchen, flicking on a kettle and putting the rest on the bench.

“So your important thing to do was shopping…” I asked, confused.

“Well, I thought you would like to wear something other than what you have and eat something other than cheese and crackers tonight."

“ tonight?!” I gawked at him. He expected me to stay here, with him? I guess it wasn't that different from the safe house, but at least there it wasn't just us. Here it felt weirdly intimate.

“just for tonight,” he said casually, as he pulled two mugs down from the cupboard and began making two coffees.

“why?”

“It means we’ve gone off the radar. Only until the team ensures it's safe to return. You do have a date on Friday.” he smirked at the mention of my date.

“ Oh god, Evan! I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

“You sent him a message letting him know you’ve gone to visit your mum for a couple of days and will be back on Friday.”

" Of course, you used my phone."

"Don't be silly, Seth did it remotely," Adam corrected, as he sat down next to me, placing my coffee on the table in front of me.

“ Look Ivy, you're injured, weak, and… I underestimated how much danger you were in, and I underestimated how much you don’t know”, he took a sip of coffee and relaxed back on the couch. Looking at him now, he too looked exhausted. I didn't think about that, he had been awake, all the time I had been asleep. I grabbed my coffee and took a sip, swallowing the guilty lump forming in my throat.

“Is that an apology?” he shrugged. I guess it's as close to one as I will get.

“Seth and Bryce are working on making sure it’s going to be as safe as it could be before you return to the city.”

“I don’t know if I even want to go back,” I murmured, thinking out loud.

Adam ignored my comment, and I swear he seemed hurt, putting his coffee down on the table, and resting his elbows on his knees.

“I thought you at least knew what you are, but you truly are clueless.”

“Really bringing the compliments today...”

" It's been a long day," he sighed.

" It is, but you still owe me answers." I slumped back on the couch, joining him.

“Where do you want me to start?” a simple question that felt so complicated. Where did I even start..?

“Who are the nameless brothers?”

“They are like me, but monstrous. They are unforgiving. If you were targeted by them, Ivy, I don’t know how you even got out alive.” As Adams's brows furrowed my mind drifted back to the bathroom, "enemy or savior you choose," perhaps that was why I was still alive. I pushed it aside. I don't think I should tell Adam, at least not yet.

“You said I'm a mutant.”

“ You’re not the only one.” he gave me a meek smile.

"you?"

"me" he confirmed. Getting to his feet, holding out his hand for mine. Gingerly I took it. Following him to the small open space between the kitchen and lounge. He took a few steps back, facing me.

“And before you ask, Bryce is, Seth is. Alessia are as well"

“ Does Megan know?”

“ Yes, but she doesn’t like to talk about it. I guess she feels left out.”

“Don’t be afraid” he whispered softly as the air shifted.

I let out a squeak as he changed. I watched his eyes turn black, his skin almost translucent like he was a corpse. He stood before me, both terrifying but hauntingly beautiful.

“This is how we can't be seen, how we move so fast. How we fight”

My heart began to race and I started, backing away from Adam.

Slowly, then all at once, Adam returned to normal and rushed towards me, but I stumbled back, he lunged faster than ever and grabbed me before I hit the floor.

Gently, he sat me down on the floor in front of him before joining me on the hardwood.

"This is why you wear masks?" I breathed out. My head reeling. Adam nodded. This explained how Bryce was there one moment, then gone the next. How he seemed to appear out of nowhere at my father's party the night he took me. I couldn't look at him.

"This is why I didn't tell you straight away. I saw how much it broke you on the beach, even admitting your past. I didn't think you'd handle it."

"I've only lived with this, not understanding, thinking I was a murderous monster my entire life, Adam. And you knew you had answers." Rage was building in me and I cringed away from him, getting to my feet, and pacing the room.

"Yes. I did," he admitted softly, but it was just more fuel to the fire burning inside.

"You could have told me when you showed me the video, but you let me have a complete breakdown instead?"

"You needed to come to it on your own time," he said softly, eying me cautiously.

"Why!" I snapped.

"Because I thought, if you were overwhelmed and you broke down, you would be reluctant to try to get answers yourself."

"Did my father make me like this?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

“But Why!”

“ Monsters exist, science tried to capitalize on them.” he shrugged

“So I'm like a dodgy version of you?” something about that annoyed me even more.

“ No, I don’t believe you are dodgy at all.” my breathing was heavy. I could hear my heart beat in my ears and rage continued to grow within me.

“I think you are more lethal than any of us and that’s why you are so sought after.” Adam jumped up on his feet and closed the distance between us.

“I think I killed one of the nameless.”

“Yes, Alessia mentioned that. How?” he was so calm like it was no big deal, yet the memory of his body lying crumbled on the floor made me sick.

“I-I don’t know. He was attacking me, and I just... I touched him” I looked at my bare hands.

“Fear seems to be the key to your abilities”

“I’m afraid now, but I don’t think I’m about to kill you.”

“You’re scared with me?”

“I mean, I’m with an assassin without choice. What I've just learned is a mutant, my father is plotting to use me for god knows what. Now the nameless brothers are after me, and all of this is unknown to me. What else is there to feel but fear?”

“I thought you meant you were afraid of me.”

“I’m only afraid I’ve made a mistake trusting you.” My voice was low. The rage faded, changing to sadness.

“I'm going to train you, prepare you more”

“ Right, I'm going to be able to fight like you." I scoffed.

“ No Ivy, not fight, think. I need you to hone your abilities. I'll teach you some basic tools too, but I need you to think like an assassin, and you need to start learning to control yourself.” he stepped closer, making me nervous.

"And what if I can't do that?"

" You're going to have to.. your life depends on it."

"But first... coffee. I gave a meek smile, returning to my coffee by the couch.

The blood ebbed at my nose.

“Breathe into this Ivy, don’t resist it.” Adam urged, gripping my hand tighter.

“Sure don’t resist the feeling of utter terror,” I muttered, closing my eyes, trying to think of how to "tap into myself" as Adam had explained. I had tried to procrastinate and make excuses, but he wasn't having it. Once we had coffee and eaten the take away noodles hed bought back we were straight into my training. We had one night here, and he was on a mission to get me to activate my abilities whilst not fearing for my life. He said it would be the first step in... controlling it.

“Don’t look at it as terror, think of it like energy. See if you can focus that energy into a release.”

It was like a wave that slowly pulled back and then crashed into the shore. Consuming me, blood ran from my nose and eyes, my skin turned cold, and my vision changed. When I opened my eyes, I could see the blood pumping in Adams's neck, and hear his heart thrumming, his body began to contort under my touch, and a tortured expression disfigured his face. His eyes began to roll back in his head...

I pulled my hand away, the feeling passed and we both fell to our knees panting.

Adam crouched next to me, handing me tissues. He was breathing heavily, but I could tell he was trying to conceal it. I wiped my eyes and nose.

“Why do I bleed?”

“I don’t know. I'm guessing it's because you're trying to pull on a part of you that isn’t dominant, or natural.”

I laid my head against his shoulder, willing my heart to slow. Breathing in his rich cologne, it felt almost like home.

"I was killing you."

" Yeah, thanks for not," he chuckled. I was thankful he didn't move me from him. The warmth of his body was bringing me back into my own.

"Tell me something real to bring my mind back.." I mused, trying to shake the image of his suffering from my mind.

"Like what, Ivy?"

“Can you cook?”

“Yes, of course.”

“What else can you do?”

“I can speak English, French, Italian, Spanish and I’m not too bad at Mandarin.”

" They have Google translate, you know?" he laughed, and it made me smile.

“I can drive most vehicles and boats. Parachutes, scuba dive, and trained in multiple weapons. And I could even fly a plane if need be.”

“how, how old are you?”

“28”

“How can you do all that?” I pried.

“It's how I was raised,” he shrugged.

“I can’t do any of the things you just listed, except drive a car."

“ That’s a lie.” he finally wriggled, moving me from resting on him. returning space between us.

“Well, I can draw, and I used to dance,” I said with a yawn.

" Let's call it a night." Adam got to his feet. "You can take the bed," he said as he flopped himself down on the couch. Suddenly I felt cold, pushed away, though I don't think I had even been close, not really.

"night" I mumbled, wandering to the bedroom, and shutting the door behind me. Finally, I looked in the bag he bought me. An oversize, white linen shirt and shorts, PJs I assumed. And light wash jeans, a baggy knit, and some basic toiletries, all of which were items I would have bought.

I changed into PJs, and lay for a while, but my mind raced with more questions despite the fatigue lingering. I resigned to waking Adam.

I padded back out to the lounge, Adam roused at my movement. My cheeks reddened when I realized he was shirtless.

"I have more questions," I said bluntly.

" Of course you do" he yawned, sitting up. cautiously I sat down on the couch next to him.

" You said monsters exist but I am an experiment?"

"People like me, we've been around for thousands of years. We have our secret organizations, people in every government keeping things in order. No one really knows how we came to be but we're a dying breed, Ivy." I didn't answer, I just nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Our theory for you, Ivy, is that your father genetically modified your embryo with mutant genes, then implanted you in your mother."

"Why?"

"Were a dying breed, the number of new mutants born has been rapidly declining for decades. Someone, I don't know, who must have ordered it, and for your father... to have the ability to completely change life as we know it on earth, not every man could resist such power and praise"

It all made sense, but yet, I felt like he was holding back.

"Why do I feel like you're still not telling me everything?"

"Because I am still trying to protect you." I looked at him, our eyes meeting. We were close. I could feel his gentle breath on my chin. His green eyes were weary, he looked so vulnerable, so different from what I had seen. I felt something shift, less reluctance, and more acceptance, that he did mean what he said. I nodded and returned to bed, leaving Adam alone on the couch. I lay silently for a while until I finally drifted from this world and into the blackness of a dreamless night.

When I woke and emerged, Adam had already dressed and tidied up and seemed to be waiting for me.

"Get your stuff, we're heading home," he ordered.

"home?" I asked, bleary-eyed.

"Melbourne, the safe house." he corrected.

"Melbourne will never be my home," I stated, grabbing the shopping bag he had held out for me. He smirked.

"funny, because it's the only place I do call home."

I quickly threw the few items of clothing he had bought me in the bag and changed before returning to him at the door. I took one last look around the little coastal shack.

"what are you thinking?" Adam mused,

". just that, It would have been a nice place to come, under better circumstances"

"yeah," Adam nodded in agreement. The drive back was different. I felt better, despite it raining the entire time, we blasted music, playing an array of classic decade hits that we both fought over choosing. What struck me on the ride was Adam. He was relaxed, genuinely relaxed, and smiling. Not his annoyed half-smirks and cocky smiles, but a big beaming smile when he laughed. What surprised me more, was I was also smiling and enjoying myself. I guess for the drive, we were in purgatory, everything else faded away and we could just be two young adults on a drive.

The happiness, however, was short-lived, when we pulled into the garage. I quietly got my things and went straight to my wardrobe room, dodging Seth and Megan on the way.

It's not that I didn't want to see them, I did. I just needed more time, so I locked myself in my room, with a book.

A gentle knock on the wardrobe door roused me from my book.

“come in.”

“I need to check your stitches.” Adam popped his head in. I nodded, putting my book down.

I laid down on my mattress, and pulled my shirt up, exposing my stomach. Gently Adam felt around my wound.

His fingertips on my skin felt electric, and my breath caught.

“Did I hurt you?”

“n-no, it tickles.” I lied.

“About tomorrow” I started, avoiding his gaze.

“I promise you, you will be safe,” he mumbled, as he placed a new dressing over my wound.

“No, I mean..” my cheeks reddened, Adam c****d his head, not following my hint.

“What if Evan wants to undress me and he sees?” I gestured to my stomach and array of bruises.

“Well, tell him you’re on your period and not interested.” Adam shrugged.

“Does that really work?”

Adam simply smirked, but I didn’t laugh. He pulled my shirt back down and then leaned back against the other wall. Strangely, the separation caused a pang of longing I didn't quite understand.

“What else is it, Ivy?”

“I need to go back to my dorm,” I said bluntly. During the hours I had been in here reading, the thoughts had come like waves interrupting my peace.

“That’s out of the question. I need to keep you safe.”

“I understand that, but the nameless are following me, I’m tied with you, and soon enough word will spread I’m not where I’m meant to be.” I sat up, to face him, ready to please my case, but he surprised me.

“You’re right.”

“I have classes again next week, I don’t go far, I'll spend time playing make-believe with Evan, and I’ll be safe. I think.”

“True, I doubt the nameless will attack while you are potentially getting information. It's risky, but it’s the only plan we have.”

“You’ll still follow me?”

“Of course.”

He grabbed the first aid kit, and shut the door, leaving me nervous about what was to come.