Shadow Me

Seven - I Need to Talk to Them

Evan

All that preparation. All the fun of watching someone drown. It's always a rush. I enjoy it every time, from the garbled scream to the useless splashing. Hearing their voices for the first time after pulling them out of the water is always a fun surprise, making me feel like one of the contraband candies we hear about every so often. Gushing on the inside. This voice was different, so I attributed it to fear. I already knew I was dealing with a female, the form of everything that made her soft not lost on me at all. Part of me was hoping she was a cougar, albeit she would be a small one.

I should have known better. Something had been off since the words middle of the road.

Imagine my f*****g shock when I eventually tore off Marty and Paul's makeshift pillow case blindfold and watched as frantic, hazel eyes met mine. My heart tripped up for a second and I nearly stuttered when I realized I'd been drowning a young girl. No cougar, which only made it all the worse. Her bottom lip trembled, and damn if my mind didn't go completely blank for at least two seconds. Shock. I regained my composure. If a girl this young was wanted by the Infinity, it must be for a reason.

Now I'm here, looking down at her.

"Formula," I say, not quite able to put it into an authoritative sentence.

"Where am I?" she asks as she looks around erratically, "what formula?"

I squat down in front of her, wanting to get a really good look at the girl who must be bad enough to end up on Infinite radar. I narrow my eyes at her when she begins pulling away, and jut out my hand to grab a fistful of her hair, pulling it back, watching as her neck strains. She looks down, unwilling to face me head on. I give her face a quick slap, nothing too hard, to make her look at me. When she finally does, I stare at her, hardening, not seeing a girl.

"I don't know anything about a formula," she says, "do I look old enough to know anything about some super important formula to you?"

I continue staring at her, trying to form a response, but realizing that being silent in this instance might terrify her more than words could. Her bottom lip keeps trembling. I look at them for a second.

"I guess you can stay in here until you realize some knowledge you have about it, then."

With that, I let go of her hair and stand, brushing off the strange feeling of guilt. I walk to the door only to spare her one last look, and open it.

"Let me know when you remember something," I say before walking out and closing it behind me.

I lock the door and walk into the living area, pushing my hands through my hair and generally trying to force the discomfort out of my system. I use the remote to turn the TV on to whatever is on the current channel. Basketball, the only sport to have made a supposed comeback after the darker days. I ignore it and think, a f*****g girl. What in the world could that little thing be capable of doing?

Something's not sitting right, and I'm not going to be on the losing end of this raw deal. I leave, ignoring the fact that the TV is still on, and locking the main door to her quarters behind me. I head toward my SUV. I know exactly where I'm going, but not my motives as I head toward the compound. It's late, but not late enough that they wouldn't be there. I make my way through security and head toward the council office just as Jan looks like she's getting everything in the lobby ready to close down for the day.

"Evan, what are you doing here? Don't you have a--"

"Job? Yes, I do. Are they still here?" I ask.

She hesitates for a moment before answering.

"They are. They're getting ready to leave, though."

"I need to talk to them," I say.