explaining 56
970 Words
Chapter 56
Ruby POV
I was already irritated before they even walked in. They were late.
Again. That alone told me everything I needed to know. Something had gone wrong. Badly. When the door to the pub finally opened and the three of them stumbled in, looking like they had just escaped death itself…Yeah. This was worse than I thought. I didn’t move from my seat.,Didn’t speak. I just watched them as they dragged themselves over and dropped into the booth across from me. Wyatt looked like he had seen a ghost. Katy looked pissed.
Wanda?,Calm… but tense.That was the most concerning part.
I folded my hands on the table..“…Talk.”
Silence.,Wyatt opened his mouth. Closed it.
Katy groaned. “You tell her.”
“No, you tell her!”
Wanda sighed. “I’ll do it.” Of course she would. I leaned back slightly, eyes locked on her. “Well?” Wanda didn’t hesitate. “She found us.”
I felt something in my chest tighten. “…Define ‘found.’”
Katy let out a sharp laugh. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.”
I didn’t react.,“Continue,” I said coldly.
Wanda nodded once. “We kept our distance. Followed your instructions exactly.” I said nothing..“Everything was fine,” she continued, “until we reached the market.” My fingers tapped lightly against the table. “And?”
Wanda’s gaze sharpened. “She separated from the boy she was with.”
A tactic. Smart. Too smart. “She stayed in place,” Wanda went on. “Then… she disappeared.”
I froze.,“…Disappeared, explain ?”
“Yes.” Katy leaned forward. “Not walked away. Not blended in. Gone.”
My mind immediately started racing. No. That’s not possible.
“That’s when it got worse,” Wanda added. Of course it did “She reappeared behind Wyatt.”
I slowly turned my head toward him. He gave me a weak smile.
“…Hi.”
I stared at him. “You let a twelve-year-old get behind you… without noticing.”
“She teleported!” he blurted.
“She did not teleport!” Katy snapped.
“THEN EXPLAIN IT!”
“Enough!” I cut in sharply.
Silence dropped instantly. I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm.,“Continue,” I said.
Wanda nodded. “She confronted us. Calm. No fear. She knew exactly who we were and what we were doing.” That sent a chill straight through me. No hesitation?No panic? Nothing?,“She didn’t guess,” Katy added. “She knew.”
“And then?” I asked quietly.
Katy leaned back. “She called the guards.”
Of course she did. “She didn’t even have to yell,” Wanda said. “They were already nearby.” Prepared.That means.. My eyes narrowed slightly.,“She planned it,” I murmured.All three of them went quiet.
“She knew we were there from the start,” I continued. “She let you follow her. Let you think you were hidden.”
Katy slowly nodded. “…Yeah. That’s what it felt like.”
“She split from the boy to isolate the situation,” I went on. “Then removed herself from your sight… repositioned… and confronted you on her terms.”
Wyatt stared at me. “…When you say it like that, it sounds really bad.”
“It is really bad,” Katy snapped.
I ignored them. Because now everything was starting to make sense. This wasn’t luck. This wasn’t instinct. This was strategy. From a twelve-year-old. I stood up slowly. The tension at the table shifted immediately.
“You were played,” I said plainly.
No one argued. “You weren’t observing her,” I continued. “She was observing you.” Silence. Heavy. Uncomfortable. Accurate.
Wyatt swallowed. “So… uh… are we fired?”
I looked at him. Really looked at him. Then, I shook my head slowly.
“No.” All three of them blinked.
Katy frowned. “No?”
“No,” I repeated. “Because now… this is interesting.”
Wanda’s eyes narrowed slightly.,“You’re not surprised,” she said.
“I am,” I admitted. “But I’m not walking away.”
If anything…,This just confirmed it. That girl… There’s something very wrong… or very powerful about her. I leaned forward slightly, my voice lowering.
“You’re done getting close.”
“Good,” Katy muttered.
“But,” I added, “you’re not done watching.” All three of them stiffened. “You will not follow her directly anymore,” I continued. “You will watch from a distance. Track patterns. People around her. Guards. Movements.”
“And if she senses us again?” Wanda asked.
This time…I didn’t answer right away. Because now…That was a real problem. “…Then you don’t let her find you,” I said finally.
It's not a perfect answer. But it would have to do. Wyatt leaned back in his seat. “…I don’t like this job anymore.”
“Too bad,” Katy said. Wanda stayed quiet. Thinking. I'm always thinking. Good. I need that. I straightened up.“One more thing,” I said. They looked at me. “If you ever get that close again… and you risk exposure like that…”I let the silence stretch. “…you won’t be the ones running from guards.”
Wyatt gulped. “Noted.” I turned and walked out of the pub without another word. But this time, my thoughts were louder than ever.
She’s not normal. Not even close. No child should be able to think like that. Move like that. Plan like that. And now I have a new question. Not just what she is… but Who taught her?
- Writer
