Baxter POV
I stare at her trying to figure out if she's serious, when I am sure she is I shake my head slightly. "You're not supposed to give me that option." I said, I don't know what her thought process was but I wish I did. She gave me a look that said, do I really look like I care about rules? With her colorful hair and eyebrow piercing, she looked like a rule breaker. She never did play by the rules. How she got caught up in the government business beats me but I'm sure there's a story there. She lifts one of her shoulders and lets it fall. "I'm sure if I wasn't assigned to your case, you wouldn't be offered that." She leaves it at that and keeps staring at me, awaiting my answer.
I nod slowly, looking into her grayish blue eyes. "Please take me to Kimberly Jones' house." Her perfectly trimmed eyebrows shoot up to her hairline and she scoffs slightly. "That I didn't expect." She shook her head slowly, shocked. "Your girlfriend?" She asks, I shake my head to that. "Ex." I snap, she raises her hands up in mock defense. "It's not her I want to speak with. Her dad was my dad's best friend." I say "Or else I'd be fighting tooth and nail to stay away from her, trust me." Her eyes soften slightly and she takes a breath. "That bad, huh?" She asks and I laugh. It's the first time I've laughed in weeks. "Bad is an understatement, but you don't wanna know." I say it as a fact, I know she shouldn't care and probably doesn't.
"I do want to know, but if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." She starts walking then, and I couldn't stop my eyes from traveling to her ass. When I look back up I'm met with her eyes looking into mine. She caught me staring red handed but she brushes it off and waves me to follow beside her. My cheeks heat up and I look down embarrassed and follow her quickly.
Natalie POV
I pretended I didn't see him staring as I did not want to embarrass him. I couldn't ignore the thrill it gave me to catch him staring but I squashed it down because it was never going to happen. At one point, I thought maybe, but he shut those doors pretty quickly. Now, there's not a chance in the world, I'm a pawn of the government, and right now, he's the enemy. Maybe not mine but it doesn't matter. Not anymore.
As I lead us closer to Kimberly's house wonder what he saw in her. Back in the day, Kimberly tormented us ruthlessly. She hated me especially, always trying elaborate plans to get me in trouble with the school. They never did work though since my dad was on the council at the capital. All he would do is talk to the school and they would wave us back to class. He could have easily moved us to the capital, but did not because my mom wanted to stay in her home town.
When my mom died at 15 years old, it was the most difficult thing for me, she helped me control my abilities so father would not find out. She told me he can never find out, I didn't want to know what they'd do to my kind. He moved my younger brother Jackson and I to the capital with him after that. It turned out my father had plans for us. He started training us, but Jackson, it turned out wasn't much of a fighter. I blink my eyes rapidly to make the threat of tears go away. We are only two blocks away now so I start walking a bit faster trying to clear my mind. Beside me Baxter quickened his pace to match mine. Then we're there, I turn to him and tell him to stay put. I figured since he hated Kimberly so much, if she answered the door I could ward her off.
I look back at their house, it was a moderate sized house, two stories to signify Mr. Jones' status. He is in the second tier as he was the principle at the school. The house is 1500 square feet, 3 bedrooms and has the same layout as every other second tier house. The houses were also all painted white, though while some people such as George still kept the paint clean and white, other houses have all but turned to a dull grey color from dust. Their front garden sported yellow hydrangeas, one of the few flowers allowed in this tier.
Our own house was a second tier even though our status was that of a fourth tier. My mother was a very humble woman, and a kind soul. She loved to garden, her flowers were always impeccable, she'd spend hours tending to our small garden when I was young. Our garden sported daisies, the only flower the first tiers were permitted to own as it is by far the least favorite flower. It is so disliked it is considered a weed.
My mother did not care what others thought, she thought they were beautiful and that was good enough. She loved the white daisies most of all because she could make them any color she wanted. She would spend hours through out the month dripping different colored dyes onto each flower. I had hoped to be just like my mom, but things don't always go as planned. When my dad took me and trained me, he tried his hardest to desensitize me. He wanted me to be the cold blooded killer I am today.
As I get to the door and knock I hear shuffling on the other side before the door was opened to reveal Kimberly. Her naturally blonde curly hair was swept over her shoulder, she wore a little gym outfit made of spandex, it complimented her curvy body type. I suddenly knew exactly why Baxter fell for this devil, she looked like an angel. Her blue eyes narrowed at me and her plush red lips turned into a snarl. These simple actions turn her face from angelic to demonic. "Well, if it isn't Nataloser." She spit at me and added "What could you possibly want?" I roll my eyes at the pathetically bad high-school nickname she tormented me with. I plaster a fake ass smile on my face and raise my voice an octave, mimicking how she talked to all her old friends.
" Kimmy! So good to see you, I see you still haven't come up with a good insult, though I'm sure you worked that one brain cell pretty hard while trying to." I quipped, "Also, it's not good to insult a government agent, we are permitted to use these any time we feel threatened." I pull out my taser and push it out towards her slightly for her to see and her eyes widened as she took a quick step back.
Her eyes looked me over as if this is the first time she noticed my unnatural hair color marking my higher rank and my leather outfit. Then, averting her eyes from mine, she looks behind me and her eyes widen again. "I'm glad to see you got that filthy scum off the streets, it's been long enough. I thought they would send someone.. more capable." The last part she said while looking down her nose at me, I wanted more than anything to wipe that judgement from her face.
Then she said "I mean I've been seeing him all over the last four days, I can't believe you were that blind." I smile because she just caused herself a lot of trouble. I pull out a second pair of cuffs as her father turns the corner and sees us. "Is everything alright over here?" He asks with a gentle smile, he then notices who I am and his eyes widen slightly. "Natalie! How are you darling?" His eyes then travel to my hand which is holding a pair of cuffs and his smile falters.
"Principle Jones, it's great to see you again! My father told me to send his wishes if I ran into you. I hope you've been doing well?" I say with a bright smile. He laughs, "Oh come on Natalie, you're not in high school anymore! Please call me George. Now, what is it my daughter got herself into?" His daughter shoots a glare at him and shifts uncomfortably, I loved watching her squirm. "Well, George, I'm sure you're not aware but Kimmy here has been withholding information on the whereabouts of fugitive Baxter Bentley. She just informed me she's seen him all over the last four days and didn't report it, which as you know is a federal offense."
Kimberly's eyes widened so much I thought they may pop from her head. She immediately started shaking her head aggressively. George looked down at his daughter slowly, "Kimmy, is this true?" He asked, she shook her head again and he yelled, "Is that true?" Her head stopped moving and she cowered under his intense gaze. "Yes, it's true." She finally squeaked out, head hanging down ashamed.
He looked so disappointed in her and I almost felt bad, almost. "Kimmy, I suggest you change, I don't think you'll want to spend the night in jail wearing that." I tell her not looking her way but instead at George. I heard her start bawling and heard her footsteps padding off.
George then asked "So, what exactly were you coming here for?" I looked behind me towards Baxter and find him in the same spot watching the encounter. "Baxter requested he say goodbye to you. You're the most important person to him now." I say earnestly, "I will give you guys some privacy."
I start to wave Baxter over when George suddenly speaks again. "Did your dad force you into this Natalie?" I froze, and looked at him curiously. "This isn't you Natalie, you wanted to be a doctor, help people. Not hurt them. I know you don't want this to be all you are." I looked down for a second before meeting his eyes "I may not be helping people in the way I wanted to but I still protect people and right now that's gotta be good enough for me. I have a brother to protect and this is the only way to do that." I say it matter of factually and confidently, I don't need anyone to judge what they don't know anything about.
I don't know what I said but his whole face darkened. "Goddamn snake" He muttered under his breath, and I saw tears well in his eyes. George had always been an overly sensitive man, but I don't know what caused this type of emotion from what I said. "Nat, I need to tell you something in private can you both come in?" His eyes said this was urgent so I don't argue, I turn waving Baxter to follow me inside.
Once inside George walks us back to a room in the back of the house. It was a small room that he set up for his home office, the walls were a deep red and his desk was a glossy black. He sits down behind his desk in a leather rolling chair and motions for us to sit on the two seats in front of him. "What's this about George?" I ask nervously, he looks like he's having a hard time finding the words. "Natalie, I know this may be hard to believe but your father has been lying to you for years." He said hanging his head low, my eyes dart over to Baxter and I suddenly feel insecure with him sitting right here listening in. Not wanting him to know what George is going to say next, I decide to kick him out.
"Wait!" I blurt out, then I look at Baxter, "I'm really sorry but I think I may handle this better if I hear it alone, can you please wait outside?" I plead with him, he slowly nods. "Of course." Then he stood and stepped out of the room closing it firmly behind him.