Sᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 21. 2024.
Alessia is in the backyard again after completing most of her school assignments, getting her yoga on. She still hasn't fully centred herself yet, however, she's getting there... She believes she is getting there and that's enough. It's just exasperating now—she sighs—remembering that Katya and whoever she was talking about is coming over for the evening. Then, afterwards she'll have to leave for an important task. She needs to get her game face on, because whoever it is that had sent that request to Petro is a politician who's life is being threatened. It sucks being nominated to run for a high-classed roll mostly. He should just drop out. He isn't good anyway, Alessia believes. If the man won't back down, why he doesn't get himself a bodyguard is beyond her knowledge.
Her phone pings and she slowly gets out of her awkward stretch to fetch the device. Katya messages, "I'm almost there and, please DO NOT freak out..."
"What?" Alessia exhales, raising her eyebrows, before she heads outside again for her mat.
The doorbell sounds as soon as she rolls it up and throws it into the washroom. She locks the backdoor and trudges through the kitchen and the living room to the front. Standing in a plain, black tube top and short, black tights, barefooted, she opens the door, regarding the two persons revealed. Her best friend/her only friend and...
Her heart thumps twice.
...Alan Whittaker. The assassin that ranked third. The one who is supposed to be dead. So, she wasn't tripping on incense when she saw him at the club...?
"What's happening? Why is she so quiet?" He whispers to Katya, lowering his head slightly.
"She's freaking out." Katya whispers back, inclining her head in his direction behind her.
Alessia hisses at them for not even trying to whisper properly, "I'm not freaking out." She looks at Katya, "I'm thinking. Maybe overthinking. What's your reason for bringing him here? We were never friends."
The air grows serious and the girl slips her hand into her boyfriend's for support which doesn't go unseen by mismatched hawk-like eyes. "He has something to tell you and it's something you'd wanna know." Her eyelids fall slightly over her piercing gaze, flattening her stare. The word 'need' or 'want' doesn't normally have an effect on Alessia. She does whatever, whenever, wherever. But tonight, she's going to be somehow convinced to listen. "He's been begging me to take him to you for a long time and he told me. I need you to hear him out. It's the truth about that night."
Alessia recoils immediately and swings the door hard. With fast reflexes, Alan catches it and swings it back harder. It bangs on the wall and a cold silence breezes by with the rush of air from the wooden structure.
"Are you stupid?" Alan asks. Kat turns to him startled, while he glares at the quiet girl holding herself in front of them. Her head is down, he can't see her face, but he continues anyway. "You must be, to not notice your own special treatment while the whole class was talking about it behind your back. It was fucking obvious. I bet even Phillipeño noticed." Her chest begins to rise and fall eminently. "Everyone died that night, except you. Everyone was supposed to die, except for you. I survived because I got lucky."
She is listening and she wants to ask him how? She had already figured out the truth about her treatment, although it was late, she knows now. Still, Alan's words are like salt to her already bleeding wounds. She's afraid to show interest in the subject he's so determined to talk about, but she can't help the fact that his liveliness had surprised her and she do wants to know. She also can't help the fact that she hates surprises and doesn't want to get involved with a live one. The contradiction...
"Everyone's death was planned. It wasn't an accident." He goes on, edging forward. "Think about it. Why would bombs be planted beneath a church? Why would it go off precisely after you backed off to let us have the glory of the mission? Someone was watching us." She lifts her head, peering up at him with eyes Katya has not seen her look at anyone with. She squeezes her boyfriend's hand, but stopping now would do them no good. He adds, "And, for what? Why were we all wanted dead, except for you? Because, you are special to Petro, Alexa. You remind him of his daughter."
Huh? Her eyes widen. Grief backs down and shock comes forward, displaying clearly on her face like a sold out movie just coming to the cinemas.
Kat, who has been shivering soundlessly beside Alan from the cold outside, speaks up, "Let us in, Lexy." The girls terror-filled eyes slide to her friend who's nodding reassuringly, "Let's talk inside."
She turns around, stepping unsurely to the sitting area in the living room first and the others let themselves on, closing the front door behind them.
"Talk." Alessia mutters hoarsely.