It seemed like the end of the world but it was only the drastic end of this island. I paced the ground nervously as Aleecia attempted to pick the lock of the supermarket. Fortunately for us, the men in black hadn't reach this part of the island yet. The streets back this side were practically deserted. Apart from the periodic men we had to hide from, it was abandoned and to make it super great, the bright orange fire light and smoke got closer every time I dared to look in the direction.
"Can you stop moving?" Aleecia begged in irritation and I halted, watching as Luke took over my agitated steps, nervously flipping through his thoughts.
"What is going on?" I questioned finally and he stopped patrolling to look at me.
"Got it" Aleecia screamed excitedly, pushing the door open. We stepped in and she closed the shutters and door. She switched the lights on before finding Luke's ear and clinging unto it with pinched fingers. He squealed in pain and my heart swelled with joy at the sound.
"Explain now!" she demanded "What kind of trouble did your stupid ass get us in this time?!" she wringed his ear, dragging him to the aisle that was marked snacks. I grabbed a cart and followed. Something about watching felt well deserved and entertaining.
"I swear to God, it wasn't completely me this time" He pleaded and Aleecia let him loose sweeping a whole hand's length of chips into the cart. She glanced over at me briefly before stopping and I knew somewhere in there I was partly responsible.
"I need to know" I mumbled and she nodded.
"First you take a pregnancy test" she muttered with defiance.
I sighed and followed her to the mini pharmacy, without complaint.
**
"How long will this take?" I questioned as soon as I'd finished tubing my pee on three different sticks. I placed the last one next to the others on the sink and thoroughly washed my hands before swinging the employee bathroom door open. They were in a heated whispering quarrel and I tried to make out their words without luck. As soon as they'd realized I was there, they parted and I felt a sudden rush of anger and irritation pricking at my heart strings.
"Nobody's leaving until I hear everything. So let's pray the fire doesn't reach here by then" I persisted and they both turned to look at me in perfect sync.
"Where do we start?" Aleecia asked herself nervously and I heist myself up unto the counter. They copied my actions and Aleecia began.
"There is a hierarchy not known to many but the people who are apart of this world. As I'm sure Rowan… Ray, may have mentioned it's a complicated life. No one should be forced to be apart of it but unfortunately it's not like that."
"Hierarchy?" I questioned confusedly and Luke slid over the counter, wiping clean the white board behind it. I gave him my undivided attention.
"There are three most secretive jobs in this world a person could have. We are the second." He drew a big circle at the top of the board. "Assassins are the first" He continued, writing it into the circle.
"They are skilled individuals, trained to kill. They are heartless and brutal" Aleecia explained "You must have watched movies"
I nodded
"Then you have the Shadows. That's Tad…Ray or Rowan" Luke drew another circle below the assassins "This is our world. Your world too"
"My world? I'm not apart of this" I insisted and Aleecia exhaled heavily. I looked between them nervously as Aleecia placed a hand on my leg to initiate comfort. I grunted, wiping my face as a feeling of overwhelm wrapped me into its anxious arms.
"The shadows are broken down into three areas." Luke continued after a brief moment of silence. He scribbled it unto the board.
"Angelus" Aleecia smiled warmly
"They protect- keep their subjects safe. Like Ray" Luke clarified
"Daemonium"
"They are much like assassins. Fierce and deadly"
"They were specifically trained to kill, track and stalk. Like the men roaming the streets" Aleecia stated and I looked over at her in shock
"So you're telling me that the persons out there are here to kill?" I questioned in disbelief, jumping off the counter. I was surrounded by killers! How the hell was I supposed to stay sane?
I walked over to the pastry section of the building and picked up a handful of delicious looking pastries. I needed to stay calm and process this information with food. I signaled that they continued as I dropped everything unto the counter and pulled myself up once more, ducking my mouth with food.
"Then you have the advocates. These are almost always females. They deliver warnings, regular messages and sometimes they work with a Shadow when they themselves are in need of protection"
"Like myself" Aleecia scrunched her lips and I nodded shoving another donut into my mouth, relishing in its mouthwatering taste. My sister was a Shadow. Wasn't that great?
"So what are you?" I asked Luke, filling my mouth with food once more.
"One of the lucky few"
I curled my eyes in confusion, dismissing his vague response "All this…" I began swallowing the food in my mouth "All this is great but where is everyone, why are they burning everything, why did that man try to kill us and how do you get forced into something like this?"
"Go get those pregnancy test" she forced a smile and my heart stopped beating.
"I can't" I froze, becoming suddenly paralyzed. My veins rushed with nervousness as the thought of being pregnant slapped me mercilessly across my face. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a baby someday but not like this. What was I going to tell him or her about their father? That he received a bomb in an envelope and that I was there and could not do anything to stop him from blowing up? That he knew exactly what was happening and he let it happen? I watched him close the door, I watched the house blow up? I watched everything. How could I ever?
"I'll go then" Aleecia journeyed into the room and I held my breath. I couldn't be pregnant. I just couldn't.
"So… This one says negative" I sighed a breath of relief. Thank God!
"The second one says positive" she muttered and I groaned. That foolish, stupid, idiotic, moron.
"Third one's…" she paused and I held my breath once more "Positive"
I squirmed
"What do you think Luke? Is she pregnant?"
"Most definitely" he skimmed me over and I shook my head.
"One negative means there's a possibility I'm not pregnant. Right?"
She laughed "Look at that"
"Look at what?" I squeaked
"Three test, saying positive"
That idiot got me knocked up, then died! How frikin' romantic
"What does this have to do with Shadows anyway?"
"Everything" Luke mumbled and the lights went out.
"We need to go" Luke whispered and I struggled to adjust to the dark.
"They've found the solar panels" Aleecia whispered back and almost immediately, a bright orange light steeped through the cracks of the store. I jumped off the counter and they made their way to me.
"Mia. If they take you, this baby is your only way out" Luke mumbled gravely and I curled my eyes in confusion
"What do you mean?"
"They'll take it away as immunity" Aleecia warned, grabbing my hand and peering into my eyes.
"What?" I probed confusedly as the shutters of the store rolled open to reveal a lone man armed with bottle bombs, standing behind a mountain of fire.
I looked between them with all the sincerity left in my trembling limbs. "I'm not giving up my baby. So get me out of here. It's the least you can do. For Rowan" I demanded and they both nodded understandingly, dragging me in the other direction, away from the man who was taunting and daring us to escape.