August, 2013
Rei Lee was not the best agent in Shadow, but she was the most efficient in the organization. She didn't doubt to kill when necessary, and would do anything in her hands to get the information she wanted. All that with the minimum traces of her ever being there.
Dangerous terrorists, corrupted politicians, leaders of mafia groups, those and many more filled the list of assassinations done by her. With 19 years and with more training, she was considered a seasoned assassin, and an important agent in Shadow.
She wasn't exempt to wounds in some missions. The most important, though, is that no one has been able to catch her, or even discover her. Her many disguises and identities made her one of the best undercover assassins. Her record had been spotless, object of envy from other agents, until that day she committed the worst fault in the organization: killing a member of the organization.
For the first time, she was working with a partner: a man. However, in the middle of the mission, which was month0s long, she ended up killing him and the mission completely failed. She was immediately taken for a trial.
"Why did you break up one of our golden rules?" With a deep and stern voice, one of the higher ups spoke.
"He tried to take advantage of me." She replied with a serious tone.
"In what way? Explain yourself. Your report just says the same words." The voice thundered again in the room.
"He touched and kissed me. When I told him to stop, he tried to deceive me using the words 'I love you'. From my point of view, he was trying to distract me from my mission. He didn't stop even when I told him to get away from me, so I killed him." She replied. The people in the room fell silent. Just what kind of answer was that?
The organization had no problems with romance between their personnel; as long as it didn't distract them from their job, it was ok. In fact, Rei's parents were both part of the organization. It was better for them if couples surged from within as it would be less problematic than dealing with an agent who had an outsider as their partner.
The agent had to create a fake identity and a fake job for the other person to assume they were dating someone 'normal'. There had been lots of situations regarding couples withing the organization. But, to actually have one agent killed because his partner didn't understand a bit about love was a first.
"I believe we have to be blamed for this," Eddie interjected after clearing his throat to get the attention of the people in her trial. Seeing how they were looking at him with scrutinizing eyes, he continued. "She has spent many years inside the compound, so her understanding of the world is practically minimal. She has also been constantly exposed to the cruelty of people that she doesn't know much about getting along with others, much less about romantic feelings."
The higher ups started to murmur between them about the possibility that Eddie's words might be the actual reason for the unfortunate incident to happen. The least they wanted was to get rid of such a nice agent as Rei just because she knew nothing about love. She was the perfect weapon.
They discussed about her fate for some minutes before reaching a conclusion that seemed plausible for everybody.
"From now on, she'll live in the outside world. Get her an apartment in a crowded city and find ways to communicate with her without looking suspicious. Also see that she gets along with as many people as possible and monitor her reactions towards them. She won't be taking missions until you send me a report that she has already adapted to her surroundings."
The man with the deep voice stated, and without waiting for a reply, he stood up and left together with the others.
January, 2016
"Newcastle?"
"Yes. We've been here in Madrid for too long. It would be good to change our environment once again." Eddie said with a smile. He has been really delighted due to what the change of environment did to Rei. She had an excellent sense of adaptability to any situation and people that it was impressive even for him.
"Can I take the cello with me?" She asked while looking at the case leaning in a corner of the room.
"Of course." He replied. The only thing that was really hers in that room was the cello anyways.
She bought it months after she moved to Madrid, saying that it was something she needed to have. As a cello player, she couldn't really forget the feeling of the strings bending under her fingers and the strength with which the notes came out when the bow touched the strings, producing either a grave or light sound.
Having a cello with her was like living two lives. The moment she was taken out from that dark, dirty cell years ago, she was reborn into a new person. One who had to deal with the darkest side of humanity, one that was stained with blood, deception, crime, death. That was one of her lives.
Meanwhile, when playing the cello, it was like going back to that life where everything was laughs, cozy conversations in front of a hearth, tedious homework and creating music. However, whenever she played the cello it wasn't like before, like those times.
The chords of back then were those of life and hope, of curiosity from a 12-year-old girl. Her current ones were of death, misery and the thrilling sensation of someone screaming in agony. She honestly liked this new self. The chords of her new self were also wild and seductive. Just like how they made her.
She couldn't make any other type of chord come out of her cello other than those.
"Where are you going? You'll get the information for your new mission soon." Asked Eddie while checking some papers. He glanced at the clock that marked almost midnight.
"I'll take a stroll at Leazes Park. When you get it, just follow the sound of the cello. You'll do the same, right?" She said, picking up the big case and looking at him nod.
"You're going out wearing that?" He looked at her from head to toe. As they have been living in a city where winters were not so cold, it was reasonable for her to underestimate the weather there. The least he wanted was for her catch a cold.
"It's ok. It's not my first time in really cold environments." She smiled and walked out of the apartment. Eddie smirked. She was right. Those months in Russia were even worse, he thought. Newcastle's winter might as well just be a cool breeze.
She never thought that on her first day being in Newcastle, she would immediately get the attention of a man. She first didn't know what to do as he looked at her fervently, but she calmed down and greeted him. He wasn't looking at her with those eyes she so hated.
No, he looked at her as if she had the answers to the world. She thought it was absurd. She didn't feel repulsed though. That's why she let herself and let him stay.
She found out he was a student. A bit of envy filled her. She guessed that he was around her age, she should be a student, too. But, no, her reality was another one. She lived in another world. She felt the thick wall separating them.
As they talked, she clearly heard footsteps behind her, and knew it was Eddie. She smiled and thought she could play a prank on the guy in front of her. If she couldn't cross over the wall, she could at least toy with it.
Seeing his stunned expression was really satisfactory for her while she took note of the hidden message behind Eddie's words: 'You like it? I should have taken you to Italy to rip this red dress of yours. You're making me crazy. I can't wait… can't wait to love your body.'
That meant she had to take care of a leader of one of the Italian mafias, and that it had to be done as soon as possible. More information about her mission would be received back at her place.
"Who was that guy?" Eddie asked, arriving hours later in the morning after she finished her job.
"Who?" She looked uninterested of whoever her guardian was talking about.
"The one you were with when I delivered the message." He didn't take off his eyes of her as she took off every part of her disguise until she ended up completely naked. He was looking for a reaction.
"Oh, him. Just some guy I met. I don't think I'll see him again." She shrugged and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
One week later, he was in front of her asking for a duet to which she accepted.
Actually, it was surprising even for her that they could meet again. What were the odds of that in a city as big as that one? When they met in Leazes Park, she thought he was a spy from another organization, seeing as he had no piano to play. She was even ready to end his life if he tried something, but he didn't.
He seemed like the most innocent person in the world.
So far, every person she had met wasn't able to completely hide their darkness within. The more she talked with one person, the more obvious it was. But he was extremely different. He was so crystal clear and with 'problems' so common they couldn't even be considered problems, compared to what she had been through.
Curiously, with other people she had been with, she only focused on observing their every movement to figure out their character, disregarding anything they said. With Judd, she was hooked by his many stories of himself. It was the first time she truly listened, so it was her first 'talk' with someone that wasn't Eddie.
"What's with that smile of yours? You look like a cat that just got its prey," said Eddie when he saw her entering the apartment almost at 4am. He had no idea where she'd been.
"An interesting prey." She replied, entering the bathroom to take a shower to then go to sleep.