Cathy was the first to react; she stood up and slowly made her way to the door. I stood up quickly and hid behind it.As soon as the door was pulled open. I heard Cathy gasp.
"Come in" I heard the heavy sound of boots as whoever was at the door came in.
Ma quickly stood up from the bed to meet the person.
As soon as the door was closed I became exposed and I could clearly see the person, the hair was still in a neat bun but she was now wearing a white lab coat over whatever she was wearing inside which I couldn't quite see.
"Amara?" I called out. She immediately turned to face me and I saw that she held my clothes in her hand. I looked up at her face and gasped.
Her eyes were bloodshot, they were so red and puffy and she had very visible dark circle around each eye.
"What happened to you?" I whispered. My hands flew to my mouth in shock.
She looked down at her feet and looked up at me again
"I'm sorry. I had to tell her everything. They caught me trying to destabilize the sensor…I didn't know what else to say"
I looked at her and saw that she was sincerely sorry and was obviously feeling guilty.
"It's not your fault she was bound to find me eventually"
"She fired me. I thought telling her everything would at least save my job, but she fired me. Now I have nothing and nowhere to go"
She started crying again
"She did what? She can't do that to you. Nothing that happened was you fault"
Ma sounded so angry
"I'm going to meet her. It's obvious she has lost her mind"
Ma made to leave the room but Amara stopped her.
"No please you'll only make things worse"
"How? Are you bound to her in anyway?" I asked with an eye roll.
I was wondering how Aunty Kate became this evil. She was this nice woman that I always looked up to as my second mother. She always cared for me and made sure I was comfortable and that Ma was always happy. I guess after the explosion things changed. Another thing I have to blame the gas for.
The gas: 3
Peace: 0
Ma and Cathy were talking in hushed tones while Amara was still standing, silent tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, have a seat. You don't have to keep standing" I said offering her the couch.
She sat down carefully, her head bent to avoid eye contact with me.
"I came to return your clothes" she extended her hand towards me, I collected the heap of clothes from her muttering a thank you and giving her a bright smile.
"Do you want anything to drink?" I asked her already making my way towards the mini fridge.
I pulled out a small can of water and walked back to her handing it over. She collected it from me and took a generous sip out of it.
"You know she pays for the house I'm living in and she threatened to take that privilege away if I don't help her capture you" my eyes rounded as saucers
"But I said no. So now, I don't even have a house to go to"
I smiled at her
"You know you don't have to do this. You don't even know me"
"But I know your mother, and she is a very nice person. So I assumed her daughter also has that trait of kindness in her" she smiled for the first time since she walked into the room.
"Thank you for helping me"
"I got something for you" she dug her hands into her pocket and brought out something that looked like a transparent bottle opener. It had a red button below it and it was blinking a neon blue light.
"What's this?" I asked looking confused.
She pointed to my neck
"Are you ready to let go of that discomfort"
My eyes lit up
"I've been ready for a while now"
She brought the device close to my neck and pressed the red button. The collar clicked and snapped open; I pulled it out and dropped it on the couch. My hand immediately flew to my neck, I was sure there were red marks on it.
"I thought you said only the boss had the key?"
"I stole it from her"
I smiled at her. I liked her already.
"We've got a plan" Cathy said a bright smile on her face.We turned towards her to hear what she had to say.
"Kay you'll have to fake your own death"
I looked up at her confused
"How?...Why?"
"You'll have to get tested with the antidote"
"Won't that kill me? I thought you said Ma made it exactly the same way she made the last one that killed a mutant"
"Yes I did, but I am also going to make a fake gas that look exactly like the antidote but it won't harm you. All you have to do is fake your death"
"How would this help us?"
"You see. Any dead mutant is taken to cold room very close to the boss's office; from there they are taken to the morgue or discarded as trash. I would like you to sneak out of there and plant this camera right in Kate's office. We can monitor her and find out exactly where she hid those documents"
"What if the documents are not in her office, what if they are hidden in her room?"
I asked already loving the plan.
"That's were Amara would help" Cathy said moving towards Amara who was sitting silently on the couch looking confused
"Are you willing to help us?" Cathy asked looking squatting down in front of her and taking her hands
"I'm willing to do anything to bring her down. Count me in" Amara replied with a bright smile on her face.
"Alright then, we have a team" Ma said her voice sounded so determined.
"All we have to do is sit back, relax and wait for two hours to be up" Cathy said, a mischievous smile glued on her face.
========
I had a proposition, I saw the plan working, I had everything figured out but that little witch turned it down. I thought threatening her with her work and her house would be enough reason for her to help, but she is just as dumb as I thought.
Amara was just sixteen when I took her in to work with me. She had nothing, her parents were dead, and she was just an orphan living on scraps. When she approached me for help, I saw in her a child I never had. I never knew she would betray me like this.
"Help me get her and I won't have to fire you"
The look in her eyes was that of pure fear, I was certain my plan would work.
I could easily leave Maria with her daughter but she doesn't deserve to be happy after ruining my life. I have to take everything away from her. If there is anyone who ruined our friendship it was her. She ruined everything.
"Ma I'm sorry I can't do that. Miss Maria has done nothing wrong to me, I can't do this to her"
Amara had said, looking me straight in the eye.
"You are a foolish girl. Trying to help someone who doesn't care about you…"
"With all due respect Ma'am, she is a much better person than you would ever be. She cares for humanity and you care about money and fame, everything that's happening now is your fault"
"Do you know who you're talking to? I picked you up from nothing Amara; I gave you a roof over your head…"
"You could have left me to die in the streets. There I had my freedom; I was not held down by a kidnapper and a murderer"
"How dare you. You know what, you are fi…"
"I quit" She said and walked away without giving me a second glance.
Maria won again, but not for long.
I looked at my stop watch the timer slowly counting down; she just had twenty minutes before I drain her.