Vica walked into the dimly lit room, dressed in all black. Shadow had heard the dog barking but knew who it was.
She sniffed the air in the room, and a smug smile adorned her face.
While she glanced around the room, she felt footsteps but didn't react to them—just waited patiently.
She quickly turned around and countered the sneak attack from Shadow by blocking the blow he aimed at her. Shadow smiled, knowing she came almost a little late.
Vica winked at him, and he looked up just to find himself on the floor. Shadow tried to hit her back, but she held him in a tight position.
"Don't be so damn cocky. I never lose guard," Vica informed him, letting him go.
She stood up gracefully, smoothing her outfit. "Feels like a decade without seeing you," Shadow responded, standing up as well.
"May I have the contract info and details?" She glanced around the room one more time. She had been here when she was 15, and the room was the same as she could remember.
"Would you chill? Come on, you just got here, and next up is work." Shadow sounded tired by her attitude. He thought hanging around different people would make her loosen up a bit. "You don't have to be so hungry about taking another life."
Vica smirked, cracking her knuckles. "You've been left unsupervised for a pretty long time, and you're getting used to being relaxed about a job." She walked to the little coffee table and took a brown file.
There was a confused look on her face. "MISSIONS AFTER ALL MISSIONS... PLAN X." She had never heard about this labeled "PLAN X." She looked between Shadow and the file, looking back and forth, waiting for an explanation. She knew about the "Ultimate Mission," which was Xavier, but this wasn't something easy.
Shadow understood the questioning look on her face, moved slowly toward Vica, took the file, and dropped it on the table. "Don't touch my stuff," he warned, cracking a chuckle.
She walked to the sofa and sat down, crossing her left leg over the right. "Can I get some scotch whisky?"
Shadow smirked; he loved seeing her so modest. She never asked. Something about her had changed. Asking for whisky and not a rundown of the mission was so not Ivy Warren. "I'm not rich, you know," he commented, chuckling while heading for the whisky.
"You kill to be rich. That pays a lot, so I heard," she responded with a straight face.
"Everyone doesn't want the guy who works in the 'shadows.' They want the 'Saint,' the silent death." He gave Vica a glass and sat down opposite her. "That's bad business for me, a bounty hunter like me..."
"You chose your path, so walk."
"Boogeyman who takes down the boogeyman seems to be more important these days." Shadow said, raising his glass for a toast.
Vica gulped down the whisky in her glass and patted her lips with a napkin.
"Business?"
"It's about time..." Shadow responded, clapping his hands in excitement.
They both sat in silence, studying the information about the contract. Vica felt distant but had to brush it away. They drank some more after going through the mass, making sure everything was okay, checking in for loopholes and possible mistakes.
She stood up and packed the things she'd be needing for the mission.
They both sat in silence again, waiting for the appropriate time. Shadow and Vica never had much to talk about since there was a restriction between them. Nothing went beyond business.
"What's it like out there?" Shadow asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Vica was taken aback for a moment, but she had learned to communicate. Xavier was a talker, and the thought of him made her smile unconsciously.
"Different," she replied.
"Different?" Shadow asked, a bit confused.
"Yes, different…"
"How different?" He asked, taking a keen look at her to register her reaction.
"From the shit we know... A serenity and lurking of happiness." Vica wasn't even listening to herself. All she could see and think about was Xavier and what he might be doing now.
"Saint," Shadow called out.
"Do you think that's why she left me?" she asked, still very much distant. "To chase the difference?"
Shadow was confused at the moment. He had never seen so much sincerity and sadness in her eyes. Vica was harsh and never shared any emotions with him; even after being punished by her dad for a mistake every child made, he had never seen her like this.
Vica always kept a straight face, so much so that one could never tell her feelings.
"What is going on with you?" Shadow asked, sounding more blunt than he intended to.
"Nothing... Forget about it," Vica responded in a rush, wiping away an invisible tear. She cleared her throat while tugging a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Who were you talking about earlier?"
"No one!" She swallowed hard. "That was a mistake." She couldn't blame Shadow for his ignorance. He didn't know anything about her before he was adopted by her father.
"Can we get going?" Shadow asked with skepticism.
"Yes, yes, we should." Vica took a deep breath and stood up, took her backpack, and headed for the door without hesitation. She didn't understand what was going on with her.
It's always been missions, but the thought of her mother ruined everything. The target was a supposed mistress to the army general, who, in turn, was in the military as well.
The next two weeks, she didn't return home. She felt she should finish every pending contract before getting back to Xavier.
"Hey! I'm leaving," Vica announced, zipping up her backpack.
"Yeah, you should return to him. He's been scouring the whole of Europe for you," Shadow remarked with a chuckle.
"He could be such a pervert," Vica responded with a scowl.
"He is a pervert…"
Vica frowned inwardly. "He's not," she thought for some time before looking at Shadow. "How did you deactivate the tracker on my locket?"
"I'm still the best hacker in the country," Shadow commented with a shrug.
"He owns the best tech company on the planet," Vica defended, raising her eyebrows, indicating she wanted more answers.
"I was mentored by Don Carlos Warren, who is invisible, and he named me 'Shadow' for a reason."
"Till we meet again."
"Hey!" Shadow called out to Vica. She stopped in her tracks without looking back. "Be careful around him," he warned gently.
"Wrong address," Vica responded.
"His influence is visible. Don't get lost in the 'Difference.'"
"I'm not swayed by the wind, but by what drives me." Vica knew exactly what he meant. She was just trying to guilt-free herself by acting tough.
"I trust what you are doing, but remember, what lays in your chest is a stone-cold heart; don't let him breathe life in there."
Vica got upset and walked away. She knew he was right. Fear of acceptance, fear of light, and truth crowded her judgment. She feared she might fail, and the ultimate mission might never get completed.
Shadow smiled, looking at the retreating Vica through the window. A part of him felt happy she saw the difference in their worlds. As much as he wanted her to succeed in the mission, he still wished she'd experienced love.
---
Vica walked through the door without feeling scared of what might have gone wrong in her absence. She hadn't gone to a job she had two weeks ago, and she dared smile while walking in with all gutsiness.
The maids ran towards her, bowing in respect. "Welcome, Miss Russo," they chorused.
"Where is he?" Vica asked without returning their greetings.
"Who is asking?" Mary was about to respond when someone beat her to it.
Vica looked up the staircase where the voice came from. She was stunned at who she saw.
She couldn't believe her eyes. A young man with a striking resemblance to Xavier stared at her with a bright smile.
A sudden fear gripped her heart. Of course, she recognized the young man immediately. She might be screwed. The young man walked down the staircase, still smiling.
"You are busted!"