Vigilantes// Matthew Murdock

TWELVE

"What was that stunt that just you pulled."

"I don't know what you're referring to."

If looks could kill, Cara knew she would've died right then and there.

The lawyers and their secretary were still outside in the living room while Mrs. Magaña and Cara were inside the 'kitchen'. Her boss had stormed in after her shortly after her "stunt", and by the look on her face, Mrs. Magaña was anything but pleased.

"Oh don't play dumb with me, Cara" Mrs. Magaña scolded. "I am your boss and you are my employee. If you continue this behaviour I would have no choice but to let you go."

Oh.

Cara felt taken aback. There was no way she was being serious.

Cara  let out a weak chuckle. "You're going to let me go? With all due respect, I'm the only employee left."

She paused, hoping that her boss would being to make sense of the situation that she was digging herself into. But Mrs. Magaña held her glare and Cara felt her irritation grow.

She continued, "I'm the only person these kids have. I-I've been doing the work of four employees. I come earlier than expected and leave much later than required. And ever since you've begun meeting with Mr. Nelson and Mr. Murdock, I've been stepping up and doing things that are your responsibility without you asking me too."

As Cara spoke she saw how Mrs. Magaña's face began to change from anger to regret.

Finally! Cara internally exclaimed.

She had been waiting for something out of the elderly woman for weeks, something other than her grim smiles and short, vague answers. She had been for something, any indicator that would help her understand what was happening. Was Magaña actually planning to sell the Care-home to Fisk? Where were the kids going to be relocated to if she did end up closing the home? Will they remain together? Why did Nelson and Murdock need to be involved?

There were so many questions and zero answers and Cara was getting tired of it. She didn't have an outlet to express her frustrations to. In her other persona, the place where she usually released her anger and frustrations, she was going through similar issues. A new city, an unknown threat, and a mysterious masked man who, instead of helping answer her questions, brought up more questions.

Cara was in the dark about a lot of things. And she didn't like it in bit. Being in the dark meant that she was useless. And that bothered her.

Everything Cara had been feeling for the last few weeks was finally catching up to her and, unfortunately, it was spilling on to her boss.

"I've done nothing but accept every, single, change, you have presented me with. I care about these kids too, alright. I-I haven't known them as long as you, but I care. I have tried to shield them from something that I don't even understand because you haven't bothered to explain it to me. I had to find out from the papers that these kids run the risk of being relocated! Separated from each other! From their home!"

Cara whispered that last part. She knew the kids were most likely listening to the conversation from their rooms.

The walls of the care home weren't exactly that thick, so anything said beyond a normal speaking voice could be heard from the story above or bellow. The sudden quietness of the house only further proved her point. What would usually be filled with piercing screams and cheerful giggles was dead silent. Most likely the kids were all hushed and crowded around each other, trying to pick up any fragments of the heated conversation occurring between their guardians.