Opaque

07 | If Looks Could Kill

"Be calm in arguing; for fierceness makes error a fault, and truth discourtesy." - George Herbert

                Chapter Seven

"Don't tell me to calm down," I shouted before I realized that no one had left the auditorium yet.

I slyly moved the curtains, the only barrier separating me from everyone else, and cursed under my breath. They were all there and they were looking in our direction.

I jumped away from the curtains, my cheeks ablaze, and stubbed my toe in a drum set, causing the equipment to fall. The crashing sound and the throbbing pain in my foot didn't lessen the humiliation that I felt.

"Get yourself together Angie," she whispered, more aware of her surroundings than I was.

"God, you're acting as if you haven't slept in ages," she reproached me.

If only looks could kill. I wanted to strangle her out of pure annoyance.

"Anyways," she continued, casually ignoring my death stare, "Before you went all berserk on me, like a caged animal," I frowned at her eerily accurate description of me, "I was going to explain myself to you."

I pulled my hair back against my scalp and sighed. I wasn't going to rile myself up because anger is a weakness and I can't stand weaknesses.

"Okay, explain yourself," I said, surrendering. I crossed my arms against my chest.

"You and I both know what this mission is about," she began saying, but I interrupted her.

"Correction, we were only told the basics."

"Whatever," she said.

"We do know that we are here to protect those kids, especially Liz, and Agent Hook thought that it would be a good idea, if we taught them self-defense."

"I understand why he chose to do it, but why do I have to be involved and why wasn't I told before," I asked, trying to keep my voice low.

"He thought that the students would be more at ease if you were present during the trainings," she explained.

"But," I said, ready to argue, but she quickly interjected.

"And we didn't tell you because he didn't think that you'd have a problem with it."

I groaned.

"Why wouldn't I have a problem? Talking to them on the stage is different, but training them," I shook my head, "That involves personal confrontations and I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Angie," she whispered, "Just think of it as if nothing happened. They're still the same people you've talked to for the past three years."

"I haven't even thought about most of these students in the past, let alone even talk to them. I mainly kept my head down," I countered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if half of them didn't even know I existed before yesterday," I concluded my argument.

"Angie," she drawled, desperate to get me on the same page as her, "I know you can do it, Agent Hook believes in you, heck even Agent Lam knows you're capable. The only one saying you can't is you."

I pinched my temples.

"Frankly speaking Angie, I've never seen you so flustered before. You don't even look like the same ruthless and brave girl anymore," she whispered.

"What are you afraid of," she asked, her eyes pleading me to share my secrets with her, but I couldn't reply.

"Do I have to do this," I moaned, changing the subject.