Deck of Cards

Introduction

"Idiots," she mentally snickered, taking final lingering look at the scene of chaos surrounding her before slipping through the back of the ambulance. Her footsteps were silent as she danced through the woods, careful not to land upon any fallen leaves that could give away her location. It was approximately 1:50 AM and she knew that within the next ten minutes, she would be on the road. Her ride was waiting just down the trail... well, she hoped that was the case.

"If this bastard forgot the plan, I swe-" she began to mumble when suddenly a strong hand grasped her shoulder and sent her into a frenzy of panic. The girl whipped around, bringing her right, and dominant, hand into a balled fist and connecting with the upper cheek of the perpetrator. Her breath was lodged somewhere in her throat, but she had no time to think about even sucking in more oxygen until this attacker was identified and destroyed. Just as she had lifted her leg to prepare for a swift kick, she heard a soft cry.

"Mercy!" the voice croaked, and immediately she knew exactly who it was. A scowl coated her naturally rosy lips as she reached down and wrapped her hand around the slightly larger one, tugging the boy to his feet.

"I could've killed you, you know that, right?" she hissed angrily, her voice mimicking the pain that she would have inflicted upon his body if he had not identified himself as quickly as he had.

"Oh, c'mon, Les, lighten up," he purred in return, lazily draping an arm around her shoulder before taking a quick glance back to where the scene of the crash was located.

"You caused that?" he gaped, causing a low laugh to bubble out of the girl's lips in response. Of course she had caused it. That was the plan after all, wasn't it? Without even granting Chase the pleasure of a response, she tugged on his hand, yanking him in the direction to where he hopefully parked his car. She had coordinated each and every plan to ensure that there would be no failure. Alessia King never failed.

"Thank God," she muttered upon seeing the familiar charcoal vehicle waiting in the blackness of the New York evening. The city was somewhere off in the distance; a point that the ambulance unfortunately would never reach due to Alessia's careful scheming. As the pair maneuvered through the last leg of the path, it was obvious that they were on a mission. The silence was intoxicating, yet calm. Thrill was dripping from the air and seeping into the minds of the two as they finally reached the safe haven of Chase's car.

"Are they waiting?" she breathed out, attempting to be no louder than the wind that brushed through the shrubs around the specified break into the woods. Everything was so carefully thought out, so carefully planned, that Alessia had to remind herself to congratulate herself for dreaming up such a flawless idea. For now, though, the panic was still in each of her bones and she was more than alert.

"Of course, don't you remember the step by step manual you gave me?" the boy mimicked, simply earning a look of irritation from the girl that had slipped into the passenger seat beside him. She would joke later, but in this moment, there was no time. By dawn, everything would come tumbling down, but Alessia hoped to be out of the state by then. Instead of waiting for Alessia's response, as he had learned not to throughout the years of them being friends, Chase started the engine almost silently and drove off into the night. Alessia almost expected sirens. She almost expected the flashing lights to catch the two off-guard and red-handed. She expected to be caught for the second time that week, but as the trees on the side of the road disappeared further and further into the distance, she knew that she, once again, had executed a flawless plan. She was free, again.