False Confidence

Traveling

Azriel Huang

I heaved the sizable bag over a shoulder, the weight of it putting strain on my sore limbs. I winced, my body still weak from the intense drills I had gone through yesterday. I shuddered to remember the sensation of my fist colliding with the taut plastic of the punching bag.

"Let me." Sasha said from behind me, without giving any forewarning to his presence. It used to scare me to death but I expected it at this point. I silently let him lift the bag from my possession, noting the way the muscles in his forearm feathered as he slung the luggage on his vacant shoulder. I sighed through my nose in relief, rolling my shoulders before mumbling my gratitude towards Sasha.

"Are we making good time ?" I inquired shortly, stepping towards the door.

"We should arrive to the airport early if we leave now." Sasha replied, his face twitching before breaking into a yawn, his canines coming into view. I only nodded in response to the information, exiting my room with Sasha at my heels. He dutifully carried both our bags, looking like a big secretary more than anything, his black t-shirt hiding scars from combat.

I took a leisurely pace until we reached the driveway, a black car parked directly in the middle. An aged looking man stepped out from the vehicle, his black suit prim and proper as he opened the side doors and trunk. Sasha followed suit, carefully placing our bags in the trunk of the car. Without any luggage to handle I simply took my place in the back seat of the car. After a couple seconds, Sasha had shut the back of the car and buckled in next to me.

I turned to talk to him but was cut short by the driver.

"Greetings, Mr. Azriel Huang, I'll be taking you to the Reffins Airport. Correct?" He inquired, glancing at me through the rear view mirror. Though a lot of my view of him was obstructed by the divider between the front and back of the car.

"That's correct." I replied with a polite smile, readjusting my large hoodie before clicking in my seatbelt.

"Ok, divider up or down?" He asked brightly, his crow feet becoming prominent with his smile.

"Up please." I answered, watching as he nodded and the dark tinted window rolled up, blocking any view of the front of the car.

"I'll never get over how filthy rich some packs are." Sasha snorted gazing around the car, his stare flecking from the fine leather seats to the polished wood consoles.

"Really? I thought you'd be rolling in blood money Mr. Assassin." I chuckled, grabbing my phone from my pocket.

"Sure—now I have money but the pack I grew up in was D-List at best. Our pack house was a worn down apartment building with 2 floors." Sasha elaborated, now playing with the control panel to the right of him.

"How'd you end up leaving?" I asked curiously, momentarily clicking my device off.

"Well our neighboring pack was a powerhouse at the time, so I'd take odd jobs from them up until I had met my mentor on one of the missions." He explained, bringing his hand to rest by his side.

"Was he the hit man?"

"Well not exactly—" Sasha paused to look at me before shoving me lightly in the bicep. "Nosy."

"Pleaseeee, finish the story." I pleaded, inching closer to him.

"Nope." He stated simply, pushing my face until I returned to my original spot. I rolled my eyes, turning my body away and opted for resting my head on the cool surface of the glass window. For a while I just watched the cars zoom by, the city skyline still so far away.

~~~

"Azriel."

I groaned softly, not wanting to open my eyes. The lids of them them felt heavy and the confusion from sleep persuaded me to keep them shut. I had nearly drifted back until the car door I had leaned against disappeared. I fell forward, the biting wind blowing hard against my face . My eyes shooting open, I could see the snow dusted concrete I was plummeting towards. My descent was stopped short by strong arms banding around me.