Rose
NYSA Headquarters
I looked around the halls, frantically looking for Karma. If Austin wasn't here, she was the next best person to go to. Even though I asked throughout the headquarters, nobody knew where she was. I slid down the wall in panic when I saw Challenge walking down the hall. I looked up and gasped.
"Challenge!" I called out, and he stopped and turned around.
"You addressed me?" I tried not to cringe at this, so instead I thought of how right Karma was whenever she called him a nerd.
"Yeah, I did. Where's Karma?" Challenge's face lightened when he heard her name—it's the perfect match.
"She just so happens to be in the display exhibit." I nodded. The display exhibit was where newly invented experiments were displayed to FA's. If I had any idea that there'd be a new display today, I would have gotten here earlier, but since there was no alert, I didn't come in. Karma must have been going for me. I awkwardly thanked Challenge before rushing off—or sprinting—to the display exhibit.
When I pushed open the doors, multiple shushed me. I gave everyone dirty looks before quietly pushing through the small crowd of people as I looked for Karma. I finally found her with a clip board, taking notes on whatever NYC's assistant was presenting up front. "I need to talk to you," I said seriously, and she looked at me.
"There you are! This is important, can whatever you have to say wait?"
"Nope. I'm sure whatever this is can wait instead." Karma rolled her eyes and gestured for me to lead the way, so I pulled her into an empty hallway.
Winchester
Henford Mansion, Hamden, Connecticut
Bewildered, I read my assignment from NYC. I figured my job would be to help hunt down the mafia, help rid of every member in the particular group and get back to Manhattan in no time. My job did, in fact, involve the mafia, but not in the way I'd have thought in the first place.
There was a girl who supposedly interfered with the mafia group and needed to be kept away—protected. Who was chosen for the job? You'd think, 'surely not NYC's top FA, he should be on the field!', but if you thought that, you thought wrong. I was indeed chosen for the job as a 'bodyguard'. I was astonished when I discovered so. I stepped out of the black car and looked up at Henford Mansion in Connecticut, where I'd be for the next who knows how long.
I didn't waste any time and opened the front door and closing it behind me, now standing in the foyer of the large estate. There were two staircases curving towards the second floor and a dresser in between the two, where a lamp was on but dim. At the top of the staircase, a girl with brown hair stood with a serious look on her face.
"Who are you and why are you here?" She asked accusingly. Still unhappy about the whole bodyguard scenario, I held myself from rolling my eyes.
"Calm down, princess. I'm here to protect you from the mafia, so be grateful." The girl's expression changed from accusing to shocked and confused.
"You know about the mafia?" Now I was shocked and confused.
"You know about the mafia?" She gulped and I knew she shouldn't have said that. "Let me rephrase that," I said, narrowing my eyes and getting closer to the top of the staircase, "what do you know about the mafia?" I reached the same step that she was standing on and looked down at her. She looked stubborn, like she wouldn't tell me for her life. "Are you a part of it?"
"What?" she looked bewildered. "No. Of course not."
"So what do you know?" She glared at me.
"Aren't you supposed to be protecting me? That's what you said, right? So why are you all up in my face like this, huh, pretty boy?" I furrowed my brows. She was right. If NYC saw that I was getting even close to threatening her, he wouldn't be very happy.
I sighed. I didn't know how long I'd be in this mansion for, so it would probably be better if I knew where everything was. "So, princess," I mocked, knowing this girl just owned herself a new nickname because of her stubborn first impression, "what do they call you?"
"Emma," she said after hesitation, "Emma Ryker. And what about you?"
"Winchester," I answered, fixing my wristband and glancing around the foyer. Emma snickered.
"Winchester?" she repeated, her light British accent flowing through the words, "What an odd name."
Through gritted teeth, I added, "It's a code name. All bodyguards have code names, you know."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Who would have guessed? Alright, then, Winchester. If you're going to be staying here I may as well show you your room."
As she lead my down the hall, I noticed that out of the entire mansion I hadn't seen one other person besides her. That nade me wonder, "You live here yourself?"
Opening a door, and, without looking back at me, Emma answered, "No, my fiancé is on a business trip."
Sarcastically, I thought, what a lucky man.
"And you? You must be leaving someone behind coming here." I immediately thought of Bailey. Of Rose. I wondered how she was doing, and the urge to contact her came back for the millionth time since I'd left. But I couldn't leave any trace of where I was.
"My sister," I finally answered. She didn't reply with anything other than a 'hm', before changing the subject.
"This will be your room. Do your 'bodyguard' duties all you want, but remember, I still need privacy. Now if you'll excuse me," she said, moving towards the doorway, "I have a party to host."
I chuckled. "Funny." She raised an eyebrow. "No parties. Not under my watch. Don't you remember why I'm here? Someone you know is in the mafia. They could be after you."
"But that's not—" Emma started, but after I turned away, she scoffed and stormed off. In a way, Emma reminded me of my sister—pretty, but painfully stubborn.
