brutal

Chapter 26

VERENA

I had it on great authority that everyone liked Kai and that he was genuine in reciprocating that amiability. I once witnessed every single person that passed him by down the hallway smile and stop to greet the man, be it a close friend or an acquaintance I was sure he forgot the name of.

And while everyone still gave him quick heys and saccharine smiles, their interactions toward him had certainly shifted the moment they saw me next to him. It was evident in how quick their jovialities melted away into indifference, or how they cursed under their breath when they think their out of distance.

Kai didn't think to care, of course, and neither could I. A part of me wondered, however, what brought up such a bitter reaction to my presence. I've probably visited Siege's headquarters less than five times— all times glued to my unit— and the only people I knew outside were those who were with me during tryouts. Albeit, only one of them liked me, but Alex had probably forgotten about me already.

"Spit it out," Kai said in a monotonous tone as we walked side-by-side and entered an elevator. He pressed on the button of the 20th floor and leaned his back on the wall, arms crossed over his chest.

I stared at my reflection on the metal doors and felt his eyes on me as I sighed. "I don't know what you mean."

"You're tense as hell, Dagon." I watched Kai through his reflection and saw him bite down on his lip, then look down. "Did I do something wrong?"

I turned to him, surprised by the question. "What? No."

His gaze returned to me. "Then, what is it?"

"It's nothing."
"Is it, really?"

"It's nothing," I repeated in a louder and more definitive tone. His concern was one I'd rather not welcome nor read much into at the moment, especially after last night.

I felt Kai's heavy gaze on me, but I opted to ignore him until the elevator finally stopped. When the doors opened, I waited for him to step off first before I followed suit, falling behind and trailing after him.

Kai led me to what Yuna once showed me was Siege's armory and grabbed a duffel bag from a cabinet to hand it to me. "Stock up on everything the unit might need for the mission. Take as much as you want, but you're limited to one bag only. And don't go too crazy, yeah?"

I dropped the bag to the floor and kicked it until it hit the wall. I gave Kai a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

"Don't do that," he told me off with annoyance in his tone. He shook his head and turned away from me. "I'll be quick. We'll leave shortly."

The door shut, leaving me behind, and I sighed against the wall. I've lately found myself to be relieving some unbearable weight off my chest whenever he left me alone. Kai leaving me alone in a room full of M4s and grenades was probably the last thing he should've done after everything he's done, especially last night.

I lied, of course. I barely slept a wink, only I wasn't sure if it was because of his 'rejection' or if it was my rage keeping me from rest. Or if it was Kai's sudden suspicion of my past.

That was definitely an anomaly. My father assured me multiple times that I didn't exist in the last twenty-two years, that not even the government was aware of me. And I was quite sure that I've been nothing but clean when it came to Kai and the others. There was no reason for them to believe something else other than the innocent I presented myself to be.