Summers' Purpose

Chapter 49

Lyssa froze in the chair, wondering what to do. The sound of light footsteps in the room confirmed her fear.

"Daddy, is that you? I promise I tried really hard to sleep, but I can't. Please don't be mad at me." The footsteps continued approaching her. "Can I go downstairs, please? I can go play with Uncle Donnie. I won't bother you, I promise I'll behave."

From the reflection on the window, Lyssa could see a young boy, no older than 5 years old at most, approaching her slowly as he rubbed his eyes. He was dressed in pajamas, a big blanket covering him which slowly fell to the floor. Her eyes went to a toy figurine that the boy clutched by his side, a smile on its face as if to mock her carelessness. She considered if she should tell the boy to ignore her but felt torn. Not only could she feel a migraine coming, but it also didn't feel right to use her powers on a small child. Before she could decide what to do, she felt a small hand land on her arm.

"Daddy..." The boy called out again, pulling gently on Lyssa's arm to turn the chair around. He took some time to adjust his eyes to the dark but Lyssa could see the shock on his face when he finally realized that she wasn't who he thought it was. "Who are you? Where's my dad?" The boy pulled his hand away quickly, backing away as he hugged his toy and his eyes widened. Lyssa's mind raced, trying to decide how to deal with this. She muted her earpiece, hoping Susie didn't hear the boy.

"It's okay, I'm..." she cleared her throat, talking as gently as she could, "I'm your dad's friend." She turned the chair slowly to completely face him, trying her best not to look intimidating.

The boy froze, his brows furrowed. Lyssa prayed that he wouldn't scream. He looked at her, noting her appearance as best he could. "I don't know you. And why are you dressed like that?"

Lyssa racked her brain for an answer, one that would make sense or would be believable enough to a child. Or at least she hopes so. "I'm an old friend of his. I'm here for the party, but... I got pranked. I thought it was a costume party, that's why I have these on. To be honest, I'm quite embarrassed that I'm the only one dressed up. So, I asked your dad if I can sit here while my uh, friend, brings me new clothes."

She could almost see the gears turning in the boy's mind with the way that he was looking at her. His eyes squinted curiously as he glossed over her outfit again. "Are you dressed like a superhero?" Lyssa could see a gleam in his eye as he waited for her answer, excitement barely contained in his little body.

"Uh, yes. Yes. How did you know?"

"That's a cool mask! Which superhero are you?" The boy took one step closer to her, his lips curling with a small smile. Though Lyssa was glad that he wasn't suspicious of her, she couldn't help but worry about how she would need to deal with this when it was time to leave. "My favorite hero is Captain America! Look, this is him over here." The boy excitedly showed her his toy as Lyssa frowned, the name ringing a distant bell in her head. "Here you go, you can look at him." The boy placed the toy on the table and pushed it to Lyssa. He watched her with expectant eyes, so she decided to pick the figurine up.

"I want to be like him when I grow up. He's so cool and so strong!" The boy inched closer, standing by the desk as he watched Lyssa hold the figurine, turning it around in her hand as she studied its costume. Something about it seems familiar to her, but she can't pinpoint what it was.

"Lyssa, what's going on? Why'd you go dark on me? Argo's on his way up." Lyssa tensed up at the sound of Susie's voice, reminding her of her current mission. "Remember; interrogate and eliminate him. Don't leave a trace and head straight to the van once you're done."

Fuck! What am I supposed to do with—Lyssa was taken aback when the boy slowly came closer, now standing by her side.

"What's your name? I'm Ollie." Lyssa watched as the boy smiled up at her, sensing his growing trust in her. Lyssa gave the toy back to him quietly as she watched him move the figurine's limbs around, making different poses.