Bound by Duty | Five Hargreeves

12. Growing up

The streets of Dallas were always one of two things, either, it was incredibly clear and empty, almost calming. Other times, it was busy and loud, and incredibly overwhelming. Silently, I make my way into a small restaurant down the end of the road.

I head straight towards the counter, leaning on it with a smile placed perfectly on my lips. "Hiya," I grin, to which the woman nods, raising her finger. She hurries over to the back room, before returning and handing me a small, golden key. I bite my lower lip excitedly, taking the key and nodding. "Thank you."

I glance at the key in my hand, nodding at the number with a small grin on my lips. 217. I purse my lips, heading down the street, the sounds of sirens filling my ears. "What's going on?" I ask, stopping beside a woman, the two of us watching the police cars speed down the road.

She shrugs,  "No clue." The woman glances over at me, a smirk forming on her lips. "So Pip," Lila says, lifting up her own key. "Ready to give mom a visit?" I smirk, nodding, the two of us heading to the room in which we'd been instructed to go.

It was a fairly nice hotel, the hallways clean and sparkling. It was fairly quiet, and I purse my lips as Lila unlocks the door with her own key. "We're late, we know." Lila says as we walk inside, only to find the room empty.

I grin, winking and closing the door behind me. "Question," I hum out to no one in particular, but I know she can hear us. "Why give us both a key when you knew we were going to arrive together?"

"All kinds of crazy going on outside." Lila says, throwing her key off to the side and grabbing a leaflet. I hum, putting my key beside hers, glancing outside for a moment as a few more police cars drive past. Lila falls back against the bed, and I giggle, joining her side. "Hey, can we order room service? I'm starving."

The door clicks open, and we both glance over to the bathroom door, where a woman stands. Her hair dyed dark brown, wearing a yellow floral night-gown, combing through her hair with a small smirk on her lips. "Of course," The Handler purrs, "You both deserve it."

I grin, sitting up. "Thanks mom." She hums, watching me get up, kissing her cheek and rushing over to the phone. "Breakfast pancakes?" I ask, to which Lila nods in response. "Perfect."

Mother exhales, nodding her head and moving to sit beside Lila on the edge of the bed. "Yes," She nods, "Perfect indeed."

Once room service had arrived, the three of us sat around the small table in the corner of the overly large hotel room. It was very fancy; a chandelier sat on the ceiling, the walls a beige sort of colour, with shiny patterns along them. A set of green curtains say behind mom, and I have to say, it wasn't a very nice colour.

"You want us to protect Number Five?" Lila asks, furrowing her eyebrows at our mother as she stuffs her face with pancakes. I wasn't overly keen on the idea either, as it meant my entire mission now had another layer on it— trick Five and protect him. How can I make him think I'm some innocent girl from 1963 and fight like the 2019 woman I actually am.

The woman nods, looking up at Lila and shrugging, her mouth full as she speaks. I raise an eyebrow, internally chuckling at how similar she was to Elliott. "It's not that complicated, honey." She gestures to me, "Philippa's having no trouble understanding."

"If anyone deserves to die, it's him." Lila shrugs, gripping her fork firmly in her hand. Only then do I remember the initial reason for Lila's hatred towards Five; he had killed her parents.

My heart sunk slightly at that thought, remembering that everything I'd done here, everything I'd worked for, all the lies and deception, all the truth I'd experienced with Five. It was all just a mission in the end, a ploy. Nothing more. Nothing less.