Till Time Do Us Part || TUA

10||

FIVE ||

They watched as the car disappeared into the night, each one panting from the commotion. Five's eyes fell on Harmony's bare feet. "What happened to your shoes?" he asked.

Harmony looked down, feeling the cold from the floor. Diego handed her the broken heels, and she smiled up at him with a grateful nod as she turned them into flats.

Five's gaze shifted back to the empty space where the car had been, his frustration evident. "You know, I'm starting to get the feeling Dad's avoiding us," he said, looking at Diego and then back at the spot.

Lila sighed. "Hate to be the boring one, guys, but it's time we get the hell out of here."

Harmony gritted her teeth at Lila's words, recalling what she had just pulled. Before she could speak up, Five, leaning toward Lila, asked, "When you say 'we,' who exactly are you referring to?"

Lila stopped in her tracks, catching Five's challenging tone. "Not exactly a lot of ambiguity in that sentence."

"Listen, I don't know who you are or where you came from, but whatever it is, I'd advise you to return posthaste," Five tells Lila.

Harmony and Diego exchange a look before turning back to the two, with Diego speaking up, "She's right, Five. We gotta get outta here."

Lila, staring daggers at Five, retorts, "I just saved your life, you kinder-shit. If I hadn't stepped in, all that would be left of you is a blazer and some bloody socks." She shakes her head in confusion, and Harmony watches the argument with a sigh.

"And that's the problem," Five says, piecing things together in his mind.

"You're too good. You ask too many questions. You know too much." Harmony mentally facepalms, knowing Lila just blew her cover.

Diego looks down, acknowledging the truth of Five's words. "And you fight like you know what you're doing," Five concludes. Diego looks at Lila, suspicion growing. "He's got a point."

Lila scoffs at the two, then glances back at Harmony, who gives her an "I told you so" look. "So I know how to handle myself, and that makes me the bad guy?" Lila challenges.

Five shakes his head with another sigh. "Whoever you are, you're in my way. If I see you again, I will kill you." He says this as he walks off, with Harmony following right behind him.

   "You don't have to follow me everywhere," Five scoffs, anger in his tone. Harmony, quietly behind him, looks down at her steps.

"You don't trust her?" she asks, reconsidering their earlier encounter.

Five stops abruptly. "Of course I don't. She appears out of nowhere, knows how to fight? and she follows us around. How am I supposed to trust her?"

Harmony only stares at him, Five realizing he's describing how he initially met her. He sighs. "It's different with you. I know your tactics and I trust you."

He takes a few steps closer to her. "I hope I can trust you," he says.

..................................................................

LILA || Lila's voice trembles with frustration. "It's not fair. They trust Harmony completely while they look at me like a monster."

Harmony looks at her sister, a hint of annoyance crossing her face. "They trust me because I'm smart. Who in their right mind does that on their first mission?"

Lila scoffs and throws a small pillow at her. Just then, The Handler steps into the room, her presence immediately silencing the argument.

"Harmony, if they trust you so much, then pray tell, what do you know?" The Handler's tone is sharp as she addresses Harmony, who sits on the couch and rolls her eyes in response.

"It's not that easy... you know that."

The Handler clicks her tongue in disapproval. "We made a deal, sweetheart. If I don't see progress by the end of the next few days, it's off."

A surge of jealousy flashes across Lila's face. "A deal? What sort of deal?"

Harmony stands up slowly, heading towards the door. "None of your beeswax, nosy," she replies, waving a dismissive hand before leaving the room.

The room falls silent, and The Handler sits down where Harmony had been, a slight smile on her lips. "You made a deal with her? After she betrayed you?" Lila's disbelief is clear.

The Handler scoffs. "Now's not the time to hold grudges." She then casually starts eating from a plate on the coffee table in front of her.

Lila scoffed in frustration, her eyes darting around as she realized Harmony had already slipped away. "Typical," she muttered under her breath, breaking into a run to try and catch up.

Her footsteps echoed through the hallways as she hurried, scanning the empty rooms and corridors for any sign of her sister. But Harmony was good at disappearing, a skill she'd perfected after years of evading their mother's watchful eye.

"Dammit, Harmony!" Lila growled, pushing open another door and finding nothing. It was always like this—Harmony getting the upper hand, slipping out of reach just when things got tense.

The jealousy that had simmered within her for years was now boiling over, and every step felt like she was chasing shadows.

She stopped for a moment, catching her breath, and clenched her fists. "You can't run forever, sis," Lila muttered, determined to find her and demand some answers.