Opaque

41 | The Unexpected

"If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail." -- Heraclitus

Chapter Forty-One

"Mia!" I exclaimed as soon as I saw her enter the gymnasium.

After the whole debacle with Liz, the entire gymnasium had taken on an ominous atmosphere. The silence was so heavy and dense, it was difficult to breathe. 

All eyes were on me and my eyes were trained on the floor. Luckily, Agent Beta came to the rescue. 

Entering the gymnasium clad in a sports bra and tight, knee-length, sweats, almost everyone took notice of her. She was the envy of all the teenage girls and the desire of all the boys. 

I was just glad that their eyes were no longer boring into me. 

Within minutes, all the new trainers and Agent Beta had diverted everyone's attention, leaving me to blend into the walls. 

Thinking in silence could only last so long before the clutches of darkness begins to slither into my mind, thus when Mia entered the gymnasium, not dressed in her gym clothing, I could've kissed the floor in gratitude. 

Mia was neither a distraction nor a mission. Before I spoke with Liz, Mia was my priority, but now she was simply a pawn that was in the right place at the right time. It was now my responsibility to turn her into a queen--use her to win the game. 

"Hey," she said, with less enthusiasm. 

If her raised eyebrows and crossed arms were any indication, she was still wary of me. Not that I blamed her for it. Since I never told her that the lie detector test she had to endure was a lie, in and of itself, she, more likely than not, still believed that she was a suspect. Luckily for her, that couldn't be farther away from the truth. 

I didn't trust anyone, but I knew who was shady and who was not. Mia was definitely not a suspect at this point. But, her friend was. 

"How are you," I asked, my own arms crossed in front of my chest.

She glanced around the gymnasium, as if she rather be anywhere than with me. I was a little offended by that, but I ignored it for now. 

"I'm fine," she said, a frown toying on her lips. As if she wasn't sure whether or not she could show her true emotions around me. As if I was a ticking bomb, moments away from bursting in her face. 

I smiled in an attempt to disarm her. 

"That's good. Are you liking the training sessions?"

She nodded, glancing back at the center of the gymnasium where Agent Beta was teaching everyone how to properly stretch. 

"They're cool. I mean, I don't find a point to all of this, besides a waste of time, but it's better than sitting tight and twiddling our thumbs."

I nodded as well. 

"Just between you and me," I lowered my voice to a faint whisper, "I find all of this a waste of time too, but sometimes things aren't in our control. So we have to just accept it and move on."

Her frown disappeared, replaced with a twinkle in her eyes. 

"Is that why you don't train with us anymore?"

"Yes and no."

Her eyebrows furrowed. 

"What do you mean?"

I hesitated. "Okay, look. My priority is to protect you guys from harm in any way possible, by any means necessary, and this is just supposed to be one of the ways I'm doing my job. But, if I busy myself with teaching you self-defense, whose going to protect you if there was a sudden, surprise attack? I can't be distracted and busy, when your safety depends on me being alert."

"Ah, that makes sense."

I blinked. "Yeah..."

Silence fell in between us for a few seconds as I tried to figure out the best way to ask her for a favor. 

I glanced at her outfit. 

"Why haven't you changed into your gym clothing?"

She shrugged. "My shoulders have been hurting for the past few days--a few of my older students got into a fight and I tried to disarm them--and I have to go work till nine after this is done. So I don't want to injure myself further."

Now that was out, I had nothing else on my mind that would allow me to make small talk with her. I guessed, when there was nothing left to say, it was better to get straight to the point.

"That makes sense. Is Axel going to be there?"

Her eyes glazed over with confusion. "Um...I suppose he is. He's almost always there, to be honest. He trains people very exclusively and spends large amounts of time with them, so he's bound to be there. Why do you ask? Did he do something illegal again?"

My eyes widened slightly at the implications of her words. 

"Again? What do you mean again?"

Her eyes widened as well, realizing her slip-up a moment too late. 

"Oh...um...I'm not sure it's my place to tell you..." she struggled to give a cohesive answer. 

I gave her a stern look, my arms crossed tighter than ever. 

"I'm an FBI agent. I'm sure whatever you have to say is relevant to me, so just spill. Besides, you've already slipped up, you might as well tell me the rest."

She hesitated, her expression contorting into one that was stuck between pain and guilt. 

"I know you're an agent. That's exactly why I'm hesitant to tell you. I don't want him to get in trouble because of me. Or worse, me get in trouble because of him."

"Look, if you're not involved in whatever illegal activity he's partaking in, then you won't get in trouble. You have my word," I assured her. 

"Oh no, that's not what I meant."

It was my turn to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not afraid that I'll get in trouble with you or the law because I'm innocent. I'm afraid I'll get in trouble with him."

She was afraid of Axel. I figured as much, but still hearing from her made it all the more real. 

"I'll protect you from him, Mia, if it comes to that. But I'm sure it won't, so just tell me."

She hesitated again, looking torn between two sides. As if she was a penny stuck between two magnets. 

Finally, she relaxed. She opened up and chose a side. I was glad it was my side. 

"I'll tell you right now, I don't know much, so you're probably not going to get anywhere from what I tell you, but I've overheard him talking to some skeptical people from time to time. And it seems to me, he's involved in something illegal."

"How do you know he's doing something illegal?"

Although my trust in Axel was nonexistent, there were many subjects he could've been discussing surreptitiously when Mia overheard him. I needed hard-core proof if I was to use him as a witness or a leverage in this twisted game of chess. 

"Well...he...sort of got arrested a while back. But, because most of the money the dojo makes and operates on comes from him, he was bailed out in a heartbeat and that was that. We're not supposed to discuss his arrest with anyone because that would mean bad publicity for the dojo and parents would stop sending their kids."

"Do you know what he got arrested for?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. It was just very sudden. I don't think Axel knew in advance, because he seemed very pissed off and surprised when it all happened. But apparently, he had some illegal substance on him, when the police searched him."

Out of everything she said, one thing stood out. Illegal substances. 

Drugs. Axel was either a drug dealer or an addict. 

But either way, only one thing came to mind when I thought of drugs. 

Blaze. 

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