I Spy

Chapter 2

The information I had uncovered hung over me like a black cloud for the next week.  I felt completely out of it and dazed for the week, until Ant started to notice.  I couldn’t bring myself to tell him, so instead I told him I was having trouble sleeping so I was really tired.  He went with it, but I could tell he didn’t believe me. 

Eventually, after a sleepless night on Friday, I took the papers from my desk draw where I had hidden them and stormed downstairs. 

“What is this?” I asked, stepping into the kitchen and holding up the piece of paper that had been haunting me the whole week.  I saw my so-called parents’ faces fall and Ant stood up quickly.  I slammed it down on the counter and crossed my arms. 

“Marley,” Mom stood up and started to walk towards me, but I held up a hand. 

“Just tell me if it’s true or not.” 

Dad nodded slowly and Mom sighed.  I laughed in disbelief and turned around, fleeing from the room.  I heard everyone calling for me to wait and that they would explain everything, but I was too caught up in my emotions to listen to them.  I ran outside away from the people that I thought I knew.  I ran past the newly cut grass and broke into a sprint as I hit the edge of the trees lining the forest.  I sprinted as fast as I could, as if running off all my rage, until I hit the clearing where I used to do target practice.  Once there, I stood in the middle with my arms wrapped around my stomach.  I was breathing incredibly deeply and trying to regain control of the tears flowing out my eyes but I couldn’t seem to.  I heard someone behind me and spun around quickly. 

“Go away, Ant,” I sniffed. 

“Can I just explain?” he asked gently.  I shook my head and started to walk away, but Ant was quick. He moved in front of me and took my head in his hands. 

“Stop crying,” he whispered.  He wiped his thumbs gently across my cheeks and removed my tears. 

“They had to do it,” he started.  “You were in trouble and it was the only solution.” 

“How was I in trouble?” I sniffed. 

“Your parents were,” he sighed.  “Listen, your parents were really bad, they had a lot of enemies and they did a lot of wrong things.  Some guys got them killed and you were sent to Dave and Paula, but they knew about you.  The people been looking for you since your parents died and they’ve found you.” 

“I don’t understand,” I said, pulling away from him. 

“Your parents were assassins,” he said. 

It was like a bomb being dropped on me, I had no idea how to react.  I took a weak step backwards and steadied myself on Ant’s shoulder which miraculously appeared next to me.  Assassins?  They killed people for a living?  It all made sense.  How I felt nothing when I shot guns, how dealing with weaponry was as easy as walking to me, how fighting with Ant and Dave and Paula came so naturally.  It wasn’t really that that surprised me. 

There were people who had been coming after me my whole life, people who probably wanted to kill me like they killed my parents.  I had no idea who they were, but I knew it was probably extremely bad. 

“Where are they?” I asked unsteadily. 

“In town, we don’t know if they’ve found the house yet but it can’t be long until they do.” 

“That’s why I’ve been taught how to shoot and fight, isn’t it?  You all knew this day would come and so you’ve trained me to be able to protect myself?”  Ant nodded. 

“And you knew the whole time?”  He nodded again slowly. 

“I don’t know what to say,” I mumbled.