Morph [EDITING] || Wattys 2017 Winner

~EIGHTEEN~

~amelie~

"Amber," I say carefully, "why are we here?"
She bites her lip. "It's... your dad is meant to be here unguarded and vulnerable, and you know the rest."
"I meant, why are we here? My... my home?"
Amber stares at me for a second. I can't explain the dread I feel about this mission, but I have to try, and the words just force themselves out of me.
"He's going to be with my mum! And... what if she sees me? What if-"
Her face fills with shock. "Oh God, I didn't think about that. I'll ask someone..."

The rest of her sentence fades away as I stop listening. The nagging voice in my head keep repeating the same thing - that that's not the reason, not why I'm scared, not why this whole thing seems wrong somehow.

That it's a trap.

Someone raps me on the shoulder and I blink, my worried thoughts evaporating. "Hey, Amelie. Heard you were panicking."
Hunter stands in front of me, a concerned smile on his face. Amber's positioned herself a few feet away, standing awkwardly, far enough so that she doesn't overhear every word, but still close. "You okay?"
"I guess so," I answer uncertainly. "This doesn't feel right."
"I can understand that. Not from an 'I've been there too' view," he explains, "but more like the fact that you're going back to your old life when your new one is so different. And you're kind of betraying your dad."
I laugh without humour. "Because that really makes me feel better."
"No!" he says quickly. "No, I was joking, I just meant... it's pretty understandable you're having doubts. I mean, joining us was the biggest decision you ever made, and now the consequences are right in front of you. I'd be pretty scared if you were fine with all this." He gives me a grin, and I laugh again. This time it's genuine.
"Thanks," I say, smiling.
Hunter winks. "Any time. C'mere." He pulls me into a hug, and I return it. Some of the tightness in my chest eases a little.

"Alright!" comes Cade's voice from my left. Hunter and I break apart at the same time as the many different individual conversations stop, and Cade continues.
"Here's the plan. Elian's idea was for my team to go in and the other to stay behind, but we've actually hit upon a more strategic plan. Katie, Ezra, Amelie and I will go in and subdue the target, while Iya and Ryan remain outside to help with the getaway. Amelie and I will take upstairs, Katie and Ezra downstairs. This is a stealth mission above all else, so Hunter will free up the entry point while Lila shields us from view. Amber, be on hand for any healing that needs doing, although there shouldn't be any in ideal circumstances. Everyone understand?"
All eight of us nod in synchronisation, and Cade gives us a grin. "Let's go."

Cade, Hunter and I quickly walk round to the front of the house. The door is so familiar - yet alien - that the mixture of nostalgia and nerves threaten to sweep me off my feet. I try to ignore my unease as Hunter disappears and a void forms in the doorway. Cade nudges me as it vanishes too and Hunter reappears, the whole operation completely silent. We enter first, closely followed by the giant girl and the boy with white hair, and Cade and I go straight for the stairs. I try not to think about how I'm walking a razor-sharp line between my two lives. Wordlessly, Cade nods to me, and I return the gesture, signalling that I'm ready and making him smile. He turns and creeps towards what used to be Sophia's bedroom, while I sneak quietly to the bathroom. My area's clear,and I head back out even as the feeling of dread intensifies. The house is eerily silent, and I pause as a whisper of sound floats by. A frown forms on my face. It's coming from my parents' room. I look around for Cade, but he's already moving on to another area, so I turn and walk slowly towards the faint noise. I can just make out the words.

"I'm so sorry, Matthew, I'm sorry..."

The plain white door is slightly ajar, and my heart hammers with tension as I approach the gap and look through the small slit. I have to stop myself from gasping when I see her.

My mother kneels, alone, on the floor, scattered pictures and pieces of paper strewn around her. She's sobbing quietly, and she keeps repeating that same phrase. As I stare at her, unable to do anything to help, she picks up one of the sheets and starts examining it. I frown. It looks like a diagram, maybe a blueprint, so similar to -

click

The sound of the gun cocking makes my brain react before I even know what's happening, and my body dives out of the way, crashing against the wall. The soldier shouts as his dart hits the spot where I was, and I kick my leg out towards him, sweeping him off his feet. He collapses with a grunt, and his shout draws the attention of multiple people - several more black-clad soldiers appear from the shadows while Cade sprints out of his room and immediately dives for one of them. My enemy sends a forceful punch towards my face, but I manage to dodge and it clips my shoulder instead. Running footsteps and more shouting means that Katie and Ezra have joined the fight, and I return the punch with a blow to his head. I hear Cade shouting for any kind of backup as we battle, and then I lash out, dodging a kick. The hit connects and my enemy is flung across the room, my super-sized fist sending him flying. He hits the far wall and crumples to the ground. Panting, I see that Cade's man is down and so is Katie's, and I'm just about to sigh with relief when I notice one of the unconscious bodies isn't a soldier.

It's Ezra.

click

The final enemy raises his gun with shaking hands, and I know instinctively that this isn't one of the government-issue tranquillisers. It's a real, and fatal, firearm.
"Don't. Move," he says, low and anxious. "Not one step."
Katie's eyes flick from me, to Cade, to the soldier, and I realise she has no idea what to do. The sudden understanding isn't much help, through, because I'm paralysed by indecision and fear in exactly the same way. But Cade slowly raises up a hand, and, though the soldier's grip tightens and he points the gun straight at Cade, he doesn't move.
"It's okay," reassures Cade. "You don't have to get hurt. We just want to know where-"
"I know what you want," spits the soldier, licking his lips nervously. "He's not here. You're not having him. I won't let you."
Cade's eyes fill with distrust and shock. "This was a trap?"
The feeling of dread in my stomach suddenly multiplies, as if saying I-told-you-so. I realise that I was right from the start, but I didn't act on it, and now we're stuck in an impossible situation.
"Don't you dare move," repeats the soldier shakily, and I realise Cade's other hand has lifted, so both are in the soldier's view. The universal sign of being unarmed. "Don't do it."
"You're a good guy," says Cade. "We don't want to hurt you. Just let us leave, and we won't have to." His leg moves slightly, and the soldier lets out a shout.

Cade's foot steps down.

And the gunshot shatters my world.