S.H.A.D.E. [{ Completed }]✔ (#Wattys2018)

Losing What was Found

23.

My Swatch comes by early to get me and bring me back to Reg's Front.

My body hurts worse than it did yesterday, my muscles stiff and painful. My eye has gone down, at least, and I can see somewhat. The blood vessels are broken in my eye, so I cringed at myself in the mirror this morning and stared at its milky redness.

"You need an eyepatch," Al laughs.

"I need painkillers," I groan, slumped in the back seat.

Beige hands me back a take out coffee, and for whatever reason, this startles me.

Take out coffee. So normal.

I thank him and take a hesitant sip. I don't know if I like coffee, or if Copper's gonna notice and freak out about me breaking my strict diet.

He's been gone all morning. I'm not supposed to know, but he has. There is that absent feeling again that pervades over me. I thought about calling him back just to see if he would answer, but I didn't in the end.

Instead, I went on the computer and typed in Missing Women in America. I rapidly searched various sites, scanning them quickly for a picture of me. I had no idea where to start my search. I didn't have a name, a birth date, an age, nothing.

I got so far as three websites before my Swatch knocked on the door and I quickly exited out.

What I did was dangerous. Copper could have came back at any time.

"It's fine."

I jump so hard that I flinch from the pain of it. "Huh??"

"The coffee, it's fine... what are you feeling guilty about?"

"Nothing. You just scared me. Um, thanks about the coffee."

"You did well yesterday, and I should have... well."

He's talking about what happened with Gregson. We're both feeling guilty, I guess.

"It's fine, Copper."

We drive back out to the outskirts of the city.

The day is gruelingly hot, and we are all shining with a layer of sweat. The Impala's air conditioner is broken, and we all take our turns complaining to Al, who launches into a rant about car expenses that has all of us, even Violet, holding our sides in laughter.

I like this. I can almost convince myself that we are just five friends having a road trip.

But eventually, we arrive back at the front. There is Gray, awaiting us in the doorway.

"Hey, Copper. What is the deal with you and Gray? Why is he always asking about you?"

"I can't really say. He's a Sync too, albeit a terrible one. He doesn't care about whether or not his Shade lives or dies. It's all about the success of the mission." I note his tone of disgust, and I smile a bit to myself. "Your dopamine rose. You like that he doesn't care?" he questions.

"No, I like that you do."

"Oh."

"Here they are, the stars of the show," Gray grins as we get out the car.

"What's this meeting all about?" Fuisha asks, and I see that she is just as apprehensive as I am.

"You'll see," Gray says cryptically, waving us to follow him into the building.

We all look at one another before obeying.

As I walk into the back entrance, something dark comes over my head, and I go to fight, but I'm overpowered and thrown onto my stomach onto the hard floor, arms forced behind my back.

By the grunts and curses of the others, I know that the same is being done to them.

I kick and squirm, trying to free myself from whoever is pinning me onto the ground.

"Copper! What's this? What's happening?"

He's gone. He's left my mind.

"Copper!" I spit out loud, feeling abandoned.

"He can't help you, now, Ebony," I hear Silver say ominously. "I knew you asked too many questions."