Hidden Behind the Veil (Complete)

Chapter 33

-Sorry for updating late, but I was trying to choose how I want this to head and I think now I've decided. Hopefully you'll love it! 

The next week flew past as the most successful week that "The Confederants" had had for quite some time. For all Charles knew, the gangmembers were happy to have him as their new deputy. Much of them had never liked the old one, and the rest, after the successes of last week, seemed to remember him in the same way.

"He had been rustin', he had." Grunted Phill, a loudmouthed old gang-member who didn't seem keen to retire. "Ofcourse, I knew you'd make a great deputy the moment I saw you. But that ol' bag'a cowdung beforeya-" He made a contemptuous noise.

Charles remained quiet, as he always did. Their lift stopped and welcomed them into the reception with a low chime. They walked past the reception desk and heard the blonde receptionist, Dimelda, almost shout in a hopeful voice.

"MORNING SIR!" She had taken the liking for Charles the moment she had laid eyes upon him when he had been summoned as a culprit a week ago.

"Morning." Charles grunted, though Phill wondered whether his voice carried all the way back to the desk. They walked past the great wooden doors and continued on the driveway until they reached the roundabout which had the signboards for directions.

"Wha'bout the Nigerian assignment, sir?" Phill asked in a respectful tone. The little amount of respect that he had was all used up on either Stuart or the person he was talking to right now.

"Dispatched a team already. Got a call from them an hour ago. Say they'll be back by tomorrow with the money."

Phill whistled, seeming very impressed by Charles's work.

"But ofcourse they'll be expecting a raid so I already have two spies sitting in their meeting right now," they turned a right from the roundabout. "without whose sign, the treaty would be nothing more than a couple of meaningless pages. So in any case, that issue is resolved."

Phill cackled in his hoarse voice and patted Charles on the back who gave the faintest trace of a smile.

"Don' know how'ya do it. But'cha damn good, kid. Yur' damn good."

They walked to the top of the hill. The chilly wind swept past Charles's face, whistling in his ears. He was walking, higher, higher still. He had reached a huge Buddha monument with that hazel eyed girl. They entered it by a secret passageway from the back. They were climbing higher. She was scared of spiders. He was enjoying himself. They reached the top. They were sitting in it's eye sockets. She had collapsed. Alex felt his heart stop. He was running towards her but his legs won't move. He was glued to the floor. He reached out, but there she was, collapsed on the floor, coughing blood.

"GYM, SIR? GYM?" Phill was screaming at the top of his voice. When had they reached in front of the gym? Charles's face was covered in cold sweat.

"Uh, no. No, I already worked out in the morning."

"Alrighty then. This ol' man's gotta go then."

Phill turned around towards the gym's glass doors.

"Phill?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard we've got basketball courts."

"Yeah they're behind the gym. Go round the building and you'll see." He gave Charles a smile which was returned to him with interest. Although Charles hated the visions that he had been having about Violet lately, yet he could not deny that a part of him enjoyed them. They brought back the human from within him. They made him feel like the old times. Like Alex.

Charles walked round the gym and most definitely, there were two courts at the back. One with a steel fence about twelve feet high bordering from all four sides. The other one was the indoor court that stood in front of him as a square building with no windows and a slanting roof.

So, Alex. Indoor or outdoor?

A couple of younger gang members who were having a one-on-one contest among them in the outdoor court stopped dribbling and were now staring at him. But he had made his decision. He was going to the indoor one. He walked to the glass front doors and pushed them open. He walked the narrow alley and could hear shoes screeching against the floor at some distance. Finally he reached the court. Everybody stopped in their tracks as they saw him.

"All right, Charles?" The young gunman who had brought Charles to this place a week ago had called out from under the basket on Charles's left. He jogged up to him with his grey sweatshirt flapping at his back and fist bumped Charles. In normal situations, Charles wouldn't have accepted fist bumps. But right now he was different. Right now, he was Alex.

"What's up Jordan?" Charles asked the younger gunman.

"Havin' a game. You wanna join?" Jordan turned around to collect cries of approval from everyone who gave a warmer welcome than Charles would have expected.

"Okay. I suppose I can have a game."

They walked up to the huddle of gang members below the basket as every one of them met him with fervor, though some didn't seem very pleased to see him there.

"Okay so Charles, you in for Lee now. Wear this shirt." Jordan threw the shirt to Charles who caught it. He swiftly pulled off his sweatshirt in one swift motion, revealing his unreal body for a couple of seconds before he wore the team shirt. It was a touch too tight for him, but he went with it anyway. He wasn't the type who'd rant about stuff like this.

They took their positions as everybody else who wasn't playing the match watched with much interest on the sidelines. Charles thought that there were more than usual people flocking to the court as well. News traveled fast in the twenty-first century!

Charles hadn't played basketball for years now. He looked down at his shoes and closed his eyes. He was taking the right wing while Max took the jump ball for Baskethounds. He had the ball now. He was tackled. The tall guy from the opposing team took the shot and scored. They were down by a huge margin. His blue eyes kept searching for the Hazel eyed girl in the crowd. He gave up, but Max wouldn't let him. She was there now. Edward was there too. He had a new fire inside his chest. A fire of proving himself. He was running with the ball. He took a lay up. He scored.

Charles opened his blue eyes that seemed more intimidated than ever. A skinny guy took the jump ball and the ball landed with him. He looked at his left towards his team members. He couldn't recognize anyone to pass the ball to.

Charles charged forward. His humongous body led him to the other half of the court. Now and then, opposing team players slapped him on his arms but all in vain. Of course that would be a fowl in high-school basketball, but this was different. He ran up to the basket, not tearing his gaze from it. A black guy stood beneath it, ready to check him.

Charles held the ball in both hands and took the last two steps. The opposing guy jumped with him as he launched himself to the basket. The moment lasted for a century. Charles thought he could feel his silky golden hair hinder his vision. He rotated, turning his back to the opposing team member in midair and moved his hands which held the ball over his head and towards the basket. He looked at the cemented seats and saw the hazel eyed girl sitting with one leg over the other, waving with her honest smile.

Alex touched the floor and he was Charles again. His golden hair had turned brown and he had grown a beard. He was brought back into reality just in time to hear the cries of "OOHHH" by the gang members standing on the sidelines. Charles assumed that he had scored. He stood there, staring blankly at the floor before the whole court erupted into cheers and applause, but he wished she was here. He longed for her to cheer him on. Charles could no longer bear it.

He had to tell him about his plan now. It was time. It was time for revenge.

-You see how Alex interludes with Charles? And Violet Oh my God I wish I could write one more seen with both of them together.... Big surprise in the next chapter!

Tentative date for next update: 3rd November, 2016.