Agent 57 (Book 2)

36. It means we can beat him

Sorry the update took a little while.

One of my dogs had to go into surgery and I've been keeping him company these past couple days. He's doing fine in case you're wondering, I'll post a pic of him on Instagram later.

Thirteen's POV

"Did you leave Lily with Devin?" I ask in shock as both Chase and Cody enter my room. Henri's sitting on the chair by my bedside, reading a book. He glances up from the pages for a second as they enter before going back to his book.

"Can you really blame us?" Cody questions as he takes the second empty chair on my other side.

"They were both going on and on about how the nurses here are actually a cult of vampires." Chase offers an explanation.

"That's no excuse!"

"We had no intentions of sitting around listening to them come up with ways to kill off a vampire."

"That was a mistake," Henri says simply as he turns a page in his book, not taking his eye off his book.

"What was?" Chase asks him and Henri still doesn't look up from his book.

"Leaving those two alone to plot a murder."

"They're not going to murder anyone."

"Devin probably will not," Henri says as he flips another page. "But Lily definitely will...if she has not already."

"Lily won't kill anyone." I chide Henri who just continues to read his book.

"No." Henri agrees, his eyes still not leaving the page. "She will only make them wish they were dead."

"Hello, my friends!" Lily shouts as she enters the room. Or rather, skips into the room.

"Didn't we just leave you with Devin?" Chase asks her and she pouts.

"The nurses-sorry-the vampires came in to drink his blood and they gave him some poison to knock him out while the other higher up in the food chain vampires cut him open and drain him completely till he's nothing but a vegetable."

"The nurses came to do his blood work and gave him a sedative while the surgeons change his bandages and remove the pacemaker they installed since he no longer needs it" I translate for the boys when they stare at her in confusion.

"That doesn't sound nearly as cool as my version."

"Your version is the reason you're still a patient here. The doctors are still concerned about your mental state...with good reason."

"My mental state is fine." She brushes off my comment and walks up behind Henri, leaning over his shoulder to look at his book. "Especially if you can still understand me."

"Anyone who knew you can understand you, Miss Marshal." Henri says as he turns another page.

"Whatcha reading?" she asks as she rests her arms on his shoulder and her head on her arms. He turns the cover over so she can read it.

"It's not about vampires," Henri says simply.

I shake my head with a smile as Lily reads over Henri's shoulder and points out parts of the book. Henri takes a couple seconds to explain what's going on in the story and she nods as she continues to read the book at the same time as Henri. Henri won't admit it out loud but, he missed her too.

Her pink hair spills over his shoulder as she stares at the pages and nods along as Henri explains the storyline. I'm fairly certain she's already read whatever book it is he's reading, but she doesn't interrupt him or try to correct him. She does, however, begin to debate with him over the themes in the book.