The Survival Experiment

Chapter 3: Bad Blood

I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep so I offered to take first watch. As in all night, "I'll take the first watch, since I already slept"

"Thanks Luke, wake me if anything happens OK?" Kora responded smiling and settling into the makeshift beds they made earlier in the day. 

"Wake me in like 2 hours, I'll take over then" Ash declared as she rolled over. I walked over to the fire and sat close to it, letting its warmth relax my muscles and I began to think. I was facing the jungle, adjacent to the fire. This position made me feel most comfortable, and it was how I first sat down. There must be some way to connect everything that's going on here.... I pondered this all night finally coming to some sort of conclusion while muttering things to myself early in the morning. 

"...world going to shit...special doctors...weird island....eerie jungle...wings....death...test..."

"Luke.." Ash yawned waking slowly, "You were supposed to wake me!" She noticed how light it was, "That's not fair! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't contribute!"

"In all honesty it was an accident! I was just thinking. Besides, I wasn't tired. At all...." I trailed off. 

"What in the hell is going on? Can a girl sleep?" Kora sighed, groggily wiping her eyes and sitting up. She looked back and forth between us and decided, "No, don't think so"

"Anyway, I think I have this whole thing figured out but I need a little more info" I continued, now addressing both of them.

"Info? What do you mean?" Kora asked, leaning forward. I crossed my legs and began running my hands through the smooth sand. I hardly noticed my wings now, but I knew they were there. They destroyed my hopes for being normal...

"OK, there are a few things that will prove my theory, are -or were- either of you rich?"

Ash nodded, listening intently. Kora replied, "My family wasn't but I had a special job..." she trails off, her eyes glossing over.

"Kora?" I called her name, "Kora!" I snapped my fingers, trying to get her attention, Ash was shaking her shoulder. Then she finally snapped out of her trance-like state after another minute or two of this. "What happened?" I asked her, I was half standing-half crouching. I didn't really know why or what I had planned to do. Ash began rubbing her leg and told her to breathe.

"Sorry," she looked down at the sand in front of her, "Flashbacks."

I totally understood what just happened now, "Oh shit, you were some sort of agent? Spy maybe?" I sat next to her and rubbed her back, I hope she doesn't think I'm weird for this...

"No..." she trailed off. Now I was confused, I began getting a weird feeling in my stomach. Then she continued, "I was an assassin.." My heart lifted and she continued, "For the Valentino Family. They adopted me.." My body stiffened when the name Valentino rolled off her tongue. Everyone knew about the Valentino Family, even if you lived in a hole. I knew them extremely well, and personally. They killed my father. "Luke?" Kora turned in to face me, "Luke?" I didn't know what to do, then my mind jumped back to The Day...

       I jog through the rain, hopping into the passenger seat of my fathers Toyota 4RUNNER. It was his favorite SUV. I didn't like it as much, I preferred sports cars. "Hey, there's my boy! How was your day son?"  His voice was lighthearted, but I knew how powerful his voice could be. It was my 14th birthday, and his 37th. We were born on the same day, which had automatically strengthened our relationship from day one. He took the day off work and was going  to take me to Washington D.C to go meet the president, who he worked closely with. I was very excited, "Hi dad! My day was alright I guess. How was yours?" I replied cheerfully, throwing my backpack in the seat behind me. He laughs, "Your mother pampered me all morning, it was very relaxed. You ready to meet  Mr.President?" I nod as we begin driving, the rain usually made me feel peaceful. But for some reason it put me on edge, I tried pushing the emotion away and be happy for the rest of my day. But it stayed in the back of my mind, we eventually crossed over into D.C and we were going across an intersection when an armored truck hit us in the side. The force of impact sent us spinning, and when we stopped....we were surrounded by people in lightweight black combat gear with the Valentino symbol of a purple rose over their hearts. "Get out of the car! Both of you!" The man directly in front of us commanded, I could tell my father was searching for a way out. His eyes zig zagging across the scene in front of us, but when he realized there was none he nodded his head and opened his door stepping out. I stepped out as well, and a man rushed behind me and immediately put me in a choke-hold. Six men had surrounded my father, holding him down even though they knew he wouldn't do anything with me hostage. When some of the men stepped back, I saw they had tied his hands behind his back and had a rope around his neck. Held by the man who commanded us out of the car. He pulled a pistol out of a holster and I finally realized what was about to occur. I reacted instantly, using what my father taught me and dropped onto my knees hooking my foot around my captors leg, who in response let go with one arm to move the leg and I kicked forward with all my might while headbutting him knocking him to the ground. I started sprinting towards my father, and the gun went off. I slowed down, realizing I had no chance. I turned my head from side to side, taking in my surroundings, then the man with the pistol addressed me. "It is not your time, you are not our problem. Unless you follow in your fathers footsteps" He grinned looking at my fathers corpse. By this time the police were approaching, he nodded at me. Smiling at the hatred strewn across my face, he turned away.

"LUKE!" I was brought back into the present with Kora and Ash shaking me and screaming in my face. "Both of you gotta get that fixed" Ash declared as I unfreeze. 

"Luke. What happened with you and the Valentino Family?" Kora interrupted. I could barely manage to keep a stoic face.

"Nothing, being part of that family means you're rich as well" I replied curtly, getting up and walking away. They didn't stop me, they knew better.