RTK: Guns and Stilettos

3 - Self Destruct

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I glared at the girl in shock; her eyes contained venon staring back at me -with hatred. She knows, I thought. She knows it was me. 

"You killed him, right?" she spat viciously. "That's why you were at my house."

"Blame Esme," I whispered, staring Esme in her emotionless eyes. Esme looked at the floor in rage, her nostrils flaring and Leo was back in his corner, rocking backwards and forth. He was talking to himself in a deep low tone, sweat dripping from his moist forehead. 

"I knew it was going to happen," she sniffed. "I expected it. Since Mom died, Dad's changed. He's always on the phone or wearing suits and travelling to late night work shifts. I knew he was in danger because he... he just... stopped being our Dad. He was so disraught. Mom died weeks after she gave birth to Seth. She killed herself. I don't know why. Can you find out? You look like a secret agent..."

"Mgghm.." I whimpered, holding back tears. "Kinda. I'm an assassin really..."

"Okay. Where do we stay? Can me and Seth stay with you?"

"I don't see why not," I answer, squinting at Esme.

***

3 days later

Leo flung an envelope at me It landed with a thud! Wearing his sunglasses, Ralph Lauren shirt, Louis Vitton trousers I guessed something important was up. "I got sent this news. You and Lucas oughta look at it." I opened the ripped envelope delicately pulled the thin tablet, careful not to set anything off. It looked like the thing Mr Incredible got in the post from that woman! 

[Dear Summers',

We are writing to inform you of our decision to hire some of your agents for an important job for the C.I.A which is associated with the government. In our organisation, we take out or assassinate the worlds most wanted criminals which means you can travel to different countries in many disguises.

Please call 000 555 67345 this message will now self destruct.]

I wrote down the number on my hand with the special Parker pen.

Pooosh!

Smoke filled my nostrils and my face was straight. C.I.A? Why us? How did they hear about us? "Leo. How did they send it? By post or..?"

"A man dressed in hawaii clothes told me to take it or else. So I did."

Lucas and I exchanged flat looks and then stared back at Leo. The smoke was lingering in the air around us, decreasing our comfortability. I thought back to the letter. C.I.A. Some of your agents. What do they mean some? 

It's only me, Lucas, Leo and Esme, I thought. Only four of us. I grab Lucas by his elbow and point my head towards the door. We walk away from the lounge and climb up the stairs to the study. I sit in my bubble chair and sigh deeply. "Lucas. I'm confused. They want some of us. I don't get it!" I screech.

"Val, call them. You've got the number, right?" He asks. I nod. He holds out an old Nokia. "Use this phone, it costs ten bucks and after you call with it, we can set it alight."

"Alright," I take the phone from his trembling hands and dial the number. 

"Hello, this is a restricted number. What is your method of retrieving it?" a robotic voice at the end asks.

"Ermm...Secret message that self destructed. Mmm.. C.I.A? Summers' Family..?" I stammered.

"Okay. Hold the line please." I looked at Lucas in fear. A beep sounded and a deep voice spoke. "The Summers' family. We need the 2 girls and the young boy."

2 girls? It's only me! Val and Lucas.

"Hello? You are there, right? Val, I presume?" The guy on the other end said. 

"Yeah, um, how do you know my name?" I asked.

"We are the C.I.A, you know," he chuckled. "Anyway.. We know about you and Lucas but not the new girl with the red hair. We saw her shoot a guy at the Lockharts' household. We're interested in hiring her and you and Lucas. We meet tomorrow at Downtown Cafe opposite the Diamond Mall. We'll talk then. Only you three. Noone else."

"But..."

"Dress casually. Don't make anything obvious."

-beeeep!-

Why do they want Aqua? I thought. She's only ten. Eleven tomorrow.

I stared at Lucas and told him everything about the phone call. He nodded every minute or so. When I finished he let out a long sigh and he ran his olive through his bronze hair. "Come on," he sighed. We  went out to the back lawn and set up a fire. Crackling, orange and blue flames shot up and started dancing. I took the phone and through it into the festive flames. 

 As I looked at the flames, many thoughts slipped into my mind. Mr Lockhart, Aqua becoming a C.I.A agent, Lucas and I's upgrade from criminal to approved agents and Leo's murmuring in his claustrophobic corner. Whilst I was thinking, a black rectangular thing flew past me and into the flames. I looked back and saw Aqua holding a diary with the thick front cover ripped off- and now presumably in the fire. "It's my Dad's diary. I ripped off the front because it had a picture of Mom on the front. I can't stand looking at her face," Aqua sighed. 

"Am I forgiven, Aqua?" I ask her, I presumed she knew that I was talking about her father's murder.

"I guess. It was kinda good to see him go. He was just losing the spirit that made him him, really. It was like he was dead whilst he was alive so it didn't really change anything. It just approved his death on a way, just ticked him off Death's list... if you get what I mean," she shrugged.

I let out a long breath on verge of exploding with volcanic tears. "Wow. For a ten-year-old Aqua you talk so maturely like an older person. Wow." Aqua came closer and gave me the diary of her dead dad. I took it out of her delicate hands and embraced her. "It's okay, Aqua. You can cry."

"I'm fine, honest. I'm a strong girl, like Dad used to say," she said, still hugging me. "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna self destruct. I'm like you."

"If you wanna be like Val, you're gonna be emotionless, Aqua," Lucas chuckled. It was the first time he'd spoken since Aqua came out. I took Aqua in and let Lucas put out the fire.

-

I picked up my Canon and shot a few pictures of the moon. Tonight's was a full moon and had a slight tint of turqouise in it. It looked exquisite. As I was kneeling with the camera on the windowsill about to shoot an amazing, almost-perfect picture, my bedroom door flung open. It was Lucas. "A thought sprung to mind, Val," he said, standing up and holding onto my door handle. "Have you ever wondered why Esme never lets you call her Mom?"

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