Agent Chetiri

Chapter 14

Author's note: I hope my explanations in the middle make sense! Read carefully to understand them because they do show up later on in the story.

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When you say goodbye to a friend, assume that one of you is going to die before you ever see one another again. If you want to leave something unsaid, then fine. But be prepared to leave it unsaid forever.

-Walter Slovotsky

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(December 31, 2012- 11:47 AM)

New Year's Eve.

It was what most people considered to be a fresh start, a way to start over. Today was the mark of a hypothetical turning of the pages, a clearing of the slate. New Year's Eve seemed to be synonymous with closing a chapter in the book of life and resetting old scores, so to speak. To be honest, it seemed almost fitting for her to die on such a day, where everyone was given a fresh start.

It was supposed to leave people feeling pure and lighthearted, knowing that they could make a new start with their lives. However, it did nothing but leave a bad taste in Alexa's mouth and a feeling that left her cold to the core. It was a sensation that made her skin crawl and her heart felt like it witheld a weight of lead. Such a feeling prompted her to not get out of bed until noon and it caused her to nearly stumble down the stairs as she went to get coffee.

Alexa poured herself a steaming mug of coffee, letting the strong aroma fill her nostrils as she held it in her hands. She took a sip and heated up some bread, before taking a seat at her table. As she sat there and munched quietly on her meal, she soon realized that this simple brunch of bread and coffee was essentially her last meal in this house. She could feel the end creeping up to her even in this small aspect, and it was hard for her to keep her anxiety hidden away.

Alexa put away her cups and plates and conducted her daily business like she had been told. She had already done the same thing yesterday, since she had done nothing but stay inside her home. Alexa made numerous preparations for the journey ahead of her and spent the majority of the day trying to ease her troubled mind. At around three, she found that she could not stay inside her home any longer so she put on her shoes and went outside.

The brisk winter air pierced her lungs and she began to walk down the sidewalk, thinking of what to say to Q and if she would leave something at her grave on the day of her funeral. Alexa continued to think about her situation as she wandered aimlessly around London, not knowing exactly where she was going. She sat quietly at a bench in a park and stared at the frosted sidewalks in contemplation. What could she even tell Q later tonight and what message could she leave for him? There were a million emotions running through her mind that she desperately wanted to say but could not put into words.

She wanted to tell him that she loved him and despite the looming threat of her past life, nothing would change that. Aside from that, she didn't know what else to tell him. After deciding to worry about the problem when she got there, she stood up and began walking once more, feeling the chill of the winter snow creeping into her bones. She walked down a busy sidewalk and back to her home, where she freshened up and waited for the moment to arrive. Alexa sat quietly at her couch before loud chimes of the clock signaled that it was already six o'clock.

She stood up and let out a deep sigh, before putting on her new clothes. Alexa stared at herself in the mirror with a rather forlorn look before decisively shutting her closet door. She headed downstairs and on impulse, grabbed her copy of Computer Viruses: from Theory to Applications. This was the novel Q had seen her reading when they had first met and she figured that she could at least put something in there to tell him that she was okay.