You Killed Him

Cat's Out Of The bag

I sent a text message to Nate, “We need to talk”. I needed to know the truth about my brother. As I went through his other emails, I realized I didn’t know my brother as well as I thought I did. He didn’t have many emails but after going through all of them, there was enough to tell me that he and Nate have known each other for a long time and it seems that Nate would know more about him than I did.

“What’s up? I came as fast as I could. Is everything okay?” Nate asked as I opened the door for him. “Get in, Nate. You have some explaining to do”, I said, not looking him in the eye.

“Explaining? At this hour? I don’t think so”, he said with a grin.

I took Vincent’s laptop and showed Nate an email that he sent to Vincent. “Explain why my dad would ask you to tell Vincent about ‘the breakout’. And Nate, no more lies”, I warned.

His eyes widened as he stared at the screen, not blinking. He ran his fingers through his hair and paced around the living room. He seemed worried. For the first time, he looked like he didn’t know what to do. Then, he walked up to me and grabbed my shoulders. “Why did you have to go through his emails? Why couldn’t you just stay out of this?” he said harshly with his eyes piercing through mine.

He sighed again. “Listen, Kayla. What I’m about to tell you is confidential. Many people sacrificed a lot to keep it a secret.”

“Go on”, I urged, unsure of what to anticipate.

“There’s a secret society called The Elite. It started when a few men decided to join forces to track and hunt down dangerous men, mostly mafias who think they are superior and above the law. Your dad is one of the original founders and he recruited your brother a few years ago.”

It sounded like a joke to me. My father was a businessman, not some undercover agent; or at least I thought he was. It was so unbelievable. “So Vincent was never in university?” I asked. Nathan nodded, “That was what everyone was supposed to believe.” “I guess I have to brace myself for more family secrets then”, I thought to myself. I gave Nathan a nod and gestured him to continue.

“Recently, one of the mafia families has been recruiting members to do their dirty work. It is currently the main mission of The Elite to track and hunt down those people to discover what they have been up to.”

“So why aren’t you out there, going after them? You even registered in school. Oh my gosh, Nate! Are there mafias in our school?” I cried out.

“Shh, no, Kayla, keep your voice down. This isn’t something you bring up with your neighbors in a casual conversation. As I was saying, it was part of my duty to go to Jefferson High.”

“So you’re not there because your parents thought it was a ‘better school’?”

“I’m sorry. I had to lie to maintain my cover. Both my parents are agents as well.”

I stifled a short “Oh.”

“I was sent to Jefferson High for one sole reason – to protect you.”

“Who do I need protection from? The teacher, when I don’t do my homework? Oh wait, I know, bullies”, I scoffed, annoyed by the fact that I’ve been kept from the truth.

“Kayla, you have to understand that this is a big deal. I know you aren’t pleased with all the lies but it was all to protect you. The mafias are willing to do anything to jeopardize the operations of The Elite. With us out of the way, they are free to commit their dirty crimes without having to constantly look over their shoulder”, he said in a stern tone. “Your father is worried about your safety and has sent me to watch over you. In the eyes of the mafia, what better target than the daughter of one of the leaders? You would make an easy target for ransom because we both know your father is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure your safety.”

“Look, Nate. I can’t say I totally understand everything that’s going on right now. It hasn’t been too long since Vincent was killed and now, I’m learning about The Elite. From the looks of it, his involvement is what led to his death. If it was such a danger, why didn’t my dad tell me about it? Wouldn’t I be more capable of protecting myself if I knew what was coming? How would I know that you’re not lying right now? I need to talk to my dad and clarify everything and you have to leave. Now”, I told him, barely taking time to breathe between sentences. “You know where the door is.”

I left Vincent’s laptop on the coffee table and headed to my room. It was really late and I was sleep deprived. My mind was a total mess. I couldn’t differentiate between the truth and the lies.

Like a zombie, I made my way up the stairs. I heard a few footsteps and then a soft thud. Nate was gone. I didn’t know if I could trust him. I wanted to but I had a feeling he was still hiding a lot of things from me.

“He doesn’t get to decide what I should know”, I told myself, determined to get to the bottom of everything, as I settled for bed.

A bright white light was shining in my face, blinding me. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the brightness so that I could faintly make out the surroundings. I was lying on my back against a long chair, with my legs above the ground. Where was I, at the dentist? I tried looking around for any sign of another person but I couldn’t – my head was strapped to the chair. I couldn’t move my limbs either.

I tried wriggling my wrists out of the straps – fruitless. My heart started racing as I heard someone approaching. I had to get out of those straps. I kicked and struggled until I felt soreness around my wrists and ankles but my efforts went to waste. A men in a white coat pressed a few buttons next to me and the chair started moving to an upright position and my head was freed. “Dad? Is that you?”

I woke up and walked around my house like a zombie aimlessly, debating whether to call my father or not. As I walked passed Vincent’s room for the fifth time, I realized that Colin was supposed to move in later that day. I panicked and rushed to the corner of the living room where my phone was charging. I had to tell Colin that the room wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to pack Vincent belongings just yet, not after what Nathan told me the night before.

“Something huge just came up. You can’t move in today, so sorry”, I typed, “Maybe we can hang out later? I need to talk to you about Nate and Vincent.” At that moment, I figured I could trust no one else but Colin.

He replied promptly, “It’s okay, Kayla. I’m up for it. Meet you at Daisy’s Diner in half an hour.”

Colin and I chose a small booth in the corner of the diner. After the waitress took our order, Colin asked, “Are you alright? You look like you had a restless night. Is there anything troubling you? You mentioned Nathan and your dad earlier on.”

“I don’t know, Colin. I just learned that my brother was a secret agent and was murdered on a mission. And my father is the head of some secret society. Nathan also spoke of some mafias who are out to get revenge or something,” I whispered, “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Colin took my hand and held it firmly in his. “You can believe me”, he said with a smile. He glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “Tell me more.”

“Okay. So, Nathan is also an undercover agent who was sent to our school to protect me from the ‘bad guys’”, I said, finger quoting. I stopped myself from talking when the waitress came to our table with our food. I inched nearer to Colin to make sure no one else could hear me. “And my dad? He’s the leader of---“, I was cut off by Colin.

He glanced at his watch nervously. “I have to make a call. I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere”, he said as he left the booth in a hurry.

I watched him leave the diner. “I might as well eat first since the food is here”, I figured, feeling hungry. Suddenly, I felt a sharp object poking my back. “Don’t scream”, said a guy.

“Nate?” I said in fear, hoping it was him. A large, strong hand pressed a piece of wet cloth against my face, covering my nose and mouth. Five, four, three… My vision started to blur. Two, one… I was out cold.

-----My apologies for the super late update. I had my midterm exam and tons of events for my autumn break. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one comes with an artwork.