Lost In The Shadows (A Sarah Barton Sequel)

Chapter 2

(Sarah's POV)

I knew I was dreaming. My dreams were always the same. I was walking up a never-ending staircase. I didn't know what was at the top, though I had this dream many times before. Whatever it was, I needed it. No, not needed. Wanted. I would start out walking and then would start running up the stairs. Flight after flight. Story after story. Level after level. This time, however, I made it to the floor I wanted. Every other time, I had woken up before I had made it. There were many doors on the wall, but somehow I knew which door I needed to take. I opened it up into an apartment. It was small, and all the lights were off. There was a vase shattered on the floor. I walked into a bedroom. On the wall hung a mirror. My reflection was strange. My hair was short, higher than my shoulders. I wore what seemed to be worn, old clothes. I didn't think it was me at first. There was no way I could have looked like that. Then I noticed someone else was here with me. Something told me that it wasn't a threat. I walked out of the room. There on the couch in the main room sat a man, facing away from me. He had dark hair, a little above his shoulders. He seemed to know I was there because as soon as I stepped towards him, he turned to face me. His eyes were blue-green. Just like mine. He seemed to know me, and I think he expected me to know him too. "Sarah, it's me, Bucky!" He jumped off the couch and rushed up to me. I took a step back. He seemed shocked. "What, is something wrong Sarah?" My name. No, not my name. "Sarah, it's me, we need to find your father!" Who was he? Wasn't this the man I was supposed to kill. "Sarah, it's me." Then it was all gone into a sea of blackness again.

My eyes flew open. I was staring at the ceiling, the lights blaring, making me shut my eyes until my eyes adjusted. Today was the day. I was laying on a bed in a white room. Everything was white. Even my clothes. For now, soon I would dress in my gear and uniform. Soon I would be ready to do my job. Today was the day I was going to kill James. Sometimes, I wonder what James had done wrong to be put on my to-kill list. It would have to be terrible. Maybe he sabotaged something? Maybe he refused a deal, and thought he would get away? I couldn't be sure, they would never let me know. That wasn't my problem. For some reason, I had a headache. Never had one before. Something told me that I was wrong. What I was wrong about was still hidden from me. Maybe it was something about James. All I was given of James was a picture. They didn't take it back from me. From between my mattress and the cold floor, I pulled out the photograph. The resemblance between him and the man 'Bucky' in my dreams was astounding. They both had long hair. They both had facial hair. They both had lighter eyes. The photo was in black and white, so I couldn't tell what his hair or eye color was. They were so similar! Suddenly, a panel in the wall opened. I immediately stood at attention. It was the man who sent me out. Next to him was a woman carrying all of my gear. I was to refer to her as Sin. She dumped all my stuff onto the bed. No weapons yet, I would get those on the plane. The man walked up to me, right in my face. "Do not fail me Seven, this is your most important mission yet. You can't fail. You are not allowed to fail. Do you understand?" This was my cue to speak. "Yes, sir." He and Sin then left the room while I changed. When they deemed I should be done, he came back, this time, carrying a red book. He started to read it to me. Slowly, his words became murky, and the room grew darker. My headache only worsened. For some reason, I couldn't even hear myself scream as the world dimmed to nothing. Only one thing was on my mind now.

Kill James.