Kyle
It happened in slow motion, but I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything to change what happened.
"You ok?" Mallory asked as she approached where I was standing. I was used to seeing her in all black, but that was for missions, and we were not on one.
"I should've gone with her," I mumbled.
"Then you would be dead too."
"Not last week. Last year. When Ned-" I cut myself off. We were in a similar position over a year ago, the same church where Ned's funeral was held. But there was something different then. None of us were sure if Brooke was ever coming back. And now we had our answer.
Mallory leaned up against me. "I'm sad she's gone, but I think the pain was too much for her. She was stronger than all of us, but she had gone through total hell, and even once she was back, she couldn't escape it."
"Are you saying it's ok that she killed herself?" I demanded.
"You already know my answer. Stop blaming yourself. Kyle, she didn't need to be protected. She didn't want to be protected. All she wanted was to protect us," Mallory said.
"You don't get it."
"I don't get it?" she asked. "My brother died trying to rescue Brookie. I miss her just as much as you do. I miss him every day. But trust me, you have to let go if you even want a slight chance of recovering."
"She wanted to protect us, but she also wanted to protect Lab 7. Mallory, what was in Lab 7 that Brookie was willing to die for?" I said.
"Lab 7 is records of missions and agents. Paper copies so there wouldn't be a digital trail."
"Why did she die for it? And how did she know it needed to be protected? How did you know what it was? I didn't even know what was in it."
"Because you never needed to know," Mallory said.
"Did Brooke?"
Mallory took a deep breath. "I can't tell you that because I don't know."
"Did you need to know?"
Mallory nodded. "But I can't tell you why."
"Mallory, please. I need to know."
She shook her head. "No, you don't." She started to walk away but I grabbed her arm.
"Mallory. Why did Brooke die?"
"Same reason she did anything," Mallory replied with a sad smile. "She was trying to protect the people closest to her."
YOU ARE READING
Mission: Insanity
Mystery / ThrillerInspired by Ally Carter-- Teenagers think they're immortal. Teenage spies see every day that they aren't. As a top level spy, Brooke was always prepared for the worst and trained to do nothing but the best. After a mission that went completely wro...
