The Last Hunter

Chapter 14- Unity

I stood there, unsure of who I could trust. I looked around the house. Should I tell Ryan? Or Zarina? Maybe Val? I sighed, looking down at the body. She had turquoise, spiky hair, a light face, and an almost goth look. She wore a black leather jacket, ripped up jeans, contrasted by her very pale face.

I sat her up in a chair and, for good measure, tied her hands behind her back with some rope from on the ground. I decided, even though I really shouldn't be trusting anyone at this point, that I would tell Ryan and Zabrina. I didn't want to leave the girl/woman/person unattended, so I waited for a robot to pass by. Thankfully, Val came by in a matter of seconds.

"Val! Hey, Val!"

She stopped, turning to look at me. "Yes, Artemis?"

"Will you watch this person until I get back? Make sure she doesn't run away."

She nodded. "Yes. I will tell the rest of the cleaning crew to take care of my duties for the moment."

I didn't wait any longer and ran upstairs to Zabrina. She was swiping around a map of the White State, growling in frustration.

"Ugh! How can I do this?! I can't let innocent civilians die!"

I tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, Zabrina?"

She twitched slightly at my touch, and turned to face me. "Hey, whatcha need?"

"I have some bad news. Get Ryan and meet me by the west entryway."

I went back to where I'd left the woman. As I waited for Zabrina and Ryan, she came round.

"What's the idea of tying me up?! What happened?"

I shook my head. "How much do you know?"

She squinted at me, then her eyes widened. "They said you were dead." She attempted to hit me, (or hug me?) but couldn't because her hands were tied up.

Just then, Zabrina and Ryan walked in. "Who's this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know Ryan." I turned to her. "Would you care to tell us?"

She shook her head. "Don't you remember me, Rose? It's me, Thalissa."

My jaw dropped. It was! I scanned her face. She'd cut and dyed her hair blue, but she had the same gray eyes and pale face, with a new addition of a white scar just below her jaw. I realised she was the one I'd knocked out cold the first time I met Ryan; I'd given her that scar. I rushed towards her, hugging her.

"Could you please untie me?"

I broke away. "Oh, yeah, right."

I pulled out my dagger and cut the ropes. She jumped up and hugged me.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and pulled out of the hug. 

"Hey, Artemis, who is this?"

I laughed a bit. "Sorry, Zabrina. This is my cousin, Thalissa, though, in my family, we normally just called her Lizzie."

Zabrina shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Sounds like we've got some catching up to do. Let's go to the parlor, and you can tell us what's been going on, Thalissa."

We went into the parlor/living room/place-we-sit-in so Lizzie could tell us what has been going on, and so we could tell her a few things as well.

* * * * *

"So, how did you end up in the government."

She gave me a sideways glance. "You say that like it's a bad thing."