Conspire

Part Two

His eyes were bright with anger, his lips twisted in a snarl. He took a menacing step closer, hovering over me where I lay prone on the ground from where he crashed into me. Instantly, I felt on edge, my senses alerted as I realize how vulnerable I am like this.

Smoothing my features into a look of pain and confusion, I sit up slightly and gently ask, "Do I know you?"

His blue eyes widened and his face flushed a furious red. Thoughts flew through my head as I tried to figure out a way out of this situation. Soon, though, I realized that there was no scenario in which I talk him down. Snapping my left leg up, I hook my foot around his ankle and sweep his feet out from under him. I scramble to my feet and touch his shoulder, sending a sweeping wave of pain through him, rendering him nearly unconscious.

My powers are strong. It took me a long time to gain control over them because they are so fierce. They are so strong that I can't use them without being extremely cautious. A snap of my fingers and I make someone literally die of fright. A single touch and I can make set every single nerve on fire.

Hearing the shouts of "Thief!" grow closer, I dart out of the alley as quickly as possible, cursing the fact that Ariel always wears heels. The gravel of the alley crunches and slides underfoot as I run to the cobbled streets where I will be able to blend into the crowd easily enough. Disappointment pangs through me as I realize I left my basket with bread back there with that man.

That man.

I have no clue what he was so angry about. I honestly can't recognize him from anywhere, but somehow, I can tell that he knows that Ariel is not who I really am. And that scares me.

My heart pounds in my chest as I make my way through the crowd. Smoothing my hair down, I take a deep breath and allow a soft smile to adorn my lips as I slip back into character. A bounce works its way into my steps once more and I head back to the warehouse, careful not to let anyone see me as I turn onto the old gravel path to the warehouse.

Inside, I quickly change characters, pulling on the short black wig that corresponds with Adrianna.

Adrianna is the disguise I use most commonly for cons. There are several different kinds of confidence games, but they typically fall under the categories of either quick or long. For example, two people walk into a crowded area. The first screams that their wallet was stolen and the other quickly steals the valuables of those nearby that check to make sure their items are still there. This is a quite common quick con. Adrianna is the only disguise I use for quick cons. However, I use many identities for long cons.

Adrianna's main long con is the scamming of a wealthy man. Middle aged, this man has a daughter about my age. A daughter who died because of his negligence. When I created Adrianna, I intentionally chose her looks based on what his daughter would look like if she were alive today.

Maybe it's cruel to use the man's guilt against him for money, but I like to think of it as allowing him to grow closer to someone like his daughter while I get what I need to survive. Money.

As I finish placing in the second contact lenses to give me black eyes, a bang startled me and makes me jump. A curse exploded from my mouth as I release how close I came to poking my eye out.

Soon, though, the anger is replaced by confusion and fear. In all my time here, no one has ever come to the warehouse. Creeping to a far window, I slide the cracked window up as quietly as possible. I crawl out of the window, sprawling ungracefully on the ground below. Wiping my bloody hands on my black jeans, I curse internally at the thorny weeds that grow all around the warehouse.

Refocusing, I quietly walk up to the side of the building and carefully peer around it, looking to see what's going on. As soon as I look, though, a strong hand wraps itself around my neck and I am shoved up against the wall. The oxygen is squeezed from me and I can't get in any air. I can't use my powers, I am so panicked and so close to passing out.

As I desperately try to gasp for air and my vision turns black, the last thing I see is the blue eyes of the man from before.

°oOo°

I wake up with a lazy yawn and blink against the harsh light, stretching my arms above my head. With a jolt, I sit up, remembering why I was asleep in the middle of the day.

"You're awake."

I shoot a hand forward and am prepared to kill this man when his next words stop me in my tracks.

"You killed my sister, did you?" 

His voice is quiet, tired. His eyes lift up to meet mine and he rolls his eyes when he sees my outstretched hand.

"Who the hell are you and what are you talking about?" I demand, confused with the situation. I mean, sure, I've killed a few people (Who hasn't?), but I genuinely can't recognize this man.

He leans forward, causing his dark hair to spill forward and cover a cut on his eyebrow. The man peers at me, scrunitizing me. 

"I've been watching you—"

Creepy little fucker.

"And I know who you really are," He finishes, successfully grabbing my attention.

A smirk appears on my face and I reply, "Oh, yeah? And who's that?"

I was very careful to delete any and all evidence of my existence when I faked my death all those years ago. I highly doubt that he knows who I really am. Hell, even I hardly know who I really am.

"Adrianna, Ariel, Collette, Klaw," He answers easily. "They're all you, and you are each of them."

Well, now I gotta either kill him or make him as loyal as a cult member.

"Congratulations," I say sarcastically. "You know a few of my names. So what?"

"Not only that," He corrects, his intense face smoothing into a smirk. "I know your real name."