Undercover Killer

Chapter nine

"So how is the research going?" St.van asked as he entered Lou's lab, which was also located in the basement. Lou and Jacob were looking at some results on their computer and turned around when St.van started speaking. Frustrated, Lou ran his hand through his hair and looked away from the older boy. 

"The good news is that I found something new about the marks, the bad news is that I also found a key piece that would help the X," Lou said. St.van gulped if they found had found a way to eliminate the signs, it only meant that their theory was indeed right and that soon, the X will stumble upon that method. With a shaky voice, St.van asked Lou to continue.

"I matched the strand of hair from Cash and (Y/N) and it seems that both had the same change in the gene. It seems the mark takes a part of the human body increases in power, but with the cost of another part being very weak. For (Y/N) she is immune to any substance that could harm her, but we need to keep an eye for everyone's weaknesses from now on." 

Lou needed a bit before speaking again. He turned to a file on the shelf next to the computer area and opened it at a picture of Cash with a bloody knee. St.van needed a while to gather himself before being able to examine the photo thoroughly.

"Remember when Cash hurt her leg and she wouldn't stop bleeding for several days?"

And how could St.van not? He and Cash were at the playground when the incident happened. Cash was playing around with no care in the world when she suddenly fell down the swing and scratched her knee. The wound just wouldn't stop bleeding no matter how much St.van wiped it off. Only after Lou did a printing compound on her for several days the bleeding finally had stopped. After that day St.van decided he couldn't let Cash out anymore.

"It appears that that weak point is where the mark is most easy to break," Lou slowly added.

St.van eyes widen. This was crucial information that should never be exposed to anyone outside the household, especially not the X, fortunately yet also, unfortunately, St.van knew exactly how the X operated on their victims, after all, Ziu was watching their hideout regularly each day and whenever they found a mark-holder they would torture them and kill them on the same day, without considering doing any scientific research on them first, not that it really mattered anyway since there just wasn't anyone who was smart enough to do so. Lou was an exception as he held the snake mark, which made him a power thinking machine. But the group could never be sure when they would strike gold and found out about this, even if it took them a long time to find a new mark holder. 

"But what does this exactly mean?"

"It means if the person that dies from an injury caused on that specific spot or area, we will lose another mark-holder..."

With the duster in your hand, you tried to reach the top shelves of Ziu's shelves. You struggled since you weren't the tallest broom in the boxroom, at least not as tall as the boys you were living with, which could easily reach the ceiling by holding one arm up. With a 'humpf' you decided to give up the stretching game and finally get yourself a chair, but as you turned around you bumped straight into Ziu's surprisingly muscular body. As you bounced back, your back hit the bookshelf you were just trying to clean, trapping you in-between it and the fresh-smelling man in front of you. Did he shower? A drop from the boy's wet hair on your head confirmed that assumption. 

You looked up to the man's face only to gulp as the man was incredibly close to your face. It was awkward since you still had a somewhat awkward relationship with each other. With the members, Ziu was always carefree and seemed like he had a good time, yet with you, it always seemed like he was either cautious or distant to you, yet there were times like this, where he looked so, you were almost questioning if this was even Ziu in front of you.

The way your hair flowed made Ziu think of her. Your voice, eyes color and features were just so similar and you even the faint smell of shampoo still reminded him of her. No that couldn't be. With a hand Ziu stroke a strand of hair from your soft skin and as he touched you, there were tingles on his skin. He watched you dead in the eye, searching for an answer to why he felt this way, but he knew very well you weren't her, still, he leaned in leaning his elbow next to your face on the shelf, taking a good look at your complexion. 

Out of instinct, you licked your lips, sending chills down Ziu's spine. Even tho the woman he loved was somewhat older than him, he didn't care. At that time he didn't care, he really wanted her to be his, later he found out she was actually married with a child and decided to give up, yet he was still very fond of her in his heart. Who would have thought, that years later, he would get the same feelings for the woman's daughter? 

"Hey, Ziu have you seen my razor, you borrowed it last time?", Baron asked barging into the room.

Ziu was quick to put a hand over your mouth to silence you, getting both of you even closer together. "It's in the bathroom", he quickly responded and waited for the intruding boy to leave, before he followed, leaving you to slide down the shelf finally being able to breathe normally again.

"You know that they are not the same person", Baron said as Ziu entered the bathroom after him.  Ziu sigh and nodded not daring to look into Baron's face. It was commune logic that Baron was too much of an organizing freak to not know where his razor was, not only that, but it was also out of the question that he would ever borrow out something like that, so Ziu knew immediately that he was caught. 

"I know, still... the mark... was transferred to her"