The Master Assassin

Hiding in Plain Sight

After Asher shows me the way back to my dad's office, I went back into the small bedroom and plop down on the bed. My mind is racing, and I just wanna get out of here. I don't want to deal with assassins or spies or... the Resistance in general.

A while later, I open the door I locked and let my dad in. "What," I state, sitting on the bed. My dad gives me a small smile. "I thought you might like to go shopping, so I got you a pass to get in and out of the resistance. I'll show you how it all works..." he said hesitantly, as though I would bite him or something, but his anxious expression changes as my jaw falls open. "Can I... Can I do that?" I ask, as though the opportunity might disappear if I believed it was true. He looks relieved at my response, and then he says, "Yeah, but you'd have to go into disguise so that no one will recognize you. The only people that can know who you are are the people who work here, which includes your assignment," my heart lurches to hear Logan be called 'my assignment', but then it flies at the thought of seeing him. "Michael offered to go with you, if you like," my dad continued. He held out a pass with my name on it and a bar code. I took it tenderly, for fear that this chance will dissolve at my touch. I hold up the pass and look at it, as though it is treasure. Then I do the last thing my dad would expect me to do, or even that I would expect me to do. I hug my dad.

At the mall, I'm dragging Michael from store to store with a scarf and heavy makeup covering my face. Michael is wearing some sweet shades and a very convincing fake beard, and is posing as the annoyed father, well at least he's posing as the father, because he really is annoyed. Finally he asks me, "Will you be ok for an hour while I check out the weapon store?" I laugh and nod, happy to be able not to drag him along on my shopping spree. "Sure, you go have fun, I'll meet you in the food court in an hour," I smile, pulling out the cheap phone my dad got me so that I can have some form of communication without my usual phone number; he says you can never be too careful not to be tracked. Michael nods and strides off towards 'Willow's Weapons'.

As I walk through the food court, a familiar face catches my eye.
My best friend Lili is sitting at one of the tables.
Her bright red hair is easy to distinguish among the crowd, and I start to walk over to her before I realize that I'm undercover and can't go telling people who I am. But I need to talk to her.

I slowly stride over, looking around to make sure no one else I know is here. Suddenly, I run straight into her. "Excuse me! Can I help you?" she asks, sounding flustered. I quickly come up with a fake accent. "I'm sorry, no," I say, with a pretty good Spanish accent. "Well, yes, actually, I was looking for the restrooms?" I say after a moment. Lili tilts her head and then points at the giant bathroom sign. "Over there. How did you not see it?" she asks. My mind races to come up with an excuse. I look in the direction she is pointing before saying," By that sign? I can't read English very well." Lili nods. "Do you want me to show you exactly where it is? Cuz it's not really under the sign, you have to follow a few," she asks, kindly, just like she always would. Wanting to help people. But I love that about her. I nod, and she starts walking to the restrooms, which I know exactly where they are. I follow her all the way to the sign directly above the bathrooms. I want to tell her who I am, I want to confide in her and tell her my fears and hopes, but I thank her and turn into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I walk back out and see the back of her red head bobbing away through the crowd. I sigh and start walking back to the place where I said I'd meet Michael. "Didn't expect to see you here," a voice behind me says. I whip around, and I find familiar green eyes looking at me curiously. I take a few steps back, but all the same, my heart flutters at seeing him here. "That's a pretty pitiful disguise," he adds. I look down at my feet, not knowing what to say, my emotions running wild again. "You forget who I am?" he asks. "No," I quickly say. "You're Logan," I add quietly. "Good. Well, I'll see you around. I've got a job to do," he says before brushing past me and briskly walking away. I watch after him, wishing things weren't the way they are.