Book One: The Viper's Bite

Twenty and Epilogue

Five Years Later

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I walked into the apartment and dropped my handbag on the side table next to the door.  My foot accidentally caught on the dumptruck toy that was left lying on the floor. I stooped to pick it up, then carried it into the room where I saw an even bigger mess.

Papers were scattered all over the bed, on the floor, the night table and dresser. I put the toy on the foot of the bed and turned to the bureau for a change of clothes.

Instead of putting my red and yellow uniform in the hamper, I dropped it near an armchair set in the corner, the bright colours a vivid contrast to the dark green carpet.

Back out in the living room, I saw that books had been stacked precariously under the coffee table. Instead of moving them, I sighed and went into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

As the machine was set, there was a knock at the door. "Coming," I called, trudging back over and pulling the door open.

The woman standing on the other side of the threshold was dressed head to toe in black - black boots, a short black coat, and black gloves. Her light brown hair curled around her face and shoulders, nothing out of place.

"Ellie! What are you doing here?" I asked, grabbing her hand and tugging her in. She just smiled and plopped her bag on the arm of the sofa, then set to rummaging around in it. 

"I've got great news," she said, spinning back around with an armful of files and folders. She walked into the dining room, dropping the stack heavily on the already cluttered table "Terrific, magnificent, awesome news". I tried futilely to make some space, then dropped myself into one of the chairs, waiting expectantly.

She sat across from me, her expression barely concealing her excitement. Still, she said nothing, instead squirming in her chair. "What is it?" I finally burst, eyeing the stack of paperwork.

"I got a call from the Agency, Cory. They've given me the All Clear."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "The All Clear to what?" At this, she reached for the blue manila sitting at the top of the stack, opened it, and slid it across to me.

On the first page, I could see it in plain writing - the case, the case history, all the little details. I leafed through the sheets, my hands shaking. Finally, I got to the bottom of the pile. On the last sheet in big red lettering was the word 'CLOSED'. I looked back up to see Ellie biting her lip, trying to contain herself.

"You're kidding me." At her slight head shake, my hands flew to my mouth and I nearly jumped out of my seat. "It's over? It's really... What happened?"

"Well, what happened was, an opportunity presented itself. Someone got careless, and left -"

"Someone? What do you mean someone? Wasn't it just... " I trailed off at her slight head shake. "Right, right, go on then."

"So, someone got careless, and we knew exactly what they knew, and where they were going. This turned out to be way bigger than any of us expected. It was a huge sexual slavery thing, and what we found out was that they went around targeting younger women who had some prominence in the media, and if there was resistance... well, you know."

I felt sick, but I had to know. "When you say prominent...?"

She settled back into the chair, crossing her legs. "Do you remember that girl who had made it onto Idol on Season three, but then she got dropped and nobody knew why?"

I shook my head, puzzled. "No."

"Exactly."

I ran my fingers over the folder again, hesitant to ask my question. "What does this mean, then? The All Clear?"

Ellie stood and walked over to the coffee machine, which I hadn't realized had started beeping. "It means you can go back. You can finally talk to all those people you cut off, who you left behind, without a word. You can explain yourself and, well, just be you again."

I accepted the mug she handed me, cupping my hands over the warm ceramic. "I wouldn't even know where to start. How to contact them, who to go to..." I looked up to see her with a smirk on her face. "But you would."

Her smirk burst into a smile and she held her own mug to her lips. "One of the perks of the job. Just as I can make anyone disappear, I can pull them out of thin air."

I grinned at her. "How does that wo-"

The door burst open and three feet of excitement ran in. Pale blue eyes darted all around before landing me, and a smile broke out on his little round face.

Benjamin dropped his bag near the door and ran towards me. I held my arms out for him and he jumped up on my lap. "Benny, how are you buddy?" I planted a kiss on his forehead and he gave me a big one on my cheek.

"It was okay, Mummy. Look at this." He held out a square of paper. I took it from him and unfolded it, only to see it was a drawing of stick people. One had on a red and yellow dress, and the other a blue shirt and shorts. There was glitter in blue, green and yellow scattered all over the sheet.

"It's beautiful," I said, giving him a little squish. "That deserves to go up on the fridge." He nodded quickly, then jumped down and hugged Ellie. 

She ruffled his hair playfully as he ran past her, sticking the drawing up in the only empty space left. "Can we read, Mummy?" He asked, eyes wide. I nodded. 

"Go change first, and have a snack." As he darted around the corner, I felt Ellie's gaze on me.

"That's going to be the hardest part," I said, answering her unasked question. "Telling everybody I used to know about my four year old son."