Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
__________
Evan hated to admit it, even more because it agreed with Maya, but it had been quite some time since she had done any jobs. She used to be so familiar with every aspect of the underground station and the tunnels. She could do it with her eyes closed and hands bound. But now, she was jumpy, unsure – nervous.
She knew it wasn't just because it had been a while. The bomb was a good plan, but a volatile one. They only needed one delay for it to go completely wrong. While they had never experienced any before, it wouldn't surprise Evanna if this time they would.
Everyone – WICKED, the officials, the citizens – was nervous lately. The growing discontent from outside the wall definitely had something to do with that. It felt like an uprising. Evan knew it was only a matter of time before they somehow managed to get past the wall and into the city. She didn't want to think about what would happen then.
During their walk, Evan thought back to the file she read for the mission. The official they were picking up was traveling from the Scorch. There was a facility there that had been overrun by Cranks and other unpleasant people. He was apparently one of the few who had made it out.
She felt a gaze on the side of her face. Looking up, it only took her a second to recognise Garek's worried face. She frowned and subtly shook her head. It was her way to tell him to act less nervous, more normal.
Their joking and teasing had stopped halfway through the journey and it wasn't normal. Maya was suspicious by nature; the change in routine wouldn't go unnoticed by her. Evan hoped Garek would get the hint.
"So only plans for when we're back?" he asked stupidly.
Evan rolled her eyes but chuckled. The other boy, whose name she learned was Noah, merely shrugged. Maya was the only one who humoured his question.
"Depends," she answered with a sly smile. "What are you doing later?"
Garek's eyebrows flew up and Evan fake hurled at the question. He nudged her in the ribs before speeding up his pace until he was walking beside Maya. Evanna didn't care for the victorious look she threw her way, as if she had won anything.
It never bothered Evan that people thought her and Garek had something going on. They were closer than most friends and perfectly comfortable with each other. But Maya always took it to the next level by making it some sort of competition. And because Evan never played, she always thought she won every time.
It was becoming exhausting and tiring and just boring. You'd think a guard of WICKED would have better things to spend her time on than trying to steal away potential boys Evan was into. Garek, of course, didn't mind it one bit. He liked the attention.
