Even If You Stop Believing | The Something Different Series Bk 2

Chapter 6 - You're The Golden Girl

Kira's POV:

The emails had stopped hours ago, leaving me in a mood to get busy. The kitchen, although never really too dirty, was now spotless. The dishes were done, the window washed, and not a smidge of a crumb could be spotted on the cutting board styled countertop.

Two maps spread out in front of me; one of the northern hemisphere and the other a more detailed map of Africa. I doubted I'd get too far on my ongoing search for my parents, but I wasn't going to give up on Ilias's little pet project either. Sitting cross-legged, a pen stuck out of my mouth and a pencil rested in between my fingertips. Some things weren't meant to permanently stay on the maps and for that my pencil came in hand perfectly. A little notebook rested between both maps, all ready having squiggles of pen marks in it from my questions and thoughts on how the different pieces I knew fit together.

A rhythmic beat filled the room from a recommended playlist. I wasn't sure who the band was, but it sounded jazzier than I normally cared for.

Biting down on my pen a little harder, I growled at my lack of accomplishment in getting anywhere further with the maps. I was hitting dead ends, using my memory of details in hopes that I'd missed something. Unfortunately, my lack of direction seemed to be making it more and more obvious that I really didn't know anything more. I needed more sources, more details, more of everything.

A throat clearing had my gaze slowly popping up to the woman awkwardly staring back at me. Her green eyes looked curious, but on edge. She'd put back on her torn, bloody clothes; her hand holding her opposite arm as she looked from me to the maps on the floor. Her red-brown hair hung in dirty strands around her face, hanging about chest length.

Studying her for a moment longer, I pulled the pen from my mouth and scribbled something on the paper. "Good afternoon. Feeling better?"

"I'm not dead, so I have that to be thankful for." She looked past me to the kitchen. I could imagine she was pretty hungry.

"There's food in the fridge, feel free to dig around." I nodded, giving her a small smile.

She glanced at me before making her way into the kitchen to forage. "You know, they have nothing good to say about you."

"They?" I questioned, all ready knowing whom she was talking about.

"The Compound. You know, the place you supposedly escaped from." I could feel her condescending tone.

"Supposedly?" I arched a brow, looking back at her.

"Personally, I think you slept with someone to get out of there. Nobody can escape that place without help." She didn't hold back the punch on that one.

"Slept with someone? I just saved your life and you're basically insulting me right now." I shifted on my hip to pay a little bit more attention to her. "Was my performance the other night not enough proof of my capabilities?"

"Max was holding back. Don't know why. Maybe he has a thing for you." She pulled out a container of eggs, holding them up. "Pan?"

"Under the stove." My voice was distant as I took in what she was saying. "Salt and pepper are in the cupboard next to the stove. Why do you think he was holding back?"

She tugged a pan out and cracked the eggs into it. "I've seen Max fight. He wasn't giving his best. I'm surprised Brody didn't comment on it. Bet there was hell to pay back at the base."

Brows furrowing together, I uncrossed my legs and stood up.

Red sprinkled some pepper and salt on her eggs, turning the stove on as she worked to make them. She wasn't what I was expecting. She was nothing like the others I'd rescued.