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22. Difficulties of Quick and Easy

On the fifth of June in Quebec City, Canada, Francesca Wilfred had almost flatlined before Genevieve Wilfred could come into the world. At the age of six, Genevieve was accustomed to hearing her ten-year old brother's praises from her parents, teachers, neighbors, family friends and sometimes dogs even wagged their tails a little more around him.

At the age of nine, Genevieve knew that most kids weren't going to be her friends even if she was nice, like her parents told her to be. When turning eleven, Genevieve found out that being a Kleptomaniac granted her not only compulsive urges to steal, but also made being shoved and pushed in fifth grade hallways completely normal.

But neglect and a few bad words never hurt her.

She knew real pain when her brother told her that their parents had died on impact in a car accident. At twelve, Genevieve and her brother would have to fight so that they weren't shipped off to different foster homes. At thirteen, Genevieve and Jackson were flown to America to live in a foster home that finally wanted both of them. Six months into it, the couple moved out of the country and sent them to a foster home in Virginia.

Finally, she was adopted by an ex-army medic when she was fourteen. By the age of sixteen, Genevieve had served more than six-hundred hours of community service for shoplifting and petty thefts. At seventeen, Genevieve knew more criminals than kids from her school. And at eighteen, her brother was dead and she was on the run.

Genevieve would have said it was the crown jewel sitting on the worst parts of her life, but no. The crown jewel was running into the same people who she had been running away from. The people who had killed Jackson. The people of Redstone.

It was almost funny how she thought that Redstone wasn't so bad after she joined them. But she found out just how bad they could be after Vincent Redstone figured out that Genevieve was Jackson Wilfred's sister. She had lost all hope and will of living after that. But then, she met Hal Agnor.

Hal Agnor had helped her in that time. He had made her feel strong, assured and overall just, safe. He had introduced her to his wife and daughter and when his wife passed, Genevieve had made sure to be there at the funeral. She really didn't think her life could get worse after that. How could anything go south from there? But then the Universe slapped her in the face and told her that, yes her life could be worse. Hal Agnor, the man who had been the most constant reliable person in her life for the last few years, was standing in front of Genevieve, with a sniper pointed at her.

Her throat felt dry and scratchy. It was like her body couldn't believe the betrayal either. Had Hal really betrayed her though? He told her he was sorry for something he was about to do. Was this what he was talking about? Helping Redstone—or whoever they were—torture her for information she didn't have?

Hal didn't look like he wanted to man a sniper. His ever-standing defense had disappeared. Clamping his eyes shut was the only way his face wasn't streaming with tears and he looked like he hadn't eaten in days. His dark cheeks had sunk in and were swollen in some parts. Genevieve wondered if Hal was being forced to do this, maybe he was kidnapped too. Maybe he was tortured into pointing a sniper at her.

A groan came from the back of the room, "We don't have all day," Fong complained. "So, let's get the ball rolling before the sniper starts shooting."

If Hal Agnor wasn't crying and about to shoot her, Genevieve would've snapped at the buff Asian man. He was talking like he was hosting a game show. Didn't he feel the slightest bit anxious? But she guessed that's what this life did to you—after a while smiles and scowls were all the same.

Sensing Genevieve's shock, Hal spoke first. "Tell them what they want to know Nevi. I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't," hearing him say that he didn't 'want' to hurt her made an invisible crack in her trust in Hal. Maybe he was really never on her side. Maybe he was always with these people, manipulating her to find a doomsday weapon.