Status: slightly active? i still have writers block
Innocence is an Illusion
Chapter 4
Two hours later, Lexi and David were sitting in the conference room, waiting for her new partner to arrive. As she glanced up at the clock on the far wall, she noted he was already three minutes late. What a rookie.
“He’s late.” She stated monotonously, picking at her fingernails to pass the time.
“Only by about three minutes; he should be here shortly.”
“Doesn’t matter; out there he could be killed in three minutes.”
“And it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Lexi’s fists clenched. She slowly lifted her head to face him, her face sinister and her eyes seemingly mad. Her lips were pressed in a tight line, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, her jaw clenched. David’s words echoed in her mind as he stared back at her unconcernedly.
Now, at this, Lexi cracked. She couldn’t take his nonchalant attitude to this subject any longer. She was not only putting herself in the face of danger, but also some innocent newbie who hadn’t even finished training. Standing up violently with her chair falling behind her, she slammed her fist onto the table with a force that vibrated the floor and disregarded every rule of being a good spy. Screw it. She was never a good spy, and she never would be.
“I can barely take care of myself; now you’re making me responsible for someone else? He’s in training, for goodness sake! He just got his black belt, who knows if he’ll survive out there where there are no do-over’s and mats? And accomplished in kendo, of all things? Is he gonna be carrying a sword? No! This is crazy! Why him, of all people? Huh?” Breathing hard, she whispered, “Why?”
By the end of her rant, Lexi’s face was beet red and her breaths were jagged and short. She had screamed all of her words, each of them piercing through David like a knife. But he had maintained his calm exterior throughout the whole thing, taking in whatever she threw at him, not letting anything affect him on the outside.
“Because he’s Ben’s son.”
Lexi’s face dropped. Her arms fell limply at her sides, dead weight on her torso. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to remember the last time she saw her hated Uncle Ben. No. Not “Uncle.” He was no longer a part of her family. He had no ties anymore. Nothing to do with her. A nobody. But . . . he had a son?
“What . . . son? Ben had a son?” She managed to laugh out, incredulous. “Who would want to reproduce with Ben?”
David chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, although Ben didn’t have the greatest personality, he wasn’t a terrible looking man. He did have a child with a woman named Melanie James, his neighbor when he was younger. They saw each other again at a restaurant that she was a hostess at . . . and . . . well . . . I think you see where this is going. It was one year, eight months and ten days before you were born.”
Lexi picked her chair up and sat back down cautiously, her head cocked to the side, her expression suggesting she was deep in thought. “Huh. Isn’t that something.” She stated dryly as she pondered what she was told.
A few more seconds passed, the ticking of the clock echoing in Lexi’s head. After what felt like hours of silence, the doorknob turned and Lexi braced herself for what she hoped would be a pleasant exchange. Of course, you don’t always get what you hope for.
“He’s late.” She stated monotonously, picking at her fingernails to pass the time.
“Only by about three minutes; he should be here shortly.”
“Doesn’t matter; out there he could be killed in three minutes.”
“And it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Lexi’s fists clenched. She slowly lifted her head to face him, her face sinister and her eyes seemingly mad. Her lips were pressed in a tight line, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance, her jaw clenched. David’s words echoed in her mind as he stared back at her unconcernedly.
Now, at this, Lexi cracked. She couldn’t take his nonchalant attitude to this subject any longer. She was not only putting herself in the face of danger, but also some innocent newbie who hadn’t even finished training. Standing up violently with her chair falling behind her, she slammed her fist onto the table with a force that vibrated the floor and disregarded every rule of being a good spy. Screw it. She was never a good spy, and she never would be.
“I can barely take care of myself; now you’re making me responsible for someone else? He’s in training, for goodness sake! He just got his black belt, who knows if he’ll survive out there where there are no do-over’s and mats? And accomplished in kendo, of all things? Is he gonna be carrying a sword? No! This is crazy! Why him, of all people? Huh?” Breathing hard, she whispered, “Why?”
By the end of her rant, Lexi’s face was beet red and her breaths were jagged and short. She had screamed all of her words, each of them piercing through David like a knife. But he had maintained his calm exterior throughout the whole thing, taking in whatever she threw at him, not letting anything affect him on the outside.
“Because he’s Ben’s son.”
Lexi’s face dropped. Her arms fell limply at her sides, dead weight on her torso. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to remember the last time she saw her hated Uncle Ben. No. Not “Uncle.” He was no longer a part of her family. He had no ties anymore. Nothing to do with her. A nobody. But . . . he had a son?
“What . . . son? Ben had a son?” She managed to laugh out, incredulous. “Who would want to reproduce with Ben?”
David chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, although Ben didn’t have the greatest personality, he wasn’t a terrible looking man. He did have a child with a woman named Melanie James, his neighbor when he was younger. They saw each other again at a restaurant that she was a hostess at . . . and . . . well . . . I think you see where this is going. It was one year, eight months and ten days before you were born.”
Lexi picked her chair up and sat back down cautiously, her head cocked to the side, her expression suggesting she was deep in thought. “Huh. Isn’t that something.” She stated dryly as she pondered what she was told.
A few more seconds passed, the ticking of the clock echoing in Lexi’s head. After what felt like hours of silence, the doorknob turned and Lexi braced herself for what she hoped would be a pleasant exchange. Of course, you don’t always get what you hope for.
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it's been a while . . . no me gusta writers block =/