A Vigilante

021

We had gotten out of Smith's apartment unseen, thankfully. Sharing our new information with Genevieve and Aaleyah was the first thing we did once we came clear out of the motel.

It was hard sleeping that night, knowing the things I know. In order to have an auction- there needed to be things on sale. In this case- somewhere there were women and girls being treated like inventory. I couldn't bring myself an hour of proper sleep, instead, I spent most of the night staring out Ace's large glass walls at the city below. Well lit and alive even in the late hours. Lives were playing out all throughout the city. And there were some girls out there facing a living hell.

After class today, I met back with Ace, Aaleyah and Genevieve to further discuss our plans.

"Apparently, there had been a lot of precautions that Scorpions can't know about this auction." Ace says leaning on his desk.

He had looked into it. Validated the nature of it- it is exactly the type of 'auction' we suspected it to be. He also came through with a starting time. It will be held at midnight.

"So how did you find out?" Aaleyah asks.

Ace looks to Genevieve. She folds her arms. "I have some contacts outside of the Scorpions."

"So Epifano does not know that we know?" I ask.

"Not a clue." Ace shakes his head.

"Well then, tomorrow we'll be crashing an auction then."

It takes us hours to plan. It's the first time in a while we fully plan something. Of course there were variables but we tried accounting for those to our best ability. In the end, Genevieve had to call in some of her contacts once again. Grudgingly asking some favors.

But the planning made it easier to deal with the situation. The disgust and heaviness that weighed last night could finally lighten with the promise of a plan. That that auction won't happen.

Once the evening comes, Aaleyah and I sit on the couch holding cans of soda. I don't know where Ace and Genevieve had gone off to. And I wonder when exactly the loft basement of a Scorpion bar became a place Aaleyah and I were comfortable with.

A month ago we were also alone here. Tied up and unconscious.

"You don't look too well."

I look at Aaleyah, taking a sip out of my drink. She wears her usual MIT sweats, her head wrap loose but no hair shows, still framing her face nicely. "Really? Because I feel amazing."

"Did you sleep last night?" Her tone is light, as it usually is. She has always had a way of sounding gentle. Even when she asked me about my obscure sleeping and eating patterns, she never sounded condescending or rude. Rather, she had an amount of understanding.

Aaleyah is much more collected than I am. On appearance, she manages to still look organized in her messy sweats and hijab. But I know better than anyone the hardships of balancing school and this. I know she understands sleepless nights and obsessiveness.

I take another sip of my coke. "It's hard to sleep with what we know."

She hums in agreement.

"How has living with Ace been?" She asks.

I raise my brows. "Different. I miss having my own bed and not a sofa. We hardly see each other though. We're both gone during the day. Sometimes we eat dinner together."

"Date nights?" She quirks an eyebrow at me and I laugh.

"A criminal and a vigilante? Sounds like a bad movie."