"Things will never be the same again."
Gneiss Underwood never thought that he could have a shot of a normal life.
Growing up in an environment where everything defied sanity, guns and loneliness were his normal companions, if not danger and Death h...
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"Sometimes, we push people away, knowingly breaking their hearts as well as our own, all because we thought we are doing the right thing."
Number Seventeen
Cleaning the shaft of his gun by the window, Krad could see the busy bustle of the crowd below the building. He was staring at the road, at the cars, at the people, but wasn't really looking at them. He was lost in the comfort brought on by the familiar feel of the cold steel in his hands.
It's been two days since he last saw Faye Summers. Two very, very long days.
He could still vividly remember how he woke up with her in his arms. It was like holding onto the last angel on earth. He had never seen someone look so utterly beautiful and defenseless in their sleep. For the first time, he found himself smiling like a hopeless romantic. It was idiotic. It was unfair. She was unfair. They had only met, yet she had completely placed her trust on him. He could easily take advantage of her faith ... but he couldn't. Just the thought of it disgusted him.
That's why it was unfair.
He had no idea how to deal with her. Best friend, ex-star, probably crazy, big deal. Why was it that he sensed something off about her? Like she was hiding something... something big. About him. About them. Sure, he was glad to have a friend. Faye was nice in every sense of the word; she's neither stiff nor boring nor overly hyper. She's amusing. She could make him smile without trying. It was a welcomed change. With her, he could forget the type of world he was living in. With her, it was fun. Her smiles could brighten his usually passive if not sour mood. Not to mention her stubborn streak. Even if she's afraid and lonely, she was adamant that she wouldn't cry... or at least let him see it.
Krad was at a loss what to do.
He couldn't control himself as long as she's around. Knowing that she acted as his substitute in his absence, he felt utterly miserable and happy at the same time. He couldn't shrug off the joy of knowing that he wasn't alone, that despite his faults, somebody cared for him. At the same time, guilt was eating him for having her put up with Creed. What kind of nightmare did she have to go through? What dirty deeds did the Master make her do? Why did she even go that far for him? How could he ever repay her?
This never-ending list of questions crammed his head – exactly why he had stayed away.
He could not understand what was happening to him. He was changing. Fast. Too fast for his icy heart to cope. Being around the short spunky girl revived human feelings that he didn't know he possess. His trainer had made him the perfect agent – analytical, callous, swift, and deadly – by killing his doubts and sense of identity. He was to eliminate evil without second thoughts; his humanity was stripped away. His trainer had molded him into a destructive tool, had tried to return him to the way he was supposed to be before the accident. He was incomplete, but he was 01.
