A Hunters Prey

Chapter 1: Initiation

Why do people need constant company?

Honestly, I see it everywhere. I see teenage girls band together in small groups as they storm malls, and boys stand together as they catcall them but I never see a lone boy do it. I scarcely see a girl walk with such flare, and delighted, giggles when alone.

I chewed slowly on the over sized slice of pizza as I watched a woman stride past the fountain with a small smile on her face, her arm interlinked with a young man. I guess he would appear handsome because of his symmetrical features but his eyes were too far apart.

Plus, he was wearing a wedding ring, and she was not.

"You see anything?" I paused from the bite I was about to take, when a voice spoke. I had almost forgot about the small communication device lodged in my ear, "I see nothing. Not yet, anyway."

Alia has such a soft voice that it made it hard to believe the things she was capable of. Sometimes it was like she didn't know how to speak aloud, all she could do was whisper. She made it so easy to forget that she was hovering, always acting like a fly on the wall.

"I can see two horny classmates making out seven feet away from Halen." A second, broader voice, added. Her tone was layered with an amused suave that I quite enjoyed listening to, "I bet you're loving that, aren't you, Hal?"

I wasn't. Nothing about the wet sounds being made was at all making it any easier to ignore, and I was trying my damned best to not notice the way the two kid's tongues were visibly stabbing at each other.

"It's not funny, Ingrid." I replied in dismay, she was always the one to lose focus of the task so easily. Surveillance was not her typical type of field work, her unique skills set belonged in a different atmosphere, "Where are you? I didn't see you at your post when I made my last round."

Alia made a noise of agreement, she was sitting at her post, the small cafe at the other end of the mall but Ingrid had left here's. I don't know why; her post was literally the easiest one there was; all she had to do was look like she was strolling through the markets.

"I needed caffeine!" Ingrid drawled, not bothering to hide the whine in her tone, "I don't know how you can do this every day! Don't you like playing games?"

I bit into the pizza bought from the food court and frowned a little, "I thought this was a game?" I questioned, wiping the grease from my chin with a napkin. I know that Ingrid's 'games' usually included seducing someone to give away their secrets, but this was just as fun.

"Yes." Alia backed me up by agreeing, her tone not as confused as mine, "Catch the perpetrator. It's a game we play, and guess what!? You can keep your clothes on at the same time!"

I almost choked on my food, forcing myself to remain composed as the doughy base lodged itself in my throat. I should have seen that coming but I oddly never, this always happened to me when I done assignments with Alia and Ingrid.

It was like fencing, but only with words. I had known them since we had been in the program growing up, and it had always been this way between them; a cat and mouse game of insults that were kept between them.

Anyone on the outside would think they hated each other. They even used to play cruel tricks on one and other growing up- like the time Ingrid replaced Alia's body wash with hair removal cream. It doesn't sound too awful, until the fact that Alia had a severe allergic reaction arises.

Somehow, we found each other and since we didn't actively try to sabotage each other with genuine malice, it was unanimously decided that we be friends. Friendship wasn't something that was encouraged when we were young but making alliances was, but I think we were friends.