Project X - Agents & Assassins [COMPLETE]

Chapter 21

The smell of canned tuna is what woke Scarlett. She opened her eyes and saw Richard, Kalea and Felix sitting merrily near the fireplace. Richard was the first to notice Scarlett's awakening and handed out a closed can with a spoon. Scarlett groaned, took the can and decided to sit with the rest. Kalea was telling an exciting story and didn't hesitate while using big gestures with her arms. The boys were listening with great tension while Scarlett sat herself down next to Kalea and Felix. She pulled the lid from the can and felt how Kalea's arms dangerously waved near her face.

'And then I was like WHOOSH! I kicked her in the face and Agent 1 was all like; Son of a bitch!', yelled Kalea in great enthusiasm. Scarlett immediately recognized the scenery of her story and smiled. 'I won that fight,' she mumbled under her breath. Kalea laughed as she chewed on her canned tuna.

Scarlett followed her example and took a bite of her breakfast, what she immediately regretted. The sour and corrupted taste of tuna filled her mouth and she could barely swallow it. This reminded her immediately of the time she had eaten mud because she had lost a bet when she was eight. She couldn't figure out which one was grosser to eat; the mud or the tuna. Silently she placed the can in front of her and noticed how Richard was looking at her. 'Aren't you hungry?', he asked with a grin. Scarlett shrugged her shoulders in surprise. 'Oh um- It's delicious, really. I just don't have an appetite right now,' she lied. Richard raised his eyebrows and pointed at her barely touched tuna. 'You should eat, though. We probably have to walk a lot today,' he said. 'No, I'm fine,' Scarlett replied immediately. Another bite of the tuna and she would puke, for sure.

Kalea placed her empty can in front of her now as well and sighed. 'That was disgusting,' she said. All the others sighed and nodded and Scarlett realised Richard had joked on her. 'Isn't there any other food?', Richard asked Felix who immediately shook his head.

'As I said, I haven't been here in years. The odds of any food being stored here in the first place was dubiously little.'

Scarlett looked up at Felix. 'Can I ask you something Felix?', she asked. Felix nodded and smiled. 'You have a heavy, British accent,' she started, 'and yet you went on vacation in America? Why the interest in this continent?'

Felix swallowed. He didn't like it when people asked him direct questions. He didn't like everyone's attention to be on him. 'My mum loved it here,' he said, 'and now we live here.'

Scarlett nodded, sensing that this was a subject Felix rather not talk about. 'Oh well,' Scarlett sighed as she stood up, 'we should get going. My dad is probably worried sick and we need to find safe shelter.'

Richard stood up now as well and grabbed Scarlett's arm. He pulled out a knife and slowly cut in her forearm, what made Scarlett bite on her teeth. He apparently cut on a place where a scar had already claimed its place, but Scarlett never noticed it before. As if it had appeared out of the sky. She wanted to protest but it wasn't any use; Richard's grip was too strong. It was a deep cut but after he was done, he pulled a small chip out of her flesh.

He wiped the blood off on his pants and threw it in the fireplace.

'What was that?', Scarlett asked as she irritatingly pulled her arm back.

'That was what I was afraid of,' Richard said, 'a tracking device.'

For a moment there fell a deadly silence between the people in the room and a sudden realization of what if.

What if Raphael already tracked them down and was on his way here?

'Get up,' Richard said strictly to Felix and Kalea who were still sitting near the fireplace.

They silently obeyed and allowed Richard to inspect their bodies for scars. Luckily he found them and cut out their devices as well. Then Scarlett took the knife and found a scar on Richard's arm as well. Normally she didn't want to hurt people in this way, but because she had a certain grudge against Richard and was in a very bad mood, she cut without thinking, perhaps even deeper than she was meant to go and pulled out his chip. 'Thanks,' Richard mumbled.

'We have to go,' Scarlett said after everyone had a stinging cut on their arms. They all agreed in silence and left the house.

'So, we'll be safe when we go to your home, right?', Kalea asked after they strolled out of the forest.

'Yes,' Scarlett answered shortly.

'Promise?'

Scarlett didn't answer and looked at Kalea who walked beside her. 'Promise.'

Richard turned around when he heard the girls talking.

'How long further?', he asked.

Scarlett stopped walking and scanned her eyes to find a street sign and found one, about five feet away. 'A quarter,' she concluded. They were close to the school now and Scarlett was terrified that someone would notice her. It was a normal weekday and school went on as always. If she was right, there were classes right now and she didn't have to worry so much. But there were always kids who skipped them and would walk around the area if they felt like it. And if a classmate saw her in this state; tired, bruised and with a deep cut in her arm, she could forget a normal school life. Richard slowed down his pace so he walked next to Scarlett and Kalea. 'What are you so worried about?', he said when he saw Scarlett's worried face. He followed her glance to the school and grinned. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'they wouldn't recognize you. And if they did, we'd scare them off anyways.'

Scarlett smiled. He was right about them scaring off but she wasn't convinced on the recognition part. They walked on as the school disappeared behind them.

And no one noticed the glittering phone pointing their way and shooting a picture. And no one noticed Eliza as she put her phone back in her handbag with a smile on her face.