Unknown L (Book 1)

~~~ Actions And Reactions ~~~

"Don't try the cloak on until we get outside, I don't want your double to have the ability to wear it, or that will look suspicious." He glanced around the room. "All packed and ready to go?"

L nodded and gestured to the bag sitting against the wall. "Clothes and snacks are all in there. They're only human clothes, though, I was hoping to get some more of those clothes I was wearing earlier."

Bryce's usual playful grin shifted on his lips, and he dug into his bag, pulling out two piles of clothes that he handed over to her.

"You looked like you might have gotten attached after I saw you in them earlier, so I grabbed some more. It's amazing how you're drawn to clothes from your own species without even knowing, isn't it?"

L felt her jaw drop open, and she nearly fumbled the clothes when he handed them over. She gathered them up quickly and stared longingly down at them.

"These are... Keeper's clothes?"

Bryce nodded and zipped his bag. "They are. Matilda didn't realise it, but the chest Vadim told her to get the clothes from belonged to Keepers. I realised when I went to grab you some more. It had their symbol on it. Just remind me to show you when we get back."

L was gobsmacked, but Bryce didn't give her time to soak in the revelation.

"It's time to go, so you should go get dressed, and make sure you give your double a few more attributes beforehand. Maybe a smile for Matilda and some smart replies for Maeve, or Vadim, if he happens to drop by."

L waited until Bryce turned to the front door before she moved. She got changed into a pair of the Keepers clothes; she was still a little stuck on the fact that they belonged to her kind.

Once she was done, she acted out some more actions and thoughts for her duplicate, as well as some possible reactions for any conceivable conversation. And in case of any doubt, her reaction would be to just nod or look away. She felt silly doing all of it to herself, but she had to believe Bryce in that it would work.

When she thought she'd done enough, she packed the other clothes into her bag, grabbed the cloak, and handed them both to Bryce. She let him go out of the house first and then walked out after him. He was waiting at the end of the garden, and he handed her the cloak and pointed back towards the door.

L turned to look, and she had to stop herself from yelling in shock. Standing in the doorway was an exact copy of her. Every single detail was correct to the best of L's knowledge. The copy gave them the same look of dismay L had caught herself giving other people.

The fake L stared with a look that said they looked stupid standing there and then shut the door on them. L turned to Bryce as she fastened up the cloak.

"I don't even know how to feel about that. Did I just snub myself?"

Bryce chuckled quietly and handed her bag back to her. "Yes, and now you know what that looks like to the rest of us."

He found it hilarious and was still laughing when they headed out of the garden and down a nearby path. L ignored him and took to watching the cloaks dimensions change to match her height. It just reached the toe of her boots and was thick enough to keep her warm and dry without being too heavy. It billowed out around her but somehow didn't get in her way while she walked.

Surprisingly, she liked the way it looked on her, and the hood protected her head and face against the cold rain. She could just make out the path ahead and followed Bryce towards what must be the way to the North boundary.

As they neared the edge of a copse of bushes, L could make out some figures in the distance. She smiled in recognition at the rest of their group. Gart and Lort looked exactly the same and didn't seem fazed by the cold or the rain. They grinned from ear to ear when they spotted L and Bryce.

Emilia was wrapped up in a long black cloak. Nothing could really be seen of her except her pale face, and it was nice to see she was smiling. L noticed something under her hood, and as they got closer, she saw that it was Hallie sitting cosily. Folen looked agitated and grumpy. L didn't know if it was the weather or the fact he was no taller than the bushes surrounding them, but he gave them a disgruntled greeting regardless.

Bryce made sure they'd all done as he'd asked with their duplicates and what they'd packed. He seemed satisfied with everything, and then he turned to L.

"Stay close to us once we're out of here. You're a beacon, remember, and every Demon out there will be after the bounty that's still on your head. Once we get a safe distance away from here, I'll teach you a way to be less detectable. Hopefully, we won't run into any trouble before then. You know the drill for getting out of the boundaries. Don't stop for anything, and be careful with your footing. It will be slippery now."

L arched a brow, "What's with all the fussing? I know what to do. What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, I just don't want to fail before we've even left the forest. Okay, let's go."

He turned back towards the boundary and everyone filed into a line; Folen was in the lead, followed by Bryce, then L who was followed by Emilia and Hallie, then Gart and Lort brought up the rear. They all walked through the boundary, and after a few impossibly long seconds, they all came safely out the other side.

It didn't look much different, but L knew everything had changed since the last time she'd been on this side of the barrier. She watched Bryce move to walk next to Folen, Emilia moved to walk with her, and the Ogre brothers kept their positions. Without another word, they were on their way down the deserted country road and in the direction of the farmhouse where Demons were keeping Robbie and his family. Where L would help to save them and bring them safely back to the base with her.