Alliance || 1 || ✔️ mature

34 | Eleven

"So, you never forget." Lilac says, grinning cheekily.

I shake my head, smiling back at her, "You're an idiot."

"You love me that way." She finishes her masterpiece with a flourish, stabbing the knife into the wall and turns to me with a grin.

"You haven't packed your other weapons though." I remind her, lifting a brow at the case left behind next to my gift.

Lilac only grins, and steps up onto her bed, lifting to her tip toes and pushes the vent above it out of the way.

She looks back at me with those mischievous eyes, "Hand me the case."

I do, lifting the case up to her and watching as she pushes it into the opening above her bed, moving the vent back in place.

She grins down at me. "Just in case."

I shake my head at her, rolling my eyes.

"Now let's get out of here Agent Eleven." She says cheekily as she drops from her bed and grabs her suitcase and saunters out of the room we have shared for the last six years. I quickly grab my duffel and walk after her, shutting the door on that part of our lives and embarking on a new one.

"We'll always have each other." I say to my little sister, pulling at a brown curl. "Now, let's go."

I blink back the tears lining my eyes, tracing the 'L.'

August seventh used to be yours and now it's just another day.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." I swallow and turn away.

I shut the door, reset the lock, and turn to the face of her murderer staring right at me, those familiar dark eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Director asks, shocked.

"I lived here." I slowly lower my hand that holds the box, trying in vain to keep it away from his attention.

His eyes flicker to it anyway.

"You haven't lived here for years." His eyes come back up to meet mine, curiosity staining those cold dark irises.

I blink back at him. "I just wanted to visit, today has been hard."

It's then his eyes flicker away from mine, settling on the door I exited, "Lilac's birthday."

I nod, refraining from saying anything to lengthen the conversation.

He looks back to me, fake sympathy smoothing over his features. "You know I miss her too right?"

I glance away, trying and failing to bite my tongue as the words spill forth. "Only when it suited you."

"She was my daughter, of course I loved her. Her birthday is hard on me too."

"Your love was conditional, don't pretend like you care now. You already have your golden child, and you threw us away so don't expect sympathy from me."

"Ho-"

"Don't." I cut him off, walking past him and down the hallway, the lights flickering above.

I hear his sigh, the sound of it nipping at my heels as I stalk away, heart in my throat.

I push through the door, steps eating up the distance to the exit, cold night air sweeping over my heated skin.

I stop at the man staring back at me, leaning on my bike with crossed arms. The door slams behind me, déjà vu haunting me.

"What are you doing here?" I ask Archer.

"I followed you." He pushes off my bike, taking a few hesitant steps forward.