BONNIE & CLYDE ⌊ five hargreeves ⌉

TWO

Honestly, Ebony could take down Five singlehandedly. The Handler was sure of it, but Hazel and ChaCha were more reassurance. She needed them to watch over Ebony and make sure she didn't turn against them and into Five's hands.

The Handler grasped Ebony's face. Her manicured nails digging into the teenager's cheeks. Ebony winced, but her eyes locked onto the Handler's almost void of any emotion. The Handler had trained her well, but apparently not well enough. She still fell in love with Five despite seemingly endless years of pain, training, and torture.

"Don't," The Handler dug her nails deeper into the teen's flesh. Now, Ebony's eyes watered. "Disappoint me."

"I won't."

✧ ✧ ✧

HAZEL AND ChaCha knew of Ebony and Five's rather close relationship. The two were a match made in hell, born to kill side by side, hand in hand. Having her on the mission was a risk, but an understandable one that had to be taken if they even thought of taking Five down.

But when they saw the teenager with the the same emotionless blue eyes as the duo had known, it all just clicked.

This Ebony was new, bleached, refreshed, and with no memories of Five. She couldn't betray them if she never had a chance to partner with Five and grow that deeper connection with him. But there were still doubts. How was this Ebony, oblivious to Five's mannerisms, going to be enough to bring him to his knees?

"Hazel, ChaCha." Ebony nodded at them respectfully.

ChaCha didn't respond, instead observing the girl carefully. Hazel was luckily a little less cold.

"Ebony. Hi? I guess."

The teen sighed, clearly annoyed. "Yeah, hi."

It seemed to ChaCha that Ebony didn't want the duo here just as much as ChaCha didn't want the teen. They wouldn't get along. ChaCha just knew it. Already, within seconds of meeting, ChaCha felt a disgust and hatred build towards this tiny girl. ChaCha felt that she could easily break her between her fingers with little effort. Yet, this younger Ebony was still a trained assassin, just like ChaCha and her partner. And even at 14--or whatever age she was right then--Ebony had probably killed more people than the duo combined. The thought made ChaCha's blood boil.

"We should hurry up and head to Five's location," ChaCha instructed, checking the tracking device's location, while Hazel quickly packed their gear.

"I already did."

Ebony's eyes lazily traced patterns on the ceiling. "He was at a little donut shop, Griddy's. Killed all the soldiers the commission sent after him and cut out his chip."

ChaCha's jaw clenched, "Oh."

"This Five guy," Ebony slowly brought her gaze down from the ceiling onto ChaCha. "He's really good."

Well, of course. Five was the best of the best and ChaCha couldn't help but admire him. His work was amazing and perfectly done. But Ebony? From afar, ChaCha couldn't help but admire the other woman's work as well. Five was good, but Ebony was just better. If Five left almost no traces, Ebony left none at all. While Five was always on time to the second, Ebony was to the millisecond.

But ChaCha couldn't help the sudden hate towards her. Maybe it was because Ebony was so close to the Handler. So close because she had grown up with the Handler as her makeshift mother. It seemed the girl had an unfair advantage, and that pissed ChaCha off. ChaCha enjoyed Hazel as her partner sure, but if Ebony was gone, ChaCha would've been with Five.

Then she'd be at the top and rightfully so, instead of the girl who was basically given the top spot at birth. And now, Ebony was younger, smaller, less experienced, and she was still stronger than ChaCha.

"Yeah," ChaCha responded, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with the young girl, "the best of the best."

Ebony echoed ChaCha's words, drumming her fingers on her lips. "You two get some rest. We're going to visit someone who may have some information on Number Five tomorrow morning."

ChaCha glared at the teen, but complied anyway, hastily going to the bathroom to avoid the teen gaze. Hazel, who had watched the stand off between his partner and the young girl, peeked at the teenager, a question about to escape his lips.

"You two take the bed," she said suddenly, her eyes meeting his and daring him to challenge her order. He wondered if she had some unspoken of mind reading ability.

"Where will you sleep then?" It seemed more appropriate to ask her this, than argue with her to take the bed. While she looked young, Hazel couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more than ChaCha and Hazel could even expect to learn in their lifetimes. Hazel had heard that Ebony had been alongside the Handler since she was a tiny red-faced baby. And now--standing only a few feet from that Ebony--Hazel could see how this young girl already carried herself like the Handler, with such power, and grace, and an underlying wickedness.

"Oh, I'll be just fine on the couch, thank you."

Hazel just nodded.

( . b o n n i e & c l y d e )