What Lies Beneath Her Mask (REWRITE)

Prologue

Once they left, I snickered giddily. Twenty minutes after I had boarded the plane, two attendants came walking up to me, one pushing a cart filled with food, sweet treats, and more wine. I licked my lips, realizing that it was for another passenger. My stomach growled and rumbled. I clutched my stomach, trying to shush it as to not bring attention to myself. Almost as if right on cue, a different attendant approached me, handing me a delicate-looking menu.

I gasped at the many selections of food, treats, drinks, and all sorts of things that I couldn't have even imagined existed back at the rehabilitation center. My mouth was gaping, my eyes were widening the more I looked through the menu, small whimpers came through my mouth as my attempt to speak out failed miserably. The woman bent over, looking at the menu then back at me.

"Do you need help deciding what you're going to eat, Miss," The kind woman asked me.

"Uh, err," I wasn't the type to ask for help, but I've never had any other food except for the oats they gave us every morning at the training center.

I sighed. I looked at the menu, then back at the woman. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, but eventually looked at the woman once more.

"Y-Yes, I do need help deciding. Could you give me any suggestions," I wondered.

"Of course, Miss. From my personal experience, the Brazilian flavored steak with fried rice, fried vegetables, and the white wine is to die for," The woman suggested thoughtfully.

I contemplated all of the delicious food that I couldn't even think of imagining right in front of me. I couldn't even imagine what any of it would look like.

"Then I'll have just that! With, um, do you have dessert? Or tarts, I think you call it, of any kind," I asked as I just barely shied away from the woman's kind, yet piercing look.

"Of course. Do you have any particular kind of tart in mind, ma'am?"

"Um. D-do you have any apple pie tarts? I've heard those were a thing from somewhere," I hesitated.

"Yes, we do. I'll be right back with your food. Please, lie down and relax. It'll take a while,"

I did as she said and laid down. I folded my hands in one another, contemplating if I should sleep or if I should stay awake. I eventually gave up on the idea and decided to take a nap. Just as I was about to allow my body to rest, the plane jolted violently.

"Don't worry folks, we're just experiencing minor turbulence. It's okay," The captain spoke in a calm, matter-of-fact voice over the intercom, to which I couldn't stand.

I leaped onto my feet, looking around frantically. Another flight attendant that I had yet to meet came speed walking up to me, trying to soothe me.

"It's okay, ma'am. You're okay. It's going to be fine like the captain said. Please sit down," I plopped down in my seat again, blowing air out of my mouth.

I rubbed my eyes, I was tired. I laid back, trying to stay awake in case anything happened. My eyelids were betraying my commands, getting droopier and covering my dark, chocolate brown eyes more and more by the second. Before I knew it, I was asleep. I saw nothing, I saw complete,  utter darkness for the whole time I slept.

After what I think was about a half-hour or so, I was awoken from my pitch-black slumber. I looked up at who woke me up, and to my delight, I saw two attendants standing next to me. One of them was holding the cart filled with food. My stomach grumbled like it was signaling the end of the world. I only realized how famished I was when the flight attendant that was holding the food cart lift one of the gold plated covers to reveal a well done, Brazilian flavored steak, decorated with fried rice and fried vegetables on the sides.

I stared in utter shock as raw hunger overtook my mind. I saw the women assisted one another in placing all of the food in front of me. All of it looked delectable. I bowed my head slightly as they finished prepping the food and set down a glass cup of white wine beside me. I stared at the food intently, almost drooling at the sight of it. 

Usually, whenever we were presented with food other than oats we would either have to beg for it, or if we tried to eat it we would be starved for the rest of the week to build 'endurance' in case we were stranded and had no food. The flight attendant next to me asked me what was wrong, whilst having a worried yet disappointed look on her face.

"No, no! Nothing's wrong! It looks perfect. Almost too perfect to eat,"

And with that, I picked up the fork and knife that were neatly placed on either side of the large plate, bringing them close to the steak before shredding the beef and eating it. The delicious flavoring and juices of the steak danced around in my mouth, making me savor every moment.

"This is so delicious! This is better than any other food I've tasted," I complimented.

I was soon digging into the rest of my food before devouring the tarts, eventually quenching my thirst with the wine. A few minutes after the flight attendants picked up after me and carried on with their duties, I turned on the small screen known as the television in front of me. It immediately went to the cartoon channel. After watching an episode or two of Tom and Jerry, I turned my focus to the news, something told me to change the channel, to which I obeyed. The news was filled with reports about the scenery in Canada.

BREAKING NEWS LIVE NOW:

"This is Nicola Stone reporting live from Nova Scotia's Gaff Point, here with some shocking news! This just in, we found multiple dead bodies belonging to the teenage girls who made up the first-ever supernatural group called; Project X. We have recently found that all of the girls are deceased except for the leader of the group. Their names are not yet disclosed and we are trying our best to investigate who these girls are exactly. It is sad to see that these girls, these heroines, have died in the worst, yet best way possible.

They died serving their countries. They died serving the world and ridding the world of injustice. When their identities are discovered, their families found, and their funerals held, we will hold a special ceremony for them. This is indeed a sad day and the beginning of dark times all around the globe. This is Nicola Stone from Fox News, over and out."

I shut off the television, wide-eyed and shocked. We weren't a group to help people. We were a group of assassins doing the dirty work for one side of the world that consisted of Newfound America, Canada, South America, etc. While we were doing good for those countries, we were murdering countless, endless even, innocent lives from the other side of the world. We were brainwashed and taught that we had to do this for the Newfound Nations.

We were told that we had to do it or else we would be tortured or killed by our counterparts. They told us that life was a game of kill or be killed. I was the only one that opened my eyes and took the slim chance while plausible for a split second to escape from the battle. I was so shocked and horrified to hear that every single one of my teammates was gone.

'Lin...Angelixia...Yua...Ahma...they were all dead. And I couldn't help save and protect them. Why...why did I run?'

I knew I was going to have to do something about this soon. I wasn't going to fight back or get revenge. But I would figure it all out in due time.

'All in due time. All in due time, indeed. They'll see. I'll live up to their expectations alright...I'll become what they all dreamed of. Yet quite the opposite instead.'

3,192 words.