When Evie entered her apartment, she found Blackfox rearranging the coffee table that had been overturned during the confrontation with Kimberly.
"Thank you for cleaning up the mess," she said, and he nodded, looking at her as if she were the only person in the world. "How's our blonde guest?"
"She's sleeping. I had to sedate her and put her in the grey room, only four walls, floor, and ceiling. There are seven ex-Hunters guarding the door," Blackfox replied, with his hands on his hips making sure everything was in place, "We know that even a pin can help her escape. A former huntress undressed her so she only has a blanket and her underwear on, from what I was told."
"Inhumane, but necessary to keep everyone safe," Evie yawned and started walking towards one of the grey couches. "Any clue of who's behind this?"
"None yet, but I doubt your sister's client is a man," he said, and Evie raised an eyebrow. "A man doesn't use emojis to talk to a trained killer, does he?"
"Did he... I mean, did she use emojis?" Evie cocked her head. "That hadn't happened before, had it?"
"Well, the person who hired the other hunters is not the same person who hired your not-sister, that’s for sure. Kim’s client made the same mistake by writing 'Drcao' instead of 'Draco' repeatedly, but this time, the client used an emoji to threaten her, a smiley face, very passive-aggressive," he grimaced, and Evie immediately knew what the boy was thinking, "The client of the other hunters, from what we could find in their phones, is quite the perfectionist. There is not a single spelling or grammatical mistake, emojis or abbreviations.”
“Kim’s client is probably a wealthy fan, she’s right." Evie told him with her arms crossed. "By the way. When were you going to tell me that you and my stepsister had something going on behind the scenes?"
"For how long have you known?" Blackfox didn't seem shocked.
"Since she got here, I guess," Evie shrugged. "When she saw you here, she seemed very familiar with you, almost like she was hitting on you, the kind of teasing between exes. And I thought I heard something about a kiss between punches. I don't want your feelings to get in the way."
"Don't worry. It won't happen. We were never a couple by the way.” Blackfox clarified.
"When did you and Kim meet?" Evie asked.
“It was 2014, Kimberly and I made our way into an underground laboratory near the Greywoods Mountains under Vanessa Helsee’s orders. The facility soon began tearing itself apart with the activation of a self-destruct device, and we were forced to escape. She saved me from Victoriano Rubinstein’s Project Lycandros-Gama by shooting an anti-tank launcher at the creature, but Kimberly fell down a shaft. How exactly she survived or escaped from the laboratory is a mystery to me. She and I kissed that night, although later we met again on some missions where she was, let's say an ally and enemy at the same time. She came back from the grave to tease me.”
"To this day I'm finding out that it was you who finished my mission," Evie laughed.
"What are you taking about?" Blackfox asked.
“In 2014, The Hunter Academy requested for a full-scale investigation of Alicia’s Pharma's activities, but they sent an experimental monster called Project Lycandros-Gama to track down and eliminate all The Hunters in the area.” Explained Evie, “I was trapped in my apartment when I was attacked by Lycandros-Gama. During a fight with the creature, I ended up unconscious within the Police Station until I woke up understanding that I had failed my mission.”
"So that's why Vanessa..." Blackfox fell silent when she gave him a withering look, "I understand, we don’t talk about Bruno."
“Thanks,” she whispered, “So, about Kim... Do you love her?”
“Jealous much?" He laughed a little, "It seems like you always fall for forbidden people," Blackfox put his hands on his hips. "But I'm warning you, you can't date your sister's love interest or your best friend's boyfriend."
"Shut your mouth. You're not that lucky," she said with a friendly laugh as the boy looked her up and down. "You already sound like Zeth."
"And Frank is that lucky?" Blackfox ran a hand through his black hair. "Because I don't think he's as handsome as me!"
"Seriously, you should spend less time with Zeth." Evie had to admit that Blackfox could be funny when he wanted to.
"Maybe I should spend more time with Frank. Maybe he can share his secret with me. First you, and now Jade? There's surely something charming about that guy!"
"It must be his voice. It's very emotional," Evie replied, looking out the window. She finally relaxed her posture but without losing her elegance. "He has a very sweet and masculine voice, actually."
"You know, the first time I heard Frank on the radio, I thought it was Zayn Malik," Blackfox said, sitting on one of the grey couches. "His voice is identical to his."
"Who?" She stopped looking out the window to look at him with the corner of her eye.
"You don't know who Zayn Malik is? Come on! All teenage girls were crazy about him and his bandmates!"
"I was raised to fight and I was paid to kill, not to listen to music or read teen magazines, Blackfox," she replied, sitting down in front of him elegantly. "Well? Who is Zayn Malik?"
"He was a member of One Direction, quite the stars, very popular. But then he decided to pursue a solo career. He was born on January 12, 1993 in Bradford, England, to Patricia Brannan and Yaser Malik, and is of Pakistani and English-Irish descent. His real name is Zain Javadd Malik, Zayn with a Y is his artistic name and..."
"Hey! Hey! I only asked you who he was," she had this mocking smile on her face, the one he could never get enough of.
"Well, since you always ask for every bit of information to be mentioned," he winked at her. "Miss Control Freak, you're hard to please."
Evie laughed, and so did he.
"It becomes addictive to investigate everything, huh?" Evie said, and the boy moved his shoulders.
"Old hunter ways. Gotta investigate everything, every little detail," Blackfox sighed. "Those days, huh?"
"You leave the hunters, but you never stop hunting," Evie said and then snapped her fingers. "Zayn Malik! Of course! The one with curly hair? The one who worked at a bakery?"
"No, that's Harry. Zayn was the 'bad boy' of the band."
"Well, if you say Frank sings like Malik, I'm surprised his voice is like that of the 'bad boy' because he's anything but," Evie blushed for a moment, and Blackfox leaned forward with his hands on his thighs.
"You have feelings for him, don't you?"
"I have no idea who Zayn is, so no," Evie waved her hand dismissively, but then lowered her shoulders and sighed, "We're talking about Frank, I know. I won't fool you."
"It's hard to wear a mask when you're talking to someone who can see through it. That's what you told me when we met," Blackfox said, narrowing his eyes. "We were still children, learning body language, graphology, and sociology long before we started learning multiplication tables."
"Sometimes it feels like we learned to hack and fight long before we even learned to speak," Evie frowned as she turned around and stood up from the couch.
"And we learned to hate before we learned how to love, but I think you failed that class," Blackfox was always like that in private, a playful and challenging friend, sometimes too insidious. "So, you and Frank?"
"I am not going to do this right now. I need some sleep." She started walking towards the hallway, yawning.
"Have you thought that maybe the universe has someone else for you?" Blackfox stood up, shouting.
"That's not even remotely possible." Evie stopped just before she walked deeper into the hallway to her room. "I know that silence. What are you going to ask me?" She looked back at Blackfox, who had followed her down the hall.
"I know you think you don't deserve to be loved..."
"Love is for children, for teenagers, and you and I could never be that." She smiled wryly. "We were adults before we were teenagers, miniature adults. And it terrifies me that, sometimes, it makes me proud to say that."
"But if there's someone waiting for you," he wiggled his eyebrows, "Don't waste the chance, okay? Maybe someone who also has fake teeth since he’s eight years old?"
"Okay. But don't wish upon a star, with me or anyone. People do stupid things for love," Evie nodded once more, and then turned and walked down the hall, leaving Blackfox staring after her with joyful eyes.
"You're as stubborn as a mule," he whispered.
"I heard you!" she shouted from her room, and he just laughed and shook his head.
But then there were two knocks on the door.
"I'll take care of it!" Blackfox shouted, and Evie said something he couldn't hear. Upon opening the door, the boy was perplexed and resumed his serious boy act. "Mr. Rahman, Mr. Seamons, how can I help you?"
"I told Zeth that maybe Evie was asleep, but he didn't listen," said Finn, who looked a little embarrassed. He was dressed in a pink sweatshirt that was too baggy. He did look cute, Blackfox had to admit.
"Obviously she has time for a visit as important as mine at any time," Zeth replied, crossing his arms. "And I think my plan may give us the upper hand here. Very well, handsome boy almost as perfect as me, where is Evie?" Zeth asked Blackfox, poking his head into the apartment, "I hope she's still awake."
"I knew you know something I don't," Evie came walking from the end of the hallway to the door with some wedges on. dressed in an electric blue nightgown, "What do you know, Zeth? Speak, I'm sleepy."
"Well! I'm obviously so smart that I already figured everything out... With Finn's help, I won't deny that. This boy is a genius!" Zeth said and messed Finn’s hair a little. "I already know who your sister's client is, Evie. And I also have a plan to find out why she wanted to be captured, Although I think I already know what the reason is, but we need to confirm that I'm right, don't we?"
"To find this place," Blackfox replied, "We already know that."
"You're wrong," Finn said and Blackfox cocked his head, "You should listen to Zeth, you know he's always right about everything."