- Part Two -
"It's been a while, my dear. How have you been?" A few women gush at the sight that, from their point of view, could only be described as adorable. To them, Mr. Caraveo appears to be the perfect boyfriend, being strong enough to carry his exhausted girlfriend; his girlfriend that is so exhausted, she can barely stay awake. Yes, I can understand how they would reach that conclusion therefore complaining to their boyfriend, wanting them to be more like Mr. Caraveo.
What those women don't know is that they are very privileged to be surrounded in the comforting safety of their boyfriend's arms. They don't know that the man I wish would someday have that title is currently somewhere far away, on an involuntary carriage ride thanks to the man holding onto me. These women would never guess that Mr. Caraveo is far from my boyfriend and in fact, the man that forced me to miss Christmas and Reece's eighteenth birthday. They would never assume that I'm not exhausted but, instead paralyzed by fear; my eyelids falling because I'm seconds away from collapsing onto the very being responsible for my panic.
No, to them, I just look tired.
And how I desperately wish they weren't clueless bystanders. That they'd deciphered my subtle movements for what they truly are and reach out to help by calling the police.
But those women are too consumed by the loving atmosphere of the holiday to see the truth.
"Hello? Dear?" Mr. Caraveo asks, acting out the role of a concerned boyfriend exquisitely, making me sick to my stomach.
"Don't call me that," I whisper, struggling to use my voice. My arms, that are around his neck have stopped shaking only because they have froze, unable to move. My legs have been asleep for almost the entire duration of the ride, I long lost feeling of them. Overall, the only thing I'm aware of is my beating heart that is ferociously pumping blood into my system, battling against the virus of fear to maintain my circulation.
Mr. Caraveo is unfazed by my reaction. He chuckles, obviously amused by our situation; the only one amused for that matter. "Would you rather I call you 'love'?"
Another wave of ice chilling cold washed through me, stunning my heart for a brief second before she returned back to the increased pace. I can feel my pulse in my ears but I can't seem to register what just happened. I refuse to accept what I just heard.
My silence pleases Mr. Caraveo. "I wouldn't count on him saving you," my shooter tells me softly to ensure that no one can overhear what he has to say. "You know he can't. Otherwise, his secret will be out."
Hate consumes me; hate because I know he's right. Reece can't outright save me, he can't expose his true identity to the city. No one, besides a selected few, knows that Reece is Double M and it must stay that way. So how else can Reece rescue me from my iron lock prison?
He can't.
There's no other way.
The last ounce of my energy vanishes, having been used up, along with my will to stay awake. That's it; I'm giving up. My eye lids flutter for the last time before they slowly begin to shut down, taking away with it my last glance at Central Park. My last view will be of a bunch of seniors and juniors from my school, crowding around Mr. Caraveo, intercepting his path.
Wait.
Why are they here? Where did they all come from?
I fight to stay awake, ignoring all the black spots in my vision. I hear Mr. Caraveo talking with the girls but I can't make out his words. Though I notice how all the girls from my high school ignore whatever it is he's saying. To my surprise, they surround him, preventing him from moving any further. My body is seconds away from claiming defeat but a short burst of hope swells inside me, keeping the last bit of me awake for as long as possible.
Long enough to see the commotion playing out before me; the girls throw a bunch of worthless compliments, reaching out to touch him. He can't swat their hands away since their preoccupied with trapping me.
I stay conscious long enough to find myself smirking in amusement, no longer caring what happens. As long as Mr. Caraveo is annoyed, that's all that matters.
And with one last glance at the girls who have managed to give me peace, I close my eyes and embrace the darkness, letting it wrap around me and ease away the fear. It's okay. I don't have to be afraid anymore. The darkness will protect me.
The black void does so by grabbing onto my back and, with a force I never knew the darkness possessed, it rips me off of Mr. Caraveo's back, setting me free. Safety surrounds me as the darkness wraps its arms around me, bringing me close.
...am I high? Did I get drunk off of serenity? Since when does darkness have arms?
"Zada? Zada!" Since when does darkness talk, let alone know my name? What is going on?
The arms securing me begin to shake, jolting me from my jumbled up and confused mind. Yet, my eyes won't open. They stay shut, forcing me to face the darkness that refuses to let me sleep in peace.
"Zada, wake up!" Maybe if I ignore the darkness, it'll give up and leave me be. Can't it see that I want to be left alone? I don't need it's constant nagging.
If only life were easy. The arms around me refused to surrender, shaking me nonstop with a fierce determination that was starting to throw off my balance. If only I had some feeling left in my arms or legs so I could swat the darkness away... if that makes any sense. Yah, I'm really starting to believe my mind drifted off into insaneville. There's no other way to explain what's happening.
"Dammit, Z-lee, open your eyes!" It wasn't the shaking that started me, fueling me with the lost energy, causing my eyes to awaken. It was the peculiar nickname that made them snap open wide, allowing me to catch every detail of the sight in front of me. I definitely wasn't high; my mind was analyzing the situation wrong because it wasn't the darkness that had annoyed me.
It was a certain hero that became relieved instantaneously the moment I greeted him with my brown eyes, staring up into his very own brown ones. "Finally," he whispers, wiping a strand of hair off of my face though as he gently swipes across my forehead, I can feel his fingers shaking. "Could you stop scaring the life out of me?"
"I thought I told you to not call me Z-lee," I counter automatically, ruining the moment and making Reece roll his eyes.
Gradually, I register where I am, feeling the sturdy wood of the bench underneath me. With the help of Reece, I manage to sit up and wait patiently for the feeling to return back to my legs. In the meantime I look to see where we are, noticing that we're still in Central Park and that Mr. Caraveo is standing nearby, trapped in a circle of high school girls. I'm still not understanding what I'm seeing.
"You like my genius plan?" Reece asks after noting my confusion.
I'm taken back by his question. "They...this is your doing?" Reece simply nods his head. I glance back at the circle, back to Mr. Caraveo who is kindly asking the girls to leave him be but they refuse to back down.
Reece chuckles, clearly pleased with himself. "They were the perfect distraction."
I scan the faces of Reece's side kicks, finding all of them familiar but not being able to connect why. Then, one of the girl's spots me looking and perks up, leaving the circle to come join me while the rest of the girl's form a tighter circle, compacting Mr. Caraveo even more. I recognize her immediately and how could I not? She's almost just as famous around school as Chasity.
"Zada, I'm so glad you're alright," the co-captain of Beacon's cheer leading squad says, sounding sincere. This girl has quite the reputation at school. For a month back in junior year, everyone at school thought that Reece and her were an item because they were spending lots of time together. Actually, Reece spent time with all the girls in the circle. So that's how he got them to go along with his plan.
Though I'm shocked to see that they were willing to help me. "Thank you, Kayla," I mumble shyly, having never spoken to the cheerleader until now.
Kayla gives me a heart warming smile. "Don't you worry, we'll keep that creep away from you," she reassures confidently. Kayla glances over at Mr. Caraveo and sighs. "Such a shame. I wanted to tap that a$$," she admits, making me want to throw up at the disgusting thought. The only thing I view that man as is a monster and hearing someone say otherwise does not sit too well with me. "But," Kayla says, drawing my attention back to her, "he's a creep who stole Reece's girlfriend for a sick joke and any enemy of Reece is an enemy of mine."
I stay frozen in place, not being able to thank Kayla or smile at her because I'm a little confused by her choice of words. Did she say what I think she said?
Did she just say I'm Reece's girlfriend?!
There's no time left for me to ponder on that thought because Reece takes the next course of action. "Excuse me, ladies," he says and begins to walk in the direction of Mr. Caraveo.
"Reece, what are you doing," I yell after him, unfreezing from my shock. I try to move my legs but they barely move a nudge. At this rate, I can't stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life. "You can't!"
But Reece ignores my warning. He causally walks over to the circle of girls who create an opening for him to enter. Mr. Caraveo's annoyance is replaced by curiosity which all seems to increase when Reece grabs a chunk of his jacket.
And swings his other fist at him.
I can't help but sigh in relief, grateful that Reece didn't morph into his tiger form and ripped Mr. Caraveo to shreds. I don't mind a punch, as long as no one figures out how powerful Reece really is. It's a good thing Reece picked a fight with Mr. Caraveo and not someone else. Any other being would have fallen flat off their feet but since Mr. Caraveo possess the same strength as Reece, he only stumbles a bit before regaining balance. "What was that for?" He asks Reece innocently while rubbing his jaw.
A crowd gathered around the two men, blocking my view of them. Kayla, being in the same boat as me, assists me. Together, we stand on the bench with me holding onto her like my life depends on it. If it weren't for Kayla's support, I would have fallen back down on the bench. Thank goodness she's a relatively strong for a cheerleader.
It's all thanks to her that I can see Reece when he yells out his answer to Mr. Caraveo's question. "That was for scaring my girlfriend," and Reece lands another punch, sending Mr. Caraveo back a few more steps and me, dazed.
He just...
He said...
That I'm his...
Holy moly macaroni.
Mr. Caraveo, being out of his trapped circle, makes a run for it, pushing past the crowd. Reece refuses to let him escape. He trails after Mr. Caraveo, leaving me behind with Kayla, standing on the bench.
Oh heck no. He does not get to say I'm his girlfriend and then run away the next second to chase his enemy. Reece ain't getting off that easy; not if I have any say in it. My determination brings along with it the feeling to my legs. I can finally hold my own ground and gently push myself off of Kayla. "Thanks so much for your help."
Kayla smirks. "Go make sure your boy doesn't do anything stupid."
I blush, not used to thinking Reece as mine. Is he even mine? I don't know but I'm sure not going to ruin the moment. I give Kayla a thumbs up before I jump off of the bench and chase after Mr. Caraveo and Reece.
Thankfully, they haven't gotten too far. After a good two minutes of running aimlessly through a stubborn crowd, I managed to spot the two brawling out into the nearest alleyway. Not caring about the danger I'm putting myself into, I follow them into the narrow space to find Reece attempting to lay another punch on Mr. Caraveo. But, thanks to his inhumane reflexes, Mr. Caraveo dodges the punch, forcing Reece to punch the wall.
Wow, that's one huge dent Reece made. The owners of the building are sure going to be confused when they see that dent.
"You punch like a girl," Mr. Caraveo teases, ticking off Reece. The two of them are two consumed with themselves to notice me standing a few feet away, clueless about what to do. How can I help?
"Shut up," Reece says, going in for another strike. This time around, Reece is expecting Mr. Caraveo to dodge. Just as my shooter intercepts Reece's swing, Reece kicks out the leg opposite to his swinging arm and smacks Mr. Caraveo in the chest, sending him flying into the wall behind him.
Okay, Reece doesn't need my help. I'll just stand back and watch for now.
Reece uses the next short seconds to his advantage, pushing Mr. Caraveo further into the wall, trapping him. I use this time to approach and stand by Reece who keeps his attention on Mr. Caraveo the entire time. The only reason I know he noticed me is by the very subtle readjustment.
Mr. Caraveo's calculating grey eyes shine in amusement as they flicker from Reece to me. "My, my, it seems you have caught me." His attitude doesn't sit too well with me. Why does it seem like it was just a bit too easy for Reece to catch him?
Reece growls and slams Mr. Caraveo into the wall. "Who do you work for?"
That's odd. I never would have thought to ask that. Then again, how else did Mr. Caraveo become Rapax?
Reece and I watch Mr. Caraveo, never letting our eyes off of him as he's face morphs into a creepy smile. "I don't know," he says. Reece isn't please with his answer and slams Mr. Caraveo into the wall again, making my shooter chuckle.
"I speak the truth," Mr. Caraveo tells us, a hint of thrill laced in his voice, creeping me out. How can he sound so happy in his situation? Then his body begins to shake and we understand Mr. Caraveo's motif instantly. He's going to change into Rapax and Reece can't do anything to stop him. Unless he wants to changes into Double M and goes after Mr. Caraveo.
"No one knows who Zero is." Those were Mr. Caraveo's last words before he morphed into a bald eagle and flew away, leaving Reece and me stunned by the revelation. If Zero is involved then...
"F*ck!" Reece yells out and slams his foot against the wall in frustration, making it crack. I ignore Reece's rampage, letting him release some steam. Instead, I go down on the ground to inspect what Mr. Caraveo left behind. Not his clothes in particular, but his pockets to see if he left something useful, maybe a clue.
I ignore my shaking fingers, not wanting to touch anything that belonged to Mr. Caraveo but having no choice since Reece is a little busy.
"...I should of known. F*ck. Why didn't I wear my suit. F*ck..."
I roll my eyes at his reaction, not surprised by it. In the mean time, my fingers graze over some plastic wrappers and disappointment washed overs me until I reach into the pocket of his jeans and feel a rectangular paper. I pull it out to see that I have found a business card.
And not just any business card.
"Reece," I say softly, grabbing his attention.
"What?" He asks harshly but immediately stops when he realized who he was taking his anger out on. Reece mumbles an apology but I ignore it, shoving the business card in his face so he'd read it. His eyebrows scrunch up for a bit until he sees what I'm fussing about then he's wearing the same shocked expression us me.
"This is..."
I nod my head. "It's Melinda Chang's card. The CEO of Purity."
And that's our first clue.
__________
Sorry for the last bit seeming super rushed. Maybe in the future I'll fix it up and make it flow more smoothly :)
Just curious, whose on Team Double M and whose on Team Rapax? I'm just wondering if Mr. Caraveo has any fans haha!
~Till Next Time (which will be sooner than you expect!)