"Laila! Someone's waiting for you outside," Mom cried from the kitchen.
"Coming," I cried back, while shuffling down the flight of stairs and swinging my bag around my shoulders.
"You didn't tell me you were going on a date today," Mom said, smirking mischievously.
I rolled my eyes, "It's not a date!"
My mom simply chuckled,"Be back by seven."
I nodded and walked out to see Axel leaning against his black bike, his arms folded across his chest. I could not help but gape at the sight. The sight of Axel casually standing by his sleek bike was enough to set my heart racing.
But then I remembered why he was here. My fiasco the night before creeped into my thoughts, causing me to not only feel embarrassed but guilty.
I walked to Axel and immediately started," Axel, I'm s-," but he cut me off.
"Not a word till we get to where we're going," he said, then smiled charmingly, making my stomach lurch.
He swung a helmet over my head and clipped it on. I got on the back of the bike, then he revved up the engine.
"Hold on tight," he warned.
However, I just sat there awkwardly, wondering where I was supposed to get support. At the back I suppose?
Suddenly, Axel gripped my wrists lightly and swung my arms around his waist. I felt my cheeks redden as I hugged him gently. The engine roared, and we sped off to our destination.
I felt a sense of relief and relaxation, as the wind whipped across my face, breathing in the fresh scented air. I wondered where we were going as it seemed to be around the outskirts.
The road was empty. Only a few shops were seen here and there. Mostly empty plains, stretched out on either side of us.
For a moment I just shut my eyes, and contemplated.
I was one of the Saviors of Mankind... Who would have thought? Axel was right.
It did make me feel special in a way, but at the same time, I was shouldering a burden that might be way too heavy to hold. I was just a sixteen year old girl! I did not ask to be the one to stop an alien world domination scheme! Life was unfair.
I sighed in frustration.
I soon felt the bike slow down and we came to a stop. We got down and I removed my helmet. I noticed that we stopped at a lake. A short memory replayed in my head, when I realised this was one of the places dad and Uncle Elias had brought me to, for some stargazing, when I was little. It brought a great sense of tranquility to me.
I gazed at the crystal lake surrounded by a thin line of trees. The humid smell of the air filled my nostrils. For a moment, I simply gazed at the reflection of the trees that rippled on the surface of the lake. I turned to Axel, and eyed him nervously.
"Axel...I'm sorry for complaining to you last night. Its just...I think this is way too much for me to take in. I-I never asked to be the saviour of mankind!" I said to him.
He stared at me with a serious expression that was laced with concern. I nervously bit my lip and took a deep shaky breath.
"Laila, first things first I'm glad you talked to me when you were frustrated yesterday. Its good to know that you rely on me at least... Remember I'll always be there to hear you out," he said softly while placing a hand on my shoulder.
My heart skipped a beat when he said those words. I looked down, not wanting him to see my blushing cheeks.
"T-thanks...," I said in a tiny voice.
"Second... Laila, most of the time in life, we can't choose what we want to be. Whether we are satisfied or not, with the decision of fate, that depends on us... Sometimes, we are unfortunate, we could be forced to tread a path so horrendous..." he trailed off for a moment. He looked away, his eyes were suddenly betraying conflicted emotions. But he took a breath and continued.
"But I think you are one of the only people I know who can carry this burden and fulfill this duty. You are aware of it as well. You're intelligent, exceptionally intelligent. You think differently from others," he said. I wondered how he knew so much about my strange thinking patterns. It was embarrassing to be complimented about them.
"Not to mention, you're determined. That's the most important quality you posses, and need, to fulfill this duty," he continued.
I looked up at him, still unsure. No matter how determined or smart I was, I did not know what I was facing. We were talking genetic manipulation, most likely human massacre! It was as close to saying we were dealing with God. What chance did I have?
Then again, there was only one thing that was holding me back from accepting my fate.
Tears threatened to spill from my watery eyes. I bit my lip to hold back a sob.
Axel gazed at me in concern, then gently pulled me in for a hug. Wrapping his strong arms around me, I felt patheticaly weak. I burst into tears, burying my face in his chest.
"I'm scared..." I said in a muffled voice.
"I'm scared of what might come. I'm scared of the agenda. I'm scared to face the extraterrestrials in this battle. I'm just.... scared of...failing...in my duty. The whole world is at stake," I whimpered.
Axel gently rubbed my back while whispering in my ears,"It's okay to be scared. Who wouldn't be? But I just want you to know, you're not doing this alone. You have another four saviours by your side, a superspy best friend and...me."
He said that last part very, very softly, I would not have heard it if I were not paying attention.
"Axel... I... Don't want any of you to be endangered because of me. I'm already guilty enough letting Lin in on this... I can't promise we might even come out...alive," I squeaked, the bitter realisation weighing down upon me.
Axel lifted my chin, making me face him. He gently wiped my tears away. I felt my heart pounding so hard, I could have sworn he heard. His face was inches from mine. His breath fanned my lips.
"You don't have to make that promise," he half whispered.
I stared at him silently, the little plopping sounds of the fish leaping out of the water breaking the silence.
"You for one should know, that I am doing this on my own will. I don't know about Lin, but I believe as your best friend she feels the same way too. So, just keep in mind, no matter what happens to us, it's not your fault," he said.
"Laila, we are going to share this burden. Okay? Whatever it is, you know I'll be there," he continued with a small smile on his lips.
I smiled back wryly. Warmth spread to the tip of toes, thawing my fear frozen heart. Axel was inhuman. He simply knew what to say to make me feel better. As if he could relate to me on an emotional level. I really felt contented and less scared after talking to him.
"Axel, you don't know how much this means to me. Thank you," I said sincerely.
"I've hardly known you for long, but you've been an amazing friend. Perfect even," I told him.
He gently ran his fingers through my hair and said,"You've been great too..."
I gazed into his beautiful green eyes. Questions flitted into my mind. What was happening to me? How could someone just easily make me feel so right? I could just let my guard down when he was around.
I felt an answer rising up at the back of my mind. But I pushed it down for the time being. I did not think I was ready for it just yet.
Suddenly, my phone rang in my pocket. I embarrasedly broke away from our embrace and picked up the call.
"Lin! What's up?" I asked.
"I've got amazing news!!! The data sent back to me by the AS have confirmed that there is an alternate entrance to the last floor of the hangar. And it's fully functional. It also leads to another area, I'm investigating more into that now. Suspiciously there are no guards there. Security, as I mentioned that day, is pretty loose. It's insane!" she explained to me excitedly.
"Thats great! But don't you think it's too good to be true? Did you find out who helped us hack into the system?" I asked. I was incredibly thrilled that we found the tunnel, but that gnawing thought would not leave my mind.
It had been almost a week since we found out about it and due to certain casualties, as Lin would say, our mission to send the Auto Scanner down to Area 51 was delayed. Finally getting the results was a pretty big deal.
"I carried out a sattelite scanning on the area. The tunnel emits electromagnetic waves that deflect our satellite signals. It's impossible to detect it via satellite. Therefore, the only plausible way to find the exact location of the tunnel is through the blueprint. And we could not access it till we breached the firewalls. In a way, it is sort of guarded," she said.
"But what is even stranger...." she continued, "is that right now. The firewalls have gone back up. And I simply can't hack it!"
"That's weird...," I mumbled.
"Did either you or Axel had anything to do with it by any chance?" she questioned sort of rhetorically.
"I don't think so... But do you want us to drop by your place?" I asked.
"What? No, no, no!" She exclaimed suddenly nervous.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Let's just say... I'm grounded...
Ugh! I'll explain it you tommorow at school," she replied.
We agreed, then ended the call.
"Looks like we got our next mission," Axel said.
"You have good hearing to be able to hear Lin in her super spy voice," I said humorously.
"Good hearing? If that is her super spy voice, well then I'd be foolish to hire her to do the job," he replied sarcastically.
I laughed and followed him to the bike. Feeling the engines start up, I wrapped my arm around Axel, smiling contentedly.