Julia waited at her locker for Zane to appear, much like she'd been doing for the last week and a half. After learning about the manhunt for Julia, he'd kept his word about walking her home after school, expressing his frustration when she hadn't taken him seriously and left him behind on the first day. She'd only been halfway up the street from the school before she heard someone sprinting towards her from behind. The look of fury in Zane's face had made her stop short in acute fear, surprised to see that kind of expression on him. If she were honest, it was a bit entertaining, and she'd been tempted to do the same the following day. But considering his concern for her, she felt it wouldn't be fair to tease him too much.
As much as she had been against him joining her on her walks home, she couldn't deny the comfort that it provided her. Being alone made her feel as though a bullet would go through her skull at any moment, and it became incredibly unnerving. His presence made everything feel much more manageable for her. Their conversations would also distract her from the fact that Virtus and her parents were keeping things from her, which was frustrating, considering the abuse she was getting from Mortifer. Her intuition alone had her convinced that the situation was dire, but having their confirmation would help her settle the next plan of action for herself.
Zane appeared from the end of the hallway, waving at Julia as he paced over to her with a brilliant smile. She couldn't resist the pull of her lips as she mimicked him, finding his grin to be incredibly contagious. She met him halfway before they exited through the front doors, starting the trek back to her place. They spoke about their day, highlighting their most enjoyable moments, which often involved Marianna, Sydney, or Caroline and their mischievous tendencies. When the two didn't have class with one another, they were lucky enough to be accompanied by one of the three, regularly resulting in stifled laughter or being seconds away from killing someone.
"That bruise on your jaw is pretty much gone now," he observed thoughtfully, tilting his head so he could look at Julia more clearly. "I was seriously worried when it developed a few days after that mission you had." She tried not to flinch as she remembered what happened in Miami. The external interference and its investigation were never closed out—Virtus was never able to track where it could have come from. She was also worried about Steven, who'd been severely injured and hadn't returned her calls and texts. In her mind, Julia knew that if he was in critical condition, Red would disclose that to her. He was probably back on his feet and moving forward as per usual, but she still couldn't get over how badly the mission had ended.
"How I got it wasn't pleasant."
"I'm sure." He frowned, reaching his hand out to her before hesitating, pausing just a few inches from where the bruise had been. His eyebrows were knitted together as he scanned the area once more. "Is it still tender?"
"No, it doesn't hurt anymore." She gave him a gentle smile, finding his consideration to be very touching.
"How'd you explain that one this time?"
"I slipped in the kitchen and the counter caught my jaw on the way down—"
"You're not serious right now." Zane chuckled, shaking his head at her. "That's unbelievable."
"Is it, though?" He thought about it, a smile spreading across his mouth.
"I can see it happening..." He mused, sliding his hands into his pockets when a gust of wind blew. "After the way you fell during that war simulation, people probably think anything is possible with you."
"That's not fair! Your team played dirty."
"All is fair in love and war, Julia."
She didn't have a response for that, finding it to be undeniably true. She knocked his shoulder with her own as a silent refute, smirking at him when he sent her a wink.
"How are your siblings?" Julia questioned, scanning the entrance to her neighborhood. Her house sat at the other end of the street, but she was sure she'd catch her neighbors watching before she was even close to her destination. "I've only met them once, but I like them."
"They're good." Zane answered, a soft smile appearing on his face. "Jenny is as adorable as ever, I assure you. Johnny is, well, Johnny—a mess as always." She laughed, shaking her head at him.
"Obvious hatred towards the eldest sibling." Julia muttered, shooting an innocent smile at him afterwards. His lips twitched up as he tried to contain another smile.
"He doesn't need to know."
"I think he already does."
"Touché."
They continued their walk, Julia glancing to her left just in time to see a dark shadow dancing across the window of a house a few feet away. She turned her attention back to the boy next to her, already feeling beads of sweat on the back of her neck. Although this was a common occurrence for her, it was still a bit unsettling to know they were being watched. The wind howled, ruffling Zane's hair into wild flips while her hair remained contained in a French braid.
When they reached Julia's home, she was disappointed with how quickly they had gotten there. Zane generally sat on the front steps with her to talk a bit longer, but the last few days had been terribly windy, eventually prompting the two to huddle closer to one another to seek warmth. She didn't want to risk him getting sick just to amuse her, but she didn't want him to leave just yet.
"Would you like to come in?" She asked timidly, shooting him a small smile as she held her breath for a moment. His eyes widened a fraction in pleasant surprise before he smiled at her, nodding.
"Sure, I'd like that." She exhaled in relief, laughing nervously before she took the key out of her sweater pocket and unlocked the door.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" She called out before letting Zane in, closing the door behind him. There was no response, indicating that they weren't home. The invasive thought that she allowed a boy inside her house, alone with her, made Julia break out in a cold sweat. Worst of all—there were witnesses in every house on this block to prove it.
"Give me a second, I'll be right back." She told Zane, pointing to the couch in the living room. "Sit." He settled himself down before looking up at her, letting out a short bark as he grinned at her. She blushed, muttering an apology for referring to him as a household pet before rushing upstairs to her room.
She dialed her mother's number on her cell phone before waiting for her answer, praying that she wouldn't freak out.
"Hi, mom?" Julia greeted when the call connected. "Where are you?"
"Hi honey. I'm with your father at headquarters." She reported, her voice curious. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just, uh..." She hesitated a little before she stated the explanation to her in one short breath. "Well, you see, I invited Zane inside the house, and I thought it would have been okay because you guys were home—only, you guys aren't home, so now I have a guilty conscious because I know dad doesn't like it when I'm alone with a guy, so I just wanted to tell you that. Is that okay?" She took a breath, welcoming the sweet oxygen. Her mother was silent on the other end of the call, making Julia sweat profusely.
"I trust you, just make sure you behave." She stated in a knowing tone, laughing through her nose. "Your father will be checking the surveillance tapes when he leaves. I hope you two act civilized and appropriate." A disgusting blush heated up her face as she understood the underlying message that her mother meant. Despite the obvious threatening tone that she used to describe her husband's protectiveness, she didn't seem surprised that Zane was there.
"Did you know about Zane being here before I called?"
"I received four calls from our neighbors," she informed Julia, a hint of a smile evident in her voice. "We tend to get word very quickly."
"You guys work too fast." Julia muttered, beginning to change out of her uniform and into a pair of light washed jeans, a geometric red and beige shirt, and nude flats.
"It gets the job done." She replied. "I have to go now, honey. Things are a bit hectic here with the new influx of trainees."
"Right, good luck." She stated, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Come home safe."
"Bye, Jules. I love you."
"Love you too, mom." She hung up, hooking her phone up to charge before heading back downstairs. She found Zane still sitting on the same spot where she'd left him.
"Did you get in trouble?" Zane asked shyly, giving her a sheepish smile. "If you did, I'm sorry. Most parents don't like their child alone in a room with the opposite sex."
"No, they just said not to, um, do anything inappropriate." She blushed again, the hideous shade of red infecting her face. Why did she tell him that? "They're watching us."
"They're wa—cameras. Right." Julia nodded once, pursing her lips and looking away in embarrassment.
"Would you like something to eat?"
"You'll cook something for me? Aw, shucks, you're so kind."
"Keep it up and I'll poison your food." She smiled kindly, her expression not matching up with her threat. They moved to the kitchen, where he sat down at the island while she pulled out a pot to make rice. There was a second pot on the stove with a note sitting on top of it, and Julia plucked it off to read it.
Chicken is done, just cook the rice.
She silently thanked her father for making his favorite orange chicken and leaving it out for her, knowing she'd be ravaged with hunger. Quickly chopping up an onion, she softened the pieces by sweating them out in oil before putting the dry grains of rice in the pot. Stirring it twice, she added in the water and allowed it to simmer.
"I hope chicken and rice is okay with you," she piped up, sitting across the table from him. "Orange chicken is my dad's specialty."
"That sounds so delicious that I'm actually getting a little excited." Zane grinned, bouncing in his seat and prompting a giggle out of her. She couldn't help but to always smile whenever she was in Zane's presence—he was just so pleasant and relaxing.
The two spent the next few minutes staring at one another with timid smiles. She watched as he ran his fingertips through his hair, noticing how much shorter it was than when he'd first gotten to the city. It was no longer the childish mop of hair sitting neatly around his head, but instead, partially swept up and back from his forehead. It looked like the type of hairstyle when you've just woken up from a deep sleep and took two seconds running your hands through it.
It was incredibly attractive.
Just when she thought the unappealing blush on her face was going to completely disappear, it started to creep back when she noticed how deeply Zane was staring at her. His eyes resembled rays of pale melted gold, and it gleamed so brightly that she had trouble pulling her gaze away from him. She tore her gaze from his eyes so that she could study his face, finding a few more scars along his jaw line and one above his eyebrow. He must have been doing the same, for his eyebrows furrowed as he seemingly stared at something on my forehead.
"What happened here?" He questioned her gently, his hand slowly moving towards her face. A single finger traced a scar that was placed near her hair line, about an inch long. She flinched, and he pulled back a little, a flash of regret for touching it without her permission. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"No, it's fine." She stated quickly, giving him a shaky smile. "As for the scar, I suppose you know already that I got it during a mission."
"Like mine." He stated, looking at her before slowly placing his finger back onto her scar. "Do you mind telling me how? All of mine are just simple knife wounds—small slashes, really." She bit her lip before accepting his request.
"I got it during my very first mission." Julia started, playing with her fingers as she thought back to that dreadful day. "The enemy found me in their vault. I was the only one who was able to fit through the ducts right above it, so I'd be alone when they stormed the space. They caught me and managed to knock me out. When I woke up, I found myself strapped onto a table in a different room at their hideout. They stripped me of my weapons and communication unit and—" Her narration paused, and she looked at Zane, who was staring at her intently. "They told me that they were going to skin my face off if I didn't tell them who I was working for or if I didn't answer any of their questions."
Zane moved closer to the table to rest his elbows on it, his hand formed into a fist and pressed tightly against his lips. She couldn't tell if he did it because he was disgusted or angry.
Julia remembered how the room looked, despite the time that passed since that day. It was dark, but the glow of the sunlight that escaped through the cracks in the room had made it possible to look around. This was before they'd come back into the room with the tools needed to proceed with their threat, and she remembered smelling stale blood long before they started cutting her.
"The team must have heard my screams because it was only about 3 seconds of them dragging that blade along my skull that my superiors came crashing into the room and swiftly killing them all. My parents fought against the agency about me going on missions after that, but you know how that goes." Her voice grew cold, and she cleared her throat before getting up and checking on the rice. Seeing that it was close to being done, she placed the lid on the pot and lowered the heat, allowing the rice to puff up. "Maybe I should have told you this story after we finished eating."
"It's fine, I was the one who asked." He returned, turning his head to her. The expression he had on his face was one that she'd seen a fair number of times, but for some reason, she couldn't pinpoint what it was. "We should be used to the gory things that come with the occupation."
She didn't say anything as she heated up the chicken while the rice finished cooking. The delicious aroma released from the chicken was so appealing, that it seemed to make the newly dug up memory dim and disappear. She sniffed it and smiled, pleased.
Turning around, she went to the other side of the kitchen and opened the cabinet above her where the plates sat. Standing on her tippy toes, she struggled to reach the plates, silently cursing her father for putting them so far up.
"Shorty." Zane laughed, sounding completely amused.
"Shut up," she shot back, hopping once. "Glad I can entertain you."
Not.
"Let me help, this is sad to watch." He chuckled before she heard the sound of his chair being pushed back. She glared at the cabinet, upset about how difficult it was to get two stupid plates. They weren't normally placed that high. "Can you manage to get everything else, or are you too short to reach the cups that are drying next to the sink?"
"I hate you."
He winked.
Sticking her tongue out at him, she went to gather everything else and turned off the stove. Placing the cups, forks, knives, and napkins, she took one of the plates that Zane settled down and started spooning rice onto it.
"Aw, you're serving me?" Zane cooed at her, laughing. "You're so sweet."
Without a word, she reached up to the nearest cabinet and took out a bottle, leaving it on the counter for him to see. His laughter stopped short.
It was probably because of the caution label on the bottle, which had a giant skull mark on it.
Once the rice and chicken were neatly placed onto his plate, Julia sat it down in front of him and winked. "Don't worry, it's not poisoned." A short bark of laughter was released from his mouth.
"I can't believe you have that in the kitchen." He shook his head in amusement. "It's absolutely dangerous yet kind of thrilling. How do you know that I wouldn't poison you? You did just show me your stash." She grinned at him before taking her plate and serving herself.
"It wouldn't work on me."
"Why not?"
"Ever since I was a little kid, my parents used to give me small doses of poison, so I've developed an immunity to most common ones." She explained, putting the chicken carefully onto the plate next to her rice. Putting her plate down at her seat, she went to get the drinks.
"Seriously?" He asked, shocked by the news as she grabbed a container of Iced Tea and laid it down on the table.
Perhaps she shouldn't have told him that.